JP2021097877A - Home appliance, home appliance system, evaluation method, and evaluation criteria generation method - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a home appliance, a home appliance system, an evaluation method, and an evaluation criteria generation method, capable of accurately determining whether a user uses the home appliance efficiently or not by detecting and evaluating an operation method of the home appliance by the user.SOLUTION: A home appliance (cleaner) 100 is a home appliance that serves a prescribed function by operating according to operation by a user. The home appliance has an operation detection unit 140. The operation detection unit detects an operation of the home appliance operated by the user.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Embodiments of the present invention relate to home appliances, home appliances systems, evaluation methods, and evaluation criteria generation methods.

Some home appliances, such as vacuum cleaners, are moved and used by the user. The vacuum cleaner is provided with a dust sensor that detects dust sucked from the head portion. Whether or not the vacuum cleaner is used efficiently is determined based on the detection result of the dust sensor. However, it may be difficult to determine whether or not the vacuum cleaner is used efficiently only based on the amount of dust sucked detected by the dust sensor.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2019-188238

The problem to be solved by the present invention is a home electric appliance that can accurately determine whether or not the user is using the home electric appliance efficiently by detecting the operation of the home electric appliance operated by the user. It is to provide a home appliance system, an evaluation method, and an evaluation standard generation method.

The home electric appliance of the embodiment is a home electric appliance that exerts a predetermined function by operating according to a user's operation. The home electric appliance has a motion detection unit. The motion detection unit detects the motion of the home electric appliance operated by the user.

The perspective view which shows the whole structure of the vacuum cleaner which concerns on 1st Embodiment. The perspective view which shows the head part of a vacuum cleaner. A block diagram showing the functional configuration of a vacuum cleaner. The figure explaining the learning model used by the evaluation department. The figure which shows a part of the neural network used for a learning model schematically. A flowchart showing processing in the evaluation control mode. A flowchart showing an adjustment process of evaluation criteria. The figure which shows an example of the structure of a home appliance system. The block diagram which shows the functional structure of an information processing apparatus. A block diagram showing a functional configuration of a terminal device. The figure which shows the display screen of a terminal device. The figure which shows the screen of the cleaning map. A flowchart showing an evaluation standard generation process.

Hereinafter, the home electric appliance, the home electric appliance system, the evaluation method, and the evaluation standard generation method of the embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, configurations having the same or similar functions are designated by the same reference numerals. Then, the duplicate description of those configurations may be omitted. As used herein, the term "based on XX" means "based on at least XX" and includes the case where it is based on another element in addition to XX. Further, "based on XX" is not limited to the case where XX is directly used, but also includes the case where it is based on the case where calculation or processing is performed on XX. As used herein, the term "YY1 or YY2" is not limited to the case where only "YY1" is present or the case where only "YY2" is present, and also includes the case where both "YY1" and "YY2" are present. .. This also applies when there are three or more elements connected by "or". In the present specification, "at least one of ZZ1 and ZZ2" is not limited to the case where both "ZZ1" and "ZZ2" are present as a premise, and only "ZZ1" is present, or "ZZ2". Including the case where only exists. Each of "XX", "YY1", "YY2", "ZZ1", and "ZZ2" is an arbitrary element (for example, arbitrary information, function, or configuration).

In this specification, front / rear, left / right, and top / bottom are defined based on the user who uses the vacuum cleaner. As used herein, the terms "same" and "parallel" include the cases of "substantially the same" and "substantially parallel." As used herein, the term "connection" includes the case of an electrical connection.

(First Embodiment)
[1-1. Overall configuration of vacuum cleaner]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the overall configuration of the vacuum cleaner. The vacuum cleaner 100 is an example of a home electric appliance that exerts a predetermined function by operating according to a user's operation. The vacuum cleaner 100 is, for example, a so-called stick-type vacuum cleaner, which is a cordless type vacuum cleaner having a built-in secondary battery 115 as a power source. However, the vacuum cleaner 100 is not limited to the above example, and may be another type of vacuum cleaner such as a canister type having a vacuum cleaner main body including wheels.

The vacuum cleaner 100 includes, for example, a vacuum cleaner main body 110, an extension pipe 120, and a head portion 130. The vacuum cleaner main body 110 includes, for example, a main body case 111, a grip portion 112, a dust collector 113, an electric blower 114, a secondary battery 115, and a control circuit 150.

The main body case 111 forms an outer shell of the vacuum cleaner main body 110. The main body case 111 houses the electric blower 114, the secondary battery 115, and the control circuit 150. The main body case 111 has an extension pipe connecting portion 111a to which one end of the extension pipe 120, which will be described later, is connected.

The grip portion 112 is provided at the upper rear end portion of the main body case 111. The grip portion 112 is a portion gripped by the user when the surface F to be cleaned is cleaned by using the vacuum cleaner 100. The grip portion 112 has an operation unit 112a that receives a user's operation regarding the operation of the vacuum cleaner 100. The operation unit 112a includes, for example, a plurality of buttons. Further, the grip portion 112 has a notification unit 112b and an motion detection unit 140. Details of the notification unit 112b and the motion detection unit 140 will be described later.

