Home appliance systems

Abstract

To facilitate serving freshly prepared food at a table.SOLUTION: A control apparatus includes a determination unit that determines whether a first period during which a first operation is performed on a food to be cooked by a cooker and a second period during which a second operation is performed on a product to be treated by a household electrical appliance overlap, and an instruction unit that instructs the cooker to change a first scheduled end time at which the cooking of the food to be cooked is scheduled to end when the first period and the second are determined to overlap.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

Technical Field

[0006] , , , ,

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a control device, a home appliance system, a control method, and a program.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a cooking information generation device. The cooking information generation device makes the finished product of the cooking by the first cooking appliance match the finished product of the cooking by the second cooking appliance (paragraphs 0013 and 0089).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] After the first dish cooked by the first cooking appliance is finished, the operation of serving the finished first dish must be performed. After the second dish cooked by the second cooking appliance is finished, the operation of serving the finished second dish must also be performed. Therefore, when the finish of the first dish and the finish of the second dish are made to match, the period during which the operation of serving the first dish is performed and the period during which the operation of serving the second dish is performed overlap. Therefore, it is difficult to put the freshly cooked dishes on the table.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in view of this problem. An aspect of the present disclosure aims to provide, for example, a control device, a home appliance system, a control method, and a program that facilitate putting freshly cooked food on the table.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] A control device according to a first aspect of the present disclosure includes a determination unit that determines whether a first period in which a first operation is performed on a food to be cooked by a cooking appliance and a second period in which a second operation is performed on a food to be processed by an appliance overlap, and an instruction unit that, if it is determined that the first period and the second period overlap, instructs the cooking appliance to change the first scheduled end time at which the cooking of the food to be cooked is scheduled to end.

[0007] A second aspect of the present disclosure of a home appliance system comprises a control device according to the first aspect of the present disclosure, the cooking appliance, and the home appliance.

[0008] A control method in a third aspect of the present disclosure includes: a) determining whether a first period during which a first operation is performed on food cooked by a cooking appliance and a second period during which a second operation is performed on food processed by an appliance overlap; and b) if it is determined that the first period and the second period overlap, instructing the cooking appliance to change the first scheduled end time during which cooking of the food is scheduled to end.

[0009] A program according to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure causes a computer to perform the following steps: a) determine whether a first period in which a first operation is performed on food cooked by a cooking appliance and a second period in which a second operation is performed on food processed by an appliance overlap; and b) if it is determined that the first period and the second period overlap, instruct the cooking appliance to change the first scheduled end time at which cooking of the food is scheduled to end. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] This is a block diagram of the home appliance system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a block diagram of a cooking appliance included in the home appliance system of the first embodiment. [Figure 3]This flowchart shows the processing flow performed by the cooking appliance provided in the home appliance system of the first embodiment. [Figure 4] This graph shows an example of the time change in the temperature inside the cooking pot when food to be cooked is being prepared using a cooking appliance provided in the home appliance system of the first embodiment. [Figure 5] This is a block diagram of a server provided in the home appliance system of the first embodiment. [Figure 6] This is a block diagram of a control device provided in the home appliance system of the first embodiment. [Figure 7] This is a block diagram of a terminal provided in the home appliance system of the first embodiment. [Figure 8] This is a sequence diagram showing the flow of pre-processing performed by the home appliance system of the first embodiment. [Figure 9] This is a sequence diagram showing the flow of processing during operation performed by the home appliance system of the first embodiment. [Figure 10] This is a flowchart showing the operation flow of a cooking appliance provided in the home appliance system of the first embodiment. [Figure 11] This is a sequence diagram showing the flow of processing during operation performed by the home appliance system of the second embodiment. [Figure 12] This is a block diagram of the home appliance system according to the third embodiment. [Figure 13] This is a block diagram of a washing machine included in the home appliance system of the third embodiment. [Figure 14] This is a sequence diagram showing the flow of pre-processing performed by the home appliance system of the third embodiment. [Figure 15] This is a sequence diagram showing the flow of processing during operation performed by the home appliance system of the third embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] Embodiments of this disclosure are described below with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or equivalent elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions are omitted.

[0012] 1 First Embodiment 1.1 Home Appliance System FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the home appliance system according to the first embodiment.

[0013] The home appliance system 1 according to the first embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1 includes a first cooker 11, a second cooker 12, a terminal 13, and a server 14. The second cooker 12 is a different cooker from the first cooker 11.

[0014] The first cooker 11, the second cooker 12, the terminal 13, and the server 14 are connected to a network 21 and communicate with each other via the network 21.

[0015] Each cooker 31 of the first cooker 11 and the second cooker 12 cooks the object to be cooked. Each cooker 31 transmits the content of the operation of each cooker 31 to the server 14. Each cooker 31 receives an instruction to each cooker 31 from the server 14. In the present embodiment, each cooker 31 is an automatic rice cooker. Each cooker 31 may be a cooker other than an automatic rice cooker. For example, each cooker 31 may be a rice cooker, a microwave oven, an oven range, a toaster, a hot plate, a cooking heater, a coffee maker, a home baker, a juicer, a mixer, a roaster, a fryer, a mochi maker, or the like.

