JP7516807B2 - Information processing method, information processing system, and program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an information processing method, an information processing system, and a program that output information based on the operating status of a snow melting device.

In areas with heavy snowfall, snow needs to be cleared away as it accumulates, and to reduce the effort required for snow clearing, snow melting devices that melt snow have been put to practical use. These snow melting devices melt snow by heating a heat medium using a heat source device installed outdoors, such as on a roof or road.

The snow melting device is switched on or off manually or automatically, as described in Patent Document 1. For example, in Patent Document 1, the snow melting device is automatically switched on depending on the snowfall detected by a snow accumulation sensor, or automatically switched on by a set timer.

On the other hand, even if there is a function to automatically turn on the snow melting device as described above, users may manually operate the switch if they do not trust the snowfall detection by the snow accumulation sensor, if they want to conserve energy to reduce electricity and other costs, or if they want to melt snow to the extent they desire. For example, users may decide whether or not to melt snow based on information such as temperature and weather forecasts, or past experience, and then operate the switch.

JP 2004-293156 A

However, as mentioned above, when the user of the snow melting device manually operates the switch, the timing of operation varies from user to user. For example, the timing of operating the snow melting device varies depending on the situation, such as the degree of snow melting desired by different users, their tendency to be energy-efficient, or their tendency to forget to melt snow. As a result, a problem occurs in that users may not know the appropriate timing to operate the snow melting device, and may not be able to melt snow appropriately.

Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide an information processing method, information processing system, and program that can solve the above-mentioned problem that the user may not know the appropriate timing for operating the snow melting device, and therefore may not be able to melt the snow properly.

An information processing method according to one aspect of the present invention includes:
Acquire operation status information representing an operation status of the snow melting device, associate the operation status information with location information of the snow melting device, and store the information as association information;
outputting newly generated information based on the association information;
The structure is as follows.

In addition, an information processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention includes:
an acquisition means for acquiring operation status information representing an operation status of the snow melting device, and storing the operation status information and position information of the snow melting device in association with each other as associated information;
an output means for outputting newly generated information based on the association information;
Equipped with
The structure is as follows.

In addition, a program according to one aspect of the present invention includes:
In the information processing device,
an acquisition means for acquiring operation status information representing an operation status of the snow melting device, and storing the operation status information and position information of the snow melting device in association with each other as associated information;
an output means for outputting newly generated information based on the association information;
To achieve this,
The structure is as follows.

By being configured as described above, the present invention can provide information that allows users to recognize the appropriate timing for operating the snow melting device, and is expected to enable appropriate snow melting.

1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of an information processing system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the information processing device disclosed in FIG. 1 . FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a process performed by the information processing device disclosed in FIG. 1 . FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a process performed by the information processing device disclosed in FIG. 1 . FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a process performed by the information processing device disclosed in FIG. 1 . FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a process performed by the information processing device disclosed in FIG. 1 . FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a process performed by the information processing device disclosed in FIG. 1 . FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a process performed by the information processing device disclosed in FIG. 1 . FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a process performed by the information processing device disclosed in FIG. 1 . FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a process performed by the information processing device disclosed in FIG. 1 . FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a process performed by the information processing device disclosed in FIG. 1 . 2 is a flowchart showing a processing operation of the information processing device disclosed in FIG. 1 . 2 is a flowchart showing a processing operation of the information processing device disclosed in FIG. 1 . 2 is a flowchart showing a processing operation of the information processing device disclosed in FIG. 1 . FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a modified example of the overall configuration of the information processing system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of an information processing system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an information processing system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. 10 is a flowchart showing an operation of an information processing system according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

<Embodiment 1>
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 15. Figures 1 to 2 and 15 are diagrams for explaining the configuration of an information processing system, and Figures 3 to 14 are diagrams for explaining the processing operation of the information processing system.

[composition]
The information processing system of the present invention acquires information on the operation status and environment of snow melting devices installed in a specified area, and provides information on the operation of the snow melting device based on this information. For example, the information processing system provides the user who operates the snow melting device with the operation status of other snow melting devices installed in the vicinity, or predicts the operation status to be set and provides such information. The information processing system may also provide information for controlling the operation status of the snow melting device itself. In this embodiment, the snow melting device 1 is intended to be a heat source device installed on the roof of the house H, but the snow melting device 1 may be of any structure, such as a heat source device installed on a road or a device consisting of a pipe for spraying water.

As shown in FIG. 1, the information processing system in this embodiment includes a snow melting device 1 installed in each home H located within a specified area, a control device 2 that controls the operation of the snow melting device 1, and an information processing device 10 connected to a network. The information processing device 10 is also connected via wireless communication to a user terminal UT carried by a user U who is a resident of each home H and operates the snow melting device 1. The information processing device 10 is also connected to an environmental information providing device 20 on the network. Each component will be described in detail below.

As described above, the snow melting device 1 is composed of a heat source machine that is installed on the roof of the house H. The snow melting device 1 is connected to a control device 2 installed inside the house H, and is controlled so that its operating status is on/off in response to an on/off control command from the control device 2.

Here, the snow melting device 1 is equipped with various sensors, such as a temperature sensor that detects the air temperature and a snowfall sensor that detects the snowfall conditions. The detected air temperature and snowfall conditions are notified to the control device 2 described later, and are used, for example, in the control device 2 to determine whether to automatically operate/stop the snow melting device 1. The detected air temperature and snowfall conditions may also be transmitted to the information processing device 10 via the user terminal UT as described later, and used as environmental information representing the environment at the location where the snow melting device 1 is installed. In this case, the environmental information is not limited to information detected by various sensors installed in the snow melting device 1, but may also be information acquired by various sensors installed at a location other than the snow melting device 1. However, in this embodiment, the environmental information is mainly information acquired from the environmental information providing device 20 as described later.

