JP7820926B2 - Electrical appliance, operation control system, and operation control method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an electrical appliance, a motion control system, and a motion control method.

Systems that shut down equipment operation in emergencies are known. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a system that shuts down low-temperature equipment operation based on a fire detection signal output by a fire alarm when it detects a fire.

Patent No. 6410848

In recent years, electrical appliances that can be controlled remotely have come into use. For example, when a user of an electrical appliance inputs an operation into a terminal device such as a smartphone, an operation signal corresponding to the operation input is transmitted from the terminal device. The electrical appliance then performs an operation based on the operation signal transmitted from the terminal device. In this way, the electrical appliance can be controlled remotely.

When it comes to remotely operable electrical appliances, users may operate them remotely without knowing the location where the appliance is installed. However, depending on the location where the appliance is installed, it may not be appropriate to operate the appliance. For example, operating an electrical appliance when it is likely to have fallen over or be in contact with surrounding objects could result in an accident. For example, operating an electrical appliance could activate a heater, which could cause a fire.

This disclosure has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems. The purpose of this disclosure is to provide an electrical appliance, an operation control system, and an operation control method that can improve the operational safety of remotely controlled electrical appliances.

An electrical appliance according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes a communication unit capable of receiving signals from a server, and a control unit that executes operations based on operation signals from a terminal device. When the control unit receives an operation restriction notification that restricts at least some of the operation of the electrical appliance, the operation restriction notification is sent from the server based on information about the surrounding area of the electrical appliance's installation location, and the control unit stops the at least some of the operation.

One embodiment of the operation control system disclosed herein is an operation control system comprising an electrical appliance capable of executing an operation based on an operation signal from a terminal device, and a server communicably connected to the electrical appliance, wherein the server transmits an operation restriction notification to the electrical appliance that restricts at least a portion of the operation of the electrical appliance based on information about the surrounding area of the electrical appliance's installation location, and the electrical appliance stops at least a portion of the operation when it receives the operation restriction notification from the server.

One embodiment of the present disclosure provides an operation control system comprising an electrical appliance capable of executing an operation based on an operation signal from a terminal device, and a server communicably connected to the electrical appliance, wherein the server transmits an operation restriction notification to the terminal device that restricts at least some of the operation inputs to the terminal device based on information about the surrounding area of the electrical appliance's installation location, and the terminal device restricts at least some of the operation inputs when it receives the operation restriction notification from the server.

One embodiment of the operation control method disclosed herein is an operation control method executed by an operation control system including an electrical appliance capable of performing an operation based on an operation signal from a terminal device and a server communicably connected to the electrical appliance, the operation control method including the steps of: the server sending an operation restriction notification to the electrical appliance that restricts at least some of the operation of the electrical appliance based on information about the surrounding area around the electrical appliance's installation location; and the electrical appliance stopping at least some of the operation when the electrical appliance receives the operation restriction notification from the server.

1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of an operation control system according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the operation control system of FIG. 1 . 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process executed by a server control unit of FIG. 2 . 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of another process executed by the server control unit of FIG. 2 . 3 is a flowchart showing an example of a process executed by an air cleaning control unit in FIG. 2 . 10 is a flowchart showing an example of another process executed by the air cleaning control unit of FIG. 2 . FIG. 3 is a sequence diagram showing an example of processing by the operation control system of FIG. 2 .

Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that in the drawings, identical or equivalent components are designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions of identical or equivalent components will be omitted where appropriate.

Figure 1 is a diagram showing the general configuration of an operation control system 1 according to one embodiment. As shown in Figure 1, the operation control system 1 includes an electrical appliance 10, a cloud 20, and a terminal device 30.

The electrical appliance 10 is an electronic device used in homes, offices, etc. Examples of the electrical appliance 10 include display devices such as televisions and projectors, recording devices such as video recorders, playback devices such as CD (Compact Disc) players, DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) players, and Blu-ray (registered trademark) players, photographing devices such as cameras, cooking appliances such as rice cookers, ovens, and microwave ovens, and air conditioning devices such as air conditioners and air purifiers. The electrical appliance 10 is not limited to the examples given here, and may include any other electrical appliance. In the following description, the electrical appliance 10 is assumed to be an air purifier 11. The air purifier 11 is a device capable of performing an air purification operation to purify the air.

In this embodiment, the electrical appliance 10 is configured to be remotely operable by a user. That is, the user can cause the electrical appliance 10 to perform a desired operation by inputting an operation into the terminal device 30. In this embodiment, the electrical appliance 10 and the terminal device 30 are connected to the cloud 20 so that they can communicate with each other. When the user inputs an operation into the terminal device 30, a signal corresponding to the operation input is transmitted to the electrical appliance 10 via the cloud 20. The electrical appliance 10 performs an operation based on the signal received from the cloud 20.

In addition, when an operation input is made directly to an input unit provided on the main body, the electrical appliance 10 can also perform an operation based on the operation input. For example, the air purifier 11 can perform an air purification operation based on an operation input made directly by the user to the air purification input unit 116 described below.

Although only one electrical appliance 10 is shown in FIG. 1, in reality, the operation control system 1 may include multiple electrical appliances 10. Each of the multiple electrical appliances 10 can receive a notification signal from the cloud 20.

As shown in Figure 2, which will be described later, the cloud 20 is provided with a cloud server 21. The cloud server 21 is a virtual server created in the cloud 20. In the cloud 20, the cloud server 21 executes various processes.

The terminal device 30 is, for example, an electronic device such as a computer, smartphone, or tablet terminal. The terminal device 30 is not limited to the examples shown here, and can be any device that is communicatively connected to the cloud 20 and can accept operational input for the electrical appliance 10.

Although only one terminal device 30 is shown in FIG. 1, in reality, the operation control system 1 may include multiple terminal devices 30. Each of the multiple terminal devices 30 is connected to the cloud 20 so that it can communicate with the cloud 20.

Figure 2 is a functional block diagram showing an example configuration of the motion control system 1 of Figure 1.

As shown in FIG. 2, an air purifier 11, which is an example of an electrical appliance 10, includes an air purification control unit 110, an air purification memory unit 111, an air purification communication unit 112, an air purification operation unit 113, a sensor unit 114, an air purification display unit 115, an air purification input unit 116, a sound input unit 117, an alarm unit 118, and a heater 119.

