JP2009075644A - Product life cycle information management system and method - Google Patents

Abstract

[PROBLEMS] To prevent unauthorized distribution of devices on all the routes from when a device is manufactured and passed from a distribution company to a user, and to enable quick response when a failure occurs.
[MEANS FOR SOLVING PROBLEMS] After a manufacturer or a retail company or the like transmits business information at the equipment individual level relating to the manufacture and distribution of equipment from the business terminal 2 to the server 1, and after passing to a user at home, etc. The cooperation module 32 incorporated in or attached to the outside transmits operation information such as power ON / OFF of the device and setting change to the server 1. When the server 1 registers and stores the business information and operation information in the database and receives the device operation information, the server 1 determines whether the device corresponds to an unauthorized distribution device from the business information stored for the device. In the case of an applicable device, the user and the holder immediately before the illegal distribution are notified, and the use of the device is forcibly stopped as necessary.
[Selection] Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a product life cycle information management system and method, and more particularly, to a product life cycle information management system and method capable of managing the situation of all stages of distribution and use of products such as home appliances.

In recent years, the distribution and use of unauthorized products such as home appliances has become a social problem. For example, in addition to stolen goods from stores and the like, there are a number of problems such as illegally diverting to second-hand goods dealers etc. while collecting recycling fees from consumers as recycled products. For example, a technique described in Patent Document 1 is known as a conventional technique related to an information system for preventing such unauthorized distribution / use. In this prior art, a unique ID is assigned to a product, distribution related data from the producer to the consumer and the date of transfer are input to a third party database. In this prior art, input is not performed when a product is transferred to an unauthorized distributor, and it can be estimated that the last authorized distributor has removed the authorized distribution route. As another conventional technique, for example, a technique described in Patent Document 2 is known. In this prior art, as described above, an ID is assigned to a product, which is read by a distribution person and registered in a database held by a third party as purchase sales information. According to this prior art, it is possible to prevent purchase of a product brought in due to unauthorized distribution by referring to past distribution information of a product to be purchased when a seller purchases the product.
JP 2004-178465 A JP 2004-234403 A

  Since the prior art described in Patent Document 1 described above is to estimate whether a product is on the regular distribution route or not based on the presence or absence of database registration from a regular distribution person, it will take a long time. There is a problem that it may be presumed that the regular distribution route has been removed, for example, when there is a product stopped at a regular distribution related party.

  In addition, the related art described in Patent Document 2 can prevent purchase by checking whether or not the product is illegally distributed by referring to past distribution information when the product is brought into the distributor. However, when illegally distributed products are used as they are, there is a problem that their use cannot be prevented.

  The purpose of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, collect not only information from product manufacturing and distribution parties, but also operation information after the product is used, and use them in combination This makes it possible to determine whether or not the product is illegally distributed, and if the product being used is an illegally distributed product, it is possible to prevent unauthorized distribution by, for example, forcibly stopping the use. It is an object of the present invention to provide a product life cycle information management system and method capable of enabling it.

  According to the present invention, the object is to manage information generated in the life cycle from manufacturing, distribution, sales, operation, maintenance / repair, disposal / recycling of equipment including home appliances in units of individual products as products. In a product lifecycle information management system, a business terminal that is installed at a business base including equipment manufacturing and distribution bases, and that obtains business information including equipment manufacturing information and distribution information, and uses where the equipment is installed and used An operation information acquisition unit that is installed at a base, is built in or externally attached to an apparatus, and acquires operation information including the power supply and settings of the apparatus is connected to a server via a network, and the server is connected to the business terminal. The operation information and operation information are acquired from the operation information acquisition means, and the operation information and the operation information are obtained as a series of product life cycle information for each individual product of the device. Holding information is achieved by having a product life cycle information storage means for managing.

  In addition, the problems disclosed in the present application and the means for solving the problems are clarified by the column of the best mode for carrying out the invention and the drawings.

  According to the present invention, the location of devices that have already passed to the user can be grasped, and by combining with information on manufacturing and distribution operations, detection and use of illegally distributed products after passing to unauthorized users In addition to the injunction, it is possible to respond quickly when equipment malfunctions, and to develop and sell equipment that suits the user's usage.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of a product life cycle information management system and method according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an outline of the configuration of a product life cycle information management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. In addition, the example shown in FIG. 1 has taken home appliances as an example as a product.

  The product life cycle information management system shown in FIG. 1 is a server 1 installed in a service provider that manages information related to a product life cycle and provides various information to users, and a plurality of companies that are users of services (shown in FIG. 1). In the example, a business terminal 2 installed in each of a manufacturer and a retail company) and a home appliance 3 installed in each of a plurality of homes as service users are connected via a network 4 such as the Internet by wire or wireless. Configured.

  Here, the home appliance 3 is manufactured and distributed as a product or a product in a manufacturer or retailer, and operations such as shipment, arrival, and sales are performed there. Thereafter, in the purchased home, the power is turned on for the first time and the use is started. In the following description, both the household electrical appliance 3 that is in a distribution state in a company and the household electrical appliance 3 that is in use at home are referred to as a household electrical appliance 3. Moreover, in embodiment of this invention, the household appliances 3 are on condition that it is connected to the network 4 and can communicate with another apparatus in the use state in a house etc.

