Home appliances, management servers, and information processing methods

Abstract

To provide a home appliance, a management server, and an information processing method that are capable of reducing a load on an information processing system.SOLUTION: A home appliance which is communicable with a management server or a service provision server includes a transmission unit and a setting unit. The transmission unit transmits an inquiry about a connection destination of the home appliance, to the management server. The setting unit sets, when receiving information indicating a specified service provision server from the management server, the specified service provision server as a connection destination of the home appliance.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present invention relate to home appliances, a management server, and an information processing method.

Background Art

[0002] There are known home appliances that are connected to a network and can use remote operation and other services. By the way, in the future, as the number of home appliances connected to the network increases and the services related to home appliances expand, the load on the information processing system may increase.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a home appliance, a management server, and an information processing method capable of reducing the load on the information processing system.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] The home appliance according to the embodiment is a home appliance capable of communicating with a management server or a service providing server, and includes a transmission unit and a setting unit. The transmission unit transmits an inquiry regarding the connection destination of the home appliance to the management server. When the setting unit receives information indicating a specific service providing server from the management server, the setting unit sets the connection destination of the home appliance to the specific service providing server. The transmission unit After the connection destination of the home appliance is set to the specific service provider server by the setting unit, at a predetermined interval transmits the inquiry to the management server.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0006] [Figure 1]A diagram showing the overall configuration of the information processing system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] A block diagram showing the functional configuration of a home appliance according to the first embodiment. [Figure 3] A block diagram showing the functional configuration of the management server in the first embodiment. [Figure 4] A schematic diagram showing the data structure and data examples of the user management database in the first embodiment. [Figure 5] A schematic diagram showing the data structure and data example of the connection destination management DB in the first embodiment. [Figure 6] A schematic diagram showing the data structure and data example of the server state management DB in the first embodiment. [Figure 7] A schematic diagram showing the data structure and data examples of the connection status management DB of the first embodiment. [Figure 8] A sequence diagram showing the communication connection operation when a home appliance of the first embodiment connects to a service provision server. [Figure 9] A flowchart illustrating the procedure for communication connection processing performed by the home appliance of the first embodiment. [Figure 10] A sequence diagram showing the communication connection operation when an abnormality occurs in the service provision server of the first embodiment. [Figure 11] A schematic diagram showing the data structure and data example of the connection destination management DB in the second embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0007] The following description of the embodiment of the home appliance, management server, and information processing method will be given with reference to the drawings. In the following description, components having the same or similar functions will be denoted by the same reference numerals. Duplication of descriptions of these components may be omitted. In this application, "based on XX" means "based on at least XX," and may also include cases where XX is based on another element in addition to XX. Furthermore, "based on XX" is not limited to cases where XX is used directly, but may also include cases where XX has been processed or modified. In this application, "XX or YY" is not limited to cases where either XX or YY is used, but may also include cases where both XX and YY are used. This also applies when there are three or more optional elements. XX and YY are arbitrary elements (e.g., arbitrary information). In this application, "acquisition" is not limited to cases where information is actively acquired by sending a transmission request, but may also include cases where information is acquired by passively receiving information transmitted from another device.

[0008] (First Embodiment) <1. Overall Configuration of the Information Processing System> First, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described. The overall configuration of the information processing system 1 will be described below. Figure 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of the information processing system 1 of the first embodiment. The information processing system 1 includes, for example, a home appliance 100, a management server 200, a plurality of service provision servers 400, and a monitoring server 500. The network NW described later may be, for example, the Internet, a cellular network, a Wi-Fi network, LPWA (Low Power Wide Area), WAN (Wide Area Network), LAN (Local Area Network), or other public lines or dedicated lines, depending on the situation.

[0009] Home appliances 100 are electrical appliances primarily used in homes. Home appliances 100 are located within the dwelling of user U. Home appliances 100 include, but are not limited to, an air conditioner 100A, a refrigerator 100B, a cooking appliance 100C, a washing machine 100D, a vacuum cleaner, a rice cooker, or an iron. Home appliances 100 are connected to a network NW via a wireless router WR and a modem M installed within the dwelling of user U. Home appliances 100 can communicate with a management server 200 or a service provider server 400 via the network NW.