The air purification control unit 110 controls and manages the entire air purifier 11, including each functional unit of the air purifier 11. The air purification control unit 110 is configured to include at least one processor. The air purification control unit 110 is configured to include a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) that executes a program that defines the control procedures, or a dedicated processor specialized for processing each function.

The air purification control unit 110, for example, operates the air purification operation unit 113 based on an operation input to the air purification input unit 116, thereby performing an operation corresponding to the content of the operation input. The air purification control unit 110 also operates the air purification operation unit 113 based on various notification signals received by the air purifier 11 from the cloud server 21, thereby performing an operation corresponding to the content of the operation input. For example, the air purification control unit 110 can perform an operation by operating the air purification operation unit 113 based on an operation signal from the terminal device 30. Specifically, upon receiving an operation signal from the terminal device 30, the cloud server 21 generates an operation notification for operating the air purifier 11 based on the operation signal and transmits it to the air purifier 11. The air purification control unit 110 of the air purifier 11 performs an operation based on the operation signal from the terminal device 30 by operating based on the operation notification received from the cloud server 21.

The air purification storage unit 111 is a storage medium capable of storing programs and data. The air purification storage unit 111 can be composed of, for example, semiconductor memory or magnetic memory. The air purification storage unit 111 may store, for example, programs for operating the air purifier 11.

The air purification communication unit 112 transmits and receives various data by communicating wirelessly with the cloud server 21. Specifically, in this embodiment, the air purification communication unit 112 receives various communication signals from the cloud server 21 via a router or the like. The communication signals that the air purification communication unit 112 receives from the cloud server 21 may include, for example, the operation notification described above. The communication signals that the air purification communication unit 112 receives from the cloud server 21 may include, for example, the operation restriction notification described below. Details of the operation restriction notification will be described later.

The air purification operation unit 113 performs air purification operation to purify the air. Air purification operation enables the air purifier 11 to perform its air purification function. The air purification operation unit 113 can purify the air using a known method. For example, the air purification operation unit 113 can purify the air using a fan method, an electrostatic precipitator method, or an ion generator method. The fan method is a method of capturing and removing particles in the air by drawing in air and passing it through a filter. The electrostatic precipitator method is a method of positively charging particles in the air and collecting the particles using a negatively charged filter. The ion generator method is a method of inactivating fine particles in the air by emitting ions. The air purification operation unit 113 has the mechanisms necessary to perform air purification operation, and performs air purification operation based on the control of the air purification control unit 110.

The sensor unit 114 is composed of various sensors. The sensors are capable of detecting information about the environment surrounding the air purifier 11 as numerical values or voltage values. The sensor unit 114 converts the acquired numerical information about the surrounding environment into data and transmits it to the air cleaning control unit 110. The sensor unit 114 may include, for example, a temperature sensor that measures the ambient temperature, a humidity sensor that measures the ambient humidity, an illuminance sensor that measures the ambient illuminance, and a dust sensor that detects particles floating in the surrounding area. The sensor unit 114 may also include sensors other than those exemplified here.

The air purification display unit 115 may be equipped with a display device such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), an organic electro-luminescence panel (OLED), or an inorganic electro-luminescence panel. The air purification display unit 115 may display characters, images, symbols, figures, etc. The air purification display unit 115 may be configured as a touchscreen display that not only has display functionality but also touchscreen functionality. In this case, the touchscreen detects contact with the air purifier 11 by the user's finger, etc. The air purification display unit 115 may display the operating status of the air purifier 11, for example.

The air purification display unit 115 may be composed of a light-emitting element such as an LED (Light Emitting Diode). In this case, the air purification display unit 115 can display information by illuminating the light-emitting element. For example, the air purification display unit 115 can display the operating status of the air purifier 11 by lighting or blinking the light-emitting element.

The air purification input unit 116 accepts direct operational input from the user of the air purifier 11 to the main body of the air purifier 11. The air purification input unit 116 is configured, for example, by operation buttons (operation keys). The air purification input unit 116 may be configured by a touch screen, and an input area for accepting operational input from the user may be displayed on part of the display device that is the air purification display unit 115, thereby accepting touch operation input from the user. The air purification input unit 116 transmits a signal corresponding to the accepted operational input to the air purification control unit 110.

The sound input unit 117 is capable of acquiring sounds around the air purifier 11. The sound input unit 117 is configured, for example, by a microphone. The sound input unit 117 converts the acquired surrounding sounds into sound data and transmits it to the air purification control unit 110.

The notification unit 118 notifies information by sound, vibration, image display, light emission, or the like. For example, the notification unit 118 may include a speaker and notify information by outputting sound. For example, the notification unit 118 may include a vibrator and notify information by vibrating. For example, the air purification display unit 115 may function as the notification unit 118 by displaying an image or emitting light. The notification unit 118 may notify information, for example, when an abnormality is detected.

The notification unit 118 may output a signal indicating specific information from the air cleaning communication unit 112. The output signal may be transmitted to the terminal device 30, for example, via the cloud server 21. Upon receiving the signal, the terminal device 30 may display the information contained in the signal. This allows the user of the terminal device 30 to know the information of the signal output from the notification unit 118 by checking the information displayed on the terminal device 30.

The heater 119 is a mechanism capable of generating heat. By generating heat, the heater 119 can warm the surrounding air. In the air purifier 11 of this embodiment, the air purification control unit 110 can execute the air purification function of the air purification operation unit 113 as well as the heat generation function of the heater 119. The air purification control unit 110 can also operate only the mechanism related to the heat generation function of the heater 119. In addition to the heat generation function of the heater 119, the mechanism related to the heat generation function of the heater 119 may also include, for example, the operation of a fan motor that blows heated air.

As shown in FIG. 2, the cloud server 21 includes a server control unit 120, a server storage unit 121, and a server communication unit 122.

The server control unit 120 controls and manages the entire cloud server 21, including each functional unit of the cloud server 21. The server control unit 120 functions as a processor such as a CPU that executes a program that defines control procedures, or as a dedicated processor specialized for processing each function.

In this embodiment, the server control unit 120 generates various notification signals and transmits them to the air purifier 11. The notification signals generated by the server control unit 120 may include operation notifications and operational restriction notifications.

The server storage unit 121 functions as a storage medium capable of storing programs and data. The server storage unit 121 may store, for example, programs for operating the cloud server 21.