The dust collector 113 is detachably attached to the main body case 111. The dust collector 113 is a device that separates dust contained in the air sucked into the vacuum cleaner main body 110 by the action of the electric blower 114 described later. The dust collector 113 may be, for example, a centrifugal dust collector that separates dust by swirling dust-containing air, or a filtration-type dust collector that separates dust by passing dust-containing air through a filter. ..

The electric blower 114 includes a fan motor and an impeller rotated by the fan motor, and is driven to generate negative pressure. The electric blower 114 sucks dust-containing air from the suction port 130a of the head portion 130, which will be described later, into the dust collector 113 of the vacuum cleaner main body 110 by the generated negative pressure, and cleans the air from which the dust is separated by the dust collector 113. Exhaust to the outside of the machine 100.

The secondary battery 115 supplies the vacuum cleaner 100 with the electric power required for the vacuum cleaner 100 to operate. For example, the secondary battery 115 supplies electric power to the electric blower 114, the control circuit 150, the first brush motor 135 described later, the second brush motor 136, and the like.

The control circuit 150 includes a circuit board provided with a wiring pattern and a plurality of electronic components mounted on the circuit board. These electronic components include, for example, a hardware processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) that executes a computer program, an LSI (Large Scale Integration), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), and a PLD. Includes one or more components such as (Programmable Logic Device).

The extension tube 120 is formed in an elongated shape, for example, and has a first end portion 120a and a second end portion 120b. The first end 120a of the extension pipe 120 is airtightly connected to the extension pipe connection portion 111a of the vacuum cleaner main body 110. The second end 120b of the extension tube 120 is airtightly connected to the head 130. Inside the extension pipe 120, a connection wiring for electrically connecting the vacuum cleaner main body 110 and the head portion 130 is provided.

The head portion 130 is a portion that is moved along the surface to be cleaned F. Hereinafter, the head portion 130 of the present embodiment will be described in detail.

[1-2. Head part]
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a head portion of the vacuum cleaner. The head portion 130 includes, for example, a connecting tube 131, a case 132, a first rotating brush 133, a second rotating brush 134, a first brush motor 135 (see FIG. 3), and a second brush motor 136 (see FIG. 3). ..

The connecting pipe 131 is a portion that airtightly connects the case 132 and the second end portion 120b of the extension pipe 120. The connection tube 131 is rotatably connected to the case 132. By connecting the case 132 and the extension pipe 120 by the connecting pipe 131, an air passage is formed from the suction port 130a of the case 132 to the vacuum cleaner main body 110 via the extension pipe 120.

The case 132 is formed in a horizontally long shape, that is, in a longitudinal shape in the left-right direction. The case 132 has a suction port 130a at a lower portion facing the surface to be cleaned F. All or most of the suction port 130a is open downward. The suction port 130a is an opening for sucking dust on the surface F to be cleaned by driving the electric blower 114 of the vacuum cleaner main body 110.

The first rotating brush 133 is provided at the suction port 130a and is arranged along the surface to be cleaned F. The first rotating brush 133 is provided at the front end portion of the head portion 130. The longitudinal direction of the first rotating brush 133 is parallel to the longitudinal direction (left-right direction) of the head portion 130. The first rotating brush 133 rotates in the rotation direction from the front side to the rear side when the head portion 130 is viewed from below.

The second rotating brush 134 is provided at the suction port 130a and is arranged along the surface to be cleaned F. The second rotating brush 134 is provided behind the first rotating brush 133 in the front-rear direction of the head portion 130. The longitudinal direction of the second rotating brush 134 is parallel to the longitudinal direction of the first rotating brush 133. The second rotating brush 134 rotates in the direction of rotation from the rear side to the front side when the head portion 130 is viewed from below. That is, the first rotating brush 133 and the second rotating brush 134 rotate in opposite directions to each other. The present invention can be applied even when the first rotating brush 133 and the second rotating brush 134 rotate in the same direction, or when there is only one rotating brush provided on the head portion 130.

[1-3. Vacuum cleaner function configuration]
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the vacuum cleaner. The vacuum cleaner 100 includes an operation detection unit 140, a dust detection unit 170, an operation unit 112a, a notification unit 112b, a fan motor 116, a first brush motor 135, a second brush motor 136, and a control circuit 150. To be equipped.

The motion detection unit 140 includes an acceleration sensor and a gyro sensor, and detects the motion of the head unit 130 of the vacuum cleaner 100 operated by the user. In the present embodiment, the motion detection unit 140 is provided on the grip unit 112. By doing so, even if the head portion 130 collides with an obstacle when the vacuum cleaner 100 is operated, the decrease in detection accuracy due to vibration can be reduced, and the strength required for mounting the sensor can be secured. Becomes easier. Not limited to this, the motion detection unit 140 may be provided in the head unit 130. If the motion detection unit 140 is provided in the head unit 130, the detection accuracy can be improved in that the movement of the head unit 130 is directly detected. Further, the motion detection unit 140 may be provided on a connecting member (for example, an extension pipe 120) between the grip portion 112 and the head portion 130. As a result, the motion detection unit 140 indirectly detects the motion of the head unit 130 while avoiding damage to the sensor and deterioration of the detection accuracy.

