JP5418911B2 - Information collection system and method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an information collection system and method for automatically and remotely collecting information representing user behavior, for example, via a communication network.

  In recent years, for example, a system has been proposed for remotely monitoring the activity state of elderly people or users who are undergoing home care using a communication network. In addition, a so-called recommendation service has been proposed in which an information terminal such as a portable terminal or a personal computer is used to encourage a user to search for Web information or recommend product information via a communication network.

  In order to implement these services, it is necessary to accurately grasp the user's daily activities. In view of this, a system that automatically collects information related to a user's daily life using a sensor or the like has been proposed (see, for example, Non-Patent Document 1). If this system is used, it becomes possible for a user to automatically collect information relating to his / her own living behavior without having to input the information himself / herself.

Takuya Maekawa et al., “Proposal of Web Search Method for Real World Behavior”, NTT Communication Science Laboratories, Internet <URL: http://www.ieice.org/~de/DEWS/DEWS2008/proceedings/files/ b1 / b1-1.pdf>

  However, in the conventional automatic sensing system, a dedicated sensor and a device for transmitting the measurement data have to be newly provided, and a large-scale facility has to be newly constructed. In addition, in order to specify the user to be monitored on the information collecting side, dedicated user identification information must be newly set, and the user identification information must be managed so as not to be falsified or leaked.

  The present invention has been made paying attention to the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide an information collection system and method capable of collecting information without newly constructing and managing a large-scale facility or a dedicated user identification system. It is to provide.

To achieve the above object, according to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a power outlet device having a socket to which an electric device is connected, and a server device capable of communicating with the power outlet device via a managed network. Is provided.
First, in the power outlet device, a power waveform supplied from the power line to the socket to which the electrical device is connected is detected, and information data representing the characteristics is generated based on the detected power waveform. Then, the information data representing the generated feature is used as transmission source information of terminal identification information allocated from the managed network to the power outlet device, and allocated from the managed network to the server device. The server identification information is transmitted as destination information to the management type network.
On the other hand, in the server device, the information data representing the feature transmitted from the power outlet device is received via the management network, and the type and the type of the electrical device are determined based on the received information data representing the feature. At least one of the operation contents is determined. Then, the information data representing the discrimination result of the electrical device is stored in the storage medium in association with the terminal identification information received together with the information data representing the characteristics.

  Therefore, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the feature is detected from the power waveform supplied to the electrical device connected to the socket in the power outlet device such as a power strip used in a general household, and the feature is detected. Data is sent to the server device, and at least one of the type and operation content of the electrical device is determined, and the determination result is stored. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide a completely new sensor for sensing the user's state, and it can be put into practical use by adding a relatively inexpensive facility. In addition, since it is not necessary to add a sensor or a transmission function of the detection result to each electric device, there is an advantage that the electric device can be easily realized without modification.

  Further, as information for identifying the user, for example, terminal identification information set in advance by a management network operator or the manufacturer of the device is used for the power outlet device. That is, by using the highly reliable terminal identification information set in advance, not only the feature data transmission process but also the storage management of information representing the user's behavior finally obtained is performed. For this reason, in order to specify the monitoring target user on the server device side, it is not necessary to newly set and manage dedicated user identification information.

  Further, processing for discriminating at least one of the type and operation content of the electric device based on the feature data is performed in the server device. For this reason, the processing load of the power outlet device can be reduced, thereby making it possible to reduce the price of the power outlet device without using an expensive processor.

  In order to achieve the above object, according to a second aspect of the present invention, in a power outlet device, a power waveform supplied from a power supply line to a socket to which an electrical device is connected is detected, and the detected power waveform is used. Information data representing the feature is generated. Then, based on the generated information data representing the feature, at least one of the type and operation content of the electric device is determined, and the information data indicating the determination result is preset for the power outlet device. The terminal identification information is used as transmission source information, and the server identification information set in advance for the server device is transmitted as destination information to the managed network.

  On the other hand, in the server device, the information data indicating the determination result of the electric device transmitted from the power outlet device is received via the management network, and the received information data indicating the determination result of the electric device is The information is stored in a storage medium in association with the terminal identification information received together with the information data.

  Therefore, also in the second aspect of the present invention, the same effect as in the first aspect can be obtained. In the second aspect, the power outlet device performs all of the series of processes from the power waveform detection process to the feature data generation process and the process of determining the electrical device. For this reason, the server device only needs to receive and store information representing the determination result of at least one of the type and operation content of the electrical device sent from the power outlet device, and this increases the number of users. Even in such a case, it is possible to reduce the processing load on the server device and smoothly perform information collection processing.

The first and second aspects of the present invention are further characterized by further comprising the following means or processes .
In the first means or process , when the managed network has a network connection device such as a router to which the power outlet device is physically or logically connected, the network connection device is assigned to the power outlet device. A first management database that stores first management information that correlates the terminal address and the number of the access line that connects the power outlet device and the network connection device to each other, and the power outlet When the information data transmitted from the device is received together with the terminal address, whether or not the correspondence between the access line that received the information data and the received terminal address is correct is stored in the first management database. The determination is made based on the first management information. As a result of this determination, if the corresponding relationship between the access line and the received terminal address received the information data is correct, it's also you relay the information data.

In the second means or process , when the managed network has a proxy device that relays information data between the network connection devices, a terminal address assigned to the power outlet device to the proxy device, and the power source A second management database is provided for storing second management information that correlates the terminal ID assigned to the outlet device, and the information data transferred from the network connection device is received together with the terminal address and the terminal ID. In this case, whether or not the correspondence between the received terminal address and the terminal ID is correct is determined based on the second management information stored in the second management database. As a result of this determination, if the corresponding relationship between the terminal address and the terminal ID that is the reception is correct, it is the also you relay the information data.

According to these first and second means or processes , using the terminal address or terminal ID assigned to the power outlet device by the management network, the authentication of the transmission source in the network connection device or proxy device of the management network Is done. For this reason, the correspondence between the information data transmitted from the power outlet device and the terminal address or terminal ID representing the transmission source can always be accurately maintained.

The first and second aspects of the present invention are further characterized by further comprising the following various aspects .
In the first aspect , the information is obtained in at least one of the power outlet device and the server device in the information data indicating the characteristics of the power waveform or the information data indicating the determination result of at least one of the type and operation content of the electric device. Means for giving time information at the time of being received.
If it does in this way, it will become possible to manage the information data showing the discrimination result of at least one among the classification and operation contents of an electric equipment based on time information in time series or every time zone.

In the second aspect , when the power outlet device transmits the information data, the information data representing the characteristic or the information data representing the determination result of at least one of the type and the operation content of the electric device is accumulated for a certain time or a certain amount. Then, the stored information data is read out and transmitted to the managed network at once.
In this way, it is possible to store and transmit information data, thereby facilitating traffic management in the management type network as compared with the case where information data is constantly transmitted.

When the power outlet device transmits information data, the third aspect compares the information data with a preset transmission condition every time information data representing a characteristic or information data representing a determination result of an electric device is obtained. When the information data matches the transmission condition, the information data is transmitted to the management type network.
In this way, for example, transmission of information data is performed only when the characteristic data or the determination result of the electric device has changed by a certain amount or when the operation data of the characteristic data or electric device representing the abnormality is detected. become. For this reason, it becomes possible to suppress the traffic of the management type network as compared with the case of transmitting all the information data.

According to a fourth aspect , in the server device, the information representing the determination result of the electric device stored in the storage medium is analyzed, and the safety confirmation information of the user of the electric device, the power consumption information of the electric device, and At least one of the preference information of the user of the electric device is generated, and the generated information is transmitted to the service server device operated by the corresponding service provider.
In this way, at least one of the safety confirmation information of the user, the power consumption information of the electric device, and the user preference information is generated based on the collected information representing the behavior of the user of the electric device. Sent to the service provider. Therefore, each service provider can immediately execute the watching service, the eco-type point service, and the recommendation service according to the preference based on the transmitted information.

