Method for controlling information apparatus and computer-readable recording medium

• US 10,345,933 B2
• Filed: 11/17/2014
• Issued: 07/09/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Sasaki, Takamitsu, Nagata, Minehisa
• Primary Examiner(s): Dunn, Darrin D
• Application Number:
  US14/542,893
• Publication Number:
  US 20150148968A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,695 Days
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/30 for purposes related to the operation of the system, e.g. for safety or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/523 for displaying temperature data
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/56 Remote control
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/58 using Internet communication
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/62 characterised by the type of control or by internal processing, e.g. using fuzzy logic, adaptive control or estimation of values
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/64 using pre-stored data
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/67 Switching between heating and cooling modes
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/79 for controlling the direction of the supplied air
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2110/10 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2642 Domotique, domestic, home control, automation, smart house
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1905 associated with tele control
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means

Abstract

In the case where selection of an icon representing an air conditioner is sensed in a region corresponding to a certain room on a floor plan, a region corresponding to the certain room on the floor plan is switched to an adjustment region for changing the set temperature of the air conditioner. In the case where it is sensed that a contact made to a touch-panel display moves within the region corresponding to the certain room, a control command for changing the set temperature of the air conditioner in accordance with a distance in which the contact moves is transmitted to the network.

Claims

1. A method for controlling an information apparatus, the information apparatus having a touch-panel display and connected to a network, over which one or more target devices are controlled, the method causing a computer of the information apparatus to:

display a display screen representing a floor plan of a building on the touch-panel display;

display an icon representing each of the one or more target devices on the display screen representing the floor plan, the one or more target devices including an air conditioner;

sense a selection of an icon representing the air conditioner in a region corresponding to a certain room on the floor plan;

in the case where the selection of the icon representing the air conditioner is sensed, display a gray layer in another region on the floor plan other than the region corresponding to the certain room, thereby displaying the region corresponding to the certain room brighter than the other region,

in the case where a swipe by a finger of a user is sensed within the region corresponding to the certain room, transmit, to the network, a control command for changing a set temperature of the air conditioner in accordance with an amount of the swipe,

wherein the set temperature of the air conditioner is changed a greater amount as the amount of the swipe increases, and the set temperature of the air conditioner is changed a smaller amount as the amount of the swipe decreases, and

wherein the swipe is a continuous swipe;

calculating the area of the region corresponding to the certain room;

if the area of the region corresponding to the certain room is smaller than or equal to a predetermined area, displaying a dedicated air conditioning control screen overlapping the floorplan and prepared separately from the floorplan, to control the temperature of the air conditioner by receiving a touch input thereon; and

if the area of the region corresponding to the certain room is greater than the predetermined area, transmitting the control command to the network in response to sensing of the swipe by the finger of the user within the region corresponding to the certain room.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein

in the case where a room of the building corresponding to the certain room on the floor plan is installed with two or more air conditioners,

when the swipe is sensed within the region corresponding to the certain room, the control command is transmitted to the network as a control command for changing set temperatures of the two or more air conditioners in common at the two or more air conditioners, in accordance with the amount of the swipe.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein

in the case where a movement starting point of the swipe is sensed within the region corresponding to the certain room, and a movement ending point of the swipe is sensed beyond the region corresponding to the certain room, a control command for changing the set temperature of the air conditioner in accordance with the amount of the swipe, including an extra amount of the swipe beyond the region corresponding to the certain room, is transmitted to the network.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein

in the case where the amount of the swipe is beyond the region corresponding to the certain room, the set temperature of the air conditioner is not changed in accordance with an extra amount of the swipe beyond the region corresponding to the certain room.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein

in the case where a selection of the icon representing the air conditioner is sensed in the region corresponding to the certain room on the floor plan, the region corresponding to the certain room is used as a region for changing the set temperature of the air conditioner.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein

the display screen displays a basic screen whose display region displays the floorplan with rooms and target-device icons in different rooms;

the display screen, in response to selection of the icon representing the air conditioner,

retracts the target-device icons out of the display region displaying the floorplan in the basic screen,

makes the region corresponding to the certain room responsive to finger swiping within the region corresponding to the certain room to change the set temperature of the air conditioner, and

displays the target-device icons in a vertical column outside the display region displaying the floorplan.