The motion detection unit 140 detects motion information indicating the operation of the vacuum cleaner 100 based on the output of the acceleration sensor or the gyro sensor, and outputs the detected motion information to the control circuit 150. The motion detection unit 140 detects and outputs motion information at regular time intervals. The "motion information" includes, for example, the speed, acceleration, moving direction, and moving distance of one motion of the head unit 130, but is not limited thereto. For example, the "operation information" includes information such as the lifting time of the head portion 130, the non-moving time, the speed change, the material of the floor surface, the air volume of the electric blower 114, the instantaneous power consumption, and the collision with an obstacle. May be good.

The dust detection unit 170 is a sensor that detects the amount of dust sucked from the head unit 130. The dust detection unit 170 is an optical sensor including a light emitting element and a light receiving element, and is provided at a place where dust passes in the vacuum cleaner 100. The light emitted from the light emitting element is received by the light receiving element, but the light is blocked when dust passes through. The dust detection unit 170 detects the amount of dust based on the signal output from the light receiving element, and outputs the dust amount information indicating the detected amount of dust to the control circuit 150. The dust detection unit 170 detects and outputs dust amount information at regular time intervals.

The operation unit 112a includes a power button for turning on the power to the vacuum cleaner 100 and a mode setting button for setting the operation mode of the vacuum cleaner 100. The operation unit 112a outputs a signal for identifying the button pressed by the user to the control circuit 150.

The notification unit 112b has an LED (Light Emitting Diode) that emits light in blue or red, and notifies information about the operation of the vacuum cleaner 100. For example, the notification unit 112b emits a blue LED when the vacuum cleaner 100 is used efficiently, and emits a red LED when the vacuum cleaner 100 is not used efficiently. Details of the evaluation of whether or not the vacuum cleaner 100 is used efficiently will be described later. The notification unit 112b is not limited to the LED. For example, the notification unit 112b may be a display device that displays information on the screen, or may be a speaker that notifies information by voice.

The fan motor 116 is a motor that rotationally drives the impeller of the electric blower 114. The fan motor 116 is, for example, a DC motor, but the fan motor 116 is not limited to this, and various motors can be used. The electric blower 114 sucks air from the suction port 130a by the negative pressure generated by the rotation of the fan motor 116.

The first brush motor 135 is a motor that rotationally drives the first rotary brush 133. The second brush motor 136 is a motor that rotationally drives the second rotating brush 134. The first brush motor 135 and the second brush motor 136 are, for example, DC motors, but the present invention is not limited to this, and various motors can be used. By rotating the first rotating brush 133 and the second rotating brush 134, dust can be scraped out from the surface to be cleaned F.

The control circuit 150 includes an evaluation unit 151, an electric blower control unit 152, a rotary brush control unit 153, an evaluation standard adjustment unit 154, a communication unit 155, and a storage unit 156. Among these functional units, the evaluation unit 151, the electric blower control unit 152, the rotary brush control unit 153, and the evaluation standard adjustment unit 154 are such that the hardware processor provided in the control circuit 150 executes a computer program. Is realized by.

The storage unit 156 is a non-volatile memory such as a flash memory. The storage unit 156 stores the operation information indicating the operation of the head unit 130 detected by the operation detection unit 140 and the dust amount information indicating the amount of dust detected by the dust detection unit 170 in association with each other. The storage unit 156 also stores the evaluation criteria used by the evaluation unit 151 and the setting information of the operation mode of the vacuum cleaner 100 set by using the operation unit 112a.

The evaluation unit 151 evaluates the operation of the vacuum cleaner 100 detected by the motion detection unit 140 based on a predetermined evaluation standard. Specifically, the evaluation unit 151 reads the evaluation standard from the storage unit 156, and the operation information (speed, acceleration, movement direction of the head unit 130, movement distance of one operation, etc.) and evaluation output from the operation detection unit 140. The operation of the head unit 130 is evaluated based on the reference.

For example, the evaluation criterion is an appropriate range of data included in the operation information. Specifically, when the evaluation standard is a value representing the appropriate speed range of the head unit 130, the evaluation unit 151 determines whether or not the speed of the head unit 130 detected by the motion detection unit 140 is included in the appropriate speed range. The indicated value is output as an evaluation value.

The notification unit 112b turns on the LED in blue or red based on the evaluation value output from the evaluation unit 151. For example, the notification unit 112b turns on the LED in blue when the speed of the head unit 130 is included in the appropriate speed range. Further, the notification unit 112b turns on the LED in red when the speed of the head unit 130 is not included in the appropriate speed range.