  In the foregoing, the server 1 and the business terminal 2 are computers each including at least a memory serving as a storage unit used when performing arithmetic processing, an arithmetic processing device that performs the arithmetic processing, and an HDD that stores various data and the like. Configured as The memory is constituted by a RAM (Random Access Memory) or the like. Arithmetic processing is realized by an arithmetic processing unit configured by a CPU (Central Processing Unit) executing a program on a memory. The computer includes a network interface for communication.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a product life cycle information management system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  In FIG. 2, the server 1 accumulates and manages information on the life cycle of the home appliance 3 generated in the company or home, processes this information, and provides the information to the company or home that becomes the user. The information on the life cycle here is information on the product from the time when the home appliance is manufactured, distributed, sold, used by the consumer, and then recycled / discarded. Details of the information regarding the life cycle will be described later.

  The server 1 includes a communication unit 11 that performs communication via the network 4, a calculation unit 12 that realizes various functional units by causing a CPU to execute a program stored in a memory, and various information configured in an HDD. It is comprised by the database (henceforth DB) 13-16 to store.

  The communication unit 11 of the server 1 transmits information received from the business terminal 2 and the home appliance 3 to the calculation unit 12 and transmits information received from the calculation unit 12 to the business terminal 2 and the home appliance 3.

  The calculation unit 12 performs processing such as processing of information from the user such as the business terminal 2 and the home appliance 3 received from the communication unit 11 and registers it in the DB. In addition, when the information is provided to the user, the calculation unit 12 retrieves and acquires the corresponding information from the DB, processes the information, and provides the processed information to the user. The calculation unit 12 includes a DB management function unit 12a, a monitoring function unit 12b, a remote command function unit 12c, a data analysis function unit 12d, a data processing function unit 12e, and the like. The DB management function unit 12a registers information in the DB, searches for information stored in the DB, and the like. The monitoring function unit 12b monitors information received from the user in real time or periodically. The remote command function unit 12c generates and transmits a control signal for remote control of the home appliance 3 being used by the user. The data analysis function unit 12d performs data analysis such as statistical analysis of information retrieved from the DB and feature extraction using a data mining technique. The data processing function unit 12e creates and processes data registered in the DB and data provided to the user.

  User information DB 13, product information DB 14, product information DB 15, and life cycle DB 16 are provided as DBs used by calculation unit 12. Hereinafter, the configuration of these DBs will be described.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a table of the user information DB 13. The user information DB 13 holds information related to service users. In the table of the user information DB 13, one record represents one user, a user ID 131 that is an identification number, a user name 132 that represents a user's name and location, and an IP that represents an IP address of a business terminal or home appliance held by the user. Address 133, classification 134 indicating the type of user such as a home or manufacturer's shipping center, retail distribution center or store, information transmission 135 indicating information transmission method / schedule to server 1, mail address, etc. The notification destination 136 and the like indicating the destination when performing the above are held in one record. The information transmission 135 reflects the information set by the user on the business terminal 2 and the home appliance 3 side in the user information DB 13 or the business terminal 2 and the home appliance 3 refer to the information set on the user information DB 13 by the server 1 side. Information may be transmitted on a schedule. The user information DB 13 is registered when the service provider subscribes to the service, and the IP address 133 is updated each time it is allocated by an Internet service provider or the like.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a table of the product information DB 14. The product information DB 14 holds information at the individual product level of the home appliance 3 that is the target of the product life cycle information management system. In the table of the product information DB 14, one record represents one home appliance 3, and the serial number 141, the model 142, and the like are held in one record. The production number here is a number added at the time of production for each individual product of the home appliance 3, and it is assumed that one device can be uniquely specified from all home appliances by this production number. The model here is a number representing the product type. For this reason, there are devices with a plurality of serial numbers for one model except for custom-made products. This information is provided and held by the manufacturer at the time of manufacturing the home appliance 3 or the like.

  The product information DB 15 holds information for each model of the home appliance 3. Although not shown, the table of the product information DB 15 holds information such as the product name for each model. This information is provided and held by the manufacturer at the timing when a new type of home appliance 3 is manufactured and sold.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a table of the life cycle information DB 16. The life cycle information DB 16 holds information related to the life cycle for each individual product of the home appliance 3. In the table of the life cycle information DB 16, one record represents information related to one "event" (hereinafter referred to as "event information"). The event here refers to business information or operation information that occurs in the life cycle of the home appliance 3. If the business information is used, the manufacturer's “shipment”, retail “arrival” and “sales” ”,“ Recycle acceptance ”, and the like, and in the case of operation information,“ power ON ”,“ power OFF ”,“ ON reservation setting ”,“ change to set temperature XX degrees ”, etc. at the time of use. As shown in FIG. 5, one record in the table of the life cycle information DB 16 includes the serial number 161 of the device to be the event target, the event content 162 indicating the event content, the date and time 163 when the event occurred, and the event generation. The user ID 164 representing the user is stored. As described above, the life cycle information DB 15 stores a plurality of pieces of event information of a plurality of home appliances 3. The above-described information relating to the life cycle means a set of event information relating to the home appliance 3 having a certain serial number.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the business terminal 2 includes a communication unit 21, a calculation unit 22, and an input / output unit 23, and an event generated by a business of a company related to the life cycle of home appliances such as a manufacturer or a retailer It is also used when information (business event information) is acquired / collected and transmitted to the server 1 and information provided from the server 1 is referred to.

  The communication unit 21 performs transmission of the business event information processed by the calculation unit 22 to the server 1 and transmission of information received from the server 1 to the calculation unit 22.

  The calculation unit 22 performs processing for transmitting the business information acquired from the input / output unit 23 to the server 1 as business event information, and processes the event information received from the server 1 via the communication unit 21. The calculation is also performed.