The control device 2 has a function to control the operation status of the snow melting device 1 to operate or stop. At this time, the control device 2 has a function to automatically control the operation status of the snow melting device 1 to operate/stop, and transmits an operation/stop control command to the snow melting device 1 to control the operation status of the snow melting device 1 to operate/stop. For example, the automatic operation/stop function of the control device 2 controls the operation status of the snow melting device 1 to operate/stop automatically according to a set timer or according to the snowfall detection state by a snowfall sensor. Furthermore, the automatic operation/stop function of the control device 2 controls the operation status of the snow melting device 1 to operate/stop automatically according to a control command based on the prediction result of the operation status to be set from the information processing device 10, as described below.

The control device 2 also has a function of controlling the operation status of the snow melting device 1 to operate/stop in response to manual operation by the user U. In other words, the control device 2 has an operation unit that is operated by the user U, and when the operation unit is operated to operate/stop, it transmits a control command to operate/stop the snow melting device 1, thereby controlling the operation status of the snow melting device 1 to operate/stop.

The user terminal UT is an information processing terminal, such as a smartphone or tablet terminal, that includes a computing device and a storage device. The user terminal UT includes an operation status notification unit and an operation status acquisition unit that are constructed by the computing device executing a program.

When the user U operates the control device 2 to control the operation status of the snow melting device 1, the operation status notification unit also accepts the operation status of the snow melting device 1 input from the user U to the user terminal UT, and transmits operation status information indicating the operation status to the information processing device 10. Note that the operation status information includes, for example, information indicating whether the snow melting device 1 is "operating/stopped" and information indicating whether the operation/stop was performed "automatically/manually", and such information is input by the user U to the user terminal UT. However, it is sufficient that the operation status information includes at least information indicating whether the snow melting device 1 is "operating/stopped".

At this time, the operation status notification unit transmits, together with the operation status information, identification information for identifying the snow melting device 1 that is preset for the snow melting device 1, and time information when the operation status information is input by the user U. Note that the identification information of the snow melting device 1 is stored in advance in the user terminal UT. The operation status notification unit transmits the operation status information to the information processing device 10 at the timing when the operation status is input by the user U, but the operation status notification unit may transmit the operation status information to the information processing device 10 at any timing, such as at regular time intervals.

Here, when both the user terminal UT and the control device 2 are capable of communicating via short-range wireless communication or the like, the operation status notification unit may acquire operation status information representing the operation status operated by the user U from the control device 2, and transmit such operation status information to the information processing device 10. Furthermore, the operation status notification unit may acquire environmental information such as temperature and snowfall conditions detected by various sensors such as a temperature sensor and a snowfall sensor from the control device 2, and transmit the information processing device 10. In this case, the operation status notification may transmit the operation status information to the information processing device 10 at any timing, such as transmitting the operation status information to the information processing device 10 at regular time intervals.

The operation status acquisition unit of the user terminal UT receives information about the snow melting device 1 transmitted from the information processing device 10, as described later, and displays and outputs the information on the display unit. For example, the user terminal UT receives an operation status map including map information transmitted from the information processing device 10, and displays the operation status map on the display unit. At this time, the map information included in the operation status map transmitted from the information processing device 10 is map information of a predetermined range including the house H of the user U who owns the user terminal UT, and includes location information of multiple houses H, that is, location information of multiple snow melting devices 1, as described later. Therefore, by displaying the operation status map, the user terminal UT displays multiple houses H including the user U's own house (home), as shown in FIG. 4. In addition, the operation status map further includes operation status information and environmental information of the snow melting device 1 installed in each house H in association with the map information, as described later, and this information is displayed on the user terminal UT.

As described below, the operation status acquisition unit has a function of acquiring predicted operation status information indicating the operation status to be set for the snow melting device 1 transmitted from the information processing device 10, and displaying and outputting the predicted operation status information on the display unit. This allows the user U to operate the operation status of the snow melting device 1 according to the displayed predicted operation status information. The operation status acquisition unit may also have a function of outputting a control command to the control device 2 via short-range wireless communication to control the operation status of the snow melting device 1 according to the acquired predicted operation status information. This causes the control device 2 to automatically control the operation status of the snow melting device 1 to start/stop according to the control command based on the predicted operation status information.

The environmental information providing device 20 is an information processing device equipped with a computing device and a storage device. For example, the environmental information providing device 20 is a web server managed by an organization that collects and provides meteorological information, and has a function of providing environmental information indicating the environment at each location, such as the temperature and amount of snowfall. For this reason, the environmental information providing device 20 provides environmental information at that location together with location information in response to a request from the information processing device 10, as described below.

The information processing device 10 is composed of one or more information processing devices each having a calculation device and a storage device. As shown in FIG. 2, the information processing device 10 includes an acquisition unit 11, an output unit 12, and a learning unit 13. The functions of the acquisition unit 11, the output unit 12, and the learning unit 13 can be realized by the calculation device executing a program for realizing each function stored in the storage device. The information processing device 10 also includes an acquired data storage unit 15 and a model storage unit 16. The acquired data storage unit 15 and the model storage unit 16 are composed of a storage device. Each component will be described in detail below.

The acquisition unit 11 (acquisition means) acquires information input by an administrator who manages the information processing device 10 or a user U who owns the snow melting device 1, and stores the information in the acquired data storage unit 15. For example, the acquisition unit 11 acquires the identification information of the snow melting device 1 and the location information of the snow melting device 1 in advance, and stores these in association with each other in the acquired data storage unit 15. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the identification information of the snow melting device 1 is expressed as a number such as "No. 1", and the location information of the snow melting device 1 is expressed as "latitude, longitude". However, the identification information and location information are not limited to the above-mentioned information, and may be expressed as any information. For example, the location information may be expressed as an address, or may be low-precision information that does not allow the specific location of the house itself to be identified, such as a part of the address excluding the house number or a local area name.

The acquisition unit 11 also acquires attribute information representing the attributes of the user U regarding the snow melting device 1 input by the user U, and stores the information in the acquired data storage unit 15 in association with the identification information of the snow melting device 1. For example, the attribute information is information representing the degree of snow melting desired by the user U, an energy saving orientation, etc., and as an example, as shown in FIG. 3, if the user wants snow to melt cleanly, it is represented by the attribute "clean", and if the user wants to keep costs such as electricity costs for snow melting low, it is represented by the attribute "energy saving". Note that several attributes are prepared in advance for the attribute information, and the user U selects and inputs the attribute information, but it may also be input in a descriptive format. However, the attribute information is not limited to the above-mentioned information, and may be information representing any attribute.