[0016] The second cooker 12 is an example of a home appliance that can be used simultaneously with the first cooker 11, and the object to be cooked cooked by the second cooker 12 is an example of the object to be processed processed by the home appliance.

[0017] The terminal 13 receives an operation, transmits the content of the received operation to the server 14. The terminal 13 receives an instruction to the terminal 13 from the server 14 and performs processing according to the received instruction. In the present embodiment, the terminal 13 is a smartphone. The terminal 13 may be a terminal other than a smartphone. For example, the terminal 13 may be a feature phone, a tablet, a personal computer, or the like.

[0018] Server 14 receives information about the operation of each cooking appliance 31 from each cooking appliance 31 and receives information about the operations received by terminal 13 from terminal 13. Server 14 sends instructions to each cooking appliance 31 and instructions to terminal 13. Server 14 generates instructions to send to each cooking appliance 31 and to terminal 13 from the received information about the operation of each cooking appliance 31 and the operations received by terminal 13. In this way, Server 14 operates as a control device that controls each cooking appliance 31 and terminal 13 based on the information about the operation of each cooking appliance 31 and the operations received by terminal 13. Server 14 controls the first cooking appliance 11 so that the first period during which the first operation is performed on the food cooked by the first cooking appliance 11 and the second period during which the second operation is performed on the food cooked by the second cooking appliance 12 do not overlap. In this embodiment, Server 14 is a computer for servers. A computer incorporated into the first cooking appliance 11, the second cooking appliance 12, or the terminal 13 may operate as the control device.

[0019] 1.2 Cooker Figure 2 is a block diagram of a cooking appliance included in the home appliance system of the first embodiment.

[0020] As shown in Figure 2, each cooking appliance 31 is equipped with a communication unit 41, an operation unit 42, a cooking unit 43, a notification unit 44, and a control unit 45.

[0021] The communication unit 41 is connected to the network 21 and communicates with the server 14 via the network 21. The communication unit 41 is composed of electronic circuits. The communication unit 41 is connected to the network 21 by Wi-Fi®, Ethernet®, Bluetooth®, etc.

[0022] The control unit 42 receives input. The control unit 42 consists of buttons, dials, sliders, touch panels, touchpads, etc.

[0023] The cooking unit 43 cooks the food to be cooked. The cooking unit 43 includes a heating unit, a stirring unit, etc. The heating unit heats the food to be cooked. The stirring unit stirs the food to be cooked. The heating unit is composed of a heater, etc. The heater heats the food to be cooked. The stirring unit is composed of a motor, a stirring arm, etc. The motor rotates the stirring arm, causing the stirring arm to stir the food to be cooked.

[0024] The notification unit 44 provides notification. The notification unit 44 consists of a lamp, display, buzzer, speaker, vibrator, etc.

[0025] The control unit 45 causes the communication unit 41 to transmit the details of the operation of each cooking appliance 31 to the server 14. Based on the instructions for each cooking appliance 31 received from the server 14 by the communication unit 41 and the operations received by the operation unit 42, the control unit 45 controls the cooking unit 43 and the notification unit 44. The control unit 45 is composed of a microcontroller and peripheral circuits. The microcontroller includes a processor and memory. The processor executes a control program stored in memory to make the microcontroller and peripheral circuits operate as the control unit 45. All or part of the processing performed by executing the control program may be performed by dedicated electronic circuits.

[0026] 1.3 Cooking appliance modes Figure 3 is a flowchart showing the processing flow performed by the cooking appliance provided in the home appliance system of the first embodiment.

[0027] Each cooking appliance 31 performs steps S101 to S104 shown in Figure 3 when cooking food to be cooked.

[0028] In step S101, the control unit 45 determines whether or not a cooking start operation instructing the start of cooking has been received by the operation unit 42. If it is determined that a cooking start operation has been received, step S102 is executed. If it is determined that a cooking start operation has not been received, step S101 is executed again.

[0029] In step S102, the control unit 45 determines whether or not a reservation operation to set a scheduled end time for cooking has been received by the operation unit 42. If it is determined that the reservation operation has been received, step S103 is executed. If it is determined that the reservation operation has not been received, step S104 is executed.

[0030] In step S103, the control unit 45 instructs the cooking unit 43 to schedule the cooking of the food to be cooked in the first mode. The first mode is a mode in which each cooking appliance 31 instructs the cooking unit 43 to cook the food to be cooked so that the cooking of the food to be cooked is completed at the set scheduled end time.

[0031] In step S104, the control unit 45 instructs the cooking unit 43 to cook the food to be cooked in a second mode. The second mode is a mode in which each cooking appliance 31 instructs the cooking unit 43 to cook the food to be cooked regardless of the scheduled completion time.