[0010] The service provider server 400 provides services related to the home appliance 100. For example, the service provider server 400 provides a remote control service that allows the user U to remotely control the home appliance 100 from an application installed on a terminal device (for example, switching the operation ON or OFF state, or changing the device status such as the set temperature), a reference information service that shows reference information related to the home appliance 100 (for example, recommended ways to use the home appliance 100), and an advertising information service that provides advertising information introducing the latest home appliance 100. Furthermore, if the home appliance 100 is a refrigerator 100B, the service provider server 400 provides a food inventory management service that manages the inventory of food items present in the user U's home (for example, refrigerator 100B), and a recipe service that suggests or searches for recipes. Furthermore, if the home appliance 100 is a cooking appliance 100C, the service provider server 400 provides a service that transmits control quantities corresponding to recipes (for example, information indicating heating time). Furthermore, the service provider server 400 may provide a monitoring service that monitors the person being monitored based on whether the door of the refrigerator 100B is open or closed, the ambient temperature around the refrigerator 100B, the operating status of the air conditioner 100A, etc. The service provider server 400 can communicate with the home appliance 100, the management server 200, or the monitoring server 500 via the network NW.

[0011] The management server 200 identifies the service provider 400 corresponding to the home appliance 100 from among the multiple service provider servers 400, and sends connection information to the home appliance 100 for connecting to the identified service provider server 400. The management server 200 can communicate with the home appliance 100, the service provider servers 400, or the monitoring server 500 via the network NW.

[0012] The monitoring server 500 monitors the operating status of each of the multiple service provider servers 400 and transmits status information indicating the operating status of each service provider server 400 to the management server 200. For example, the monitoring server 500 transmits a signal to each service provider server 400 at predetermined intervals to check the operating status and determines the operating status of each service provider server 400 based on the response. The monitoring server 500 may transmit status information indicating the operating status of all service provider servers 400 to the management server 200 at predetermined intervals, or it may transmit status information indicating the operating status of a service provider server 400 to the management server 200 when the operating status of that service provider server 400 changes (for example, when an abnormality occurs). Operating statuses include "Normal" indicating normal operation, "Under Maintenance" indicating maintenance is in progress, and "Abnormality Occurred" indicating an abnormality such as a failure or communication failure. The monitoring server 500 can communicate with the management server 200 or the service provider servers 400 via the network NW.

[0013] Each of the management server 200, the service providing server 400, and the monitoring server 500 is constituted by one or more server devices (for example, a cloud server). The management server 200, the service providing server 400, and the monitoring server 500 may be referred to as a "server system". The management server 200, the service providing server 400, and the monitoring server 500 may include an information processing unit that performs edge computing or fog computing, such as an information processing unit included in a router in the network NW. The management server 200, the service providing server 400, and the monitoring server 500 are not limited to cloud servers, and may be a computer in the residence of the user U, or may be a home router or the like.

[0014] <2. Home Appliances> Next, referring to FIG. 2, the home appliance 100 will be described. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the home appliance 100. The home appliance 100 has, for example, an actuator 110, a sensor unit 120, an operation unit 130, a control unit 140, a display unit 150, a wireless communication unit 160, and a speaker 170.

[0015] The actuator 110 includes a drive unit that operates the main function of the home appliance 100. For example, when the home appliance 100 is a cooking heater, the actuator 110 includes a heating device, a blower, and the like. When the home appliance 100 is a cooking heater, it may include a device (for example, a solenoid) that automatically opens and closes the door. When the home appliance 100 is an air conditioner, the actuator 110 includes a heat exchanger, a blower, and the like. When the home appliance 100 is a refrigerator, the actuator 110 includes a compressor that compresses the refrigerant, a blower that circulates cold air in the refrigerator, and the like. When the home appliance 100 is a washing machine, the actuator 110 includes a motor that rotates the washing tub, and the like.

[0016] The sensor unit 120 includes, for example, one or more sensors that measure temperature, humidity, voltage, current, vibration, or rotational speed.

[0017] The operation unit 130 includes operation buttons or a touch panel provided on the home appliance 100. The operation unit 130 receives operations from user U regarding the home appliance 100. For example, the operation unit 130 receives operations from user U to specify or change the settings of the home appliance 100. The settings of the home appliance 100 include one or more of the following: control quantities related to various controls, target values, thresholds, timer settings, operating modes, etc. Information indicating the settings of the home appliance 100 (referred to as setting information) is stored, for example, in a predetermined storage device within the home appliance 100 or in a predetermined storage device within the service provision server 400.

[0018] The control unit 140 is implemented by one or more hardware processors, such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) mounted on the home appliance 100, executing a program. However, part or all of the control unit 140 may be implemented by hardware such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), PLD (Programmable Logic Device), or FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or by the cooperation of software and hardware.

[0019] The control unit 140 comprehensively controls the entire home appliance 100. For example, the control unit 140 operates the home appliance 100 by controlling the actuator 110 based on the detection results of the sensor unit 120 provided on the home appliance 100 and the setting information. The control unit 140 also performs various controls in response to requests from the management server 200 or the service provider server 400, as well as responding to the management server 200 or the service provider server 400 and notifying them of the operating status.