In the fifth aspect, the electric device has a waveform representing information indicating at least one of a product type and an operation content of the electric device in a power waveform supplied from the power supply line to the socket to which the electric device is connected. In the case of providing means for superimposing and outputting, the power outlet device detects a waveform representing information indicating at least one of the product type and the operation content superimposed on the power waveform from the power waveform, and this is detected. The information indicating at least one of the product type and the operation content represented by the waveform is the terminal identification information preset for the power outlet device as the transmission source information, and the server identification information preset for the server device As destination information to the managed communication network. In the server device, information indicating at least one of the product type and the operation content transmitted from the power outlet device is received via the managed communication network, and at least the received product type and the operation content are received. Information indicating one is associated with the terminal identification information received together with the information and stored in the storage medium.
In this way, the power waveform supplied from the power line does not generate a clear waveform change that represents the characteristics of the electrical device, or even if the waveform change occurs and is difficult to distinguish from other electrical devices, Information indicating at least one of the product type and the operation content of the electrical device is transmitted from the outlet device to the server device instead of the feature data, and the information can be stored in the server device.

  That is, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide an information collection system and an information collection method capable of collecting information without newly constructing and managing a large-scale facility or a dedicated user identification system.

1 is a diagram illustrating an overall configuration of an information collection system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the power tap of the information collection system shown in FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the sensor server of the information collection system shown in FIG. It is a sequence diagram which shows the outline | summary of operation | movement of the information collection system shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the 1st example by the data transmission sequence of the information collection system shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the 2nd example by the data transmission sequence of the information collection system shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the 3rd example by the data transmission sequence of the information collection system shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of operation | movement from the power waveform detection by the information collection system shown in FIG. 1 to operation | movement discrimination | determination processing. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the power strip of the information collection system concerning 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the sensor server of the information collection system concerning 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a sequence diagram which shows the outline | summary of operation | movement of the information collection system concerning 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the 1st example of the data transmission sequence by the information collection system concerning 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the 2nd example by the data transmission sequence by the information collection system concerning 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the 3rd example by the information collection system concerning 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the electric equipment and power strip of the information collection system concerning other embodiment of this invention.

Embodiments according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
(First embodiment)
In the information collecting system and method according to the first embodiment of the present invention, in a power strip as a power outlet device, a power waveform of a socket to which a home appliance is connected is detected and converted into feature data. Data is transmitted to the sensor server together with the terminal ID and IP address assigned from the management type communication network to the power strip. When the sensor server receives the feature data transmitted from the power strip, the sensor server determines the type and the operation content of the home appliance from the feature data with reference to the operation determination database prepared in advance. The time information is given and stored as action information of the user of the home appliance.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an information collection system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In this system, a power tap TP as a power outlet device used at home or the like has a communication interface, and the power tap TP is connected to a sensor server SSV via a management communication network NW such as NGN (Next Generation Network). And the presence server PSV2.

  The management communication network NW is composed of an IP (Internet Protocol) network, and has a plurality of routers R1 and R2 and proxies P1 and P2. The routers R1 and R2 are connected to terminal devices such as the power tap TP and the sensor server SSV, while the proxies P1 and P2 are connected to the routers R1 and R2 and the presence server PSV.

  The routers R1 and R2 have a management database storing management information indicating the correspondence between the IP address of a terminal device connected to itself and the logical or physical access line number to which the terminal device is connected. Have. Then, when packet data is transmitted from the terminal device, the number of the access line that received the packet data and the source IP address are collated with the management information stored in the management database, thereby It has a function of authenticating the legitimacy of the terminal device.

  The proxies P1 and P2 have a management database that stores management information representing the correspondence between the IP address of the terminal device and the terminal ID assigned to the terminal device. When the packet data transmitted from the terminal device is transferred via the router R12, the terminal address and the terminal ID included in the packet data are collated with the management information stored in the management database. And a function of authenticating the legitimacy of the transmission source terminal device.

The functions of the management communication network NW are described in detail in the following references.
Reference 1: ETSI ES 282 001 V2.0.0 (2008-03): Telecommunications and Internet converged Services and Protocols for Advanced Networking (TISPAN); IP Multimedia subsystem Functional architecture
Reference 2: ETSI ES 282 007 V2.1.1 (2008-11): Telecommunications and Internet converged Services and Protocols for Advanced Networking (TISPAN); IP Multimedia subsystem Functional architecture.

By the way, the power tap TP is configured as follows. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration.
That is, the power tap TP includes a plurality of sockets 11 to 1n. These sockets 11 to 1n are connected to the switchboard EB through power lines. Moreover, household appliances DV1 and DV2 used by users at home are connected to the sockets 11 to 1n. FIG. 2 illustrates a case where a television receiver and an electric pot are connected.

  In addition, the power strip TP is provided with feature detection units 21 to 2n corresponding to the sockets 11 to 1n, respectively, and a transmission unit 30A as new components necessary for carrying out the present invention. ing. The feature detection units 21 to 2n include a power waveform detection unit 211 and a feature data conversion unit 212.

  The power waveform detection unit 211 detects a change in the power waveform generated on the power line when the home appliances DV1 and DV2 connected to the sockets 11 to 1n are operated, and indicates the change in the detected power waveform. The signal is digitized and supplied to the feature data converter 212. The feature data converter 212 calculates the feature amount from the signal indicating the change in the power waveform detected by the power waveform detector 211.

  The feature amount is classified into, for example, current magnitude, current shape, and time difference between current and voltage. Among these, the representative values representing the magnitude of the current are the peak value Ipeak, the average value Iavg, and the effective value Irms. In calculating the effective value Irms, the mean square root of the sum of squares must be calculated. Since a large amount of calculation is required, the average value Iavg and the peak value Ipeak are used here.

The feature amount representing the shape of the current includes a crest factor CF representing the height of the peak value and a waveform factor FF representing the temporal concentration of the current. However, since the effective value Irms of the current described above is required to calculate these, the peak average ratio Fpta is used here instead of the crest factor CF and the waveform factor FF. This peak average ratio Fpta is
Fpta = Ipeak / Iavg
Is defined as follows.

As a feature amount representing a time difference between current and voltage, a peak time difference Td indicating current advance / delay is used. This peak time difference Td is defined as TIpeak and TVpeak, respectively, from the AC cycle start position to the current and voltage peak positions.
Td = TIpeak-TVpeak
Is defined as follows.

Further, depending on the model of the home appliances DV1 and DV2, TIpeak varies before and after the entire current application time. This amount before and after does not appear in the peak average ratio Fpta. For this reason, the energization time Ton and the peak delay rate Fp are used as feature quantities representing the front and rear quantities. These energization time Ton and peak delay rate Fp are:
Ton = (TIend−TIstart)
Fp = (TIpeak-TIstart) / (TIend-TIstart)
Is defined as follows.

  The transmission unit 30A includes a feature data storage unit 31, a terminal ID storage unit 32, a transmission control unit 33, and a communication interface 34. The feature data storage unit 31 calculates the calculated feature value, that is, the peak value Ipeak, the current average value Iavg, the peak average ratio Fpta, each time the feature values are calculated in the feature detection units 21 to 2n. The peak time difference Td, the energization time Ton, and the peak delay rate Fp are stored as feature data.

  The transmission control unit 33 reads the feature data from the feature data storage unit 31 when the feature data is stored in the feature data storage unit 31 for each of the home appliances DV1 and DV2 for a certain time or a certain amount. Then, the read feature data is packetized, and the terminal ID read from the terminal ID storage unit 32 and the IP address assigned from the management communication network NW to the own power strip TP are included in the packet header. The packet is inserted as a transmission source address, and the IP address of the sensor server SSV as a transmission destination is inserted as a destination address, and this packet data is output to the communication interface 34. The communication interface 34 transmits the packet data in accordance with a communication protocol defined in the managed communication network NW under the control of the transmission control unit 33. The packet data is received by the home gateway GW and then transferred from the home gateway GW to the router R2 of the managed communication network NW.

Next, the sensor server SSV is configured as follows. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration.
That is, the sensor server SSV includes a central processing unit (CPU) 41, and a program memory 43A, a data memory 44A, and a communication interface 45 are connected to the CPU 41 via a bus. The communication interface 45 transmits and receives packet data under the control of the CPU 41 according to a communication protocol defined in the management communication network NW.