In this embodiment, the server storage unit 121 stores device information and location information in association with each other. The device information is information that can uniquely identify the air purifier 11. The location information is information related to the installation location of the air purifier 11. The location information may be, for example, an address, a postal code, or an area code.

Device information is stored in the server storage unit 121, for example, by being registered in advance by the user of the air purifier 11. For example, when the user performs a predetermined operational input on the air purification input unit 116 of the air purifier 11 to register it on the cloud server 21, the air purification control unit 110 transmits the device information of the air purifier 11 from the air purification communication unit 112 to the cloud server 21 based on the operational input. Location information may also be stored in the server storage unit 121, for example, by being registered in advance by the user of the air purifier 11. For example, when the user registers the device information, they also perform an operational input to enter the location information. As a result, the location information of the air purifier 11 is transmitted together with the device information from the air purification communication unit 112 to the cloud server 21. When the cloud server 21 receives the device information and location information from the air purifier 11 via the server communication unit 122, it associates the device information with the location information and stores them in the server storage unit 121. Alternatively, for example, when a user performs a predetermined operational input on the terminal device 30 to register the device on the cloud server 21, the terminal device 30 transmits the input device information of the air purifier 11 and the input location information to the cloud server 21 based on the operational input. When the cloud server 21 receives the device information and location information from the terminal device 30 via the server communication unit 122, it associates the device information and location information and stores them in the server storage unit 121.

The server storage unit 121 stores device information and location information for registered air purifiers 11. The server storage unit 121 stores device information and location information for multiple electrical appliances 10, including air purifiers 11.

The server storage unit 121 may further store information about controllable components for the air purifier 11 (electrical appliance 10) for which device information is stored. For example, the server 121 may store that the air purifier 11 includes an air purification operation unit 113 and a heater 119. For example, if the air purifier 11 includes multiple heaters 119, the server storage unit 121 may store information about the multiple heaters 119. Information about the controllable components may be registered in advance in the server storage unit 121, for example, along with the device information. When device information is registered in the server storage unit 121, information about the device corresponding to the registered information may be obtained from an external server, and the information about the controllable components may be registered in the server storage unit 121.

The server communication unit 122 transmits and receives various data by wirelessly communicating with the air purifier 11 and the terminal device 30. For example, the server communication unit 122 receives an operation signal from the terminal device 30. For example, the server communication unit 122 transmits various notification signals generated by the server control unit 120 to the air purifier 11.

The server communication unit 122 can communicate wirelessly with external devices other than the air purifier 11 and the terminal device 30. The server communication unit 122 receives various information by communicating wirelessly with other external devices. This allows the cloud server 21 to acquire various information. In this embodiment, the cloud server 21 can acquire information related to a specific location. The information related to a specific location may be any information as long as the information is associated with a location.

Information associated with a specific location may be, in particular, disaster information regarding the occurrence of a disaster. Disaster information may be forecast or prediction information indicating the possibility of a disaster occurring, or information indicating that a disaster has actually occurred. Disaster information may be, for example, a weather warning. Weather warnings may include warnings and advisories regarding heavy rain (landslides, flooding), strong winds, blizzards, heavy snow, waves, storm surges, floods, strong winds, wind and snow, lightning, snowmelt, dense fog, dryness, avalanches, low temperatures, frost, icing, and snow accumulation. Disaster information may include warnings and advisories regarding tsunamis. Disaster information may include emergency earthquake alerts that notify users of impending earthquake tremors. Disaster information may include fire alarm information that notifies users of a fire. However, disaster information is not limited to the examples given here. Disaster information is associated with the extent of a disaster. The extent of a disaster is the area where a disaster has occurred or is likely to occur, or the area that is affected by a disaster or is likely to be affected by a disaster. In the remainder of this specification, information associated with a specific location will be described as disaster information.

Note that disaster information may be generated and transmitted by an external device based on information detected by the external device. Alternatively, disaster information may be transmitted by an administrator of the external device based on the judgment of an expert, such as a weather forecaster, based on information detected by the external device. The same applies to information related to specific locations other than disaster information.

In this embodiment, when the server control unit 120 acquires disaster information, it executes a predetermined process and, if necessary, generates an operation restriction notification, which is a notification signal, and transmits it to the air purifier 11. Details of the predetermined process executed by the server control unit 120 and the operation restriction notification will be described in detail in the description of Figure 4 below.

As shown in FIG. 2, the terminal device 30 includes a terminal control unit 130, a terminal memory unit 131, a terminal communication unit 132, a terminal display unit 133, and a terminal input unit 134.

The terminal control unit 130 controls and manages the entire terminal device 30, including each functional unit of the terminal device 30. The terminal control unit 130 is configured to include at least one processor. The terminal control unit 130 is configured to include a processor such as a CPU that executes a program that defines control procedures, or a dedicated processor specialized for processing each function.

In this embodiment, when an operation input for operating the air purifier 11 is made on the terminal input unit 134, the terminal control unit 130 generates an operation signal corresponding to the operation input and transmits the operation signal from the terminal communication unit 132 to the cloud server 21. The operation signal includes device information that can uniquely identify the air purifier 11 to be operated, and information indicating the content of the operation input by the user.

The terminal storage unit 131 is a storage medium capable of storing programs and data. The terminal storage unit 131 can be configured, for example, as a semiconductor memory or a magnetic memory. The terminal storage unit 131 may store, for example, programs for operating the terminal device 30.

The device communication unit 132 transmits and receives various data by wirelessly communicating with the cloud server 21. Specifically, in this embodiment, the device communication unit 132 transmits operation signals to the cloud server 21.

The terminal display unit 133 is equipped with a display device such as a liquid crystal display, an organic EL panel, or an inorganic EL panel. The terminal display unit 133 displays characters, images, symbols, figures, etc. The terminal display unit 133 may be configured as a touchscreen display that not only has display functions but also touchscreen functions. In this case, the touchscreen detects contact with the user's finger or stylus pen on the terminal device 30.

The terminal input unit 134 accepts operation input from the user of the terminal device 30. The terminal input unit 134 is configured, for example, by operation buttons (operation keys). The terminal input unit 134 may be configured by a touch screen, and an input area for accepting operation input from the user may be displayed in part of the display device that is the terminal display unit 133, thereby accepting touch operation input from the user. The terminal input unit 134 accepts, for example, operation input for operating the air purifier 11.