[0032] In steps S101 to S104, the control unit 45 has the cooking unit 43 wait without cooking the food to be cooked before the cooking start operation is received, and after the cooking start operation is received, it has the cooking unit 43 cook the food to be cooked. Also, if a reservation operation is received, the control unit 45 has the cooking unit 43 cook the food to be cooked in the first mode, and if a reservation operation is not received, it has the cooking unit 43 cook the food to be cooked in the second mode.

[0033] 1.4 Example of temperature change in a cooking pot over time Figure 4 is a graph showing an example of the change in temperature inside the cooking pot over time when food to be cooked is being prepared using the cooking appliance provided in the home appliance system of the first embodiment.

[0034] As shown in Figure 4, the control unit 45 instructs the cooking unit 43 to start cooking the food at the start time TS, and to end cooking the food at the scheduled end time TE.

[0035] At the start time TS, the control unit 45 instructs the cooking unit 43 to begin heating the food to be cooked.

[0036] During the subsequent period P1, the control unit 45 instructs the cooking unit 43 to heat the food to be cooked so that the temperature inside the cooking pot rises over time, raising the temperature inside the cooking pot from room temperature to 100°C. This cooks the food to be cooked inside the cooking pot.

[0037] During the subsequent period P2, the control unit 45 instructs the cooking unit 43 to heat the food to be cooked so that the temperature inside the cooking pot is maintained even as time passes, and maintains the temperature inside the cooking pot at 100°C.

[0038] During the following period P3, the control unit 45 temporarily stops the cooking unit 43 from heating the food to be cooked, lowering the temperature inside the cooking pot from 100°C to 65°C. This allows the flavor to permeate the food being cooked in the cooking pot.

[0039] During the following period P4, the control unit 45 instructs the cooking unit 43 to heat the food to be cooked so that the temperature inside the cooking pot rises as time passes, raising the temperature inside the cooking pot from 65°C to the appropriate temperature of 85°C.

[0040] During the following period P5, the control unit 45 instructs the cooking unit 43 to heat the food to be cooked so that the temperature inside the cooking pot is maintained even as time passes, and maintains the temperature inside the cooking pot at 85°C.

[0041] During the subsequent period P6, the control unit 45 instructs the cooking unit 43 to heat the food to be cooked so that the temperature inside the cooking pot rises over time, raising the temperature inside the cooking pot from 85°C to 100°C.

[0042] During the subsequent period P7, the control unit 45 instructs the cooking unit 43 to heat the food to be cooked so that the temperature inside the cooking pot is maintained even as time passes, and maintains the temperature inside the cooking pot at 100°C. This completes the cooking of the food.

[0043] At the subsequent scheduled end time TE, the control unit 45 notifies the notification unit 44 that the scheduled cooking of the food to be cooked has been completed.

[0044] During the subsequent period P8, the control unit 45 instructs the cooking unit 43 to heat the food to be cooked so that the temperature inside the cooking pot is maintained even as time passes, and maintains the temperature inside the cooking pot at 100°C. This keeps the food to be cooked warm.

[0045] During the latter part of period P1, the temperature inside the cooking pot is maintained at a temperature higher than the temperature zone 51 in which food is prone to spoilage. This helps to suppress spoilage of the cooked food.

[0046] The control unit 45 determines the change in temperature inside the cooking pot over time according to the type of food being cooked.

[0047] The control unit 45 changes the scheduled end time TE by changing the length of the period P5 during which the temperature inside the cooking pot is maintained at the appropriate temperature. This makes it possible to suppress the impact of changing the scheduled end time TE on the finished product of the cooked food.

[0048] 1.5 Server Figure 5 is a block diagram of the server provided in the home appliance system of the first embodiment. Figure 6 is a block diagram of the control device provided in the home appliance system of the first embodiment.

[0049] As shown in Figure 5, the server 14 comprises a communication unit 61, a processor 62, memory 63, and storage 64. Program 71 is installed in storage 64.

[0050] The communication unit 61 is connected to the network 21 and communicates with the first cooker 11, the second cooker 12, and the terminal 13 via the network 21. The communication unit 61 is composed of electronic circuits. The communication unit 61 is connected to the network 21 via Ethernet or the like.

[0051] The processor 62 executes the program 71 loaded from the storage 64 into the memory 63, causing the server 14 to operate as a control device 81, which includes a registration unit 91, a determination unit 92, and an instruction unit 93, as shown in Figure 6. All or part of the processing performed by executing the program 71 may be performed by a dedicated electronic circuit.

[0052] The processor 62 consists of a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), and the like.

[0053] Memory 63 consists of random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), and the like.

[0054] Storage 64 consists of flash storage, hard disk drives, and the like.

[0055] The registration unit 91 registers the first time T1 required for the first operation performed on the food cooked by the first cooker 11 and the second time T2 required for the second operation performed on the food cooked by the second cooker 12. The registered first time T1 and second time T2 are stored in the memory 63 or storage 64. In this embodiment, the first operation and the second operation are the operation of plating the food cooked by the first cooker 11 and the second cooker 12, respectively. Therefore, the first time T1 and the second time T2 are the plating time required for the operation of plating the food cooked by the first cooker 11 and the second cooker 12, respectively.

