JP2012222898A - Power measuring instrument and device control system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To add an infrared ray function provided in many existing devices to a power measuring instrument with a radio communication function, to link radio and the Internet, and to safely and easily control a device while measuring power.SOLUTION: A power measuring instrument 10 includes a sensor part 11 for measuring power consumption of a device to be a control object, a communication part 12 for performing communication with a server on the Internet, and an infrared transmission part 16 for transmitting an infrared remote control command to the device. The power measuring instrument 10 transmits the power consumption of the control object device measured by the sensor part 11 to the server, and is notified of control command information deduced from a power consumption analysis result from the server.

Description

  The present invention relates to a power measuring device that measures the power consumption of household appliances, office supplies, and manufacturing equipment in a home, office, factory, and the like, and a system that controls equipment simultaneously with the measurement.

  In recent years, there is an increasing demand for power measuring devices that can be plugged into an outlet and measure power consumption. Such a power meter is highly convenient because it can measure power consumption without replacing the device with a new one and without changing the existing device.

  In addition, there are an increasing number of cases where power information is collectively managed by a device installed at a remote location by transmitting measurement results by wireless communication. In addition to “visualization” of power consumption, more active control technologies for reducing power consumption are being studied, such as an example in which power supply is cut off when a device is forgotten to be turned off.

  On the other hand, for convenience, the power supply may be turned on from a remote location. As this On / Off method of power supply, AC switching is generally performed by a relay circuit built in the power meter. However, according to this method, there is a problem in terms of safety because the power is forcibly turned on / off from the outlet regardless of the operating state of the device. Actually, in many home appliances and the like, there are many cases where On / Off by plugging and unplugging the outlet is prohibited. In addition, control other than on / off of the main power source cannot be performed, and control desired by the user (for example, control such as turning on the air conditioner at 25 degrees, turning on the illumination as a night light) is impossible.

  For this reason, a method of directly controlling a device wirelessly, such as a radio remote controller, can be considered. However, in this case, it is necessary to replace the existing device with one that can be wirelessly controlled. The radio remote controller is currently very expensive compared to the infrared remote controller and is not widely used. There is a problem that it is expensive to do.

  Conventionally, those that only measure power and transmit the information wirelessly, those that only convert to infrared via wireless and control the device, download remote control commands on the Internet to a PC, etc. There are proposals that only allow control of various devices by being inserted into the device, and those that realize individual elements alone. However, no method, apparatus, or system has been devised that integrates them and safely and easily realizes power measurement and infrared device control.

  For example, as a technique for performing power measurement and infrared power control in cooperation with each other, Patent Document 1 automatically performs device control by infrared communication based on information obtained from various sensors to reduce the power consumption of the device. A power control device is described.

  Patent Document 2 describes a device for reducing standby power by linking On / Off of an infrared remote controller and a relay switch built in a power meter as a cooperation technique with an infrared remote controller.

JP 2009-207230 A (published on September 10, 2009) JP 2001-268654 A (published on September 28, 2001)

  However, there are some problems in the conventional technology for power control and device control using infrared rays as described above.

  First, it is necessary to manually learn the infrared remote control or download the remote control code to the power meter for performing infrared control, which is troublesome.

  Secondly, since device control by infrared rays and situation determination based on a change in power information as a result are performed by a determination unit inside the power meter, it is difficult to perform complicated and computationally intensive control.

  Thirdly, there is no description about a method for realizing cooperation with a server on the Internet, and such a service cannot be realized in practice.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and adds an infrared function possessed by many existing devices to a power measuring device having a wireless communication function, and further performs cooperation between wireless and the Internet. The purpose is to control the device safely and easily while measuring the power.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, the power measuring device of the present invention is a power measuring device that is interposed between a power source and a control target device and measures the power consumption of the control target device. A communication unit capable of transmitting the measurement result by the measurement unit to the server on the Internet through the gateway and receiving the control command information from the server through the gateway by wireless communication with the measurement unit for measuring power And an infrared transmission unit that transmits an infrared remote control command to the device based on the control command information.