Next, the processing executed by the server control unit 120 of the cloud server 21 will be described in detail. Figures 3 and 4 are flowcharts showing an example of processing executed by the server control unit 120 of Figure 2. The server control unit 120 may simultaneously execute the flow shown in Figure 3 and the flow shown in Figure 4 in parallel.

Figure 3 shows a flow diagram illustrating the process by which the server control unit 120 sends an operation notification as a notification signal.

First, the server control unit 120 determines whether the cloud server 21 has received an operation signal from the terminal device 30 (step S11). The operation signal is a signal generated and transmitted by the terminal control unit 130 of the terminal device 30 when a user performs an operation input on the terminal device 30 to remotely operate the air purifier 11.

If the user has not performed an operation input on the terminal device 30, no operation signal is sent from the terminal device 30. In this case, the cloud server 21 does not receive the operation signal. If the server control unit 120 determines that an operation signal has not been received (No in step S11), it repeats step S11 until it determines that an operation signal has been received.

When a user performs an operation input on the terminal device 30, the terminal device 30 transmits an operation signal corresponding to the content of the operation input. In this case, the cloud server 21 can receive the operation signal from the terminal device 30. If the server control unit 120 determines that an operation signal has been received (Yes in step S11), it generates and transmits an operation notification (step S12). The operation notification is a notification signal generated by the server control unit 120 when the server control unit 120 receives an operation signal. The operation notification is generated based on the information included in the operation signal. Specifically, the operation notification includes information indicating the content of the operation input by the user on the terminal device 30. The server control unit 120 transmits the generated operation notification to the air purifier 11 identified by the device information included in the operation signal.

In this way, when the server control unit 120 receives an operation signal from the terminal device 30, it generates an operation notification and sends it to the air purifier 11.

Figure 4 is a flow chart showing the predetermined processing executed by the server control unit 120 when the cloud server 21 acquires disaster information.

First, the server control unit 120 determines whether the cloud server 21 has acquired disaster information (step S21).

If the server control unit 120 determines that the cloud server 21 has not acquired disaster information (No in step S21), it repeats step S21 until it determines that the cloud server 21 has acquired disaster information.

When the server control unit 120 determines that the cloud server 21 has acquired disaster information (Yes in step S21), it determines whether there is any electrical appliance 10 whose installation location is within the disaster occurrence range (step S22). Specifically, the server control unit 120 determines whether there is any electrical appliance 10, among the multiple electrical appliances 10 stored in the server storage unit 121, that is installed within the disaster occurrence range indicated by the disaster information acquired by the cloud server 21 in step S21. Specifically, the server control unit 120 determines whether the location information of the multiple electrical appliances 10 stored in the server storage unit 121 is within the disaster occurrence range indicated by the disaster information. If the location information of at least one electrical appliance 10 is within the disaster occurrence range indicated by the disaster information, the server control unit 120 determines that there is an electrical appliance 10 installed within the disaster occurrence range. If the location information of any electrical appliance 10 is not within the disaster occurrence range indicated by the disaster information, the server control unit 120 determines that there is no electrical appliance 10 installed within the disaster occurrence range.

If the server control unit 120 determines that there are no electrical appliances 10 located within the disaster area (No in step S22), it ends this flow. In this case, the server control unit 120 may execute the flow in Figure 4 again from the beginning.

On the other hand, if the server control unit 120 determines that an electrical appliance 10 is located within the disaster occurrence range (Yes in step S22), it transmits to the electrical appliance 10 an operation restriction notification that restricts at least part of the operation of the electrical appliance 10 based on information about the area surrounding the electrical appliance 10's installation location. Here, since the electrical appliance 10 has been determined to be located within the disaster occurrence range, disaster information that specifies the installation location of the electrical appliance 10 as being within the disaster occurrence range is considered to be information about the area surrounding the installation location of the electrical appliance 10. In other words, information about the area surrounding the installation location of the electrical appliance 10 is disaster information. In other words, the server control unit 120 generates an operation restriction notification based on the disaster information and transmits it to the electrical appliance 10 (e.g., air purifier 11 in this case) determined to be located within the disaster occurrence range (step S23).

Here, the operation restriction notification is a notification signal instructing that at least some of the operations of the electrical appliance 10 be restricted. The operation restriction notification may, for example, be a notification signal instructing that a specific operation be stopped from among multiple operations that the electrical appliance 10 can perform. For example, at least some of the operations of the electrical appliance 10 may be heat generation by the heater 119. If the air purifier 11 is equipped with multiple heaters 119, the operation restriction notification may include information regarding which of the multiple heaters 119 should stop generating heat. In this case, the operation restriction notification is a notification signal instructing that the heat generation operation by the heater 119 be restricted from among multiple operations that the electrical appliance 10 can perform. The operation restriction notification may, for example, be a notification signal instructing that all operations that the electrical appliance can perform be restricted.

When the electrical appliance 10 receives the operation restriction notification sent from the server control unit 120, it executes a stop process to stop operation in response to the operation restriction notification. The stop process executed by the electrical appliance 10 will be described in detail with reference to Figure 5 below.

The actions restricted by the action restriction notification may differ depending on the type or extent of the disaster indicated by the disaster information. In other words, the server control unit 120 may generate an action restriction notification so that the type of action to be restricted differs depending on the type or extent of the disaster indicated by the disaster information.

Specifically, for example, disaster risk levels are assigned in stages for each type of disaster, and the disaster types and risk levels are associated and stored in advance in the server storage unit 121. For example, assume that three levels of disaster risk are assigned for each type of disaster. The server storage unit 121 stores the disaster type and the level indicating the risk level corresponding to the disaster type. Furthermore, for each level, the type of operation restricted by the electrical appliance 10 is determined and stored in advance in the server storage unit 121. For example, assume that the following operations are restricted in the server storage unit 121: the first level, which represents the lowest risk, is restricted to operations that generate heat using the heater 119; the second level, which represents the next lowest risk, is restricted to operations that involve rotation by the motor provided in the electrical appliance 10; and the third level, which represents the highest risk, is restricted to all operations of the electrical appliance 10. In this case, when the server control unit 120 detects that the cloud server 21 has acquired disaster information, it refers to the server storage unit 121 and determines the disaster risk level based on the type of disaster indicated by the disaster information. The server control unit 120 then references the server storage unit 121 and determines the operations to be restricted based on the determined disaster risk level. The server control unit 120 then sends an operation restriction notification to the electrical appliance 10 instructing it to restrict the determined operations. The electrical appliance 10 then executes a stop process in accordance with the contents of the operation restriction notification received from the server control unit 120.

