Notification system, terminal device, notification method, and program

Abstract

This notification system (100) is provided with an information acquisition unit (110) and an information generation unit (120). The information acquisition unit (110) acquires first language information pertaining to a first language, to which a first home appliance (200) has been set, and second language information pertaining to a second language, to which a second home appliance (300) different from the first home appliance (200) has been set. On the basis of the first language information and the second language information, the information generation unit (120) generates and outputs usage information pertaining to a method for using the first home appliance (200). When the first language indicated in the first language information is different from the second language indicated in the second language information, the information generation unit (120) generates usage information represented by the second language.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a notification system that notifies a user of information on how to use home appliances and the like.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses an audio guidance system. In this audio guidance system, the CPU of the audio ECU detects the position information of a vehicle with a position detector, and when it is determined from the position information and the stored map data that the vehicle has moved between areas where the languages used as dialects or official languages are different, the language corresponding to the position information of the vehicle is determined, and a request signal for requesting the transmission of the audio information in that language is transmitted to the audio information center by the transceiver. When the CPU of the audio ECU receives the audio information from the audio information center by the transceiver, the audio information is updated to the audio information transmitted from the audio information center.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The present disclosure provides a notification system and the like that can efficiently operate home appliances used by a user.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] A notification system according to one aspect of this disclosure is a notification system for notifying a user of information regarding the use of a first home appliance, comprising: an information acquisition unit that acquires first language information relating to a first language set in the first home appliance, and second language information relating to a second language set in a second home appliance different from the first home appliance; and an information generation unit that generates and outputs usage information regarding the use of the first home appliance based on the first language information and the second language information, wherein the information generation unit generates the usage information expressed in the second language if the first language shown in the first language information and the second language shown in the second language information are different.

[0006] A terminal device according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a terminal device that communicates with a notification system according to one aspect of the present disclosure, and includes a terminal communication unit that acquires the usage information output from the notification system, which is generated and output after the notification system and the terminal device have started communicating, and the usage information acquired by the terminal communication unit information It includes a display unit that presents the information to the user.

[0007] A notification method relating to one aspect of this disclosure is a notification method for notifying a user of information regarding the use of a first home appliance, which acquires first language information relating to a first language set in the first home appliance and second language information relating to a second language set in a second home appliance different from the first home appliance, and if the first language shown in the first language information and the second language shown in the second language information are different, it generates usage information relating to the use of the first home appliance, expressed in the second language, based on the first language information and the second language information, and outputs the generated usage information.

[0008] A program relating to one aspect of this disclosure causes one or more processors to execute a notification method relating to one aspect of this disclosure. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the notification system and other details in this disclosure, it is possible to operate home appliances used by users more efficiently. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a diagram showing the configuration overview of the home appliance setting system according to Embodiment 1. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the basic functional configuration of the notification system, etc., according to Embodiment 1. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a block diagram showing a specific example of the functional configuration of the notification system according to Embodiment 1. [Figure 4] Figure 4 shows an example of information stored in the memory unit of the notification system according to Embodiment 1. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a flowchart illustrating the overview of the operation of the notification system according to Embodiment 1. [Figure 6] Figure 6 is a flowchart showing a specific example of the operation of the notification system according to Embodiment 1. [Figure 7A] Figure 7A shows a first example of a presentation based on usage information output from the notification system according to Embodiment 1. [Figure 7B] Figure 7B shows a second example of a presentation based on usage information output from the notification system according to Embodiment 1. [Figure 8] Figure 8 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the notification system according to Embodiment 2. [Figure 9] Figure 9 shows an example of information stored in the memory unit of the notification system according to Embodiment 2. [Figure 10] Figure 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the notification system according to Embodiment 2. [Figure 11] Figure 11 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the notification system according to Embodiment 3. [Figure 12] Figure 12 shows an example of information stored in the memory unit of the notification system according to Embodiment 3. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing an operation example of the notification system according to Embodiment 3.

MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0011] The inventors of the present application have found that the following problems occur when a user uses a household electrical appliance.

[0012] For example, when a user leaves the home where he / she lives his / her daily life and stays in a region different from the region where the home is located (for example, a country different from the country where the home is located), the user will use the household electrical appliances at the place of stay (hereinafter referred to as the first household electrical appliances). In this case, the language set in the first household electrical appliances may be different from the language set in the household electrical appliances (hereinafter referred to as the second household electrical appliances) that the user uses at home. For example, information regarding the usage method may be displayed in a first language different from the second language set in the second household electrical appliances on the user interface of the first household electrical appliances. In this case, the user may use the first household electrical appliances in a state where the usage method is unclear or not sufficiently understood. That is, the user will use the first household electrical appliances in an uneasy state. As a result, due to the user repeating trial and error in the settings of the first household electrical appliances or being used with settings that result in undesirable results, unnecessary operations will be executed in the first household electrical appliances.

[0013] Regarding the solution to such problems, for example, according to the voice guidance system disclosed in Patent Document 1, the position where the vehicle equipped with the voice guidance system travels is detected, voice information in the language corresponding to the detected position is acquired, and voice guidance is performed using the acquired voice information. That is, in the vehicle, voice guidance is performed in the language used in the region where the vehicle is located. Therefore, when the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1 is applied, the language of the region where the first household electrical appliances are installed will be set in the first household electrical appliances. Therefore, it is difficult to solve the above problems with the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1.

[0014] The present disclosure has been made based on such findings. As a result of intensive studies by the inventors of the present application, an idea for a notification system that can efficiently operate household electrical appliances used by users has been obtained.

[0015] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings as appropriate. However, a more detailed description than necessary may be omitted. For example, detailed descriptions of well-known matters and redundant descriptions of substantially the same configurations may be omitted. This is to avoid making the following description overly redundant and to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art.

[0016] Note that the accompanying drawings and the following description are provided for those skilled in the art to fully understand the present disclosure, and are not intended to limit the subject matter described in the claims. The numerical values, components, arrangement positions and connection forms of the components, as well as the steps and the order of the steps shown in the following embodiments are examples and are not intended to limit the present invention. Therefore, among the components in the following embodiments, components not described in the independent claims indicating the highest concept of the present invention are described as arbitrary components.

[0017] (Embodiment 1) [1-1. Overall configuration] First, the outline of the home appliance setting system 1 including the notification system 100 according to Embodiment 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration outline of the home appliance setting system 1 according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the basic functional configurations of the notification system 100, the first home appliance 200, the second home appliance 300, and the terminal device 400 according to Embodiment 1.

[0018] As shown in Figure 1, the home appliance setting system 1 according to this embodiment comprises a notification system 100, a first home appliance 200, a second home appliance 300, and a terminal device 400. The notification system 100, the first home appliance 200, the second home appliance 300, and the terminal device 400 are connected via a network 500. The network 500 is a communication network such as the Internet or a mobile communication network.

[0019] The notification system 100 is a computer system that notifies user U of usage information, which is information regarding how to use the first home appliance 200, and which is expressed in the language set on the second home appliance 300.

[0020] As shown in Figure 2, the notification system 100 comprises, as its basic functional configuration, an information acquisition unit 110 and an information generation unit 120. The information acquisition unit 110 acquires first language information relating to the first language set in the first home appliance 200, and second language information relating to the second language set in a second home appliance 300 that is different from the first home appliance 200. Based on the first language information and the second language information, the information generation unit 120 generates and outputs usage information regarding how to use the first home appliance 200. If the first language shown in the first language information and the second language shown in the second language information are different, the information generation unit 120 generates usage information expressed in the second language. In other words, the information generation unit 120 generates and outputs usage information expressed in the language set in the second home appliance 300 installed in the user's (user U (see Figure 1)) home. The usage information output from the information generation unit 120 is transmitted via the network 500 to, for example, a terminal device 400 or the first home appliance 200.

[0021] In this embodiment, the notification system 100 is implemented by a single computer equipped with one or more processors. The notification system 100 may also be implemented by multiple computers connected by a communication network such as network 500 and one or more storage devices. In other words, the functions of the information acquisition unit 110 and the information generation unit 120 of the notification system 100 can be realized by one or more processors executing a predetermined program.

[0022] The first home appliance 200 is a home appliance installed in a location different from User U's place of residence, such as a hotel where User U stays when traveling abroad. A predetermined unit of region including User U's place of residence is an example of the first region. A predetermined unit of region including User U's place of residence is an example of the second region. The units of the first and second regions may be, for example, a country, or a smaller unit such as a state, prefecture, or town. For example, if User U, who lives in France, stays in Japan, the first region can be defined as "Japan" and the second region as "France". In Figure 1, the first home appliance 200 is illustrated as a microwave oven, which is the first home appliance 200a, and a washing machine, which is the first home appliance 200b.

[0023] As shown in Figure 2, the first home appliance 200 comprises a first communication unit 210 and a first storage unit 250 as its basic functional configuration. The first communication unit 210 communicates with the notification system 100 via the network 500. The first storage unit 250 stores first language information, such as the language (first language) set in the first home appliance 200. The first home appliance 200 can transmit various types of information, such as the first language information stored in the first storage unit 250, from the first communication unit 210 to the notification system 100.

[0024] The first language set in the first home appliance 200 is the language used for the strings displayed on the buttons (not shown) and liquid crystal display (not shown) of the first home appliance 200. The first language may be changed by a predetermined operation by user U. When the first language is changed, the first storage unit 250 rewrites the stored first language information with first language information indicating the changed first language. The first communication unit 210 transmits the first language information stored in the first storage unit 250 to the notification system 100, for example, by a predetermined operation by user U. When the first language information is rewritten in the first storage unit 250, the first communication unit 210 transmits the rewritten first language information to the notification system 100. The transmission of the first language information from the first communication unit 210 to the notification system 100 may be via a terminal device 400 operated by user U.

[0025] Secondary home appliances 300 are home appliances installed in a secondary area, such as the home where user U lives their daily life, including user U's place of residence. In Figure 1, secondary home appliances 300a, which is a microwave oven, and secondary home appliances 300b, which is a washing machine, are illustrated as examples of secondary home appliances 300.

[0026] As shown in Figure 2, the second home appliance 300 comprises a second communication unit 310 and a second storage unit 350 as its basic functional configuration. The second communication unit 310 communicates with the notification system 100 via the network 500. The second storage unit 350 stores second language information, such as the language (second language) set in the second home appliance 300. The second home appliance 300 can transmit various types of information, such as the second language information stored in the second storage unit 350, from the second communication unit 310 to the notification system 100.