[0056] The determination unit 92 determines whether the first period during which the first operation is performed and the second period during which the second operation is performed overlap. In this embodiment, the determination unit 92 determines whether the first period and the second period overlap based on the first scheduled end time TE1, when the first cooker 11 is scheduled to finish cooking the food to be cooked, the second scheduled end time TE2, when the second cooker 12 is scheduled to finish cooking the food to be cooked, and the first time T1 and / or the second time T2.

[0057] If the instruction unit 93 determines that the first period and the second period overlap, it instructs the first cooker 11 to change the first scheduled end time TE1. In this embodiment, the instruction unit 93 instructs the first cooker 11 to change the first scheduled end time TE1 so that the first period and the second period do not overlap.

[0058] 1.6 Device Figure 7 is a block diagram of a terminal provided in the home appliance system of the first embodiment.

[0059] As shown in Figure 7, the terminal 13 comprises a communication unit 101, a display unit 102, an operation unit 103, a processor 104, a memory 105, and a storage unit 106. The program 111 is installed in the storage unit 106.

[0060] The communication unit 101 is connected to the network 21 and communicates with the server 14 via the network 21. The communication unit 101 is composed of electronic circuits. The communication unit 101 is connected to the network 21 via Wi-Fi, Ethernet, Bluetooth, etc.

[0061] The display unit 102 displays an input screen for the user to input a first time T1 required for the first operation performed on the food cooked by the first cooker 11 and a second time T2 required for the second operation performed on the food cooked by the second cooker 12. The display unit 102 is composed of a liquid crystal display, an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display, a quantum dot light-emitting diode (QLED) display, etc.

[0062] The processor 104 executes the program 111 loaded from the storage 106 into the memory 105, causing the terminal 13 to perform the processing described below. All or part of the processing performed by executing the program 111 may be performed by a dedicated electronic circuit. The processor 104 is composed of a CPU, GPU, etc.

[0063] Memory 105 consists of RAM, ROM, etc.

[0064] Storage 106 consists of flash storage, hard disk drives, etc.

[0065] 1.7 Pre-processing Figure 8 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of pre-processing performed by the home appliance system of the first embodiment.

[0066] The home appliance system 1 performs pre-processing before performing the in-operation processing described below. When the home appliance system 1 performs pre-processing, it executes steps S111 to S114 shown in Figure 8.

[0067] Step S111 is performed by terminal 13. In step S111, processor 104 displays an input screen on display unit 102 for the user to input a first serving time T1 required for the first task of plating the food cooked by the first cooker 11. The user inputs the first serving time T1 into the operation unit 103 while looking at the displayed input screen. The operation unit 103 then accepts the operation. When the operation is accepted, processor 104 instructs communication unit 101 to send the first serving time T1 to server 14.

[0068] The following step S112 is performed by the server 14. In step S112, the communication unit 61 receives the first serving time T1 from the terminal 13. The registration unit 91 registers the received first serving time T1.

[0069] Step S113 is performed by terminal 13. In step S113, processor 104 displays an input screen on display unit 102 for the user to input the second serving time T2 required for the second operation of plating the food cooked by the second cooker 12. The user inputs the second serving time T2 into operation unit 103 while looking at the displayed input screen. Operation unit 103 then accepts the operation. When the operation is accepted, processor 104 instructs communication unit 101 to send the second serving time T2 to server 14.

[0070] The following step S114 is performed by the server 14. In step S114, the communication unit 61 receives the second serving time T2 from the terminal 13. The registration unit 91 registers the received second serving time T2.

[0071] 1.8 Processing during operation Figure 9 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of processing during operation performed by the home appliance system of the first embodiment.

[0072] When the home appliance system 1 performs processing during operation, it executes steps S121 to S131 shown in Figure 9.

[0073] Step S121 is performed by the server 14. In step S121, the communication unit 61 becomes capable of acquiring the status of the operating equipment.

[0074] The following step S122 is performed by the second cooker 12. In step S122, the control unit 45 instructs the cooking unit 43 to start cooking the food to be cooked. As a result, the cooking unit 43 starts heating the food to be cooked. The control unit 45 instructs the communication unit 41 to send to the server 14 a second start time TS2, when cooking of the food to be cooked has started, and a second scheduled end time TE2, when cooking of the food to be cooked is scheduled to end. At this time, the communication unit 61 of the server 14 is in a state where it can acquire the status of the operating equipment, and is therefore able to receive the second start time TS2 and the second scheduled end time TE2 from the second cooker 12.

[0075] The following step S123 is performed by the first cooker 11. In step S123, the control unit 45 instructs the cooking unit 43 to start cooking the food to be cooked. As a result, the cooking unit 43 starts heating the food to be cooked. The control unit 45 instructs the communication unit 41 to send to the server 14 a first start time TS1, when cooking the food to be cooked has started, and a first scheduled end time TE1, when cooking the food to be cooked is scheduled to end. At this time, the communication unit 61 of the server 14 is in a state where it can acquire the status of the operating equipment, and is therefore able to receive the first start time TS1 and the first scheduled end time TE1 from the first cooker 11.