The acquisition unit 11 also acquires the operation status information of the snow melting device 1 of each house H transmitted from the user terminal UT as described above, and stores it in the acquired data storage unit 15. Specifically, when the operation status information is transmitted from the user terminal UT, the acquisition unit 11 generates, for each identification information of the snow melting device 1 contained in the transmitted information, a record corresponding to the time at which such information was transmitted, as shown in FIG. 3. For example, as shown in the second line of FIG. 3, a record for the time "February 5th, 7:00" is generated for the identification information "No. 1" of the snow melting device 1, and also generates a record for the time "February 5th, 8:00" for the identification information "No. 1" of the same snow melting device 1, as shown in the sixth line of FIG. 3.

The acquisition unit 11 then stores in the generated record the location information and attribute information of the snow melting device 1 that are stored in advance and have the same identification information as the snow melting device 1, and further stores the operation status information of the snow melting device 1, which is information transmitted from the user terminal UT. In the example of FIG. 3, the operation status information includes "ON" indicating that the snow melting device 1 is operating, or "OFF" indicating that it is stopped. Although not shown in FIG. 3, the operation status information may also include "automatic/manual" information indicating the operation status when the snow melting device 1 is operating/stopped.

The acquisition unit 11 also requests the environmental information providing device 20 for environmental information corresponding to the location information of the snow melting device 1 included in the generated record, i.e., "latitude, longitude," and acquires the environmental information transmitted from the environmental information providing device 20. The acquisition unit 11 then stores the acquired environmental information, "temperature," "snow depth," and "hourly snowfall," in a record as shown in FIG. 3. However, the environmental information is not limited to "temperature," "snow depth," and "hourly snowfall," and may be any information. The acquisition unit 11 may acquire the environmental information transmitted from the user terminal UT as described above and store it in a record. In that case, the acquisition unit 11 stores the environmental information in a record corresponding to the identification information of the snow melting device 1 transmitted together with the environmental information. However, the acquisition unit 11 may acquire the environmental information by any method.

Then, each time information is transmitted from the user terminal UT of the user U of each residence H, the acquisition unit 11 generates a record for each snow melting device 1 and for each time, as shown in FIG. 3, associates the location information of the snow melting device 1, the attribute information of the user U, the operating status information of the snow melting device 1, and the environmental information at the location of the snow melting device 1, and stores the associated information in the acquired data storage unit 15.

The output unit 12 (output means) generates output information, which is information related to the snow melting device 1, based on the association information stored in the acquired data storage unit 15 as described above, and outputs the information to be displayed on the user terminal UT. Specifically, the output unit 12 generates, as the output information, an operation status map that displays operation status information of the snow melting device 1 installed in each house H on map information including the position information of each house H.

Here, examples of operation status maps that the output unit 12 generates and outputs to be displayed on the user terminal UT are shown in Figs. 4 to 8. For example, Fig. 4 shows an operation status map in which a figure of each house H is displayed at a position on map information including location information such as the "latitude and longitude" of each house H. Note that the output unit 12 generates the operation status map so that, at the position of the house H of the user U to which the operation status map is to be sent, information indicating that the house H is the home of the user U is displayed.

Figure 5 shows an operation status map that displays the operation status information of the snow melting device 1 installed in each house H at the current time, i.e., "ON" if it is operating and "OFF" if it is stopped, on the map information as shown in Figure 4 described above. As an example, the output unit 12 reads the association information of the latest time (e.g., "February 5, 8:00") stored in the acquired data storage unit 15, and generates an operation status map that displays information indicating that the operation status information of each snow melting device 1 is "operating", i.e., "ON", at a position on the map information corresponding to the position information of each snow melting device 1 (No. 1 to No. N). At this time, if the operation status information includes "automatic/manual" information indicating the operation status of the snow melting device 1, the output unit 12 may generate an operation status map that displays the "automatic/manual" information.

Figure 6 shows an operation status map that displays the operation status information and environmental information of the snow melting device 1 installed in each house H at the current time on map information such as that shown in Figure 4 described above. For example, as shown in Figure 6, the output unit 12 generates an operation status map that displays "ON" or "OFF" information as operation status information for each house H, as well as a numerical value for "snow depth" from the environmental information. Note that the output unit 12 may also generate an operation status map that displays other information than the environmental information.

Figure 7 shows an operation status map generated according to the attribute information of user U to whom the operation status map is to be sent. For example, when the attribute information of user U is "energy saving", the output unit 12 generates an operation status map that displays operation status information of a snow melting device 1 installed in the house H of another user who has the same attribute information. Note that the output unit 12 may generate an operation status map that displays not only operation status information but also environmental information according to the attribute information of user U. However, for example, in response to an instruction from user U, the output unit 12 may generate an operation status map that displays operation status information of a snow melting device 1 of another user who has registered attribute information different from the attribute information of user U.

Figure 8 shows an operation status map that shows the operation status information of each house H in a heat map. For example, the output unit 12 generates an operation status map that displays a heat map according to the density of snow melting devices 1 whose operation status is "ON" (operating) for each specified area on the map information. Specifically, in the example of Figure 8, houses H other than the home of the user U are not actually shown, but the operation status of the snow melting device 1 in the house H shown by the solid line is "ON", and the operation status of the snow melting device 1 in the house H shown by the dotted line is "OFF". In this case, in the region R1, houses H whose operation status is "ON" are densely packed, and in the region R2, houses H whose operation status is "ON" are scattered and sparsely distributed. For this reason, the output unit 12 generates an operation status map in which region R1 is displayed in a dark, predetermined color, indicating that houses H in the "ON" state are dense, and region R2 is displayed in a light, predetermined color, indicating that houses H in the "ON" state are sparse.

Then, the output unit 12 transmits the operation status map generated as described above to the address of the user terminal UT, thereby displaying the operation status information and environmental information of each snow melting device 1 on the display unit of the user terminal UT as shown in Figures 4 to 8 described above. Note that the address of the user terminal UT is associated with the identification information of the snow melting device 1 installed in the house H of the user U and is stored in advance in the information processing device 10.