[0027] The second language set in the second home appliance 300 is the language used for the strings displayed on the buttons (not shown) and liquid crystal display (not shown) of the second home appliance 300. The second language may be changed by a predetermined operation by user U. When the second language is changed, the second storage unit 350 rewrites the stored second language information with second language information indicating the changed second language. The second communication unit 310 transmits the second language information stored in the second storage unit 350 to the notification system 100, for example, by a predetermined operation by user U. When the second language information is rewritten in the second storage unit 350, the second communication unit 310 transmits the rewritten second language information to the notification system 100. The transmission of second language information from the second communication unit 310 to the notification system 100 may be via a terminal device 400 operated by user U. The terminal device 400 may exchange information with the second home appliance 300 by communicating with it via wireless communication, for example. Examples of such wireless communication include Wi-Fi (registered trademark), Bluetooth (registered trademark), NFC (Near Field Communication) via a loop antenna, and infrared communication.

[0028] In this embodiment, the first language information and the second language information are, for example, information indicating the type of language, such as Japanese, English, and Chinese (Standard Chinese and Cantonese, etc.). For example, if the language set in the first home appliance 200 is English, the first language information may be the name of the language itself, "English," or it may be a code (language code) that identifies "English."

[0029] The first language indicated in the first language information and the second language indicated in the second language information are independent of the country in which the first home appliance 200 and the second home appliance 300 were developed or manufactured, the language used in that country, and the region in which the first home appliance 200 and the second home appliance 300 are installed. For example, if the first home appliance 200 manufactured in Japan is installed in Japan (i.e., the first region is Japan), the first home appliance 200 may be set to a language other than Japanese, such as English, French, or Chinese. The same applies to the second language set for the second home appliance 300.

[0030] In this embodiment, the second home appliance 300 is a home appliance used by user U in their daily life, and therefore there may be multiple official languages ​​in user U's place of residence. However, even in this case, the second communication unit 310 can obtain second language information stored in the second storage unit 350 and transmit second language information indicating the language used by user U on a daily basis to the notification system 100.

[0031] In this embodiment, Figure 1 shows a microwave oven and a washing machine as examples of the first home appliance 200 and the second home appliance 300, but the types of the first home appliance 200 and the second home appliance 300 are not limited to microwave ovens and washing machines. For example, air conditioners, refrigerators, rice cookers, vacuum cleaners, televisions, recorders (recording devices), and humidifying air purifiers may be used as the first home appliance 200 and the second home appliance 300. In other words, there are no particular limitations on the types of the first home appliance 200 and the second home appliance 300 as long as they are home appliances that can be connected to the notification system 100 via a network 500 such as the Internet.

[0032] As shown in Figure 1, the terminal device 400 is, for example, a mobile terminal used by user U at their residence or place of stay. The terminal device 400 comprises a terminal communication unit 410 and a display unit 480. The terminal communication unit 410 acquires usage information regarding the usage of the first home appliance 200, which is output from the notification system 100. The display unit 480 presents the usage information acquired by the terminal communication unit 410 to user U. Specifically, the display unit 480 comprises a display panel 401 such as a liquid crystal panel or an organic EL panel that displays images (described later using Figure 7A), and a speaker device that outputs sound. The display unit 480 displays a string of characters, etc., based on the usage information acquired by the terminal communication unit 410 on the display panel 401, and / or outputs sound based on the usage information from the speaker device.

[0033] The terminal device 400 has an application (hereinafter referred to as the "settings application") installed that is necessary to use the notification system 100. The terminal device 400 launches the settings application through an operation by user U. The settings application causes the presentation unit 480 to present usage information to user U in response to a predetermined operation by user U. The terminal device 400 has one or more processors capable of executing the settings application and a storage device that stores information necessary for such execution.

[0034] The terminal device 400 only needs to be connected to the notification system 100 via a network 500 such as the Internet or a mobile communication network. The terminal device 400 may be, for example, a smartphone, a tablet, or a notebook personal computer.

[0035] [1-2. Notification System Configuration] Next, the configuration of the notification system 100 according to Embodiment 1 will be described using Figures 2 and 3. Figure 3 is a block diagram showing a specific example of the functional configuration of the notification system 100 according to Embodiment 1. In Figure 3, the network 500 is not shown. Although the configuration of the terminal device 400 is also shown in Figure 3, the configuration and operation of the terminal device 400 will be described later. Figure 4 is a diagram showing an example of information stored in the storage unit 150 of the notification system 100 according to Embodiment 1.

[0036] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the notification system 100 includes, for example, a communication unit 101, an information generation unit 120, and a storage unit 150. The communication unit 101 includes an information acquisition unit 110 that acquires first language information and second language information, and a transmission unit 115 that transmits usage information output from the information generation unit 120.

[0037] The information generation unit 120 includes a determination unit 121 that determines whether the first language shown in the first language information and the second language shown in the second language information are the same, and a usage information generation unit 122 that generates usage information according to the determination result of the determination unit 121.

[0038] The storage unit 150 stores information necessary for various information processing performed by the notification system 100. The storage unit 150 includes a storage device such as a hard disk or semiconductor memory and can exchange information with the information generation unit 120 and the communication unit 101. For example, the storage unit 150 can store first language information and second language information acquired by the information acquisition unit 110, as well as information necessary for generating usage information by the usage information generation unit 122.

[0039] More specifically, the storage unit 150 stores, for example, first home appliance information 601, second home appliance information 602, and user device information 610, as shown in Figure 4. In Figure 4, the first home appliance information 601 corresponding to the first home appliance 200a, the second home appliance information 602 corresponding to the second home appliance 300a, and the user device information 610 corresponding to user U are illustrated.

[0040] The first home appliance information 601 is information transmitted, for example, from the first home appliance 200 and acquired by the information acquisition unit 110 of the notification system 100. The first home appliance information 601 includes, as information items, a "device ID" which is first identification information that identifies the first home appliance 200, a "type" which indicates the type of the first home appliance 200, a "setting language" which is first language information, and a "function" which is first function information related to the functions of the first home appliance 200. The storage unit 150 further stores usage information 700 which indicates the notification content to be notified to the user U, generated using the first home appliance information 601, etc.

[0041] The second home appliance information 602 is information transmitted, for example, from the second home appliance 300 and acquired by the information acquisition unit 110 of the notification system 100. The second home appliance information 602 includes, as information items, a "device ID" which is second identification information that identifies the second home appliance 300, a "type" which indicates the type of the second home appliance 300, a "setting language" which is second language information, and a "function" which is second function information related to the functions of the second home appliance 300.

[0042] User device information 610 is information transmitted, for example, from a terminal device 400 and acquired by the information acquisition unit 110 of the notification system 100. User device information 610 includes "User ID," which is user identification information that identifies user U, and "Registered Device," which is information indicating the second home appliance 300 associated with the user identification information. In the user device information 610 shown in Figure 4, the user identification information of user U is associated with the second identification information of the second home appliances 300a and 300b installed in user U's home.

[0043] Furthermore, the storage unit 150 may also store other information not shown in Figure 4, such as first home appliance information 601 corresponding to the first home appliance 200b, and second home appliance information 602 corresponding to the second home appliance 300b. The first home appliance information 601 and the second home appliance information 602 may each be transmitted from a device different from the first home appliance 200, such as a terminal device 400. The multiple information items and their contents included in the first home appliance information 601, the second home appliance information 602, and the user device information 610 shown in Figure 4 are illustrative examples. The first home appliance information 601, the second home appliance information 602, and the user device information 610 may each include information not shown in Figure 4. The contents included in the first home appliance information 601, the second home appliance information 602, and the user device information 610 may be distributed among multiple files and stored in the storage unit 150. For example, consider the case where "setting language" and "function" included in the first home appliance information 601 are included in two separate files. In this case, if the two files contain the first identification information (device ID "AABB90001"), the "setting language" and "function" can be associated using the first identification information. In other words, the various types of information stored in the storage unit 150 only need to be stored in such a way that they can be used by the information generation unit 120 to generate usage information. The storage unit 150 may comprise multiple separate storage devices. In this case, the various types of information contained in the first home appliance information 601, the second home appliance information 602, and the user device information 610 only need to be stored in one or more of the multiple storage devices.

[0044] In the information generation unit 120, the determination unit 121 acquires first language information and second language information from the information acquisition unit 110 or the storage unit 150 and determines whether the first language and the second language are the same. If the first language shown in the first language information and the second language shown in the second language information are different, the determination unit 121 transmits a determination result indicating that the first language and the second language are different to the usage information generation unit 122. When the determination unit 121 determines whether the first language and the second language are the same, it does so regardless of whether the first language and the second language are primarily spoken in different countries or regions. For example, although Standard Chinese and Cantonese belong to the same "Chinese" language family, they are determined to be different languages ​​because they use different characters (simplified and traditional) and have different grammar. Other languages ​​are also determined to be different languages ​​even if they belong to the same language family based on the characters and grammar used.

[0045] If the determination result by the determination unit 121 indicates that the first language and the second language are different, the usage information generation unit 122 generates usage information to be notified to the user U, which is expressed in the second language, and stores this usage information in the storage unit 150. For example, as shown in Figure 4, if the setting language (i.e., the second language) shown in the second home appliance information 602 is French, usage information 700 expressed in French is stored in the storage unit 150. At this time, multiple contents may be stored in the storage unit 150 as candidates for the content of the usage information to be notified to the user U.

[0046] The usage information generated by the usage information generation unit 122 is transmitted from the transmission unit 115 included in the communication unit 101 to, for example, the terminal device 400. As a result, the usage information expressed in the second language is acquired by the terminal device 400 and presented to the user U by the presentation unit 480. In other words, the usage information is notified to the user U. The usage information only needs to be notified to the user U at an appropriate time. For example, if the usage information includes multiple contents to be notified to the user U (multiple notification contents), these multiple notification contents may be notified in multiple installments. When notifying the user U in multiple installments, for example, the usage information generation unit 122 determines the order in which the notification contents are notified to the user U. Note that each of these multiple notification contents may be treated as "usage information," or the entire set including multiple notification contents may be treated as "usage information."

[0047] For example, let's assume that both the first home appliance 200 and the second home appliance 300 are microwave ovens. That is, let's assume that the notification system 100 obtains first language information from the first home appliance 200a and second language information from the second home appliance 300a. Furthermore, let's assume that the notification content to be sent to user U includes instructions on how to heat up a side dish and instructions on how to prepare vegetables as usage information. In this case, the usage information generation unit 122 of the notification system 100 may determine the method of heating up a side dish, which is presumed to be used frequently by many users, as the first usage information, and the method of preparing vegetables as the second usage information. In this case, the terminal device 400 will present user U with the first usage information, which is the method of heating up a side dish, and then present user U with the second usage information, which is the method of preparing vegetables.

