JP2010050664A - Household electric appliance controller and program thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

[PROBLEMS] A conventional home appliance control apparatus manages the entire house in a unified manner, and there is a possibility that inconsistencies in control contents may occur due to changes or failures in a part of home appliances in the home. Therefore, it was a weak point to change.
An apparatus including at least one behavior detecting means 101 for detecting a behavior of a person in the home and behavior information receiving means 103 for receiving the behavior information detected by the behavior detecting means 101 from other behavior information. Behavior information transmitting means 102 for transmitting to, behavior information receiving means 103 for receiving behavior information transmitted from a device equipped with other behavior information transmitting means 102, behavior detecting means 101 and behavior information receiving means 103. Action storage means 104 for storing information and order, action prediction means 105 for predicting action from information and order including past history accumulated in action storage means 104, and action predicted by action prediction means 105 Device control means for executing control contents of the corresponding home appliance is provided.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a home appliance control apparatus that automatically controls home appliances in the home in accordance with human behavior.

  Conventionally, this type of home appliance control device automatically adjusts the power consumption of home appliances in the home so that the breaker does not fall beyond the contracted capacity with a power company as shown in Patent Document 1, for example. Proposals have been made such as demand control control and automatic energy-saving control of home appliances so that the power consumption in the home as shown in Patent Document 2 is matched with the target value. Moreover, by arranging many sensors in the home as shown in Patent Document 3 and managing the sensor information in an integrated manner, clustering action patterns from the collected sensor information, The user's life abnormality is detected.

However, when these home appliance control devices regard the home as a system, the system centrally manages the necessary information, and transmits the necessary control signal from the collected information, thereby controlling the home appliance to be controlled. For example, when a change occurs in a part of the system, such as a failure of a controller that transmits control information or a failure of a sensor, there is a possibility that the entire system cannot be operated. In addition, when a new home appliance is introduced into the home or when a new purchase is made, it is necessary to change the setting of the control device, and there is a problem that the system is vulnerable to changes.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 04-168920 JP 2000-0676757 A JP 2004-295861 A

  Because conventional home appliance control devices manage the entire house in an integrated manner, if there is a change or failure in some of the home appliances in the home, there may be inconsistencies in the control details. It was weak to change.

  The present invention relates to a home appliance control apparatus, and includes at least one or more behavior detection means for detecting a behavior of a person in the home, and behavior that receives other behavior information from behavior information detected by the behavior detection means. Behavior information transmitting means for transmitting to a device having information receiving means, behavior information receiving means for receiving behavior information transmitted from a device having other behavior information transmitting means, the behavior detecting means, and the behavior information receiving Action storage means for storing information and order detected by the means, action prediction means for predicting action from information and order including past history accumulated in the action storage means, and prediction by the action prediction means Device control means for executing control contents of the home appliance corresponding to the action is provided.

  The home appliance control apparatus of the present invention can control individual home appliances in the home in a distributed manner while collecting information on other home appliances. Even in such a case, it is possible to minimize the influence and automatically respond flexibly.

The first invention is an apparatus comprising at least one or more behavior detecting means for detecting a behavior of a person in the home, and behavior information receiving means for receiving other behavior information from the behavior information detected by the behavior detecting means. The behavior information transmitting means for transmitting to, the behavior information receiving means for receiving the behavior information transmitted from the device provided with the other behavior information transmitting means, the information and order detected by the behavior detecting means and the behavior information receiving means Behavior storage means for storing behavior, behavior prediction means for predicting behavior from information and order including past history stored in the behavior storage means, and appliances corresponding to the behavior predicted by the behavior prediction means By providing device control means for executing the control contents, it is possible to control individual home appliances in the home while collecting information on other home appliances. Effect to minimize even if such change or failure, it is possible to automatically flexibility.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided at least one or more behavior detection means for detecting a behavior of a person in the home, behavior information transmission means for transmitting behavior information detected by the behavior detection means, the behavior information transmission means, and others The behavior information receiving means for receiving the behavior information transmitted by the apparatus having the behavior information transmitting means, the behavior storage means for storing the information and order detected by the behavior information receiving means, and the behavior storage means By providing a behavior prediction means for predicting behavior from information including the past history and order, and a device control means for executing control details of the home appliance corresponding to the behavior predicted by the behavior prediction means, While collecting information on home appliances, it is possible to control individual home appliances in a distributed manner, so that even if there are changes or malfunctions in some home appliances, the impact is minimized. Automatically flexibility is possible.

