Home appliance and information notification method

Abstract

To provide a home electric appliance which, when a user operates the home electric appliance, allows the user to recognize information of an electric appliance connected in a manner that communication is possible.SOLUTION: A home electric appliance H comprises a reception part 13 and a notification part 15. The home electric appliance H is connected with a plurality of electric appliances En in such a manner that communication is possible. The reception part 13 receives information of the electric appliances En transmitted from the electric appliances En. The notification part 15 gives the information of the electric appliances En received by the reception part 13. The home electric appliance H preferably comprises an operation button 101 for performing an operation.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a home electric appliance and an information notification method. [Background technology]

[0002] The washing machine disclosed in Patent Document 1 is equipped with a button called an "announcement key." When an abnormality occurs in the washing machine's operation, the user operates the "announcement key." This causes the washing machine to notify the user of the necessary information with a sound. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-000988 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the washing machine disclosed in Patent Document 1 only notifies information about the washing machine itself.

[0005] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and has an object to provide a home electric appliance and an information notification method that can notify information about an electric appliance. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] According to one aspect of the present invention, a home electric appliance includes a receiving unit and a notifying unit, the receiving unit receives information about the electric appliances transmitted from a plurality of electric appliances, and the notifying unit notifies the information about the electric appliances received by the receiving unit.

[0007] According to another aspect of the present invention, an information reporting method includes steps of receiving information about a plurality of electric devices transmitted from the electric devices, and reporting the received information about the electric devices. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a home electric appliance and an information notification method that can notify information about an electric appliance. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing a first information notification system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 1 is a diagram illustrating a home electric appliance according to a first embodiment. [Figure 3] 4 is a flowchart showing the processing of the first information notification system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] 10 is a flowchart showing the processing of the first information notification system according to the second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart showing the processing of the first information notification system according to the third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] 10 is a flowchart showing the first stage of processing in the first information notification system according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart showing the middle stage of the processing of the first information notification system according to the fourth embodiment. [Figure 8] 10 is a flowchart showing the latter stage of the processing of the first information notification system according to the fourth embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a second information notification system according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an information processing device according to a fifth embodiment. [Figure 11] 10 is a flowchart showing the processing of a second information notification system according to a fifth embodiment. [Figure 12] 13 is a flowchart showing the first stage of processing of a second information notification system according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 13] 13 is a flowchart showing the middle stage of the processing of the second information notification system according to the sixth embodiment. [Figure 14]13 is a flowchart showing the latter stage of the processing of the second information notification system according to the sixth embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding parts are designated by the same reference characters and description thereof will not be repeated.

[0011] [Embodiment 1] A first information notification system N1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0012] First, a first information notification system N1 will be described with reference to FIG. 1. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the first information notification system N1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the first information notification system N1 includes a home appliance H and at least one electric appliance En (n is an arbitrary integer equal to or greater than 1). In the example of FIG. 1, the first information notification system N1 includes a plurality of electric appliances En. The home appliance H is connected to the electric appliance En via a network so as to be able to communicate with each other wirelessly or via a wire. In this case, the home appliance H and the electric appliance En are directly or indirectly connected via the network. "Indirectly connected" means, for example, that the home appliance H and the electric appliance En are connected via a server connected to the network. Furthermore, examples of the network include the Internet, a local area network (LAN), a public telephone network, and a short-range wireless network. The home appliance H is installed, for example, inside a building. The building is, for example, a house.

[0013] The home appliance H is a home appliance that has a communication function and a function specific to the type of the home appliance H.

[0014] In this specification, the home appliances are, for example, kitchen appliances, air conditioning appliances, household appliances, lighting equipment, or audiovisual equipment.

[0015] Kitchen appliances are appliances installed in a kitchen. Kitchen appliances are, for example, cooking appliances for cooking or appliances related to cooking. Cooking appliances are, for example, cooking appliances. Cooking appliances are, for example, induction cookers, ovens, or microwave ovens. Cooking appliances are, for example, refrigerators.

[0016] An air conditioning appliance is an appliance that adjusts the air in a target space. Adjusting the air means adjusting at least one of the temperature, humidity, flow rate, and cleanliness of the air. Examples of air conditioning appliances include air conditioners, air purifiers, humidifiers, and dehumidifiers.

[0017] The household appliances are, for example, appliances that assist with housework or beauty and health appliances. The appliances that assist with housework are, for example, vacuum cleaners, washing machines, or irons. The beauty and health appliances are, for example, hair dryers.

[0018] The home appliance H does not include, for example, a general-purpose device. In this specification, a general-purpose device is, for example, a personal computer or a mobile terminal. A mobile terminal is, for example, a tablet terminal or a smartphone.

[0019] The electric appliance En is, for example, a general-purpose appliance with a communication function, a home appliance, or an automobile with a communication function.

[0020] Hereinafter, one of the multiple electric devices En may be referred to as "electric device E1" and another electric device En may be referred to as "electric device EN (N is any integer equal to or greater than 2)".

[0021] Next, the home appliance H will be described with reference to Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing the home appliance H according to embodiment 1. As shown in Fig. 2, the home appliance H includes an operation unit 10, a control unit 11, a request unit 12, a receiving unit 13, a storage unit 14, and a notification unit 15.

[0022] The operation unit 10 accepts an operation by a user (operator) of the home appliance H, and outputs an operation signal based on the user's operation to the control unit 11. The operation unit 10 includes, for example, a pointing device, a keyboard, or a touch panel. The operation unit 10 preferably has an operation button 101 that is operated by the user. The operation button 101 accepts an operation by the user, and outputs an operation signal based on the user's operation to the control unit 11. The operation button 101 may be, for example, a hardware button, or a software button displayed on a touch screen display.

[0023] The control unit 11 controls the operation unit 10, the request unit 12, the receiving unit 13, the memory unit 14, and the notification unit 15. The control unit 11 includes a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The memory unit 14 includes a storage device and stores data and computer programs. Specifically, the memory unit 14 includes a main storage device such as a semiconductor memory and an auxiliary storage device such as a semiconductor memory, a solid-state drive, and a hard disk drive. The memory unit 14 may also include removable media. The processor of the control unit 11 executes the computer program stored in the storage device of the memory unit 14, thereby controlling the operation unit 10, the request unit 12, the receiving unit 13, the memory unit 14, and the notification unit 15 based on an operation signal from the operation unit 10.

[0024] The requesting unit 12 and the receiving unit 13 are configured by a communication device. The communication device includes, for example, a network interface controller (NIC) that performs communication according to a predetermined communication protocol. The predetermined communication protocol is, for example, the TCP / IP (Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol) protocol suite (i.e., the Internet Protocol Suite). Furthermore, for example, the communication device may include a wireless communication module that performs wireless communication or a wired communication module that performs wired communication. The wireless communication module performs, for example, short-range wireless communication. The short-range wireless communication is, for example, communication conforming to a communication standard such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), ZigBee (registered trademark), or Wi-Fi (registered trademark).

[0025] The request unit 12 requests information about the electric appliance En from the electric appliance En that is communicatively connected to the electric appliance H. Based on the information request from the electric appliance H, the electric appliance En transmits the information about the electric appliance En to the electric appliance H. Hereinafter, the information about the electric appliance En is referred to as "electric appliance information 14n (n is any integer equal to or greater than 1)." The electric appliance information 14n includes identification information for identifying the electric appliance En and status information indicating the status of the electric appliance En. The status of the electric appliance En includes, for example, the operating status of the electric appliance En or an error. The operating status includes, for example, whether the electric appliance En is operating, the operation content, whether the operation has been completed, and the time elapsed since the operation was completed. An error is a situation in which a factor that interferes with the operation of the electric appliance En occurs, preventing the electric appliance En from operating normally.