[0048] For example, the first home appliance information 601 stored in the memory unit 150 includes, as first function information, usage information indicating how to heat up a side dish, expressed in a first language (not shown in Figure 4). The usage information generation unit 122 translates the usage information expressed in the first language into usage information expressed in a second language, for example, by using the translation function of the notification system 100 or an external translation system that can be connected via the network 500. This generates the usage information that the terminal device 400 acquires and presents to the user U. Machine translation using artificial intelligence may be used to convert the usage information expressed in the first language to usage information expressed in the second language. A database that stores various home appliance operation methods, etc., expressed in multiple languages ​​may be used for this conversion. This database may be provided in the notification system 100 or on an external computer connected to the notification system 100 via the network 500. In other words, obtaining usage information expressed in a second language using machine translation or a database, etc., is included in "generating usage information expressed in a second language".

[0049] [1-3. Operation of the notification system] [1-3-1. Overview of the Notification System's Operation] Next, we will explain the overview of the operation of the notification system 100 according to Embodiment 1 using Figure 5. Figure 5 is a flowchart showing the overview of the operation of the notification system 100 according to Embodiment 1. In this embodiment, we will explain an example of the basic operation of the notification system 100, assuming that user U, who lives in France and uses French on a daily basis, uses a microwave oven, Daiichi Kadenki 200a, installed in the hotel (accommodation) where he is staying in the United States.

[0050] First, the first home appliance 200a at the user's residence and the second home appliance 300a at user U's home each begin communicating with the notification system 100 after being installed, and then transmit their own information to the notification system 100. Specifically, the first home appliance 200a transmits first language information, indicating the first language set in the first home appliance 200a, to the notification system 100, triggered by a predetermined instruction to the first home appliance 200a. The information acquisition unit 110 of the notification system 100 acquires the first language information transmitted from the first home appliance 200a (S101).

[0051] Specifically, if "English" is set as the language displayed on the buttons (not shown) or liquid crystal display (not shown) of the first home appliance 200a, the first communication unit 210 of the first home appliance 200a obtains first language information indicating "English" from the first storage unit 250. The first communication unit 210 transmits the first language information indicating "English," which is the first language of the notification system 100, via the network 500. The first language information is obtained by the information acquisition unit 110 included in the communication unit 101 of the notification system 100 and stored in the storage unit 150 of the notification system 100 together with first identification information that identifies the first home appliance 200a. For example, as shown in Figure 4, first home appliance information 601, including first language information (set language) and first identification information (device ID), is stored in the storage unit 150.

[0052] The second home appliance 300a transmits second language information indicating the second language set on the second home appliance 300a to the notification system 100, triggered by a predetermined instruction to the second home appliance 300a. The information acquisition unit 110 of the notification system 100 acquires the second language information transmitted from the second home appliance 300a (S102). Specifically, if "French" is set as the language displayed on the buttons (not shown) or liquid crystal display (not shown) of the second home appliance 300a, the second communication unit 310 of the second home appliance 300a acquires second language information indicating "French" from the second storage unit 350. The second communication unit 310 transmits the second language information indicating "French," which is the second language, to the notification system 100 via the network 500. The second language information is acquired by the information acquisition unit 110 of the notification system 100 and stored in the storage unit 150 of the notification system 100 along with information identifying the second home appliance 300a. For example, as shown in Figure 4, second home appliance information 602, which includes second language information (setting language) and second identification information (device ID), is stored in the storage unit 150.

[0053] When user U uses the first home appliance 200a installed in the hotel where they are staying, they launch the settings application installed on user U's terminal device 400 and use the notification system 100.

[0054] In the information generation unit 120 of the notification system 100, the determination unit 121 determines whether the first language shown in the first language information acquired by the information acquisition unit 110 is the same as the second language shown in the second language information acquired by the information acquisition unit 110 (S103). If the determination unit 121 determines that the first language and the second language are different (No in S103), the usage information generation unit 122 of the information generation unit 120 generates and outputs usage information to be notified to the user U (S104).

[0055] In this example, the first language indicated in the first language information is "English," and the second language indicated in the second language information is "French." Therefore, the determination unit 121 determines that the first language and the second language are not the same (i.e., different) (No in S103). However, if user U stays at a French-owned hotel in the United States, for example, and the first language set on the first home appliance 200a is "French," the information acquisition unit 110 of the notification system 100 acquires first language information indicating "French." In this case, the determination unit 121 determines that the first language and the second language are the same (Yes in S103), and the operation of the notification system 100 ends.

[0056] Next, if the determination unit 121 of the information generation unit 120 determines that the first language and the second language are different, the usage information generation unit 122 of the information generation unit 120 generates and outputs usage information expressed in the second language as shown in the second language information (S104). The usage information output by the usage information generation unit 122 is transmitted to the terminal device 400 by the transmission unit 115. As a result, the presentation unit 480 of the terminal communication unit 410 of the terminal device 400 presents the usage information expressed in the second language to user U using images and / or sound. This allows user U to confirm the usage information expressed in the same language as the language set on their microwave oven (second home appliance 300a) at home.

[0057] In Figure 5, the acquisition of first language information (S101) and acquisition of second language information (S102), which are part of a series of operations performed by the notification system 100 according to this embodiment, are described in this order. However, the order in which the first language information and second language information are acquired is not limited to this. For example, the notification system 100 may acquire the first language information after acquiring the second language information, or it may acquire the first language information and the second language information at substantially the same time.

[0058] The acquisition of first language information (S101) and the acquisition of second language information (S102) may be triggered, for example, by user U launching a settings application on terminal device 400.

[0059] These supplementary details regarding the order or timing of execution of various operations performed by the notification system 100 apply to the order or timing of execution of various operations as explained later with reference to flowcharts such as Figure 6.

[0060] Furthermore, in acquiring second language information (S101), the notification system 100 may acquire the language set on a device other than the second home appliance 300a as second language information. For example, the settings application installed on the terminal device 400 is likely to be set to the language that user U uses daily in their place of residence. Therefore, the notification system 100 may acquire the language set on the settings application as second language information.

[0061] [1-3-2. Specific examples of the operation of notification system 100] Next, using Figures 6, 7A, and 7B, a more specific example of the operation of the notification system 100 according to Embodiment 1 will be described. Figure 6 is a flowchart showing a specific example of the operation of the notification system 100 according to Embodiment 1. Figure 7A is a diagram showing a first presentation example based on usage information output from the notification system 100 according to Embodiment 1. Figure 7B is a diagram showing a second presentation example based on usage information output from the notification system 100 according to Embodiment 1. In Figure 7A, an image displayed on the presentation unit 480 of the terminal device 400, which is based on usage information received from the notification system 100, is schematically represented. In Figure 7B, a state in which sound based on the usage information is output from a speaker device (not shown) provided by the first home appliance 200a is schematically represented.

[0062] As shown in Figure 6, in addition to the operations shown in Figure 5, the notification system 100 also performs the acquisition of first function information (S100). In this embodiment, first home appliance information 601 is transmitted from the first home appliance 200a, which is, for example, a microwave oven, and includes first function information ("output power 800W") indicating the rated high-frequency output (referred to as "output power" in Figure 4 and hereafter). The transmitted first home appliance information 601 is acquired by the information acquisition unit 110 and stored in the storage unit 150 (see Figure 4).

[0063] The notification system 100 also receives second home appliance information 602 transmitted from the second home appliance 300a, which includes second function information indicating second function information ("output power 1000W"). The second home appliance information 602 is acquired by the information acquisition unit 110 and stored in the storage unit 150 (see Figure 4).

[0064] When user U uses the first home appliance 200a installed in the hotel where they are staying, they launch a configuration application installed on user U's terminal device 400. This causes the terminal device 400 to begin communication with the notification system 100. Specifically, the configuration application launched on the terminal device 400 begins communication with the notification system 100 via the network 500. The notification system 100 obtains user identification information ("UZ012345") that identifies user U and first identification information (e.g., "AABB90001") that identifies the first home appliance 200a from the terminal device 400. The storage unit 150 has in advance stored user device information 610, which associates user U's user identification information with second identification information that identifies the second home appliance 300 installed in user U's home. For example, when user U operates the configuration application on the terminal device 400, the user device information 610 shown in Figure 4 is stored in the storage unit 150.

[0065] User U, for example, after installing the second home appliance 300 in their home, uses a configuration application installed on the terminal device 400 to send to the notification system 100 the second identification information that identifies the second home appliance 300 and the user identification information that identifies the terminal device 400. The second identification information is information that can identify the second home appliance 300 from among multiple home appliances, such as the serial number or MAC address of the second home appliance 300. The second identification information may also be a combination of user identification information and local home appliance identification information (information that can identify each of the multiple second home appliances 300 in the home). The user identification information is information that can distinguish user U from other users. For example, if the terminal device 400 is a device used only by user U, the identification information of the terminal device 400, such as the serial number or MAC address of the terminal device 400, may be used as the user identification information.

[0066] With various types of information stored in the storage unit 150, when the terminal device 400 starts communication with the notification system 100, the notification system 100 can identify the first home appliance 200a that is the subject of the first language and second language compatibility determination (S103) based on the first identification information transmitted from the terminal device 400. Furthermore, the notification system 100 can identify the type of the first home appliance 200a from the first home appliance information 601 relating to the first home appliance 200a, and then identify the second home appliance 300a that is the subject of the first language and second language compatibility determination (S103) based on the identified type and the user device information 610 identified by the user identification information. Alternatively, the user U can operate the settings application to select the second home appliance 300a from among multiple registered devices included in the user device information 610. This allows the notification system 100 to identify the second home appliance 300a that is the subject of the first language and second language compatibility determination (S103).

[0067] As shown in Figure 3, the terminal device 400 includes an identification information acquisition unit 460 that acquires first identification information to identify the first home appliance 200. The identification information acquisition unit 460 has, for example, a camera and acquires first identification information from a QR code (registered trademark), a two-dimensional barcode, or a sticker displaying a string of characters attached to the first home appliance 200, which is photographed by the camera. The first identification information is, for example, the serial number or MAC address of the first home appliance 200. There are no particular limitations on the method by which the identification information acquisition unit 460 acquires the first identification information. The terminal device 400 may, for example, acquire first identification information from the first home appliance 200a by communicating with the first home appliance 200a via wireless communication. Examples of such wireless communication include Wi-Fi (registered trademark), Bluetooth (registered trademark), NFC via a loop antenna, or infrared communication.

[0068] The terminal communication unit 410 of the terminal device 400 may communicate with the first home appliance 200a, thereby acquiring first identification information. In other words, the identification information acquisition unit 460 may be part of the terminal communication unit 410. The identification information acquisition unit 460 may acquire first identification information input by user U touching the input interface (display panel 401 in this embodiment) of the terminal device 400. If the terminal device 400 can communicate with the first home appliance 200a via Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, etc., the exchange of various types of information between the first home appliance 200a and the notification system 100 may be performed via the terminal device 400.

