WO2013171833A1

WO2013171833A1 - Power saving control system, equipment control device, and method for controlling power saving

Info

Publication number: WO2013171833A1
Application number: PCT/JP2012/062333
Authority: WO
Inventors: 宮田　克也
Original assignee: 日立コンシューマエレクトロニクス株式会社
Priority date: 2012-05-14
Filing date: 2012-05-14
Publication date: 2013-11-21
Also published as: JP5898765B2; JPWO2013171833A1

Abstract

A power saving control system for controlling the power saving for power consuming equipment comprises: power consuming equipment which performs power saving control; a health status acquisition means which acquires information concerning a health status; and an equipment control device which controls each power consuming equipment. When the control means for a health information management device acquires the information concerning a health status and detects on the basis of the information concerning the health status of the user who uses the device that the health status of the user is different from the normal status, the control means issues an instruction to change the power saving operation for the power consuming equipment to the equipment control device. Upon receiving the instruction, the equipment control device changes the power saving operation information (priority for power saving) and issues an instruction to change the power saving control for the power consuming equipment. Thereby, even when power saving control is performed in the power saving control system, the health status of the user is taken into account so that a comfortable usage environment can be created by allowing for both power saving control and the maintenance of the health status of the user.

Description

Power saving control system, device control apparatus, and power saving control method

The present invention relates to a power saving control system, a device control apparatus, and a power saving control method, and in particular, considers the health state of a user even when power saving control is performed, and the power saving control and user of a power consuming device. The present invention relates to a power saving control system, a device control apparatus, and a power saving control method that are suitable for providing a comfortable use environment while maintaining both health conditions.

In recent years, device control devices that measure and display power consumption and power consumption at home, and control to stop operation of specific devices when the contracted amperage is exceeded are sold. .

For example, Patent Document 1 includes a plurality of electrical devices in a home and sensors (temperature sensors, human sensors, contact sensors, etc.) that detect the usage status of the electrical devices, and the usage status is recorded by the sensors. A power control system that predicts a usage pattern from recorded information and controls each electrical device based on the prediction pattern is disclosed. Thereby, for example, since it is controlled based on the life pattern according to the season and the day of the week, it is possible to perform power saving (power saving) control without impairing the convenience of the user.

JP 2001-54176 A

In the power control system disclosed in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, since a prediction pattern is calculated and each device is controlled based on the calculated pattern, the power saving operation of each device is effectively performed when the user's life pattern is constant. Can be done.

However, there are cases where it is inconvenient to simply perform power saving control based on normal life pattern information. For example, if it is necessary to reduce power consumption in midsummer, the cooling function of the living room where many families gather is normally not turned off, but the cooling function of the air conditioner in other rooms (such as individual rooms) is turned off. Suppose you want to. However, if there is a person who is in poor physical condition (person A) in the family, the cooling function of the air conditioner in the room where person A is turned off to save power is It is not always desirable. In this case, it is more desirable to maintain the comfort of the person A in order to recover the physical condition of the person A than to save power. That is, it is desirable not to turn off the cooling function of the air conditioner in the room where the person A is present, but to turn off the cooling function of the air conditioner in another room (such as a living room where the person A is not present).

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and its purpose is a power saving control system for performing power saving control of a power consuming device, and even if the power saving control is performed, the health state of the user In view of the above, it is an object of the present invention to provide a power saving control system capable of providing a comfortable use environment by achieving both the power saving control of the power consuming device and the health condition of the user.

In order to solve the above problems, a power saving control system according to the present invention includes a communication means, a power consuming device that performs power saving control, a control means, a communication means, and a health condition acquisition means for acquiring information related to a health condition. And a health information management apparatus having a storage means for storing the health state, a control means, a communication means, and a device control apparatus having a storage means for storing power saving operation information for the power consuming device.

Then, the control means of the health information management device acquires information on the health status by the health status acquisition means, and based on the information on the health status of the user of the device stored by the storage means, the health status of the user Is detected to be different from the normal time, an instruction to change the operation of the power saving operation executing means of the power consuming device is issued to the device control apparatus.

When the control unit of the device control device receives an instruction to change the operation of the power saving operation execution unit of the power consuming device to the device control device, the power saving operation for the power consuming device stored in the storage unit The information (power saving priority) is changed, and an instruction to change the operation related to the power saving control of the power consuming device is issued based on the power saving operation information for the power consuming device.

Thus, according to the power saving control system of the present invention, it is possible to make it difficult for a person with poor health to be affected by the deterioration of the living environment due to power saving (power saving) control.

According to the present invention, there is provided a power saving control system that performs power saving control of a power consuming device. Even if power saving control is performed, the user's health condition is taken into consideration, and the power saving control of the power consuming device and the user's health are controlled. It is possible to provide a power saving control system capable of providing a comfortable use environment while balancing health conditions.