[0026] Hereinafter, when describing multiple electrical appliances En, the electrical appliance information 14n of electrical appliance E1 may be referred to as "electrical appliance information 141," and the electrical appliance information 14n of electrical appliance EN may be referred to as "electrical appliance information 14N (N is any integer greater than or equal to 2)."

[0027] The receiving unit 13 receives electrical appliance information 14n transmitted from a plurality of electrical appliances En connected to the home electric appliance H so as to be able to communicate with the home electric appliance H.

[0028] The storage unit 14 stores the electrical device information 14n received by the receiving unit 13. The storage unit 14 also stores information about the electrical home appliance H. Hereinafter, the information about the electrical home appliance H will be referred to as "electrical home appliance information 14H." ​​The electrical home appliance information 14H includes status information indicating the status of the electrical home appliance H. The status of the electrical home appliance H includes, for example, the operating status or an error of the electrical home appliance H. Otherwise, the definition of the status information of the electrical home appliance H is the same as the definition of the status information of the electrical appliance En.

[0029] The notification unit 15 notifies the home electric appliance information 14H and the electric appliance information 14n (specifically, status information) received by the receiving unit 13. Therefore, the user of the home electric appliance H can recognize the electric appliance information 14n (specifically, status information) related to the other electric appliance En while operating the home electric appliance H. Typically, the notification unit 15 notifies the electric appliance information 14n by voice. Therefore, the user of the home electric appliance H can easily recognize the electric appliance information 14n related to the other electric appliance En by voice. In this case, the notification unit 15 includes, for example, a speaker.

[0030] For example, the notification unit 15 notifies the home appliance information 14H and then notifies the electric appliance information 14n. However, the order of notification is not particularly limited. If the home appliance information 14H is not stored in the storage unit 14, the notification unit 15 may notify only the electric appliance information 14n without notifying the home appliance information 14H.

[0031] Preferably, the notification unit 15 notifies the user of the electrical appliance H with a sound corresponding to each of the electrical appliances En. That is, the notification unit 15 notifies the user of the electrical appliance information 14n with a sound having a characteristic unique to each electrical appliance En. According to this preferred example, the user of the electrical appliance H can easily recognize which of the electrical appliances En the electrical appliance information 14n notified by the notification unit 15 corresponds to. In this preferred example, the "characteristic" is a "characteristic of the voice," and indicates, for example, the tone and pitch of the voice.

[0032] Hereinafter, the sounds having characteristics specific to the electric device E1 and the electric device EN will be referred to as the "first sound" and the "Nth sound (N is any integer equal to or greater than 2)," respectively.

[0033] Specifically, the storage unit 14 stores a voice table that associates identification information of each of the electrical appliances En with voice information. The voice information indicates voice characteristics. The control unit 11 acquires, from the voice table, voice information associated with the identification information included in the electrical appliance information 14n received by the receiving unit 13. The control unit 11 then controls the notification unit 15 to notify the electrical appliance information 14n using voice having the characteristics indicated by the voice information. As a result, the notification unit 15 notifies the electrical appliance information 14n using voice having characteristics unique to the electrical appliance En.

[0034] Furthermore, it is preferable that the control unit 11 switches the information (specifically, the electrical device information 14n) notified by the notification unit 15 when the operation button 101 is operated. According to this preferable example, the user can recognize the desired electrical device information 14n by operating the operation button 101. In particular, the control unit 11 switches the type of electrical device information 14n in response to the operation of the operation button 101 by the user.

[0035] Specifically, the control unit 11 switches the type of electrical device information 14n by changing the electrical device En for which electrical device information 14n is requested in response to the user's operation of the operation button 101. In this case, the user can recognize the state of the desired electrical device En from the state information included in the electrical device information 14n. For example, the control unit 11 changes the electrical device En for which electrical device information 14n is requested from the electrical device E1 to the electrical device E2 in response to the user's operation of the operation button 101.

[0036] Furthermore, the control unit 11 may switch the type of status information included in the electrical device information 14n in response to a user's operation of the operation button 101, by changing the type of status information included in the electrical device information 14n. In this case, the user can recognize a desired type of status of the electrical device En from the status information included in the electrical device information 14n. For example, the control unit 11 switches the type of status information included in the electrical device information 14n from "operating status" to "error" in response to a user's operation of the operation button 101.

[0037] Here, two examples of the operation of the operation button 101 will be shown. First, for example, the control unit 11 switches the electrical device information 14n notified by the notification unit 15 depending on the number of times the operation button 101 is pressed within a predetermined period. In detail, the control unit 11 switches the type of electrical device information 14n notified by the notification unit 15 depending on the number of times the operation button 101 is pressed within a predetermined period. Therefore, the user can switch the type of electrical device information 14n simply by changing the number of times the operation button 101 is pressed.

[0038] For example, the control unit 11 switches the type of the electrical device information 14n by changing the electrical device En from which the electrical device information 14n is requested, depending on the number of times the operation button 101 is pressed within a predetermined period. Alternatively, for example, the control unit 11 may switch the type of the electrical device information 14n by changing the type of state information included in the electrical device information 14n, depending on the number of times the operation button 101 is pressed within a predetermined period.

[0039] Secondly, for example, when the operation button 101 is kept pressed for a predetermined time or longer, the control unit 11 causes the notification unit 15 to notify the plurality of pieces of electrical device information 14n from the plurality of electrical devices En. Hereinafter, the state in which the operation button 101 is kept pressed for a predetermined time or longer may be referred to as "long pressing of the operation button 101" or "state in which the operation button 101 is long pressed." By long pressing the operation button 101, the user can easily recognize the plurality of pieces of electrical device information 14n.

[0040] Specifically, the control unit 11 receives an operation signal in response to a long press on the operation button 101, and the notification unit 15 notifies the user of multiple pieces of electrical device information 14n instead of one piece. More specifically, the control unit 11 receives an operation signal in response to a long press on the operation button 101, and the notification unit 15 notifies the user of all electrical devices En connected to the home appliance H so as to be able to communicate with the home appliance H. Therefore, by switching the operation received by the operation button 101 from the number of presses to a long press, the user can easily recognize the electrical device information 14n of all electrical devices En connected to the home appliance H so as to be able to communicate with the home appliance H.

[0041] Next, the processing of the first information notification system N1 according to embodiment 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 1 to Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a flowchart showing the processing of the first information notification system N1 according to embodiment 1. As shown in Fig. 3, the processing of the first information notification system N1 includes steps S1 to S25.

[0042] First, in step S1, the home appliance H accepts an operation of the operation button 101 from the user. Next, in step S2, the control unit 11 determines whether the operation button 101 has been pressed once within a predetermined period of time. If an affirmative determination (Yes) is made in step S2, the process proceeds to step S3.

[0043] Next, in step S3, control unit 11 controls notification unit 15 to notify home electric appliance information 14H stored in storage unit 14. Notification unit 15 notifies home electric appliance information 14H by a sound having characteristics unique to home electric appliance information 14H.

[0044] On the other hand, if a negative determination (No) is made in step S2, the process proceeds to step S11.

[0045] Next, in step S11, the control unit 11 determines whether the operation button 101 has been pressed n+1 times within a predetermined period of time, where n is an integer equal to or greater than 1. If an affirmative determination (Yes) is made in step S11, the process proceeds to step S12.

[0046] Next, in step S12, the control unit 11 controls the request unit 12 so that the request unit 12 requests the electric appliance En to transmit the electric appliance information 14n. Upon receiving the request, the electric appliance En transmits the electric appliance information 14n to the home appliance H. For example, a case will be described in which the electric appliance En is a "television" and the type of status information included in the electric appliance information 14n requested by the control unit 11 is "operation status." In this case, the electric appliance En, "television," holds status information, which is the operation status, that "the reserved program will start in one hour." The electric appliance En, "television," then transmits, to the home appliance H, identification information indicating that the electric appliance En is a "television" and status information, which indicates that the operation status of the electric appliance En is "the reserved program will start in one hour." as the electric appliance information 14n.