11. The method according to claim 1,

wherein the set temperature of the air conditioner is increased by a predetermined amount in response to a swipe in a predetermined first direction, regardless of the amount of the swipe, and the set temperature of the air conditioner is decreased by the predetermined amount in response to a swipe in a predetermined second direction opposite to the first direction, regardless of the amount of the swipe.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the control command transmitted to the network is received by a server

that controls the air conditioner temperature in response to the transmitted control command, and

that controls the temperature of another air conditioner in accordance with the transmitted control command

after controlling the temperature of the air conditioner, and

after receiving a control result from the air conditioner.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein

the icons representing each of the one or more target devices are displayed in a display region of the touch-panel display,

when the selection of the icon representing the air conditioner is sensed, all the icons representing each of the one or more target devices are retracted out of the display region,

after the retraction of all of the icons representing each of the one or more target devices, the positions of the icons representing each of the one or more target devices are adjusted,

after the adjustment of the positions of the icons representing each of the one or more target device, a device control screen of the air conditioner whose icon is selected is displayed,

after display of the display control screen of the air conditioner whose icon is selected, an operation state of the air conditioner whose icon is selected is displayed,

after the operation state of the air conditioner whose icon is selected is displayed, the touch-panel display senses contact by an object when the object contacts the touch-panel display,

after the sensing of the contact by the object with the touch-panel display, the method determines whether the object contacts the icon representing the air conditioner that is selected,

if the method determines that the object contacts the icon representing the air conditioner that is selected, the device control screen is hidden and a basic screen is displayed, and

if the method determines that the object does not contact the icon representing the air conditioner that is selected, the positions of the device icons that are retracted are adjusted and the device control screen continues to be displayed.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein

a device list display control button is displayed on the touch-panel display, the device list display control button switching the touch-panel display from a basic screen displaying the floorplan to a device list display screen in response to sensing selection of the device list display control button;

and

the device list display screen displaying

a device list, listing the devices whose icons are displayed on the floorplan of the basic screen,

device detail icons, each corresponding to a target device icon on the floorplan of the basic screen, and displaying

an image of a target device,

an on/off state of the target device, and

an operation state of the target device different from its on/off state,

wherein selection of one of the device detail icons causes the display of a control screen overlapping the device list and controlling the corresponding target device in response to a touch input, and

a basic screen display button whose selection causes the display of the basic screen instead of the device list display screen.

15. The method according to claim 1, the method further causing a computer of the information apparatus to

calculate the area of the region corresponding to the certain room;

and

if the area of the region corresponding to the certain room is smaller than or equal to a predetermined area below which the swiping operation is not performable, enlarge the floorplan to produce an expanded floorplan with an expanded region corresponding to the certain room, thereby enlarging the region corresponding to the certain room to a size sufficient to permit the swiping.

5. A method for controlling an information apparatus, the information apparatus having a touch-panel display and connected to a network, over which one or more target devices are controlled, the method causing a computer of the information apparatus to:

display a display screen representing a floor plan of a building on the touch-panel display;

display an icon representing each of the one or more target devices on the display screen representing the floor plan, the one or more target devices including an air conditioner;

sense a selection of an icon representing the air conditioner in a region corresponding to a certain room on the floor plan;

in the case where the selection of the icon representing the air conditioner is sensed, display a gray layer in another region on the floor plan other than region corresponding to the certain room, thereby displaying the region corresponding to the certain room brighter than the other region,

in the case where a swipe by a finger of a user is sensed within the region corresponding to the certain room, transmit, to the network, a control command for changing a set temperature of the air conditioner in accordance with a direction of the swipe,

wherein in the case where the swipe moving upwardly on the display screen is sensed, the set temperature of the air conditioner is increased, and in the case where the swipe moving downwardly on the display screen is sensed, the set temperature of the air conditioner is decreased, and

wherein the swipe is a continuous swipe;

calculate the area of the region corresponding to the certain room;

if the area of the region corresponding to the certain room is smaller than or equal to a predetermined area, display a dedicated air conditioning control screen overlapping the floorplan and prepared separately from the floorplan, to control the temperature of the air conditioner by receiving a touch input thereon; and