  According to a third aspect of the invention, in particular, the behavior detection unit of the first or second aspect of the invention acquires control information of a home appliance controlled by the user, so that the control contents and control of the home appliance corresponding to the predicted behavior are acquired. By automatically generating the timing, it becomes possible to automatically perform accurate learning according to the user's operation.

  According to a fourth aspect of the invention, in particular, the behavior prediction means of any one of the first to third aspects has a clock function, and the behavior storage means stores the time together with the behavior, The behavior prediction means can perform behavior prediction according to each time by comparing the behavior times.

  According to a fifth aspect of the invention, in particular, the behavior predicting means of any one of the first to fourth aspects has a calendar function, and the behavior predicting means switches the prediction contents for each day of the week or season. It becomes possible to perform behavior prediction according to the season.

  The sixth aspect of the invention is particularly the effect of the control content after being controlled by the device control unit from the behavior information acquired from the behavior detection unit and the behavior information reception unit of any one of the first to fifth aspects of the invention. The control effect determination means for determining the details of the change, and by updating the parameters and the control content used for the prediction of the action from the result of the control effect determination means, the details that change daily based on the operation content from the user Learning and control can be performed according to control needs.

  In the seventh invention, in particular, when the control content is further executed in any one of the first to sixth inventions, the control content is provided to the user by notifying the user of the execution content. Since it can be clearly indicated, the user can know whether the control is operating correctly, and can live in the home with peace of mind.

  In the eighth aspect of the invention, in particular, the behavior detection means of any one of the first to seventh aspects of the invention does not add a new device by using a sensor or switch provided in advance for home appliances. In addition, it is possible to introduce a home appliance control apparatus that is inexpensive and naturally blended into the user's life.

  In the ninth aspect of the invention, in particular, all or part of the information communication of the behavior information transmitting means and the behavior information receiving means of any one of the first to eighth aspects of the invention is wireless communication. Cost reduction by simplification and flexibility in arrangement can be increased.

  The tenth invention is a computer program for functioning as all or part of any one of the first to ninth inventions in particular, so that the home appliance control of the present invention can be performed using a general-purpose computer. All or part of the apparatus can be easily realized.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the present embodiment.

(Embodiment 1)
The household appliance control apparatus in 1st invention is demonstrated using FIG. 1 which is the structural example 1 of the household appliance control apparatus of a present Example.

  The home appliance control apparatus 100 includes at least a behavior detection unit 101 (behavior detection means) that detects the behavior of a person in the house, and controls the behavior information detected by the behavior detection unit with another home appliance control device or other home appliance control. Behavior information receiving unit that receives behavior information such as a behavior information transmitting unit (behavior information transmitting means) 102 that transmits to a relay device for transmission to a device, a sensor device that detects other home appliance control devices or human movements, etc. 103 (behavior information receiving means), the action detecting unit 101 and the action storing unit 104 (behavior storing means) for accumulating the action information acquired from the action information receiving unit 103, the past history accumulated in the action storing means 104 Control unit 105 (behavior prediction unit, device control unit) that predicts an action from information including the order and executes the control content of the home appliance corresponding to the predicted action It is configured Ri.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the behavior information of the household person acquired from the behavior detection unit 101 is transmitted to another home appliance control device by the behavior information transmission unit 102 and further stored in the behavior storage unit 104. . In addition, behavior information from other home appliance control devices is received by the behavior information receiving unit 103 and stored in the behavior storage unit 104.

  The control unit 105 performs behavior prediction based on the behavior information including the past history stored in the behavior storage unit 104 and the order, and further transmits a control signal to the home appliance corresponding to the behavior prediction, thereby The device can be controlled automatically. Details of each component will be described below.

  The behavior detection unit 101 (behavior detection means) is, for example, an infrared human body detection sensor that detects infrared rays emitted from the human body using a pyroelectric element or the like, or a human face by using image information such as a CCD camera. And an input device such as a home appliance or a switch provided in advance in the home. In addition, a sensor on the seat that detects the change in weight is laid on the floor in advance, or a device that reads a device that transmits radio waves that is attached to people or clothes in advance. Anything can be used as long as it can acquire action information. Here, the behavior information is a digitalized change due to a behavior of a person in the house. For example, detection information of a human body detection sensor or change information of an operation switch of a home appliance such as an air conditioner or lighting. Etc.

The behavior information transmitting unit 102 (behavior information transmitting unit) transmits information such as a sensor acquired by the behavior detecting unit 101 to other home appliance control devices. For example, wireless communication that communicates using radio waves such as specific low-power wireless and wireless LAN, PLC communication that sends information signals on home electrical wiring (power line), and wired communication that uses telephone lines Any communication may be used as long as it can communicate with other home appliance control devices. In addition, by providing a plurality of communication devices such as wireless communication and PLC communication, various behavior information can be acquired. In addition, a user can easily introduce a form that does not involve communication construction such as wireless communication or PLC communication at a low cost.