[0047] Next, in step S13, the receiving unit 13 of the home electric appliance H receives the electric appliance information 14n transmitted by the electric appliance En.

[0048] Next, in step S14, the control unit 11 controls the storage unit 14 to store the electrical device information 14n.

[0049] Next, in step S15, the control unit 11 controls the notification unit 15 to notify the home appliance information 14H stored in the storage unit 14 and the electrical appliance information 14n received by the receiving unit 13. Specifically, the control unit 11 first controls the notification unit 15 to notify the home appliance information 14H. Next, the control unit 11 controls the notification unit 15 to notify the electrical appliance information 14n by an n-th sound. As a result, the notification unit 15 notifies the electrical appliance information 14n by the n-th sound. The n-th sound indicates a sound having characteristics (tone and pitch) unique to the "television" which is the electrical appliance En. Therefore, the user can easily recognize that the n-th sound notified by the notification unit 15 indicates the electrical appliance information 14n (specifically, status information) related to the "television" which is the electrical appliance En. In other words, the user can easily recognize that the n-th sound notified by the notification unit 15 indicates the status of the "television." Furthermore, by listening to the n-th sound, the user can recognize that the operating status of the "television" which is the electrical device En is "the reserved program will start in one hour."

[0050] On the other hand, if a negative determination (No) is made in S11, the process proceeds to step S21. In step S21, the control unit 11 causes the operation button 101 to output an operation signal in response to a long press.

[0051] Next, in step S22, the control unit 11 controls the request unit 12 so that the request unit 12 requests the plurality of electric appliances En to transmit the electric appliance information 14n. The plurality of electric appliances En that have received the requests transmit the electric appliance information 14n to the electric home appliance H. For example, a case will be described in which the electric home appliance H is communicably connected to the electric appliance E1 (specifically, a washing machine), the electric appliance E2 (specifically, a refrigerator), and the electric appliance E3 (specifically, a television). In this case, the electric home appliance H requests the electric appliances E1, E2, and E3 to transmit the electric appliance information 14n. The electric appliances E1, E2, and E3 transmit the electric appliance information 141, the electric appliance information 142, and the electric appliance 143 that they respectively possess to the electric home appliance H.

[0052] Next, in step S23, the receiving unit 13 of the home electric appliance H receives the electric appliance information 14n transmitted by the plurality of electric appliances En. Continuing with the example shown in step S22, for example, the receiving unit 13 of the home electric appliance H receives the electric appliance information 141 transmitted by the electric appliance E1, the electric appliance information 142 transmitted by the electric appliance E2, and the electric appliance information 143 transmitted by the electric appliance E3.

[0053] Next, in step S24, the control unit 11 controls the storage unit 14 to store the plurality of pieces of electrical device information 14n received from the plurality of electrical devices En. For example, continuing with the example shown in step S23, the storage unit 14 stores the electrical device information 141, the electrical device information 142, and the electrical device information 143.

[0054] Next, in step S25, the control unit 11 controls the notification unit 15 to notify the home electric appliance information 14H stored in the storage unit 14 and the plurality of pieces of electric appliance information 14n received by the receiving unit 13. Specifically, the control unit 11 first controls the notification unit 15 to notify the home electric appliance information 14H.

[0055] Next, the control unit 11 controls the notification unit 15 to notify the plurality of pieces of electrical appliance information 14n by voice. The notification unit 15 notifies the electrical appliance information 14n by voice (tone and pitch) corresponding to each electrical appliance En.

[0056] For example, continuing with the example shown in step S24, the notification unit 15 first notifies the home appliance information 14H using a sound having characteristics unique to the home appliance information 14H. Next, the notification unit 15 notifies the electrical appliance information 141 using a first sound, the electrical appliance information 142 using a second sound, and the electrical appliance information 143 using a third sound. The first sound, the second sound, and the third sound represent sounds having characteristics (tone and pitch) unique to the electrical appliance E1, the "washing machine," the electrical appliance E2, and the "television," the electrical appliance E3, respectively. Therefore, the user can easily recognize that the electrical appliance information 141, the electrical appliance information 142, and the electrical appliance information 143 notified in sequence by the notification unit 15 represent the electrical appliance information 14n (specifically, status information) related to the electrical appliance E1, the "washing machine," the electrical appliance E2, and the "television," the electrical appliance E3, respectively. That is, the user can recognize the electric device information 14n of a plurality of electric devices En, and can easily recognize which electric device En each piece of electric device information 14n belongs to.

[0057] As described above with reference to FIG. 3 , in the first embodiment, when a user operates the operation button 101 of the home appliance H, the home appliance H receives the electrical appliance information 14n from the electrical appliance En and notifies the user of the state of the electrical appliance En using a voice unique to the electrical appliance En. Furthermore, the home appliance H switches the electrical appliance information 14n that the home appliance H notifies the user of, in response to the user's operation of the operation button 101. Thus, the user can recognize the information of a desired electrical appliance En in response to the operation of the home appliance H. Note that, in the process of the first embodiment described above, the operation method of the operation button 101 and the electrical appliance information 14n corresponding to the operation method of the operation button 101 have been exemplified, but the combination of the operation method of the operation button 101 and the electrical appliance information 14n corresponding to the operation method of the operation button 101 is not limited to the above.

[0058] [Embodiment 2] A first information notification system N1 according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1, 2, and 4. The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment mainly in that a home electric appliance H according to the second embodiment receives electric appliance information 14n from an electric appliance En before an operation button 101 accepts an operation from a user. The following mainly describes the differences between the second embodiment and the first embodiment.

[0059] First, a first information notification system N1 according to embodiment 2 will be described with reference to Fig. 1 and Fig. 2. In the first information notification system N1 according to embodiment 2, an electric appliance En transmits electric appliance information 14n to an electric appliance H without waiting for a request from the electric appliance H. Then, after the receiving unit 13 of the electric appliance H shown in Fig. 2 receives the electric appliance information 14n of the electric appliance En shown in Fig. 1, the control unit 11 controls the storage unit 14 to store the electric appliance information 14n.

[0060] The control unit 11, which has stored the electric device information 14n in the storage unit 14, controls the operation button 101 so that the operation button 101 issues an information possession notification. The information possession notification is a notification indicating that the electric home appliance H holds the electric device information 14n received from the electric appliance En. Specifically, the control unit 11 causes the operation button 101 to emit light or blink to issue the information possession notification.

[0061] For example, if the operation button 101 is a hardware button having an illuminating portion (e.g., an LED), the information possession notification can be made by making the illuminating portion emit light or blink. Alternatively, if the operation button 101 is a software button displayed on a touch screen display, the notification can be made by making the displayed software button emit light or blink.

[0062] After the operation button 101 issues an information possession notification, when the operation button 101 accepts an operation, the control unit 11 controls the notification unit 15 to notify the electrical device information 14n. After accepting an operation on the operation button 101, the notification unit 15 notifies the electrical device information 14n. Thus, the user can listen to the electrical device information 14n by operating the operation button 101, and can recognize the electrical device information 14n. Particularly in the second embodiment, the user can recognize that the electrical home appliance H possesses the electrical device information 14n by the information possession notification from the operation button 101. Therefore, the user can listen to the electrical device information 14n at a desired timing by operating the operation button 101 at a desired timing.

[0063] Next, the processing of the first information notification system N1 will be described with reference to Fig. 1, Fig. 2, and Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing the processing of the first information notification system N1 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 4, the processing of the electric device En includes step S31. The processing of the home electric device H includes steps S32 to S37.