Here, the output unit 12 not only generates the above-mentioned operation status map and transmits it to the user terminal UT, but also predicts the operation status of the snow melting device 1 of a specific user U's house H based on the association information stored in the acquired data storage unit 15 as described above, and outputs the predicted information. The operation status of the snow melting device 1 is predicted using a prediction model generated by learning using the association information. The prediction model is generated by the learning unit 13 as described below.

The learning unit 13 (learning means) first reads out as learning data association information including the currently and previously acquired operating status information and environmental information of each snow melting device 1 stored in the acquired data storage unit 15. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, the learning unit 13 reads out as learning data the current operating status information and environmental information of the snow melting device 1 that is the target for predicting the operating status to be set, operating status information and environmental status for a predetermined period of time in the past, and current operating status information and environmental information of multiple other snow melting devices 1 that are not the target for prediction. The learning data may also include operating status information and environmental information for a predetermined period of time in the past of multiple other snow melting devices 1.

Then, the learning unit 13 uses the current operating status information of the snow melting device 1 for which the operating status to be set is to be predicted, i.e., "ON/OFF", as the objective variable, and other information as explanatory variables, to generate a prediction model that predicts the operating status to be set for the snow melting device 1 to be predicted. Note that the learning unit 13 may perform learning by including information other than the above-mentioned information in the learning data. However, the learning unit 13 does not necessarily need to use all of the above-mentioned information as learning data, and may perform learning using only some of the information. The learning unit 13 then stores the generated prediction model in the model storage unit 16.

Here, the function of the output unit 12 described above will be further explained. When the output unit 12 newly acquires association information consisting of the operating status information and environmental information of multiple snow melting devices 1 by the acquisition unit 11, the output unit 12 sets the new association information of the snow melting device 1 installed in the house of the user U to be predicted, the association information for a predetermined time period in the past, and further the new association information of multiple other snow melting devices 1 as input information for the prediction model. In other words, the output unit 12 reads out the prediction model stored in the model storage unit 16 and inputs the input information to the prediction model. For example, the output unit 12 inputs the input information shown in the upper diagram of FIG. 10 into the prediction model. At this time, for the snow melting device 1 installed in the house H of the user U to be predicted for the operating status to be set, the operating status information is set as the objective variable, and explanatory variables consisting of other information are input.

Then, the output unit 12 predicts that the output, which is the objective variable output from the prediction model, is the operation status to which the snow melting device 1 installed in the house H of the user U that is the subject of the prediction should be set. For example, as shown in the lower diagram of FIG. 10, when "ON" (operating) is output as the operation status to be set, the output unit 12 outputs the information of "ON" (operating) as predicted operation status information, which is the prediction result.

At this time, the output unit 12 may output the predicted operation status information, which is the prediction result, as a control command to control the operation status of the snow melting device 1 installed in the house H of the user U. In this case, the output unit 12 transmits a control command corresponding to the predicted operation status information of the snow melting device 1 to the user terminal UT, and the user terminal UT notifies the control device 2 of the control command corresponding to the predicted operation status information via short-range wireless communication. Then, upon receiving the control command, the control device 2 controls the operation status of the snow melting device 1 according to the notified predicted operation status information. For example, when the control device 2 receives predicted operation status information that is "ON" (operating), it controls the operation status of the snow melting device 1 to be "ON".

The output unit 12 also outputs the predicted operation status information, which is the prediction result, to the user terminal UT as recommendation information indicating the operation status to be set for the snow melting device 1. For example, the output unit 12 generates an operation status map as shown in FIG. 11 based on the current operation status information of each snow melting device 1 as described above, and outputs the operation status map so that the operation status to be set, "ON" (operating), is displayed in the display location of the user U's house H. The output unit 12 may also transmit the above-mentioned control command to the user terminal UT along with the above-mentioned recommendation information. As a result, the operation status to be set for the snow melting device 1 is displayed on the user terminal UT, and the operation status of the snow melting device 1 itself is controlled from the user terminal UT via the control device 2.

[motion]
Next, the operation of the above-mentioned information processing system, particularly the operation of the information processing device 10, will be described mainly with reference to the flowcharts of Figures 12 to 14. First, with reference to the flowchart of Figure 12, the operation when the information processing device 10 provides the user U with an operation status map including the operation status of the surrounding snow melting devices 1 will be described. Note that the information processing device 10 stores identification information and location information of the snow melting device 1 installed in the house H in advance, and further stores attribute information of the user U residing in the house H in which the snow melting device 1 is installed and address information to the user terminal UT. Also, the user terminal UT stores identification information of the snow melting device 1 installed in the house H in which the user U who operates the user terminal UT resides.

First, the information processing device 10 acquires information transmitted from the user terminal UT and the environmental information providing device 20 (step S1). For example, the information processing device 10 acquires from the user terminal UT operation status information input to the user terminal UT when the user U operates the snow melting device 1. The information processing device 10 also acquires environmental information transmitted from the environmental information providing device 20 by making a request to the environmental information providing device 20. Then, the information processing device 10 stores the time information, the identification information of the snow melting device 1, the location information, the operating status information, and the environmental information as associated information, as shown in FIG. 3 (step S2).

Next, the information processing device 10 generates an operation status map based on the association information and transmits it to the user terminal UT of the user U for display (step S3). For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the information processing device 10 generates an operation status map that displays the user U's house H and other houses H at positions on the map information corresponding to the position information of each house H, and displays the operation status information of the snow melting device 1 installed in the other houses H, for example, "ON" (operation), and transmits it to the user terminal UT of the user U. As another example, as shown in FIG. 6, the information processing device 10 generates an operation status map that displays the user U's house H and other houses H at positions on the map information corresponding to the position information of each house H, and displays environmental information, for example, the numerical value of "snow depth", in addition to the operation status information of the snow melting device 1 installed in the other houses H, and transmits it to the user terminal UT of the user U. As another example, the information processing device 10 displays the user U's house H and other houses H at positions on the map information corresponding to the position information of each house H, as shown in FIG. 7, and generates an operation status map set to display operation status information of the snow melting device 1 installed at the home H of another user whose attribute matches the attribute information of the user U, for example, "ON" (operation), and transmits it to the user terminal UT of the user U. As another example, the information processing device 10 displays the user U's house H at positions on the map information corresponding to the position information of each house H, as shown in FIG. 8, and generates an operation status map that displays a heat map according to the density of snow melting devices 1 whose operation status is "ON" (operation) for each predetermined area on the map information, and transmits it to the user terminal UT of the user U.