[0020] The control unit 140 includes a transmitting unit 141, a receiving unit 142, and a setting unit 143. The transmitting unit 141 transmits various information to the management server 200 or the service provider server 400. For example, when the home appliance 100 is powered on, or when the home appliance 100 is first connected to the network NW, the transmitting unit 141 sends an inquiry to the management server 200 regarding the connection destination of the home appliance 100. At this time, the transmitting unit 141 includes information about the home appliance 100 in the inquiry. The information about the home appliance 100 includes information indicating the type of home appliance 100, the model number of the home appliance 100, the individual home appliance 100, or the individual communication module installed in the home appliance 100. The information about the home appliance 100 also includes information indicating the service to be used. Furthermore, the information about the home appliance 100 includes information indicating the region where the home appliance 100 is located. In addition, if an abnormality occurs in the communication between the home appliance 100 and a specific service provider server 400, the transmitting unit 141 sends an inquiry to the management server 200 regarding the connection destination of the home appliance 100. Furthermore, after the connection destination of the home appliance 100 is set to a specific service provider server 400 by the setting unit 143, the transmission unit 141 sends an inquiry regarding the connection destination of the home appliance 100 to the management server 200 at predetermined intervals. Also, if the use of a second service different from the first service is started after the use of the first service has ended, the transmission unit 141 sends an inquiry regarding the connection destination of the home appliance 100 to the management server 200.

[0021] The receiving unit 142 acquires various information from the management server 200 or the service provider server 400. For example, the receiving unit 142 receives connection destination information indicating a specific service provider server 400 from the management server 200. When the configuration unit 143 receives connection information indicating a specific service provider server 400 from the management server 200, it sets the connection destination of the home appliance 100 to that specific service provider server 400. As a result, the home appliance 100 then communicates with the service provider server 400 set by the configuration unit 142 and becomes able to use the services provided by that service provider server 400.

[0022] The display unit 150 includes a display panel such as a liquid crystal or organic EL (electroluminescence), a light-emitting diode, or a light-emitting diode display. The display unit 150 displays images, numbers or characters, and lights up, blinks, or turns off.

[0023] The wireless communication unit 160 includes a communication device (communication module) that can be connected to the wireless router WR. The wireless communication unit 160 may also include a communication device (for example, a communication device that uses Bluetooth®) that enables direct communication with the terminal device 300 without going through the wireless router WR. Speaker 170 outputs sound signals such as notification sounds and synthesized speech.

[0024] <3. Management Server> Next, the management server 200 will be described with reference to Figure 3. Figure 3 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the management server 200. The management server 200 includes, for example, a receiving unit 210, a locating unit 220, a transmitting unit 230, and a storage unit 240.

[0025] The receiving unit 210, the identification unit 220, and the transmitting unit 230 are implemented by one or more hardware processors, such as a CPU mounted on the management server 200, executing a program. However, some or all of these functional units may be implemented by hardware such as an ASIC, PLD, or FPGA, or by the cooperation of software and hardware. These functional units may be provided separately in multiple server devices. Furthermore, one or more of these functional units may be provided in a home appliance 100, a service provision server 400, or a monitoring server 500 instead of the management server 200.

[0026] The receiving unit 210 acquires various information from the home appliance 100, the service provider server 400, or the monitoring server 500. For example, the receiving unit 210 receives an inquiry from the home appliance 100 regarding the connection destination of the home appliance 100. The receiving unit 210 also receives status information indicating the operating status of the service provider server 400 from the monitoring server 500 and writes the received status information to the storage unit 240.

[0027] When the identification unit 220 receives an inquiry from the home appliance 100 regarding the connection destination of the home appliance 100, it identifies a service provider 400 corresponding to the home appliance 100 from among multiple service provider servers 400 based on the information about the home appliance 100 contained in the received inquiry. However, if the identification unit 220 determines that an abnormality has occurred in the first service provider server 400, which is the service provider server 400 identified by the identification unit 220, it identifies a second service provider server 400, which is different from the first service provider server 400, as the service provider server 400 corresponding to the home appliance 100. The transmitting unit 230 transmits various information to the home appliance 100, the service provider server 400, or the monitoring server 500. For example, the transmitting unit 230 transmits connection destination information indicating the service provider server 400 identified by the identification unit 220 to the home appliance 100.

[0028] The storage unit 240 includes a user management DB (database) 241 that shows the home appliances 100 owned by user U, a connection destination management DB (database) 242 that manages the service provision servers 400 to which each home appliance 100 is connected, a server status management DB (database) 243 that shows the operating status of each service provision server 400, and a connection status management DB (database) 244 that shows the service provision servers 400 to which each home appliance 100 is connected.