[0064] First, in step S31, the electric appliance En transmits the electric appliance information 14n to the home appliance H. For example, when the operating status of the electric appliance En changes or when an error occurs in the electric appliance En, the electric appliance En transmits the electric appliance information 14n to the home appliance H. Note that, for example, the electric appliance En may transmit the electric appliance information 14n to the home appliance H at regular time intervals.

[0065] On the other hand, in step S32, the receiving unit 13 of the home electric appliance H receives the electric appliance information 14n transmitted by the electric appliance En.

[0066] Next, in step S33, the control unit 11 controls the storage unit 14 to store the electrical device information 14n.

[0067] Next, in step S34, the control unit 11 determines whether or not the operation unit 10 has accepted an operation. That is, the control unit 11 determines whether or not the user is operating the home appliance H. If a negative determination (No) is made in step S34, the processing returns to step S34.

[0068] On the other hand, if the determination in step S34 is affirmative (Yes), the process proceeds to step S35. That is, if the user is operating the home appliance H, the process proceeds to step S35. In step S35, the control unit 11 controls the operation button 101 so that the operation button 101 issues an information possession notification. The operation button 101 issues the information possession notification by, for example, emitting light or blinking. When the user is operating the home appliance H, the operation button 101 issues the information possession notification, so that the user can easily recognize that the home appliance H holds the electrical device information 14n.

[0069] Next, in step S36, the operation button 101 accepts an operation. The operation button 101 that has accepted the operation outputs an operation signal to the control unit 11.

[0070] Next, in step S37, the control unit 11 controls the notification unit 15 to notify the home appliance information 14H stored in the memory unit 14 and the electrical appliance information 14n received by the receiving unit 13 in response to an operation signal from the operation button 101.

[0071] As described above with reference to Fig. 4, according to the second embodiment, the electric device information 14n is notified to the user while the user is operating the electric home appliance H. Therefore, the user can hear the electric device information 14n notified by the electric home appliance H and can recognize the electric device information 14n.

[0072] [Embodiment 3] A home appliance H according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 2. The third embodiment differs from the first embodiment mainly in determining the priority of notifications. The following mainly describes the differences between the third embodiment and the first embodiment.

[0073] In the third embodiment, when the storage unit 14 stores a plurality of pieces of electrical device information 14n, the control unit 11 shown in FIG. 2 determines the order of notification of each piece of electrical device information 14n for the plurality of electrical devices En. In this case, the control unit 11 determines the order of notification of each piece of electrical device information 14n based on priority rules. The priority rules are rules for at least determining the order of notification of the pieces of electrical device information 14n. As an example, the priority rules indicate that the highest priority is set for electrical device information 14n indicating an error in an electrical device En, and that a lower priority is set for electrical device information 14n indicating an operating status of an electrical device En than for electrical device information 14n indicating an error in the electrical device En. The control unit 11 corresponds to an example of a "priority determination unit" of the present invention.

[0074] By setting the highest priority to the electrical device information 14n indicating an error in the electrical device En, the home appliance H gives priority to notifying the electrical device information 14n that requires urgent action, such as an error. Therefore, the user can preferentially recognize the electrical device information 14n that requires urgent action.

[0075] In particular, in embodiment 3, the priority rule determines the order of notification including the home appliance information 14H. That is, in embodiment 3, the priority rule is a rule for determining the order of notification of the home appliance information 14H and the electrical appliance information 14n. As an example, the priority rule indicates that the highest priority is set for the home appliance information 14H of the currently operating home appliance H, the next highest priority is set for the electrical appliance information 14n indicating an error in the electrical appliance En after the home appliance information 14H, and the electrical appliance information 14n indicating the operating status of the electrical appliance En is set lower than the electrical appliance information 14n indicating an error in the electrical appliance En.

[0076] By setting the highest priority to the home appliance information 14H of the currently operating home appliance H, the user can smoothly operate the target home appliance H. Also, by setting the next highest priority to the electric appliance information 14n indicating an error in the electric appliance En, the user can recognize the electric appliance information 14n requiring emergency rather than the electric appliance information 14n not requiring emergency.

[0077] The order in the priority rule is an example and can be determined arbitrarily according to the specifications of the first information notification system N1. Furthermore, the control unit 11 determines whether the home electric appliance H is being operated based on whether the operation unit 10 is being operated.

[0078] For example, if the home appliance H is a washing machine, the notification unit 15 will notify, in this order according to the priority rules, that "washing is finished" (information on the home appliance being operated), that "the door is still open" (error) of the refrigerator which is the electrical appliance E1, and that "heating has been completed" (operating status) of the cooking appliance which is the electrical appliance E2.

[0079] For example, if the home appliance H is a cooking appliance, the notification unit 15 will notify, in accordance with the priority rules, in the following order: "heating has been completed" (information on the home appliance being operated), "the door of the refrigerator, which is the electrical appliance E1, is left open" (error), and "washing has been completed" (operating status) for the washing machine, which is the electrical appliance E2.

[0080] For example, if the home appliance H is a refrigerator, the notification unit 15 will notify, in accordance with the priority rules, in the following order: "The door is still open" (information on the home appliance being operated), "The heating has been completed" (operation status) for the heating cooker which is the electric appliance E1, and "The washing has been completed" (operation status) for the washing machine which is the electric appliance E2.

[0081] For example, if home appliance H does not have home appliance information 14H to be notified, notification unit 15 will, in accordance with the priority rules, notify in this order the refrigerator, which is electrical appliance E1, that "the door is still open" (error), the cooking appliance, which is electrical appliance E2, that "heating has been completed" (operating status), and the washing machine, which is electrical appliance E3, that "washing has been completed" (operating status).

[0082] Next, the processing of the first information notification system N1 according to the third embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1, Fig. 2, and Fig. 5. Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing the processing of the first information notification system N1 according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

[0083] The processing of the first information notification system N1 according to embodiment 3 is the same as that of the first information notification system N1 according to embodiment 1 in steps S1 to S3, steps S1 to S14, and steps S1 to S24. Therefore, a description of the steps that are the same as those of the first information notification system N1 according to embodiment 1 will be omitted.

[0084] First, in the first information notification system N1 according to the third embodiment, after step S14, the process proceeds to step S41. In step S41, the control unit 11 sets priorities for the home electric appliance information 14H and the electric appliance information 14n stored in the storage unit 14 based on the priority rule. The control unit 11 stores the priorities of the home electric appliance information 14H and the electric appliance information 14n in the storage unit 14.

[0085] Next, in step S42, the control unit 11 controls the notification unit 15 to notify the home appliance information 14H and the electrical appliance information 14n in accordance with the priorities set in step S41. In the third embodiment, the control unit 11 controls the notification unit 15 to notify the home appliance information 14H (first priority) stored in the storage unit 14. As a result, the notification unit 15 notifies the home appliance information 14H. After the home appliance information 14H is notified, the control unit 11 controls the notification unit 15 to notify the electrical appliance information 14n (second priority) received by the receiving unit 13. As a result, the notification unit 15 notifies the home appliance information 14H and then notifies the electrical appliance information 14n.

[0086] On the other hand, in the first information notification system N1 according to the third embodiment, after step S24, the process proceeds to step S51. In step S51, the control unit 11 sets priorities for the home electric appliance information 14H and the plurality of pieces of electric appliance information 14n stored in the storage unit 14 based on the priority rule. The control unit 11 stores the priorities of the home electric appliance information 14H and the plurality of pieces of electric appliance information 14n in the storage unit 14.

[0087] Next, in step S52, the control unit 11 controls the notification unit 15 to notify the home electric appliance information 14H and the plurality of pieces of electric appliance information 14n in accordance with the priority order set in step S51. In the third embodiment, the control unit 11 controls the notification unit 15 to notify the home electric appliance information 14H stored in the storage unit 14. As a result, the notification unit 15 notifies the home electric appliance information 14H.