When the notification unit 112b is provided with a display device, the evaluation-related information derived from the evaluation value may be displayed on the display device. For example, when the speed of the head unit 130 exceeds the appropriate speed range, a message such as "Let's move a little more slowly" may be displayed on the display device as evaluation-related information. Further, when the notification unit 112b is provided with a speaker, the message may be output by voice.

The operation unit 112a is used to set whether or not to control the operation of the head unit 130 based on the evaluation value. Specifically, the operation unit 112a accepts the setting of the "evaluation control mode" in response to the button operation from the user. The "evaluation control mode" is a mode in which the electric blower 114, the first rotating brush 133, and the second rotating brush 134 are controlled based on the evaluation value calculated by the evaluation unit 151. When the "evaluation control mode" is set, the evaluation unit 151 outputs the evaluation value calculated using the evaluation standard to the electric blower control unit 152 and the rotary brush control unit 153.

When the "evaluation control mode" is set, the electric blower control unit 152 controls the electric blower 114 based on the evaluation value calculated by the evaluation unit 151. Further, the rotary brush control unit 153 controls the first brush motor 135 and the second brush motor 136 based on the evaluation value calculated by the evaluation unit 151.

For example, when the evaluation value indicates that the speed of the head unit 130 exceeds the appropriate speed range, the electric blower control unit 152 controls the fan motor 116 so as to rotate the impeller of the electric blower 114 quickly. On the other hand, when the evaluation value indicates that the speed of the head unit 130 is less than the appropriate speed range, the electric blower control unit 152 controls the fan motor 116 so as to slowly rotate the impeller of the electric blower 114. When the evaluation value indicates that the speed of the head unit 130 is included in the appropriate speed range, the electric blower control unit 152 maintains the rotation speed of the impeller of the electric blower 114 at the normal rotation speed. , Control the fan motor 116.

Similarly, for example, when the evaluation value indicates that the speed of the head unit 130 exceeds the appropriate speed range, the rotation brush control unit 153 rotates the first rotation brush 133 and the second rotation brush 134 at high speed. It controls the first brush motor 135 and the second brush motor 136. On the other hand, when the evaluation value indicates that the speed of the head unit 130 is less than the appropriate speed range, the rotation brush control unit 153 first rotates the first rotation brush 133 and the second rotation brush 134 slowly so as to rotate the first rotation brush 133 and the second rotation brush 134 slowly. It controls the brush motor 135 and the second brush motor 136. When the evaluation value indicates that the speed of the head unit 130 is included in the appropriate speed range, the rotation brush control unit 153 normally rotates the rotation speeds of the first rotation brush 133 and the second rotation brush 134. The first brush motor 135 and the second brush motor 136 are controlled so as to maintain the speed.

The evaluation standard adjusting unit 154 adjusts the evaluation standard based on the dust amount information and the operation information accumulated in the storage unit 156. The details of the processing contents of the evaluation standard adjusting unit 154 will be described later. The communication unit 155 is a communication device for communicating with an external device via a network.

The "evaluation standard" used by the evaluation unit 151 is defined as an appropriate range of data included in the operation information, but is not limited to this. For example, the "evaluation criterion" may be a learning model composed of a neural network. The learning model as an evaluation standard will be described below.

[1-4. Learning model configuration]
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a learning model used by the evaluation unit. The learning model 180 includes an input layer 181, an intermediate layer 182, and an output layer 183. In FIG. 4, the learning model 180 includes one intermediate layer 182, but may include a plurality of intermediate layers 182.

When the evaluation unit 151 inputs the operation information of the vacuum cleaner 100 (speed, acceleration, moving direction, moving distance of one operation, etc.) of the vacuum cleaner 100 to the input layer 181, the evaluation value is output from the output layer 183. The "evaluation value" is a value of 0 or more and 1 or less, and the larger the value, the more efficiently the vacuum cleaner 100 is used.

FIG. 5 is a diagram schematically showing a part of the neural network used in the learning model. x indicates the value of the unit (node) of each layer. The value of each unit is calculated by multiplying the output of the unit of the previous layer by the weight w and adding the value by a predetermined function. These can be expressed as follows.

Here, b is a bias term. As the function f, a ReLU function, a sigmoid function, or the like is used. By repeating the calculation of the above equation (1) from the input layer 181 to the output layer 183, the evaluation result by the learning model 180 can be obtained. “Learning” means adjusting the weight w, the bias term b, and the like to appropriate values. Learning is performed by a stochastic gradient descent method or the like. That is, a random value is given to the weight w and the bias term b of each layer, and a data set to be teacher data is given to the input layer 181. In the initial stage of learning, the output value output from the output layer 183 is an incorrect value, but in the case of teacher data, since the value (target value) that is originally desired to be output is known, the output value and the target value The weights and the like are updated in reverse order from the output layer 183 to the input layer 181 so that the deviation (error) becomes small. This is called error back propagation, and the error between the output value and the target value is expressed by squared error or cross entropy. At this time, if the error is expressed by a differentiable function, the amount (gradient) to be adjusted in order to reduce the error can be calculated.

