Sensing system and sensing method

Abstract

This sensing system comprises: a detection data storage unit that stores detection data detected by a household electrical appliance installed in a building to be sensed, a detection time for the detection data, and appliance identification information for identifying the household electrical appliance, the storing being done such that the detection data, the detection time, and the appliance identification information are associated with each other; a determination standard storage unit that stores a determination standard for determining whether a person is present in the building in accordance with the detection data; and a determination processing unit that, if predetermined specific communication has been received, determines whether a person is present in the building on the basis of the determination standard stored by the determination standard storage unit and the detection data that is stored by the detection data storage unit and pertains to a determination period based on a reception time at which the specific communication was received.

Description

Detection system and detection method

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a detection system and a detection method.

[0002] In recent years, a system has become known that outputs information on evacuation shelters and the number of households at home in each region based on the results of power consumption measurements taken by meters installed in buildings, the location information of the meters, and household population information for each region (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 to 3).

[0003] JP 2021-157635 A JP 2021-179692 A JP 2018-190122 A

[0004] However, in the above-mentioned conventional technology, the at-home rate is calculated based on, for example, the amounts of electricity, water, and gas used, and the accuracy of the at-home rate calculation could be affected by differences in the consumption amounts of the equipment installed in the building.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made to solve the above problem, and its purpose is to provide a detection system and a detection method that can accurately detect the presence or absence of a person in a building.

[0006] In order to solve the above problem, one aspect of the present disclosure is a detection system that includes a detection data storage unit that stores detection data detected by an electrical appliance installed in a building to be detected, the detection time of the detection data, and device identification information that identifies the electrical appliance, in association with each other; a judgment criterion storage unit that stores judgment criteria for determining whether or not a person is present in the building based on the detection data; and a judgment processing unit that, when a predetermined specific communication is received, determines whether or not a person is present in the building based on the detection data stored in the detection data storage unit, the detection data for a judgment period based on the reception time of the specific communication, and the judgment criteria stored in the judgment criterion storage unit.

[0007] Furthermore, one aspect of the present disclosure is a detection method for a detection system including: a detection data storage unit that stores detection data detected by an electrical appliance installed in a building to be detected, the detection time of the detection data, and device identification information that identifies the electrical appliance, in association with each other; and a judgment criterion storage unit that stores judgment criteria for determining whether or not a person is present in the building based on the detection data, wherein, when a judgment processing unit receives a predetermined specific communication, the detection method determines whether or not a person is present in the building based on the detection data stored in the detection data storage unit, the detection data for a judgment period based on the reception time of the specific communication, and the judgment criterion stored in the judgment criterion storage unit.

[0008] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to accurately detect whether or not a person is present in a building.

[0009] 1 is a functional block diagram showing an example of a detection system according to a first embodiment. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing example data of a device information storage unit according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing example data of a determination criterion storage unit according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing example data of a detection data storage unit according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing example data of a communication reception time storage unit according to the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing example data of a detection result storage unit according to the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing example data of a compilation result storage unit according to the first embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a reception time of a specific communication and a determination period according to the first embodiment. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of an operation of the detection system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of a person presence / absence determination process by the detection server according to the first embodiment. FIG. 10 is a functional block diagram showing an example of a detection system according to a second embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing example data of a communication reception time storage unit according to the second embodiment. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of an operation of the detection system according to the second embodiment. FIG. 13 is a functional block diagram showing an example of a detection system according to a third embodiment. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing example data of a building information storage unit according to the third embodiment. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of a conversion table of similarity according to room type according to the third embodiment. FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between similarity and reliability according to the third embodiment. Fig. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process for determining whether or not a person is present by a detection server according to a third embodiment. Fig. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of the hardware configuration of each device in a detection system.

[0010] Hereinafter, a detection system and a detection method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0011] First Embodiment FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram illustrating an example of a detection system 1 according to a first embodiment.

[0012] A detection system 1 according to this embodiment is a system that detects the presence or absence of a person in a building HM such as a house using home appliances 20 installed in the building HM. As shown in Fig. 1 , the detection system 1 includes a detection server 10, the home appliances 20, and a management terminal 30.

[0013] The detection server 10, the home appliances 20, and the management terminal 30 can be connected to a network NW1 and can communicate with each other via the network NW1. Note that, for convenience of explanation, the example shown in Fig. 1 depicts one building HM and one home appliance 20, but the detection system 1 is assumed to include multiple buildings HM and multiple home appliances 20.

[0014] The building HM is a building to be detected by the detection system 1, and has home appliances 20 installed therein. The home appliances 20 are devices capable of communicating with the detection server 10 via the network NW1, and are, for example, air conditioning devices such as air conditioners, televisions, refrigerators, etc. The home appliances 20 are installed in rooms within the building HM. The home appliances 20 include a network (NW) communication unit 21, a sensor unit 22, a device storage unit 23, and a device control unit 24.

[0015] The NW communication unit 21 is a functional unit implemented by a communication device such as a network adapter, etc. The NW communication unit 21 is connected to the network NW1 and is capable of communicating with the detection server 10.

[0016] The sensor unit 22 includes, for example, various sensors and detects various detection data (various sensing data) detected by the home appliance 20. For example, if the home appliance 20 is an air conditioner, the sensor unit 22 includes a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, a human presence sensor, etc. In this case, the sensor unit 22 detects, for example, room temperature, indoor humidity, outdoor air temperature, outdoor humidity, and the presence or absence of human presence as detection data. The detection data may also include the operating status of the air conditioner (for example, operating, stopped, heating operation, cooling operation, dehumidifying operation, etc.).

[0017] The device storage unit 23 stores various types of information used by the home appliance 20. For example, the device storage unit 23 temporarily stores detection data detected by the sensor unit 22. The device storage unit 23 also stores, for example, programs for performing various controls of the home appliance 20.

[0018] The device control unit 24 is a functional unit realized by, for example, causing a processor including a CPU (Central Processing Unit) to execute a program stored in the device storage unit 23. The device control unit 24 acquires detection data detected by the sensor unit 22 and performs various controls of the home appliance 20 based on the detection data. The device control unit 24 also transmits the detection data to the detection server 10 via the NW communication unit 21 and the network NW1.

[0019] The management terminal 30 is a terminal device for managing the detection system 1. The management terminal 30 is, for example, a personal computer, a tablet terminal, a smartphone, etc. The management terminal 30 acquires, for example, the detection results of the detection system 1 (determination results of the presence or absence of a person) and the aggregation results of the detection results via the network NW1, and outputs the acquired detection results and aggregation results of the detection system 1. The management terminal 30 includes a NW communication unit 31, an input unit 32, a display unit 33, a terminal storage unit 34, and a terminal control unit 35.

[0020] The NW communication unit 31 is a functional unit implemented by a communication device such as a network adapter, etc. The NW communication unit 31 is connected to the network NW1 and is capable of communicating with the detection server 10.

[0021] The input unit 32 is an input device such as a keyboard, a touch screen, or a button. The input unit 32 accepts various pieces of input information in response to operations by a user (administrator). The input unit 32 outputs the accepted various pieces of input information to the terminal control unit 35.

[0022] The display unit 33 is a display device such as a liquid crystal display, and displays, for example, output information received from the detection server 10. Here, the output information is, for example, the detection results of the detection system 1 (determination results of the presence or absence of a person) and the aggregation results of the detection results.