Once the server control unit 120 has sent the operation restriction notification, it ends this flow. In this case, the server control unit 120 may execute the flow in Figure 4 again from the beginning.

In this way, when the server control unit 120 acquires disaster information, it sends an operation restriction notification to electrical appliances 10 that are within the area where the disaster occurred.

Next, the processing executed by the air purification control unit 110 of the air purifier 11 will be described in detail. Figures 5 and 6 are flowcharts showing an example of processing executed by the air purification control unit 110 of Figure 2. The air purification control unit 110 may simultaneously execute the flow shown in Figure 5 and the flow shown in Figure 6 in parallel.

Figure 5 is a flow chart showing the stop process executed by the air cleaning control unit 110.

First, the air cleaning control unit 110 determines whether the air cleaning communication unit 112 has received an operation restriction notification from the cloud server 21 (step S31).

If the air cleaning control unit 110 determines that an operation restriction notification has not been received (No in step S31), it repeats step S31 until it determines that an operation restriction notification has been received.

On the other hand, if the air purification control unit 110 determines that it has received an operation restriction notification (Yes in step S31), it sets an operation restriction flag for the air purifier 11 (step S32). The operation restriction flag is a flag that indicates that operation restrictions have been imposed on the air purifier 11.

The air purification control unit 110 then stops operation based on the operation restriction notification (step S33). Specifically, the air purification control unit 110 stops the operation that the operation restriction notification instructed it to restrict. For example, if the operation restriction notification instructs it to restrict heat generation by the heater 119, the air purification control unit 110 stops the heat generation operation by the heater 119. If the air purifier 11 has multiple heaters 119, the air purification control unit 110 may stop the heat generation operation by the heater 119 specified in the operation restriction notification. Furthermore, for example, if the operation restriction notification instructs it to restrict air purification operation by the air purification operation unit 113, the air purification control unit 110 stops operation by the air purification operation unit 113. For example, if the operation restriction notification instructs it to restrict all operations, the air purification control unit 110 stops all operations of the air purifier 11. Furthermore, the air cleaning control unit 110 may determine which operations to stop based on the operation restriction notification, for example, according to a specific algorithm.

The air purification control unit 110 also notifies the user that operation has stopped (step S34). For example, the air purification control unit 110 can notify the user that operation has stopped by outputting a sound from the notification unit 118, which is composed of a speaker, vibrating the notification unit 118, which is composed of a vibrator, or displaying an image on the air purification display unit 115, which also functions as the notification unit 118.

In addition, in step S34, the air purification control unit 110 may send an alert signal to the cloud server 21 notifying that operation has stopped, instead of or in addition to the alert from the alert unit 118. When the cloud server 21 receives the alert signal, it transmits the received alert signal to the terminal device 30 used by the user of the air purifier 11. The server control unit 120 of the cloud server 21 may, for example, identify the terminal device that sends the operation signal to the air purifier 11 as the terminal device 30 used by the user of the air purifier 11, and transmit the alert signal to that terminal device 30. Alternatively, the server memory unit 121 of the cloud server 21 may store the terminal device 30 associated with the air purifier 11, and the server control unit 120 may transmit the alert signal to the terminal device associated with the air purifier 11 that sent the alert signal.

When the terminal device 30 receives the notification signal, it notifies the user that the air purifier 11 has stopped operating. The terminal device 30 can issue the notification by, for example, outputting sound from a speaker (not shown), vibrating a vibrator (not shown), or displaying an image on the terminal display unit 133. In this way, by issuing a notification from the terminal device 30, when the air purifier 11 has stopped operating, it is possible to notify a user who is remote from the air purifier 11 that the air purifier 11 has stopped operating.

Next, the air purification control unit 110 determines whether a restriction release operation has been input to the air purification input unit 116 (step S35). The restriction release operation is an operation for releasing the operation restrictions on the air purifier 11. The restriction release operation is predetermined as a specific operation input to the air purification input unit 116. When the user inputs a restriction release operation to the air purification input unit 116, the air purification control unit 110 determines that a restriction release operation has been input.

The restriction release operation may be configured to be input by operational input to the air purification input unit 116 or by operational input to the terminal device 30. However, it is more preferable that the restriction release operation be configured to be input only as an operational input to the air purification input unit 116. By allowing the restriction release operation to be input only as an operational input to the air purification input unit 116, the operation to release the restriction on a restricted air purifier 11 can be performed only when it is guaranteed that the user is present at the installation location of the air purifier 11. Therefore, even when disaster information has been issued, the user can release the restriction on the air purifier 11 after confirming the safety of the surrounding conditions. This ensures the safety of the air purifier 11, which can be operated remotely.

If the air purification control unit 110 determines that a restriction removal operation has not been input (No in step S35), it repeats step S35 until it determines that a restriction removal operation has been input. In this case, the operation restriction on the air purifier 11 is maintained.

Note that if the air purifier 11 receives a further operation restriction notification from the cloud server 21 without inputting a restriction release operation, the operation restriction flag has already been set, and therefore the air purification control unit 110 does not execute step S32. In this case, the air purification control unit 110 may execute steps S33 and S34 based on the further operation restriction notification.

If the air purification control unit 110 determines that a restriction release operation has been input (Yes in step S35), it releases the operation restriction flag set in step S32 (step S36). In this way, the air purification control unit 110 releases the operation restriction imposed by the operation restriction notification based on the operation input to the main body of the air purifier 11.

If the operation restriction flag is released, the air cleaning control unit 110 may continue the restricted operation in step S33 until a separate operation input is made to the air cleaning input unit 116 or until a separate operation notification is received from the cloud server 21. Continuing the restricted operation allows for safer operation to continue until a separate operation input is made. Alternatively, if the operation restriction flag is released, the air cleaning control unit 110 may resume the operation that was being performed before the restricted operation in step S33 was performed. In this case, the air cleaning control unit 110 performs the operation that was performed before the restricted operation was performed, which is considered to be the operation desired by the user, thereby improving user convenience.

Then, the air cleaning control unit 110 ends this flow. In this case, the air cleaning control unit 110 may execute the flow in Figure 5 again from the beginning.

Figure 6 is a flow chart showing the processing that the air purifier 11 executes when it receives an operation notification from the cloud server 21.