[0069] Furthermore, the notification system 100 may use the location information of both the terminal device 400 and the first home appliance 200a as a method for identifying the first home appliance 200a that is the subject of the sameness / failure determination between the first and second languages ​​(S103). For example, if both the terminal device 400 and the first home appliance 200a are equipped with GPS (Global Positioning System) transmitters, the notification system 100 may use GPS to obtain the location information of both the terminal device 400 and the first home appliance 200a. In this case, the notification system 100 may, for example, identify the home appliance used by user U as the first home appliance 200a if the distance between the terminal device 400 and the first home appliance 200a is less than or equal to a predetermined distance.

[0070] As described above, the determination unit 121 of the notification system 100 determines whether the first language and the second language are the same (S103). In this embodiment, the determination unit 121 determines that the first language and the second language are different (No in S103), and the usage information generation unit 122 of the information generation unit 120 generates and outputs usage information to be notified to the user U (S104).

[0071] The usage information generation unit 122 converts usage information obtained from, for example, the first home appliance information 601 stored in the storage unit 150 into usage information expressed in a second language by predetermined means such as machine translation or database search. In other words, the usage information generation unit 122 generates usage information expressed in "French". For example, consider a case where the first home appliance information 601 includes mode information (not shown) that describes multiple operating modes (heating mode, defrosting mode, etc.) that can be executed by the first home appliance 200a. The mode information includes, for example, the name, number, and operating time of each mode that can be executed by the first home appliance 200a. In this case, the information generation unit 120 of the notification system 100 generates usage information including mode information expressed in French by using the mode information obtained from the storage unit 150 and machine translation, etc. The usage information output from the usage information generation unit 122 is transmitted from the transmission unit 115 included in the communication unit 101 and received by the terminal device 400 via the network 500.

[0072] In this embodiment, for example, as shown in Figure 4, the output power of the first appliance 200a, which is the microwave oven at the user's residence, is "800W", while the output power of the second appliance 300a, which is the microwave oven at the user's home, is "1000W". In this case, the usage information generation unit 122 generates usage information that corresponds to the difference in output power and is expressed in a second language. Specifically, because the output power of the first appliance 200a is lower than that of the second appliance 300a, the usage information generation unit 122 generates usage information in French that includes a notification such as, "Since the output power of this microwave oven is lower than that of your home microwave oven, please set the heating time to a longer time than usual." The storage unit 150 stores templates (not shown) for usage methods when the output power of the two microwave ovens being compared is different, and these templates are expressed in a predetermined language. The usage information generation unit 122 can generate usage information 700 (see Figure 4) expressed in French by converting the template into usage information expressed in French using machine translation or the like, or by obtaining the template expressed in French from the storage unit 150.

[0073] The usage information 700 generated and output by the information generation unit 120 is transmitted from the transmission unit 115 to the terminal device 400. The transmitted usage information 700 is received by the terminal communication unit 410 of the terminal device 400. In this case, as shown in Figure 7A, an image based on the usage information 700 acquired by the terminal communication unit 410 of the terminal device 400 is displayed on the display panel 401 of the presentation unit 480 of the terminal device 400. The image includes a notification text 491 written in French. In this way, the presentation unit 480 can present the usage information 700 expressed in French to the user U, that is, it can notify the user U of the usage information 700.

[0074] In addition to displaying the notification text 491, the display unit 480 may also output French audio indicating the content of the usage information 700 through a speaker device (not shown) provided by the display unit 480.

[0075] The usage information output from the information generation unit 120 may be received by the first home appliance 200a in addition to, or instead of, the terminal device 400. For example, if the first home appliance 200a receives usage information 700 expressed in French, as shown in Figure 7B, the first home appliance 200a may output a voice message 291 in French from the speaker device installed in the first home appliance 200a. Even in this case, the usage information 700 expressed in French, the second language, can be notified to the user U. The first home appliance 200a may also receive the usage information 700 from the notification system 100 by communicating with the notification system 100, or it may receive the usage information 700 received by the terminal device 400 from the terminal device 400.

[0076] In the above, examples of usage information transmitted by the notification system 100 to the terminal device 400 were given, including usage information related to the operating mode and usage information based on differences in output power. However, there are no particular limitations on the content of the usage information transmitted by the notification system 100 to the terminal device 400. Such usage information may include, for example, a method for connecting the first home appliance 200a and the terminal device 400 by wireless communication, or a method for operating the first home appliance 200a using the terminal device 400.

[0077] The above describes the operation of the notification system 100, etc., when user U uses the first home appliance 200a, which is a microwave oven. However, there are no particular limitations on the type of first home appliance 200 associated with the usage information notified to user U. For example, even when user U uses the first home appliance 200b, which is a washing machine, the notification system 100 can perform the operations shown in Figures 5 and 6. This allows the system to notify user U of usage information regarding the use of the first home appliance 200b, which is a washing machine, expressed in a second language set on the washing machine at home (second home appliance 300b).

[0078] If the languages ​​indicated by the first language information and the second language information are changed, the notification system 100 can obtain the first language information and the second language information indicating the changed languages. For example, if the first language used by the first home appliance 200 installed in a hotel is changed, the first home appliance 200 will use the change as a trigger to send the first language information indicating the changed first language to the notification system 100. As a result, the first language information contained in the first home appliance information 601 stored in the storage unit 150 is rewritten with the latest content. Through this process, the notification system 100 can obtain the latest information at that time, which is used to generate and output usage information to notify the user U. The notification system 100 may also obtain the latest information at that time from the first home appliance 200 and the second home appliance 300 by periodically querying them.

[0079] [1-4. Effects, etc.] As described above, the notification system 100 according to this embodiment has the following technical features, for example.

[0080] The notification system 100 according to this embodiment includes an information acquisition unit 110 and an information generation unit 120. The information acquisition unit 110 acquires first language information relating to the first language set in the first home appliance 200, and second language information relating to the second language set in a second home appliance 300 which is different from the first home appliance 200. The information generation unit 120 generates and outputs usage information regarding how to use the first home appliance 200 based on the first language information and the second language information. If the first language shown in the first language information and the second language shown in the second language information are different, the information generation unit 120 generates usage information expressed in the second language.

[0081] In this configuration, usage information regarding the use of the first home appliance 200 is output from the notification system 100. This usage information is expressed in the language set on the second home appliance 300 (second language). Therefore, user U, who uses the second home appliance 300 on a daily basis, can check the usage information for the first home appliance 200 in the language set on the second home appliance 300 when using the first home appliance 200. For example, user U can check the usage information expressed in the second language using a terminal device 400, such as a mobile terminal. Therefore, user U can use the first home appliance 200 efficiently in accordance with their intentions. In other words, the first home appliance 200 used by user U can operate efficiently. For example, the possibility of unnecessary operations being performed on the first home appliance 200 due to user U repeatedly trying and failing in the operation of the first home appliance 200, or due to using procedures or settings that result in undesirable outcomes for user U, is reduced. Even if the language set on the second home appliance 300 installed at user U's place of residence differs from the language set on the first home appliance 200 used by user U at their place of stay, the anxiety user U feels when using the first home appliance 200 is reduced. For example, the possibility of using the first home appliance 200 incorrectly is reduced.

[0082] Thus, according to the notification system 100 of this embodiment, home appliances used by the user can be operated efficiently.

[0083] Generally, home appliances are not devices that are transported and used at a place of stay. Therefore, the notification system 100 according to this embodiment is particularly useful when user U is staying in a place with a different language than their place of residence. For example, if user U's home is in Japan and their place of stay is in the United States, the language displayed on the display panel of the first home appliance 200 will be English. As a result, user U's usability of the first home appliance 200 is not good. However, according to the notification system 100 according to this embodiment, usage information expressed in Japanese regarding how to use the first home appliance 200 can be notified to user U via a terminal device 400 owned by user U. As a result, user U will experience less inconvenience or anxiety when using the first home appliance 200 at their place of stay. For example, if usage information expressed in Japanese is notified via a speaker device installed in the first home appliance 200 at the place of stay, user U can be notified of the usage information expressed in Japanese even if user U has not brought the terminal device 400 with them. This allows user U to use the first home appliance 200 comfortably. Therefore, according to the notification system 100 of this embodiment, if the language set on the second home appliance 300 used by user U at their place of residence is different from the language set on the first home appliance 200 used at their place of stay, the first home appliance 200 at their place of stay can be used efficiently, which is an advantage.

[0084] The notification method performed by the notification system 100 according to this embodiment acquires first language information relating to the first language set in the first home appliance 200, and second language information relating to the second language set in a second home appliance 300 that is different from the first home appliance 200 (S101, S102 in Figure 5). If the first language shown in the first language information and the second language shown in the second language information are different (No in S103 in Figure 5), usage information relating to the usage of the first home appliance 200, expressed in the second language, is generated based on the first language information and the second language information, and the generated usage information is output (S104 in Figure 5).

[0085] According to this notification method, as described above, user U can use the first home appliance 200 efficiently. In other words, the first home appliance 200, which is used by user U, can operate efficiently.

[0086] The program according to this embodiment can also be implemented as a program that causes one or more processors to execute the notification method of the notification system 100 described above.

[0087] In the notification system 100 according to this embodiment, the information acquisition unit 110 further acquires first function information relating to the functions of the first home appliance 200. When the information generation unit 120 generates usage information, it uses the first function information to generate usage information that includes the first function information expressed in a second language.

[0088] With this configuration, the notification system 100 can output usage information that expresses information about the functions of the first home appliance 200 in the language (second language) set on the second home appliance 300. Therefore, user U can more quickly check information such as the operating modes that can be executed on the first home appliance 200 or information about the settings of the first home appliance 200. As a result, the first home appliance 200, which is used by user U, can operate more efficiently.

[0089] The source of the first function information acquired by the information acquisition unit 110 may be a device different from the first home appliance 200 and the terminal device 400. The information acquisition unit 110 may be, for example, a server device that stores the functions of multiple home appliances, and acquire the first function information regarding the functions of the first home appliance 200 from a server device connected to the network 500.

[0090] In the information generation unit 120 of the notification system 100 functionUsing the information is not mandatory. If the first language shown in the first language information and the second language shown in the second language information are different, the information generation unit 120 may, for example, create usage information indicating the language name of the first language set in the first home appliance 200. Even in this case, user U can, for example, find out what the first language set in the first home appliance 200 is by using the usage information expressed in the second language before using the first home appliance 200.