[0023] The terminal storage unit 34 is a storage device such as RAM, flash memory, or HDD (Hard Disk Drive), and stores various information used by the management terminal 30. The terminal storage unit 34 stores, for example, input information from the input unit 32, display information on the display unit 33, and information sent and received between the detection server 10. The terminal storage unit 34 also stores programs for executing various functions of the management terminal 30.

[0024] The terminal control unit 325 is a functional unit realized, for example, by causing a processor including a CPU to execute a program stored in the terminal storage unit 34. The terminal control unit 325 connects to the detection server 10, for example, via the NW communication unit 31 and the network NW1, acquires the detection result (determination result of whether or not a person is present) of the detection system 1, and displays the acquired detection result (determination result of whether or not a person is present) of the detection system 1 on the display unit 33.

[0025] Furthermore, the terminal control unit 325 transmits a request to tally the detection results to the detection server 10 via the NW communication unit 31 and the network NW1 in response to, for example, an administrator's operation of the input unit 32. Furthermore, the terminal control unit 325 receives the tally results in response to the tally request from the detection server 10 via the NW communication unit 31 and the network NW1, and causes the display unit 33 to display the received tally results.

[0026] The detection server 10 is a server device that can be connected to the home appliances 20 and the management terminal 30 via the network NW1. The detection server 10 detects the presence or absence of a person in the building HM, for example, based on detection data detected by the home appliances 20. The detection server 10 includes a NW communication unit 11, a server storage unit 12, and a server control unit 13.

[0027] The NW communication unit 11 is a functional unit realized by a communication device such as a network adapter, etc. The NW communication unit 11 is connected to the network NW1 and is capable of communicating with the home appliances 20 and the management terminal 30.

[0028] The server storage unit 12 is a storage device such as a RAM, flash memory, or HDD, and stores various types of information used by the detection server 10. The server storage unit 12 stores, for example, programs for executing various processes of the detection server 10. The server storage unit 12 also includes a device information storage unit 121, a determination criterion storage unit 122, a detection data storage unit 123, a communication reception time storage unit 124, a detection result storage unit 125, and a counting result storage unit 126.

[0029] The device information storage unit 121 stores information about the home appliances 20 registered in the detection system 1. An example of data stored in the device information storage unit 121 will now be described with reference to FIG.

[0030] 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of data stored in the device information storage unit 121 according to the present embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the device information storage unit 121 stores a device ID, a home appliance type, an installation location, a user ID, an installation position, and detection data in association with each other.

[0031] 2 , the device ID is an example of device identification information that identifies the home appliance 20. The home appliance type indicates the type of the home appliance 20, and the installation location indicates the location (e.g., room name) within the building HM where the home appliance 20 is installed. The user ID is an example of user identification information that identifies the user who owns the home appliance 20. The installation location is information that indicates the location of the building HM, such as coordinate information based on latitude and longitude. The detection data indicates the type of detection data that the home appliance 20 can detect.

[0032] 2 shows that the home appliance type of the home appliance 20 with the device ID "M000001" is an "air conditioner" and the installation location is "living room." It also shows that the user ID of this home appliance 20 is "U000001" and the installation location (latitude, longitude) is "(XXXX, XXXX)." It also shows that the detection data of this home appliance 20 is "room temperature, outside temperature, presence of human, operation."

[0033] 1 , the determination criterion storage unit 122 stores a determination criterion for determining whether or not a person is present in the building HM based on the detection data detected by the home appliance 20. Here, an example of data stored in the determination criterion storage unit 122 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0034] 3 is a diagram showing an example of data stored in the determination criterion storage unit 122 according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 3, the determination criterion storage unit 122 stores, for example, a device ID, detection data (type of detection data), and presence determination criteria in association with each other.

[0035] For example, in the example shown in Fig. 3, it is indicated that for a home appliance 20 with a device ID of "M000001", it is determined that a person is present in the room when the "room temperature" of the detection data is "5°C or higher and 30°C or lower". It is also indicated that for this home appliance 20, it is determined that a person is present in the room when the "human presence" of the detection data is "human presence detected". As shown in Fig. 3, the determination criterion storage unit 122 stores determination criteria for each home appliance 20 corresponding to a device ID and for each type of detection data.

[0036] 1, the detection data storage unit 123 stores detection data acquired from the home appliance 20 via the network NW1. An example of data stored in the detection data storage unit 123 will now be described with reference to FIG.

[0037] 4 is a diagram showing an example of data stored in the detection data storage unit 123 according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 4, the detection data storage unit 123 stores a device ID, detection data (type of detection data), detection time, and data (detection data) in association with each other.

[0038] 4, for example, the detection data for the home appliance 20 with the appliance ID "M000001" indicates that the "room temperature" is "XX.XX" at the detection time "9:00" (9:00). The detection data also indicates that the "motion detection" is "present" at the detection time "9:00" (9:00).

[0039] In this way, the detection data storage unit 123 stores the detection time and the detection data in association with each other for each home electric appliance 20 corresponding to the appliance ID and for each type of detection data.

[0040] 1, the communication reception time storage unit 124 stores time information (reception time) at which a specific communication that serves as a trigger for detecting the presence or absence of a person is received. Here, an example of data stored in the communication reception time storage unit 124 will be described with reference to FIG. 5.

[0041] 5 is a diagram showing an example of data in the communication reception time storage unit 124 according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 5, the communication reception time storage unit 124 stores a device ID, a communication type, and time information in association with each other.

[0042] 5, the communication type indicates a predetermined specific communication that triggers the detection of the presence or absence of a person. The specific communication type includes, for example, a communication establishment indicating an initial communication for the home appliance 20 to establish communication with another device (e.g., the detection server 10) and a scheduled communication performed by the home appliance 20 with another device (e.g., the detection server 10) after the initial communication. The time information indicates, for example, the reception time of the information received by the detection server 10.

[0043] 5 shows that a "communication establishment" (initial communication) was received at "10:00" (ten minutes past twelve) as a specific communication for the home appliance 20 with the device ID "M000001." Also, it shows that a "fixed-time communication" (periodic communication) was received at "12:00" (twelve minutes past twelve) as a specific communication for the home appliance 20 with the device ID "M000004."

[0044] 1, the detection result storage unit 125 stores the detection result (determination result) of the presence or absence of a person by the detection server 10. Here, an example of data stored in the detection result storage unit 125 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0045] 6 is a diagram showing an example of data stored in the detection result storage unit 125 according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 6, the detection result storage unit 125 stores a user ID, a device ID, a determination date and time, an installation location, and a determination result in association with each other. Here, the determination result includes a determination result for each room and a determination result for each building HM corresponding to the user ID.

[0046] 6 shows that the home appliance 20 has a device ID of "M000001" corresponding to a user ID of "U000001," and the date and time of the presence / absence determination is "2023 / 6 / 15 10:00" (June 15, 2023, 10:00 AM). The example also shows that the room in which this determination was performed is the "living room," and the determination result is "occupancy."

[0047] It also shows that the date and time when the household appliance 20 with the device ID "M000002" determined whether or not a person was present was "2023 / 6 / 15 10:15" (10:15 on June 15, 2023). It also shows that the room in which this determination was performed was a "bedroom" and the determination result was "not present." It also shows that the determination result for the entire building HM was "presence."