1 is a configuration diagram of a power saving control system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a functional block diagram of an apparatus control apparatus. It is a functional lineblock diagram of a health care device. It is a figure which shows an example of an apparatus control order table (the 1). It is a figure which shows an example of an apparatus control order table (the 2). It is a flowchart which shows the control processing with respect to each electric equipment using the equipment control order table in a general power saving control method. 4 is a flowchart showing a basic operation of the health management device 40. It is a flowchart which shows the control processing with respect to each electric equipment using the equipment control order table in the power saving control method which concerns on 1st embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram of the power saving control system which concerns on 2nd embodiment of this invention. It is a functional block diagram of an air conditioner. It is a figure explaining the operation mode of an air-conditioner. It is a flowchart which shows the control processing with respect to the electric equipment in the power saving control method which concerns on 2nd embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram of the power saving control system which concerns on another modification (the 1). It is a block diagram of the power saving control system which concerns on another modification (the 2).

Hereinafter, each embodiment according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 12B.

Embodiment 1
A first embodiment according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.
First, the configuration of the power saving control system according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3.
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a power saving control system according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a functional configuration diagram of the device control apparatus.
FIG. 3 is a functional configuration diagram of the health management apparatus.

As shown in FIG. 1, the power saving control system includes a device control apparatus 10, an air conditioner 21 (21a, 21b,...), An illumination 22 (22a, 22b,...), A television 23 (23a, 23b,. It comprises a sensor 30 (30a, 30b,...), A health management device 40, and a network 50.

The power sensor 30 measures the power consumption (instantaneous value or integrated value for a predetermined time) of each power consuming device such as the air conditioner 21, the illumination 22, and the television 23, and holds the measured value. In addition, it communicates with the device control apparatus 10 via the network 50.

The air conditioner 21 is an air conditioning device that performs air conditioning control such as cooling, heating, and air blowing, and communicates with the device control apparatus 10 via the network 50. Further, in accordance with an instruction from the device control apparatus 10, a power saving operation is performed such as switching the power supply from ON to OFF or relaxing the set temperature of the air conditioning.

The lighting 22 is a variety of lighting fixtures such as fluorescent lamps and LED bulbs that are installed on the ceiling of each room in the home or installed on a table, and communicates with the device control apparatus 10 via the network 50. Further, in accordance with an instruction from the device control apparatus 10, a power saving operation such as switching the power source from ON to OFF or reducing the brightness is performed.

The television 23 is a receiver that receives terrestrial broadcasts and BS broadcasts and displays them on a display device such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), and communicates with the device control device 10 via the network 50. Further, in accordance with an instruction from the device control apparatus 10, a power saving operation such as switching the power supply from ON to OFF or reducing the brightness of the screen is performed.

Although not shown, a plurality of electrical devices other than the air conditioner 21, the illumination 22, and the television 23 may be connected to the network 50 and communicate with the device control apparatus 10. In this case, each electric device performs a power saving operation such as switching the power supply from ON to OFF in accordance with an instruction from the device control apparatus 10.

The device control apparatus 10 aggregates the measurement results of the power sensor 30 via the network 50, and when the total power consumption is likely to exceed a predetermined target value or exceeds the predetermined target value, An instruction to reduce power consumption is issued to power consumption devices such as the air conditioner 21, the illumination 22, and the television 23 (power saving control is performed). A method of power saving control will be described later.

The health management device 40 collects and records information on the health status of the user by using various sensors and the like provided. The health management device 40 is configured to be worn near the waist, for example, as a wristband type or a pedometer so as to easily collect information on the health condition of the user. Moreover, it communicates with the apparatus control apparatus 10 by wireless communication.

In this embodiment, the device control apparatus 10 itself is shown as a single unit. However, the device control apparatus 10 does not exist as a single unit, and any of the power consuming devices such as the air conditioner 21, the illumination 22, and the television 23 is used. However, the structure which included the function of the apparatus control apparatus 10 may be sufficient.

Next, the functional configuration of the device control apparatus will be described with reference to FIG.

The device control apparatus 10 includes a display unit 1001, an input unit 1002, a power supply unit 1003, a storage unit 1004, a control unit 1005, a communication unit 1006, and a bus 1007, as shown in FIG.

The display unit 1001 includes a liquid crystal display, an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) display, a panel such as electronic paper, a driver circuit, and the like. Under the control of the control unit 1005, arbitrary information (for example, characters, still images) , Video, etc.). Note that the display unit 1001 may include a plurality of panels that can display different information, or may be a separate device from the device control apparatus 10.