[0076] The following step S124 is performed by the server 14. Step S124 is performed when the second cooker 12 is cooking the food in parallel with the first cooker 11, regardless of which of the received first start time TS1 or second start time TS2 is earlier.

[0077] In step S124, the determination unit 92 determines, based on the received first scheduled end time TE1 and second scheduled end time TE2, and the registered first serving time T1 and / or second serving time T2, whether the first period during which the first operation of serving the food cooked by the first cooker 11 is performed and the second period during which the second operation of serving the food cooked by the second cooker 12 is performed overlap. If the first scheduled end time TE1 is earlier than the second scheduled end time TE2, the determination unit 92 determines, based on the first scheduled end time TE1, the second scheduled end time TE2, and the first serving time T1, whether the first period and the second period overlap. For example, the determination unit 92 determines that the first and second periods overlap if the second scheduled end time TE2 is earlier than the time after the first plating time T1 has elapsed from the first scheduled end time TE1, and determines that the first and second periods do not overlap otherwise. If the first scheduled end time TE1 is later than the second scheduled end time TE2, the determination unit 92 determines whether the first and second periods overlap based on the first scheduled end time TE1, the second scheduled end time TE2, and the second plating time T2. For example, the determination unit 92 determines that the first and second periods overlap if the first scheduled end time TE1 is earlier than the time after the second plating time T2 has elapsed from the second scheduled end time TE2, and determines that the first and second periods do not overlap otherwise.

[0078] If the instruction unit 93 determines that the first period and the second period overlap, it instructs the communication unit 61 to send an end time change instruction and a mode change instruction, including an extension time, to the first cooker 11. The end time change instruction instructs the first cooker 11 to change the first scheduled end time TE1. The extension time included in the end time change instruction is an extension time equal to the length of the period P5 during which the temperature inside the cooking pot is maintained at the appropriate temperature. If the mode of the first cooker 11 is in the second mode, it instructs the first cooker 11 to change its mode from the second mode to the first mode. As a result, if the instruction unit 93 determines that the first period and the second period overlap, it instructs the first cooker 11 to change the first scheduled end time TE1. Furthermore, the instruction unit 93 instructs the first cooker 11 to change its mode from the second mode to the first mode when the first cooker 11 is in the second mode, and when the second cooker 12 starts cooking the food in parallel with the first cooker 11 cooking the food.

[0079] Step S125 is performed by the second cooker 12. In step S125, the control unit 45 instructs the cooking unit 43 to finish cooking the food to be cooked. As a result, the cooking unit 43 stops heating the food to be cooked. The control unit 45 also instructs the notification unit 44 to notify that the cooking of the food to be cooked has been completed.

[0080] In the following step S126, the user performs a second task of plating the food that has been cooked by the second cooking appliance 12.

[0081] In the following step S127, the user completes the second task.

[0082] Step S128 is performed by the first cooker 11. In step S128, the communication unit 41 receives an instruction to change the end time, including an extension time, and a mode change instruction from the first cooker 11. When the control unit 45 receives the instruction to change the end time, it changes the first scheduled end time TE1. The control unit 45 increases the length of the period P5 during which the temperature inside the cooking pot is maintained at an appropriate temperature by the received extension time, thereby changing the first scheduled end time TE1, during which step S129 is performed, to a time after the second period during which step S126 is performed, and shifting the first period during which step S130 is performed to after the second period during which step S126 is performed. In this way, the control unit 45 ensures that the first period does not overlap with the second period. The control unit 45 may also ensure that the first period does not overlap with the second period by shifting the first period to before the second period. Furthermore, if the first cooker 11 starts cooking food while the mode of the first cooker 11 is in the first mode, the control unit 45 will not change the mode of the first cooker 11 to the first mode even when a mode change instruction is received. If the first cooker 11 starts cooking food while the mode of the first cooker 11 is in the second mode, the control unit 45 will change the mode of the first cooker 11 from the second mode to the first mode when a mode change instruction is received.

[0083] The following step S129 is performed by the first cooker 11. In step S129, the control unit 45 instructs the cooking unit 43 to finish cooking the food to be cooked. As a result, the cooking unit 43 stops heating the food to be cooked. The control unit 45 also instructs the notification unit 44 to notify that the cooking of the food to be cooked has been completed.

[0084] In the following step S130, the user performs a first task of plating the food that has been cooked by the first cooking appliance 11.

[0085] In the following step S131, the user completes the first task.

[0086] Steps S121 to S131 ensure that the first period does not overlap with the second period. This prevents cooked food from being left unattended without being served. This makes it easier to serve freshly cooked food at the table.

[0087] 1.9 Operation of Cooking Appliances Figure 10 is a flowchart showing the operation flow of a cooking appliance provided in the home appliance system of the first embodiment.