[0048] In this way, the detection result storage unit 125 stores the determination result of whether or not a person is present for each user (building HM), and also stores the determination result of whether or not a person is present for each room in the building HM.

[0049] Returning to the explanation of Fig. 1, the tally result storage unit 126 stores the tally result obtained by tallying the determination results of the presence or absence of a person by the tally processing unit 133 (described later). The tally result storage unit 126 stores, for example, the tally result obtained by tallying the determination results of the presence or absence of a person for each predetermined region. Here, an example of data stored in the tally result storage unit 126 will be described with reference to Fig. 7.

[0050] 7 is a diagram showing an example of data stored in the tally result storage unit 126 according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 7, the tally result storage unit 126 stores the name of the local government, the occupancy rate, and the number of people present in the room in association with each other.

[0051] In the example shown in Figure 7, the occupancy rate of the municipality name "XX City" is "40%" and the number of people present is "10,000." Also, the occupancy rate of the municipality name "YY City" is "60%" and the number of people present is "20,000." The aggregation result storage unit 126 may store display information such as that shown in Figure 7.

[0052] 1 , the server control unit 13 is a functional unit realized by, for example, causing a processor including a CPU to execute a program stored in the server storage unit 12. The server control unit 13 includes a detection data acquisition unit 131, a detection determination processing unit 132, a counting processing unit 133, and an output processing unit 134.

[0053] The detection data acquisition unit 131 acquires detection data from each home appliance 20 via the NW communication unit 11, associates the acquired detection data with a detection time, and stores the associated data in the detection data storage unit 123. For example, as shown in Fig. 4 , the detection data acquisition unit 131 stores the device ID of the home appliance 20, the type of detection data, the detection time, and the detection data in association with each other.

[0054] The detection data acquisition unit 131 may periodically acquire detection data from each home appliance 20, or may acquire detection data from a home appliance 20 that corresponds to the specific communication when the specific communication described below is received.

[0055] When a predetermined specific communication is received, the detection judgment processing unit 132 (an example of a judgment processing unit) judges whether or not a person is present in the building HM based on the detection data stored in the detection data memory unit 123, which is the detection data for a judgment period based on the reception time of the specific communication, and the judgment criteria stored in the judgment criteria memory unit 122.

[0056] Here, the determination period is, for example, a range of one hour before and after the reception time of the specific communication. For example, if the reception time is 10:00 (ten minutes past ten), the determination period is the period from 9:00 (nine minutes past nine) to 11:00 (eleven minutes past eleven).

[0057] The specific communication is a communication that triggers detection of the presence or absence of a person, and includes, for example, a communication that is considered to indicate that a person has entered or left the building HM (or each room). The specific communication includes, for example, an initial communication for the home appliance 20 to establish communication with the detection server 10 (another device). That is, when the detection determination processing unit 132 receives, from the home appliance 20, an initial communication for the home appliance 20 to establish communication with the detection server 10 as the specific communication, the detection determination processing unit 132 determines the presence or absence of a person in the building HM.

[0058] The specific communication also includes, for example, scheduled communication between the home appliance 20 after the above-described initial communication and the detection server 10. That is, when the detection determination processing unit 132 receives scheduled communication between the home appliance 20 and the detection server 10 as specific communication from the home appliance 20, the detection determination processing unit 132 determines whether or not a person is present in the building HM.

[0059] The detection determination processing unit 132 may determine that a specific communication has been received when a scheduled communication is received from the home appliance 20 and an abrupt change occurs in the detection data. Here, an abrupt change occurs in the detection data when, for example, a change per unit time in the detection data is greater than or equal to a threshold value.

[0060] 8 is a diagram showing an example of the reception time of a specific communication and a determination period in this embodiment. In FIG. 8, the home appliance 20 is an air conditioner, and the detected data indicates room temperature. That is, in the graph shown in FIG. 8, the vertical axis indicates room temperature, and the horizontal axis indicates time.

[0061] 8, time T0 indicates the time when the specific communication is received, and the period from time T1 to time T2 is the determination period. The detection determination processing unit 132 acquires, from the detection data storage unit 123, detection data for the determination period (the period from time T1 to time T2) corresponding to the home appliance 20 that received the specific communication, and compares the data with the determination criteria stored in the determination criteria storage unit 122. The detection determination processing unit 132 determines that a person is present in the room when the detection data (waveform W1) for the determination period satisfies the determination criteria for the presence of a person. The detection determination processing unit 132 also determines that no person is present in the room when the detection data for the determination period does not satisfy the determination criteria for the presence of a person.

[0062] 8, waveform W1 shows a state in which the room temperature periodically changes when the air conditioner is operating without a user present. Waveform W2 shows an example in which the room temperature changes when the user operates the air conditioner. In a case like waveform W2, the detection and determination processor 132 determines that a person is present in the room based on the determination criteria.

[0063] 8, the room temperature Tmax and the room temperature Tmin are examples of the determination criteria. The detection determination processing unit 132 determines that no one is present when the room temperature, which is the detection data, is less than the room temperature Tmin or exceeds the room temperature Tmax.

[0064] In addition, when the detection determination processing unit 132 receives multiple specific communications within a predetermined period of time, it determines whether or not there are people in the building HM using detection data for a determination period based on the median or latest value of the multiple reception times.

[0065] The detection determination processing unit 132 stores the determination result of whether or not a person is present in the detection result storage unit 125. For example, as shown in FIG. 6 , the detection determination processing unit 132 stores the determination result for each room and each building HM in the detection result storage unit 125.

[0066] The tallying processing unit 133 generates tallying results by tallying the determination results determined by the detection determination processing unit 132 for each predetermined region. For example, the tallying processing unit 133 tallying the determination results (detection results) stored in the detection result storage unit 125 for each local government and generates display information such as that shown in Fig. 7. The tallying processing unit 133 stores the tallying results in the tallying result storage unit 126.

[0067] The output processing unit 134 outputs the determination results determined by the detection determination processing unit 132 and the aggregation results aggregated by the aggregation processing unit 133 to the management terminal 30. The output processing unit 134 outputs the determination results stored in the detection result storage unit 125 to the management terminal 30 connectable to the detection server 10 via the network NW1. The output processing unit 134 also outputs the aggregation results stored in the aggregation result storage unit 126, as shown in FIG. 7, to the management terminal 30.

[0068] Next, the operation of the detection system 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the operation of the detection system 1 according to this embodiment.

[0069] 9 , in the detection system 1 according to the present embodiment, the home appliance 20 periodically transmits the detection time and the detection data to the detection server 10 (step S101). The detection data acquisition unit 131 of the detection server 10 acquires the detection time and the detection data from the home appliance 20 via the NW communication unit 11, and stores the acquired detection time and the detection data in the detection data storage unit 123, for example, as shown in FIG.

[0070] The detection data acquiring unit 131 may acquire the device ID of the home appliance 20 together with the detection time and the detection data. The detection data acquiring unit 131 associates the device ID of the home appliance 20 with the detection time and the detection data, and stores them in the detection data storage unit 123.

[0071] Next, the home appliance 20 transmits a specific communication (notification establishment or scheduled communication) to the detection server 10 (step S102). The detection determination processing unit 132 of the detection server 10 determines whether the communication received from the home appliance 20 is a specific communication, and when the specific communication is received, starts a detection determination process using the specific communication as a trigger.