The input unit 1002 includes one or more of a keyboard, a mouse, a cursor key, a numeric keypad, and the like, receives a user operation, and inputs an input signal based on the operation to the control unit 1005. Note that an input signal may be generated by voice recognition, image recognition, gesture recognition, or the like and input to the control unit 1005. In addition, the structure which the display part 1001 and the input part 1002 united may be sufficient like a touch panel, and the apparatus separate from the apparatus control apparatus 10 may be sufficient.

The power supply unit 1003 includes a battery, an AC adapter, a charging circuit, and the like, and supplies power to each unit of the device control apparatus 10 and charges the battery. In addition, the power supply unit 1003 performs a status check such as whether the device control apparatus 10 is driven by a battery or an AC adapter, and checks the remaining battery level.

The storage unit 1004 includes a memory built in the device control apparatus 10 or a removable external memory, and stores various types of information. For example, an operation control program executed by the control unit 1005 is stored.

The control unit 1005 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an MPU (Micro Processing Unit), a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), and the like. The control unit 1005 executes a predetermined operation control program and the like. To control.

The communication unit 1006 is a wireless LAN, Bluetooth (registered trademark), infrared communication, IC tag function, TransferJET (registered trademark), LTE, HSPA (High Speed Packet Access), EV-DO (Evolution Data Only), WiMAX, or the like. A communication function or a wired communication function such as Ethernet (registered trademark) is provided, and various types of information are transmitted and received. Here, the wireless communication function includes an antenna, a modem circuit, and the like, and the wired communication function includes a connector, a modem circuit, and the like. The transmission / reception of information may be performed via the network 50 or may be directly performed between devices without using the network 50. The communication unit 1006 may be configured to support a plurality of communication methods.

Next, the functional configuration of the health management device will be described with reference to FIG.

As shown in FIG. 3, the health management device 40 includes a display unit 4001, an input unit 4002, a power supply unit 4003, a storage unit 4004, a control unit 4005, a communication unit 4006, an authentication unit 4007, a camera unit 4008, and a voice input unit. 4009, an audio output unit 4010, a position information detection unit 4011, an acceleration sensor 4012, a pulse sensor 4013, a temperature sensor 4014, and a bus 4015.

The display unit 4001 includes a panel such as a liquid crystal display, an organic EL display, and electronic paper, a driver circuit, and the like. Under the control of the control unit 4005, arbitrary information (for example, characters, still images, moving images, etc.) is displayed. indicate. The display unit 4001 may include a plurality of panels that can display different information, or may be a separate device from the health management device 40.

The input unit 4002 includes one or more of a keyboard, a mouse, a cursor key, a numeric keypad, and the like, receives a user operation, and inputs an input signal based on the operation to the control unit 4005. Note that an input signal may be generated by voice recognition, image recognition, gesture recognition, or the like and input to the control unit 4005. The display unit 4001 and the input unit 4002 may be integrated as in the case of a touch panel, or may be a separate device from the health management device 40.

The power supply unit 4003 includes a battery, an AC adapter, a charging circuit, and the like, and supplies power to each unit of the health management device 40 and charges the battery. In addition, the power supply unit 4003 checks the state of whether the health management device 40 is driven by a battery or an AC adapter, and checks the remaining battery level.

The storage unit 4004 includes a memory built in the health management device 40 or a removable external memory, and stores various types of information. For example, an operation control program executed by the control unit 4005 is stored.

The control unit 4005 includes a CPU, MPU, DSP, and the like, and controls the overall operation of the health management apparatus 40 by executing a predetermined operation control program.

The communication unit 4006 has wireless LAN, Bluetooth, infrared communication, IC tag function, wireless communication function such as Transfer JET, LTE, HSPA, EV-DO, WiMAX, or wired communication function such as Ethernet, and transmits and receives various types of information. To do. Here, the wireless communication function includes an antenna, a modem circuit, and the like, and the wired communication function includes a connector, a modem circuit, and the like. The transmission / reception of information may be performed via the network 50 or may be directly performed between devices without using the network 50. The communication unit 4006 may be configured to support a plurality of communication methods.

The authentication unit 4007 authenticates whether the user is a legitimate user by an authentication method such as password authentication, fingerprint authentication, finger vein authentication, handwriting authentication, face authentication, voiceprint authentication, and iris authentication. The authentication unit 4007 has a function of capturing information (password, fingerprint data, finger vein data, handwriting data, face image data, voiceprint data, iris data, or the like) input by the user for authentication according to the authentication method. Depending on the authentication method, authentication information may be input from the input unit 4002, the camera 4008, and the voice input unit 4009. The authentication unit 4007 preferably has a storage area with high tamper resistance separately from the storage unit 4004 in order to store authentication information of authorized users in advance.