  According to said structure, the said power measuring device can measure the power consumption of the apparatus used as control object, and can transmit this measurement result to the server on the internet via a gateway. Furthermore, control command information based on the transmitted measurement result can be received from the server, and an infrared remote control command to the device is transmitted based on the control command information. For this reason, even if the device itself to be controlled is an existing device that does not have a wireless communication function, if there is an infrared remote control function that many existing devices have, other than On / Off control It can receive various controls and can greatly contribute to power saving of equipment. Moreover, the situation judgment based on the change of the power information can be performed not by the power meter but by a server on the Internet, so that complicated and computationally intensive control can be easily performed.

  Moreover, in the said power measuring device, the said infrared transmission part can be set as the structure connected with the cable which can be attached or detached. Alternatively, the infrared transmission unit is not physically connected to the power meter main body, and can receive the control command information from the communication unit by wireless communication.

  According to said structure, the freedom degree of arrangement | positioning of an infrared rays transmission part increases, and communication with an infrared rays transmission part and an apparatus can be made favorable.

  In the power meter, the communication unit can further acquire an infrared modulation method and / or transmission rate from the server via a gateway, and the infrared transmission unit can receive infrared light according to the infrared modulation method and / or transmission rate. It can be set as the structure which transmits.

  According to said structure, the said electric power measuring device can control the manufacturer from which an infrared modulation system and a transmission rate differ, and a different apparatus.

  In addition, in order to solve the above problems, the device control system of the present invention receives and receives the power consumption of any one of the power measuring devices and the device to be controlled measured by the power measuring device. Analyzing the power consumption, wireless communication between the server and the server that notifies the power meter of control command information to the device derived from the analysis result, and between the server It is characterized by comprising a gateway that relays between the power measuring device and the server by Internet communication.

  According to the above configuration, even if the device to be controlled itself is an existing device that does not have a wireless communication function, if there is an infrared remote control function that many existing devices have, On / It can receive various controls other than off control, and can greatly contribute to power saving of devices. Moreover, the situation judgment based on the change of the power information can be performed not by the power meter but by a server on the Internet, so that complicated and computationally intensive control can be easily prepared.

  In the device control system, the server has a control command information database, and the power meter acquires control command information corresponding to a device to be controlled from the database. Can do.

  In the power measuring instrument and the device control system of the present invention, as described above, even if the device itself to be controlled is an existing device that does not have a wireless communication function, the infrared light included in many existing devices. If there is a remote control function, it is possible to receive various controls other than On / Off control, which can greatly contribute to power saving of devices. Moreover, the situation judgment based on the change of the power information can be performed not by the power meter but by a server on the Internet, so that complicated and computationally intensive control can be easily performed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1, showing an embodiment of the present invention, is a block diagram showing a power measuring instrument having a device control function using infrared rays. It is a figure which shows the whole image of the apparatus control system containing the said electric power measuring device. It is a figure which shows the example of an external appearance of the said power measuring device. It is a flowchart which shows the operation example by cooperation with the internet, radio | wireless, and infrared control in the said apparatus control system. It is a figure which shows the control sequence at the time of the said linkage operation | movement. In the said apparatus control system, it is a flowchart which shows the other operation example by cooperation with the internet, radio | wireless, and infrared control.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 2 is an overall view of a device control system when the power measuring device 10 having a device control function using infrared rays and the Internet are linked. In this system, as shown in FIG. 2, the power consumption of the device (control target device) 20 is measured by the power meter 10, and the measurement result is sent to the external server 30 via the Internet. The server 30 transmits control command information to the power meter 10 via the Internet. The power meter 10 controls the device 20 based on the control command information. Communication of information between the power meter 10 and the server 30 is relayed by the gateway 40. That is, the gateway 40 relays between the power meter 10 and the server 30 by wireless communication with the power meter 10 and Internet communication with the server 30.