The evaluation unit 151 evaluates the operation of the head unit 130 using the learning model, and calculates an evaluation value indicating the evaluation result. As described above, the "evaluation value" is a value of 0 or more and 1 or less, and the larger the value, the more efficiently the vacuum cleaner 100 is used. The evaluation unit 151 outputs the calculated evaluation value to the notification unit 112b.

The notification unit 112b turns on the LED in blue or red based on the evaluation value output from the evaluation unit 151. For example, the notification unit 112b turns on the LED in blue when the evaluation value is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold value. Further, the notification unit 112b turns on the LED in red when the evaluation value is less than a predetermined threshold value.

When the notification unit 112b is provided with a display device, the evaluation-related information derived from the evaluation value may be displayed on the display device. For example, a score for cleaning may be calculated based on the evaluation value, and a message such as "Today's cleaning is 82 points" may be displayed on the display device. Further, when the notification unit 112b is provided with a speaker, the message may be output by voice.

[1-5. Processing in evaluation control mode]
FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing processing in the evaluation control mode. This flowchart is repeatedly executed at regular time intervals after the power of the vacuum cleaner 100 is turned on. First, the control circuit 150 determines whether or not the evaluation control mode is set by using the operation unit 112a (S10). When it is determined that the control mode is not set (S10: NO), the control circuit 150 ends the process according to this flowchart.

On the other hand, when it is determined that the control mode is set (S10: YES), the control circuit 150 acquires operation information and evaluation criteria from the storage unit 156 (S11, S12). The evaluation unit 151 of the control circuit 150 calculates an evaluation value for the operation of the head unit 130 based on the operation information and the evaluation standard acquired from the storage unit 156 (S13).

The notification unit 112b notifies the evaluation value calculated by the evaluation unit 151 or the evaluation-related information derived from the evaluation value (S14). The electric blower control unit 152 controls the rotation speed of the impeller of the electric blower control unit 152 by controlling the fan motor 116 based on the evaluation value calculated by the evaluation unit 151 (S15). The rotary brush control unit 153 controls the first brush motor 135 and the second brush motor 136 based on the evaluation value calculated by the evaluation unit 151, thereby controlling the rotation speeds of the first rotary brush 133 and the second rotary brush 134. Is controlled (S16). This completes the process according to this flowchart.

[1-6. Evaluation Criteria Adjustment Process]
Next, the evaluation standard adjustment process will be described. The condition of the floor surface (flooring, long-haired carpet, etc.) of the user's room to be cleaned differs depending on the user who uses the vacuum cleaner 100. If the condition of the floor surface to be cleaned is different, the optimum operation of the head portion 130 is also different. Therefore, the evaluation standard adjusting unit 154 performs the evaluation standard adjusting process so that the operation of the head unit 130 can be appropriately evaluated according to the condition of the floor surface to be cleaned.

Here, the adjustment process of the evaluation standard when the evaluation standard is the learning model 180 shown in FIG. 4 will be described. The evaluation standard adjusting unit 154 additionally learns the learned learning model 180 mounted on the vacuum cleaner 100 based on the operation information and the dust amount information detected at the time of cleaning.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the adjustment process of the evaluation criteria. This flowchart is repeatedly executed at regular time intervals while the user is operating the vacuum cleaner 100. First, the evaluation reference adjustment unit 154 of the control circuit 150 acquires the operation information (speed, acceleration, movement direction of the head unit 130, movement distance of one operation, etc.) detected by the operation detection unit 140 (S20). Next, the evaluation standard adjusting unit 154 acquires the dust amount information (information indicating the amount of dust sucked from the head unit 130) detected by the dust detecting unit 170 (S21).

The evaluation standard adjusting unit 154 calculates an evaluation value based on the acquired dust amount information (S22). For example, the evaluation standard adjusting unit 154 calculates the evaluation value by a predetermined method so that the range of the evaluation value is 0 or more and 1 or less, and the larger the amount of dust, the larger the value.

Next, the evaluation standard adjusting unit 154 adjusts the evaluation standard by using the teacher data in which the operation information acquired in step S20 and the evaluation value calculated in step S22 are associated with each other (S23). Specifically, the evaluation standard adjusting unit 154 adjusts the weight w and the bias term b in the above equation (1) to appropriate values by error back propagation using the teacher data. The evaluation standard adjusting unit 154 stores the adjusted weight w and parameters such as the bias term b in the storage unit 156 as the evaluation standard. This completes the process according to this flowchart.

In this way, the evaluation standard adjustment unit 154 performs the evaluation standard adjustment process by performing additional learning of the learning model 180. As a result, the evaluation unit 151 can appropriately evaluate the operation of the head unit 130.

As described above, the vacuum cleaner 100 of the first embodiment has an operation detection unit 140 that detects the operation of the vacuum cleaner 100 operated by the user. By using the detection result of the motion detection unit 140, the vacuum cleaner 100 of the first embodiment can accurately determine whether or not the user is using the vacuum cleaner 100 efficiently.