The camera unit 4008 includes an imaging device including an optical component such as a lens, an image processing device, and the like. The camera unit 4008 captures images under the control of the control unit 4005 and acquires image data such as still images and moving images.

The voice input unit 4009 includes a microphone or the like, collects voice signals during a call, and supplies the collected voice signals to the communication unit 4006.

The audio output unit 4010 includes a speaker, an earphone jack, a DAC (Digital Analog Converter), and the like. For example, the audio output unit 4010 performs DA conversion on the audio signal received from the communication unit 4006 and emits sound through the speaker.

The location information detection unit 4011 acquires information indicating the current location of the health management device 40 by GPS (Global Positioning System), IMES (Indoor Messaging System), wireless LAN, or the like.

The acceleration sensor 4012 acquires information related to the acceleration of the health management device 40. The health management device 40 can detect the state (exercise amount, posture, etc.) of the person who owns the health management device 40 from the acquired acceleration information.

The pulse sensor 4013 is composed of an LED (Light Emitting Diode) or an infrared sensor, and can measure the pulse rate of the person who owns the health management device 40.

The temperature sensor 4014 can measure the body temperature and ambient temperature of the person who owns the health management device 40.

Next, an example of a general power saving control method of the device control apparatus 10 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4A and 5.
FIG. 4A is a diagram illustrating an example of a device control order table (part 1).
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a control process for each electrical device using a device control order table in a general power saving control method.

The device control apparatus 10 stores a device control order table 400 as shown in FIG. 4A in the storage unit 1004 in advance. The device control order table 400 is a table including fields such as a priority 401, a control device 402, and an installation location 403.

The meaning of priority means that power saving control is prioritized for electrical devices with higher priority. The method of determining the priority order is arbitrary. For example, there is a method of increasing the priority order of a device having a large power capacity, or increasing the priority order of a device in a room that usually does not attract many people.

The device control apparatus 10 sets an internal variable i indicating the priority order of devices that perform power saving control to 1 in normal times (S501). Then, it periodically communicates with the power sensor 30, acquires power consumption information from the power sensor 30, and compares the value with target power consumption information (target value) stored in the storage unit 1004 in advance (S502). .

In S502, when it is determined that the power consumption information acquired from the power sensor 30 is not larger (S502: No), the process ends.

On the other hand, when it is determined in S502 that the power consumption information acquired from the power sensor 30 is larger (S502: Yes), the device control apparatus 10 reads the device control order table 400 stored in the storage unit 1004. (S503).

It is checked whether or not the device with the priority order i in the device control order table 400 is activated (S504). If it is activated (S504: Yes), the power saving control is activated for the device with the priority order i. (S505). The power saving control referred to here is to turn off the power or change to an operation mode with low power consumption. As a more specific example, if the device to be controlled is an air conditioner 21 (21a, 21b,...), The cooling set temperature is increased, and if the illumination 22 (22a, 22b,. It is to lower.

Then, the internal variable i is incremented (S506), the process returns to the process S502, and the power consumption information acquired from the power sensor 30 is compared with the target power consumption information. If the power consumption still exceeds the target value, power saving control is performed on each power consuming device in order of priority. When the power consumption is reduced by the power saving control in S505 and the power consumption does not exceed the target value (S502: No), the power saving control is terminated.

On the other hand, if the device with the priority order i is not activated in S504 (S504: No), the internal variable i is incremented (S506), and the process returns to S502.

As described above, when the overall power consumption in the home temporarily increases, the device control device issues an instruction to reduce the power consumption to some devices. Can be suppressed.

In the above description, in S502, the current power consumption and the target power consumption are compared to determine whether to start the power saving control. However, as another example, the target value is divided into a plurality of steps. If the first target value is exceeded, power saving control with a relatively small power saving effect is performed, and if the second target value is exceeded, the power saving effect is relatively low. A method of performing large power saving control is also conceivable. Thereby, since the power saving (power saving) control is performed step by step, the deterioration of the living environment due to the power saving (power saving) control can be suppressed.

As yet another example, instead of determining whether to activate power saving control within the device control apparatus 10, power saving control is performed when a request is made to activate power saving control from another apparatus. A method of doing it is also conceivable. Another device in this case may be a CEMS (Community Energy Management Service) control device or a power company control device.

In the above example, it has been described that the device control order table 400 is stored in the storage unit 1004 in advance. However, in the real-time monitoring of the power consumption state in the house, the priority order increases in descending order of power consumption. There is also a method of creating the device control order table 400.

In the following description, the case where it is determined that it is necessary to start the power saving control inside the device control apparatus 10 and the case where the external device requests to start the power saving control are included for convenience. Is described as “when a power-saving operation activation trigger is detected”.