  The behavior information receiving unit 103 (behavior information receiving means) receives behavior information transmitted from another home appliance control device or a sensor device having a function such as behavior detection. For example, the specific low power wireless Other home appliances such as wireless communication that communicates using radio waves such as wireless LAN, PLC communication that sends information signals on electrical wiring (power line) in the home, and wired communication that uses telephone lines Any communication may be used as long as it can communicate with the control device. In addition, the behavior information transmitting unit 102 and the behavior information receiving unit 103 can be configured as one configuration by providing a configuration having functions of transmission and reception.

  The behavior storage unit 104 (behavior storage unit) has a function of storing information, and stores behavior information and order from the behavior detection unit 101 and the behavior information reception unit. In addition, the control details of the home appliance corresponding to the action are stored together.

  Here, the order is the order of the behavior information detected by the behavior detection means, and for example, the order of the history pattern A⇒B of the behavior information as shown in FIG. 4 is the order. In addition, when the order of only the context of the behavior information detected by the behavior detection means is stored, and the time such as the detection time when the behavior information is detected is also stored, the temporal relationship of the context is also brought together. By memorizing, it is also possible to use it to improve the accuracy of action prediction of the control unit 105.

  The behavior storage unit 104 is, for example, a flash memory represented by an SD card, a DDR memory used in combination with a CPU, a hard disk, or an optical disk. Further, it is possible to configure at a low cost by using a memory built in the control unit 105. In addition, by using a wireless technology such as a wireless LAN or Bluetooth, a memory provided outside the server or the like can be used. Furthermore, by sharing the memory with a plurality of home appliance control devices, it is possible to share the behavior information history. In addition, when storing action information, the allocated memory is handled as a ring-shaped buffer, so that memory capacity is exceeded by continuing to store new positions while deleting old action information. It is possible to use it effectively without doing it.

  The control unit 105 (behavior prediction means, device control means) is constituted by, for example, a CPU and a memory. A behavior signal is predicted from behavior information and order including past history stored in the behavior storage unit 104, and a control signal is transmitted to a home appliance corresponding to the behavior prediction. Other configurations such as a one-chip microcomputer with a single CPU and memory, and other computations such as an FPGA and a DSP may be used. Further, by configuring with a recording device such as an HDD, a DVD, or a flash memory, it is possible to perform complicated processing that uses a large amount of memory capacity. For controlling home appliances, various forms of control such as motor control using a PWM waveform or position setting using serial communication can be performed in accordance with the control target. In addition, since the control unit 105 can be used for general purposes, for example, it can be used in common with various controls of other home appliance control devices such as voice notification and control of a sensor such as a camera. is there.

  The home appliance control apparatus is not limited to FIG. 1 and may be configured as shown in FIG. The home appliance control device 200 detects the behavior of a person in the house, transmits the detected behavior information, the behavior information transmitted by the transmission unit 200a and the other home appliance control device. It is comprised by the receiving part 200b which receives action information and controls household appliances.

  Action detection unit 101 (behavior detection means) that detects at least the behavior of a person in the house, and a relay device for sending information on the behavior detected by the behavior detection unit to another home appliance control device or another home appliance control device Behavior information transmitting unit 102 (behavior information transmitting means) for transmitting to the behavior information receiving unit 103 (behavior information receiving means) for receiving behavior information such as other home appliance control devices and sensor devices for detecting human movement The behavior storage unit 104 (behavior storage unit) that accumulates the behavior information acquired from the behavior information receiving unit 103, the behavior prediction is performed by predicting the behavior from the information including the past history stored in the behavior storage unit 104 and the order. It is comprised by the control part 105 (behavior prediction means, apparatus control means) which performs the control content of the household appliances corresponding to action. The behavior detection unit 101, the behavior information transmission unit 102, the behavior information reception unit 103, the behavior storage unit 104, and the control unit 105 of the home appliance control unit 200 are the same as those described in FIG. .

  By dividing the home appliance control device 200 into the transmission unit 200a and the reception unit 200b, the transmission unit 200a and the reception unit 200b can be installed in different places. For example, the transmission unit including a human body detection sensor It is possible to solve the positional problem between the home appliance to be controlled and the action information to be acquired, such as attaching 200a to the ceiling in the house and incorporating the receiving unit 200b in the home appliance.

  Next, FIG. 3 shows a flowchart for predicting from the behavior information and controlling the home appliance, and the flow of the operation will be described.