[0072] The detection data acquisition unit 131 continues to acquire the detection time and detection data from the home appliance 20 (step S103), and the detection determination processing unit 132 determines whether or not the detection data has been acquired within the range of the determination criteria (step S104). The detection determination processing unit 132 determines whether or not the detection data has been acquired for a determination period based on the reception time of the specific notification (for example, a period of one hour before and after the reception time). If the detection determination processing unit 132 has acquired detection data for the determination period (step S104: YES), the processing proceeds to step S105. If the detection determination processing unit 132 has not acquired detection data for the determination period (step S104: NO), the processing returns to step S103.

[0073] In step S105, the detection determination processing unit 132 determines whether or not a person is present based on the determination criteria. The detection determination processing unit 132 determines whether or not a person is present in the building HM (or the room) in which the home appliance 20 is installed, for example, based on whether or not the detection data for a determination period stored in the detection data storage unit 123 satisfies the determination criteria for presence (or absence) stored in the determination criteria storage unit 122.

[0074] Next, the output processing unit 134 of the detection server 10 transmits the determination result to the management terminal 30 (step S106). The output processing unit 134 transmits the determination result to the management terminal 30 via the NW communication unit 11, and the management terminal 30 displays the determination result on, for example, the display unit 33.

[0075] Next, the details of the detection determination process in the detection server 10 will be described with reference to Fig. 10. Fig. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a human presence determination process performed by the detection server 10 in this embodiment.

[0076] 10 , the detection data acquisition unit 131 of the detection server 10 periodically acquires detection data (step S201). The detection data acquisition unit 131 acquires the detection data and the detection time from the home appliance 20 via the NW communication unit 11, and stores the detection data and the detection time in the detection data storage unit 123 in association with the device ID of the home appliance 20, for example, as shown in FIG.

[0077] Next, the detection determination processing unit 132 of the detection server 10 determines whether or not a specific communication has been received (step S202). The detection determination processing unit 132 determines whether or not, for example, an initial communication or a scheduled communication has been received from the home appliance 20. Note that the detection determination processing unit 132 may determine that a specific communication has been received based on the reception of the scheduled communication and a sudden change in the detection data.

[0078] If the detection determination processing unit 132 has received the specific communication from the home appliance 20 (step S202: YES), the processing proceeds to step S203. If the detection determination processing unit 132 has not received the specific communication from the home appliance 20 (step S202: NO), the processing returns to step S201.

[0079] In step S203, the detection determination processing unit 132 stores the time of the specific communication. For example, as shown in FIG. 5 , the detection determination processing unit 132 associates the device ID of the home appliance 20 with the reception time (time information) and stores the association information in the communication reception time storage unit 124.

[0080] Next, the detection determination processing unit 132 determines whether or not detection data within the range of the determination criteria has been acquired (step S204). The detection determination processing unit 132 determines whether or not detection data has been acquired for a determination period based on the reception time of the specific communication (for example, a period of one hour before and after the reception time). If the detection determination processing unit 132 has acquired detection data for the determination period (step S204: YES), the processing proceeds to step S206. If the detection determination processing unit 132 has not acquired detection data for the determination period (step S204: NO), the processing proceeds to step S205.

[0081] In step S205, the detection data acquisition unit 131 acquires the detection data, and the process returns to step S204. As shown in Fig. 4 , the detection data acquisition unit 131 associates the device ID of the home appliance 20 with the acquired detection data and detection time, and stores the association data in the detection data storage unit 123. Here, the detection data acquisition unit 131 repeats acquiring the detection data until it acquires the detection data for the determination period.

[0082] In step S206, the detection determination processing unit 132 determines whether the detection data satisfies the presence criterion. The detection determination processing unit 132 acquires the determination criterion corresponding to the device ID of the home appliance 20 from the determination criterion storage unit 122, and also acquires the detection data and detection time for the determination period corresponding to the device ID of the home appliance 20 stored in the detection data storage unit 123. The detection determination processing unit 132 determines whether the detection data for the determination period satisfies the presence criterion, which is the determination criterion. If the detection data satisfies the presence criterion (step S206: YES), the detection determination processing unit 132 proceeds to step S207. If the detection data does not satisfy the presence criterion (step S206: NO), the detection determination processing unit 132 proceeds to step S208.

[0083] In step S207, the detection determination processing unit 132 determines that a person is present in the building HM (or the room) in which the home appliance 20 is installed. The detection determination processing unit 132 stores the determination result in the detection result storage unit 125, for example, as shown in FIG. 6 . After processing in step S207, the detection determination processing unit 132 proceeds to the process in step S209.

[0084] Furthermore, in step S208, the detection determination processing unit 132 determines that no one is present in the building HM (or the room) in which the home appliance 20 is installed. The detection determination processing unit 132 stores the determination result in the detection result storage unit 125, for example, as shown in Fig. 6. After processing in step S208, the detection determination processing unit 132 proceeds to the process in step S209.

[0085] In step S209, the output processing unit 134 of the detection server 10 notifies the management terminal 30 of the determination result. The output processing unit 134 transmits the determination result corresponding to the device ID of the home appliance 20 stored in the detection result storage unit 125 to the management terminal 30 via the NW communication unit 11. After the processing of step S209, the output processing unit 134 returns the processing to step S201.

[0086] Next, a process of aggregating the detection results (determination results) of the detection system 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 11. Fig. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a process of aggregating the determination results of the detection system 1 according to this embodiment.

[0087] 11 , first, the management terminal 30 transmits a request to tally the determination results to the detection server 10 (step S301). The terminal control unit 35 of the management terminal 30 transmits the request to tally the determination results to the detection server 10 via the NW communication unit 31 in response to an operation of the input unit 32 by the administrator.

[0088] Next, the counting processing unit 133 of the detection server 10 executes a counting process of the determination results (step S302). The counting processing unit 133 counts the determination results stored in the detection result storage unit 125 for each municipality based on, for example, the installation locations of the home appliances 20 stored in the device information storage unit 121, and generates, for example, the occupancy rate and the number of people occupying each municipality. The counting processing unit 133 stores the counting results in the counting result storage unit 126.

[0089] Next, the output processing unit 134 of the detection server 10 transmits the tallying result to the management terminal 30 (step S303). The output processing unit 134 transmits the tallying result stored in the tallying result storage unit 126 to the management terminal 30 via the NW communication unit 11.

[0090] Next, the management terminal 30 outputs the tallying result (step S304). The terminal control unit 35 displays the tallying result received via the NW communication unit 31 on the display unit 33. The display unit 33 displays the tallying result, for example, as shown in FIG. 7.

[0091] As described above, the detection system 1 according to the present embodiment includes a detection data storage unit 123, a determination criterion storage unit 122, and a detection determination processing unit 132 (determination processing unit). The detection data storage unit 123 stores detection data detected by the home appliance 20 installed in the building HM to be detected, the detection time of the detection data, and device identification information (e.g., a device ID) that identifies the home appliance 20, in association with each other. The determination criterion storage unit 122 stores determination criteria for determining the presence or absence of a person in the building HM based on the detection data. When the detection determination processing unit 132 receives a predetermined specific communication, it determines the presence or absence of a person in the building based on the detection data stored in the detection data storage unit 123, which is detection data for a determination period based on the reception time of the specific communication, and the determination criterion stored in the determination criterion storage unit 122.