  The input / output unit 23 inputs business information that is a basis of business event information to be transmitted to the server 1 and displays information provided from the server 1. The business information is individual level information acquired by reading an electronic tag or a bar code attached to the main body of the home appliance and its packaging by business, and is input by a method such as file import.

  The home appliance 3 acquires and collects information (operating information) on the operating state of the device when used at home, and transmits it to the server 1 as event information (operating event information) that occurs during operation. The operation information is information relating to, for example, power ON / OFF and device settings. It is also used when referring to information provided from the server 1.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the home electric appliance 3 includes a memory, an arithmetic processing unit, and a network interface in addition to hardware / software (hereinafter, referred to as a control module 31) for realizing functions originally provided as a home electric appliance. It is assumed that at least the cooperation module 32 provided is configured. In the embodiment of the present invention, the cooperation module 32 is built in the home appliance 3, but may be externally attached to the home appliance 3.

  The linkage module 32 includes a communication unit 33 that performs communication via the network 4, and a calculation unit 34 that implements a state monitoring function unit 34a and a remote control function unit 34b by the CPU executing a program stored in the memory. , And an input / output unit 35.

  The communication unit 33 of the cooperation module 32 transmits the operation information received from the calculation unit 34 to the server 1 and transmits the event information and control signals received from the server 1 to the calculation unit 34. Communication with the server 1 is realized by a method such as connecting to a home network accessible to the network 4 or directly connecting to the network 4 by PHS or the like.

  The calculation unit 34 receives input information from the input / output unit 35, transmits output information to the input / output unit 35, detects and processes operation information to be transmitted to the server 1 via the communication unit 33, Process the received event information. The state monitoring function unit 34a of the calculation unit 34 constantly monitors the state of the control module 31, detects ON / OFF of the power supply, change of the setting state, and the like, and acquires it as operation information. The remote control function unit 34b receives a remote control signal from the server 1 via the communication unit 33, interprets the content, and instructs the control module 31 to perform control such as forced stop. Regarding the status monitoring and remote control of the home appliance 3 from the server 1, an existing technology that realizes control such as power ON / OFF from a mobile phone or a personal computer through the Internet can be used in an information home appliance.

  The input / output unit 35 displays information provided from the server 1 and receives input from the user.

  FIG. 6 shows a process for collecting business information from the business terminal 2 and operation information from the home appliance 3 as business event information and operation event information and storing them in the life cycle information DB 16 of the server 1 in the embodiment of the present invention. It is a flowchart explaining a processing operation, which will be described next.

  First, information acquisition / transmission processing at the business terminal 2 in a company will be described.

(1) The business terminal 2 is normally in a standby state for receiving business information, and detects whether or not a business information file has been placed at a designated location by a user or the like. Until the file is placed, the file detection is continued in the standby state. The file has information on the individual product level obtained by reading the electronic tag or barcode attached to the main body of the home appliance and its packaging, and is placed in a place where the file reading device is located ( Steps S101 and S102).

(2) In step S102, when the business terminal 2 detects that the file has been placed, the business terminal 2 expands the detected business information file and acquires a list of serial numbers of the home appliances 3 to be worked on. . It is assumed that the file format, data items, etc. are preset (step S103).

(3) Next, for each acquired manufacturing number, it is set to perform the processing of steps S105 and S106 (steps S104 and S107).

(4) After that, the contents of the work of the work information performed for the device having the acquired production number are acquired. This business content acquisition is to acquire the business content described for each serial number, or the business content specified by the user when placing the file if all the business content in the list is the same (Step S105).

(5) For each serial number, the business content and time stamp grasped by the processing in step S105 are added. As for the time stamp, if there is date / time information in the base file, the data is diverted, and if not, the date / time information at this time is added (step S106).

(6) The processing in step S105 and step S106 is performed for each manufacturing number, and processing is performed for all the manufacturing numbers acquired by the processing in step S103. Outputs a file in a preset format. Then, according to the information transmission schedule set in advance by the business terminal 2, if real-time transmission is performed, the file is immediately transmitted to the server 1 as business event information. If batch transmission is performed, the file is transmitted when the schedule time comes. Thereafter, the process returns to the business information reception standby state in step S101 and continues processing (steps S107 and S108).

  The above is the processing operation for information acquisition / transmission at the business terminal 2 in the company.

  Next, information acquisition / transmission processing in the home appliance 3 installed in a home or the like will be described.

(1) Similarly to the business terminal 2, the home appliance 3 is also in a standby state for receiving operating information (change in operating state), and the status monitoring function unit 34a of the linkage module 32 has been notified of operating information from the control module 31. Detect whether or not. Until the operation information is detected, the detection of the notification of the operation information is continued in the standby state (steps S201 and S202).

(2) If the state monitoring function unit 34a detects the operation information of the control module 31 in the process of step S202, the state monitoring function unit 34a acquires the contents. The content of the operation information is, for example, that the power is turned on or off, the setting is changed, and the like (step S203).

(3) Next, the serial number of the home appliance 3 is acquired. The serial number is held in a storage medium in the linkage module 32 such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) held by the calculation unit 34, for example. Further, the date and time when the operation information is generated from the control module 31 is acquired (steps S204 and S205).

(4) The production number, operation information content, and date / time data acquired in the above processing are output to a file in a preset format, and the information transmission schedule is set in the same manner as in the case of the business terminal 2. To the server 1 as operation event information. After the file is transmitted, the process returns to the process from the operation information reception standby state in step S201 to continue the process (step S206).