  The data memory 44A includes a feature data storage unit 441, a behavior information storage unit 442, a behavior analysis result storage unit 443, and an operation determination database 444. The feature data storage unit 441 is used for storing feature data sent from the power tap TP. The behavior information storage unit 442 is used to store the types and operation contents of the home appliances DV1 and DV2 determined based on the feature data as information representing the behavior of the user of the home appliances DV1 and DV2. It is done. The behavior analysis result storage unit 443 is used to store behavior analysis information obtained by analyzing the stored behavior information. In the operation determination database 444, the feature data, the types of home appliances DV1 and DV2 corresponding to the feature amounts represented by the feature data, and information indicating the operation contents are stored in association with each other. Yes.

  The program memory 43 includes, as application programs necessary for carrying out the present invention, a feature data collection control program 431, an action determination processing program 432, a time information addition program 433, a behavior information analysis program 434, and an analysis. A result transmission control program 435 is stored.

  The feature data collection control program 431 receives packet data sent from the power tap TP by controlling the communication interface 45. Then, the received packet data is depacketed to reproduce the feature data, and the feature data is associated with the terminal ID or IP address inserted in the header of the received packet data, and the feature data storage unit The CPU 41 is caused to execute processing to be stored in the 441.

  The operation determination processing program 432 reads out feature data from the feature data storage unit 441, and accesses the operation determination database 444 using the feature data as a key, thereby obtaining information representing the model of the corresponding home appliance and its operation content. Search for. Then, the information indicating the retrieved home appliance model and the operation content thereof is associated with the terminal ID or the IP address and stored in the behavior information storage unit 442 as information indicating the behavior of the user of the home appliance. The CPU 41 is caused to execute the processing to be performed.

  The time information giving program 433 acquires the current time information from a clock (not shown) and gives it to the behavior information when the motion determination processing program 432 stores the behavior information in the behavior information storage unit 442. The CPU 41 is caused to execute.

The behavior information analysis program 434 reads the behavior information for each user of the home appliance from the behavior information storage unit 442 based on the terminal ID or the IP address, and the read behavior information according to a preset analysis rule. By analyzing, action analysis information corresponding to the service type requested by the service provider is generated. Then, the CPU 41 is caused to execute processing for storing the generated behavior analysis information in the behavior analysis result storage unit 443 in association with the terminal ID or the IP address.
As the types of services, there are, for example, safety confirmation services for users of home appliances, eco-point services based on power consumption information of home appliances, recommendation services according to preferences of users of home appliances, and the like.

  The analysis result transmission control program 435 reads the behavior analysis information for each user of the home appliance based on the terminal ID or IP address from the behavior analysis result storage unit 443, and the read behavior analysis information is shown in FIG. The CPU 41 is caused to execute processing for transmitting to the indicated mashup server MSV from the communication interface.

Next, the operation of the system configured as described above will be described. FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram showing the operation procedure.
In the power tap TP, first, in step S11, the power waveform detection unit 211 monitors changes in the power waveform supplied to the sockets 11 to 1n at a constant period. In this state, when the power waveform changes more than a preset threshold value with respect to the steady state, the power waveform detection unit 211 digitizes and captures a signal representing the changed power waveform and supplies it to the feature data conversion unit 212. To do. For example, when the home appliance DV1 is a television receiver, a power waveform that changes in accordance with the channel switching is detected as shown in FIG. Further, when the home appliance DV2 is an electric pot, a power waveform that changes in response to power-on is detected as shown in FIG.

Next, in step S12, the feature data conversion unit 212 calculates the feature amount from the signal representing the detected change in the power waveform. As described above, the feature quantities calculated at this time include the current peak value Ipeak, current average value Iavg, peak average ratio Fpta, peak time difference Td, energization time Ton, and peak delay rate Fp. Information representing the calculated feature amount is stored in the feature data storage unit 31.
Thereafter, each time a change in the power waveform is detected by the power waveform detection unit 211, the feature amount is calculated by the feature data conversion unit 212, and this is sequentially stored in the feature data storage unit 31 as feature data.

  When the feature data storage unit 31 stores a certain amount of time or a certain amount of feature data, in step S13, the transmission control unit 33 stores the feature data for a certain amount of time or a certain amount from the feature data storage unit 31. Read and packetize the read feature data. Then, in the packet header, the terminal ID read from the terminal ID storage unit 32 and the IP address assigned from the managed communication network NW for the own power tap TP are inserted as the source address, and further become the destination The IP address of the sensor server SSV is inserted as the destination address. Then, the generated packet data is transmitted from the communication interface 34 to the management communication network NW.

  The packet data is first sent from the home gateway GW to the router R2. When the packet data arrives, the router R2 collates the transmission source IP address inserted in the header of the packet and the number of the access line that has received the packet data with the management information stored in the management database. When the transmission source IP address and the access line number match the management information, the transmission power tap TP is determined to be a valid transmission source, and the packet data is transferred to the proxy P2.

When the packet data is transferred, the proxy P2 collates the source IP address and terminal ID inserted in the header of the packet data with the management information stored in the management database. If the received transmission source IP address and terminal ID match the management information as a result of this collation, it is determined that the transmission source power tap TP is a valid transmission source, and the packet data is further forwarded to the proxy P1. Forward to. Thereafter, similarly, the packet data is sequentially transferred to the sensor server SSV via relay devices in the managed communication network NW.
That is, the packet data transmitted from the power tap TP is transferred to the sensor server SSV after the terminal address is authenticated by the router R2 and the terminal ID is further authenticated by the proxy P2 in the managed communication network NW. Is done.

On the other hand, the following processing is performed in the sensor server SSV.
That is, when the packet data is transferred, the packet data is received by the communication network 45 under the control of the feature data collection control program 431, and then depacketized to reproduce the feature data. The feature data is stored in the feature data storage unit 441 in association with the terminal ID and the transmission source IP address inserted in the packet header. This process is executed every time packet data is transferred.

  When the feature data is stored in the feature data storage unit 441, first, in step S14, the operation determination processing program 432 is activated. Then, under the control of the operation determination processing program 432, the feature data is read from the feature data storage unit 441, and the operation determination database 444 is accessed using the feature data as a key. Information indicating the model and the operation content is retrieved. For example, in the example of FIG. 8, in the case of (a), operation determination information indicating that “the channel of the television receiver has been changed to 2ch” is read from the operation determination database 444, and (b) In this case, the operation determination information indicating that “the pot is powered on” is read from the operation determination database 444.

  Subsequently, in step S15, the time information adding program 433 is activated, and under the control of the time information adding program 433, the current time information is acquired from a clock (not shown) and added to the operation determination information. In step S16, in accordance with the control of the operation determination processing program 432, the operation determination information provided with the time information is associated with the terminal ID or the IP address as information indicating the behavior of the user of the home appliance. In the state, it is stored in the behavior information storage unit 442.

  Next, in step S17, the behavior information analysis program 434 is activated, and under the control of the behavior information analysis program 434, for each user of the home appliance based on the terminal ID or IP address from the behavior information storage unit 442. Behavior information is read out. Then, the read behavior information is analyzed according to a preset analysis rule, thereby generating behavior analysis information corresponding to the service type requested by the service provider.

For example, for the monitoring service, it is determined whether or not the same home appliance has been continuously stopped for a certain time or more. For eco-system point services, the power consumption of home appliances is calculated. Further, for the recommendation service, for example, statistical data or classification data of a program viewed in a certain period on a television receiver is obtained.
Thus, the generated behavior analysis information is temporarily stored in the behavior analysis result storage unit 443 in association with the terminal ID or the IP address. Then, this behavior analysis information is read at an appropriate timing and transmitted to the mashup server MSV.

The mashup server MSV executes a predetermined service for the user of the home appliance based on the sent behavior analysis information.
For example, in the monitoring service, when a television receiver or an electric kettle has not been operated continuously for a certain time or more, it is determined that the health condition of the elderly has changed, and the elderly's care facility or children's home Send an alarm to etc.

  In the eco-system service, the power consumption value of the home appliance is compared with the recommended power consumption value, and if there is a result of power consumption reduction, the user is given an eco-system point that is convertible. In addition, it identifies home appliances that are a factor that hinders power consumption reduction, and recommends replacement products to users.

  In the recommendation service, the viewer's viewing behavior information (user viewing time and viewing channel) is checked against the program guide of the program guide server to identify the program that the user was watching, and actors, genres, etc. Identify preferences. Then, based on the specified information, the related product is recommended to the viewer. In addition, statistical processing is performed to calculate the audience rating of the program, which is used for calculating marketing and program advertising expenses.