[0091] More specifically, the notification system 100 according to this embodiment further includes a storage unit 150. The storage unit 150 stores first home appliance information 601, second home appliance information 602, and user device information 610 (see Figure 4). The first home appliance information 601 includes first identification information that identifies the first home appliance 200, and information relating to the first home appliance 200. The second home appliance information 602 includes second identification information that identifies the second home appliance 300, and information relating to the second home appliance 300. The user device information 610 includes user identification information that identifies user U, and information that identifies the second home appliance 300 associated with the user identification information. The first home appliance information 601 includes first language information, and the second home appliance information 602 includes second language information. The information acquisition unit 110 further acquires the first identification information and user identification information from outside the notification system 100. When the information acquisition unit 110 acquires the first identification information and the user identification information, the information generation unit 120 refers to the storage unit 150 and (i) acquires the first language information from the first home appliance information 601 associated with the first identification information. (ii) acquires the second language information from the second home appliance information 602 associated with the user identification information. (iii) Based on the acquired first language information and second language information, the information generation unit 120 generates and outputs usage information.

[0092] In this embodiment, the user device information 610 includes second identification information (e.g., "abc00001") that identifies the second home appliance 300, which is associated with the user identification information ("UZ012345"). In this embodiment, the information acquisition unit 110 acquires the user identification information and first identification information (e.g., "UZ012345" and "AABB90001") transmitted from the terminal device 400.

[0093] With this configuration, the notification system 100 can efficiently identify various types of information involved in the generation and output of usage information using the first home appliance information 601, the second home appliance information 602, and the user device information 610, which are pre-stored in the memory unit 150. This allows for the efficient execution of various operations related to the generation and output of usage information expressed in a second language. This contributes to the more efficient operation of the first home appliance 200, which is a home appliance used by user U.

[0094] The terminal device 400 according to this embodiment comprises a terminal communication unit 410 and a display unit 480. The terminal communication unit 410 acquires usage information output from the notification system 100, which is generated and output after communication between the notification system 100 and the terminal device 400 has started. The display unit 480 displays the usage information acquired by the terminal communication unit 410. information Present this to user U.

[0095] With this configuration, user U can receive notifications of usage information regarding the use of the first home appliance 200, expressed in a second language, from a terminal device 400, such as a mobile terminal. Therefore, user U can operate the first home appliance 200 while visually or audibly confirming the usage information, expressed in a language that is easy for user U to understand. The terminal device 400 acquires the usage information generated after the notification system 100 and the terminal device 400 begin communication. Therefore, the notification system 100 can notify user U of the usage information generated using the latest information available at that time. Consequently, the first home appliance 200 is used more efficiently by user U.

[0096] The terminal device 400 according to this embodiment further includes an identification information acquisition unit 460 that acquires first identification information for identifying the first home appliance 200. The terminal communication unit 410 transmits the first identification information acquired by the identification information acquisition unit 460 to the notification system 100. The terminal communication unit 410 acquires usage information generated and output by the notification system 100 after it has received the first identification information.

[0097] In this configuration, user U can send primary identification information, which identifies the primary home appliance 200 that user U intends to use, to the notification system 100 using the terminal device 400. In other words, the primary identification information can be sent to the notification system 100 using the terminal device 400, which receives the usage information generated and output by the notification system 100. Therefore, user U can, for example, use a familiar terminal device 400 to have the notification system 100 identify (specify) the primary home appliance 200 that user U intends to use.

[0098] (Embodiment 2) The notification system 100 according to Embodiment 2 will be described below, primarily with reference to Figures 8 to 10. Figure 8 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the notification system 100 according to Embodiment 2. The network 500 is not shown in Figure 8. Figure 9 is a diagram showing an example of information stored in the storage unit 150 of the notification system 100 according to Embodiment 2. Figure 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the notification system 100 according to Embodiment 2.

[0099] The overall configuration of the home appliance setting system 1, including the notification system 100 according to this embodiment, is the same as that of Embodiment 1 (see Figures 1 and 2), so its explanation will be omitted. The basic configurations of the first home appliance 200 and the second home appliance 300 are also the same as those of Embodiment 1 (see Figure 2). In addition, since this embodiment has many similarities with Embodiment 1, we will focus on explaining the differences from Embodiment 1. One difference between this embodiment and Embodiment 1 described above is that, in generating usage information, it uses not only the sameness or non-similarity of the languages ​​set on the first home appliance 200 and the second home appliance 300, but also the differences in the characteristics of the regions where these home appliances are installed.

[0100] [2-1. Notification System Configuration] As shown in Figure 8, the notification system 100 according to this embodiment comprises a communication unit 101, an information generation unit 120, and a storage unit 150. The communication unit 101 includes an information acquisition unit 110 and a transmission unit 115 that transmits usage information output from the information generation unit 120. The information generation unit 120 includes a determination unit 121 and a usage information generation unit 122 that generates usage information according to the determination result of the determination unit 121. These configurations are common to the notification system 100 according to Embodiment 1.

[0101] In this embodiment, the information acquisition unit 110 acquires first language information indicating the first language set for the first home appliance 200, second language information indicating the second language set for the second home appliance 300, as well as first regional information and second regional information. The first regional information is information about the first region where the first home appliance 200 is installed. The second regional information is information about the second region where the second home appliance 300 is installed. The information generation unit 120 uses the first language information, second language information, first regional information, and second regional information to generate and output usage information regarding how to use the first home appliance 200. Specifically, when the information generation unit 120 generates usage information expressed in the second language, it generates usage information that includes content based on the differences between the characteristics of the first region and the characteristics of the second region. The characteristics of the first region are characteristics related to the climate, customs, and / or common sense of the first region, and are characteristics that are involved in the operation of the home appliance. The same applies to the characteristics of the second region.

[0102] For example, if the first home appliance 200b, which is a washing machine, is installed in Japan, where user U is staying, then information such as whether the water used for daily life in Japan is soft water will be acquired by the information acquisition unit 110 as first-region information. In other words, information about the environment of the first region where the first home appliance 200 is installed (water quality of daily life water (soft water or hard water, etc.), or climate classification (tropical, temperate or polar, etc.)) will be identified as a characteristic of the first region. Other examples of first-region characteristics identified from first-region information include prerequisite knowledge for the operation of home appliances of the same type as the first home appliance 200b in the first region, or information related to the operation of the home appliance that is generally considered to be common knowledge. For example, if the first region is China, then "1000W," which is the standard output of microwave ovens in China, may be identified as a characteristic of the first region.

[0103] For example, the first home appliance 200b installed in Japan, where user U is staying, transmits first regional information, including "soft water" which indicates the water quality of Japan's drinking water, to the notification system 100. For example, the first communication unit 210 of the first home appliance 200b reads the first regional information stored in the first storage unit 250 and transmits it to the notification system 100 (see Figure 8). This allows the notification system 100 to identify "soft water" as a characteristic of the first region identified from the first regional information. Alternatively, for example, the first home appliance 200b transmits first regional information including regional identification information to the notification system 100. Regional identification information is information such as the country name "Japan" or identification information that identifies Japan (country code, etc.). The notification system 100 can identify "soft water," one of the characteristics of Japan, the first region, by using the regional identification information shown in the first regional information and, for example, the regional characteristic information 800 stored in the storage unit 150. In this embodiment, the information generation unit 120 identifies the characteristics of the first region.

[0104] In other words, the notification system 100 acquires first-region information that includes the characteristics of the first region itself, or acquires regional identification information that identifies the first region. In either case, the notification system 100 can identify the characteristics of the first region. When the first home appliance 200a transmits first-region information that includes information indicating the characteristics of the first region to the notification system 100, the first home appliance 200a may acquire the information indicating those characteristics from an external device that can communicate with the first home appliance 200a.

[0105] The matters concerning the first regional information described above also apply to the second regional information. That is, in this embodiment, for example, if the second regional area where user U's home is located is France, the second household appliance 300b, which is a washing machine, transmits the second regional information, including "hard water," which indicates the water quality of domestic water in France, to the notification system 100. Alternatively, the second household appliance 300b transmits the second regional information, including regional identification information that identifies "France," to the notification system 100. This allows the notification system 100 to identify "hard water," which is one of the characteristics of France, the second regional area.

[0106] In addition to determining whether the first and second languages ​​are the same as described in Embodiment 1, the determination unit 121 of the information generation unit 120 determines whether the features shown in the first regional information and the features shown in the second regional information are the same. The usage information generation unit 122 of the information generation unit 120 generates usage information based on the determination result of the determination unit 121. Note that the determination of whether the features shown in the first regional information and the features shown in the second regional information are the same may be performed by the usage information generation unit 122.

[0107] In the notification system 100 according to this embodiment configured as described above, for example, the information shown in Figure 9 is stored in the storage unit 150. As shown in Figure 9, the storage unit 150 stores first home appliance information 601, second home appliance information 602, user equipment information 610, and regional characteristic information 800. In this embodiment, the first home appliance information 601 includes, as information items, "equipment ID," "type," "setting language," and "function" for the first home appliance 200b, which is a washing machine. In this embodiment, the first home appliance information 601 also includes, as an information item, "region ID," which is first regional information. The "region ID" is regional identification information that identifies the region in which the first home appliance 200b is installed. In Figure 9, "Japan," which indicates the country name of the first region, is included in the first home appliance information 601 as regional identification information. In this embodiment, the regional characteristic information 800 stored in the storage unit 150 includes, for example, information indicating the characteristics of each region (for example, each country).

[0108] The determination unit 121 of the information generation unit 120 determines whether the characteristics of the first region identified by the first regional information and the characteristics of the second region identified by the second regional information are the same. Specifically, the determination unit 121 can identify the characteristics of the first region (e.g., "soft water") by obtaining the first regional information (e.g., regional identification information "Japan") from the first home appliance information 601 and using the regional characteristic information 800. Similarly, the determination unit 121 can identify the characteristics of the second region (e.g., "hard water") by using the second home appliance information 602 and the regional characteristic information 800.

[0109] The usage information generation unit 122 generates usage information to notify user U if the determination result by the determination unit 121 indicates that the first language and the second language are different, and that the characteristics of the first region and the characteristics of the second region are different. This usage information is based on the differences in these characteristics and is expressed in the second language. The generated usage information is stored in the storage unit 150. For example, as shown in Figure 9, if the second language is French, usage information 710 expressed in French is stored in the storage unit 150. The transmission unit 115 of the communication unit 101 of the notification system 100 obtains the usage information expressed in the second language from the usage information generation unit 122 or the storage unit 150 and transmits it to, for example, a terminal device 400. As a result, the usage information 710 expressed in the second language is notified to user U.

[0110] As mentioned above, the first home appliance 200 may transmit first regional information, which indicates the characteristics of the first region, to the notification system 100, rather than regional identification information. In this case, the first home appliance information 601 includes characteristic information (for example, "soft water") that indicates the characteristics of the first region as first regional information. Therefore, the information generation unit 120 of the notification system 100 can directly identify the characteristics of the first region from the first regional information contained in the first home appliance information 601.