[0088] After the home electric appliance information 14H is notified, the control unit 11 controls the notifying unit 15 to notify, in accordance with the priority of each of the plurality of pieces of electric appliance information 14n received by the receiving unit 13. As a result, the notifying unit 15 notifies, in accordance with the priority of each of the plurality of pieces of electric appliance information 14n, after notifying the home electric appliance information 14H.

[0089] As described above with reference to FIG. 5 , according to the third embodiment, the home appliance H sets priorities for the plurality of pieces of electrical device information 14n that it receives. After setting the priorities for the electrical device information 14n, the home appliance H notifies the user of the electrical device information 14n in accordance with the priorities. This allows the user to listen to electrical device information 14n with a higher priority before electrical device information 14n with a lower priority. This allows the user to easily recognize electrical device information 14n with a higher priority from among the plurality of pieces of electrical device information 14n.

[0090] In particular, in the third embodiment, the highest priority is set for the home electric appliance information 14H of the home electric appliance H that is being operated, which allows the user to smoothly operate the home electric appliance H that is the operation target.

[0091] [Embodiment 4] A first information notification system N1 according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1, 2, and 6 to 8. The fourth embodiment differs from the second embodiment mainly in that information is corrected. The following mainly describes the differences between the fourth embodiment and the second embodiment.

[0092] First, a first information notification system N1 according to embodiment 4 will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 2. In the first information notification system N1 according to embodiment 2, the electric device information 14n of the electric device En includes expiration date information in addition to identification information and status information of the electric device En.

[0093] The expiration date information includes information indicating a reference time point and information indicating a valid period from the reference time point. The reference time point indicates the time point when the electrical device En transmits the electrical device information 14n. The valid period indicates a period during which the electrical device information 14n can be used effectively.

[0094] The home appliance H shown in FIG. 2 receives electrical appliance information 14n at the receiving unit 13. The control unit 11 controls the storage unit 14 to store the electrical appliance information 14n received by the receiving unit 13. The control unit 11 corrects the electrical appliance information 14n stored in the storage unit 14. Correction includes deleting information and correcting information. The control unit 11 controls the notification unit 15 to notify the corrected electrical appliance information 14n. As a result, the notification unit 15 notifies the corrected electrical appliance information 14n. This allows the user to hear more useful information. The control unit 11 corresponds to an example of an "information processing unit" in the present invention.

[0095] Specifically, the control unit 11 controls the storage unit 14 to read out the electric device information 14n and correct the electric device information 14n that satisfies the correction conditions. The correction conditions include a deletion condition and an information correction condition.

[0096] The deletion conditions include a notification count condition, an activation condition, a storage upper limit condition, and an expiration date condition. If the electrical device information 14n satisfies the notification count condition, the activation condition, the storage upper limit condition, or the expiration date condition, the control unit 11 deletes the electrical device information 14n. However, even if the electrical device information 14n satisfies the expiration date condition, if the electrical device information 14n satisfies an information correction condition, the control unit 11 corrects the electrical device information 14n without deleting it. This point will be described later.

[0097] The notification count condition is that the number of times the electrical device information 14n has been notified exceeds a preset upper limit of the number of notifications. For example, the upper limit of the notification count condition is set to "five times." In this case, the control unit 11 deletes the electrical device information 14n after notifying the electrical device information 14n six times. Therefore, since information that the user has already recognized is deleted, the user is more likely to be notified of information that has not been notified to him / her.

[0098] The activation condition is that the operation indicated by the information on the operating status included in the electrical device information 14n has been completed, or that the operation to remove the error indicated by the error information included in the electrical device information 14n has been completed. The control unit 11 deletes the electrical device information 14n when the activation condition is met.

[0099] The storage upper limit condition is that the number of pieces of electrical device information 14n stored in the storage unit 14 exceeds a predetermined upper limit. The control unit 11 deletes the electrical device information 14n when the storage upper limit condition is satisfied. In this case, the control unit 11 preferentially deletes the electrical device information 14n in descending order of priority. For example, the control unit 11 deletes the electrical device information 14n with the lowest priority. Specifically, the upper limit value of the storage upper limit condition is set to "5." In this case, when the control unit 11 stores the sixth piece of electrical device information 14n in the storage unit 14, it deletes the electrical device information 14n with the lowest priority. The control unit 11 controls the storage unit 14 to delete the information with the fifth highest priority from the five pieces of electrical device information 14n stored in the storage unit 14. The control unit 11 also controls the storage unit 14 to store the sixth piece of electrical device information 14n. By setting the storage upper limit condition, the control unit 11 can limit the amount of information processed by the storage unit 14 to a certain capacity or less. Therefore, the control unit 11 can maintain the processing speed of the storage unit 14 at or above a certain standard.

[0100] The expiration date condition is that the expiration period indicated by the expiration date information has elapsed since the receiving unit 13 received the electrical device information 14n. The control unit 11 deletes or modifies the electrical device information 14n when the expiration date condition is met. Modifications when the expiration date condition is met will be explained below in the information modification conditions. Electrical device information 14n that satisfies the expiration date condition may be inconsistent with the actual state of the electrical device En. Therefore, the notification unit 15 modifies the electrical device information 14n to only notify electrical device information 14n that conforms to the actual state of the electrical device En.

[0101] The information correction condition is that information for correcting the electrical device information 14n that satisfies the expiration date condition is stored in advance in the storage unit 14. That is, the control unit 11 corrects the electrical device information 14n that satisfies the expiration date condition based on the information stored in advance in the storage unit 14.

[0102] For example, let us consider a case where the electrical appliance En is a "cooker." A cooker heats food to cook it. The temperature of the heated food is highest immediately after heating and decreases over time. Therefore, when the control unit 11 receives electrical appliance information 14n indicating that "heating of food has finished" from the cooker, the control unit 11 modifies the electrical appliance information 14n as the validity period elapses. Here, the memory unit 14 pre-stores information for modifying the electrical appliance information 14n in order to modify the electrical appliance information 14n. For example, the memory unit 14 stores information for modifying the electrical appliance information 14n to "the temperature of the food has dropped." This information is used to modify the electrical appliance information 14n five minutes after heating of the food has finished. Five minutes after receiving the electrical appliance information 14n, the control unit 11 reads the information indicating that "the temperature of the food has dropped" from the memory unit 14 and modifies the electrical appliance information 14n.

[0103] Next, the processing of the first information notification system N1 according to the fourth embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1, Fig. 2, and Fig. 6 to Fig. 8. Fig. 6 to Fig. 8 are flowcharts showing the processing of the first information notification system N1 according to the fourth embodiment.

[0104] The processing of the first information notification system N1 according to embodiment 4 from step S31 to step S34 is the same as that of the first information notification system N1 (FIG. 4) according to embodiment 2. Therefore, a description of steps S31 to S34 performed by the first information notification system N1 according to embodiment 4 will be omitted.

[0105] First, in the first information notification system N1 according to the fourth embodiment, after an affirmative determination (Yes) in step S34, the process proceeds to step S61.

[0106] Next, in step S61, the control unit 11 sets priorities for the home electric appliance information 14H and the electric appliance information 14n stored in the storage unit 14 based on the priority rule. The control unit 11 stores the priorities of the home electric appliance information 14H and the electric appliance information 14n in the storage unit 14.

[0107] Next, in step S62, the control unit 11 controls the operation button 101 so that the operation button 101 issues an information possession notification.

[0108] Next, in step S63, the operation button 101 accepts an operation. The operation button 101 that has accepted the operation outputs an operation signal to the control unit 11.