Next, a specific example of a communication procedure for realizing the behavior information collecting operation described above will be described.
(1) When using presence issuance and notification (first example)
In a management communication network NW such as NGN, SIP (Session Description Protocol) is used as a signal protocol. Therefore, a sequence in the case of transmitting feature data from the power tap TP to the sensor server SSV using SIP will be described first. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a first example of the sequence.

The sensor server SSV is set in advance so that the presence server PSV can be notified of the presence from the power tap TP by the SUBSCRIBE transaction.
First, in step S21, the power strip TP generates a PUBLISH request and sets the terminal ID of the power strip TP (SIP-URI of the power strip TP) as transmission source information. At the same time, the terminal address of the power strip TP (IP address of the power strip TP) is given to the PUBLISH request. Then, a PUBLISH request with presence as feature data is transmitted to the presence server PSV.

  In the process in which the PUBLISH request is transferred to the presence server PSV, in the router R2, the number (ID) or VLAN-ID of the access line physically or logically connected to the transmission source power tap TP in step S22. Are compared with the IP address of the power strip TP, thereby confirming the validity of the IP address of the power strip TP. In the proxy P2, the IP address of the transmission source power tap TP is compared with the terminal ID in step S23, and the validity of the terminal ID is confirmed.

  The management information indicating the correspondence between the access line connecting the power strip TP and the VLAN-ID, the terminal address of the power strip TP, and the terminal ID is a subscription (not shown) provided in the managed communication network NW. The router R2 and the proxy P2 obtain the management information from the subscriber database. In addition, when NAT (Network Address Translation) or NAPT (Network Address Port Translation) is operating in the router R2, the terminal address is converted. Therefore, the conversion table is managed by the subscriber management database, and the router R2 and the proxy P2 acquire the information of the conversion table and add it to the collation, thereby confirming the validity of the terminal ID.

When the presence server PSV receives the PUBLISH request, it notifies the sensor server SSV registered as a destination in advance of the presence (including characteristic data) of the power strip TP by a NOTFY request.
Thus, the characteristic data of the power strip TP is delivered to the sensor server SSV with a valid terminal ID.
Note that the sensor server SSV and the presence server PSV may be integrated, and data may be transmitted only by a PUBLISH request.

(2) When using SIP MESSAGE (second example)
FIG. 6 shows the sequence.
First, the power strip TP generates a MESSAGE request in step S31, and sets the ID of the power strip TP (SIP-URI of the power strip TP) as transmission source information. At the same time, the terminal address of the power strip TP (IP address of the power strip TP) is given to the MESSAGE request. And the MESSAGE request which described the characteristic data in the Body part of SIP is transmitted toward the sensor server SSV.

  In the process of transferring the MESSAGE request, in step S32, the router R2 collates the access line ID and VLAN-ID etc. that are logically or physically connected to the power strip TP with the IP address of the power strip TP. As a result, the validity of the IP address of the power strip TP is confirmed. In the proxy P2, in step S33, the IP address of the power tap TP and the terminal ID are collated, thereby confirming the validity of the terminal ID.

In this case, the management information indicating the correspondence between the access line connecting the power strip TP and the VLAN-ID, the terminal address of the power strip TP, and the terminal ID is provided in the managed communication network NW. The information is stored in a subscriber database (not shown), and the router R2 and the proxy P2 obtain the management information from the subscriber database. In addition, when NAT (Network Address Translation) or NAPT (Network Address Port Translation) is operating in the router R2, the terminal address is converted. Therefore, the conversion table is managed by the subscriber management database, and the router R2 and the proxy P2 acquire the information of the conversion table and add it to the collation, thereby confirming the validity of the terminal ID.
Thus, the characteristic data of the power strip TP is delivered to the sensor server SSV with a valid terminal ID.

  Note that data may be sent using SIP requests other than PUBLISH, NOTIRY, and MESSAGE, or XCAP may be used. In this case, however, only the terminal address is verified by the router, and the validity of the power source tap TP of the transmission source is confirmed. In addition, the terminal ID of the power strip TP is confirmed by using an authentication key stored in a SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) card installed in the power strip TP and performing authentication by IMS-AKA or the like. Also good.

(3) When data is transmitted through the communication channel set in the SIP dialog (third example)
FIG. 6 shows the sequence.
In step S41, the power strip TP generates an INVITE request and sets the ID of the power strip TP (SIP-URI of the power strip TP) as transmission source information. At the same time, the terminal address of the power strip TP (IP address of the power strip TP) is given to the INVITE request. Then, the INVITE request is transmitted to the sensor server SSV.

  In the transfer process of the INVITE request, in step S42, the router R1 collates the ID or VLAN-ID of the access line that is logically or physically connected to the power strip TP and the IP address of the power strip TP, Thereby, the validity of the IP address of the power strip TP is confirmed. In the proxy P2, in step S43, the IP address of the power tap TP and the terminal ID are collated, thereby confirming the validity of the terminal ID.

  In this case, the management information indicating the correspondence between the access line connecting the power strip TP and the VLAN-ID, the terminal address of the power strip TP, and the terminal ID is provided in the managed communication network NW. The information is stored in a subscriber database (not shown), and the router R2 and the proxy P2 obtain the management information from the subscriber database. Further, when NAT (Network Address Translation) or NAPT (Network Address Port Translation) is operating in the router R2, the terminal address is converted. Therefore, the conversion table is managed by the subscriber management database, and the router R2 and the proxy P2 acquire the information of the conversion table and add it to the collation, thereby confirming the validity of the terminal ID.

  As a result of the authentication, when the validity of the terminal ID is confirmed, the proxy P2 requests the routers R2 and R1 to reserve communication channel resources (bandwidth, etc.), respectively. Upon receiving this request, the routers R2 and R1 perform channel resource reservation processing in steps S44 and S45, respectively.

  When receiving the INVITE request, the sensor server SSV transmits a 200OK response. Upon receiving this 200OK response, the proxies P1 and P2 request the routers R1 and R2 to secure communication path resources, and set a communication path between the power tap TP and the sensor server SSV. That is, the port is opened here. Upon receiving the resource securing request, the routers R1 and R2 set communication paths in steps S46 and S47, respectively. When the power strip TP receives the 200OK response, installation of the communication path is completed. Thereafter, the power strip TP transmits the characteristic data to the sensor server SSV through this communication path.

As described above, the power tap TP accumulates the feature data in the feature data storage unit 31 for a certain time or a certain amount, and reads out from the feature data storage unit 31 after this certain amount of time or a certain amount is accumulated. Can be collectively transmitted to the sensor server SSV.
It is also possible to set a transmission condition (rule) in the power tap TP in advance and transmit the feature data only when the feature data matches this rule. As a rule for the feature data, for example, a case where the peak value Ipeak or the average value Iavg of the current as the feature value is equal to or larger than a preset threshold value is used.

  As described above in detail, in the first embodiment, the power tap TP detects the power waveform of the sockets 11 to 1n to which the home appliances DV1 and DV2 such as a television receiver and an electric kettle are connected. The data is converted into data, and the feature data is transmitted to the sensor server SSV together with the terminal ID and IP address set in the power tap TP. On the other hand, the sensor server SSV refers to the operation determination database 444 prepared in advance to determine the types and operation contents of the home appliances DV1 and DV2 from the feature data transmitted from the power tap TP. The current time information is assigned and stored in the behavior information storage unit 442 as the behavior information of the user of the home appliances DV1 and DV2.

  Therefore, since the power tap TP widely used in general households is used, the feature amount is calculated from the power waveform supplied to the home appliances DV1 and DV2 connected to the sockets 11 to 1n. It is not necessary to attach a new sensor to the user or to install it in the living room in order to sense the user's state, and it can be put into practical use by adding relatively inexpensive equipment. In addition, since it is not necessary to add a sensor or a transmission function of the detection result to each home appliance, the home appliance can be easily realized without modification.

  Further, as information for identifying the user, a terminal ID and an IP address assigned to the power strip TP from the management communication network NW are used. That is, feature data transfer processing and behavior information accumulation management are performed using highly reliable terminal IDs and IP addresses managed in the managed communication network NW. For this reason, in order to identify the monitoring target user in the sensor server SSV, it is not necessary to newly set and manage user identification information dedicated to the user.