Next, the basic operation of the health management device 40 will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the basic operation of the health management device 40.

When the health management device 40 is turned on, the control unit 4005 performs initialization processing of each function (S701).

When the initialization process is completed and each function of the health management device 40 becomes operable, the control unit 4005 determines the health of the owner of the health management device 40 measured by the acceleration sensor 4012, the pulse sensor 4013, and the temperature sensor 4014. A value related to information is read (S702), and the value is recorded in the storage unit 4007 as a history of sensor values (S703). As a result, the past measurement values of each sensor are stored in the storage unit 4007. For example, the measured values for a predetermined period such as the past one month or the past one year are stored. Measurement values that are older than a predetermined period may be discarded. As another method, there is a method in which, when measured values are stored to some extent, statistical processing is performed on the measured values, and the processed measured values are discarded. For example, measurement is performed every minute, and if an average value or dispersion value every hour is calculated, only those are stored, and the measurement value every minute is discarded. Thereby, the capacity of the storage unit 4007 can be saved and used.

Next, the control unit 4005 compares the measurement value read in S702 this time with the measurement value recorded in the past, and confirms whether it matches the past normal pattern (S704). If the deviation from the past normal pattern is larger than the predetermined amount, the fact that the owner of the health care apparatus 40 is in poor physical condition or has a risk of poor physical condition is recorded (S705). If the deviation from the past normal pattern is smaller than the predetermined amount, it is recorded that the owner of the health management device 40 is in good physical condition (S706).

As a specific example, when the body temperature of the owner of the health care device 40 is measured by the temperature sensor 4014, the average body temperature is recorded from the past measurement values, and the newly measured value (body temperature data) is the past average body temperature. More than a predetermined value (for example, 1 degree or more), it is regarded as poor physical condition. The past average body temperature may be, for example, the past year average, the past month average, or two or more types of average values.

Judging by the latest measurement value increases the possibility of measurement value error or erroneous measurement (such as when the temperature sensor touches other than the human body and measures other than body temperature), so multiple recent measurement values You may judge using Thereby, the influence of a measurement value error or erroneous measurement can be suppressed.

Similarly, when the pulse of the owner of the health management device 40 is measured by the pulse sensor 4013, the average pulse is recorded from the past measurement value, and the newly measured value (pulse data) is more than the past average pulse. When the difference is greater than or equal to a predetermined value (for example, 20 times or more), it is regarded as poor physical condition. However, in the case of a pulse, it may rise by exercising (running, etc.) regardless of the physical condition. For example, it is determined whether or not exercise was performed immediately from the measurement value of the acceleration sensor 4012. However, there is a method in which it is regarded as poor physical condition only when the pulse rises above a predetermined value. Thus, the detection accuracy of a poor physical condition increases by using the measured values of a plurality of sensors. Note that the above is an example and does not limit the combination of sensors to be used.

As another example, in the case of a pulse, there are fluctuations during the day even during normal times (differing during sleep, immediately after getting up, during daytime activities, etc.) It is also conceivable to determine whether or not the patient is in poor physical condition by comparing fluctuation patterns up to that point. Thereby, the detection accuracy of a poor physical condition can be improved.

As another example, the acceleration sensor 4012 measures the amount of exercise and posture (walking, running, standing, sitting, etc.) of the owner of the health management device 40, and the time for walking and running is short, and the time for sitting and sleeping is long. If so, consider it to be poor. At this time, if the past normal pattern is changed according to the day of the week, the season, etc., for example, it is possible to make a judgment method such that even if the time of sitting or sleeping on a holiday is slightly longer, it is not considered bad. Detection accuracy can be increased.

In addition to the value measured by the sensor provided in the health management device 40, the user's health information is measured by another measuring device (such as a weight scale, a body fat scale, a sphygmomanometer, a blood pressure test device) having a communication function. In addition, a method in which the health management device 40 acquires the measurement value via the communication unit 4006 and uses it for detection determination of poor physical condition is also conceivable. Thereby, since the kind of health information to measure increases, the detection accuracy of a poor physical condition can be improved.

When the determination result is recorded in S705 and S706, it is confirmed whether or not an end operation has been performed (S707). If no end operation has been performed (S707: No), the process returns to S702. That is, the health information of the user is continuously acquired, and it is monitored whether or not the patient is in poor health. If the end operation has been performed (S707: Yes), the health management device 40 stops its function.

In the power saving control method of the device control apparatus 10 described above, a general power saving control method has been described.