  The above is the processing operation for information acquisition / transmission in the home appliance 3 installed in the home or the like. Information acquisition / transmission from the home appliance 3 can be acquired / transmitted from a user who is not registered in the user information DB 13. For this reason, sufficient security measures such as device authentication and electronic signature must be taken for communication with the server 1.

  Next, information reception / registration processing in the server 1 will be described.

(1) The server 1 is normally in a standby state for receiving event information from the business terminal 2 and the home appliance 3, and detects whether the monitoring function unit 12b of the computing unit 12 has received the event information. Until event information is detected, detection of reception of event information is continued in a standby state (steps S301 and S302).

(2) If reception of event information is detected in step S302, the transmission source is specified. Since the source IP address is added to the event information, it is acquired (step S303).

(3) The user information DB 13 is searched from the IP address acquired in the process of step S302, and the corresponding user ID 131 and classification 134 are acquired. If the corresponding user ID 131 is not in the user information DB 13, “unknown” is assumed. In this case, if the “unknown” user is a home, it is a user who has newly installed a home appliance. Therefore, the user is requested to register the user using the IP address acquired in step 303. Separately, user information registration processing is performed (step S304).

(4) Next, it is set to perform the processing of steps S306 to S308 for each acquired manufacturing number (steps S305 and S309).

(5) Next, the data processing function unit 12e of the calculation unit 12 creates event information to be registered in the product life cycle DB 16. For this reason, first, the user ID acquired by the process in step S304 is added to the event information for each manufacturing number. Further, the contents of the event are refined and updated based on the classification 134 acquired from the user information DB 13 as necessary. For example, when the business content in the event is “shipment” and the user classification is “manufacturer”, the business content, that is, the event content is “manufacturer shipment” (step S306).

(6) Next, it is determined whether or not the event information including the manufacturing number, the event content, the date and time, and the user ID generated by the process of step S306 has already been registered in the life cycle information DB 16. That is, the DB management function unit 12a searches the life cycle information DB 16, determines that it is already registered when there is an identical record, and determines that it is unregistered when there is no identical record. The case where the same record has already been registered is a case where a company or the like erroneously transmits information twice (step S307).

(7) If it is determined in step S307 that there is no record in the life cycle information DB 16, the event information generated by the process in step S306 is registered in the life cycle information DB 16 (step S308).

(8) When the processes from step S306 to step S308 described above are performed for each manufacturing number and all the received manufacturing numbers are processed, the process returns to the process from step S301, and the event information reception standby state is resumed. The processing from is continued (S309).

  The above is the processing operation until the product life cycle information management system collects and accumulates event information.

  In the processing described above, the input of business information at the business terminal 2 is a file input. However, the business terminal 2 may directly perform the generation of business information. In this case, the business tag is generated by reading the electronic tag or barcode attached to the home appliance 3 with a reader connected to the business terminal 2 and performing the business such as shipment or arrival on the business terminal 2. It will be.

  The event information collected and accumulated as described above can be used to prevent unauthorized distribution and unauthorized use of the home appliance 3, to deal with problems in the home appliance 3, marketing of retail companies and manufacturers that sell home appliances, etc. Next, these examples will be described.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining the processing operation in the first utilization example of the embodiment of the present invention in which collected / accumulated event information is utilized to prevent unauthorized distribution / use of the home appliance 3. Will be described.

(1) The server 1 is in an operation event information reception standby state from the home appliance 3 and detects whether the monitoring function unit 12b of the calculation unit 12 has received the event information. Until operation event information is detected, detection of reception of event information is continued in a standby state (steps S501 and S502).

(2) When reception of the operation event information is detected in step S502, the manufacturing number of the household electrical appliance 3 included in the information is acquired, and the DB management function unit 12a uses the life cycle information as event information corresponding to the acquired manufacturing number. It retrieves and acquires from DB16 (step S503, S504).

(3) The latest event information is extracted from the event information acquired in step S504, and the latest user is searched from the user ID in the user information DB 13 and confirmed (step S505).

(4) Further, by referring to the latest user information transmission 135 from the user information DB 13 and confirming the schedule, it is determined whether or not the event information has been updated to the latest state. For example, when the information transmission is “real time”, the latest event information on the user side is already received, the life cycle information DB 16 is determined to be in the latest state, and the information transmission 135 becomes “batch”. If it is, there is a possibility that the latest event information on the user side has not been transmitted yet, and it is determined that the latest information has not arrived (step S506).

(5) If it is determined in step S506 that the latest information has not arrived, the latest operation event information of the user acquired in the process in step S505 is in a reception standby state, and is described in the information transmission 135 of the user information DB. Since the operation event information is transmitted at the set time, it waits until that time and waits for reception of the operation interface bend information (steps S507 and S508).

(6) If the latest information has already arrived in the determination in step S506, or after receiving the operation event information in the process of step S508, confirm the event contents of the event information corresponding to the manufacturing number again, It is determined whether or not there is a “sales” event (step S509).

(7) If it is determined in step S509 that there is a sales event, the event content of the event information corresponding to the production number is further confirmed, whether there is a “recycle registration” event, and “recycle registration”. When there is no event, since the home appliance 3 is a device that has been sold and is not registered for recycling, it can be determined that the home appliance corresponding to the serial number is a regular distribution product. Returning to the process from a certain step S501, the process is continued (step S510).