[0029] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram showing the data structure and data examples of the user management DB241. As shown in the diagram, the user management DB241 has entries for user ID and communication module individual identification number. The user ID is identification information that identifies each user U. The communication module individual identification number is identification information that indicates the individual communication module of the home appliance 100. For example, the communication module individual identification number may be the MAC address (Media Access Control address) or UUID (Universally Unique Identifier) ​​of the communication module.

[0030] In the illustrated example, the individual identification numbers of the communication modules of home appliance 100 owned by user U with user ID "U001" are "M011", "M012", and "M013". Also, the individual identification numbers of the communication modules of home appliance 100 owned by user U with user ID "U002" are "M021" and "M022".

[0031] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram showing the data structure and data examples of the connection destination management DB242. As shown in the diagram, the connection destination management DB242 has the following items: user ID, service to be used, source region, and service provider server identification information. The service to be used is information indicating the service that the home appliance 100 intends to use. The source region is information indicating the region where the home appliance 100 is located. The service provider server identification information is identification information that identifies each service provider server 400.

[0032] In the example shown in this figure, the service provider server identification information corresponding to user ID "U001", service used "Ingredient Management", and connection source region "Asia" is "S001". Also, the service provider server identification information corresponding to user ID "U001", service used "Ingredient Management", and connection source region "Europe" is "S002". The service provider server identification information corresponding to user ID "U001", service used "Remote Control", and connection source region "Asia" is "S003". Also, the service provider server identification information corresponding to user ID "U002", service used "Ingredient Management", and connection source region "Asia" is "S004". Thus, even if the user ID and service used are the same, the service provider server 400 may differ if the connection source region is different. Similarly, even if the user ID and connection source region are the same, the service provider server 400 may differ if the service used is different. Similarly, even if the service used and connection source region are the same, the service provider server 400 may differ if the user ID is different.

[0033] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram showing the data structure and data examples of the server status management DB243. The server status management DB 243 stores status information received from the monitoring server 500. As shown in the diagram, the server status management DB 243 has items for service provider server identification information and operating status. The operating status indicates the operating status of the corresponding service provider server 400. In the illustrated example, the operating status of the service provider server 400 with identification information "S001" is "normal", the operating status of the service provider server 400 with identification information "S002" is "under maintenance", the operating status of the service provider server 400 with identification information "S003" is "an error occurred", and the operating status of the service provider server 400 with identification information "S004" is "normal".

[0034] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram showing the data structure and data examples of the connection status management DB244. The connection status management DB 244 stores the service provider server 400 to which each home appliance 100 is connected. As shown in the figure, the connection status management DB 244 has items for the communication module individual identification number and the destination service provider server identification information. The destination service provider server identification information is the identification information of the service provider server 400 identified by the identification unit 220. In the illustrated example, home appliance 100 with communication module individual identification number "M011" is connected to service provider server 400 with identification information "S001", home appliance 100 with communication module individual identification number "M022" is connected to service provider server 400 with identification information "S002", and home appliance 100 with communication module individual identification number "M033" is connected to service provider server 400 with identification information "S003".

[0035] <4. Control Flow> Next, the communication connection process of the home appliance 100 will be explained with reference to Figures 8 to 10. Figure 8 is a sequence diagram showing the communication connection operation when the home appliance 100 connects to the service provision server 400. First, the transmitting unit 141 of the home appliance 100 sends an inquiry regarding the connection destination of the home appliance 100 to the management server 200 (step S101). The receiving unit 210 of the management server 200 receives the inquiry sent from the home appliance 100 and obtains information about the home appliance 100 contained in the received inquiry. This information about the home appliance 100 includes the communication module individual identification number, the service used, and the connection source region. Based on the information about the home appliance 100 obtained, the identification unit 220 of the management server 200 identifies the service provider server 400 corresponding to the home appliance 100 from among a plurality of service provider servers 400 (step S102). Specifically, first, the identification unit 220 of the management server 200 refers to the user management DB 241 to identify the user ID corresponding to the obtained communication module individual identification number. Then, the identification unit 220 of the management server 200 refers to the connection destination management DB 242 to identify the service provider server 400 corresponding to the identified user ID, the obtained service used, and the connection source region. However, the identification unit 220 of the management server 200 refers to the server status management DB 243 and, if the operating status of the identified service provider server 400 is not "normal", it identifies a different service provider server 400 from the identified service provider server 400 that is in "normal" operating status and provides the service. The identification unit 220 of the management server 200 associates the identification information of the identified service provider server 400 with the acquired communication module individual identification number and writes it to the connection status management DB 244. Then, the transmission unit 230 of the management server 200 transmits connection destination information indicating the service provider server 400 identified by the identification unit 220 to the home appliance 100 (step S103). The connection destination information includes information for connecting to the service provider server 400 (e.g., address).