if the area of the region corresponding to the certain room is greater than the predetermined area, transmit the control command to the network in response to sensing of the swipe by the finger of the user within the region corresponding to the certain room.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein

in the case where a room of the building corresponding to the certain room on the floor plan is installed with two or more air conditioners,

when the swipe is sensed within the region corresponding to the certain room, the control command is transmitted to the network as a control command for changing set temperatures of the two or more air conditioners in common at the two or more air conditioners, in accordance with the direction of the swipe.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein

in the case where a movement starting point of the swipe is sensed within the region corresponding to the certain room, and a movement ending point of the swipe is sensed beyond the region corresponding to the certain room, a control command for changing the set temperature of the air conditioner in accordance with the direction of the swipe, including an extra direction beyond the region corresponding to the certain room, is transmitted to the network.

8. The method according to claim 5, wherein

in the case where the amount of the swipe is beyond the region corresponding to the certain room, the set temperature of the air conditioner is not changed in accordance with an extra amount of the direction beyond the region corresponding to the certain room.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium which stores a program that is executed by an information apparatus having a touch-panel display and connected to a network, over which one or more target devices are controlled, the program causing a computer of the information apparatus to:

display a display screen representing a floor plan of a building on the touch-panel display;

display an icon representing each of the one or more target devices on the display screen representing the floor plan, the one or more target devices including an air conditioner;

sense a selection of an icon representing the air conditioner in a region corresponding to a certain room on the floor plan;

in the case where the selection of the icon representing the air conditioner is sensed, display a gray layer in another region on the floor plan other than the region corresponding to the certain room, thereby displaying the region corresponding to the certain room brighter than the other region,

in the case where a swipe by a finger of a user is sensed within the region corresponding to the certain room, transmit, to the network, a control command for changing a set temperature of the air conditioner in accordance with an amount of the swipe,

wherein the set temperature of the air conditioner is changed a greater amount as the amount of the swipe increases, and the set temperature of the air conditioner is changed a smaller amount as the amount of the swipe decreases, and

wherein the swipe is a continuous swipe;

calculate the area of the region corresponding to the certain room;

if the area of the region corresponding to the certain room is smaller than or equal to a predetermined area, display a dedicated air conditioning control screen overlapping the floorplan and prepared separately from the floorplan, to control the temperature of the air conditioner by receiving a touch input thereon; and

if the area of the region corresponding to the certain room is greater than the predetermined area, transmit the control command to the network in response to sensing of the swipe by the finger of the user within the region corresponding to the certain room.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium which stores a program that is executed by an information apparatus having a touch-panel display and connected to a network, over which one or more target devices are controlled, the program causing a computer of the information apparatus to:

display a display screen representing a floor plan of a building on the touch-panel display;

display an icon representing each of the one or more target devices on the display screen representing the floor plan, the one or more target devices including an air conditioner;

sense a selection of an icon representing the air conditioner in a region corresponding to a certain room on the floor plan;

in the case where the selection of the icon representing the air conditioner is sensed, display a gray layer in another region on the floor plan other than the region corresponding to the certain room, thereby displaying the region corresponding to the certain room brighter than the other region,

in the case where a swipe by a finger of a user is sensed within the region corresponding to the certain room, transmit, to the network, a control command for changing the set temperature of the air conditioner in accordance with a direction of the swipe,

wherein in the case where the swipe moving upwardly on the display screen is sensed, the set temperature of the air conditioner is increased, and in the case where the swipe moving downwardly on the display screen is sensed, the set temperature of the air conditioner is decreased, and

wherein the swipe is a continuous swipe;

calculate the area of the region corresponding to the certain room;

if the area of the region corresponding to the certain room is smaller than or equal to a predetermined area, display a dedicated air conditioning control screen overlapping the floorplan and prepared separately from the floorplan, to control the temperature of the air conditioner by receiving a touch input thereon; and

if the area of the region corresponding to the certain room is greater than the predetermined area, transmit the control command to the network in response to sensing of the swipe by the finger of the user within the region corresponding to the certain room.