As described above, the information processing device 10 generates and displays for the user U an operation status map showing the operation status information and environmental information of the snow melting device 1 of other users. This allows the user U to know the operation status of the snow melting device 1 by other users and to use it as a reference for the timing of operating the snow melting device 1. As a result, the user U is expected to operate the snow melting device at the appropriate timing and perform appropriate snow melting. In particular, by displaying the operation status map as described above, the information processing device 10 can know in detail the positional relationship and environmental information between the snow melting device 1 operated by the user and the snow melting devices of other users, and can also refer to the operation status of other users with the same attributes as the user U, so that it is expected that the operation of the snow melting device 1 will be performed at a more appropriate timing.

The information processing device 10 also generates and displays an operation status map that shows a heat map according to the density of multiple snow melting devices 1 with an operation status of "ON". Because the location of each house H is not displayed on the map information, the user U does not know the operation status of the snow melting devices 1 in other users' houses, and it is expected that the user U will be able to operate the snow melting device 1 at the appropriate time by referring to the positional relationship with other users U and the operation status while protecting the privacy of other users.

Next, a case where the information processing device 10 uses a prediction model to predict the operation status to be set for the snow melting device 1 of the user U will be described with reference to the flowcharts of Fig. 13 and Fig. 14. Fig. 13 shows a flowchart for generating a prediction model, and Fig. 14 shows a flowchart for predicting the operation status to be set for the user's snow melting device 1.
do.

First, as described above, the information processing device 10 acquires information transmitted from the user terminal UT and the environmental information providing device 20 (step S11). At this time, the information processing device 10 stores the time information, the identification information of the snow melting device 1, the location information, the operating status information, and the environmental information as associated information, as shown in FIG. 3 (step S12).

Next, the information processing device 10 reads out the association information consisting of the operating status information and environmental information of each snow melting device 1 acquired currently and in the past as learning data, performs learning, and generates a prediction model (step S14). At this time, as shown in FIG. 9, the information processing device 10 reads out, as learning data, the current operating status information and environmental information of the snow melting device 1 that is the target for predicting the operating status to be set, the operating status information and environmental status for a predetermined time in the past, and the current operating status information and environmental information of multiple other snow melting devices 1 that are not the target for prediction. Then, the information processing device 10 generates a prediction model that predicts the operating status to be set of the snow melting device 1 that is the target for predicting the operating status to be set, using the current operating status information, i.e., "ON/OFF", of the snow melting device 1 that is the target for predicting the operating status to be set as the objective variable and other information as the explanatory variables. After that, the information processing device 10 stores the generated prediction model (step S15).

Then, the information processing device 10 acquires information transmitted from the user terminal UT and the environmental information providing device 20 in the same manner as described above (step S21). At this time, the information processing device 10 stores the time information, the identification information of the snow melting device 1, the location information, the operation status information, and the environmental information as associated information as shown in FIG. 3 (step S22). Then, the information processing device 10 uses the newly acquired current association information and the association information for a predetermined time period in the past that has already been stored as input information for the prediction model, and inputs the input information into the prediction model (step S23). At this time, the information processing device 10 inputs the input information as shown in the upper diagram of FIG. 10 into the prediction model, but only explanatory variables consisting of other information are input, since the current operation status information of the snow melting device 1 installed in the house H of the user U to be predicted is set as the objective variable.

Then, the information processing device 10 predicts that the output, which is the objective variable output from the prediction model, is the operation status to which the snow melting device 1 installed in the house H of the user U to be predicted should be set (step S24). For example, as shown in the lower diagram of FIG. 10, when "ON" (operating) is output as the operation status to be set, the information processing device 10 outputs the information of "ON" (operating) as predicted operation status information.

The information processing device 10 can then output the predicted operation status information to the user terminal UT as a control command for controlling the operation status of the snow melting device 1 (step S25). In this case, the user terminal UT that receives the control command transmits the control command to the control device 2 using short-range wireless communication or the like, and the control device 2 then controls the operation status of the snow melting device 1 in accordance with the control command. The information processing device 10 can also notify the user terminal UT of the predicted operation status information as recommendation information. In this case, the user terminal UT outputs the operation status that should be set for the snow melting device 1 corresponding to the predicted operation status information to a display unit or the like as recommendation information (step S25).

As described above, the information processing device 10 predicts the operating conditions to be set for the snow melting device 1, controls the operating conditions of the snow melting device 1 based on the prediction results, and notifies the user U of the prediction results. Therefore, the snow melting device 1 can be automatically controlled to an appropriate operating condition according to the prediction results, and it is expected that the user U will refer to the prediction results and operate the snow melting device at the appropriate time. As a result, appropriate snow melting can be performed.

[Modification]
Here, in the above-mentioned information processing system, the case where the user terminal UT and the information processing device 10 are connected via a network and perform data communication has been exemplified, but the information processing system in this embodiment may be configured so that the control device 2 and the information processing device 10 are connected via a network and perform data communication, as shown in Fig. 15. In this case, all or part of the information transmitted and received between the above-mentioned user terminal UT and the information processing device 10 may be transmitted between the control device 2 and the information processing device 10.

For example, when user U operates the control device 2 to change the operating status of the snow melting device 1, the control device 2 may transmit operating status information indicating such operating status to the information processing device 10. At this time, the control device 2 stores identification information of the corresponding snow melting device 1, and transmits the operating status information together with such identification information to the information processing device 10. The control device 2 may also detect information such as temperature and snowfall conditions using various sensors installed on or around the snow melting device 1, and transmit such information to the information processing device 10 as environmental information.