However, when the general power saving control as described above is performed, the living environment may deteriorate to some extent. This “deterioration of the living environment” can be tolerated by patience to some extent when the user is healthy, but in the case of poor physical condition, there is a possibility that the physical condition may be further deteriorated. Therefore, it is desirable to perform power saving control so that the living environment of a person with poor physical condition is not deteriorated as much as possible. On the other hand, when everyone is in good health at home, it is desirable that power can be efficiently saved according to conventional general power saving control.

The power saving control method of the present embodiment performs power saving control of each electrical device from such a viewpoint.

Hereinafter, the power saving control method of the device control apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 4B and 7.
FIG. 4B is a diagram illustrating an example of a device control order table (part 2).
FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a control process for each electrical device using the device control order table in the power saving control method according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

First, as described in the basic operation of the health management apparatus 40, when the health management apparatus 40 that the person A normally carries detects the physical condition of the person A, the fact is recorded in the storage unit 4004. (S601).

Suppose that the person A comes home in a state where the health management device 40 has detected the poor physical condition of the person A. At this time, the health management device 40 detects entering the home (S602). As an example of a specific method for detecting that the health management device 40 has entered the home, the base station ID of the wireless communication base station connected at home is stored in advance, and the communication unit 4006 uses the wireless communication base station to When the base station ID indicating the transmission base station included in the information matches the home base station ID, it is determined that the user has entered the home. In addition, the home location information is stored in advance, and when the current location information detected by the location information detection unit 4011 matches the home location information (or when the difference is smaller than a predetermined value), the home location information is entered. There is a way to judge.

When it is detected that the health management device 40 has entered the home, the health management device 40 transmits a power saving control exclusion request to the device control device 10 (S603). The device control apparatus 10 that has received the power saving control exclusion request updates the device control order table 400 (S604).

A specific example of the power saving control exclusion request and the update process of the device control order table 400 will be described.

For example, the power saving control exclusion request includes information (living room, kitchen, bedroom, study, child room, etc.) indicating where the health management device 40 that is the transmission source is in the home. This information can be acquired from the base station ID of the radio base station with which the communication unit 4006 communicates and the information detected by the position information detection unit 4011, as in the method of detecting that the user has entered the home.
As an example, information that the health management device 40 (or the person A who owns the health management device 40, here the health management device 40 is supposed to be carried by the owner) is in “room A” is included. If received, the device control apparatus 10 updates the device control order table 400 of FIG. 4A as shown in FIG. 4B. That is, the priority of power saving control of the devices (the air conditioner 21a, the television 23a, and the lighting 22a) in the room A is lowered.

In this way, when the activation trigger for the power saving operation is detected (S605), first, power saving control is preferentially performed from a device other than the room A (a device in the room B in this example) ( S606). That is, the air conditioner 21b in the room B is stopped if it is in operation, but the air conditioner 21a in the room A can continue normal operation if it is in operation.

As a result, the device in the room A where there is a person with a poor physical condition (possibly) becomes difficult to control the power saving, and the person with poor health condition is affected by the deterioration of the living environment due to the power saving (power saving) control. It can be made difficult to receive.

As another example, the power saving control exclusion request includes not the position information of the health management device 40 that is the transmission source but information that identifies devices in the vicinity thereof. This information is sent to the device search message by the short-range wireless communication (wireless LAN, Bluetooth, infrared communication, etc.) of the communication unit 4006 of the health management device 40, and the device that has received the device search message When the included response message is transmitted and received by the health management device 40, it can be acquired from the response message. For example, when information indicating “air conditioner 21a”, “illumination 22a”, and “television 23a” is included in the power saving control exclusion request, the device control apparatus 10 that has received the information stores the device control order table 400 in FIG. Update like this. That is, the priority of the power saving control of the notified device is lowered.

In this way, when a power-saving operation activation trigger is detected (S605), first, power-saving control is preferentially performed from a device other than the designated device (S606). That is, the air conditioner 21b that is not in the vicinity of the person A is stopped if it is in operation, but the air conditioner 21a that is in the vicinity of the person A can continue normal operation if it is in operation.

This makes it difficult for devices in the vicinity of people with poor physical condition (possibly) to be subject to power saving control, and people with poor health are less likely to be affected by the deterioration of the living environment due to power saving (power saving) control. can do.

As another example, the power saving control exclusion request includes identification information indicating the health management device 40 that is the transmission source or identification information indicating the person A that is the user. On the other hand, the device control apparatus 10 stores in advance devices that are frequently used by the person A (in this example, “air conditioner 21a”, “illumination 22a”, and “television 23a” are stored) to save power. When the control exclusion request is received, the device control order table 400 in FIG. 4A is updated as shown in FIG. 4B. That is, the priority of the power saving control of the notified device is lowered.