[0092] As a result, the detection system 1 according to the present embodiment determines the presence or absence of a person in the building HM based on the detection data detected by the home appliances 20, and can therefore accurately detect the presence or absence of a person in the building HM regardless of the amount of power consumption of the home appliances 20. The detection system 1 according to the present embodiment can detect the presence or absence of a person in the building HM with higher accuracy than, for example, conventional technologies that use electricity, water, and gas.

[0093] In the present embodiment, the detection determination processing unit 132 determines whether or not a person is present in the building HM when it receives, as specific communication, an initial communication from the home appliance 20 for establishing communication between the home appliance 20 and another device (for example, the detection server 10). The initial communication occurs, for example, when setting up a connection with the detection server 10, when the power supply from a power source such as an outlet is cut off (for example, due to a power outage), or when the user manually or automatically initializes the network settings.

[0094] As a result, the detection system 1 according to this embodiment can quickly and accurately detect whether or not there is a person in the building HM when an abnormality occurs, for example, when the home appliance 20 is restarted.

[0095] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the detection determination processing unit 132 determines whether or not a person is present in the building HM when the home appliance 20 receives, as specific communication, scheduled communication between the home appliance 20 and another device (for example, the detection server 10) from the home appliance 20. This allows the detection system 1 according to this embodiment to periodically and accurately detect whether or not a person is present in the building HM.

[0096] In addition, in this embodiment, when the detection determination processing unit 132 receives a scheduled communication from the home appliance 20 and there is a change in the detection data per unit time that is greater than or equal to a threshold value, it determines that a specific communication has been received and determines whether or not there is a person in the building HM.

[0097] As a result, the detection system 1 according to the present embodiment can accurately detect the presence or absence of a person in the building HM by using a sudden temporal fluctuation that occurs in the detection data when, for example, a person enters or leaves the building HM, or when the home appliance 20 is directly operated, as a trigger. That is, the detection system 1 according to the present embodiment can accurately detect the presence or absence of a person in the building HM at an appropriate timing.

[0098] Furthermore, in this embodiment, when multiple specific communications are received within a predetermined period, the detection determination processing unit 132 determines whether or not a person is present in the building HM using detection data for a determination period based on the median or latest value of the multiple reception times. This allows the detection system 1 according to this embodiment to appropriately detect whether or not a person is present in the building HM when multiple specific communications occur within a certain period.

[0099] The detection system 1 according to this embodiment also includes a detection server 10 (server device) connectable to the home appliance 20 via the network NW1. The detection server 10 includes a detection data storage unit 123, a determination criterion storage unit 122, a detection determination processing unit 132, and an output processing unit 134. The output processing unit 134 outputs the determination result determined by the detection determination processing unit 132 to a management terminal 30 (terminal device) connectable to the detection server 10 via the network NW1.

[0100] As a result, the detection system 1 according to this embodiment can appropriately output the determination result (detection result) of the presence or absence of a person in the building HM from the detection server 10 to the management terminal 30 (terminal device). Therefore, the detection system 1 according to this embodiment can effectively utilize the determination result (detection result) of the presence or absence of a person in the building HM.

[0101] The detection system 1 (detection server 10) according to this embodiment also includes a counting processor 133 that generates counted results by counting, for each predetermined region, the determination results made by the detection determination processor 132. The output processor 134 outputs the counted results to the management terminal 30.

[0102] As a result, the detection system 1 according to this embodiment can easily and accurately obtain the results of determining whether or not a person is present by region, for example, in the event of a disaster. Furthermore, the detection system 1 according to this embodiment can utilize the results of the aggregation as statistical data such as disaster prevention information and activity status for an event.

[0103] Furthermore, the detection method according to the present embodiment is a detection method for the detection system 1 including the detection data storage unit 123 and the determination criterion storage unit 122, and includes a determination processing step. The detection data storage unit 123 stores detection data detected by the home appliance 20 installed in the building to be detected, the detection time of the detection data, and device identification information identifying the home appliance 20, in association with each other. The determination criterion storage unit 122 stores determination criteria for determining the presence or absence of a person in the building based on the detection data. In the determination processing step, when the detection determination processing unit 132 receives a predetermined specific communication, the detection determination processing unit 132 determines the presence or absence of a person in the building based on the detection data stored in the detection data storage unit 123, the detection data for a determination period based on the reception time of the specific communication, and the determination criterion stored in the determination criterion storage unit 122.

[0104] As a result, the detection method according to this embodiment has the same effect as the detection system 1 described above, and can accurately detect the presence or absence of a person in the building HM regardless of the amount of power consumption of the home appliance 20.

[0105] Second Embodiment Next, a detection system 1a according to a second embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In the second embodiment, a modified example in which the specific communication is received from an external device (e.g., a disaster prevention server 40) will be described.

[0106] 12 is a functional block diagram illustrating an example of a detection system 1a according to the second embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 12, the detection system 1a includes a detection server 10a, a home appliance 20, a management terminal 30, and a disaster prevention server 40.

[0107] In FIG. 12, the same components as those shown in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.

[0108] The disaster prevention server 40 is a server device that notifies disaster and evacuation information when a disaster such as an earthquake or meteorological disaster occurs. In this embodiment, the disaster prevention server 40 is an example of an external device that can send specific notification communications to the detection server 10a via the network NW1 to notify specific notification information (e.g., disaster and evacuation information). The disaster prevention server 40 includes a NW communication unit 41, a disaster prevention storage unit 42, and a disaster prevention control unit 43.

[0109] The NW communication unit 41 is a functional unit realized by a communication device such as a network adapter, etc. The NW communication unit 41 is connected to the network NW1 and is capable of communicating with the detection server 10a.

[0110] The disaster prevention storage unit 42 is a storage device such as a RAM, a flash memory, or an HDD, and stores various information used by the disaster prevention server 40. The disaster prevention storage unit 42 stores, for example, programs for executing various processes of the disaster prevention server 40.

[0111] The disaster prevention control unit 43 is a functional unit that is realized, for example, by causing a processor including a CPU to execute a program stored in the disaster prevention storage unit 42. For example, when a disaster occurs or when there is a possibility of a disaster occurring, the disaster prevention control unit 43 transmits disaster and evacuation information to the detection server 10a via the NW communication unit 41.

[0112] The detection server 10a is a server device that can be connected to the home appliances 20 and the management terminal 30 via the network NW1. The detection server 10a includes a NW communication unit 11, a server storage unit 12, and a server control unit 13a.

[0113] In this embodiment, the communication reception time storage unit 124 of the server storage unit 12 includes a notification of disaster / evacuation information as a specific communication. Fig. 13 is a diagram showing an example of data stored in the communication reception time storage unit 124 in this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 13, the communication reception time storage unit 124 stores "disaster / evacuation information" as the type of communication.

[0114] 12 , the server control unit 13a is a functional unit realized by, for example, causing a processor including a CPU to execute a program stored in the server storage unit 12. The server control unit 13a includes a detection data acquisition unit 131, a detection determination processing unit 132a, a counting processing unit 133, and an output processing unit 134.

