Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.

Panasonic Corporation

Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America

Mariko Nakaso

Hiroyuki Sasai

Masaru Yamaoka

Hiroko Sugimoto

Tsutomu Niiho

Hiroaki Yamamoto

Kuniaki Utsumi

Toshiaki Ohnishi

Kazuhiro Kuroyama

Kouichi Masuda

Masafumi Okubo

Teruo Kamiyama

Tomotaka Yagi

Yasuo Yoshimura

Tomohiko Kitamura

Kazunori Kurimoto

Toshiaki Tanaka

Tetsuya Kouda

Shuya Hosokawa

Gantetsu Matsui

Kenichi Kamon

Kazuo Tanaka

Fumiaki Suzuki

Yuko Omura

Hiromi Toyota

Kazuki Sakamoto

Ryo Nishimura

Yuka Yoneda

An operation analysis method includes a first acquisition step, a second acquisition step, a plan designing step, and an analysis step. In the first acquisition step, the operation history of a washer is acquired. In the second acquisition step, at least the action schedule of a user of the washer is acquired. In the plan designing step, based on the operation history acquired in the first acquisition step, an operation plan for the future regarding the normal operation of the washer periodically performed by the user is designed. In the analysis step, based on the action schedule acquired in the second acquisition step, whether the operation of the washer is the normal operation is analyzed. In the plan designing step, the operation plan is updated based on the result of the analysis in analysis step.

Operation analysis method, recording medium, operation analysis system, and presentation device

An information processing method executed by a computer to control notification by a plurality of terminals (first terminal and second terminal) associated with an appliance includes: obtaining information defining, for each state of a plurality of possible states of the appliance, whether the state is a predetermined state that requires the notification by all of the first terminal and the second terminal; obtaining a state of the appliance; determining whether the state of the appliance obtained is the predetermined state; performing control to cause all of the first terminal and the second terminal to make the notification, when it is determined that the state of the appliance is the predetermined state; and performing control to cause a specific terminal out of the first terminal and the second terminal to make the notification, when it is determined that the state of the appliance is not the predetermined state.

Information processing method and device for notifying conditions of appliance

A computer is used to obtain arrival time required for a user of a washing machine to arrive at an installation position of the washing machine based on a position of the user and the installation position, and when it is determined that the washing machine is performing washing based on operation information of the washing machine, when the arrival time is longer than washing completion time required for the washing machine to complete washing, to transmit instruction infomiation for adding a process of soaking laundry in water by the washing machine or for changing time in the process to the washing machine.

Control method and washing machine

A washing machine includes: a drum that rotates with a washing or drying object contained in the drum; a motor that rotationally drives the drum; a controller that controls rotation of the motor; and an electric current measurer that measures an electric current value representing an electric current flowing in the motor. The controller controls the rotation of the motor to rotate the drum less than one turn, and in accordance with the measured electric current value, detects whether a foreign object that is different from the object and whose mass is greater than an expected mass of the object is inside the drum. In a case where the controller detects the foreign object, the controller stops operation of the washing machine.

Washer dryer machine and control method

An information processing method performed with a processor includes determining whether a second dispensing amount of detergent to be dispensed in a washing apparatus in a scheduled first washing event falls below a threshold based on a remaining amount of the detergent in a detergent container of the washing apparatus and a first dispensing amount set for one washing event for washing a washing target, changing a third dispensing amount determined based on the first dispensing amount to be dispensed into the washing apparatus in a second washing event preceding the first washing event to a fourth dispensing amount equaling or exceeding the threshold when the second dispensing amount is determined to fall below the threshold, outputting information representing the fourth dispensing amount, and causing the washing apparatus to dispense the fourth dispensing amount of the detergent in the second washing event.

Information processing method, information processing apparatus, washing system, and washing apparatus

An information terminal includes a first radio communication unit that performs communication with a server, a condition input unit through which a condition for retrieving a specific cooking recipe information group from cooking recipe information groups stored in the server is input, and a display unit that displays the specific cooking recipe information group specified based on the condition input through the condition input unit. Further, the display unit displays list screen () that displays as a list the specific cooking recipe information group so that first cooking recipe information that is associated with operation control information is differentiated from second cooking recipe information that is not associated with the operation control information, and a cooking method screen that displays a cooking method relating to specific cooking recipe information in the specific cooking recipe information group displayed on the list screen.

Information terminal, information terminal control method, and information terminal control program

When an appliance communication portion of a home electric appliance receives a set operation data piece transmission request from a mobile terminal, the appliance communication portion transmits a stored set operation data piece. When the appliance communication portion receives the set operation data piece from the mobile terminal, the appliance communication portion sets an operation, defined by the received set operation data piece, as an operation of the home electric appliance to be executed. When a data piece processing portion of the mobile terminal receives a set operation data piece acquisition command from an input portion and receives the set operation data piece from the home electric appliance, the data piece processing portion causes a data piece storage portion to store the received set operation data piece. When the data piece processing portion receives an operation setting command from the input portion, the data piece processing portion causes a first terminal communication portion to transmit the set operation data piece.