(8) If it is determined in step S509 that there is no “sales” event, it is assumed that the home appliance corresponding to the serial number is a stolen product, and if there is a “recycle registration” event in the confirmation in step S510, Since the home appliance corresponding to the serial number is found to be used even though it is scheduled to be recycled, it can be determined that it is a cross-flow product, so the latest event information confirmed in the process of step S505 Notification of unauthorized use detection is made to the user, and the use is stopped. For example, when an e-mail address is described from the notification destination 136 of the user information DB 13, this notification is notified by generating an unauthorized use detection notification screen and transmitting the URL by e-mail (step S511).

(9) Further, illegally use devices are forcibly stopped. This process is performed by the remote command function unit 12 c of the calculation unit 12 transmitting a remote stop command from the server 1 to the home appliance 3. It is desirable to use a standardized remote stop command format, but if the command format differs for each device, the product information DB 15 holds the content of the remote stop command for each model and refers to it when sending it. Change the format and send it. When receiving the command, the remote control function unit 34b of the calculation unit 34 of the home appliance 3 controls the control module 31 to forcibly stop it. After transmitting the remote stop command, the server 1 returns to the process from step S501 and again enters the standby state for the operation event information (step S512).

  FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the unauthorized use detection notification screen transmitted in step 511 described above. The detection notification screen 5110 includes a target product column 5111 that describes the contents of the target home appliance 3, a latest registration content column 5112 that describes the latest event information acquired in the process of step S 505, and detection details of unauthorized use. And the unauthorized use content column 5113 and the like. When the unauthorized user is not registered in the user information DB 13, the unauthorized user in the unauthorized use content column 5113 is described as “unknown”.

  The above is the processing operation in the product life cycle information management system when the event information is used to prevent unauthorized distribution / use.

  In the above-described example, the home appliance 3 that has been determined to be unauthorized use is forcibly stopped by the server 1, but the liquid crystal display device can be connected through the input / output unit 35 of the home appliance 3 without being forced to stop. It is also possible to display a warning message or the like.

  In addition, in the above-mentioned example, an illegal distribution product is one that does not have a “sales” event, and one that has a “recycle registration” event even if there is a “sales” event. If there is a business to be performed, it may be determined whether the product is illegally distributed based on the presence or absence of the event information. In addition, even when a device stolen from a legitimate user is illegally used, it is possible to detect a fraudulent product by receiving a report from the legitimate user to the server.

  According to the first utilization example described above, the product life cycle information management system detects and forcibly stops the detection and use of devices that have been used through illegal distribution channels, such as stolen products and recycled products. It becomes possible to do. In addition, it is possible to grasp users such as retail stores that have been managed before unauthorized use. This makes it possible to prevent unauthorized distribution of devices. In addition, since the stolen goods are identified for the stolen retail stores and the like, it is possible to accurately maintain the logical inventory information and prevent out-of-stock and missed sales.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining the processing operation in the second utilization example of the embodiment of the present invention, which is utilized for dealing with a failure when the collected and accumulated event information occurs in the home appliance, This will be described.

(1) The server 1 is in a reception standby state for information (problem information) related to the occurrence of a malfunction of the home appliance 3 from a manufacturer or the like, and detects whether the monitoring function unit 12b of the calculation unit 12 has received the malfunction information. To do. Until the failure information is detected, detection of reception of the failure information is continued in a standby state. The defect information can be received by, for example, a method in which a dedicated Web application is prepared in the server 1 and a manufacturer accesses the Web application through a browser and inputs detailed contents from the screen when a defect occurs. Note that an example of the input screen here will be described later with reference to FIG. 10 (steps S701 and S702).

(2) When the server 1 receives the defect information from the manufacturer or the like, the server 1 acquires the manufacturing number of the product to be defect included in the reported defect information (step S703).

(3) Next, for each acquired manufacturing number, it is set to perform the processing of steps S705 to S711 (steps S704 and S712).

(4) Thereafter, the life cycle information DB 16 is searched based on the acquired manufacturing number, all corresponding event information is acquired, the latest event information is extracted from the acquired event information, and the user ID and manufacturing are extracted. The number is extracted, and the latest user is searched from the user information DB 13 based on the user ID, and it is determined whether or not the classification 135 is “home” (steps S705 to S707).

(5) If it is determined in step S707 that the latest user is a home, a response method included in the defect information input by an input person such as a manufacturer (in this case, a method of only notification to the user as the response method) If there is a forced stop included in the response method, it is determined whether or not the forced stop is included in the response method. The function unit 12c transmits a forced stop signal to the target home appliance 3 to forcibly stop the home appliance 3 (steps S708 and S709).

(6) After the process in step S709 or in the determination in step S708, if the response method is not forcible stop but only notification, the name and model of the home appliance 3 are used to notify the home. Is obtained from the product information DB 15, and a notification including the content of the defect is created by the data processing function unit 12e (step S710).

(7) If it is determined in step S707 that the latest user is a retail company, a notification message for the company is created. In the case of a company, the data processing function unit 12e creates a list for each company, describes the manufacturing number of the defect target together in the list, and also describes the contents of the defect, and creates a notification for the company (step) S711).

(8) The processing from step S705 to step S711 is performed for each manufacturing number of the defect target, and after the creation of the notification to each user is completed, the created notification for the user is transmitted to each user. For the notification destination and method, the notification destination 136 of the user information DB 13 is referred to for each user, and the notification may be performed according to the reference (step S713).

(9) Next, to the input person such as the manufacturer who has input the defect information, a list of the manufacturing number of the defect target extracted in the process of step S706 and its location (latest user) is created and transmitted. Returning to the processing from step S701, the processing is continued from the processing in which the failure information reception standby state is set (step S714).

  FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen in the case where a defect occurrence is accepted through the Web in the processing in step S702.

  The defect occurrence content input screen 7010 shown in FIG. 10 includes a target manufacturing number column 7011 for inputting a manufacturing number to be a defect target, a defect content column 7012 for inputting a defect content, and a countermeasure method column for selecting a countermeasure method for a defective product. 7013 and the like are included. In the example described, two handling methods are prepared: notifying the user only or notifying the user for reasons such as high risk and forcibly stopping the home appliance. The user inputs these items and clicks a send button 7014 to transmit input data to the server 1.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a screen example of a defective product location list created by the processing in step S714 and transmitted to the defect information input person.

  In the example shown in FIG. 11, the URL of the list may be transmitted to the input person by e-mail or the like, and the input person may be referred to by accessing the URL described therein with a browser. In the defective product list 7141 on the defective product location list screen 7140 in FIG. 11, the latest user and its state (“in use” when the user is home, “inventory” when retailing) for each production number to be defective, Information such as whether notification has been performed or not is displayed.

  The above is the processing operation in the product life cycle information management system when the event information is used for dealing with product defects.

  In the above-described example, the person who entered the defect information is supposed to input the defect manufacturing number, but the event information is used to obtain the corresponding manufacturing number. (For example, a search is performed based on the event content 152 and date 153 of the product life cycle information DB 16 with the manufacturing number shipped in a certain period as a defect target, and the result is set as a defect target). May be.

  In the above example, when the company is the latest user, only the notification method is used. However, as in the case of the home, a plurality of response methods are prepared, and the defect information input person selects from among them. It may be. In the above example, when the home is a user, only two notification methods are used, that is, only notification is performed, or both notification and forced stop are performed. For example, only a specific function is disabled. Various measures can be taken as long as the server 1 can remotely control the home appliance 3. If the response method that can be implemented for each type of household electrical appliance 3 is different, the product information DB 15 holds variations of the response method for each type, and the server 1 is connected to the product information when the person who enters the defect information specifies the serial number. It is also possible to search the DB 14 and the product information DB 15 to obtain a variation of the corresponding method and present it to the input person, and then let the input person select.

  According to the second utilization method described above, the product life cycle information management system according to the embodiment of the present invention is in a state where a device in a distribution state or a device that has already been used is in a state when a failure occurs in the device. Regardless, it is possible to determine the latest location. Further, not only can the user be notified of the failure target quickly, but the user can be forcibly stopped in the case of a failure with a high degree of danger such as ignition. As a result, the user can prevent an accident due to a malfunction of the device, and the manufacturer or the like can quickly and inexpensively collect and repair the malfunctioned device.

  FIG. 12 is a flowchart for explaining the processing operation in the third utilization example of the embodiment of the present invention in which collected and accumulated event information is utilized for marketing of a retail company or a manufacturer who sells home appliances. Next, the processing shown in FIG. 12 will be described using marketing for a retail company as an example. In addition, marketing here means grasping | ascertaining the utilization state of the user of household appliances.

(1) The server 1 is in a standby state for receiving a marketing information request from a retail company user, and detects whether the monitoring function unit 12b of the computing unit 12 has received the marketing information request. Until the marketing information request is detected, the reception of the marketing information request is continuously detected in the standby state. The request can be received, for example, by a method in which a dedicated web application is prepared in the server 1 and a retail company accesses the web application by a browser and inputs detailed contents from the screen. An example of the input screen here will be described later with reference to FIG. 13 (steps S901 and S902).

(2) Upon receiving the request input data from the retail enterprise user, the server 1 specifies the user who transmitted the request, acquires the target model in the input data, and searches the product information DB 15 based on the target model. In the illustrated example, the product information DB 15 holds a marketing analysis function (hereinafter referred to as a provided analysis function) that can be provided for each type of home appliance. Therefore, the server 1 can acquire the provided analysis function based on the model. When the provided analysis function is acquired, the server 1 presents the list to the user and allows the user to select the provided analysis function to be actually performed. Note that an example of the selection screen here will be described later with reference to FIG. 14 (step S903).

(3) The server 1 waits in the state of step S903 for detection of analysis content reception until the selection data of the analysis function desired by the user is transmitted from the user to the server 1, and the provision selected by the user When the data of the analysis function is received, the serial number corresponding to the input target model is retrieved from the product information DB 14 and acquired (Steps S904 and S905).

(4) Next, it is set to perform the processing of steps S907 to S909 for each serial number acquired in the processing of step S905 (steps S906 and S910).

(5) Thereafter, the life cycle information DB 16 is searched based on the acquired manufacturing number, all corresponding event information is acquired, the user ID of the requesting user is held in the acquired event information, and It is determined whether there is event information whose event content is “sales” (steps S907 and S908).

(6) If it is determined in step S908 that the acquired event information includes event information that holds the user ID of the requesting user and the event content is “sales”, the serial number has the serial number. The product operation event information is extracted, and the operation event information corresponding to the input target period is narrowed down. If there is no corresponding event information, nothing is done (step S909).

(7) After performing the processing from step S907 to step S909 for each serial number acquired by the processing of step S905, the data analysis function unit of the computing unit 12 using all the operation event information narrowed down by the processing of step S909. 12d performs the analysis. In this analysis, for the provided analysis function selected by the user in step S903, the corresponding program is started from the analysis programs held in the storage medium in the calculation unit 12, and the extracted operation event information is analyzed. This is the process to be performed. As for the contents / algorithm of the program, existing data analysis techniques such as statistics, data warehouse, and data mining can be used (step S911).