  The operation starts from step S301. In step S301, the behavior detection unit 101 performs behavior detection processing. For example, in the case of a human body detection sensor, it is a process of scanning for the presence or absence of a human body. In addition, in the case of a switch, processing such as checking whether there is a change in the state of the switch is performed.

  In step S302, it is determined whether or not the behavior detecting unit 101 has detected a behavior. Specifically, the determination is, for example, if there is a change that can be detected as an action, for example, if the detection signal of the sensor is on, or if it is an analog signal, the threshold value is exceeded. It does n’t matter. In addition, it is possible to detect more intelligent behavior information by configuring the behavior so that it is captured in more detail, such as a more complicated pattern, for example, a person in the image of the camera image moving from the east to the west in the corridor. Become. However, in the behavior detection unit 101, the behavior information is accumulated in the behavior storage unit 104 without capturing a specific sequence of behaviors. Therefore, by referring to the history of the behavior accumulation unit 104, the behavior series is stored. It is possible to predict the flow of However, since the storage capacity required for the action storage unit 104 increases if changes are memorized in detail, for example, in the case of a human detection sensor, when continuously detected for 5 seconds, It is desirable to use a certain amount of unit change as behavior information.

  If no action is detected, the action is returned to step S301 to repeatedly perform action detection processing. When the behavior is detected, the behavior information is transmitted from the behavior information transmission unit 102 to the other home appliance control apparatus, is stored in the behavior storage unit 104, and the operation transitions to step S303.

In step S303, a comparison process with a history including past behavior information accumulated in the behavior storage unit 104 is performed. Specifically, as shown in the example of the control content of the home appliance corresponding to the behavior of FIG. 4, the stored history and the history including past behavior information are compared and the degree of similarity is compared. To do. For example, when the history content including past action information is “room A → corridor A 6 seconds”, when the similarity is calculated by the following formula, the action No. The similarity of 1 is
Similarity = Pattern match x Time match
= 100% (complete match) x 5 seconds / 6 seconds (pattern time / real time) = 83%
It becomes.

  However, for calculating the similarity, it is necessary to appropriately create a calculation formula according to the action history pattern to be handled. In this example, a simple formula is used for explanation, but for differences in pattern matching, the difference in behavior information (including differences in rooms, etc.) is calculated using information such as distance. Alternatively, it is possible to make a configuration that can be compared with the history of behavior information by, for example, determining a correlation with behavior information obtained from another device in advance. Any method can be used as long as it can be compared with the history of behavior information.

  Next, in step S304, it is determined whether the similarity calculated in step S303 is greater than or equal to a threshold value. For example, the action No. calculated in the example of the description of S303 is described. Since it can be seen that the similarity with 1 is higher than the allowable similarity 80%, which is the threshold shown in FIG. 4, it can be determined that the similarity is higher than the threshold. If there is an action No greater than the threshold, the process proceeds to step S305, and if there is no action No greater than the threshold, the process returns to step S301.

  In step S305, the target home appliance is controlled based on the control details of the home appliance corresponding to the stored action. For example, in the example described in step S303, the action No. In the case of 1, the air conditioner A is ON-controlled. In addition, as an example of control content, if it is an air conditioner, when temperature control is performed, operation mode switching such as heating / cooling / dehumidification is performed, and if it is lighting, brightness adjustment or lighting Control such as ON / OFF of the state is performed.

  By such a flow, the home appliance control device 100 or the home appliance control device 200 uses the behavior information of the person in the house acquired from the behavior detection unit 101 and the behavior information from another home appliance control device, and the behavior storage unit 104. Automatically controls the target home appliance by performing a behavior prediction based on the behavior information and order including the past history stored in, and sending a control signal to the home appliance corresponding to the behavior prediction Will be able to.

(Embodiment 2)
In the second embodiment, by acquiring the control information of the home appliance controlled by the user, the control content and control timing of the home appliance corresponding to the predicted behavior are automatically generated, so that the user operation It is a content that automatically performs accurate learning in accordance with. This content will be described with reference to a flowchart for storing the operation content of the home appliance from the history of behavior information in FIG.

  In addition, the behavior prediction means has a clock function, the behavior storage means stores the time together with the memory of the behavior, and the behavior prediction means compares the behavior times so that the behavior prediction matched to each time. The contents to be performed will be described with reference to FIG. In addition, the behavior prediction means has a calendar function, and the behavior prediction means has the calendar function of FIG. 7 for the contents for predicting the behavior according to the day of the week or the season by switching the prediction contents for each day of the week or the season. Description will be made using a flowchart of the home appliance control apparatus and an example of control contents of the home appliance corresponding to an action using the calendar function of FIG. The configuration of this example is the same as that of the first embodiment.