[0111] [2-2. Operation of the Notification System] Next, an example of the operation of the notification system 100 according to Embodiment 2 will be described using Figure 10. As shown in Figure 10, in addition to the operations shown in Figure 6, the notification system 100 according to this embodiment performs the acquisition of first regional information (S200), acquisition of second regional information (S201), and determination of the sameness or non-sameness of the first regional features and the second regional features (S202). The "first regional features" are the features of the first region identified by the first regional information, and the "second regional features" are the features of the second region identified by the second regional information. Below, an example of the operation of the notification system when the first home appliance information 601 and the second home appliance information 602 shown in Figure 9 are stored in the storage unit 150 will be described.

[0112] As shown in Figure 10, the notification system 100 acquires first function information (S100), first language information (S101), and second language information (S102). The notification system 100 further acquires first region information (S200) and second region information (S201). In this embodiment, the information acquisition unit 110 of the notification system 100 acquires first home appliance information 601, including first function information, first language information, and first region information, from the first home appliance 200b, which is a washing machine, and stores it in the storage unit 150 (see Figure 9). The information acquisition unit 110 acquires second home appliance information 602, including second function information, second language information, and second region information, from the second home appliance 300b, which is a washing machine, and stores it in the storage unit 150 (see Figure 9).

[0113] When user U uses the first home appliance 200b installed in the hotel where they are staying, they launch the settings application installed on user U's terminal device 400. As a result, the terminal device 400 starts communicating with the notification system 100. Consequently, in the notification system 100 according to this embodiment, the user device information 610 shown in Figure 9 is stored in the storage unit 150, just as in the notification system 100 according to Embodiment 1. The first home appliance 200b and the second home appliance 300b, which are the subject of the sameness / non-sameness determination (S103) between the first and second languages, are identified, for example, by the information generation unit 120.

[0114] The determination unit 121 of the information generation unit 120 determines whether the first language and the second language are the same (S103). In this embodiment, the determination unit 121 determines that the first language and the second language are different (No in S103). In this case, the determination unit 121 obtains the first regional information from the first home appliance information 601 corresponding to the first home appliance 200b, which is stored in the storage unit 150. If the determination unit 121 determines that the first language and the second language are the same (Yes in S103), the operation of the notification system 100 ends.

[0115] If the first language and the second language are different, the determination unit 121, in this embodiment, obtains second regional information from the second home appliance information 602 corresponding to the second home appliance 300b, which is stored in the storage unit 150. In this embodiment, as described above, the determination unit 121 obtains regional identification information "Japan" as the first regional information and regional identification information "France" as the second regional information. The determination unit 121 uses the obtained first and second regional information and regional feature information 800 to identify the first regional feature, "soft water," and the second regional feature, "hard water." The determination unit 121 further determines whether the identified first regional feature and second regional feature are the same (S202). In this embodiment, the determination unit 121 determines that the first regional feature and the second regional feature are different (No in S202). The usage information generation unit 122 of the information generation unit 120 generates and outputs usage information to be notified to the user U (S104). In this embodiment, usage information is generated that indicates content based on the difference between the first regional feature and the second regional feature, and is expressed in a second language. Specifically, for example, usage information is generated that expresses in French a notification such as, "Since you will be washing with soft water, you can remove dirt even with cold water." The storage unit 150 stores a template (not shown) in a predetermined language that describes how to use two washing machines being compared when the water quality used by those machines is different. The usage information generation unit 122 can generate usage information 710 (see Figure 9) expressed in French by converting the template into usage information expressed in French using machine translation or the like, or by obtaining the template expressed in French from the storage unit 150.

[0116] If the determination unit 121 determines that the first regional feature and the second regional feature are the same (Yes in S202), the operation of the notification system 100 ends. Alternatively, if the determination unit 121 determines that the first regional feature and the second regional feature are the same (Yes in S202), the usage information generation unit 122 may generate and output usage information indicating that the first regional feature and the second regional feature are the same.

[0117] Furthermore, the information generation unit 120 in this embodiment can generate usage information that includes not only content based on the difference between the first regional features and the second regional features described above, but also content based on the first function information as described in Embodiment 1. For example, suppose the first home appliance information 601 includes multiple operating modes of the first home appliance 200b as first function information (information item "function"), and among the multiple operating modes, there is a "thorough mode" which has a strong water flow and many rinses. In this case, the usage information generation unit 122 of the information generation unit 120 may generate usage information that expresses in French the content, for example, "Since it washes with soft water, dirt can be removed even with cold water. If you are concerned about dirt, please use the thorough mode." The information generation unit 120 may also generate and output usage information that includes content based on the difference between the first regional features and the second regional features, and usage information that includes content based on the first function information, separately.

[0118] The usage information 710 generated and output by the information generation unit 120 is transmitted from the transmission unit 115 to the terminal device 400. The transmitted usage information 710 is received by the terminal communication unit 410 of the terminal device 400. In this case, an image based on the usage information 710 acquired by the terminal communication unit 410 of the terminal device 400, including a notification text written in French, is displayed on the display panel 401 of the display unit 480 of the terminal device 400. In other words, the display unit 480 can present the usage information 710 expressed in French to the user U, that is, notify the user U of the usage information 710. In addition to displaying the notification text, or instead, the display unit 480 may output French audio indicating the content of the usage information 710 from a speaker device (not shown) of the display unit 480.

[0119] The usage information output from the information generation unit 120 may be received by the first home appliance 200b in addition to, or instead of, the terminal device 400. For example, if the first home appliance 200b receives usage information 710 expressed in French, the first home appliance 200b may output audio in French from the speaker device installed in the first home appliance 200b. Even in this case, the usage information 710 expressed in French, the second language, can be notified to the user U. The first home appliance 200b may also receive the usage information 710 from the notification system 100 by communicating with the notification system 100, or it may receive the usage information 710 received by the terminal device 400 from the terminal device 400.

[0120] In the above, usage information based on the difference in water quality between the first and second regions was given as an example of usage information generated based on the difference between the characteristics of the first and second regions. However, there are no particular limitations on the content of the usage information that the notification system 100 according to this embodiment transmits to the terminal device 400. The information generation unit 120 may generate usage information that includes, for example, content based on differences in humidity, temperature, atmospheric pressure, frequency of power outages, or degree of air pollution between the first and second regions.

[0121] In this embodiment, the operation of the notification system 100, etc., when user U uses the first home appliance 200b, which is a washing machine, has been described, but there are no particular limitations on the type of first home appliance 200 associated with the usage information notified to user U.

[0122] The order in which the notification system 100 according to this embodiment performs operations such as acquiring first language information and acquiring second language information is not limited to the order shown in Figure 10. For example, the notification system 100 according to this embodiment may perform a determination of whether the first regional feature and the second regional feature are the same or the same (S202) before determining whether the first language and the second language are the same or the same (S103). Even in this case, the notification system 100 can notify the user U of usage information that includes content based on the differences between the first regional feature and the second regional feature, and is expressed in the second language.

[0123] [2-3. Effects, etc.] As described above, the notification system 100 according to this embodiment has the following technical features in addition to the technical features of Embodiment 1 described above.

[0124] In the notification system 100 according to this embodiment, the information acquisition unit 110 acquires first-region information relating to the first region where the first home appliance 200 is installed, and second-region information relating to the second region where the second home appliance 300 is installed. When the information generation unit 120 generates usage information, it generates usage information that includes content based on the difference between the characteristics of the first region identified by the first-region information and the characteristics of the second region identified by the second-region information.

[0125] According to this configuration, the usage includes content that takes into account the differences between the characteristics of the first region and the characteristics of the second region. information In this system, usage information expressed in a second language is notified to user U. For example, user U can check the usage information expressed in a second language using a terminal device 400, such as a mobile terminal. Therefore, user U can use the first home appliance 200 efficiently. That is, the first home appliance 200 used by user U can operate efficiently. More specifically, for example, even if there are differences between the characteristics of the second region, where the user resides, and the characteristics of the first region, which includes the place of stay, usage information can be notified to user U that will cause the first home appliance 200 to operate in a way that bridges these differences. In other words, user U can use the first home appliance 200 at their place of stay in accordance with their intentions, thus reducing the possibility of using the first home appliance 200 in an incorrect manner, for example.

[0126] For example, as in this embodiment, if user U is staying in Japan from their home in France, user U can efficiently use the first home appliance 200b at their destination. Specifically, in France, it is customary to raise the water temperature for washing because hard water is used, which makes it difficult to remove dirt, whereas in Japan, soft water is used for washing, so it is possible to efficiently remove dirt even without hot water. In such a situation, the notification system 100 according to this embodiment can notify user U in French about usage information based on the difference in water quality used for washing in France and Japan (i.e., differences in characteristics between regions). As a result, user U can do laundry in Japan, where they are staying, in the same way as they do at home. Furthermore, since clothes tend to be easily damaged when washed with hot water, the information in this embodiment that it is not necessary to raise the water temperature is even more beneficial to user U.

[0127] Furthermore, the terminal device 400 that communicates with the notification system according to this embodiment has a configuration common to the terminal device 400 according to Embodiment 1, and can perform operations common to the terminal device 400 according to Embodiment 1. According to the terminal device 400 according to this embodiment, at least the same effects as the terminal device 400 according to Embodiment 1 are achieved.

[0128] (Embodiment 3) The notification system 100 according to Embodiment 3 will be described below, primarily with reference to Figures 11 to 13. Figure 11 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the notification system 100 according to Embodiment 3. Figure 12 is a diagram showing an example of information stored in the storage unit 150 of the notification system 100 according to Embodiment 3. Figure 13 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the notification system 100 according to Embodiment 3.

[0129] The overall configuration of the home appliance setting system 1, including the notification system 100 according to this embodiment, is the same as that of Embodiment 1 (see Figures 1 and 2), so its description will be omitted. The basic configurations of the first home appliance 200 and the second home appliance 300 are also the same as those of Embodiment 1 (see Figure 2). In addition, since this embodiment has many similarities with Embodiment 1, we will focus on explaining the differences from Embodiment 1. One difference between this embodiment and Embodiment 1 described above is that, in generating usage information, it uses not only whether the languages ​​set on the first home appliance 200 and the second home appliance 300 are the same, but also the operation history of the second home appliance 300.

[0130] [3-1. Notification System Configuration] As shown in Figure 11, the notification system 100 according to this embodiment comprises a communication unit 101, an information generation unit 120, and a storage unit 150. The communication unit 101 includes an information acquisition unit 110 and a transmission unit 115 that transmits usage information output from the information generation unit 120. The information generation unit 120 includes a determination unit 121 and a usage information generation unit 122 that generates usage information according to the determination result of the determination unit 121. These configurations are common to the notification system 100 according to Embodiment 1.