[0088] When the first cooker 11 changes the first scheduled end time TE1, it performs steps S141 to S144 shown in Figure 10.

[0089] In step S141, the communication unit 41 receives the extension time from the server 14.

[0090] In the following step S142, the control unit 45 instructs the cooking unit 43 to heat the food to be cooked until it is cooked through.

[0091] In the following step S143, the control unit 45 instructs the cooking unit 43 to maintain the food to be cooked at an appropriate temperature for a period of time corresponding to the received extension time.

[0092] In the following step S144, the control unit 45 operates the cooking unit 43 and the notification unit 44 in the normal sequence, similar to the case where the first scheduled end time TE1 is not changed.

[0093] 2. Second Embodiment The following describes the differences between the second embodiment and the first embodiment. For aspects not described, the second embodiment employs the same configuration as the first embodiment.

[0094] Figure 11 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of processing during operation performed by the home appliance system of the second embodiment.

[0095] In the first embodiment, as shown in Figure 8, the registration unit 91 registers the first serving time T1 and the second serving time T2 while the preliminary processing is being carried out.

[0096] In contrast, in the second embodiment, as shown in Figure 11, the registration unit 91 registers the first serving time T1 and the second serving time T2 while the processing in progress is being carried out.

[0097] I will explain in more detail.

[0098] The home appliance system 1 performs steps S151 to S154 shown in Figure 11.

[0099] Step S151 is performed by terminal 13. In step S151, the communication unit 101 becomes capable of receiving instructions from server 14.

[0100] The following step S152 is performed by the server 14. Step S152 is performed after the second cooker 12 has started cooking the food in parallel with the first cooker 11, regardless of which of the received first start time TS1 or second start time TS2 is earlier. In step S152, the instruction unit 93 generates an input instruction and causes the communication unit 61 to send the generated input instruction to the terminal 13. The input instruction instructs the terminal 13 to have the user input the first serving time T1 and the second serving time T2. Therefore, the instruction unit 93 instructs the terminal 13 to have the user input the first serving time T1 and the second serving time T2 after the second cooker 12 has started cooking the food in parallel with the first cooker 11. If a first serving time T1 or a second serving time T2 is required, the input instruction will instruct terminal 13 to have the user input either the first serving time T1 or the second serving time T2.

[0101] The following step S153 is performed by terminal 13. In step S153, the communication unit 101 receives an input instruction from server 14. In conjunction with the receipt of the input instruction, the processor 104 displays an input screen on the display unit 102 for the user to input the first plating time T1 and the second plating time T2. The user performs an operation on the operation unit 103 to input the first plating time T1 and the second plating time T2 while looking at the displayed input screen. The operation unit 103 then accepts the operation. When the operation is accepted, the processor 104 instructs the communication unit 101 to send the first plating time T1 and the second plating time T2 to server 14.

[0102] The following step S154 is performed by the server 14. In step S154, the communication unit 61 receives the first serving time T1 and the second serving time T2 from the terminal 13. The registration unit 91 registers the received first serving time T1 and second serving time T2.

[0103] According to steps S151 to S154, the user can be required to input the first serving time T1 and the second serving time T2 only when the first serving time T1 and the second serving time T2 are necessary. This reduces the effort required from the user.

[0104] 3. Third Embodiment The differences between the third embodiment and the first embodiment will be explained below. For aspects not explained, the same configuration as that used in the first embodiment will be used in the third embodiment.

[0105] 3.1 Home Appliance Systems Figure 12 is a block diagram of the home appliance system according to the third embodiment.

[0106] In the first embodiment, as shown in Figure 1, the home appliance system 1 comprises a first cooker 11, a second cooker 12, a terminal 13, and a server 14. That is, in the first embodiment, the home appliance system 1 includes a second cooker 12 as a home appliance that can be used simultaneously with the first cooker 11.

[0107] In contrast, in the third embodiment, as shown in Figure 12, the home appliance system 1 comprises a cooker 11, a washing machine 121, a terminal 13, and a server 14. That is, in the third embodiment, the home appliance system 1 includes a washing machine 121 as a home appliance that can be used simultaneously with the cooker 11.

[0108] 3.2 Washing machine Figure 13 is a block diagram of a washing machine included in the home appliance system of the first embodiment.

[0109] As shown in Figure 13, the washing machine 121 includes a communication unit 131, an operation unit 132, a washing unit 133, a notification unit 134, and a control unit 135.

[0110] The communication unit 131 is connected to the network 21 and communicates with the server 14 via the network 21. The communication unit 131 is composed of electronic circuits. The communication unit 131 is connected to the network 21 via Wi-Fi, Ethernet, Bluetooth, etc.

[0111] The control unit 132 accepts input. The control unit 132 consists of buttons, dials, sliders, a touch panel, a touchpad, etc.