  Further, the feature data is transferred from the power tap TP to the sensor server SSV, and the operation of the home appliances DV1 and DV2 is determined in the sensor server SSV based on the transferred feature data. For this reason, it is possible to reduce the processing load of the power strip TP, thereby eliminating the need for an expensive processor and reducing the cost of the power strip TP.

  In the first embodiment, the time information when the information is obtained is added to the behavior information indicating the result of determining the operation of the home appliances DV1 and DV2. For this reason, it becomes possible to manage information representing the behaviors of DV1 and DV2 users of home appliances in time series or by time zone based on time information.

(Second Embodiment)
An information collecting system and method according to a second embodiment of the present invention detects a power waveform of a socket to which a home appliance is connected at a power strip, converts the detected power waveform into feature data, and based on the feature data. The operation of the home appliance is determined. Then, time information is given to information representing the determination result, and this information is addressed to the sensor server as information representing the behavior of the user of the home appliance together with the terminal ID and IP address set for the power strip. To send. In the sensor server, the behavior information transmitted from the power tap is received and accumulated, and the behavior of the user is analyzed based on the accumulated behavior information.

  FIG. 9 and FIG. 10 are block diagrams showing configurations of a power strip and a sensor server SSV according to the second embodiment of the present invention, respectively. In this figure, the same parts as those in FIG. 2 and FIG.

First, in addition to the characteristic data storage unit 31, the terminal ID storage unit 32, the transmission control unit 33, and the communication interface 34, the transmission unit 30B of the power tap TP includes an operation determination processing unit 35, a time information adding unit 36, and a clock 37. In addition, a behavior information storage unit 38 and a motion determination database 39 are newly provided.
In the motion determination database 39, the feature data, the types of home appliances DV1 and DV2 corresponding to the feature amounts represented by the feature data, and information indicating the operation content are stored in association with each other. Yes.

  The operation determination processing unit 35 reads out the feature data from the feature data storage unit 31 and accesses the operation determination database 39 using the feature data as a key, thereby determining the models of the home appliances DV1 and DV2 and the operation contents thereof. A process for retrieving the information to be represented is executed.

  The time information adding unit 36 adds the current time information of the clock 37 to the information indicating the searched home appliances DV1 and DV2 and the operation content thereof. Then, the information of the operation determination result to which the time information is given is associated with the terminal ID and the IP address of the power strip TP as information representing the behavior of the user of the home appliances DV1 and DDV2, and the behavior information storage unit 38 The process to memorize is executed.

  The transmission control unit 33 reads the behavior information from the behavior information storage unit 38 when the behavior information is stored in the behavior information storage unit 38 for a certain amount of time or a certain amount. Then, the read action information is packetized, and the terminal ID and IP address read from the terminal ID storage unit 32 are inserted into the packet header as the source address, and the IP of the sensor server SSV that is the destination The address is inserted as the destination address, and this packet data is output to the communication interface 34. The communication interface 34 transmits the packet data in accordance with a communication protocol defined in the managed communication network NW under the control of the transmission control unit 33. The packet data is received by the home gateway GW and then transferred from the home gateway GW to the router R2 of the managed communication network NW.

  On the other hand, the sensor server SSV is configured as follows. That is, the data memory 44B is provided with a behavior information storage unit 442 and a behavior analysis result storage unit 443. The program memory 43B stores a behavior information collection control program 436, a behavior information analysis program 434, and an analysis result transmission control program 435 as application programs necessary for carrying out the present invention.

  The behavior information collection control program 436 receives packet data transmitted from the power tap TP by controlling the communication interface 45. Then, the received packet data is depacked to reproduce the behavior information, and the behavior information is associated with the terminal ID or IP address inserted in the header of the received packet data, and the behavior information storage unit The CPU 41 is caused to execute processing to be stored in 442.

Next, the operation of the system configured as described above will be described. FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram showing the operation procedure.
In the power tap TP, first, in step S11, the power waveform detection unit 211 monitors the change of the power waveform supplied to the sockets 11 to 1n at a constant period, and the power waveform is preset with respect to the steady state. When the threshold value is changed, the signal representing the changed power waveform is digitized and captured.

In step S12, the feature data conversion unit 212 calculates the feature amount from the signal representing the detected change in the power waveform. As described above, the feature quantities calculated at this time include the current peak value Ipeak, current average value Iavg, peak average ratio Fpta, peak time difference Td, energization time Ton, and peak delay rate Fp. Information representing the calculated feature amount is stored in the feature data storage unit 31.
Thereafter, each time a change in the power waveform is detected by the power waveform detection unit 211, the feature amount is calculated by the feature data conversion unit 212, and this is sequentially stored in the feature data storage unit 31 as feature data.

  When the feature data storage unit 31 stores feature data for a certain time or a certain amount, the operation determination processing unit 35 is activated in step S13. The operation determination processing unit 35 reads out the feature data from the feature data storage unit 31 and uses the feature data as a key to identify the models of the home appliances DV1 and DV2 and the operation contents from the operation determination database 39. Information to represent is retrieved. Subsequently, in step S14, the time information adding unit 36 is activated, and the current time information of the clock 37 is added to the information indicating the searched home appliances DV1 and DV2 and the operation content thereof. And the information of the operation determination result to which the time information is given is associated with the terminal ID and the IP address of the power strip TP as information representing the behavior of the user of the home appliances DV1 and DDV2, and the behavior information storage unit 38 Is remembered.

  When the behavior information is stored in the behavior information storage unit 38 for a certain time or a certain amount, the transmission control unit 33 is activated in step S15, and the behavior information is read from the behavior information storage unit 38 and packetized. Then, the terminal ID and IP address read from the terminal ID storage unit 32 are inserted into the packet header as a transmission source address, and the IP address of the sensor server SSV that is the transmission destination is inserted as a destination address. Then, the generated packet data is transmitted from the communication interface 34 to the management communication network NW.

  In the managed communication network NW, when the packet data is transferred to the sensor server SSV, the routers R2 and R1 and the proxies P2 and P1 authenticate the IP address and the terminal ID, respectively. The contents of these authentication processes are the same as in the first embodiment, and thereby the validity of the transmission IP address and terminal ID of the transmission source power tap TP is confirmed.

  On the other hand, in the sensor server SSV, when the packet data transmitted from the power tap TP is received, the behavior information collection control program 436 is activated in step S16. Then, under the control of the behavior information collection control program 436, the received packet data is depacketed to reproduce the behavior information, and the behavior information is inserted into the header of the received packet data. Alternatively, it is stored in the behavior information storage unit 442 in association with the IP address.

  Next, in step S17, the behavior information analysis program 434 is activated, and under the control of the behavior information analysis program 434, for each user of the home appliance based on the terminal ID or IP address from the behavior information storage unit 442. Behavior information is read out. Then, the read behavior information is analyzed according to the analysis rule as in the first embodiment, and behavior analysis information corresponding to the service type requested by the service provider is generated. Then, the generated behavior analysis information is stored in the behavior analysis result storage unit 443 in association with the terminal ID or the IP address. Then, this behavior analysis information is read at an appropriate timing and transmitted to the mashup server MSV.

  In step S18, the mashup server MSV executes a predetermined service cooperation process for the user of the home appliances DV1 and DV2 based on the sent behavior analysis information. As the types of service cooperation processing, as described in the first embodiment, for example, there are a watch service, an eco-system service, and a recommendation service.

  Next, a specific example of a communication procedure for realizing the behavior information collecting operation described above will be described. As for this communication procedure, as in the first embodiment, when issuing and notifying presence is used, when using SIP MESSAGE, and when data is transmitted through the communication path set in the SIP dialog There is.

(1) When using presence issuance and notification (first example)
FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a sequence in this case.
The sensor server SSV is set in advance so that the presence server PSV can be notified of the presence from the power tap TP by the SUBSCRIBE transaction.

  First, in step S21, the power strip TP generates a PUBLISH request and sets the terminal ID of the power strip TP (SIP-URI of the power strip TP) as transmission source information. At the same time, the terminal address of the power strip TP (IP address of the power strip TP) is given to the PUBLISH request. Then, a PUBLISH request having presence as behavior information is transmitted to the presence server PSV.