In addition, if the control device 2 is equipped with a display unit, the information processing device 10 may transmit the above-mentioned operation status map to the control device 2. In this case, the control device 2 displays the operation status map on the display unit as shown in Figures 5 to 8. In addition, the information processing device 10 may transmit recommendation information and control commands based on the above-mentioned predicted operation status information to the control device 2. In this case, the control device 2 displays the recommendation information on the display unit and controls the operation status of the snow melting device 1 according to the control commands.

<Embodiment 2>
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 16 to Fig. 18. Fig. 16 to Fig. 17 are block diagrams showing the configuration of an information processing system in the second embodiment, and Fig. 18 is a flowchart showing the operation of the information processing system. Note that this embodiment shows an outline of the configuration of the information processing system and the information processing method described in the above-mentioned embodiment.

First, the hardware configuration of the information processing system 100 in this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 16. The information processing system 100 is configured with a general information processing device, and is equipped with the following hardware configuration, as an example.
・CPU (Central Processing Unit) 101 (arithmetic unit)
・ROM (Read Only Memory) 102 (storage device)
・RAM (Random Access Memory) 103 (storage device)
Program group 104 loaded into RAM 103
A storage device 105 for storing the program group 104
A drive device 106 that reads and writes data from and to a storage medium 110 outside the information processing device.
A communication interface 107 that connects to a communication network 111 outside the information processing device
Input/output interface 108 for inputting and outputting data
A bus 109 that connects each component

The information processing system 100 can be equipped with the acquisition means 121 and output means 122 shown in FIG. 17 by the CPU 101 acquiring the program group 104 and executing it. The program group 104 is stored in advance in the storage device 105 or ROM 102, for example, and is loaded into the RAM 103 and executed by the CPU 101 as necessary. The program group 104 may be supplied to the CPU 101 via the communication network 111, or may be stored in advance in the storage medium 110, and the drive device 106 may read out the programs and supply them to the CPU 101. However, the acquisition means 121 and output means 122 described above may be constructed with dedicated electronic circuits for realizing such means.

Note that FIG. 16 shows an example of the hardware configuration of an information processing device that is the information processing system 100, and the hardware configuration of the information processing device is not limited to the above-described case. For example, the information processing device may be configured with a part of the above-described configuration, such as not having the drive device 106.

Then, the information processing system 100 executes the information processing method shown in the flowchart of FIG. 18 by the functions of the acquisition means 121 and the output means 122 constructed by the program as described above.

As shown in FIG. 18, the information processing system 100 includes:
Operation status information indicating the operation status of the snow melting device is acquired (step S101).
The operation status information is associated with the location information of the snow melting device and stored as associated information (step S102);
Outputting newly generated information based on the association information (step S103).
The following process is executed.

By configuring the present invention as described above, the operating status of the snow melting device is associated with location information, and information based on this associated information is output to the user. This allows the user to know the operating status of snow melting devices operated by other users and use this information as a reference for the timing of operating the snow melting device. Alternatively, the operating status of the snow melting device can be automatically controlled based on the associated information, or the user can obtain recommended information on the operating status. As a result, snow can be melted appropriately.

The above-mentioned program can be stored and supplied to a computer using various types of non-transitory computer readable media. Non-transitory computer readable media include various types of tangible storage media. Examples of non-transitory computer readable media include magnetic recording media (e.g., flexible disks, magnetic tapes, hard disk drives), magneto-optical recording media (e.g., magneto-optical disks), CD-ROMs (Read Only Memory), CD-Rs, CD-R/Ws, and semiconductor memories (e.g., mask ROMs, PROMs (Programmable ROMs), EPROMs (Erasable PROMs), flash ROMs, and RAMs (Random Access Memory)). The program may also be supplied to a computer by various types of transitory computer readable media. Examples of transitory computer readable media include electrical signals, optical signals, and electromagnetic waves. The transitory computer readable media can supply the program to a computer via wired communication paths such as electric wires and optical fibers, or wireless communication paths.

Although the present invention has been described above with reference to the above-mentioned embodiment, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment. Various modifications that can be understood by a person skilled in the art can be made to the configuration and details of the present invention within the scope of the present invention. Furthermore, at least one or more of the functions of the above-mentioned acquisition means 121 and output means 122 may be executed by an information processing device installed and connected anywhere on the network, that is, they may be executed by so-called cloud computing.