[0036] The receiving unit 142 of the home appliance 100 receives connection destination information transmitted from the management server 200. The setting unit 143 of the home appliance 100 sets the connection destination of the home appliance 100 to a specific service provider server 400 indicated by the received connection destination information (step S104). Subsequently, the transmitting unit 141 of the home appliance 100 sends a request for the service to be used to the configured service provider server 400 (step S105). The service provider server 400 receives the service request from the home appliance 100 and sends a response to the received service request to the home appliance 100, providing the service to the home appliance 100 (step S106). As a result, the home appliance 100 can connect to the service provider server 400 and start using the services provided by the service provider server 400.

[0037] Figure 9 is a flowchart showing the steps of the communication connection process performed by the home appliance 100. The home appliance 100 executes the process shown in this figure when it is powered on or when it first connects to the network NW. The process shown in this figure is the process that the home appliance 100 executes during the communication connection operation shown in Figure 8.

[0038] First, the transmitting unit 141 sends an inquiry to the management server 200 regarding the connection destination of the home appliance 100 (step S201). Next, the receiving unit 142 receives connection destination information from the management server 200, which is the response to the inquiry regarding the connection destination of the home appliance 100 (step S202). Then, the setting unit 143 sets the connection destination of the home appliance 100 to the specific service provider server 400 indicated by the received connection destination information (step S203). After that, the control unit 140 establishes a communication connection with the set service provider server 400 (step S204) and begins using the planned first service.

[0039] Subsequently, the transmitting unit 141 determines whether or not an abnormality has occurred in communication with the connected service provider server 400 (step S205). If an abnormality occurs (step S205: Yes), the transmitting unit 141 returns to the process of step S201. On the other hand, if no abnormality has occurred (step S205: No), the transmitting unit 141 determines whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed since setting the connection destination in step S203 (step S206). If the predetermined time has elapsed (step S206: Yes), the transmitting unit 141 returns to the process of step S201. On the other hand, if the predetermined time has not elapsed (step S206: No), the transmitting unit 141 determines whether or not to terminate the first service currently in use (step S207). If the transmitting unit 141 does not terminate the first service (step S207: No), it returns to the process of step S205. On the other hand, if the first service is terminated (step S207: Yes), the transmitting unit 141 determines whether or not to start using a second service different from the first service (step S208). If the second service is started (step S208: Yes), the transmitting unit 141 returns to the process in step S201. On the other hand, if the second service is not started (step S208: No), the transmitting unit 141 terminates the process.

[0040] Figure 10 is a sequence diagram showing the communication connection operation when an abnormality occurs in the service provision server 400. The monitoring server 500, which monitors the operating status of each service provider server 400, detects that an abnormality has occurred in a service provider server 400 and sends an abnormality notification containing the identification information of that service provider server 400 to the management server 200 (step S301). The abnormality notification is status information that notifies that an abnormality has occurred in the service provider server 400. The receiving unit 210 of the management server 200 receives the abnormality notification from the monitoring server 500 and writes the status information indicated by the received abnormality notification to the server status management DB 243. Then, the identification unit 220 of the management server 200 refers to the connection status management DB 244 and identifies the home appliance 100 connected to the service provider server 400 based on the identification information contained in the received abnormality notification (step S302). The identification unit 220 of the management server 200 identifies a service provider server 400 that is in a different operating status than the service provider server 400 that experienced the abnormality and is "normal" as the service provider server 400 to which the identified home appliance 100 will be reconnected (step S303). Then, the transmission unit 230 of the management server 200 transmits reconnection destination information indicating the service provision server 400 identified by the identification unit 220 to the home appliance 100 (step S304).

[0041] The receiving unit 142 of the home appliance 100 receives reconnection destination information transmitted from the management server 200. The setting unit 143 of the home appliance 100 sets the connection destination of the home appliance 100 to the specific service provider server 400 indicated by the received reconnection destination information (step S305). As a result, the home appliance 100 can switch its connection destination to the reconfigured service provider server 400 and reuse or continue the service.

[0042] In this embodiment, the user management DB241 identifies user U of the home appliance 100 by associating the communication module individual identification number with the user ID. However, this is not limited to this, and information indicating the individual home appliance 100 may be used instead of the communication module individual identification number. When user U is identified using information indicating the individual home appliance 100, the query regarding the connection destination of the home appliance 100 includes information indicating the individual home appliance 100 as information about the home appliance 100.