Communication method, program storage medium, mobile terminal, home electric appliance, and home electric appliance operation setting system

An image display method including: obtaining (S) combined data including (i) image data of an image having an item as a subject and (ii) first setting information indicating processing which a first electric appliance performs on the item; determining whether or not the first setting information is convertible into second setting information, the first setting information being included in the obtained combined data, and the second setting information being information in a format previously designated by a user and executable by a second electric appliance; determining (S) a first mark to be added to the image of the image data, if it is determined that the first setting information is convertible into the second setting information; and displaying (S) the image of the image data to which the determined first mark is added, the image data being included in the combined data.

Appliance control system and method for controlling an appliance based on processing done by another appliance

A communication method including: generating image data of an item on which an electric appliance performed processing; obtaining setting information of the electric appliance which indicates the processing performed on the item; converting the obtained setting information into reference setting information that is setting information in a general format; generating combined data by adding the converted reference setting information to the generated image data; and transmitting the generated combined data to a storage server. For instance, in the communication method, setting information of the electric appliance when the processing was performed on the item is obtained by performing proximity wireless communication with the electric appliance.

Communication method, communication device, appliance control method, and appliance control device

An information notification apparatus includes a first reception unit that receives a first state change notification indicating that the operating state of an electrical appliance has changed to a first state, a transmission unit that transmits a state notification indicating that the operating state of the electrical appliance is the first state to an information terminal, and a second reception unit that receives an acknowledgement notification. The first reception unit further receives a second state change notification indicating that the electrical appliance has been changed to a second state from the electrical apparatus. The transmission unit calculates a correlation value for each of information terminals and transmits the state notification to an information terminal having a calculated correlation value higher than a threshold value, the correlation value indicating a degree of likelihood that the owner of the information terminal has performed an operation corresponding to the second operating state.

Information notification apparatus, information notification system, information notification method, and program

A reference image acquisition unit () obtains a reference image for guiding a portable device () to a position in which near field wireless communication with a terminal device () is possible on the basis of portable device identification information for identifying a type of the portable device (). A reference image display control unit () displays the reference image obtained by the reference image acquisition unit () on a display unit () provided on an opposite surface of the portable device () to a surface that opposes the terminal device () when the portable device () is brought close to the terminal device (). A reference image correction unit () corrects a position of the reference image in response to an image moving operation for aligning the reference image displayed on the display unit () with a target mark formed on a front surface of the terminal device ().

Communication apparatus, communication method, communication program, server apparatus, information updating method for server apparatus, and communication system

A transmission device includes a first light emission unit having a light source for emitting one optical signal. A reception unit includes an X-Y address system image sensor, having a pixel region including a plurality of pixels, for receiving the optical signal by the pixel region; a classification unit for creating classification information representing a pixel group including pixels, among the plurality of pixels, which are irradiated with the optical signal; and a control unit for controlling the X-Y address system image sensor in accordance with the classification information to simultaneously read signals of the pixels belonging to the pixel group.

Optical space transfer apparatus using image sensor

An optical transmitter for performing high-rate data communication by means of optical space transmission is provided, which can reliably perform optical axis adjustment manually and visually, and can prevent a device from being made large in size and manufacturing cost of the device from being increased by using an simply-constructed optical transmitter. Thus, the optical transmitter of the present invention comprises an incident beam restriction section operable to allow only a visible beam which is emitted by a terminal located within a range in which an infrared beam is emitted and incident thereon to pass therethrough, a reflection section operable to reflect the visible beam which has passed through the incident beam restriction section, and a light source operable to emit the infrared beam to pass through the reflection section according to a data transmission request signal from the terminal.

Optical wireless transmission system for performing optical space transmission, and optical transmitter used therein

A SW () receives an Ethernet&#xae; signal from an outside of areas E and F. The SW () selects and outputs the obtained Ethernet&#xae; signal to any one of APs (to) in accordance with a network structure managed by the SW (). The AP (to) converts the Ethernet&#xae; signal to an electrical signal type wireless LAN signal, which is in turn output to a main station (). The main station () frequency-multiplexes the signal output from each of the APs (to), and converts the signal to an optical signal, which is in turn output to sub-stations (and). The sub-station (and) transmits the signal transmitted from the main station () to a terminal in the form of a wireless radio wave. Thereby, when a plurality of communication areas are present, the accommodation capacity of an AP can be effectively utilized in each communication area.

Method and system for extending coverage of WLAN access points via optically multiplexed connection of access points to sub-stations

A light emission section, including a light emitting element such as a semiconductor laser, emits a light beam in accordance with communication data. A light reception section, including a light receiving element such as a photodiode, receives the light beam emitted by the light emission section. The light emission section and the light reception section are positioned and an emission angle and an incidence angle of the light beam are determined such that the light beam emitted by the light emission section to the light reception section is prevented from being reflected by a surface of the optical reception section and/or a mounting substrate and being returned to the light emission section.

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Shiga, Japan

Mariko Nakaso