(8) For all the provided analysis functions selected by the user, after the analysis of the operation event information is completed in the process of step S911, the data processing function unit 12e creates an analysis result, and the user corresponding to the request source The result is transmitted to the notification destination registered in the notification destination 136 of the information DB 13, and the process returns to the process of waiting for reception of the glue request again from step S901 and continues the process (step S912).

  FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a screen when a request is accepted through the Web in the process of step S902 described above. A marketing target input screen 9010 shown in FIG. 13 includes a target model column 9011 for inputting a model of a home appliance to be marketed, a target period column 9012 for inputting a target period, and the like. The user can send input data to the server 1 by inputting these items and clicking a send button 9013.

  FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating a screen example in which the provided analysis function is presented and selected on the Web screen in the same manner as the request reception in the process of step S903 described above. The marketing function selection screen 9030 shown in FIG. 14 includes an analysis function list 9031 that displays the provided analysis functions that can be provided side by side and allows the user to select them. This information extracts, registers, and holds an analysis function that can be provided when new product information or the like is provided from the manufacturer to the product information DB 15. The user selects analysis contents to be browsed and clicks a transmission button 9032 to transmit the selected data to the server 1.

  FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of an analysis result transmitted to the request source in the process of step S912 described above. In the example shown in FIG. 15, the URL of the analysis result may be transmitted to the request source by e-mail or the like so that the request source user can refer to it by accessing the URL described there with a browser. The analysis result screen 9120 shown in FIG. 15 includes a target product / period column 9121 for displaying the content and target period of the target product, the number of corresponding products (the number of manufacturing numbers), an analysis result column 9122 for displaying the analysis result, and the like. included.

  The above is the processing operation of the product life cycle information management system when the event information is utilized for marketing for retail companies.

  In the third utilization example described above, one type is input by the request source user, but a plurality of types may be input. In this case, the provided analysis function is acquired from the product information DB 15 for each input model, the provided analysis function to be implemented is selected for analysis, and the analysis result is displayed.

  In the third utilization example described above, the request source user is a retail company. However, a home appliance manufacturer may be the request source user. In the case of the above-described retail company, only the home appliances sold at the company / own store are targeted for analysis. However, when the manufacturer is the request source, only the model of the company's product may be targeted for analysis.

  In the third usage example described above, the same analysis function is provided regardless of the requesting company, but the number and types of analysis functions to be provided may be changed depending on the service fee paid to the provider. Good. In this case, a column representing the provision level is prepared in the table of the user information DB 13, and a column representing the provision level necessary for each provision analysis function is prepared in the table of the product information DB 15, so that the provision level of the request source user is set. Only the provided analysis function included can be selected.

  In the third application example described above, statistics and the like using operation event information of home appliances with a plurality of serial numbers are performed. However, the operation event information for each user of home appliances is analyzed, and the user's Within the scope of permission, it is also possible to provide usage state statistical data, features, etc. for each user.

  According to the third usage example described above, the product life cycle information management system provides information on the usage status of the user after manufacture / sales by the manufacturing company or retail company within the range of the product manufactured or sold by the company. It becomes possible to do. This makes it possible for manufacturing companies and retailers to understand how much the functions of the new product are used and how they are used, and more closely match the usage patterns of users. It can be reflected in product development and sales talks at customer service in stores. In addition, it becomes possible for the user to receive a product proposal or the like that matches the usage pattern from the retail store.

  Each process in the above-described embodiment of the present invention is configured by a program and can be executed by a CPU included in the present invention. These programs are stored in a recording medium such as an FD, CDROM, or DVD. It can be provided and can be provided by digital information via a network.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described concretely, this invention is not limited to this, In the range which does not deviate from the summary, it can be variously changed. Moreover, although the embodiment of the present invention described above has been described by taking home appliances as an example, the target product is any type that can be connected to a network, such as housing equipment, business equipment, and transportation equipment such as automobiles. It can be applied to other devices. Moreover, although the home is assumed as a user of an apparatus, every individual and group which use products, such as a company, are also the same.

  In the above-described embodiment of the present invention, the device is identified by the manufacturing number. For example, any identifier may be used as long as it can uniquely identify the device such as a MAC address.

  Further, the above-described embodiment of the present invention assumes a model of a manufacturer, a retail company, or a user as a player related to a product supply chain, but can be applied to other models such as a manufacturer direct sales model. It is.

  In the above-described embodiment of the present invention, the provider manages the information such as product information and product life cycle information in a unified manner. However, the manufacturer manages the product event and the business event information of the manufacturing process. The location of the actual information may be anywhere as long as the distributor can freely refer to the event information, such as a retail company or the like that the home appliances hold the operating event information, etc.