[0115] When a predetermined specific communication is received, the detection determination processing unit 132a (an example of a determination processing unit) determines whether or not a person is present in the building HM based on the detection data stored in the detection data storage unit 123, the detection data being for a determination period based on the reception time of the specific communication, and the determination criteria stored in the determination criteria storage unit 122. The detection determination processing unit 132a executes processing similar to that of the detection determination processing unit 132 of the first embodiment described above.

[0116] The detection determination processing unit 132a further determines whether or not a person is present in the building HM when it receives, as specific communication, specific notification communication that notifies specific notification information from an external device (disaster prevention server 40) different from the home appliance 20. Here, the specific notification information is, for example, a notification of disaster / evacuation information notified by the disaster prevention server 40. The processing after receiving the notification of disaster / evacuation information as specific communication is the same as that of the detection determination processing unit 132 in the first embodiment, and therefore, a description thereof will be omitted here.

[0117] Next, the operation of the detection system 1a according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 14. Fig. 14 is a diagram showing an example of the operation of the detection system 1a according to this embodiment.

[0118] 14 , the home appliance 20 periodically transmits the detection time and the detection data to the detection server 10a (step S401). The detection data acquisition unit 131 of the detection server 10a acquires the detection time and the detection data from the home appliance 20 via the NW communication unit 11, and stores the acquired detection time and the detection data in the detection data storage unit 123, for example, as shown in FIG.

[0119] Next, the disaster prevention server 40 transmits disaster / evacuation information as a specific communication to the detection server 10a (step S402). The disaster prevention control unit 43 of the disaster prevention server 40 transmits the disaster / evacuation information to the detection server 10a via the NW communication unit 41. The detection determination processing unit 132a of the detection server 10a determines whether the communication received from the disaster prevention server 40 is a specific communication (disaster / evacuation information), and if the specific communication (disaster / evacuation information) is received, starts a detection determination process triggered by the specific communication.

[0120] Next, the server control unit 13a of the detection server 10a transmits the disaster / evacuation information to each home electric appliance 20 via the NW communication unit 11 (step S403).

[0121] The subsequent processing from step S404 to step S407 is similar to the processing from step S103 to step S106 shown in FIG. 9, and therefore description thereof will be omitted here.

[0122] In addition, details of the detection determination process in the detection server 10a of this embodiment are the same as the process shown in Figure 10, except that in step S202 shown in Figure 10, the detection determination processing unit 132a includes a process of determining disaster / evacuation information from the disaster prevention server 40 as a specific notification, so the explanation of that process will be omitted here.

[0123] Furthermore, the process of aggregating the detection results (determination results) of the detection system 1a according to this embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 11, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted here.

[0124] As described above, the detection system 1a according to this embodiment includes the detection data storage unit 123, the determination criterion storage unit 122, and the detection determination processing unit 132a (determination processing unit).

[0125] As a result, the detection system 1a according to this embodiment has the same effect as the first embodiment, and can accurately detect the presence or absence of a person in the building HM regardless of the amount of power consumption of the home appliance 20.

[0126] In addition, in this embodiment, when the detection and determination processing unit 132a receives specific notification communication that notifies specific notification information (e.g., disaster / evacuation information) from an external device (disaster prevention server 40) other than the home appliance 20, the detection and determination processing unit 132a determines whether or not there is a person in the building.

[0127] As a result, the detection system 1a according to this embodiment uses the specific notification communication received from the external device (disaster prevention server 40) as the specific communication, and can quickly detect whether or not there is a person in the building HM when a difference occurs that cannot be detected by the home appliance 20 (for example, when a disaster occurs).

[0128] The specific notification communication is not limited to notification of disaster / evacuation information, but may be, for example, event information such as a concert or event, information on approaching or moving away from devices of family members or friends, etc. The specific notification communication may be notification of other information as long as the information affects the behavior of the user who uses the home appliance 20.

[0129] Third Embodiment Next, a detection system 1b according to a third embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0130] In the third embodiment, a modified example will be described in which, when there is a defect in the detection data detected by the home appliance 20, the defect is complemented with detection data of an environment similar to that of the building HM (or a room).

[0131] 15 is a functional block diagram illustrating an example of a detection system 1b according to the third embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 15, the detection system 1b includes a detection server 10b, a home appliance 20, a management terminal 30, and a disaster prevention server 40.

[0132] In FIG. 15, the same components as those shown in FIG. 12 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.

[0133] The detection server 10b is a server device that can be connected to the home appliance 20 and the management terminal 30 via the network NW1. The detection server 10b includes a NW communication unit 11, a server storage unit 12a, and a server control unit 13b.

[0134] The server storage unit 12a is a storage device such as a RAM, flash memory, or HDD, and stores various information used by the detection server 10b. The server storage unit 12a stores, for example, programs for executing various processes of the detection server 10b. The server storage unit 12b also includes a device information storage unit 121, a determination criterion storage unit 122, a detection data storage unit 123, a communication reception time storage unit 124, a detection result storage unit 125, a counting result storage unit 126, a building information storage unit 127, and a similarity information storage unit 128.

[0135] The building information storage unit 127 stores information about the building HM in which the home electric appliance 20 is installed. Here, an example of data in the building information storage unit 127 will be described with reference to Fig. 16 .

[0136] 16 is a diagram showing an example of data stored in the building information storage unit 127 according to this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 16, the building information storage unit 127 stores a device ID, building information, location information, structure, window, type, age, floor, and room use in association with each other.

[0137] Here, the building information indicates, for example, the name of the building HM, the location information indicates coordinate information based on the latitude and longitude of the building HM, the structure indicates the structure of the building HM, the window indicates the presence or absence of a window and its structure, the type indicates the type of the building HM, the age indicates the age of the building HM, and the floor and room use indicate the use of the floor and room on which the home appliance 20 is installed.

[0138] For example, in the example shown in Fig. 16, a building HM in which a home appliance 20 with a device ID of "M000001" is installed has building information of "House A_1F" and location information of "(XXXX, XXXX)". It also indicates that the structure of this building HM is "wooden", the windows are "normal", and the type is "detached house". It also indicates that the building HM is "three years old", the floor is "1F", and the room use is "living room".

[0139] 15, the similarity information storage unit 128 stores the similarity generated by the similarity generation unit 135 (described later). The calculation of the similarity will be described later.

[0140] The server control unit 13b is a functional unit realized by, for example, causing a processor including a CPU to execute a program stored in the server storage unit 12a. The server control unit 13b includes a detection data acquisition unit 131, a detection determination processing unit 132b, a counting processing unit 133, an output processing unit 134a, and a similarity generation unit 135.

[0141] The similarity generation unit 135 generates similarities between the building HM to be detected and other buildings. The similarity generation unit 135 calculates the similarities based on, for example, information stored in the building information storage unit 127. The similarity generation unit 135 calculates the similarities by executing the following processes (1) to (5).

[0142] (1) The similarity generation unit 135 calculates the similarity based on the distance from the location information stored in the building information storage unit 127. The similarity generation unit 135 calculates the distance from the location information (latitude, longitude) of the target building to be compared, and based on the calculated distance, groups of buildings at a certain distance are created, as shown in Fig. 17. In the example shown in Fig. 17, the buildings are created into groups GP1 to GP5 according to the distance.