(Second embodiment)
[2-1. Overall configuration of home appliance system]
In the first embodiment, the embodiment of the vacuum cleaner alone has been described. On the other hand, in the second embodiment, a part of the function of the vacuum cleaner is provided in the external device. Hereinafter, the details of the second embodiment will be described.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the home appliance system. The home appliance system 10 includes a vacuum cleaner 100, an information processing device 200, a terminal device 300, and a smart speaker 400. The vacuum cleaner 100 can communicate with the terminal device 300 and the smart speaker 400, for example, via a router R installed in the house. The vacuum cleaner 100 is connected to the network NW via the router R and can communicate with the information processing device 200. The network NW includes, for example, one or more of the Internet, a cellular network, a Wi-Fi network, a WAN (Wide Area Network), a LAN (Local Area Network), a public line, a telephone line, a wireless base station, and the like.

In the second embodiment, the terminal device 300 is provided with the same function as the notification unit 112b shown in FIG. 3 described above, and has the same function as the evaluation unit 151 and the evaluation standard adjusting unit 154 shown in FIG. 3 described above. It is provided in the information processing device 200. The communication unit 155 (see FIG. 3) provided in the vacuum cleaner 100 of the second embodiment uses an external device (see FIG. 3) for at least one of the detection result, the evaluation value, or the evaluation-related information of the motion detection unit 140. The information is transmitted to the information processing device 200, the terminal device 300, or the smart speaker 400).

[2-2. Information processing device function configuration]
FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the information processing apparatus. The information processing device 200 is a computer including a memory for storing a computer program and a hardware processor such as a CPU for executing the computer program. The information processing device 200 includes an evaluation unit 210, a communication unit 211, an evaluation standard adjustment unit 212, an evaluation standard generation unit 213, and a storage unit 214.

The evaluation unit 210 and the evaluation standard adjustment unit 212 are functional units realized by the hardware processor executing a computer program. The communication unit 211 is a communication device for communicating with an external device via the network NW. The storage unit 214 is realized by, for example, a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), a flash memory, or a hybrid storage device in which a plurality of these is combined.

The communication unit 211 receives the operation information and the dust amount information from the vacuum cleaner 100 and stores them in the storage unit 214. The evaluation unit 210 calculates the evaluation value using the operation information and the evaluation standard. Since the method of calculating the evaluation value is the same as that of the first embodiment, the description thereof will be omitted. The communication unit 211 transmits the evaluation value calculated by the evaluation unit 210 to the vacuum cleaner 100 via the network NW. When the vacuum cleaner 100 receives the evaluation value from the information processing device 200, the vacuum cleaner 100 transmits the received evaluation value to the terminal device 300 or the smart speaker 400 via the router R.

The storage unit 214 stores operation information and dust amount information received from the vacuum cleaner 100 through a plurality of cleanings. The evaluation standard generation unit 213 generates an evaluation standard as a reference when evaluating the operation of the head unit 130 based on the information stored in the storage unit 214. The details of the evaluation standard generation process will be described later.

[2-3. Functional configuration of terminal device]
FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the terminal device. The terminal device 300 is a mobile terminal device such as a smartphone or a tablet, which includes a memory for storing a computer program and a hardware processor such as a CPU for executing the computer program. The terminal device 300 includes a communication unit 310 and a notification unit 311.

The communication unit 310 is a communication device for communicating with an external device via the network NW. The communication unit 310 receives the evaluation value from the vacuum cleaner 100. The notification unit 311 has, for example, a touch panel that displays information on the screen. The notification unit 311 notifies the user of the evaluation result by displaying the evaluation value received by the communication unit 310 or the evaluation-related information derived from the evaluation value on the touch panel.

The smart speaker 400 also has the same block diagram as in FIG. However, the notification unit of the smart speaker 400 has a speaker, and outputs the evaluation value received by the communication unit 310 or the evaluation-related information derived from the evaluation value by voice.

[2-4. Display contents of terminal device]
FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a display screen of the terminal device. The notification unit 311 may calculate a score for cleaning based on the evaluation value received by the communication unit 310, and display a message 320 such as "Today's cleaning is 82 points" on the touch panel as evaluation-related information. .. Further, the notification unit 311 may display a message indicating advice on cleaning such as "let's move a little more slowly" on the touch panel as evaluation-related information based on the evaluation value received by the communication unit 310.

In addition, the cleaning map button 330 is displayed on the touch panel together with the evaluation-related information. When the user taps the cleaning map button 330, the notification unit 311 displays the cleaning map screen on the touch panel.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a screen of a cleaning map. As shown in FIG. 12, the terminal device 300 displays the cleaned area 340 on the touch panel. The terminal device 300 may receive the history of the motion information detected by the motion detection unit 140 from the vacuum cleaner 100, and determine the area 340 where the cleaning has been performed based on the history of the received motion information.