[0043] <5. Advantages> As described above, according to the first embodiment, the information processing system 1 includes a home appliance 100 that can communicate with a management server 200 or a service provider server 400, and a management server 200. The home appliance 100 includes a transmission unit 141 that sends an inquiry regarding the connection destination of the home appliance 100 to the management server 200, and a setting unit 143 that, when it receives information from the management server 200 indicating a specific service provider server 400, sets the connection destination of the home appliance 100 to a specific service provider server 400. The management server 200, when it receives an inquiry from the home appliance 100 regarding the connection destination of the home appliance 100, includes a identification unit 220 that identifies a service provider server 400 corresponding to the home appliance 100 from among a plurality of service provider servers 400 based on information about the home appliance 100, and a transmission unit 230 that sends information indicating the service provider server 400 identified by the identification unit 220 to the home appliance 100. With this configuration, the load required to provide services to the home appliances 100 can be distributed across multiple service servers 400, thereby reducing the load on the information processing system 1. Therefore, the increased load resulting from the expansion of services for home appliances 100 or the increase in the number of home appliances 100 using the services can be distributed across multiple service servers 400. Furthermore, even if a failure occurs in a specific service server 400, the impact will not extend to the entire information processing system 1, allowing troubleshooting to be performed while continuing to provide services. In addition, maintenance and functional additions to the service servers 400 can be performed while continuing to provide services.

[0044] In this embodiment, the transmission unit 141 includes information about the home appliance 100 in its response to inquiries regarding the connection destination of the home appliance 100. With this configuration, the service provider server 400 to which the connection destination is made can be changed according to the information about the home appliance 100.

[0045] In this embodiment, the information relating to the home appliance 100 is information that identifies the individual home appliance 100 or the communication module installed in the home appliance 100. With this configuration, the user U of the home appliance 100 can be identified from the information relating to the home appliance 100, and the service provider server 400 to which the user U is connected can be changed accordingly.

[0046] Furthermore, the specific unit 220 can determine the type or model of the home appliance 100 based on information indicating an individual home appliance 100 or an individual communication module installed in the home appliance 100, by referring to a database in which the manufacturing information of the home appliance 100 is registered. Here, the services provided differ depending on the type of home appliance 100 (for example, air conditioner, refrigerator, washing machine, etc.). Also, even if the type of home appliance 100 is the same, the services provided may differ depending on the model of the home appliance 100. For example, one model of air conditioner 100A may not support the automatic cleaning service, but another model of air conditioner 100A may support the automatic cleaning service. Also, one model of washing machine 100D may not support the automatic dispensing of laundry detergents (detergent, fabric softener, etc.), but another model of washing machine 100D may support the automatic dispensing of laundry detergents. Therefore, the installation of the service provision servers 400 can be optimized by providing multiple servers depending on the type of home appliance 100 or the model of the home appliance 100. The identification unit 220 can identify a service provision server 400 suitable for the type or model of the home appliance 100 by determining the type or model of the home appliance 100.

[0047] In this embodiment, the information regarding the home appliance 100 is information indicating the service to be used. With this configuration, the service provider server 400 to which the device is connected can be changed according to the service to be used.

[0048] In this embodiment, the information regarding the home appliance 100 is information indicating the region where the home appliance 100 is located. With this configuration, the service provider server 400 to which the home appliance 100 is located can be changed according to the region where the home appliance 100 is located. Here, the laws regulating services may differ depending on the region where the home appliance 100 is located. For example, a form of remote control service that is permitted in one region may not be permitted in another region. For this reason, by providing multiple service provider servers 400 according to the region where the home appliance 100 is located, the installation of the service provider servers 400 can be optimized. The identification unit 220 identifies the service provider server 400 according to the region where the home appliance 100 is located, thereby enabling the user to receive services that are appropriate to the characteristics of that region (e.g., laws and various regulations).

[0049] In this embodiment, the transmission unit 141 sends an inquiry to the management server 200 regarding the connection destination of the home appliance 100 when the home appliance 100 is powered on or when the home appliance 100 is first connected to the network NW. With this configuration, it is not necessary to set information about the service provider server 400 to which the home appliance 100 is connected (for example, the address of the connection destination) in advance. Therefore, even if the service provider server 400 to which the home appliance 100 is connected changes due to a failure or the like, the home appliance 100 can use the service without being affected.

[0050] In this embodiment, if an abnormality occurs in communication between the home appliance 100 and a specific service provider server 400, the transmission unit 141 sends an inquiry to the management server 200 regarding the connection destination of the home appliance 100. With this configuration, even if an abnormality occurs in the connected service provider server 400 and communication becomes impossible, the service can be reused or continued by connecting to another service provider server 400. Therefore, the availability of the information processing system 1 can be increased.

[0051] In this embodiment, after the connection destination of the home appliance 100 is set to a specific service provider server 400 by the setting unit 143, the transmission unit 141 sends an inquiry regarding the connection destination of the home appliance 100 to the management server 200 at predetermined intervals. With this configuration, even if a malfunction occurs in the connected service provider server 400 and communication becomes impossible, the service can be reused or continued by connecting to another service provider server 400. Therefore, the availability of the information processing system 1 can be increased.