[0143] For example, the similarity generation unit 135 generates a similarity of "1" for group GP1 and a similarity of "5" for group GP5. In Fig. 17, since house A and house B are grouped into group GP2, the similarity generation unit 135 generates a similarity of "2".

[0144] (2) The similarity generation unit 135 calculates the similarity from the structure and window information stored in the building information storage unit 127. The similarity generation unit 135 generates the similarity by setting the similarity to "0" when the structure and window information match, and to "1" when they do not match.

[0145] (3) The similarity generation unit 135 generates temporal and spatial similarities from the information on the age of the building and floor stored in the building information storage unit 127. The similarity generation unit 135 calculates, as the similarity, the difference between the age of the building and the age of the target building to be compared, and the difference between the floor of the target building to be compared, as the similarity.

[0146] (4) The similarity generation unit 135 calculates the similarity using a quantification table from the information on room use stored in the building information storage unit 127. The similarity generation unit 135 generates a conversion value as the similarity using, for example, a quantification table (conversion table) such as that shown in FIG.

[0147] (5) The similarity generation unit 135 calculates the square root of the similarities of some or all of the items generated by the above-described processes (1) to (5) to obtain the final similarity. The similarity generation unit 135 stores the generated similarities in the building information storage unit 127. Note that in this embodiment, the smaller the similarity value, the higher the similarity, and the larger the similarity value, the lower the similarity.

[0148] The detection and determination processing unit 132b executes the same processing as the detection and determination processing unit 132a of the second embodiment described above. Furthermore, when there is a gap in the detection data for the determination period, the detection and determination processing unit 132b complements the detection data for the determination period with detection data for other similar buildings based on the similarity to the building HM to be detected. The detection and determination processing unit 132b complements the detection data for the determination period based on the similarity generated by the similarity generation unit 135 described above. For example, when the detection data is the outside air temperature detected by the outdoor unit of an air conditioner, the detection data can be complemented using detection data for other buildings with high similarity.

[0149] The detection and determination processing unit 132b also calculates the reliability of the result of the determination of the presence or absence of a person based on the similarity. For example, the detection and determination processing unit 132b calculates the reliability from the similarity using a waveform W3 as shown in FIG.

[0150] 19 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between similarity and reliability in this embodiment. Waveform W3 shown in FIG. 19 is a half-normal distribution curve of the relationship between similarity and reliability. In waveform W3, when the similarity is "0", the reliability is "100%".

[0151] The output processing unit 134a transmits the determination result and the reliability to the management terminal 30 via the NW communication unit 11. Other processing by the output processing unit 134a is similar to that of the output processing unit 134 of the first and second embodiments described above, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted here.

[0152] Next, the operation of the detection system 1b according to this embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 20 is a flowchart showing an example of a process for determining the presence or absence of a person by the detection server 10b according to this embodiment.

[0153] 20, the processes from step S501 to step S505 are the same as the processes from step S201 to step S205 shown in Fig. 10, and therefore description thereof will be omitted here. Note that in step S504, if the detection determination processing unit 132b of the detection server 10b has acquired detection data for the determination period (step S204: YES), the process proceeds to step S506.

[0154] In step S506, the detection determination processing unit 132b determines whether the detection data contains missing data. If the detection data contains missing data (step S506: YES), the detection determination processing unit 132b proceeds to step S507. If the detection data does not contain missing data (step S506: NO), the detection determination processing unit 132b proceeds to step S508.

[0155] In step S507, the detection determination processing unit 132b complements the detection data of other similar buildings based on the similarity. The detection determination processing unit 132b complements the detection data of other similar buildings using the similarity generated by the similarity generation unit 135 through the processes (1) to (5) described above.

[0156] The processing from step S508 to step S510 is the same as the processing from step S206 to step S208 shown in FIG. 10 described above, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted here.

[0157] In step S511, the detection and determination processing unit 132b calculates the reliability based on the similarity. For example, the detection and determination processing unit 132b calculates the reliability using a waveform W3 shown in FIG.

[0158] Next, the output processing unit 134a notifies the management terminal 30 of the determination result and the reliability (step S512). The output processing unit 134a transmits the determination result corresponding to the device ID of the home appliance 20 stored in the detection result storage unit 125 and the reliability calculated by the detection determination processing unit 132b to the management terminal 30 via the NW communication unit 11. After the processing of step S512, the output processing unit 134a returns the processing to step S501.

[0159] As described above, the detection system 1b according to this embodiment includes the above-described detection data storage unit 123, the determination criterion storage unit 122, and the detection determination processing unit 132b (determination processing unit).

[0160] As a result, the detection system 1b according to this embodiment has the same effect as the first and second embodiments, and can accurately detect the presence or absence of a person in the building HM regardless of the amount of power consumption of the home appliance 20.

[0161] Furthermore, in this embodiment, when there is a gap in the detection data for the determination period, the detection determination processing unit 132b complements the detection data for the determination period with detection data for other similar buildings based on the similarity to the building HM to be detected. As a result, the detection system 1b according to this embodiment can detect the presence or absence of a person in the building HM even when there is a gap in the detection data for the determination period.

[0162] In addition, in this embodiment, the detection determination processing unit 132b calculates the reliability of the determination result of the presence or absence of a person based on the similarity. As a result, in the detection system 1b according to this embodiment, the user can grasp the reliability of the determination result of the presence or absence of a person and can quantitatively determine the determination result of the presence or absence of a person.

[0163] Fig. 21 is a diagram illustrating the hardware configuration of each device in the detection system 1 (1a, 1b). The devices shown in Fig. 21 illustrate the hardware configuration of each device (detection servers 10 (10a, 10b) and disaster prevention server 40) in the detection system 1 (1a, 1b).

[0164] As shown in FIG. 21, each device (detection server 10 (10a, 10b) and disaster prevention server 40) of the detection system 1 (1a, 1b) includes a communication device H11, a memory H12, and a processor H13.

[0165] The communication device H11 is a communication device such as a LAN card that can be connected to the network NW1. The memory H12 is a storage device such as a RAM, a flash memory, or an HDD, and stores various information and programs used by each device (the detection servers 10 (10a, 10b) and the disaster prevention server 40).

[0166] The processor H13 is a processing circuit including, for example, a CPU, etc. The processor H13 executes various processes of each device (the detection servers 10 (10a, 10b) and the disaster prevention server 40) by executing programs stored in the memory H12.

[0167] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments and may be modified within the scope of the present disclosure. For example, in the above-described embodiments, the detection server 10 (10a, 10b) is configured as a single device, but the present disclosure is not limited to this and may be configured as a plurality of devices.

[0168] Furthermore, in each of the above embodiments, the specific communication may include, in addition to the first communication (initial communication), for example, communication using a specific protocol, communication using a specific communication port, communication with distinctive communication data, etc. Furthermore, the specific communication may be other communication that has a different tendency from commonly occurring communication.

[0169] Furthermore, in each of the above embodiments, the aggregation processing unit 133 has been described as an example of aggregating data by local government, but this is not limited to this. For example, the aggregation may be performed by administrative division of prefecture or city / town / village, by a certain resolution of latitude and longitude, or by regional information or block information with a specific distance as the aggregation axis.

[0170] In addition, in the above second and third embodiments, an example of using the disaster prevention server 40 as an external device was described, but this is not limited to this, and specific communications may be received from other external devices.