  The operation starts from step S501. In step S501, action detection processing is performed by the action detection unit 101 in the same manner as in step S301.

Next, in step S502, it is determined whether or not an action is detected by the action detection unit 101, as in step S302. If no action is detected, the action is returned to step S501 and the action detection process is repeated. When the behavior is detected, the behavior information is transmitted from the behavior information transmission unit 102 to the other home appliance control apparatus, is stored in the behavior storage unit 104, and the operation is shifted to step S503.

  In step 503, as in step 303, a comparison process with a history including past action information accumulated in the action storage unit 104 is performed.

  Next, in step S504, as in step 304, it is determined whether the similarity calculated in step S503 is greater than or equal to a threshold value. If the similarity is greater than or equal to the threshold, the process proceeds to step S505. If it is less than or equal to the threshold, the process proceeds to step S507.

  In step S505, as in step S305, the target home appliance is controlled based on the control details of the home appliance corresponding to the stored action.

  In step S506, the history is updated according to the similarity calculated in step S503. Specifically, for example, when an action No as shown in the example of the control content of the home appliance corresponding to the action shown in FIG. 4 is set, when “room A → corridor A 6 seconds”, As shown in the first embodiment, the action No. 1 is selected. This action No. By updating the content of 1 to “room A → corridor A 6 seconds”, it becomes possible to update to the latest action information. In addition, for example, by setting the weight W so that the set value Xold = 5 seconds is gradually approached to Xnow = 6 seconds with respect to the time which is a difference, it is also possible to update by the following formula. .

Xnew = Xold + W (Xnow-Xold)
In addition to the above formula, it is possible to update the value appropriately by providing an update formula that matches the behavior information. By updating the history pattern of the behavior information selected in this way with the latest behavior information, the error of the behavior information can be reduced, so that the accuracy of behavior prediction can be increased.

  Next, in step S507, it is determined whether the user has operated the home appliance. For example, information acquired as behavior information can be obtained by defining in the behavior information as information operated by the user in advance, such as start / stop / temperature adjustment of the air conditioner operation, lighting on / off / dimming, etc. It is possible to determine whether the information is user operation information. If the user operates the home appliance, the operation proceeds to step S508. When a user such as a human body detection sensor is not operating the home appliance, the operation is returned to step S501 and repeated action detection processing is performed.

  In step S508, the history pattern of the new behavior information and the operation content operated by the user are stored in the behavior storage unit 104 as the history pattern of the control details of the home appliance for the behavior information as shown in FIG. By storing a new behavior information history pattern in this way, it is possible to perform general-purpose learning and predictive control of home appliances using behavior information regardless of the household configuration It becomes. In addition, by learning the user's operation content, control according to the user's habits and preferences can be achieved, and comfort due to control can be improved.

  Note that storing new behavior information history patterns steadily leads to a shortage of storage capacity and the like, and thus practicability can be maintained by appropriate adjustment. For example, by preferentially storing history patterns of behavior information with high occurrence frequency, or by leaving history patterns of behavior information that seems to have high pattern matching rate and high accuracy, It is possible to accumulate history patterns of matched behavior information.

  Next, using the example of the control content of the home appliance corresponding to the action using the clock function of FIG. 6, the action prediction means has a clock function, and the action storage means stores the time together with the action memory. Then, the behavior prediction means will explain the content of performing the behavior prediction according to each time by comparing the behavior times.

  As shown in FIG. 6, by having a clock function in the behavior predicting means, the time zone when the behavior information is acquired is stored in the behavior storage unit 104 together with the history of the behavior information, so that the control unit 105 performs the behavior prediction. When performing, by comparing the time zone in which the behavior information occurs together with the behavior information history pattern, the behavior information history can be classified by time zone, and the prediction accuracy can be improved. In this way, for example, as shown in the example of FIG. 1 from 7:00 to 23:00 enables predictive control to make the operation of air conditioner A "strong", and 23:00 to 7:00 to make the operation of air conditioner A "weak". By reflecting the change in the control content, it is possible to improve the prediction accuracy and enhance the user's comfort and satisfaction.

  Next, using the flowchart of the home appliance control apparatus having the calendar function of FIG. 7 and the example of the control contents of the home appliance corresponding to the action using the calendar function of FIG. 8, the behavior prediction means has the calendar function. The description of the behavior prediction means switches the prediction content for each day of the week or season, thereby performing the behavior prediction according to the day of the week or season.