[0109] 7, in step S71, it is determined whether or not the electrical device information 14n satisfies the expiration date condition. If a negative determination is made in step S71 (No), the process proceeds to step S72.

[0110] Next, in step S72, the control unit 11 determines whether the electrical device information 14n stored in the storage unit 14 satisfies the notification count condition. If the determination in step S72 is affirmative (Yes), the process proceeds to step S82. In step S82, the control unit 11 controls the storage unit 14 to delete the electrical device information 14n. After step S82, the process proceeds to step S64.

[0111] On the other hand, if a negative determination (No) is made in step S72, the process proceeds to step S73. In step S73, the control unit 11 determines whether or not the electrical device information 14n stored in the memory unit 14 satisfies the operating conditions. If a positive determination (Yes) is made in step S73, the process proceeds to step S82. In step S82, the electrical device information 14n stored in the memory unit 14 is deleted. After step S82, the process proceeds to step S64.

[0112] On the other hand, if a negative determination (No) is made in step S73, the processing proceeds to step S74. In step S74, the control unit 11 determines whether or not the electrical device information 14n stored in the memory unit 14 satisfies the storage upper limit condition. If a positive determination (Yes) is made in step S74, the processing proceeds to step S82. In step S82, the electrical device information 14n stored in the memory unit 14 is deleted. After step S82, the processing proceeds to step S64.

[0113] On the other hand, if a negative determination is made (No) in step S74, the process proceeds to step S64.

[0114] On the other hand, if a positive determination (Yes) is made in step S71, the processing proceeds to step S81. In step S81, the control unit 11 determines whether or not the electrical device information 14n stored in the memory unit 14 satisfies the information correction condition. If a negative determination (No) is made in step S81, the processing proceeds to step S82. In step S82, the electrical device information 14n stored in the memory unit 14 is deleted. After step S82, the processing proceeds to step S64.

[0115] On the other hand, if the determination in step S81 is affirmative (Yes), the process proceeds to step S91. In step S91, the control unit 11 reads out the electrical device information 14n stored in the storage unit 14, and corrects the electrical device information 14n based on the information previously stored in the storage unit 14.

[0116] Next, in step S92, the control unit 11 controls the storage unit 14 to store the corrected electrical device information 14n.

[0117] Next, in step S93, the control unit 11 controls the storage unit 14 to delete the pre-correction electrical device information 14n. By deleting the pre-correction electrical device information 14n, the pre-correction electrical device information 14n is not used in subsequent processing. Therefore, the pre-correction electrical device information 14n is not notified. After step S93, the processing proceeds to step S64.

[0118] 8, in step S64, the control unit 11 controls the notification unit 15 to notify the home electric appliance information 14H. After the notification unit 15 notifies the home electric appliance information 14H, the control unit 11 controls the notification unit 15 to notify the electric appliance information 14n and the corrected electric appliance information 14n in accordance with their respective priorities. That is, the notification unit 15 notifies the electric appliance information 14n that does not satisfy the deletion condition or the corrected electric appliance information 14n.

[0119] Next, in step S65, the control unit 11 controls the storage unit 14 to add information on the number of times of notification to the electrical device information 14n notified by the notification unit 15 and store the added information. By adding the information on the number of times of notification to the electrical device information 14n, the control unit 11 can make a determination based on the condition on the number of times of notification performed in step S72. After step S65, the processing of the first information notification system N1 according to the fourth embodiment ends.

[0120] As described above with reference to FIGS. 6 to 8, according to the fourth embodiment, the home electric appliance H corrects (deletes or modifies) the received electric appliance information 14n. As a result, the electric appliance information 14n that has been repeatedly notified, the electric appliance information 14n with a low priority, and the electric appliance information 14n that does not match the actual state of the electric appliance En are deleted or modified. Therefore, only the electric appliance information 14n that does not need to be corrected and the modified electric appliance information 14n are notified. Therefore, the user can recognize the electric appliance information 14n that does not need to be corrected and the modified electric appliance information 14n.

[0121] [Embodiment 5] A second information notification system N2 according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figs. 9 to 11. The fifth embodiment differs from the third embodiment mainly in that the home appliance H requests the electrical appliance information 14n via the information processing device 2. The fifth embodiment also differs from the third embodiment mainly in that the information processing device 2 determines the priority of the electrical appliance information 14n. The following mainly describes the differences between the fifth embodiment and the third embodiment.

[0122] First, the second information notification system N2 will be described with reference to Fig. 9. Fig. 9 is a diagram showing the second information notification system N2 according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 9, the second information notification system N2 includes a home electric appliance H, an information processing device 2, and at least one electric appliance En. In the example of Fig. 9, the second information notification system N2 includes a plurality of electric appliances En. The home electric appliance H and the electric appliance En are connected to the information processing device 2 wirelessly or via a wire via a network so as to be able to communicate with each other.

[0123] The information processing device 2 is a computer (e.g., a server) that stores information and processes the stored information. Devices communicably connected to the information processing device 2 can exchange information with the information processing device 2. The information processing device 2 may also be configured with multiple computers. When the information processing device 2 is configured with multiple computers, the computers may be installed in different locations.

[0124] Next, the information processing device 2 will be described with reference to Fig. 10. Fig. 10 is a diagram showing the information processing device 2 according to embodiment 5. As shown in Fig. 10, the information processing device 2 includes a device receiving unit 20, a device control unit 21, a device storage unit 22, and a device transmitting unit 23.

[0125] The device control unit 21 controls the device receiving unit 20, the device storage unit 22, and the device transmitting unit 23. The device control unit 21 includes a processor such as a CPU. The device storage unit 22 includes a storage device and stores data and computer programs. Specifically, the device storage unit 22 includes a main storage device such as a semiconductor memory and an auxiliary storage device such as a semiconductor memory, a solid-state drive, and a hard disk drive. The device storage unit 22 may also include removable media. The processor of the device control unit 21 controls the device receiving unit 20, the device storage unit 22, and the device transmitting unit 23 by executing a computer program stored in the storage device of the device storage unit 22.

[0126] The device receiving unit 20 and the device transmitting unit 23 are communication devices, and include, for example, a NIC that performs communication according to a predetermined communication protocol. The communication devices may also include a wireless communication module or a wired communication module.

[0127] The device receiving unit 20 receives a request for the electrical device information 14n from an electrical home appliance H that is communicatively connected to the information processing device 2. The device receiving unit 20 also receives the electrical device information 14n from an electrical appliance En that is communicatively connected to the information processing device 2. The device sending unit 23 requests the electrical device information 14n from the electrical appliance En. The device sending unit 23 also sends the electrical device information 14n stored in the information processing device 2 to the electrical home appliance H.

[0128] The device storage unit 22 stores the electrical device information 14n received by the device receiving unit 20.

[0129] Preferably, the device control unit 21 adds, to the plurality of pieces of electrical device information 14n stored in the device storage unit 22, audio information specific to the electrical device En corresponding to each piece of electrical device information 14n. The audio information indicates audio characteristics. According to this preferred example, when the electrical device information 14n is notified, it can be notified in a voice specific to the electrical device En corresponding to the electrical device information 14n. Therefore, a user who is notified of the electrical device information 14n in a unique voice can easily recognize which of the plurality of electrical devices En the notified electrical device information 14n corresponds to.

[0130] Specifically, the device storage unit 22 stores a voice table that associates identification information of each of the plurality of electric devices En with voice information. The device control unit 21 acquires, from the voice table, the voice information associated with the identification information included in the electric device information 14n received by the device receiving unit 20. The device control unit 21 then adds the voice information to the electric device information 14n.