[0131] In this embodiment, the information acquisition unit 110 acquires information such as first language information indicating the first language set in the first home appliance 200, as well as operation history information 900. The operation history information 900 is information indicating the operation history of the second home appliance 300. The operation history information 900 includes information indicating what kind of operation the second home appliance 300 performed. Specifically, the operation history information 900 includes, for example, information that identifies the operation mode performed by the second home appliance 300 (e.g., mode name) and the content of the operation mode. For example, the second home appliance 300 stores the operation history information 900 containing the above content in the second storage unit 350. The operation history information 900 may also be stored in an external device that can communicate with the second home appliance 300.

[0132] The information generation unit 120 generates and outputs usage information regarding the usage of the first home appliance 200 using the first language information, second language information, first function information, second function information, and operation history information 900. Specifically, when generating usage information expressed in the second language, the information generation unit 120 identifies a predetermined operation included in the operation history information 900 and determines the operation of the first home appliance corresponding to that predetermined operation using the first function information. The information generation unit 120 generates usage information that includes content for causing the first home appliance 200 to perform the determined operation.

[0133] Specifically, the determination unit 121 of the information generation unit 120 determines, in addition to determining whether the first language and the second language are the same or not as described in Embodiment 1, whether the functions of the first home appliance 200a include an operating mode corresponding to a predetermined operation identified from the operation history information 900. The operation history information 900 includes a plurality of operating modes recorded as a history of operations performed by the second home appliance 300a, and the determination unit 121 identifies an operating mode that satisfies predetermined conditions as a predetermined operation from these plurality of operating modes. The usage information generation unit 122 of the information generation unit 120 determines the operation of the first home appliance 200a corresponding to the predetermined operation identified by the determination unit 121, using the first function information and the second function information. The usage information generation unit 122 generates and outputs usage information that includes content for causing the first home appliance 200a to perform the determined operation. Note that the process of identifying a predetermined operation from the operation history information 900 may also be performed by the usage information generation unit 122.

[0134] In the notification system 100 according to this embodiment configured as described above, for example, the information shown in Figure 12 is stored in the storage unit 150. As shown in Figure 12, the storage unit 150 stores first home appliance information 601, second home appliance information 602, user device information 610, and operation history information 900. In this embodiment, the first home appliance information 601 includes, as information items, the "device ID," "type," "setting language," and "function" for the first home appliance 200a, which is a microwave oven. The "function" in the first function information includes the mode number, name, and content of the operation mode (output power and setting time) of the operation mode that the first home appliance 200a can perform. The second home appliance information 602 includes, as information items, the "device ID," "type," "setting language," and "function" for the second home appliance 300a, which is a microwave oven. The "function" in the second function information includes the mode number, name, and content of the operation mode (output power and setting time) of the operation mode that the second home appliance 300a can perform.

[0135] Furthermore, if the home appliance corresponding to the first home appliance information 601 and the second home appliance information 602 is a washing machine, the first function information and the second function information include information such as the amount of water used for washing. In this case, for example, the second function information is information about the various functions of the second home appliance 300b that can be performed when user U uses the second home appliance 300b. The second function information may include, for example, the amount of water and the number of rinses that can be selected when washing clothes placed in the washing tub. The second function information may also include information indicating various operating modes that can be performed by the washing machine, such as an automatic mode for washing clothes thoroughly and a home cleaning mode for carefully washing delicate clothes with plenty of water.

[0136] The operation history information 900 contains the operation history of the second home appliance 300a located in user U's home. Specifically, the operation history information 900 includes, as information items, the number and name of the operation mode executed by the second home appliance 300a, known as "mode number" and "mode name," and the time (date and time) during which the operation mode was executed, known as "execution time." However, it is not mandatory for the operation history information 900 to record all three of the above information items. The operation history information 900 may include, for example, only one of "mode number" and "mode name." Even in this case, the information generation unit 120 can, for example, identify the content of the most frequently used operation mode by referring to the operation history information 900 and the second function information ("function") of the second home appliance information 602. The operation history information 900 may also include other information not shown in Figure 12. For example, the end time or measurement time of the used operation mode may be included in the operation history information 900.

[0137] The determination unit 121 of the information generation unit 120 identifies, for example, the operating mode with the most frequent usage among multiple operating modes as a predetermined operation. The determination unit 121 further determines whether the predetermined operation is included as an operating mode in the first function information contained in the first home appliance information 601. The determination unit 121 transmits the determination result to the usage information generation unit 122.

[0138] If the determination result by the determination unit 121 indicates, for example, that the first language and the second language are different, and that the first function information does not include the predetermined operation, the usage information generation unit 122 generates usage information indicating how to use the first home appliance 200 such that the result of the first home appliance 200a operating is the same as the result of the second home appliance 300a performing the predetermined operation. The first function information contained in the first home appliance information 601 and the second function information contained in the second home appliance information 602 are used to generate this usage information.

[0139] In other words, if the predetermined operation is, for example, "omelet mode," the usage information generation unit 122 generates usage information to reproduce the result of the second home appliance 300a at home performing "omelet mode" on the first home appliance 200a at the destination. The generated usage information is stored in the storage unit 150. For example, as shown in Figure 12, if the second language is French, the usage information 720 expressed in French is stored in the storage unit 150. The transmission unit 115 of the communication unit 101 of the notification system 100 obtains the usage information expressed in the second language from the usage information generation unit 122 or the storage unit 150 and transmits it to, for example, the terminal device 400. As a result, the usage information 720 expressed in the second language is notified to the user U.

[0140] [3-2. Operation of the notification system] Next, using Figure 13, the embodiment 3 An example of the operation of the notification system 100 is described below. As shown in Figure 13, in addition to the operation shown in Figure 6, the notification system 100 according to this embodiment also performs the acquisition of second function information (S300) and the acquisition of operation history information 900 (S301). Below, an example of the operation of the notification system when the first home appliance information 601 and the second home appliance information 602 shown in Figure 12 are stored in the storage unit 150 will be described.

[0141] As shown in Figure 13, the notification system 100 acquires first function information (S100), second function information (S300), first language information (S101), and second language information (S102). The notification system 100 further acquires operation history information 900 (S301). In this embodiment, the information acquisition unit 110 of the notification system 100 acquires first function information, first language information, and first home appliance information 601 including the first function information from the first home appliance 200a, which is a microwave oven, and stores it in the storage unit 150 (see Figure 12). The information acquisition unit 110 acquires second function information, second language information, and second home appliance information 602 including the second function information from the second home appliance 300a, which is a microwave oven, and stores it in the storage unit 150 (see Figure 12). The information acquisition unit 110 further acquires operation history information 900 from the second home appliance 300a, which shows the operation history of the second home appliance 300a, and stores it in the storage unit 150 (see Figure 12).

[0142] When user U uses the first home appliance 200a installed in the hotel where they are staying, they launch the settings application installed on user U's terminal device 400. As a result, the terminal device 400 starts communicating with the notification system 100. Consequently, in the notification system 100 according to this embodiment, the user device information 610 shown in Figure 12 is stored in the storage unit 150, just as in the notification system 100 according to Embodiment 1. The first home appliance 200b and the second home appliance 300b that are the subject of the sameness / non-sameness determination (S103) between the first and second languages ​​are identified, for example, by the information generation unit 120.

[0143] The determination unit 121 of the information generation unit 120 determines whether the first language and the second language are the same (S103). In this embodiment, the determination unit 121 determines that the first language and the second language are different (No in S103). The usage information generation unit 122 of the information generation unit 120 generates and outputs usage information to be notified to user U (S104). If the determination unit 121 determines that the first language and the second language are the same (Yes in S103), the operation of the notification system 100 ends.

[0144] More specifically, in this embodiment, if the determination unit 121 determines that the first language and the second language are different, it identifies a predetermined operation from the operation history information 900 (S310). The determination unit 121 identifies, for example, the "omelet mode" which is used most frequently, as the predetermined operation. If the first function information of the first home appliance information 601 contains an operation mode corresponding to "omelet mode", the usage information generation unit 122 determines that operation mode as the operation of the first home appliance 200a corresponding to "omelet mode" (S311). In this case, the usage information generation unit 122 generates usage information that includes the mode number of the operation mode and is expressed in the second language. The usage information generation unit 122 generates usage information that indicates the number of the operation mode corresponding to "omelet mode", for example (S312).

[0145] If the first function information of the first home appliance information 601 does not include an operating mode corresponding to "omelet mode," the usage information generation unit 122 refers to the second function information ("function") of the second home appliance information 602 and determines that "600W, 120sec," which is the content of "omelet mode," is the operation of the first home appliance 200a corresponding to "omelet mode" (S311). In this case, the usage information generation unit 122 generates usage information 720 (see Figure 12) which expresses in French the notification content, for example, "If you want to use omelet mode, we recommend setting the output to 600W and the setting time to 120sec." (S312).

[0146] The usage information 720 generated and output by the information generation unit 120 is transmitted from the transmission unit 115 to the terminal device 400. The transmitted usage information 720 is received by the terminal communication unit 410 of the terminal device 400. In this case, an image based on the usage information 720 acquired by the terminal communication unit 410 of the terminal device 400 is displayed on the display panel 401 of the display unit 480 of the terminal device 400. The image includes a notification text written in French. In other words, the display unit 480 can present the usage information 720 expressed in French to the user U, that is, notify the user U of the usage information 720. In addition to displaying the notification text, or instead, the display unit 480 may output French audio indicating the content of the usage information 720 from a speaker device (not shown) of the display unit 480.

[0147] The usage information output from the information generation unit 120 may be received by the first home appliance 200a in addition to, or instead of, the terminal device 400. For example, if the first home appliance 200a receives usage information 720 expressed in French, the first home appliance 200a may output audio in French from the speaker device installed in the first home appliance 200a. Even in this case, the usage information 720 expressed in French, the second language, can be notified to the user U. The first home appliance 200a may also receive the usage information 720 from the notification system 100 through communication with the notification system 100, or it may receive the usage information 720 received by the terminal device 400 from the terminal device 400.

[0148] In this embodiment, the operation of the notification system 100, etc., when user U uses the first home appliance 200a, which is a microwave oven, has been described, but there are no particular limitations on the type of first home appliance 200 associated with the usage information notified to user U.

[0149] The sequence of operations performed by the notification system 100 according to this embodiment, such as acquiring first language information and acquiring second language information, is shown in Figure 1. 3The order is not limited to that shown. For example, the notification system 100 according to this embodiment may acquire operation history information (S301) before acquiring first language information (S101) and second language information (S102). The notification system 100 according to this embodiment may, for example, acquire operation history information (S301) after determining whether the first language is the same as the second language (S103) and before generating and outputting usage information (S104). In other words, if the first language and the second language are different (S103), for example, the information acquisition unit 110 of the notification system 100 may acquire operation history information 900 by requesting the second home appliance 300a to transmit operation history information. That is, when the notification system 100 performs operations such as determining whether the first language is the same as the second language (S103) and generating and outputting usage information (S104), it is sufficient that it has acquired the various information necessary for those operations at that time. As a result, the notification system 100 according to this embodiment can notify the user U of usage information regarding the usage of the first home appliance 200a, which takes into account the operation history information 900 of the second home appliance 300a, and which is expressed in a second language.