[0171] Furthermore, in each of the above-described embodiments, the home appliance 20 is not limited to the appliances described in the above-described embodiments, and may be, for example, another home appliance, an IoT device, or the like.

[0172] Furthermore, in the third embodiment, the method for generating the similarity and reliability is not limited to the method described in the embodiment, and other generation methods may be applied.

[0173] Each component of the detection system 1 (1a, 1b) described above has an internal computer system. A program for implementing the functions of each component of the detection system 1 (1a, 1b) described above may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, and the program recorded on the recording medium may be read into a computer system and executed to perform processing in each component of the detection system 1 (1a, 1b) described above. Here, "reading a program recorded on a recording medium into a computer system and executing it" includes installing the program into a computer system. The term "computer system" here includes hardware such as an OS and peripheral devices.

[0174] Furthermore, a "computer system" may include multiple computer devices connected via a network, including communication lines such as the Internet, WAN, LAN, and dedicated lines. Furthermore, a "computer-readable recording medium" refers to portable media such as flexible disks, optical magnetic disks, ROMs, and CD-ROMs, as well as storage devices such as hard disks built into a computer system. Thus, the recording medium storing the program may be a non-transitory recording medium such as a CD-ROM.

[0175] The recording medium also includes internal or external recording media accessible from a distribution server for distributing the program. The program may be divided into multiple parts, downloaded at different times, and then combined by each component of the detection system 1 (1a, 1b), or each divided program may be distributed by a different distribution server. Furthermore, the term "computer-readable recording medium" also includes a medium that stores a program for a certain period of time, such as volatile memory (RAM) within a computer system that serves as a server or client when a program is transmitted over a network. The program may also be a medium for implementing part of the above-described functions. Furthermore, the program may be a so-called differential file (differential program) that can realize the above-described functions in combination with a program already stored in the computer system.

[0176] 1, 1a, 1b... detection system, 10, 10a, 10b... detection server, 11, 21, 31, 41... network communication unit, 12, 12a... server storage unit, 13, 13a, 13b... server control unit, 20... home appliance, 22... sensor unit, 23... device storage unit, 24... device control unit, 30... management terminal, 32... input unit, 33... display unit, 34... terminal storage unit, 35... terminal control unit, 40... disaster prevention server, 42... disaster prevention storage unit, 43... disaster prevention control unit, 12 1...device information storage unit, 122...determination criterion storage unit, 123...detection data storage unit, 124...communication reception time storage unit, 125...detection result storage unit, 126...tallying result storage unit, 127...building information storage unit, 128...similarity information storage unit, 131...detection data acquisition unit, 132, 132a, 132b...detection determination processing unit, 133...tallying processing unit, 134, 134a...output processing unit, 135...similarity generation unit, HM...building, NW1...network

Claims

1. a detection data storage unit that stores detection data detected by a home appliance installed in a building to be detected, a detection time of the detection data, and appliance identification information that identifies the home appliance in association with each other; a determination criterion storage unit that stores a determination criterion for determining whether or not a person is present in the building based on the detection data; a determination processing unit that, when a predetermined specific communication is received, determines whether or not a person is present in the building based on the detection data stored in the detection data storage unit, the detection data being for a determination period based on a reception time of the specific communication, and the determination criterion stored in the determination criterion storage unit; Equipped with The determination processing unit determines whether or not a person is present in the building when the determination processing unit receives, as the specific communication, an initial communication from the home appliance for establishing communication with another device, the initial communication being a communication that occurs when a user manually or automatically initializes a network setting after power supply to the home appliance is cut off. Detection system.

2. The determination processing unit determines whether or not a person is present in the building when receiving, from the home appliance, scheduled communication between the home appliance and another device as the specific communication. The detection system of claim 1 .

3. The determination processing unit receives the scheduled communication from the home appliance and, when a change per unit time equal to or greater than a threshold occurs in the detection data, determines that the specific communication has been received and determines whether or not a person is present in the building. The detection system of claim 2 .

4. The determination processing unit determines whether or not a person is present in the building when specific notification communication that notifies specific notification information is received from an external device different from the home appliance. The detection system of claim 1 .

5. When the determination processing unit receives a plurality of the specific communications within a predetermined period, the determination processing unit determines whether or not a person is present in the building using the detection data for a determination period based on a median or latest value of the plurality of reception times. The detection system of claim 1 .

6. When the detection data for the determination period is missing, the determination processing unit complements the detection data for the determination period with the detection data of other similar buildings based on the similarity to the building to be detected. The detection system of claim 1 .

7. The determination processing unit calculates a reliability of a determination result of the presence or absence of a person based on the similarity. The detection system of claim 6 .

8. a server device connectable to the home appliance via a network; The server device the detection data storage unit; the judgment criterion storage unit; the determination processing unit; an output processing unit that outputs the determination result determined by the determination processing unit to a terminal device that can be connected to the server device via the network; The detection system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, comprising:

9. a counting processing unit that generates a counting result by counting the determination results determined by the determination processing unit for each predetermined region; The output processing unit outputs the counting result to the terminal device. The detection system of claim 8 .

10. A detection data storage unit that stores detection data detected by a home appliance installed in a building to be detected, a detection time of the detection data, and device identification information that identifies the home appliance in association with each other; a determination criterion storage unit that stores a determination criterion for determining whether or not a person is present in the building based on the detection data; a determination processing unit that, when a predetermined specific communication is received, determines whether or not a person is present in the building based on the detection data stored in the detection data storage unit, the detection data being for a determination period based on a reception time of the specific communication, and the determination criterion stored in the determination criterion storage unit; Equipped with When the detection data for the determination period is missing, the determination processing unit complements the detection data for the determination period with the detection data of other similar buildings based on the similarity to the building to be detected. Detection system.

11. A detection method for a detection system including: a detection data storage unit that stores detection data detected by a home appliance installed in a building to be detected, a detection time of the detection data, and appliance identification information that identifies the home appliance, in association with each other; and a determination criterion storage unit that stores determination criteria for determining whether or not a person is present in the building based on the detection data, a determination processing unit, when receiving a predetermined specific communication, determines whether or not a person is present in the building based on the detection data stored in the detection data storage unit, the detection data being for a determination period based on a reception time of the specific communication, and the determination criterion stored in the determination criterion storage unit; In the process of determining whether or not a person is present in the building, the determination processing unit determines whether or not a person is present in the building when the determination processing unit receives, as the specific communication, an initial communication from the home appliance for establishing communication with another device, the initial communication being a communication that occurs when a user manually or automatically initializes a network setting after power supply to the home appliance is cut off. Detection method.

12. A detection method for a detection system comprising: a detection data storage unit that stores detection data detected by a home appliance installed in a building to be detected, a detection time of the detection data, and appliance identification information that identifies the home appliance, in association with each other; and a judgment criterion storage unit that stores judgment criteria for determining whether or not a person is present in the building based on the detection data, comprising: a determination processing unit, when receiving a predetermined specific communication, determines whether or not a person is present in the building based on the detection data stored in the detection data storage unit, the detection data being for a determination period based on a reception time of the specific communication, and the determination criterion stored in the determination criterion storage unit; In the process of determining whether or not a person is present in the building, when there is a gap in the detection data for the determination period, the determination processing unit complements the detection data for the determination period with the detection data of another similar building based on the similarity to the building to be detected. Detection method.