[0112] The washing unit 133 washes the laundry. The washing unit 133 comprises a water tank, a water supply unit, a drainage unit, and an agitation / spinning unit. The water tank stores the washing water. The water supply unit supplies the washing water to the water tank. The drainage unit discharges the washing water from the water tank. The agitation / spinning unit agitates the laundry and the washing water, and spins the laundry dry. The water supply unit consists of a water supply pipe, a water supply valve, etc. The water supply pipe guides the washing water from the water inlet to the water tank. The water supply valve switches the state of the water supply pipe between a state in which washing water can be guided and a state in which washing water cannot be guided. The drainage unit consists of a drain pipe, a drain valve, etc. The drain pipe guides the drainage from the water tank to the drain outlet. The drain valve switches the state of the drain pipe between a state in which drainage can be guided and a state in which drainage cannot be guided. The agitation / spinning unit consists of a drum, a motor, etc. The drum is placed in the water tank and holds the laundry. The motor rotates the drum, agitating the laundry and wash water within the drum, and thus dewatering the laundry.

[0113] The notification unit 134 provides notification. The notification unit 134 consists of a lamp, display, buzzer, speaker, vibrator, etc.

[0114] The control unit 135 instructs the communication unit 131 to transmit the details of the washing machine 121's operation to the server 14. Based on the instructions for the washing machine 121 received from the server 14 by the communication unit 131 and the operations received by the operation unit 42, the control unit 135 controls the washing unit 133 and the notification unit 134. The control unit 135 is composed of a microcontroller and peripheral circuits. The microcontroller includes a processor and memory. The processor executes a control program stored in memory to make the microcontroller and peripheral circuits operate as the control unit 135. All or part of the processing performed by executing the control program may be performed by dedicated electronic circuits.

[0115] 3.3 Pre-processing Figure 14 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of pre-processing performed by the home appliance system of the first embodiment.

[0116] When the home appliance system 1 performs pre-processing, it executes steps S161 to S164 shown in Figure 14.

[0117] Step S161 is performed by terminal 13. In step S161, processor 104 displays an input screen on display unit 102 for the user to input the plating time T1 required for the first operation of plating the food cooked by the cooking appliance 11. The user inputs the plating time T1 into the operation unit 103 while looking at the displayed input screen. The operation unit 103 then accepts the operation. When the operation is accepted, processor 104 instructs communication unit 101 to send the plating time T1 to server 14.

[0118] The following step S162 is performed by the server 14. In step S162, the communication unit 61 receives the plating time T1 from the terminal 13. The registration unit 91 registers the received plating time T1.

[0119] Step S163 is performed by terminal 13. In step S163, processor 104 displays an input screen on display unit 102 for the user to input the drying time T2 required for the second task of hanging up the laundry washed by washing machine 121. The user performs an operation on operation unit 103 to input the drying time T2 while looking at the displayed input screen. As a result, operation unit 103 accepts the operation. When the operation is accepted, processor 104 instructs communication unit 101 to send the drying time T2 to server 14.

[0120] The following step S164 is performed by the server 14. In step S164, the communication unit 61 receives the drying time T2 from the terminal 13. The registration unit 91 registers the received drying time T2.

[0121] 3.4 Processing during operation Figure 15 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of processing during operation performed by the home appliance system of the third embodiment.

[0122] When the home appliance system 1 performs processing during operation, it executes steps S171 to S181 shown in Figure 15.

[0123] Step S171 is performed by the server 14. In step S171, the communication unit 61 becomes capable of acquiring the status of the operating equipment.

[0124] The following step S172 is performed by the washing machine 121. In step S172, the control unit 135 instructs the washing unit 133 to start washing the laundry. The control unit 45 instructs the communication unit 41 to send to the server 14 a second start time TS2 when the washing of the laundry started and a second scheduled end time TE2 when the washing of the laundry is scheduled to end.

[0125] The following step S173 is performed by the cooker 11. In step S173, the control unit 45 instructs the cooking unit 43 to start cooking the food to be cooked. As a result, the cooking unit 43 starts heating the food to be cooked. The control unit 45 instructs the communication unit 41 to send to the server 14 a first start time TS1 when cooking of the food to be cooked began and a first scheduled end time TE1 when cooking of the food to be cooked is scheduled to end.

[0126] The following step S174 is performed by the server 14. Step S174 is performed when the washing machine 121 starts washing laundry in parallel with the cooking appliance 11 cooking the food, regardless of which of the received first start time TS1 or second start time TS2 comes first.

[0127] In step S174, the determination unit 92 determines, based on the received first scheduled end time TE1 and second scheduled end time TE2, and the registered serving time T1 and / or drying time T2, whether the first period in which the first operation of serving the food cooked by the cooker 11 is performed and the second period in which the second operation of drying the laundry washed by the washing machine 121 is performed overlap. If the first scheduled end time TE1 is before the second scheduled end time TE2, the determination unit 92 determines, based on the first scheduled end time TE1, the second scheduled end time TE2, and the serving time T1, whether the first period and the second period overlap. If the first scheduled end time TE1 is after the second scheduled end time TE2, the determination unit 92 determines, based on the first scheduled end time TE1, the second scheduled end time TE2, and the drying time T2, whether the first period and the second period overlap.