[2-5. Evaluation criteria generation process]
Next, the evaluation standard generation process will be described. Here, the process of generating the evaluation criteria when the evaluation criteria is the learning model 180 shown in FIG. 4 will be described. The evaluation standard generation unit 213 of the information processing apparatus 200 trains the evaluation standard (learning model 180) in advance so that the operation of the head unit 130 can be appropriately evaluated.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing an evaluation standard generation process. First, the communication unit 211 receives the operation information and the dust amount information from the vacuum cleaner 100 (S30). Next, the evaluation standard generation unit 213 calculates the evaluation value based on the dust amount information received by the communication unit 211 (S31). For example, the evaluation standard generation unit 213 calculates the evaluation value by a predetermined method so that the range of the evaluation value is 0 or more and 1 or less, and the larger the amount of dust, the larger the value.

Next, the evaluation standard generation unit 213 stores the teacher data in which the operation information received in step S30 and the evaluation value calculated in step S31 are associated with each other in the storage unit 214 (S32). The evaluation standard generation unit 213 determines whether or not a predetermined amount or more of teacher data has been accumulated in the storage unit 214 (S33).

When it is determined that the teacher data of a predetermined amount or more is not accumulated in the storage unit 214 (S33: NO), the process returns to the process of step S30 described above. On the other hand, when it is determined that more than a predetermined amount of teacher data has been accumulated in the storage unit 214 (S33: YES), the evaluation standard generation unit 213 reads the teacher data from the storage unit 214 and evaluates using the read teacher data. Generate a reference (S34).

Specifically, the evaluation standard generation unit 213 uses this teacher data to calculate the weight w and the bias term b in the above equation (1) by the above-mentioned error back propagation. The evaluation standard generation unit 213 stores the calculated parameters such as the weight w and the bias term b in the storage unit 156 as the evaluation standard. This completes the process according to this flowchart.

As described above, the home appliance system 10 of the second embodiment has an operation detection unit 140 that detects the operation of the vacuum cleaner 100 operated by the user. By using the detection result of the motion detection unit 140, the vacuum cleaner 100 of the second embodiment can accurately determine whether or not the user is using the vacuum cleaner 100 efficiently.

Further, in the home appliance system 10 of the second embodiment, functional units such as an evaluation unit, an evaluation standard generation unit, and a notification unit can be distributed to external devices. Thereby, the processing load of the vacuum cleaner 100 can be reduced.

In the above description, a "vacuum cleaner", which is an example of a home electric appliance, has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the home appliance may be an "iron" that the user uses to smooth out the wrinkles of clothes. In this case, the iron may be provided with a motion detection unit that detects the motion of the iron operated by the user. The evaluation unit may evaluate the operation of the iron detected by the motion detection unit based on a predetermined evaluation standard.

In addition to the configuration described in the above embodiment, the present invention stores information indicating the operation of home appliances, evaluation values thereof, evaluation-related information, and changes over time such as evaluation criteria adjusted based on these. However, an output function may be provided so that the user can confirm the change. By doing so, the user can realize that the operation of the home electric appliance has improved, and can expect the effect that the handling of the home electric appliance becomes more enjoyable.

Further, in the home electric appliance and the home electric appliance system according to the present invention, a function for identifying the user who operated the home electric appliance, such as who used it in the family, is provided, and information indicating the operation of the home electric appliance, its evaluation value, and evaluation-related Information such as information and evaluation criteria adjusted based on these may be stored for each user. In this way, it is possible to evaluate the operation of the home appliance and adjust the operation control of the home appliance according to the individual habit of the user. The function of identifying the user who operates the home electric appliance may be realized by a well-known method such as accepting the input of the user who uses the home electric appliance at any time.

Further, in the above embodiment, the motion detection unit is provided in the home electric appliance, but the present invention is not limited to this. The motion detection unit is provided in the terminal device worn by the user, and the user's operation is received from the terminal device. It is also possible to realize a home electric appliance or a home electric appliance system according to the present invention. In this case, it is preferable to provide a function for inputting a timing for demonstrating the function of the motion detection unit or ending the operation in the terminal device. By doing so, it is possible to obtain information from the motion detection unit by distinguishing between when the home electric appliance is being operated and when it is not. For example, as the above-mentioned terminal device, a smart watch worn by the user or a smartphone put in a pocket of clothes worn by the user can be used.

Although some embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention to the above embodiments. These embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. These embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope and gist of the invention, as well as in the scope of the invention described in the claims and the equivalent scope thereof.