In this way, when the activation trigger for the power saving operation is detected (S605), first, the notified person A performs power saving control preferentially from devices other than those frequently used (S606). In other words, the air conditioner 21b that is not used by the person A is stopped if it is in operation, but the air conditioner 21a that is often used by the person A can continue normal operation if it is in operation.

As a result, devices that are often used by persons with poor physical condition (possibly) are less likely to be subject to power saving control, and those with poor health are less likely to be affected by the deterioration of the living environment due to power saving (power saving) control. can do.

In any of the above examples, it has been described that the priority order of the device control order table 400 is rewritten based on the information included in the power saving control exclusion request. However, as another example, from the device control order table 400, A method of deleting the record, that is, excluding it from the power saving control target is also conceivable.

As a result, devices in the vicinity of a person with a poor physical condition (possible) or devices that are frequently used by the person are excluded from the power-saving control. It can be made less susceptible to the deterioration of the living environment due to control.

Next, as described in the basic operation of the health management apparatus 40, when the health management apparatus 40 detects that the physical condition of the person A has been recovered, the fact is recorded in the storage unit 4004 (S611).

Then, the health management device 40 transmits a power saving control exclusion cancellation request to the device control device 10 (S612). The device control apparatus 10 that has received the request to cancel the power saving control exclusion updates the device control order table 400 (S613). That is, the one updated in S604 is returned to the state before the update.

Then, a power saving operation request is made to the power consuming device (S606).

Thus, when the physical condition of a person who is in poor physical condition is recovered, the normal power saving (power saving) control method is restored, so that the power saving control can be performed efficiently and fairly.

On the other hand, when the device control order table 400 is updated in S604, the device control apparatus 10 starts a timer (not shown) (S621). Thereafter, the device control apparatus 10 transmits a message for periodically checking the presence to the health management apparatus 40 via the communication unit 1006 (S622), and a response to the message is returned within a predetermined time. If not, the health management device 40 (person A with poor physical condition) is regarded as having gone out of the house, the timer is stopped (S623), and the device control order table 400 is updated (S613). That is, the one updated in S604 is returned to the state before the update.

Then, a power saving operation request is made to the power consuming device (S625).

Therefore, when a person who is in poor physical condition goes out, it returns to the normal power saving (power saving) control method, so that the power saving control can be performed efficiently and fairly.

[Embodiment 2]
The second embodiment according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

In the first embodiment, the device control device controls each electrical device in accordance with a request regarding power saving control sent from the health management device. In the present embodiment, the health management device directly makes a request for power saving control to each electrical device without going through the device control device.

In this embodiment, differences will be mainly described based on the power saving control system of the first embodiment.

First, the configuration of the power saving control system according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 to 10.
FIG. 8 is a configuration diagram of a power saving control system according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 9 is a functional configuration diagram of the air conditioner.
FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the operation mode of the air conditioner.

The power saving control system includes an air conditioner 21 and a health management device 40 as shown in FIG. The air conditioner 21 and the health management device 40 can wirelessly communicate with each other.

The functional configuration of the health management device 40 is the same as in FIG. 3 of the first embodiment.

The air conditioner 21 includes a display unit 2101, an input unit 2102, a power supply unit 2103, a storage unit 2104, a control unit 2105, a communication unit 2106, a bus 2107, a motor unit 2108, and an inverter unit 2109, as shown in FIG.

These are the same as the display unit 1001, the input unit 1002, the power supply unit 1003, the storage unit 1004, the control unit 1005, the communication unit 1006, and the bus 1007 of the device control apparatus 10 of the first embodiment shown in FIG. It has a function.

The motor unit 2108 is a motor that drives a compressor and a fan.

The inverter unit 2109 is an inverter that generates a frequency for motor control.
The air conditioner 21 has a power saving operation function.

As an example of the power saving operation function of the air conditioner 21 here, for example, an operation mode as shown in FIG. 10 is provided. Mode 1 in FIG. 10 is a mode in which the cooling operation is used only during the day by the automatic ON / OFF timer. On the other hand, mode 2 is a mode in which the cooling operation is used for a longer time than mode 1 by the automatic ON / OFF timer. That is, compared with the case where the automatic ON / OFF timer is not used all day without limit, Mode 1 and Mode 2 are power-saving operation modes. Furthermore, Mode 1 is a mode that is more power-saving than Mode 2. It has become.

In addition, the function of changing the set temperature may be used instead of turning the power ON / OFF by the timer control.

Note that this embodiment is not limited to the air conditioner 21 and may be any power consuming device having a wireless communication function and a power saving operation function.

Next, a power saving control method of the device control apparatus 10 according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a control process for electric appliances in the power saving control method according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

First, as shown in the basic operation of the health management device 40 of the first embodiment, when the health management device 40 that the person A normally carries is detected that the person A is in poor health, the fact is stored. This is recorded in the part 4004 (S801).