[0052] In this embodiment, when the use of a second service different from the first service is started after the use of the first service has ended, the transmission unit 141 sends an inquiry to the management server 200 regarding the connection destination of the home appliance 100. With this configuration, the home appliance 100 can connect to the service provider server 400 corresponding to the service to be used.

[0053] In this embodiment, if the identification unit 220 determines that an abnormality has occurred in the first service provider server 400, which is the service provider server 400 identified by the identification unit 220, it identifies a second service provider server 400, which is different from the first service provider server 400, as the service provider server 400 corresponding to the home appliance 100, and the transmission unit 230 transmits information indicating the second service provider server 400 identified by the identification unit 220 to the home appliance 100. With this configuration, if an abnormality occurs in the identified service provider server 400, the connection destination of the home appliance 100 can be switched to another service provider server 400. Therefore, the home appliance 100 can switch the connection destination and reuse or continue the service.

[0054] (Second Embodiment) Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the first embodiment, the management server 200 identifies the service provider server 400 to connect to according to the user U, but in this embodiment, the difference is that the service provider server 400 to connect to is identified according to the type of home appliance 100.

[0055] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram showing the data structure and data example of the connection destination management DB242 of the second embodiment. As shown in the figure, the connection destination management DB242 according to this embodiment has the following items: type of home appliance, service used, source region, and service provider server identification information.

[0056] In the example shown in this figure, the service provider server identification information corresponding to the type of home appliance "refrigerator", the service used "food management", and the connection source region "Asia" is "S001". The service provider server identification information corresponding to the type of home appliance "refrigerator", the service used "food management", and the connection source region "Europe" is "S002". The service provider server identification information corresponding to the type of home appliance "refrigerator", the service used "remote control", and the connection source region "Asia" is "S003". The service provider server identification information corresponding to the type of home appliance "air conditioner (air purifier)", the service used "remote control", and the connection source region "Asia" is "S004". Thus, even if the type of home appliance and the service used are the same, the service provider server 400 may differ if the connection source region is different. Similarly, even if the type of home appliance and the connection source region are the same, the service provider server 400 may differ if the service used is different. Similarly, even if the service used and the connection source region are the same, the service provider server 400 may differ if the type of home appliance is different.

[0057] Alternatively, even if the regions in which the home appliances 100 are located are different, the same service provision server 400 may be identified if the type or model of the home appliances 100 is the same. As described above, the installation of the service provision servers 400 can be optimized by providing multiple service provision servers 400 depending on the type of home appliance 100 or depending on the model of the home appliance 100. The identification unit 220 can identify a service provision server 400 suitable for the type or model of the home appliance 100 based on information indicating the type or model of the home appliance 100.

[0058] In this embodiment, the transmitting unit 141 of the home appliance 100, in response to an inquiry regarding the connection destination of the home appliance 100, transmits information about the home appliance 100, including the type of home appliance 100, the service used, and the region from which it is connected, to the management server 200. In this embodiment, when the identification unit 220 of the management server 200 receives an inquiry regarding the connection destination of the home appliance 100, it refers to the connection destination management DB 242 and identifies the type of home appliance 100, the service used, and the service provider server 400 corresponding to the connection source region included in the received inquiry. Other configurations of the information processing system 1 according to this embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment, so their description will be omitted.

[0059] In this embodiment, the information regarding the home appliance 100 included in the inquiry about the connection destination of the home appliance 100 was described as the type of home appliance 100. However, instead of the type of home appliance 100, the information may be the model number of the home appliance 100, information indicating an individual unit of the home appliance 100, or information indicating an individual unit of the communication module installed in the home appliance 100. In this case, the identification unit 220 may identify the type of home appliance 100 from the model number of the home appliance 100, information indicating an individual unit of the home appliance 100, or information indicating an individual unit of the communication module installed in the home appliance 100, or it may identify the service provision server 400 according to the model number of the home appliance 100, information indicating an individual unit of the home appliance 100, or information indicating an individual unit of the communication module installed in the home appliance 100.

[0060] According to the second embodiment, the information processing system 1 includes a home appliance 100 that can communicate with a management server 200 or a service provider server 400, and a management server 200. The home appliance 100 includes a transmission unit 141 that sends an inquiry regarding the connection destination of the home appliance 100 to the management server 200, and a setting unit 143 that, when it receives information from the management server 200 indicating a specific service provider server 400, sets the connection destination of the home appliance 100 to a specific service provider server 400. The management server 200, when it receives an inquiry from the home appliance 100 regarding the connection destination of the home appliance 100, includes a identification unit 220 that identifies a service provider server 400 corresponding to the home appliance 100 from among a plurality of service provider servers 400 based on information about the home appliance 100, and a transmission unit 230 that sends information indicating the service provider server 400 identified by the identification unit 220 to the home appliance 100. With this configuration, the load required to provide services to the home appliance 100 can be distributed among multiple service provision servers 400, thereby reducing the load on the information processing system 1.