10 ... Home appliance system, 100 ... Vacuum cleaner, 112 ... Grip part, 112a ... Operation part, 112b ... Notification part, 114 ... Electric blower, 116 ... Fan motor, 120 ... Extension pipe, 130 ... Head part, 133 ... First rotation Brush, 134 ... 2nd rotating brush, 135 ... 1st brush motor, 136 ... 2nd brush motor, 140 ... motion detection unit, 150 ... control circuit, 151 ... evaluation unit, 152 ... electric blower control unit, 153 ... rotating brush Control unit, 154 ... Evaluation standard adjustment unit, 155 ... Communication unit, 156 ... Storage unit, 170 ... Dust detection unit, 180 ... Learning model, 200 ... Information processing device, 210 ... Evaluation unit, 212 ... Evaluation standard adjustment unit, 213 ... Evaluation standard generation unit, 214 ... Storage unit, 300 ... Terminal device, 311 ... Notification unit, 400 ... Smart speaker

Claims (17)

It is a home electric appliance that exerts a predetermined function by operating according to the user's operation.
A home electric appliance including an operation detection unit that detects the operation of the home electric appliance operated by the user. An evaluation unit that evaluates the operation of the home electric appliance detected by the motion detection unit based on a predetermined evaluation standard is further provided.
The home electric appliance according to claim 1. The home electric appliance is a vacuum cleaner having a head portion for sucking dust and cleaning the surface to be cleaned by the operation of the user.
The motion detection unit detects the motion of the head unit and detects the motion of the head unit.
The evaluation unit evaluates the operation of the head unit detected by the motion detection unit.
The home electric appliance according to claim 2. A notification unit for notifying an evaluation value indicating an evaluation result by the evaluation unit or evaluation-related information derived from the evaluation value is further provided.
The home electric appliance according to claim 3. A communication unit that transmits at least one of the detection result of the motion detection unit, the evaluation value, or the evaluation-related information to an external device is further provided.
The home electric appliance according to claim 4. An electric blower that exerts a negative pressure on the surface to be cleaned,
An electric blower control unit that controls the electric blower based on the evaluation value of the operation of the head unit is further provided.
The home appliance according to claim 4 or 5. A rotating brush provided on the head portion and in contact with the surface to be cleaned,
A rotary brush control unit that controls the rotary brush based on the evaluation value for the operation of the head unit is further provided.
The home electric appliance according to any one of claims 4 to 6. An operation unit for setting whether or not to control the operation of the head unit based on the evaluation value is further provided.
The home appliance according to claim 6 or 7. The motion detection unit is provided on the head unit.
The home electric appliance according to any one of claims 3 to 8. The motion detection unit is provided on the grip unit that is gripped by the user when using the vacuum cleaner.
The home electric appliance according to any one of claims 3 to 8. The motion detection unit is provided on a connecting member between the grip portion and the head portion that are gripped by the user when using the vacuum cleaner.
The home electric appliance according to any one of claims 3 to 8. A dust detection unit that detects the amount of dust sucked from the head unit, and a dust detection unit.
A storage unit that stores operation information indicating the operation of the head unit detected by the operation detection unit and dust amount information indicating the amount of dust detected by the dust detection unit in association with each other.
An evaluation standard adjusting unit that adjusts the evaluation standard based on the dust amount information and the operation information stored in the storage unit is further provided.
The home electric appliance according to any one of claims 7 to 11. A home appliance system including a home appliance that exerts a predetermined function by operating according to a user's operation and an information processing device that can communicate with the home appliance.
The home electric appliance includes an operation detection unit that detects the operation of the home electric appliance operated by the user.
The information processing device includes an evaluation unit that evaluates the operation of the home electric appliance detected by the motion detection unit.
Home appliance system. A terminal device capable of communicating with at least one of the home electric appliance or the information processing device is further provided.
The terminal device includes an evaluation value indicating an evaluation result by the evaluation unit or a notification unit for notifying evaluation-related information derived from the evaluation value.
The home appliance system according to claim 13. A home appliance system including a vacuum cleaner that has a head portion that sucks dust and that cleans the surface to be cleaned by user operation, and an information processing device that can communicate with the vacuum cleaner.
The vacuum cleaner includes an motion detection unit that detects the operation of the head unit and
A dust detection unit that detects the amount of dust sucked from the head unit, and a dust detection unit.
A storage unit that stores operation information indicating the operation of the head unit detected by the operation detection unit and dust amount information indicating the amount of dust detected by the dust detection unit in association with each other is provided.
The information processing device
It is provided with an evaluation standard generation unit that generates an evaluation standard as a reference when evaluating the operation of the head unit based on the information accumulated in the storage unit through a plurality of cleanings.
Home appliance system. It is an evaluation method that evaluates the operation of home appliances that perform a predetermined function by operating according to the user's operation.
An operation detection step for detecting the operation of the home electric appliance operated by the user,
An evaluation step for evaluating the operation of the home electric appliance detected in the operation detection step is provided.
Evaluation method. An operation detection step that detects the operation of the head of the vacuum cleaner that cleans the surface to be cleaned by the user's operation,
A dust detection step for detecting the amount of dust sucked from the head portion, and
A storage step in which the operation information indicating the operation of the head portion detected in the operation detection step and the dust amount information indicating the amount of the dust detected in the dust detection step are associated and stored in the storage unit.
It is provided with an evaluation standard generation step of generating an evaluation standard as a reference when evaluating the operation of the head unit based on the information accumulated in the storage unit through a plurality of cleanings.
Evaluation standard generation method.

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