  In the process in which the PUBLISH request is transferred to the presence server PSV, in the router R2, the number (ID) or VLAN-ID of the access line physically or logically connected to the transmission source power tap TP in step S22. Are compared with the IP address of the power strip TP, thereby confirming the validity of the IP address of the power strip TP. In the proxy P2, the IP address of the transmission source power tap TP is compared with the terminal ID in step S23, and the validity of the terminal ID is confirmed.

  In this embodiment as well, as in the first embodiment, the management information indicating the correspondence relationship between the access line and the VLAN-ID connected to the power strip TP, the terminal address of the power strip TP, and the terminal ID. Is stored in a subscriber database (not shown) provided in the management communication network NW, and the router R2 and the proxy P2 acquire the management information from the subscriber database and use it for authentication. Further, a translation table for NAT (Network Address Translation) or NAPT (Network Address Port Translation) is also managed in the subscriber management database, and the router R2 and the proxy P2 obtain the information of this translation table in the same way for authentication. use.

When the presence server PSV receives the PUBLISH request, it notifies the sensor server SSV registered as a destination in advance of the presence (including characteristic data) of the power strip TP by a NOTFY request.
Thus, the action information of the power strip TP is delivered to the sensor server SSV with a valid terminal ID.

(2) When using SIP MESSAGE (second example)
FIG. 13 shows the sequence.
First, the power strip TP generates a MESSAGE request in step S31, and sets the ID of the power strip TP (SIP-URI of the power strip TP) as transmission source information. At the same time, the terminal address of the power strip TP (IP address of the power strip TP) is given to the MESSAGE request. And the MESSAGE request which described action information in the Body part of SIP is transmitted toward the sensor server SSV.

  In the process of transferring the MESSAGE request, in step S32, the router R2 collates the access line ID and VLAN-ID etc. that are logically or physically connected to the power strip TP with the IP address of the power strip TP. As a result, the validity of the IP address of the power strip TP is confirmed. In the proxy P2, in step S33, the IP address of the power tap TP and the terminal ID are collated, thereby confirming the validity of the terminal ID.

In this case, the management information indicating the correspondence between the access line connecting the power strip TP and the VLAN-ID, the terminal address of the power strip TP, and the terminal ID is provided in the managed communication network NW. The information is stored in a subscriber database (not shown), and the router R2 and the proxy P2 obtain the management information from the subscriber database. In addition, when NAT (Network Address Translation) or NAPT (Network Address Port Translation) is operating in the router R2, the terminal address is converted. Therefore, the conversion table is managed by the subscriber management database, and the router R2 and the proxy P2 acquire the information of the conversion table and add it to the collation, thereby confirming the validity of the terminal ID.
Thus, the action information of the power strip TP is delivered to the sensor server SSV with a valid terminal ID.

  In this embodiment as well, data may be sent using SIP requests other than PUBLISH, NOTIRY, and MESSAGE, or XCAP may be used. In this case, however, only the terminal address is verified by the router, and the validity of the power source tap TP of the transmission source is confirmed. In addition, the terminal ID of the power strip TP is confirmed by using an authentication key stored in a SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) card installed in the power strip TP and performing authentication by IMS-AKA or the like. Also good.

(3) When data is transmitted through the communication channel set in the SIP dialog (third example)
FIG. 14 is a diagram showing the sequence.
In step S41, the power strip TP generates an INVITE request and sets the ID of the power strip TP (SIP-URI of the power strip TP) as transmission source information. At the same time, the terminal address of the power strip TP (IP address of the power strip TP) is given to the INVITE request. Then, the INVITE request is transmitted to the sensor server SSV.

  In the transfer process of the INVITE request, in step S42, the router R1 collates the ID or VLAN-ID of the access line that is logically or physically connected to the power strip TP and the IP address of the power strip TP, Thereby, the validity of the IP address of the power strip TP is confirmed. In the proxy P2, in step S43, the IP address of the power tap TP and the terminal ID are collated, thereby confirming the validity of the terminal ID.

  In this case, the management information indicating the correspondence between the access line connecting the power strip TP and the VLAN-ID, the terminal address of the power strip TP, and the terminal ID is provided in the managed communication network NW. The information is stored in a subscriber database (not shown), and the router R2 and the proxy P2 obtain the management information from the subscriber database. In addition, when NAT (Network Address Translation) or NAPT (Network Address Port Translation) is operating in the router R2, the terminal address is converted. Therefore, the conversion table is managed by the subscriber management database, and the router R2 and the proxy P2 acquire the information of the conversion table and add it to the collation, thereby confirming the validity of the terminal ID.

  As a result of the authentication, when the validity of the terminal ID is confirmed, the proxy P2 requests the routers R2 and R1 to reserve communication channel resources (bandwidth, etc.), respectively. Upon receiving this request, the routers R2 and R1 perform channel resource reservation processing in steps S44 and S45, respectively.

  When receiving the INVITE request, the sensor server SSV transmits a 200OK response. Upon receiving this 200OK response, the proxies P1 and P2 request the routers R1 and R2 to secure communication path resources, and set a communication path between the power tap TP and the sensor server SSV. That is, the port is opened here. Upon receiving the resource securing request, the routers R1 and R2 set communication paths in steps S46 and S47, respectively. When the power strip TP receives the 200OK response, installation of the communication path is completed. Thereafter, the power tap TP transmits behavior information to the sensor server SSV through this communication path.

As described above, the power tap TP accumulates the behavior information in the behavior information storage unit 31 for a certain time or a certain amount, and reads the behavior information from the behavior information storage unit 31 after the certain amount of time or the certain amount is accumulated. Can be collectively transmitted to the sensor server SSV.
It is also possible to set a transmission condition (rule) in the power tap TP in advance and transmit the behavior information only when the behavior information matches this rule. As a rule for the behavior information, for example, a case where the peak value Ipeak or the average value Iavg of the current as the feature amount is equal to or more than a preset threshold value is used.

  As described above in detail, in the second embodiment, the power tap TP detects the power waveform of the sockets 11 to 1n to which the home appliances DV1 and DV2 such as a television receiver and an electric kettle are connected. The data is converted into data, and the operation of the home appliances DV1 and DV2 is determined from the feature data with reference to the operation determination database 39. Then, time information is given to the information representing the determination result, and this information is used as information representing the user's behavior of the home appliances DV1 and DV2, together with the terminal ID and IP address set in the power tap TP, as a sensor server. Send to SSV. On the other hand, the sensor server SSV receives and accumulates behavior information transmitted from the power tap, and analyzes the behavior of the user based on the accumulated behavior information.

  Therefore, also in the second embodiment, similarly to the first embodiment described above, home appliances connected to the sockets 11 to 1n using the power strip TP widely used in ordinary households. Since the feature amount is calculated from the power waveform supplied to the DV1 and DV2, it is not necessary to install a new sensor in the user or install it in the living room in order to sense the user's state. It can be put into practical use by adding inexpensive equipment. In addition, since it is not necessary to add a sensor or a transmission function of the detection result to each home appliance, the home appliance can be easily realized without modification.

  Further, as information for identifying the user, a terminal ID and an IP address assigned to the power strip TP from the management communication network NW are used. That is, behavior information transfer processing and storage management thereof are performed using highly reliable terminal IDs and IP addresses managed in the management type communication network NW. For this reason, in order to identify the monitoring target user in the sensor server SSV, it is not necessary to newly set and manage user identification information dedicated to the user.

  Furthermore, in the second embodiment, a series of processes from the power waveform detection process to the characteristic data calculation process and the process of determining the operation of the home appliances DV1 and DV2 are all performed by the power tap TP. For this reason, in the sensor server SSV, it is only necessary to receive and store information representing the actions of the users of the home appliances DV1 and DV2 sent from the power tap TP, and this increases the number of users. However, the processing load of the sensor server SSV can be reduced, and the action information collecting process can be performed smoothly.

  Furthermore, in 2nd Embodiment, the time information when the said information was obtained is provided to the action information showing the discrimination | determination result of operation | movement of household appliances DV1 and DV2. For this reason, it becomes possible to manage the information showing the user's action of household appliances DV1 and DV2 in time series or by time zone based on the time information.

(Other embodiments)
The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. For example, in each of the above embodiments, the case where the sensor server SSV, the presence server PSV, and the mashup server MSV are provided separately has been described as an example. However, two or more of these servers may be integrated in an arbitrary combination. Also good.