  Note that steps S701 and S702 in FIG. 7 are the same as steps S301 and S302 described in FIG. 3 of the first embodiment, and steps S704 to S706 are steps S303 to S303 described in FIG. 3 of the first embodiment. This is the same as step S305. In step S703, the corresponding history is selected from the calendar function. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, the relevant seasonal history pattern is selected from the calendar function.

  Since the behavior prediction is performed using the history pattern A in the summer and the history pattern B in the winter, it is possible to cope with a difference in control depending on the season, so that the accuracy of the behavior prediction can be improved. .

(Embodiment 3)
The third embodiment includes a control effect determination unit that determines the effect of the control content after being controlled by the device control unit from the behavior information acquired from the behavior detection unit and the behavior information reception unit. By updating the parameters and control contents used for predicting the behavior from the result of the determination means, it is possible to perform learning and control in accordance with fine control needs that change daily based on the operation contents from the user. Content. This will be described with reference to a configuration example of the home appliance control apparatus including the control effect determination unit in FIG. 9 and a flowchart for controlling the home appliance having the control effect determination in FIG.

The home appliance control apparatus 900 provided with the control effect determination unit in FIG. 9 includes at least an action detection unit 101 (behavior detection unit) that detects an action of a person in the house, and other information on the action detected by the action detection unit. Behavior information transmitting unit 102 (behavior information transmitting means) that transmits to a home appliance control device or a relay device for sending to other home appliance control devices, other home appliance control devices, sensor devices that detect human movement, etc. The behavior information receiving unit 103 (behavior information receiving unit) that receives the behavior information of the user, the behavior storage unit 104 (behavior storage unit) that accumulates the behavior information acquired from the behavior detecting unit 101 and the behavior information receiving unit 103, and the behavior A control unit 105 (line) that performs behavior prediction based on information and order including past history accumulated in the storage unit 104 and executes control contents of the home appliance corresponding to the predicted behavior (Prediction means, device control means), control effect determination unit 806 (control effect determination means) for determining the control effect after the control of the home appliance is performed by the control unit 105 from the action information accumulated in the previous-term action storage means 104 It is comprised by. Note that the behavior detection unit 101, the behavior information transmission unit 102, the behavior information reception unit 103, the behavior storage unit 104, and the control unit 105 of the home appliance control apparatus 900 are the same as those described in the first embodiment.

  The control effect determination unit 806 (control effect determination unit) stores the behavior after the behavior prediction (behavior prediction unit) and appliance control (device control unit) of the home appliance are performed in the action storage unit 104. Based on the history of accumulated behavior information, the effect of device control of home appliances automatically performed is determined. Furthermore, by updating the control content of the history of behavior information accumulated in the behavior storage unit 104, the control content is updated based on the behavior information that is the operation content from the user.

  For example, when the operation of the air conditioner is automatically stopped by the device control of the home electric appliance of the control unit 105 during the air conditioner operation, the action detecting unit 101 detects that the user has operated the air conditioner again, and the action memory is stored. If it is accumulated in the section, it can be determined that this automatic control was a bad effect for the user. In addition, when the lighting is automatically turned on, the action detection unit 101 detects the user's behavior after the automatic control, such as when the user turns off the light with a remote controller or the like later. It is possible to automatically perform the determination.

  The control effect can be determined by determining the control details such as operation start / stop for each device in advance, so that it can be used as a criterion for pass / fail judgment, or after automatic control is performed. Since it can be determined that the content operated by the user is the content that the user really wanted to operate, the control content for the history of behavior information in the behavior storage unit 104 as shown in FIG. 4 as new control content The information can be updated.

  By configuring in this way, it becomes possible to automatically update and learn the contents of the control information, so that it always follows even if the usage situation of the user changes and conforms to the user's operation intention Control can be performed.

  In addition, when updating the control contents, do not update immediately even if operations with different contents are always performed or operations that occur very rarely, such as due to user operations, occur. By updating or learning little by little, you can refrain from excessive learning.

  In addition, various methods such as neural networks, genetic learning methods, and reinforcement learning methods have been proposed as detailed learning methods, but what is necessary is to select a more convenient method of system configuration. It may be a learning method.

  In addition, the control effect determination unit 806 can be configured at a lower cost by using the microcomputer of the control unit 105 as a part of the function of the control unit 105 and using it in common. .

  Next, the flow of operation will be described with reference to the flowchart for controlling the home electric appliance having the control effect judgment of FIG. Note that steps S1001 and S1002 in FIG. 10 are the same as the contents described in steps S301 and S302 described in the first embodiment. Steps S1005 to S1007 are the same as those described in steps S303 to S305 described in the first embodiment.