  The principal part structure of the electric power measuring device 10 is demonstrated with reference to FIG. First, the power meter 10 includes a plug 11 and an outlet 12. This is because, when the device 20 obtains an operating power supply from, for example, a household power supply AC100V, the operating power supply is supplied to the device 20 via the power meter 10. That is, the plug 11 of the power meter 10 is plugged into a household power outlet, and the plug of the device 20 is plugged into the outlet 12 of the power meter 10. Thereby, the power meter 10 can measure the power consumption in the device 20.

  Furthermore, the power meter 10 includes a sensor unit (measuring unit) 13, a communication unit 14, a power supply unit 15, and an infrared transmission unit 16. The sensor unit 13 is a means for measuring the power consumption of the device 20, for example, a power consumption measurement means using a shunt resistor for current measurement. However, the configuration of the sensor unit 13 is not particularly limited in the present invention, and a detailed description of the configuration and operation of the sensor unit 13 is omitted because a power consumption measuring unit having a known configuration can be used here. To do.

  The power consumption (measured value) of the device 20 measured by the sensor unit 13 is notified to the communication unit 14 and transmitted to the server 30 on the Internet via the gateway 40 by wireless communication.

  The power supply unit 15 generates and supplies operating power to the sensor unit 13 and the communication unit 14. The power supply unit 15 generates a DC5V power supply from the household power supply AC100V by the AC / DC circuit unit, and supplies this to the sensor unit 13 as an operating power supply. The power supply unit 15 generates a DC 3.3V power source from the DC 5V by the DC / DC circuit unit, and supplies this to the communication unit 14 as an operating power source.

  The infrared transmitter 16 is means for transmitting a remote control command from the power meter 10 to the device 20. The power meter 10 transmits the measured power consumption of the device 20 to the server 30 on the Internet, and receives control command information for the device 20 from the server 30. Based on this control command information, the communication unit 14 causes an infrared remote control command to be transmitted from the infrared transmission unit 16 to the device 20.

  The setting push key described in FIG. 1 is used to generate / send a wireless signal for making the power meter 10 communicable with the gateway 40 (pairing). The result of this operation is displayed by the status display LED. For example, when the light is on, the communication with the gateway is possible (paired), and when the light is off, the communication with the gateway 40 is impossible (unpaired). Furthermore, during normal blinking, the user may indicate one of the power measuring devices 10 in the home that is subject to remote control or the like over the Internet.

  An example of the appearance of the power meter 10 is shown in FIG. Here, the infrared transmitter 16 does not need to be fixedly attached to the power measuring instrument main body, and may be connectable by a detachable cable or the like. Alternatively, the infrared transmission unit 16 may be configured not to be physically connected to the power meter main body and to receive control command information through wireless communication. Since the infrared remote control command transmitted from the infrared transmission unit 16 has strong directivity, the configuration as described above increases the degree of freedom in arranging the infrared transmission unit 16, and communication between the infrared transmission unit 16 and the device 20. Can be good.

  The control command information notified from the server 30 to the power meter 10 includes commands such as power On / Off and channel selection and volume setting if the device 20 is a television, and power On / There are commands such as Off, operation mode (cooling / heating), temperature setting and air volume setting. The server 30 performs a determination process (analysis) on the power consumption of the device 20 notified from the power measuring device 10, and measures the control command information derived from the determination (analysis) result again via the Internet and wireless. Notify the vessel 10. The control command information transmitted from the infrared transmitter 16 to the device 20 is, for example, an infrared remote control command. Thereby, even if the device 20 is an existing device that does not have a wireless communication function, it can receive various controls other than the On / Off control, and can greatly contribute to the power saving of the device 20. Intelligent operation can be realized.