First, the air purification control unit 110 determines whether the air purification communication unit 112 has received an operation notification from the cloud server 21 (step S41). As described above, the operation notification includes information indicating the content of the operation performed on the air purifier 11.

If the air cleaning control unit 110 determines that it has not received an operation notification from the cloud server 21 (No in step S41), it repeats step S41 until it determines that it has received an operation notification from the cloud server 21.

When the air purification control unit 110 determines that it has received an operation notification from the cloud server 21 (Yes in step S41), it determines whether an operation restriction flag has been set for the air purifier 11 (step S42). If the operation restriction flag has not been released after it was set in step S32 of FIG. 5, the air purification control unit 110 determines that the operation restriction flag has been set for the air purifier 11. If the operation restriction flag was not set before it was set in step S32 of FIG. 5 or after it was released in step S36, the air purification control unit 110 determines that the operation restriction flag has not been set.

If the air cleaning control unit 110 determines that the operation restriction flag is not set (step S
6. If the answer is No in step S42, the air cleaning control unit 110 executes the operation based on the operation notification (step S44). In this case, the air cleaning control unit 110 operates the air cleaning operation unit 113 to execute the operation content included in the operation notification. As a result, the operation content input by the user to the terminal device 30 is executed by the air purifier 11. In other words, the terminal device 30 remotely operates the air purifier 11. In this case, the air cleaning control unit 110 ends this flow. The air cleaning control unit 110 may execute the flow of FIG. 6 again from the beginning.

On the other hand, if the air purification control unit 110 determines that the operation restriction flag is set (Yes in step S42), it determines whether the operation based on the operation notification received from the cloud server 21 is an operation in a safe direction (step S43). Here, an operation in a safe direction refers to an operation in which the probability of an accident, such as a fire, occurring due to the operation of the air purifier 11 is lower. An operation in a safe direction includes, for example, an operation to stop operation and an operation to reduce the operating intensity.

Therefore, for example, if the action based on the operation notification is an action to stop operation, the air cleaning control unit 110 determines that the action is in a safe direction. For example, if the action based on the operation notification is an action to start operation, the air cleaning control unit 110 determines that the action is not in a safe direction. For example, if the action based on the operation notification is an action to lower the operating intensity from the current level, for example, an action to lower the motor rotation speed, the air cleaning control unit 110 determines that the action is not in a safe direction. For example, if the action based on the operation notification is an action to increase the operating intensity from the current level, for example, an action to increase the motor rotation speed, the air cleaning control unit 110 determines that the action is not in a safe direction.

Alternatively, the air purification memory unit 111 of the air purifier 11 may pre-store a safety order for all executable operations, and the air purification control unit 110 may determine whether an operation based on an operation notification is an operation in a safe direction based on the safety order stored in the air purification memory unit 111. For example, the air purification control unit 110 refers to the safety order stored in the air purification memory unit 111 for the currently executed operation and the operation based on the operation notification, and compares which operation has a higher safety order. If the operation based on the operation notification has a higher safety order than the currently executed operation, the air purification control unit 110 determines that the operation is an operation in a safe direction. On the other hand, if the operation based on the operation notification has a lower safety order than the currently executed operation, the air purification control unit 110 determines that the operation is not an operation in a safe direction. The air purification control unit 110 may determine whether an operation based on an operation notification is an operation in a safe direction using methods other than those exemplified here.

If the air cleaning control unit 110 determines that the operation based on the operation notification is an operation in a safe direction (Yes in step S43), it executes the operation based on the operation notification (step S44). That is, the air cleaning control unit 110 operates the air cleaning operation unit 113 to execute the operation content included in the operation notification. If the operation based on the operation notification is an operation in a safe direction, safety is guaranteed by executing that operation even if the operation restriction flag is set. In this case, the air cleaning control unit 110 ends this flow. The air cleaning control unit 110 may execute the flow of Figure 6 again from the beginning.

On the other hand, if the air cleaning control unit 110 determines that the action based on the operation notification is not in a safe direction (No in step S43), it ends this flow without executing the action based on the operation notification. If the action based on the operation notification is not in a safe direction, and the action restriction flag is set, executing the action poses a high risk of a disaster such as a fire, and it is therefore inappropriate to execute the action. In this case, the air cleaning control unit 110 ends this flow. The air cleaning control unit 110 may execute the flow of Figure 6 again from the beginning.

Note that when the air purification control unit 110 receives an operation restriction notification via the air purification communication unit 112, it does not have to perform an operation based on an operation signal from the terminal device 30. In other words, when the air purification control unit 110 receives an operation notification from the cloud server 21 based on an operation signal from the terminal device 30, if the air purification control unit 110 determines in step S42 that an operation restriction flag has been set for the air purifier 11 due to the reception of the operation restriction notification via the air purification communication unit 112 (Yes in step S42), it may end this flow without performing the processing of step S43. In this case, the air purification control unit 110 does not perform an operation based on the operation notification. In this way, by not performing an operation based on remote operation from the terminal device 30 when the operation restriction flag is set, the air purification control unit 110 can restrict remote operation when an operation restriction notification is received, thereby improving the operational safety of the remotely operable air purifier 11.

Figure 7 is a sequence diagram showing an example of processing by the operation control system 1 of Figure 2. Assume that at the start of the sequence, the operation restriction flag is not set for the air purifier 11.

A user who wishes to remotely operate the air purifier 11 inputs an operation to the terminal device 30. The terminal device 30 accepts the operation input from the user (step S51).

The terminal device 30 generates an operation signal based on the operation input received in step S51 and transmits it to the cloud server 21 (step S52).

When the cloud server 21 receives an operation signal from the terminal device 30, it generates an operation notification including information indicating the content of the operation and transmits it to the air purifier 11 corresponding to the device information included in the operation signal (step S53).

Here, the operation restriction flag is not set for the air purifier 11. Therefore, the air purifier 11 proceeds to No at the branch shown in step S42 in FIG. 6 and performs operation based on the operation notification as described in step S44 (step S54).

Next, assume that an external device transmits disaster information. The cloud server 21 receives the disaster information transmitted from the external device and acquires the disaster information (step S55).