[0131] Furthermore, it is preferable that the device control unit 21 switches the information (specifically, the electrical device information 14n) to be requested from the electrical device En in response to a request from the electrical home appliance H. The electrical home appliance H switches the request to the information processing device 2 in response to an operation on the operation button 101. Here, the operation method for the operation button 101 of the electrical home appliance H and the electrical device information 14n requested by that operation method are the same as those described in the first embodiment. According to this preferable example, the user operates the operation button 101 to request the desired electrical device information 14n from the information processing device 2. The information processing device 2 receives the electrical device information 14n desired by the user from the electrical appliance En and transmits it to the electrical home appliance H. Thus, the electrical home appliance H can notify the user of the electrical device information 14n desired by the user.

[0132] Preferably, when there are multiple pieces of electrical device information 14n stored in the device storage unit 22, the device control unit 21 performs processing to determine the order of notification of each piece of electrical device information 14n. The order of notification of each piece of electrical device information 14n is determined according to the priority. The priority is set based on the priority rules, as in the description of the third embodiment. By determining the priority of each piece of electrical device information 14n, it is possible to notify each piece of electrical device information 14n in the order of priority.

[0133] Next, the processing of the second information notification system N2 will be described with reference to Fig. 2, Fig. 9, Fig. 10, and Fig. 11. Fig. 11 is a flowchart showing the processing of the second information notification system N2 according to embodiment 5. As shown in Fig. 11, the processing of the home appliance H includes steps C1 to C4. The processing of the information processing device 2 includes steps C11 to C17. The processing of the electric appliance En includes steps C21 and C22.

[0134] First, in step C1, the home appliance H accepts a user operation of the operation button 101. Next, in step C2, the control unit 11 controls the request unit 12 so that the request unit 12 requests the information processing device 2 to transmit the electric appliance information 14n.

[0135] On the other hand, in step C11, the device receiving unit 20 of the information processing device 2 receives the bill from the home electric appliance H.

[0136] Next, in step C12, the device control unit 21 controls the device transmission unit 23 to request the electric device En to transmit the electric device information 14n.

[0137] On the other hand, in step C21, the electric device En receives the bill from the information processing device 2.

[0138] Next, in step C22, the electric appliance En transmits the electric appliance information 14n to the information processing device 2.

[0139] On the other hand, in step C13, the device receiving unit 20 of the information processing device 2 receives the electric device information 14n.

[0140] Next, in step C14, the device control unit 21 controls the device storage unit 22 to store the electrical device information 14n.

[0141] Next, in step C15, device control unit 21 determines whether or not there are multiple pieces of electrical device information 14n stored in device storage unit 22. If a negative determination (No) is made in step C15, the process proceeds to step C17.

[0142] On the other hand, if an affirmative determination (Yes) is made in step C15, the process proceeds to step C16.

[0143] Next, in step C16, the device control unit 21 determines the priority of each piece of electrical device information 14n for the plurality of pieces of electrical device information 14n stored in the device storage unit 22. The priority is set based on the priority rule, as in the description of the third embodiment. By determining the priority of each piece of electrical device information 14n, it is possible to notify each piece of electrical device information 14n in the order of priority.

[0144] Next, in step C17, the device control unit 21 controls the device transmission unit 23 to transmit the electric device information 14n to the home electric appliance H.

[0145] On the other hand, in step C3, the receiving unit 13 of the home electric appliance H receives the electric appliance information 14n from the information processing device 2.

[0146] Next, in step C4, the control unit 11 controls the notification unit 15 to notify the electrical device information 14n received by the receiving unit 13. Here, if priorities are set for the electrical device information 14n, the control unit 11 controls the notification unit 15 to notify the electrical device information 14n in order of priority.

[0147] As described above with reference to FIG. 11 , according to the fifth embodiment, the home appliance H, whose operation button 101 has been operated, receives the electrical appliance information 14n from the electrical appliance En via the information processing device 2. The home appliance H, which has received the electrical appliance information 14n, notifies the user of the status of the electrical appliance En. Thus, the user can recognize the status of the electrical appliance En by operating the home appliance H. Furthermore, the information processing device 2 determines priorities for the received multiple pieces of electrical appliance information 14n. The home appliance H, which has received the electrical appliance information 14n and its priority from the information processing device 2, notifies the user of the electrical appliance information 14n in accordance with the priority. Thus, the user can listen to electrical appliance information 14n with a higher priority before electrical appliance information 14n with a lower priority. Thus, the user can easily recognize electrical appliance information 14n with a higher priority from among multiple pieces of electrical appliance information 14n.

[0148] [Embodiment 6] A second information notification system N2 according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 2, 9, 10, and 12 to 14. The sixth embodiment differs from the fourth embodiment mainly in that the home appliance H receives the electrical appliance information 14n via the information processing device 2. The sixth embodiment also differs from the fourth embodiment in that the information processing device 2 corrects the electrical appliance information 14n. The following mainly describes the differences between the sixth embodiment and the fourth embodiment.

[0149] First, a second information notification system N2 according to a second embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 2, Fig. 9, and Fig. 10. In the second information notification system N2 according to a sixth embodiment shown in Fig. 9, the information processing device 2 receives electric device information 14n from an electric device En without waiting for a request from the home electric appliance H. After the device receiving unit 20 of the information processing device 2 shown in Fig. 10 receives the electric device information 14n of the electric appliance En shown in Fig. 9, the device control unit 21 controls the device storage unit 22 to store the electric device information 14n.

[0150] On the other hand, the home appliance H shown in FIG. 2 accepts an operation on the operation unit 10. The home appliance H that has accepted the operation transmits an operation detection signal to the information processing device 2 shown in FIG. 10. The operation detection signal is a signal that causes the information processing device 2 to detect that the operation unit 10 of the home appliance H is accepting an operation. Note that a plurality of home appliances H may be communicably connected to the second information notification system N2. Of the plurality of home appliances H, only the home appliance H that has accepted the operation transmits an operation detection signal to the information processing device 2.

[0151] 10, upon receiving the operation detection signal, the device control unit 21 of the information processing device 2 determines the priority of the electrical device information 14n stored in the device storage unit 22. The priority of the electrical device information 14n is set based on the priority rule described in the third embodiment.

[0152] Furthermore, the device control unit 21 performs a process of correcting the electrical device information 14n stored in the device storage unit 22. The correction performed by the device control unit 21 on the electrical device information 14n is similar to the correction performed by the control unit 11 of the home electric appliance H described in the fourth embodiment on the electrical device information 14n. However, the correction performed in the sixth embodiment differs from the correction performed in the fourth embodiment in that the reference point in time of the expiration date information is the point in time when an operation detection signal is transmitted from the home electric appliance H.

[0153] The device control unit 21 controls the device transmission unit 23 to transmit to the home electric appliance H the electric appliance information 14n, the corrected electric appliance information 14n, and their priorities.

[0154] The home electric appliance H that has received the electric appliance information 14n, the corrected electric appliance information 14n, and their priorities from the information processing device 2 performs information retention notification using the operation button 101, similar to the home electric appliance H of the second embodiment shown in Fig. 2. Then, when the operation button 101 accepts an operation, the notification unit 15 notifies the electric appliance information 14n and the corrected electric appliance information 14n in order of priority.

[0155] Next, the processing of the second information notification system N2 will be described with reference to Figs. 2, 9, 10, and 12 to 14. Figs. 12 to 14 are flowcharts showing the processing of the second information notification system N2 according to embodiment 6. As shown in Figs. 12 to 14, the processing of the home appliance H includes steps C31 to C37. The processing of the information processing device 2 includes steps C41 to C45, steps C61 to C64, steps C71 and C72, and steps C81 to C83. The processing of the electric appliance En includes step C51.

[0156] First, in step C51, the electric appliance En transmits the electric appliance information 14n to the information processing device 2.

[0157] On the other hand, in step C41, the device receiving unit 20 of the information processing device 2 receives the electric device information 14n.