  The server 30 on the Internet stores infrared control information such as remote control commands for various devices and models in a database (for example, the remote control command library in FIG. 2). Then, by accessing the server 30 from a PC (Personal Computer) or mobile phone and specifying the model number of the device 20 connected to the power meter 10, the infrared control information corresponding to the device 20 is measured from the database. It can be downloaded to the device 10. Thereby, the infrared control of the apparatus 20 by the power meter 10 can be easily realized. Furthermore, it is possible to automatically acquire infrared control information of each device 20 connected to the power meter 10 by utilizing this mechanism.

  Further, the database may further store information on the infrared modulation scheme and transmission rate, and the power meter 10 may be configured to acquire these information from the server 30 via a gateway. Thereby, in the power measuring device 10, the infrared transmission part 16 can perform infrared transmission according to the said infrared modulation system and transmission rate, and can also control the manufacturer from which an infrared modulation system and transmission rate differ, and a different apparatus.

  For example, FIG. 4 is an example of a cooperative operation of the Internet, wireless, and infrared control. In this example, when an infrared remote control command for controlling the device 20 is unknown, an operation of automatically discovering the infrared remote command by linking with the Internet is shown.

  Specifically, first, the power consumption of the device 20 is confirmed, and it is confirmed whether the device is the power source On or Off at that time. This confirmation is determined based on the power consumption (S1: power consumption confirmation (1)). Next, infrared command (remote control command) candidates for switching on / off of the power source are determined based on the list in the server, and transmitted to the power meter 10 via the Internet and wireless (S2). The power meter 10 converts the received command into an infrared format, and then transmits a remote control command from the infrared communication unit 16 to the device 20 (S3). After waiting for a certain time, the power meter 10 measures the power consumption (S4: power consumption confirmation (2)) and notifies the server 30 of the result via the radio and the Internet. The server 30 compares the received power consumption information with the original one (S5). Specifically, the power consumption confirmation (1) and the power consumption confirmation (2) are compared.

  As a result of the comparison, if there is a large change in power consumption, it is considered that the On / Off switching control of the device 20 has been performed, and the previously transmitted infrared remote control command candidate is registered in the in-server application as a remote control command for future control (S6). Therefore, the above-described process is not necessary for the next and subsequent device control, and remote control commands registered in the server 30 from the beginning can be used. Here, the registration of the remote control command means that not only the remote control command for switching On / Off transmitted in S2 but also all types of remote control commands necessary for controlling the device 20 are registered at once. means.

  Conversely, when no significant change is seen in the power consumption information in S5, it means that the device control was not possible, and it is considered that the infrared remote control command candidate transmitted in S2 was different from that of the device. . In this case, the remote control command transmitted earlier is deleted from the remote control command list in the server (S7), the remote control command list in the server is updated (S8), and another infrared remote control command in the server is tried. . By repeating the above operation, infrared control of the device can be automatically performed after a certain period of installation.

  FIG. 5 shows a control sequence in the above example. First, the user issues a request for device search using an application on the server. Next, a candidate remote control command is selected from the command list group in the server, and transmitted to a device called a gateway installed in the house via the Internet. The gateway converts the remote control command between the Internet and home radio, and wirelessly transmits the converted remote control command to the power meter. The power measuring device that has received the remote control command transmitted from the gateway by radio transmits it using the infrared LED after converting it according to the infrared modulation method or the like.

  Thereafter, after waiting for a certain time (for example, several seconds), the power meter returns the power consumption information to the server on the Internet via the gateway. The server analyzes the received power consumption information and uses it as feedback to the device 20 by infrared control. As described above, feedback by control by different means such as the Internet, wireless, and infrared can be obtained from the power consumption information.

  The system according to the present embodiment can also be applied to failure detection and abnormal operation detection of the device 20. FIG. 6 shows an operation example when this system is applied to failure detection and abnormal operation detection. In the following operation example, for example, the apparatus 20 is an air conditioner, and it is confirmed whether or not the change in power consumption is as expected when the power is turned on and the set temperature is changed.