When the cloud server 21 acquires the disaster information, it determines whether there are any electrical appliances 10 installed in the disaster area indicated by the disaster information. If the cloud server 21 determines that there are any electrical appliances 10 installed in the disaster area, it generates an operation restriction notification that restricts the operation of the electrical appliances 10 installed in the disaster area and transmits the operation restriction notification to the electrical appliances 10 (step S56). Here, it is assumed that the cloud server 21 has transmitted the operation restriction notification to the air purifier 11.

When the air purifier 11 receives the operation restriction notification sent from the cloud server 21, it sets an operation restriction flag for the air purifier 11 (step S57).

Then, the air purifier 11 stops operation based on the operation restriction notification (step S58). Specifically, the air purifier 11 stops the operation that was instructed to be restricted by the operation restriction notification.

The air purifier 11 also notifies the user via the notification unit 118 that its operation has stopped (step S59). For example, the air purifier 11 notifies those around the air purifier 11 that its operation has stopped by having the notification unit 118 output a sound or vibration, display an image, or emit light. In step S59, the air purifier 11 may output a signal indicating that its operation has stopped from the notification unit 118 via the air purification communication unit 112. The output signal is transmitted to the terminal device 30 via the cloud server 21. Upon receiving the signal, the terminal device 30 may display information indicating that the operation of the air purifier 11 has stopped, for example, on the terminal display unit 133. This allows the user of the terminal device 30 to know remotely that the operation of the air purifier 11 has stopped.

In this state, as in the case described in steps S51 to S53, when the air purifier 11 receives an operation notification via the cloud server 21 based on an operation input entered by the user into the terminal device 30, the air purifier 11 determines whether the operation based on the operation notification is an operation in a safe direction, as described in step S43 of FIG. 6. If the air purifier 11 determines that the operation based on the operation notification is an operation in a safe direction (Yes in step S43), it executes the operation based on the operation notification, and if it determines that the operation based on the operation notification is not an operation in a safe direction (No in step S43), it does not execute the operation based on the operation notification.

Furthermore, in this state, as in the cases described in steps S55 and S56, if the cloud server 21 detects disaster information and sends a new operation restriction notification to the air purifier 11 based on the disaster information, the operation restriction flag has already been set in the air purifier 11, so the air purifier 11 does not need to execute step S57 of setting the operation restriction flag. However, if the air purifier 11 receives a new operation restriction notification, it may stop operating based on the new operation restriction notification, as in step S58.

When the operation restriction flag is set for the air purifier 11, the user can input an operation to deactivate the air purifier 11 using the air purification input unit 116. When the user inputs an operation to deactivate the air purifier 11, the air purifier 11 accepts the input of the operation to deactivate the air purifier 11 (step S60).

Then, the air purifier 11 clears the operation restriction flag set in step S57 (step S61). This allows the air purifier 11 to once again perform operations based on remote control. Note that when the operation restriction flag is cleared, the air purifier 11 may notify the user via the notification unit 118. This notification allows the user to know that the operation restriction has been cleared.

As described above, the air purifier 11, which is the electrical appliance 10 of this embodiment, includes an air purification communication unit 112 capable of receiving signals from the cloud server 21, and an air purification control unit 110 that executes operation based on an operation signal from the terminal device 30. When the air purification communication unit 112 receives an operation restriction notification that restricts at least part of the operation of the air purifier 11, the operation restriction notification is sent from the cloud server 21 based on information about the surrounding area of the installation location of the air purifier 11. The air purification control unit 110 stops at least part of the operation. This makes it possible to restrict at least part of the operation of the air purifier 11, which is normally remotely operable via the terminal device 30, depending on the conditions around the air purifier 11, without requiring operation from the user. This improves the operational safety of the remotely operable air purifier 11.

As described in this embodiment, if the information about the area around the installation location is disaster information, and the installation location of the air purifier 11 is within the disaster range, at least part of the operation of the air purifier 11 is stopped. Therefore, the air purifier 11 according to this embodiment makes it easier to prevent accidents that may occur due to the air purifier 11 continuing to operate in the event of a disaster. This improves the operational safety of the remotely operable air purifier 11. In particular, if at least part of the operation is heat generation by the heater 119, the heat generation operation is stopped, making it easier to prevent the outbreak of a fire that may occur in the event of a disaster.

For example, if an earthquake or typhoon occurs and the heater 119 of the air purifier 11 continues to generate heat, there is a possibility of a fire breaking out if the air purifier 11 falls over or if flammable material falls and comes into contact with the heater 119 of the air purifier 11. In contrast, if the air purifier 11 stops the heater 119 from generating heat, as in this embodiment, it becomes easier to prevent a fire caused by the heater 119.

In the above embodiment, the air purifier 11 may restrict at least some of its operations based on ambient sounds acquired by the sound input unit 117. For example, suppose that a broadcast is broadcast informing users of the possibility of a disaster or advising them to evacuate in the area where the air purifier 11 is installed. These broadcasts are acquired by the sound input unit 117, and the resulting sound data is transmitted to the air purification control unit 110. The air purification control unit 110 performs sound analysis on the sound data received from the sound input unit 117. If the air purification control unit 110 determines through the sound analysis that the sound acquired by the sound input unit 117 is disaster information related to the occurrence of a disaster, it may set an operation restriction flag for the air purifier 11, as described in step S32 of FIG. 5. In this case, the air purification control unit 110 may stop at least some of its operations itself. At this time, the air purification control unit 110 may notify the user that its operations have been stopped via the notification unit 118, as described in step S34 of FIG. 5. In this way, the air purifier 11 may stop at least part of its operation based on sound information that can be obtained in the area where the air purifier 11 is installed, without relying on an operation restriction notification from the cloud server 21. This also improves safety.

Furthermore, when the air purification control unit 110 receives an alarm sound emitted by a specified alarm device from the sound input unit 117, it may set an operation restriction flag and stop at least some of the operation, as described above. The specified alarm device may include, for example, a fire alarm or a gas alarm. A fire alarm emits an alarm sound when it detects a fire, and a gas alarm emits an alarm sound when it detects a gas leak. In either case, stopping at least some of the operation of the air purifier 11 can prevent accidents caused by fires or gas leaks.