It is a block diagram which shows the outline | summary of a structure of the product life cycle information management system by one Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the function structure of the product life cycle information management system by one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the table of user information DB. It is a figure which shows an example of the table of thing information DB. It is a figure which shows an example of the table of life cycle information DB. It is a flowchart explaining the processing operation | movement until business information from a business terminal and operation information from home appliances are collected as event information and stored in a life cycle information DB. It is a flowchart explaining the processing operation | movement in the 1st utilization example of embodiment of this invention which utilized in order to suppress the unauthorized distribution and utilization of household appliances for the event information collected and accumulate | stored. It is a figure which shows an example of the unauthorized use detection notification screen transmitted at step 511 of FIG. It is a flowchart explaining the processing operation in the 2nd utilization example of embodiment of this invention utilized for the response | compatibility when a malfunction generate | occur | produces in household appliances for the event information collected and accumulate | stored. It is a figure which shows an example of a screen in the case of accepting generation | occurrence | production of a defect by Web by the process by step S702 of FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of a screen of the malfunctioning product location list created by the process by step S714 of FIG. 9, and transmitted to a malfunction information input person. It is a flowchart explaining the processing operation in the 3rd utilization example of embodiment of this invention which utilized the collected and accumulated event information for the marketing of the retail company which sells household appliances, or a manufacturer. It is a figure which shows the example of a screen in the case of receiving a request with Web by the process of step S902 of FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of a screen which presents and provides a provision analysis function by a Web screen similarly to request reception by the process of step S903 of FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the analysis result transmitted to a request origin by the process of step S912 of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Server 2 Business terminal 3 Home appliance 4 Network 11, 21, 33 Communication part 12, 22, 34 Operation part 12a DB management function part 12b Monitoring function part 12c Remote command function part 12d Data analysis function part 12e Data processing function part 13 User Information DB
14 Product information DB
15 Product information DB
16 Lifecycle information DB
23, 35 Input / output unit 31 Control module 32 Cooperation module 34a Status monitoring function unit 34b Remote control function unit

Claims (10)

In a product life cycle information management system that manages information generated in the life cycle from manufacturing to distribution, sales, operation, maintenance / repair, disposal / recycling of equipment including home appliances in units of individual products as products,
A business terminal installed at a business base including a device manufacturing base and distribution base, and acquiring business information including equipment manufacturing information and distribution information;
It is installed at the base where the equipment is installed and used, and it is built in or externally attached to the equipment, and the operation information acquisition means for acquiring operation information including the power supply and settings of the equipment is connected to the server via the network.
The server acquires business information and operation information from the business terminal and operation information acquisition means, and stores and manages the business information and operation information as a series of product life cycle information for each individual product of the device. A product life cycle information management system comprising product life cycle information storage means. In the product life cycle information management system according to claim 1,
In response to a request for providing information about a product from a business terminal installed at a business site including a manufacturing site and a distribution site, the server is configured to store the product life cycle in the product life cycle information storage unit for the corresponding product. A product life cycle information management system comprising product life cycle information utilization means for retrieving information and providing the retrieved result to a requesting business terminal. In the product life cycle information management system according to claim 2,
The product life cycle information utilization means analyzes the searched product life cycle information, calculates the business content of the equipment at the business operator base, calculates statistical information regarding the operation content at the use base, and extracts features. A product life cycle information management system that is characterized. In the product life cycle information management system according to claim 2,
The server monitors the contents of operation information and operation information acquired from the operation terminal or operation information acquisition means in real time or periodically, and is derived and set in advance from previous product life cycle information of the same or other devices. Monitoring means for detecting the business information or operation information that meets the conditions
The product life cycle information utilization means provides information related to the business information or operation information detected for a preset notification destination when the monitoring means detects the business information or operation information corresponding to the condition. Product lifecycle information management system characterized by In the product life cycle information management system according to claim 4,
The operation information acquisition means built in or externally attached to the device has a control means for receiving a control command for the device from a remote location and controlling the operation of the device,
The server further includes a remote command unit, and transmits a control command to the control unit of the device that is the target of the operation information when the monitoring unit detects the operation information corresponding to the condition. Product life cycle information management system characterized by controlling the operation of the equipment by doing. In the product life cycle information management method for managing information generated in the life cycle from manufacturing, distribution, sales, operation, maintenance / repair, disposal / recycling of equipment including home appliances in units of individual products as products,
A business terminal installed at a business base including a device manufacturing base and distribution base, and acquiring business information including equipment manufacturing information and distribution information;
Installed at the site where the equipment is installed and used, built-in or externally attached to the equipment, and connected to a server via the network with operation information acquisition means for acquiring operation information including the power supply and settings of the equipment,
The server acquires business information and operation information from the business terminal and operation information acquisition means, and stores and manages the business information and operation information as a series of product life cycle information for each individual product of the device. A product life cycle information management method characterized by: In the product life cycle information management method according to claim 6,
The server searches the product life cycle information for the corresponding product in response to a request for providing information about a product from a business terminal installed at a business base including a manufacturing base and a distribution base, and displays the search result. A product life cycle information management method characterized in that the product life cycle information is provided to a requesting business terminal. In the product life cycle information management method according to claim 7,
When providing the searched result to the requesting business terminal, the searched product life cycle information is analyzed, and the calculation of statistical information regarding the business content of the device at the provider site and the operation content at the usage site, A product life cycle information management method characterized by extracting a product. In the product life cycle information management method according to claim 7,
The server monitors the contents of operation information and operation information acquired from the operation terminal or operation information acquisition means in real time or periodically, and is derived and set in advance from previous product life cycle information of the same or other devices. Detect and monitor the business information or operation information that meets the conditions
Providing the information related to the detected business information or operation information to a preset notification destination when the business information or operation information corresponding to the condition is detected by the monitoring when providing the information; Characteristic product life cycle information management method. In the product life cycle information management method according to claim 9,
The operation information acquisition means built in or external to the device can control the operation of the device by receiving a remote control command of the device,
When the monitoring unit detects the operation information corresponding to the condition, the server controls the operation of the device by transmitting a control command to the device that is the target of the operation information. Characteristic product life cycle information management method.

Images