<Additional Notes>
A part or all of the above-described embodiments can be described as follows: The following is an outline of the configurations of the information processing method, the information processing system, and the program according to the present invention. However, the present invention is not limited to the following configurations.
(Appendix 1)
Acquire operation status information representing an operation status of the snow melting device, associate the operation status information with location information of the snow melting device, and store the information as association information;
outputting newly generated information based on the association information;
Information processing methods.
(Appendix 2)
2. The information processing method according to claim 1,
outputting the operation status information of the snow melting device so as to display the operation status information of the snow melting device on map information including the position information of the snow melting device based on the association information;
Information processing methods.
(Appendix 3)
3. The information processing method according to claim 2,
outputting the operation status information so as to display it in a heat map on the map information;
Information processing methods.
(Appendix 4)
4. The information processing method according to claim 3,
outputting a heat map corresponding to a density of the operation status specified by the operation status information of the snow melting device in a predetermined area on the map information;
Information processing methods.
(Appendix 5)
An information processing method according to any one of Supplementary Note 2 to 4,
The association information is further associated with attribute information set for the snow melting device corresponding to the association information, and the associated information is stored;
outputting the operation status information so as to be displayed on the map information based on the attribute information associated with the association information;
Information processing methods.
(Appendix 6)
6. An information processing method according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
predicting an operation status to be set for a specific snow melting device based on the association information of the plurality of snow melting devices, and outputting predicted operation status information representing the predicted operation status;
Information processing methods.
(Appendix 7)
7. The information processing method according to claim 6,
predicting an operating condition to be set for the predetermined snow melting device based on the association information of the plurality of snow melting devices and environmental information representing an environment at a location where the plurality of snow melting devices are installed;
Information processing methods.
(Appendix 8)
7. The information processing method according to claim 6,
predicting an operating condition to be set for the predetermined snow melting device based on input information including the newly acquired association information of the plurality of snow melting devices, using a model generated by learning the association information of the plurality of snow melting devices acquired in advance;
Information processing methods.
(Appendix 9)
9. The information processing method according to claim 8,
Using the model generated by learning the previously acquired association information of the plurality of the snow melting devices and environmental information representing the environment at the locations where the plurality of the snow melting devices are installed, predicting the operating conditions to be set for the predetermined snow melting device based on the newly acquired input information including the association information of the plurality of the snow melting devices and the environmental information;
Information processing methods.
(Appendix 10)
10. An information processing method according to any one of claims 1 to 9,
The snow melting device is a device installed in a house.
Information processing methods.
(Appendix 11)
an acquisition means for acquiring operation status information representing an operation status of the snow melting device, and storing the operation status information and position information of the snow melting device in association with each other as associated information;
an output means for outputting newly generated information based on the association information;
An information processing system comprising:
(Appendix 12)
12. The information processing system according to claim 11,
The output means outputs the operation status information of the snow melting device based on the association information on map information including the position information of the snow melting device.
Information processing system.
(Appendix 12.1)
13. The information processing system according to claim 12,
The output means outputs the operation status information so as to display it in a heat map on the map information.
Information processing system.
(Appendix 12.2)
12.1, an information processing system according to claim 12.1,
The output means outputs a heat map corresponding to a density of an operation status specified by the operation status information of the snow melting device in a predetermined area on the map information.
Information processing system.
(Appendix 12.3)
An information processing system according to any one of Supplementary Notes 12 to 12.2,
The acquiring means further associates attribute information set for the snow melting device corresponding to the association information with the association information and stores the association information;
The output means outputs the operation status information so as to display the operation status information on the map information based on the attribute information associated with the association information.
Information processing system.
(Appendix 13)
An information processing system according to any one of Supplementary Notes 11 to 12.3,
The output means predicts an operation status to be set for a specific snow melting device based on the association information of the plurality of snow melting devices, and outputs predicted operation status information representing the predicted operation status.
Information processing system.
(Appendix 13.1)
14. The information processing system according to claim 13,
The output means predicts an operating condition to be set for the predetermined snow melting device based on the association information of the plurality of snow melting devices and environmental information representing an environment at a location where the plurality of snow melting devices are installed.
Information processing methods.
(Appendix 14)
14. The information processing system according to claim 13,
The output means predicts an operating condition to be set for the predetermined snow melting device based on input information including the newly acquired association information of the plurality of snow melting devices, using a model generated by learning the association information of the plurality of snow melting devices previously acquired.
Information processing system.
(Appendix 14.1)
15. The information processing system according to claim 14,
The output means predicts an operating condition to be set for the predetermined snow melting device based on the input information including the newly acquired association information of the plurality of snow melting devices and the environmental information, using the model generated by learning the previously acquired association information of the plurality of snow melting devices and environmental information representing the environment at the locations where the plurality of snow melting devices are installed.
Information processing system.
(Appendix 15)
15. The information processing system according to claim 14,
A learning means for learning the association information of the plurality of snow melting devices acquired in advance and generating the model for predicting the operation status to be set for the predetermined snow melting device,
Information processing system.
(Appendix 15.1)
14.1, an information processing system according to claim 14, further comprising:
A learning means for learning the association information of the plurality of snow melting devices and environmental information representing the environment at the locations where the plurality of snow melting devices are installed, which are acquired in advance, and generating the model for predicting the operating conditions to be set for the predetermined snow melting device,
Information processing system.
(Appendix 16)
In the information processing device,
an acquisition means for acquiring operation status information representing an operation status of the snow melting device, and storing the operation status information and position information of the snow melting device in association with each other as associated information;
an output means for outputting newly generated information based on the association information;
A program to achieve this.
(Appendix 16.1)
17. The program of claim 16,
The output means outputs the operation status information of the snow melting device based on the association information on map information including the position information of the snow melting device.
program.
(Appendix 16.2)
16.1, a program according to claim 16, further comprising:
The output means outputs the operation status information so as to display it in a heat map on the map information.
program.
(Appendix 16.3)
16.2, comprising:
The output means outputs a heat map corresponding to a density of an operation status specified by the operation status information of the snow melting device in a predetermined area on the map information.
program.
(Appendix 16.4)
A program according to any one of appendices 16.1 to 16.3,
The acquiring means further associates attribute information set for the snow melting device corresponding to the association information with the association information and stores the association information;
The output means outputs the operation status information so as to display the operation status information on the map information based on the attribute information associated with the association information.
program.
(Appendix 16.5)
A program according to any one of appendices 16 to 16.4,
The output means predicts an operation status to be set for a specific snow melting device based on the association information of the plurality of snow melting devices, and notifies the specific snow melting device of predicted operation status information representing the predicted operation status.
program.
(Appendix 16.6)
16.5. The program of claim 16,
The output means predicts an operating condition to be set for the predetermined snow melting device based on the association information of the plurality of snow melting devices and environmental information representing an environment at a location where the plurality of snow melting devices are installed.
program.
(Appendix 16.7)
16.5. The program of claim 16,
The information processing device further includes:
The output means predicts an operating condition to be set for the predetermined snow melting device based on input information including the newly acquired association information of the plurality of snow melting devices, using a model generated by learning the association information of the plurality of snow melting devices previously acquired.
program.
(Appendix 16.8)
16.7. The program of claim 16,
The output means predicts an operating condition to be set for the predetermined snow melting device based on the input information including the newly acquired association information of the plurality of snow melting devices and the environmental information, using the model generated by learning the previously acquired association information of the plurality of snow melting devices and environmental information representing the environment at the locations where the plurality of snow melting devices are installed.
program.
(Appendix 16.9)
16.7. The program of claim 16,
The information processing device further includes:
A learning means for learning the association information of the plurality of snow melting devices acquired in advance and generating the model for predicting the operation status to be set for the predetermined snow melting device;
A program to achieve this.
(Appendix 16.10)
16.8. A program according to claim 16, further comprising:
The information processing device further includes:
a learning means for learning the association information of the plurality of snow melting devices and environmental information representing the environment at the locations where the plurality of snow melting devices are installed, which are acquired in advance, to generate the model for predicting the operating conditions to be set for the predetermined snow melting device;
A program to achieve this.