A description will be given from the case where the operation is shifted to step S1003 when the action of step S1002 is detected. In step S <b> 1003, as described in the control effect determination unit 806, the effect after the home appliance is automatically controlled by the control unit 105 is determined.

  If there is action information that can be used in the effect determination after control, the operation proceeds to step S1004. If there is no judgment of the effect after the control, as described in the first embodiment, the operation proceeds to step S1005, the comparison processing with the history is performed, and the operation continues. In step S1004, the contents of the history pattern of the behavior information are updated based on the effect determination after the control in step S1003. For example, the action No. of FIG. When the air conditioner A is turned on as shown in FIG. 1 and the user subsequently turns off the air conditioner A, the control content of the air conditioner A is changed to ON or the allowable similarity is changed. As a result, the user's operation can be learned. After updating the history pattern of the behavior information, the operation proceeds to step S1005, and the flow of the operation continues to the operation of performing the comparison process with the history. In the present embodiment, for the purpose of explanation, the effect determination process is performed after the behavior is detected. However, the effect determination process may be performed at any timing after the home appliance is controlled. It may be configured such that the effect determination is performed after a time when a user operation may occur to some extent, such as about one minute, or the effect determination is performed after the next behavior information is detected by the behavior detection unit 101. Is possible.

  By configuring in this way, it is possible to update the control content in accordance with the user operation, so that it is possible to cope with a change in the usage status of the user due to the addition of home appliances.

(Embodiment 4)
In the fourth embodiment, when the control content is executed, the control content is clearly indicated to the user by providing notification means for notifying the user of the execution content. This content will be described using a configuration example of a home appliance control device having the notification function of FIG.

  The home appliance control apparatus 1100 provided with the notification function of FIG. 11 includes at least an action detection unit 101 (behavior detection means) that detects an action of a person in the house, and other home appliances using the action information detected by the action detection unit. Behavior information transmitting unit 102 (behavior information transmitting means) that transmits to a control device or a relay device for sending to other home appliance control devices, behavior of other home appliance control devices or sensor devices that detect human movement A behavior information receiving unit 103 (behavior information receiving unit) that receives information, a behavior storage unit 104 (behavior storage unit) that accumulates behavior information acquired from the behavior detection unit 101 and the behavior information reception unit 103, and the behavior storage unit A control unit 105 (behavior) that performs behavior prediction based on information and order including past history accumulated in 104 and executes control contents of the home appliance corresponding to the predicted behavior Measuring means, the device control unit), when executing the control content, it is constituted by the notification unit 1106 for notifying the content of the execution to the user (informing means). Note that the behavior detection unit 101, the behavior information transmission unit 102, the behavior information reception unit 103, the behavior storage unit 104, and the control unit 105 of the home appliance control apparatus 1100 are the same as those described in the first embodiment.

  The notification unit 1106 (notification unit) notifies the user of the execution contents when executing the control contents. For example, the notification unit 1106 (notification means) uses a device such as a liquid crystal display for displaying characters or images, or a sound from a speaker or the like. Any device may be used as long as it is a notification device or a notification device using light such as an LED, and can transmit the execution contents to the user. In addition, for example, when the air conditioner is automatically controlled, for example, when the air conditioner is automatically controlled, the user may be notified by some kind of notification, such as, for example, telling by voice that “the air conditioner has been automatically controlled” or beeping. Can eliminate the distrust of having operated without permission, so that the user can know whether the control is operating correctly, confirm the effect, and can live at home in peace.

(Embodiment 5)
In the fifth embodiment, the behavior detection means uses sensors and switches provided in advance for home appliances, so that the user can operate a special device only by operating the home appliances with the means normally used. It can be used as behavior information for automatically controlling home appliances without operation.

  Also, by setting all or part of the information transmission means and information communication of the behavior information receiving means to wireless communication, when installing the home appliance control device, it is possible to omit wiring for communication, The construction can be shortened and the cost can be reduced, and the appearance after construction can be finished beautifully. In addition, wireless communication enables wireless communication with devices other than the home appliance control device, so information from other devices is used, for example, when other devices detect a danger, together with an alarm. It can also be used in combination with other services such as ringing. The computer described in the first to fifth embodiments is a program for causing the computer to function as all or part of the home appliance control apparatus, so that the home appliance control of the present invention can be performed using a general-purpose computer. A home appliance control apparatus that easily realizes all or part of the apparatus will be described. By making a computer a program for functioning as all or part of a home appliance control device, a general-purpose computer can be used easily, and it is compatible with various home appliance control device platforms. Is easily possible.