[0150] [3-3. Effects, etc.] As described above, the notification system 100 according to this embodiment has the following technical features in addition to the technical features of Embodiment 1 described above.

[0151] In the notification system 100 according to this embodiment, the information acquisition unit 110 acquires second function information relating to the functions of the second home appliance 300, and operation history information 900 showing the operation history of the second home appliance 300. When generating usage information, the information generation unit 120 identifies the operations included in the operation history information 900. The information generation unit 120 determines the operation of the first home appliance 200 corresponding to the identified operation using the first function information. The information generation unit 120 generates usage information that includes content for causing the first home appliance 200 to perform the determined operation.

[0152] With this configuration, when user U uses the first home appliance 200 at a location different from user U's place of residence, for example, user U can be notified via a terminal device 400 or the like how to reproduce the functions of the second home appliance 300 that user U frequently used at home using the first home appliance 200.

[0153] More specifically, according to the notification system 100 of this embodiment, usage information is generated that takes into account the operation history information 900 of the second home appliance 300 at user U's home. For example, usage information expressed in a second language is notified to user U, which is used to reproduce the operation mode that was frequently used on the second home appliance 300 at home on the first home appliance 200 at the place of stay. As a result, user U can use the first home appliance 200 at the place of stay in the same way as the second home appliance 300 at home. In other words, the first home appliance 200 used by user U can operate more efficiently.

[0154] Furthermore, the above-mentioned technical features of the notification system 100 according to this embodiment may also be present in the notification system 100 according to the second embodiment described above. In other words, the notification system 100 can generate usage information that includes content based on the differences between the characteristics of the first region and the characteristics of the second region, and can also generate usage information that takes into account the operation history information 900 of the second home appliance 300.

[0155] [4. Others] As described above, Embodiments 1 to 3 have been explained as examples of the technology disclosed in this application. However, the technology in this disclosure is not limited thereto and can be applied to embodiments that have been modified, replaced, added, or omitted. It is also possible to create new embodiments by combining the components described in Embodiments 1 to 3 above.

[0156] In each of the embodiments described above, each component may be implemented by dedicated hardware or by executing a software program suitable for each component. Each component may also be implemented by a program execution unit such as a CPU or processor reading and executing a software program recorded on a recording medium such as a hard disk or semiconductor memory. Here, the software that implements the home appliance, terminal, server, etc. in the embodiments described above is a program that causes a computer to execute each step included in the flowchart shown in the figure.

[0157] The following cases are also included in this disclosure:

[0158] Each of the above-mentioned devices is specifically a computer system consisting of a microprocessor, ROM, RAM, hard disk unit, display unit, keyboard, mouse, etc. The RAM or hard disk unit stores a computer program. The microprocessor operates according to the computer program, thereby enabling each device to perform its function. Here, the computer program is composed of a combination of multiple instruction codes that indicate commands to the computer in order to achieve a predetermined function.

[0159] Some or all of the components constituting each of the above-described devices may be made up of a single system LSI (Large Scale Integration). The system LSI is a highly functional LSI manufactured by integrating multiple components onto a single chip, and specifically, it is a computer system comprising a microprocessor, ROM, RAM, etc. The RAM stores a computer program. The system LSI achieves its function by operating the microprocessor in accordance with the computer program.

[0160] Some or all of the components constituting each of the above devices may consist of a removable IC card or a standalone module. The IC card or module is a computer system consisting of a microprocessor, ROM, RAM, etc. The IC card or module may include the above-mentioned multi-functional LSI. The microprocessor operates according to a computer program, thereby enabling the IC card or module to achieve its function. The IC card or module may be tamper-resistant.

[0161] This disclosure may be the method described above. Alternatively, it may be a computer program that implements these methods using a computer, or it may be a digital signal consisting of the computer program.

[0162] Furthermore, this disclosure may also refer to the computer program or the digital signal recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, such as a flexible disk, hard disk, CD-ROM, MO, DVD, DVD-ROM, DVD-RAM, BD (Blu-ray® Disc), semiconductor memory, etc. Alternatively, it may refer to the digital signal recorded on such a recording medium.

[0163] Furthermore, since the embodiments described above are for illustrative purposes only, various modifications, substitutions, additions, and omissions can be made within the claims or their equivalents. In addition, the present invention also includes any combination of two or more claims from the claims described in the claims of this application, provided that they are not technically contradictory. [Industrial applicability]

[0164] This disclosure is applicable to a notification system that outputs information on how to use one of two home appliances installed in different locations, in the language set on the other home appliance. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0165] 1. Home Appliance Setting System 100 Notification System 101 Communications Department 110 Information Acquisition Department 115 Transmitter 120 Information generation section 121 Judgment section 122 Usage information generation section 150 Storage section 200, 200a, 200b Daiichi Home Appliances 210 First Communications Department 250 First memory section 291 Audio 300, 300a, 300b Second home appliances 310 Second Communications Department 350 Second memory section 400 terminal devices 401 Display Panel 410 Terminal Communications Unit 460 Identification Information Acquisition Unit 480 Presentation section 491 Notice 500 Networks 601 Daiichi Home Appliance Information 602 Secondary home appliance information 610 User device information 700, 710, 720 usage information 800 Regional Characteristics Information 900 Operation History Information U User

Claims

1. A notification system for informing users of information regarding the use of first-generation home appliances, An information acquisition unit that acquires first language information relating to the first language set in the first home appliance, and second language information relating to the second language set in a second home appliance different from the first home appliance, The system includes an information generation unit that generates and outputs usage information regarding the usage of the first home appliance based on the first language information and the second language information, The information generation unit generates the usage information expressed in the second language if the first language shown in the first language information and the second language shown in the second language information are different. The information acquisition unit further acquires first function information relating to the functions of the first home appliance, second function information relating to the functions of the second home appliance, and operation history information showing the history of operations using the functions of the second home appliance. When generating the usage information, the information generation unit identifies a predetermined operation included in the operation history information, determines the operation of the first home appliance corresponding to the predetermined operation using the first function information and the second function information, and generates the usage information which includes content for causing the first home appliance to perform the determined operation, and which is expressed in the second language. Notification system.

2. A notification system for notifying a user of information regarding the use of a first home appliance, An information acquisition unit that acquires first language information relating to the first language set in the first home appliance, and second language information relating to the second language set in a second home appliance different from the first home appliance, The system includes an information generation unit that generates and outputs usage information regarding the usage of the first home appliance based on the first language information and the second language information, The information generation unit generates the usage information expressed in the second language if the first language shown in the first language information and the second language shown in the second language information are different. The information acquisition unit further acquires first regional information relating to the first region where the first home appliance is installed, and second regional information relating to the second region where the second home appliance is installed. When generating the usage information, the information generation unit generates the usage information which includes content based on the difference between the characteristics of the first region identified by the first region information and the characteristics of the second region identified by the second region information. Notification system.

3. Furthermore, it is equipped with a memory unit, The aforementioned storage unit includes: First identification information for identifying the first home appliance, and first home appliance information including information relating to the first home appliance, Second identification information for identifying the second home appliance, and second home appliance information including information relating to the second home appliance, User identification information that identifies the user, and user device information that includes information identifying the second home appliance information associated with the user identification information are stored. The aforementioned first home appliance information includes the aforementioned first language information, The aforementioned second home appliance information includes the aforementioned second language information, The information acquisition unit further acquires the first identification information and the user identification information from outside the notification system. When the information acquisition unit acquires the first identification information and the user identification information, the information generation unit refers to the storage unit, The first language information is obtained from the first home appliance information associated with the first identification information. The second language information is obtained from the second home appliance information associated with the user identification information. Based on the acquired first language information and the second language information, the usage information is generated and output. The notification system according to claim 1 or 2.

4. A terminal device that communicates with the notification system described in claim 1, A terminal communication unit that acquires the usage information output from the notification system, which is generated and output after the notification system and the terminal device have started communicating; The terminal includes a display unit that presents the usage information acquired by the terminal communication unit to the user, The terminal communication unit transmits the first function information to the notification system, and acquires the usage information generated and output by the notification system using the first function information. A terminal device equipped with the following features.

5. A terminal device that communicates with the notification system described in claim 2, A terminal communication unit that acquires the usage information output from the notification system, which is generated and output after the notification system and the terminal device have started communicating; The terminal includes a display unit that presents the usage information acquired by the terminal communication unit to the user, The terminal communication unit transmits the first regional information to the notification system, and acquires the usage information generated and output by the notification system using the first regional information. A terminal device equipped with the following features.

6. Furthermore, it includes an identification information acquisition unit that acquires first identification information for identifying the first home appliance, The terminal communication unit transmits the first identification information acquired by the identification information acquisition unit to the notification system, and acquires the usage information generated and output by the notification system after it receives the first identification information. The terminal device according to claim 4 or 5.

7. A notification method for informing a user of information regarding the use of a first-generation home appliance, The system acquires first language information relating to the first language set in the first home appliance, and second language information relating to the second language set in a second home appliance different from the first home appliance. If the first language shown in the first language information and the second language shown in the second language information are different, usage information regarding the usage of the first home appliance, expressed in the second language, is generated based on the first language information and the second language information. Output the generated usage information, Furthermore, the system acquires first function information relating to the functions of the first home appliance, second function information relating to the functions of the second home appliance, and operation history information showing the history of operations using the functions of the second home appliance. When generating the aforementioned usage information, a predetermined operation included in the operation history information is identified, the operation of the first home appliance corresponding to the predetermined operation is determined using the first function information and the second function information, and the usage information is generated which includes content for causing the first home appliance to perform the determined operation, and which is expressed in the second language. Notification method.

8. A notification method for informing a user of information regarding the use of a first-generation home appliance, The system acquires first language information relating to the first language set in the first home appliance, and second language information relating to the second language set in a second home appliance different from the first home appliance. If the first language shown in the first language information and the second language shown in the second language information are different, usage information regarding the usage of the first home appliance, expressed in the second language, is generated based on the first language information and the second language information. Output the generated usage information, Furthermore, the first regional information relating to the first region where the first home appliance is installed, and the second regional information relating to the second region where the second home appliance is installed are acquired. When generating the aforementioned usage information, the usage information is generated to include content based on the difference between the characteristics of the first region identified by the first regional information and the characteristics of the second region identified by the second regional information. Notification method.

9. One or more processors are made to execute the notification method described in claim 7 or 8. program.

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