The above program can be stored and supplied to a computer using various types of non-transitory computer readable media. Non-transitory computer readable media include various types of tangible storage media. Examples of non-transitory computer readable media include magnetic recording media (e.g., flexible disks, magnetic tapes, hard disk drives), magneto-optical recording media (e.g., magneto-optical disks), CD-ROMs (Read Only Memory), CD-Rs, CD-R/Ws, and semiconductor memories (e.g., mask ROMs, PROMs (Programmable ROMs), EPROMs (Erasable PROMs), flash ROMs, and RAMs (Random Access Memory)). The program may also be supplied to a computer by various types of transitory computer readable media. Examples of transitory computer readable media include electrical signals, optical signals, and electromagnetic waves. The transitory computer readable media can supply the program to a computer via wired communication paths such as electric wires and optical fibers, or wireless communication paths.

The present invention has been described above with reference to the above-mentioned embodiments, but the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments. Various modifications that can be understood by a person skilled in the art can be made to the configuration and details of the present invention within the scope of the present invention.

Reference Signs List 1 Snow melting device 2 Control device 10 Information processing device 11 Acquisition unit 12 Output unit 13 Learning unit 15 Acquired data storage unit 16 Model storage unit 20 Environmental information providing device H House U User UT User terminal 100 Information processing system 101 CPU
102 ROM
103 RAM
104 Program group 105 Storage device 106 Drive device 107 Communication interface 108 Input/output interface 109 Bus 110 Storage medium 111 Communication network 121 Acquisition means 122 Output means

Claims (16)

acquiring operation status information representing an operation status of the snow melting device and an operation status when the snow melting device is in operation or stopped , and associating the operation status information with position information of the snow melting device and storing the information as association information;
outputting newly generated information based on the association information;
Information processing methods. 2. The information processing method according to claim 1,
The operation status includes information that the snow melting device is automatically operated or stopped by a control device that controls the operation status of the snow melting device, or that the snow melting device is operated or stopped by a manual operation by a user.
Information processing methods. acquiring operation status information showing the operation status of a snow melting device, associating the operation status information with location information of the snow melting device and storing the information as associated information , and further associating attribute information with the associated information, in which a user's wishes regarding snow melting are set for the snow melting device corresponding to the associated information, and storing the information;
outputting the operation status information of the snow melting device so as to display it on map information including the position information of the snow melting device, based on the association information and the attribute information associated with the association information ;
Information processing methods. 4. The information processing method according to claim 3,
The attribute information includes information on the degree of snow melting by the snow melting device desired by the user or information on the cost of snow melting.
Information processing methods. 5. An information processing method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
predicting an operation status to be set for a specific snow melting device based on the association information of the plurality of snow melting devices, and outputting predicted operation status information representing the predicted operation status;
Information processing methods. 6. The information processing method according to claim 5 ,
predicting an operating condition to be set for the predetermined snow melting device based on the association information of the plurality of snow melting devices and environmental information representing an environment at a location where the plurality of snow melting devices are installed;
Information processing methods. 6. An information processing method according to claim 5 ,
predicting an operating condition to be set for the predetermined snow melting device based on input information including the newly acquired association information of the plurality of snow melting devices, using a model generated by learning the association information of the plurality of snow melting devices previously acquired;
Information processing methods. an acquisition means for acquiring operation status information representing an operation status of the snow melting device and an operation status when the snow melting device is in operation or stopped , and storing the operation status information and position information of the snow melting device in association with each other as associated information;
an output means for outputting newly generated information based on the association information;
An information processing system comprising: 9. The information processing system according to claim 8,
The operation status includes information that the snow melting device is automatically operated or stopped by a control device that controls the operation status of the snow melting device, or that the snow melting device is operated or stopped by a manual operation by a user.
Information processing system. an acquisition means for acquiring operation status information showing the operation status of the snow melting device, associating the operation status information with location information of the snow melting device, and storing the associated information, and further associating the associated information with attribute information in which a user's wishes regarding snow melting are set for the snow melting device corresponding to the associated information, and storing the associated information ;
an output means for outputting the operation status information of the snow melting device on map information including the position information of the snow melting device based on the association information and the attribute information associated with the association information ;
An information processing system comprising: The information processing system according to claim 10,
The attribute information includes information on the degree of snow melting by the snow melting device desired by the user or information on the cost of snow melting.
Information processing system. 12. An information processing system according to claim 8 ,
The output means predicts an operation status to be set for a specific snow melting device based on the association information of the plurality of snow melting devices, and outputs predicted operation status information representing the predicted operation status.
Information processing system. 13. The information processing system according to claim 12 ,
The output means predicts the operation status to be set for the predetermined snow melting device based on input information including the newly acquired association information for the plurality of snow melting devices, using a model generated by learning the association information for the plurality of snow melting devices previously acquired.
Information processing system. The information processing system according to claim 13 ,
A learning means for learning the association information of the plurality of snow melting devices acquired in advance and generating the model for predicting the operation status to be set for the predetermined snow melting device,
Information processing system. In the information processing device,
an acquisition means for acquiring operation status information representing an operation status of the snow melting device and an operation status when the snow melting device is in operation or stopped , and storing the operation status information and position information of the snow melting device in association with each other as associated information;
an output means for outputting newly generated information based on the association information;
A program to achieve this. In the information processing device,
an acquisition means for acquiring operation status information showing the operation status of the snow melting device, associating the operation status information with location information of the snow melting device, and storing the associated information, and further associating the associated information with attribute information in which a user's wishes regarding snow melting are set for the snow melting device corresponding to the associated information, and storing the associated information ;
an output means for outputting the operation status information of the snow melting device on map information including the position information of the snow melting device based on the association information and the attribute information associated with the association information ;
A program to achieve this.

Images