[0061] In this embodiment, the information relating to the home appliance 100 includes information indicating the type of home appliance 100, the model number of the home appliance 100, the specific individual unit of the home appliance 100, or the specific unit of the communication module installed in the home appliance 100. With this configuration, the service provider server 400 to which the connection is made can be changed according to the type of home appliance 100 or the model number of the home appliance 100.

[0062] (modified version) Even if the types of home appliances 100 are different, the models of home appliances 100 are different, the services that home appliances 100 are intended to use are different, or the regions in which home appliances 100 are located are different, the correspondence between home appliances 100 and the service provider server 400 may be set up so that home appliances 100 associated with the same user U are provided with services by the same single service provider server 400. In other words, the service provider server 400 may be set up separately according to the user U to which the home appliance 100 is associated. By providing multiple services for multiple home appliances 100 associated with the same user U through the same service provider server 400, it becomes easier to provide multiple services that cooperate with each other (such as the air conditioner 100A starting dehumidification operation in conjunction with the end of operation of the washing machine 100D).

[0063] In the embodiment described above, the operating status of the service provision server 400 is determined by a monitoring server 500 separate from the management server 200. However, the embodiment is not limited to this, and a single functional unit included in the management server 200 may determine the operating status of the service provision server 400. The home appliance 100, management server 200, service provision server 400, and monitoring server 500 are all examples of computers.

[0064] According to at least one embodiment described above, the home appliance is a home appliance capable of communicating with a management server or a service provider server, and comprises a transmitting unit and a setting unit. The transmitting unit sends an inquiry regarding the home appliance's connection destination to the management server. When the setting unit receives information from the management server indicating a specific service provider server, it sets the home appliance's connection destination to the specific service provider server. With such a configuration, the load on the information processing system can be reduced.

[0065] While several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments can be carried out in a variety of other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their variations are included in the scope and spirit of the invention, as well as in the claims and their equivalents. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0066] 1... Information processing system, 100... Home appliances, 141... Transmission unit, 143... Setting unit, 200... Management server, 220... Specific unit, 230... Transmission unit, 400... Service provision server.

Claims

1. A home appliance capable of communicating with a management server and a service provision server, A transmission unit that sends an inquiry regarding the connection destination of the aforementioned home appliance to the management server, When receiving information indicating a specific service provider server from the management server, the setting unit sets the connection destination of the home appliance to the specific service provider server, Equipped with, The transmission unit, after the setting unit has set the connection destination of the home appliance to the specific service provider server, sends the inquiry to the management server at predetermined intervals. Home appliances.

2. The transmitting unit transmits the inquiry including information about the home appliance. The home appliance according to claim 1.

3. The information relating to the home appliance includes the type of the home appliance, the model number of the home appliance, the specific unit of the home appliance, or the specific unit of the communication module installed in the home appliance. The home appliance according to claim 2.

4. The information regarding the aforementioned home appliances indicates the services to be used. The home appliance according to claim 2.

5. The information relating to the aforementioned home appliance is information indicating the region in which the home appliance is located. The home appliance according to claim 2.

6. The transmitting unit sends the inquiry to the management server if an abnormality occurs in the communication between the home appliance and the specific service provider server. A home appliance according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. The transmission unit sends the inquiry to the management server when, after the use of the first service has ended, the use of a second service different from the first service begins. A home appliance according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. When an inquiry regarding the connection destination of a home appliance is received from the home appliance, the identification unit identifies the service provider server corresponding to the home appliance from among multiple service provider servers based on the information about the home appliance, A transmitting unit that transmits information indicating the service provider server identified by the identification unit to the home appliance, Equipped with, If the identification unit determines that an abnormality has occurred in the first service provider server, which is the service provider server identified by the identification unit, it identifies a second service provider server, different from the first service provider server, as the service provider server corresponding to the home appliance, and the transmission unit transmits information indicating the second service provider server identified by the identification unit to the home appliance. Management server.

9. One or more computers, When an inquiry regarding the connection destination of a home appliance is received from the home appliance, the service provider server corresponding to the home appliance is identified from among multiple service provider servers based on the information about the home appliance. The system transmits information indicating the service provider server to the home appliance. This includes, Identifying the service provider includes, if it is determined that an abnormality has occurred in the first service provider identified as the service provider corresponding to the home appliance, identifying a second service provider different from the first service provider as the service provider corresponding to the home appliance. Transmitting information indicating the service provider server to the home appliance includes transmitting information indicating the identified second service provider server to the home appliance. Information processing methods.

Images