  Also, for example, by making a part of the program usable by a general-purpose computer, the general-purpose computer communicates with the home appliance control device of the present invention using a communication function such as a wireless LAN, and the control of the control unit 105 is performed. By performing this on the general-purpose computer side, it is possible to reduce the capabilities of functions such as the CPU and memory of the home appliance control device, so that this device can be provided at a lower cost. Furthermore, it is also possible to easily realize that the user can operate the home appliance control device from the outside via a communication function with the outside such as the Internet connected to the general-purpose computer.

  The home appliance control apparatus according to the present invention can automatically control individual home appliances in a distributed manner while collecting information on other home appliances. It is useful for devices that can be controlled automatically at home, such as automatic doors, entrance doors, automatic shutters, and automatic curtains. In addition, it is useful because the same automatic control can be performed for factories and commercial equipment.

The figure which shows the structural example 1 of a household appliance control apparatus The figure which shows the structural example 2 of a household appliance control apparatus Flow diagram for controlling home appliances by predicting from behavior information The figure which shows the example of the control content of the household appliances corresponding to action Flow chart for storing the operation details of home appliances from the history of behavior information The figure which shows the example of the control content of the household appliances corresponding to the action using a clock function Flow chart of home appliance control device with calendar function The figure which shows the example of the control content of the household appliances corresponding to the action using a calendar function The figure which shows the structural example of the household appliance control apparatus provided with the control effect determination part. Flow diagram for controlling home appliances with control effect judgment The figure which shows the structural example of the household appliance control apparatus provided with the alerting | reporting function

Explanation of symbols

100, 200, 900, 1100 Home appliance control apparatus 101 Action detection unit (behavior detection means)
102 Behavior information transmission unit (Behavior information transmission means)
103 Behavior information receiving unit (Behavior information receiving means)
104 Action storage unit (Action storage means)
105 Control unit (behavior prediction means, equipment control means)
200a transmitting unit 200b receiving unit 906 control effect determining unit (control effect determining means)
1106 Notification unit (notification means)

Claims (10)

At least one behavior detecting means for detecting behavior of a person in the home;
Behavior information transmitting means for transmitting behavior information detected by the behavior detecting means to an apparatus comprising behavior information receiving means for receiving other behavior information;
Behavior information receiving means for receiving behavior information transmitted from a device provided with other behavior information transmitting means;
Action storage means for storing information detected by the action detection means and the action information receiving means and storing the order in which the information is stored;
Behavior prediction means for predicting behavior from information and order including past history accumulated in the behavior storage means;
A home appliance control apparatus comprising device control means for executing control details of a home appliance corresponding to the behavior predicted by the behavior prediction means. At least one behavior detecting means for detecting behavior of a person in the home;
Behavior information transmitting means for transmitting behavior information detected by the behavior detecting means;
Behavior information receiving means for receiving behavior information transmitted by an apparatus comprising the behavior information transmitting means and other behavior information transmitting means;
Action storage means for storing information detected by the action information receiving means and storing the order in which the information is stored;
Behavior prediction means for predicting behavior from information and order including past history accumulated in the behavior storage means;
A home appliance control apparatus comprising device control means for executing control details of a home appliance corresponding to the behavior predicted by the behavior prediction means. 3. The home appliance according to claim 1, wherein the behavior detection unit automatically generates control content and control timing of the home appliance corresponding to the predicted behavior by acquiring control information of the home appliance controlled by the user. Control device. The behavior predicting unit has a clock function, the behavior storing unit stores a time together with a memory of the behavior, and the behavior predicting unit performs a behavior prediction by comparing the behavior time. The home appliance control apparatus according to any one of 3. The home appliance control apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the behavior predicting unit has a calendar function, and the behavior predicting unit performs behavior prediction by switching prediction contents for each day of the week or season. . From the behavior information acquired from the behavior detection means and the behavior information reception means, comprising a control effect determination means for determining the effect of the control content after being controlled by the device control means,
The household appliance control apparatus of any one of Claims 1-5 which updates the parameter and control content which are used for the prediction of the said action from the result of the said control effect determination means. The household appliance control apparatus of any one of Claims 1-6 provided with the alerting | reporting means which alert | reports the content of execution to the user when performing the said control content. The home appliance control apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the behavior detecting unit uses a sensor or a switch provided in advance in the home appliance. The home appliance control apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein all or part of the information communication of the behavior information transmitting unit and the behavior information receiving unit is wireless communication. The program for functioning a computer as all or some of the household appliance control apparatuses of any one of Claims 1-9.

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