[0128] If the instruction unit 93 determines that the first period and the second period overlap, it instructs the communication unit 131 to send an instruction to change the end time, including the extension time, and an instruction to change the mode to the cooker 11. In this way, the instruction unit 93 instructs the cooker 11 to change the end time when it determines that the first period and the second period overlap. Furthermore, if the cooker 11 starts cooking the food to be cooked while the cooker 11 is in the second mode, and the washing machine 121 starts washing the laundry in parallel with the cooker 11 cooking the food, the instruction unit 93 instructs the cooker 11 to change its mode to the first mode.

[0129] The following step S175 is performed by the washing machine 121. In step S175, the control unit 135 instructs the washing unit 133 to finish washing the laundry. As a result, the washing unit 133 finishes washing the laundry. The control unit 135 then instructs the notification unit 134 to notify that the washing of the laundry has been completed.

[0130] In the following step S176, the user performs a second task: hanging up the laundry that has been washed by the washing machine 121.

[0131] In the following step S177, the user completes the second task.

[0132] Step S178 is performed by the cooker 11. In step S178, similar to step S128, the control unit 45 changes the first scheduled end time TE1. Furthermore, if the cooker 11 starts cooking the food to be cooked while the cooker 11 is in the first mode, the control unit 45 does not change the mode of the cooker 11 to the first mode even when a mode change instruction is received. If the cooker 11 starts cooking the food to be cooked while the cooker 11 is in the second mode, the control unit 45 changes the mode of the cooker 11 from the second mode to the first mode when a mode change instruction is received.

[0133] The following step S179 is performed by the cooker 11. In step S179, similar to step S129, the control unit 45 instructs the cooking unit 43 to finish cooking the food to be cooked. The control unit 45 also instructs the notification unit 44 to notify that the cooking of the food to be cooked has been completed.

[0134] In the following step S180, similar to step S130, the user performs the first task of plating the food cooked by the cooking appliance 11.

[0135] In the following step S181, similar to step S131, the user completes the first task.

[0136] Steps S171 to S181 ensure that the first period does not overlap with the second period. This prevents cooked food from being left unattended without being served. This makes it easier to serve freshly prepared food at the table.

[0137] This disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above, and may be replaced with configurations that are substantially the same as those shown in the embodiments, configurations that produce the same effects, or configurations that can achieve the same purpose. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0138] 1 Home appliance system, 11 Cooker, 12 Cooker, 13 Terminal, 14 Server, 21 Network, 31 Each cooker, 41 Communication unit, 42 Operation unit, 43 Cooking unit, 44 Notification unit, 45 Control unit, 51 Temperature range where food spoils easily, 61 Communication unit, 62 Processor, 63 Memory, 64 Storage, 71 Program, 81 Control device, 91 Registration unit, 92 Judgment unit, 93 Instruction unit, 101 Communication unit, 102 Display unit, 103 Operation unit, 104 Processor, 105 Memory, 106 Storage, 111 Program, 121 Washing machine, 131 Communication unit, 132 Operation unit, 133 Washing unit, 134 Notification unit, 135 Control unit.

Claims

1. A cooking appliance in which a first scheduled end time is set as the time at which the cooking of the food to be cooked is scheduled to be completed, A second scheduled end time has been set as the time when the processing of the object to be processed is scheduled to be completed, An input unit that allows the user to input a first period of time required for a first operation to be performed by the user after the cooking of the food to be cooked by the cooking appliance is completed, and inputs a second period of time required for a second operation to be performed by the user after the processing of the food to be processed by the appliance, A registration unit receives and registers the first period and the second period input by the input unit, A determination unit that determines whether the first period and the second period overlap based on the first scheduled end time received from the cooking appliance, the second scheduled end time received from the home appliance, and the registered first period and the second period, If the determination unit determines that the first period and the second period overlap, the instruction unit instructs the cooking appliance to change the scheduled end time of the first period to after the second period. A home appliance system equipped with the following features.

2. The cooking appliance has a period during which the temperature inside the cooking appliance is maintained at an appropriate temperature from the start of cooking to the end of cooking. The indicator unit changes the first scheduled end time by changing the length of time during which the temperature inside the cooking appliance is maintained at the appropriate temperature. The home appliance system according to claim 1.

3. Further comprising a terminal, The terminal has an input unit which consists of a display unit and an operation unit, The instruction unit instructs the terminal to display an input screen on the display unit for the user to input the first period and the second period after the appliance has entered a state where it is processing the food in parallel with the cooking appliance cooking the food to be cooked. The home appliance system according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The aforementioned appliance is a cooking appliance different from the aforementioned cooking appliance, The processed object is another cooked object prepared using the other cooking appliance. The second operation described above is the operation of plating the other cooked food. The home appliance system according to claim 1 or 2.

5. The first operation is the operation of plating the cooked food, The aforementioned home appliance is a washing machine. The object to be processed is laundry washed by the washing machine, The second task is the task of hanging the laundry to dry. The home appliance system according to claim 1 or 2.

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