  In each of the above embodiments, the case where the power tap TP is used as the power outlet device has been described as an example. However, the function of the present invention may be provided in a power outlet accommodated in a wall or the like. In addition, the means for detecting the power waveform may detect any of a current waveform, a voltage waveform, and a power waveform, or may detect a waveform indicating each effective value thereof.

  Further, in the means for generating information representing the characteristics based on the detected power waveform, as information representing the characteristics, information obtained by simply digitizing the power waveform, data obtained by sampling the power waveform at a predetermined sampling period, Data that is information-compressed so as to be suitable for communication or storage, data that has been encoded into another code, or data that combines these data may be generated.

In addition, due to the operating characteristics of electrical equipment, it can be distinguished from other electrical equipment that does not generate a clear waveform change that represents the characteristics of the electrical equipment in the power waveform supplied from the power line. Some devices are difficult to do.
Therefore, in such a case, the electric device is provided with a function of superimposing a waveform representing information indicating the product type and operation content on the power waveform and outputting the superimposed waveform. For example, as shown in FIG. 15, in this function, in the electrical equipment DV1 and DV2, code information indicating at least one of the product type and the operation content is stored in the feature information storage unit 111 as feature information. And it can implement | achieve by the feature information superimposition part 112 reading the said code information from the said feature information storage part 111, and superimposing the waveform on an electric power waveform. As a superimposing method, amplitude modulation or the like can be used.

  In the feature detection units 21 to 2n of the power outlet device, the code superimposed on the power waveform from the power waveform supplied from the power line to the sockets 11 to 1n to which the electric devices DV1 and DV2 are connected. A waveform of information is detected, and code information indicating at least one of the product type and operation content of the electric devices DV1 and DV2 represented by the detected waveform is transmitted from the transmission unit 30A to the communication network via the home gateway GW. To do. The transmission method is the same as in the first and second embodiments.

  In the server device, code information indicating at least one of the product type and the operation content transmitted from the transmission unit 30A of the power outlet device is received via the communication network, and at least the received product type and the operation content are received. Code information indicating one is stored in a storage medium in association with the terminal identification information received together with the code information.

  In this case, when a clear waveform change representing the characteristics of the electric devices DV1 and DV2 does not occur in the power waveform supplied from the power supply line, or even if a waveform change occurs, it is difficult to distinguish from other electric devices. However, the code information indicating at least one of the product type and operation content of the electric devices DV1 and DV2 is transmitted from the power outlet device to the server device instead of the feature data, and the code information is stored in the server device. It becomes possible.

  In addition, the type and configuration of the power outlet device, the type of electrical device, the configuration of the server device, the data transfer procedure from the power outlet device to the server device, and the like can be variously modified without departing from the scope of the present invention. It is.

  In short, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments as they are, and can be embodied by modifying the components without departing from the scope of the invention in the implementation stage. Moreover, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining a plurality of constituent elements disclosed in the above embodiments. For example, some components may be deleted from all the components shown in each embodiment. Furthermore, you may combine suitably the component covering different embodiment.

  DV1, DV2, DV11, DV12 ... home appliances, TP ... power tap, SSV ... sensor server, MSV ... mashup server, PSV ... presence server, EB ... switchboard, GW ... home gateway, NW ... managed communication network, R1, R2 ... router, P1, P2 ... proxy device, 11-1n ... socket, 21-2n ... feature detection unit, 211 ... power waveform detection unit, 212 ... feature data conversion unit, 30A, 30B ... transmission unit, 31 ... feature data Storage unit 32 ... Terminal ID storage unit 33 ... Transmission control unit 34 ... Communication interface 35 ... Operation discrimination processing unit 36 ... Time information adding unit 37 ... Timepiece 38 ... Behavior information storage unit 41 ... CPU, 42: Bus, 43A, 43B ... Program memory, 44A, 44B ... Data memory, 45 ... Communication interface 111, feature information storage unit, 112, feature information superimposing unit, 431, feature data collection control program, 432, action determination processing program, 433, time information addition program, 434, action information analysis program, 435, analysis result Transmission control program, 436 ... action information collection control program, 441 ... feature data storage unit, 442 ... action information storage unit, 443 ... action analysis result storage unit, 39, 444 ... action determination database.

Claims (13)