[0158] Next, in step C42, the device control unit 21 controls the device storage unit 22 to store the electrical device information 14n.

[0159] On the other hand, in step C31, the home electric appliance H accepts an operation on the operation unit 10 from the user.

[0160] Next, in step C32, the control unit 11 of the home electric appliance H controls the billing unit 12 to transmit an operation detection signal to the information processing device 2.

[0161] On the other hand, in step C43, the device receiving unit 20 of the information processing device 2 receives the operation detection signal from the home electric appliance H.

[0162] Next, in step C44, the device control unit 21 determines the priority of the electric device information 14n stored in the device storage unit 22. The priority of the electric device information 14n is set based on priority rules.

[0163] 13, in step C61, the device control unit 21 determines whether the electrical device information 14n satisfies the expiration date condition. If a negative determination (No) is made in step C61, the process proceeds to step C62.

[0164] Next, in step C62, device control unit 21 determines whether electrical device information 14n stored in device storage unit 22 satisfies the notification count condition. If a positive determination (Yes) is made in step C62, the process proceeds to step C72. In step C72, device control unit 21 controls device storage unit 22 to delete electrical device information 14n. After step C72, the process proceeds to step C45.

[0165] On the other hand, if a negative determination (No) is made in step C62, the processing proceeds to step C63. In step C63, the device control unit 21 determines whether the electrical device information 14n stored in the device storage unit 22 satisfies the operating conditions. If a positive determination (Yes) is made in step C63, the processing proceeds to step C72. In step C72, the device control unit 21 deletes the electrical device information 14n stored in the device storage unit 22. After step C72, the processing proceeds to step C45.

[0166] On the other hand, if a negative determination (No) is made in step C63, the processing proceeds to step C64. In step C64, the device control unit 21 determines whether the electrical device information 14n stored in the device storage unit 22 satisfies the storage upper limit condition. If a positive determination (Yes) is made in step C64, the processing proceeds to step C72. As described above, in step C72, the device control unit 21 deletes the electrical device information 14n stored in the device storage unit 22. After step C72, the processing proceeds to step C45.

[0167] On the other hand, if a negative determination (No) is made in step C64, the process proceeds to step C45.

[0168] On the other hand, if a positive determination (Yes) is made in step C61, the processing proceeds to step C71. In step C71, the device control unit 21 determines whether the electrical device information 14n stored in the device storage unit 22 satisfies the information correction condition. If a negative determination (No) is made in step C71, the processing proceeds to step C72. As described above, in step C72, the device control unit 21 deletes the electrical device information 14n stored in the device storage unit 22. After step C72, the processing proceeds to step C45.

[0169] On the other hand, if the determination in step C71 is affirmative (Yes), the process proceeds to step C81. In step C81, the device control unit 21 reads out the electrical device information 14n stored in the device storage unit 22, and corrects the electrical device information 14n based on the information stored in the device storage unit 22.

[0170] Next, in step C82, the device control unit 21 controls the device storage unit 22 to store the corrected electrical device information 14n.

[0171] Next, in step C83, the device control unit 21 controls the device storage unit 22 to delete the pre-correction electrical device information 14n. By deleting the pre-correction electrical device information 14n, the pre-correction electrical device information 14n will not be used in subsequent processing. Therefore, the pre-correction electrical device information 14n will not be notified. After step C83, the processing proceeds to step C45.

[0172] 14, in step C45, the device control unit 21 controls the device transmission unit 23 to transmit the electrical device information 14n and the corrected electrical device information 14n to the home appliance H. The device transmission unit 23 transmits the electrical device information 14n and the corrected electrical device information 14n to the home appliance H that transmitted the operation detection signal to the information processing device 2. The device control unit 21 also adds the number of times the electrical device information 14n has been transmitted as information on the number of times of notification to the transmitted electrical device information 14n and the corrected electrical device information 14n. The device control unit 21 controls the device storage unit 22 to store the information on the number of times of notification.

[0173] Meanwhile, in step C33, the receiving unit 13 of the home electric appliance H that transmitted the operation detection signal to the information processing device 2 receives from the information processing device 2 the electric appliance information 14n and the corrected electric appliance information 14n.

[0174] Next, in step C34, the control unit 11 controls the storage unit 14 to store the received electric device information 14n and the corrected electric device information 14n.

[0175] Next, in step C35, control unit 11 controls operation button 101 so that operation button 101 issues an information possession notification. The information possession notification of operation button 101 is issued after detecting an operation on operation unit 10. In other words, operation button 101 issues an information possession notification while the user is operating home appliance H. Therefore, the user can easily recognize the notification of operation button 101.

[0176] Next, in step C36, the operation button 101 receives an operation from the user.

[0177] Next, in step C37, the control unit 11 controls the notification unit 15 in response to an operation signal from the operation button 101 so as to notify the electric device information 14n and the corrected electric device information 14n in order of priority.

[0178] As described above with reference to FIGS. 12 to 14 , the second information notification system N2 of the sixth embodiment notifies the user of the electrical appliance information 14n while the user is operating the electrical appliance H. This allows the user to recognize the electrical appliance information 14n. The information processing device 2 also corrects the received electrical appliance information 14n. This deletes or corrects electrical appliance information 14n that has been repeatedly notified, electrical appliance information 14n with a low priority, and electrical appliance information 14n that does not match the actual state of the electrical appliance En. This means that only electrical appliance information 14n that does not need to be corrected and the corrected electrical appliance information 14n are notified. This allows the user to recognize electrical appliance information 14n that does not need to be corrected and the corrected electrical appliance information 14n.

[0179] The embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments and can be implemented in various forms without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Furthermore, the components disclosed in the above embodiments can be modified as appropriate. For example, some of the components shown in one embodiment may be added to the components of another embodiment, or some of the components shown in one embodiment may be deleted from the embodiment.

[0180] Furthermore, the drawings mainly show each component in a schematic manner to facilitate understanding of the invention, and the thickness, length, number, spacing, etc. of each component shown in the drawings may differ from the actual ones due to the convenience of creating the drawings. Furthermore, the configuration of each component shown in the above embodiment is merely an example and is not particularly limited, and it goes without saying that various modifications are possible within a range that does not substantially deviate from the effects of the present invention. [Industrial Applicability]

[0181] The present invention provides a home electric appliance and an information notification method, and has industrial applicability. [Explanation of symbols]

[0182] N1 First Information Notification System N2 Second Information Notification System H Home appliances 10 Control section 101 Operation button 11 Control section 12 Billing Department 13 Receiving unit 14 Storage section 15. Information Department 2. Information processing equipment En Electrical Equipment

Claims

1. A receiving unit that receives information about an electrical device transmitted from the electrical device; a notification unit that notifies information about the electrical device received by the receiving unit; Equipped with The home electric appliance, wherein the notification unit notifies the information about the electric appliance that has been corrected over time when a predetermined period of time has elapsed since the information about the electric appliance was received.

2. Further provided with an operation button for performing an operation, The home electric appliance according to claim 1 , wherein the information notified by the notification unit is switched in response to an operation of the operation button.

3. The home electric appliance according to claim 1 , wherein the notification unit notifies the electric appliance with a sound corresponding to each of the electric appliances.

4. The home electric appliance according to claim 1 , further comprising: a priority order determining unit that determines an order of notification of each piece of information in the electric appliance.

5. A step of receiving information about the electrical device transmitted by the electrical device; a step of notifying the received information of the electrical device; Equipped with The information reporting method includes, when a predetermined period of time has elapsed since the information about the electrical device was received, reporting the information about the electrical device that has been corrected in accordance with the passage of time.

6. requesting the electrical device to transmit information; a step in which the electrical device that has received the request transmits information about the electrical device; The information notification method according to claim 5 , further comprising:

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