  In the operation of FIG. 6, first, the power consumption of the device 20 is confirmed (S11: power consumption confirmation (1)). Next, an infrared command (remote control command) candidate for changing the temperature setting of the air conditioner is determined based on the list in the server, and transmitted to the power meter 10 via the Internet and wireless (S12). The power meter 10 converts the received command into an infrared format, and then transmits a remote control command from the infrared communication unit 16 to the device 20 (S13). After waiting for a certain time, the power meter 10 measures power consumption (S14: power consumption confirmation (2)), and notifies the server 30 of the result via the radio and the Internet.

  At this time, not only the instantaneous power but also the integrated power measured by the power meter 10 can be used, and the power comparison can be performed for a comparatively long time (for example, 1 hour). Thereby, for example, it is possible to detect the possibility that the effect of air conditioning is thin due to equipment failure, or that air conditioning is being performed more than necessary due to an incorrect operation by the user.

  The server 30 compares the received power consumption information with the original information (S15). Specifically, the power consumption confirmation (1) and the power consumption confirmation (2) are compared. As a result of the comparison, if there is a change in power consumption, it is considered that the operation change control of the device 20 has been performed, and the server 30 recognizes that the device 20 is operating normally (S16).

  On the other hand, when there is no significant change in the power consumption information in S15, it means that the device control was not possible, and the server 30 recognizes that the device 20 is not operating normally (S17). In this case, the server 30 can notify the user that the device 20 is operating abnormally by WEB or mail (S18).

  In addition, the timing at which the power meter 10 notifies the server 30 of the power measurement result of the device 20 may be performed every certain time, but the power consumption generated as a result of device control by infrared rays on the power meter 10 side. Alternatively, when a change in consumption pattern is detected, the server 30 is notified of the information, whereby an infrared remote control command can be automatically acquired from the server 30. In this case, the power meter 10 needs to have at least an analysis means for detecting a change in power consumption. However, in the CPU that controls the power meter 10 as long as the presence or absence of the change is simply detected. There is no big load. Thereby, the electric power measuring device 10 can implement further apparatus control as needed. In addition, the above-mentioned further device control refers to the overall control that requires responsiveness in an emergency or the like. For example, the power consumption may exceed the rated value or exceed the assumed power consumption due to misuse or failure. In such a case, control for emergency stop in a short period of time can be given.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope shown in the claims, and embodiments obtained by appropriately combining technical means disclosed in different embodiments, respectively. Is also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention is used for products that control equipment at the same time as measuring power consumption of home appliances, office supplies, and manufacturing equipment in a home, office, or factory.

10 Power Measuring Device 13 Sensor Unit (Measurement Unit)
14 Communication unit 16 Infrared transmission unit 20 Device (device to be controlled)
30 server 40 gateway

Claims (6)

A power measuring instrument that is interposed between a power source and a control target device and measures the power consumption of the control target device,
A measuring unit for measuring the power consumption of the device;
A communication unit capable of transmitting a measurement result by the measurement unit to a server on the Internet via a gateway and receiving control command information from the server via the gateway by wireless communication;
An electric power measuring instrument comprising: an infrared transmitter that transmits an infrared remote control command to the device based on the control command information.   The power measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the infrared transmission unit is connected by a detachable cable.   2. The power according to claim 1, wherein the infrared transmission unit is not physically connected to a power meter main body and can receive the control command information from the communication unit by wireless communication. Measuring instrument. The communication unit can further obtain an infrared modulation method and / or transmission rate from the server via a gateway,
The power measuring device according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the infrared transmission unit performs infrared transmission according to the infrared modulation method and / or transmission rate. The power measuring instrument according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The power consumption of the control target device measured by the power measuring device is received, the received power consumption is analyzed, and control command information for the device derived from the analysis result is notified to the power measuring device. Server,
A device control system comprising a gateway that relays between the power meter and the server by wireless communication with the power meter and internet communication with the server. The server has a database of control command information,
The device control system according to claim 5, wherein the power meter acquires control command information corresponding to a control target device from the database.