Communication is possible via a managed communication network including a power outlet device having a socket to which an electric device is connected and a network connection device to which the power outlet device is physically or logically connected. A server device,
The power outlet device is:
Means for detecting a power waveform supplied from a power supply line to a socket to which the electrical device is connected;
Means for generating information data representing the characteristics based on the detected power waveform;
The management information is generated using the terminal identification information preset for the power outlet device as transmission source information and the server identification information preset for the server device as destination information. Means for transmitting to a communication network,
The server device
Means for receiving information data representing the characteristics transmitted from the power outlet device via the managed communication network;
Means for discriminating at least one of a type and an operation content of the electric device based on the information data representing the received feature;
Means for storing information data representing a discrimination result of the electrical device in a storage medium in association with terminal identification information received together with information data representing the characteristics ;
The network connection device is:
First management for storing first management information in which a terminal address assigned to the power outlet device and an access line number connecting the power outlet device and the network connection device are associated with each other A database,
When the information data transmitted from the power outlet device is received together with the terminal address, whether or not the correspondence relationship between the access line that received the information data and the received terminal address is correct is the first management. Means for determining based on the first management information stored in the database;
Means for relaying the information data when it is determined that the correspondence between the access line that has received the information data and the received terminal address is correct;
Information collection system characterized Rukoto equipped with. A server device capable of communicating via a managed communication network having a power outlet device having a socket to which an electric device is connected and a proxy device that relays information data between the network outlet devices between the power outlet device and the power outlet device Comprising
The power outlet device is:
Means for detecting a power waveform supplied from a power supply line to a socket to which the electrical device is connected;
Means for generating information data representing the characteristics based on the detected power waveform;
The management information is generated using the terminal identification information preset for the power outlet device as transmission source information and the server identification information preset for the server device as destination information. Means for transmitting to a communication network,
The server device
Means for receiving information data representing the characteristics transmitted from the power outlet device via the managed communication network;
Means for discriminating at least one of a type and an operation content of the electric device based on the information data representing the received feature;
Means for storing information data representing a discrimination result of the electrical device in a storage medium in association with terminal identification information received together with information data representing the characteristics ;
The proxy device is
A second management database that stores second management information that correlates a terminal address assigned to the power outlet device and a terminal ID assigned to the power outlet device;
When the information data transferred from the network connection device is received together with the terminal address and terminal ID of the power outlet device, whether the correspondence between the received terminal address and the terminal ID is correct or not is determined. Means for determining based on the second management information stored in the management database;
Means for relaying the information data when it is determined that the correspondence between the received terminal address and the terminal ID is correct;
Information collection system characterized Rukoto equipped with. Communication is possible via a managed communication network including a power outlet device having a socket to which an electric device is connected and a network connection device to which the power outlet device is physically or logically connected. A server device,
The power outlet device is:
Means for detecting a power waveform supplied from a power supply line to a socket to which the electrical device is connected;
Means for generating information data representing the characteristics based on the detected power waveform;
Means for discriminating at least one of the type and the operation content of the electric device based on the information data representing the generated feature;
The information data representing the determination result of the electrical device is the terminal identification information preset for the power outlet device as transmission source information, and the server identification information preset for the server device is destination information. Means for transmitting to a managed communication network,
The server device
Means for receiving, via the managed communication network, information data representing a determination result of the electrical device transmitted from the power outlet device;
Means for storing information data representing a determination result of the received electrical device in a storage medium in association with terminal identification information received together with the information data ;
The network connection device is:
First management for storing first management information in which a terminal address assigned to the power outlet device and an access line number connecting the power outlet device and the network connection device are associated with each other A database,
When the information data transmitted from the power outlet device is received together with the terminal address, whether or not the correspondence relationship between the access line that received the information data and the received terminal address is correct is the first management. Means for determining based on the first management information stored in the database;
Means for relaying the information data when it is determined that the correspondence between the access line that has received the information data and the received terminal address is correct;
Information collection system characterized Rukoto equipped with. A server device capable of communicating via a managed communication network having a power outlet device having a socket to which an electric device is connected and a proxy device that relays information data between the network outlet devices between the power outlet device and the power outlet device Comprising
The power outlet device is:
Means for detecting a power waveform supplied from a power supply line to a socket to which the electrical device is connected;
Means for generating information data representing the characteristics based on the detected power waveform;
Means for discriminating at least one of the type and the operation content of the electric device based on the information data representing the generated feature;
The information data representing the determination result of the electrical device is the terminal identification information preset for the power outlet device as transmission source information, and the server identification information preset for the server device is destination information. Means for transmitting to a managed communication network,
The server device
Means for receiving, via the managed communication network, information data representing a determination result of the electrical device transmitted from the power outlet device;
Means for storing information data representing a determination result of the received electrical device in a storage medium in association with terminal identification information received together with the information data ;
The proxy device is
A second management database that stores second management information that correlates a terminal address assigned to the power outlet device and a terminal ID assigned to the power outlet device;
When the information data transferred from the network connection device is received together with the terminal address and terminal ID of the power outlet device, whether the correspondence between the received terminal address and the terminal ID is correct or not is determined. Means for determining based on the second management information stored in the management database;
Means for relaying the information data when it is determined that the correspondence between the received terminal address and the terminal ID is correct;
Information collection system characterized Rukoto equipped with. At least one of the power outlet device and the server device includes means for adding time information when the information is obtained to information data representing characteristics of the power waveform or information data representing a determination result of the electric device. The information collection system according to claim 1 , further comprising: The transmission means of the power outlet device stores the information data representing the characteristics or the information data representing the determination result of the electric device for a certain time or a certain amount, and reads the accumulated information data to read the managed communication network The information collection system according to claim 1 , wherein the information collection system is collectively transmitted to the network. The transmission means of the power outlet device compares the information data with a transmission condition set in advance each time information data representing the feature or information data representing a determination result of the electrical device is obtained, and the information data 5. The information collection system according to claim 1 , wherein the information data is transmitted to the management communication network when a condition is met. The server device analyzes information representing an action stored in the storage medium, and confirms safety information of the user of the electric device, power consumption information of the electric device, and preferences of the user of the electric device. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , further comprising means for generating at least one of the information and transmitting the generated information to a service server device operated by a corresponding service provider. The information collection system described. The electrical device superimposes and outputs a waveform representing information indicating at least one of the product type and operation content of the electrical device on the power waveform supplied from the power supply line to the socket to which the electrical device is connected. When providing means,
The power outlet device is:
Means for detecting a waveform representing information indicating at least one of the product type and the operation content superimposed on the power waveform from the power waveform;
Information indicating at least one of the product type and the operation content represented by the detected waveform is set as terminal information set in advance for the power outlet device as transmission source information, and set in advance for the server device. Means for transmitting the server identification information as destination information to the managed communication network,
The server device
Means for receiving, via the managed communication network, information indicating at least one of the product type and the operation content transmitted from the power outlet device;
Information indicating at least one of the product type and the operation content the received, and means for storing the received terminal identification information in association with the storage medium together with the information, 1 to claim, characterized by further comprising 4. The information collection system according to any one of 4 . Communication is possible via a managed communication network including a power outlet device having a socket to which an electric device is connected and a network connection device to which the power outlet device is physically or logically connected. A method for collecting information on the electrical equipment using a system comprising a server device,
The power outlet device detecting a power waveform supplied from a power line to a socket to which the electrical device is connected;
The power outlet device generates information data representing the characteristics based on the detected power waveform;
The power outlet device uses the terminal identification information preset for the power outlet device as transmission source information, and the server identification information preset for the server device. As destination information, a process of transmitting to the managed communication network;
A process in which the server device receives information data representing the characteristics transmitted from the power outlet device via the managed communication network;
A process in which the server device determines at least one of a type and an operation content of the electric device based on information data representing the received feature;
A process in which the server device stores information data representing a determination result of the electrical device in a storage medium in association with terminal identification information received together with information data representing the feature;
First management information in which the network connection device correlates a terminal address assigned to the power outlet device and an access line number connecting the power outlet device and the network connection device. Storing in the first management database;
When the network connection device receives the information data transmitted from the power outlet device together with the terminal address, whether or not the correspondence between the access line that received the information data and the received terminal address is correct Determining based on the first management information stored in the first management database;
The network connection device comprises a step of relaying the information data when it is determined that the correspondence between the access line that has received the information data and the received terminal address is correct. Information collection method. A server device capable of communicating via a managed communication network having a power outlet device having a socket to which an electric device is connected and a proxy device that relays information data between the network outlet devices between the power outlet device and the power outlet device A method for collecting information on the electrical equipment using a system comprising:
The power outlet device detecting a power waveform supplied from a power line to a socket to which the electrical device is connected;
The power outlet device generates information data representing the characteristics based on the detected power waveform;
The power outlet device uses the terminal identification information preset for the power outlet device as transmission source information, and the server identification information preset for the server device. As destination information, a process of transmitting to the managed communication network;
A process in which the server device receives information data representing the characteristics transmitted from the power outlet device via the managed communication network;
A process in which the server device determines at least one of a type and an operation content of the electric device based on information data representing the received feature;
A process in which the server device stores information data representing a determination result of the electrical device in a storage medium in association with terminal identification information received together with information data representing the feature ;
First management information in which the network connection device correlates a terminal address assigned to the power outlet device and an access line number connecting the power outlet device and the network connection device. Storing in the first management database;
When the network connection device receives the information data transmitted from the power outlet device together with the terminal address, whether or not the correspondence between the access line that received the information data and the received terminal address is correct Determining based on the first management information stored in the first management database;
The network connection device comprises a step of relaying the information data when it is determined that the correspondence between the access line that has received the information data and the received terminal address is correct. Information collection method. Communication is possible via a managed communication network including a power outlet device having a socket to which an electric device is connected and a network connection device to which the power outlet device is physically or logically connected. A method for collecting information on the electrical equipment using a system comprising a server device,
The power outlet device detecting a power waveform supplied from a power line to a socket to which the electrical device is connected;
The power outlet device generates information data representing the characteristics based on the detected power waveform;
The power outlet device, based on the information data representing the generated characteristics, the process of determining at least one of the type and operation content of the electrical device,
The power outlet device uses the information data representing the determination result of the electric device as the transmission source information of the terminal identification information preset for the power outlet device, and the server identification information preset for the server device. As a destination information to the managed communication network,
A process in which the server device receives information data representing a determination result of the electrical device transmitted from the power outlet device via the managed communication network;
A process in which the server device stores information data representing a determination result of the received electrical device in a storage medium in association with terminal identification information received together with the information data ;
First management information in which the network connection device correlates a terminal address assigned to the power outlet device and an access line number connecting the power outlet device and the network connection device. Storing in the first management database;
When the network connection device receives the information data transmitted from the power outlet device together with the terminal address, whether or not the correspondence between the access line that received the information data and the received terminal address is correct Determining based on the first management information stored in the first management database;
The network connection device comprises a step of relaying the information data when it is determined that the correspondence between the access line that has received the information data and the received terminal address is correct. Information collection method. A server device capable of communicating via a managed communication network having a power outlet device having a socket to which an electric device is connected and a proxy device that relays information data between the network outlet devices between the power outlet device and the power outlet device A method for collecting information on the electrical equipment using a system comprising:
The power outlet device detecting a power waveform supplied from a power line to a socket to which the electrical device is connected;
The power outlet device generates information data representing the characteristics based on the detected power waveform;
The power outlet device, based on the information data representing the generated characteristics, the process of determining at least one of the type and operation content of the electrical device,
The power outlet device uses the information data representing the determination result of the electric device as the transmission source information of the terminal identification information preset for the power outlet device, and the server identification information preset for the server device. As a destination information to the managed communication network,
A process in which the server device receives information data representing a determination result of the electrical device transmitted from the power outlet device via the managed communication network;
A process in which the server device stores information data representing a determination result of the received electrical device in a storage medium in association with terminal identification information received together with the information data ;
The proxy device stores second management information in which the terminal address assigned to the power outlet device and the terminal ID assigned to the power outlet device are associated with each other in the second management database. When,
If the proxy device receives the information data transferred from the network connection device together with the terminal address and the terminal ID of the power outlet device, whether or not the correspondence between the received terminal address and the terminal ID is correct Determining based on the second management information stored in the second management database;
And a step of relaying the information data when the proxy device determines that the correspondence between the received terminal address and the terminal ID is correct. .

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