In the above embodiment, the air purification control unit 110 may issue an alert from the alert unit 118 when a value detected by a sensor exceeds a predetermined threshold value while operation is restricted based on an operation restriction notification. The state in which operation is restricted based on an operation restriction notification is a state in which the operation restriction flag is set in step S32 of FIG. 5 and then not released. While operation is restricted based on an operation restriction notification, the air purifier 11 stops generating heat, for example, using the heater 119. The sensor may be any sensor included in the sensor unit 114. For example, the sensor may be a dust sensor that detects particles floating in the surrounding area. Since the dust sensor detects particles floating in the surrounding area, if a fire breaks out around the air purifier 11 and smoke is emitted, it can detect smoke particles. Therefore, if a fire breaks out around the air purifier 11, the value indicating the particle detection level detected by the dust sensor will increase. Therefore, if the value detected by the sensor exceeds a predetermined threshold while operation is restricted based on the operation restriction notification, there is a possibility that a fire has broken out, even though the heater 119 has stopped generating heat. In other words, there is a possibility that an abnormality has occurred in or around the air purifier 11 due to a factor other than the heater 119 generating heat. In this case, the air cleaning control unit 110 can notify the user that an abnormality may have occurred by issuing a notification from the notification unit 118.

In the above embodiment, it was described that the cloud server 21 transmits an operation restriction notification to an electrical appliance based on information about the surrounding area of the electrical appliance's installation location. The cloud server 21 may also perform other processing based on information about the surrounding area of the electrical appliance's installation location. For example, the cloud server 21 may transmit an operation restriction notification to the terminal device 30 based on information about the surrounding area of the electrical appliance's installation location. The operation restriction notification is a notification that restricts at least some operation inputs to the terminal device 30. When the terminal device 30 receives an operation restriction notification from the cloud server 21, it may restrict some operation inputs specified in the operation restriction notification. The operation restriction notification is, for example, a signal for controlling the display screen (terminal display unit 133) of the terminal device 30 to restrict operation buttons that accept input of operation instructions for the air purifier 11 (electrical appliance). This may be executed when the terminal device 30 is configured to transmit an operation signal based on operation inputs to operation buttons displayed on the display screen of the terminal device 30. When the terminal device 30 receives the operation restriction notification sent from the cloud server 21, it restricts the operation buttons in accordance with the instructions indicated in the operation restriction notification.

For example, upon receiving an operation restriction notification, the terminal device 30 may hide or conceal buttons for inputting restricted operations. For example, upon receiving an operation restriction notification, the terminal device 30 may display buttons for inputting restricted operations darker than other buttons, or in a manner that makes it clear that they are inactive. For example, upon receiving an operation restriction notification, the terminal device 30 may superimpose a mark indicating that the operation cannot be accepted on the button for inputting the restricted operation. The mark indicating that the operation cannot be accepted may be, for example, an X mark. For example, upon receiving an operation restriction notification, the terminal device 30 may not accept processing based on the operation input, even if an operation input is made to a button for inputting a restricted operation. The terminal device 30 may execute a combination of two or more of the examples described here.

In this way, the cloud server 21 sends an operation restriction notification, and the terminal device 30 restricts operation input based on the operation restriction notification, thereby improving the operational safety of the air purifier 11.

The cloud server 21 may transmit both the operation restriction notification and the operation restriction notification in the above embodiment to the air purifier 11 and the terminal device 30, respectively. In this case, the terminal device 30 may notify the user of the terminal device 30 that operation input to the operation buttons is restricted. For example, the terminal device 30 may notify the user that operation input to the operation buttons is restricted by displaying on the terminal display unit 133. Specifically, the terminal device 30 may display, for example, on the terminal display unit 133, "An abnormality has been detected around the air purifier 11. Some operating operations have been restricted for safety reasons." This display allows the user to know the reason why operation input to the operation buttons is restricted.

In the above embodiment, the operation control system 1 is described as including a cloud server 21 provided in the cloud 20, but the operation control system 1 does not necessarily have to include a cloud server 21. Even if the operation control system 1 includes a real server capable of executing processing equivalent to that of the cloud server 21 instead of the cloud server 21, the same effects as those of the above embodiment can be achieved.

While the present disclosure has been described based on various drawings and embodiments, it should be noted that those skilled in the art would easily be able to make various modifications and alterations based on the present disclosure. Therefore, it should be noted that these modifications and alterations are included within the scope of the present disclosure. For example, the functions included in each functional unit or step may be rearranged so as not to result in logical inconsistencies, and multiple functional units or steps may be combined or divided into one.

1 Operation control system 10 Electrical appliance 11 Air purifier 20 Cloud 21 Cloud server 30 Terminal device 110 Air purification control unit 111 Air purification storage unit 112 Air purification communication unit 113 Air purification operation unit 114 Sensor unit 115 Air purification display unit 116 Air purification input unit 117 Sound input unit 118 Notification unit 119 Heater 120 Server control unit 121 Server storage unit 122 Server communication unit 130 Terminal control unit 131 Terminal storage unit 132 Terminal communication unit 133 Terminal display unit 134 Terminal input unit

Claims (6)

a communication unit capable of receiving a signal from a server;
a control unit that executes an operation based on an operation signal from a terminal device;
a sensor capable of detecting information about the surrounding environment as a numerical value;
a notification unit that issues a notification;
An electrical appliance comprising :
the control unit, when receiving, at the communication unit, an operation restriction notification that restricts at least a part of the operation of the electrical appliance, the operation restriction notification being transmitted from the server based on information about the surroundings of an installation location of the electrical appliance, stops the at least a part of the operation;
The control unit issues a notification from the notification unit when the value detected by the sensor exceeds a predetermined threshold value in a state in which the operation is restricted based on the operation restriction notification.
electric appliances. The electrical appliance includes a heater capable of generating heat,
the control unit stops the heat generation operation of the heater as the at least part of the operation.
The electrical appliance of claim 1 . The electrical appliance according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control unit releases the operational restriction imposed by the operational restriction notification based on a predetermined input operation on the main body of the electrical appliance. The electrical appliance described in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the information about the surrounding area of the installation location is disaster information regarding the occurrence of a disaster. The electrical appliance of claim 4, wherein the operations restricted by the operation restriction notification vary depending on the type or extent of the disaster indicated by the disaster information. an electrical appliance capable of executing an operation based on an operation signal from a terminal device;
a server connected to the electrical appliance so as to be capable of communicating information;
A motion control system comprising:
the server transmits to the terminal device an operation restriction notification that restricts at least a part of operation input to the terminal device based on information about the surrounding area of an installation location of the electrical appliance;
When the terminal device receives the operation restriction notification from the server, the terminal device restricts the at least some of the operation inputs.
Motion control system.