Suppose that the person A comes home in a state where the health management device 40 has detected the poor physical condition of the person A. At this time, the health management device 40 detects a device (in this example, the air conditioner 21) having a power saving operation function at home (S802). As an example of a method of detecting the air conditioner 21, a device search message for searching for a device having a power saving operation function by short-range wireless communication (wireless LAN, Bluetooth, infrared communication, etc.) of the communication unit 4006 of the health management device 40 is provided. The corresponding device that can transmit to the surroundings and receive it transmits a response message including its own device information, and the health management device 40 receives it to detect it.

When the health management device 40 detects a device having a power saving operation function at home (in this example, the air conditioner 21), the health management device 40 transmits a power saving control exclusion request to the device having the power saving operation function (S803). The device that has received the power saving control exclusion request updates the power saving operation mode (S804). As a specific example, in the case of the air conditioner 21, the operation mode is changed from mode 1 to mode 2. Alternatively, the mode is changed to a normal operation mode (a mode in which the automatic ON / OFF timer is not used).

As a result, since the degree of power saving (power saving) control is reduced for devices used by persons with poor physical condition (possible), people with poor health conditions can deteriorate their living environment due to power saving (power saving) control. Can be less affected by

Although not shown in the figure, when the health management device 40 detects that the physical condition of the person A who is in poor physical condition has recovered, or detects that the person A who is in poor physical condition has gone out, the first The power saving operation mode is updated in the same manner as in the embodiment. That is, the operation mode is changed from mode 2 to mode 1.

As a result, when the physical condition of the person who is in poor health recovers or when the person who is in poor physical condition goes out, the normal power saving (power saving) control method is returned, so that the power saving control can be performed efficiently. .

[Other variations]
Other modifications will be described with reference to FIGS. 12A and 12B.
12A and 12B are configuration diagrams of a power saving control system according to another modification.

In the above, when the health information of the person A who is the user of the health management apparatus 40 is collected by the various sensors provided in the health management apparatus 40, the health management apparatus 40 determines whether or not the person A is in poor physical condition. As described above, a method of determining whether or not the person A is in poor physical condition outside the health management apparatus 40 and recording the determination result in the health management apparatus 40 is also conceivable.

As a specific example, when a doctor is examined at a hospital and diagnosed as ill, an electronic medical record or electronic certificate indicating that fact is created at the hospital and the server managed by the hospital (hospital server 200 ) Or the terminal managed by the doctor (doctor terminal). The health management device 40 communicates with the hospital server 200 or the doctor terminal, acquires the health information (electronic medical record 201 and electronic certificate) of the user, as shown in FIG. The apparatus 10 is controlled.

Note that the above health information may be transferred to an organization (such as a government office) other than a hospital, stored in a server managed by the institution, and downloaded to the health management apparatus 40 from there.

In addition, the above electronic medical record and electronic certificate may expire automatically and be deleted automatically, or when a doctor diagnoses that the disease has been cured, It may be possible to delete based on the permission. In any case, it is desirable that the user cannot arbitrarily delete it.

In any case, in the process of S601 in FIG. 7, when the health information indicates that the user is sick, the health management apparatus 40 determines that the user is in poor health. The subsequent processing is the same as S602 to S606 in FIG.

When the health information does not indicate that the user is ill, or when the health information is not recorded in the health management device 40, it is determined in S611 in FIG. 7 that the physical condition has been recovered. The subsequent processing is the same as S612 to S613 in FIG.

As described above, devices around people who are diagnosed with illness or devices often used by those people are excluded from the power-saving control, and those who are in poor health can be controlled by power-saving (power-saving) control. It can be made less susceptible to the deterioration of the living environment, and when the medical condition of a person diagnosed with illness is recovered or when the person goes out, the normal power saving (power saving) control method is restored. Therefore, power saving control can be performed efficiently.

For example, as shown in FIG. 12B, a program or the like for realizing each function is copied to the program server 300 or the like, and wired or It may be provided via a wireless communication line 60. In this case, the user can operate a terminal or the like to download a necessary program or the like from a server or the like and install it in a storage unit such as the terminal.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Equipment control apparatus 21 ... Air conditioner 22 ... Illumination 23 ... Television 30 ... Electric power sensor 40 ... Health management apparatus

Claims

Communication means;
A power consuming device that performs power saving control; and
Control means;
Communication means;
A health condition acquisition means for acquiring information on the health condition;
A power saving control system comprising a health information management device having a storage means for storing the health state,
The control means of the health information management device acquires information on the health status by the health status acquisition means, and based on the information on the health status of the user of the device stored by the storage means, the health of the user The power saving control system characterized in that the control means issues an instruction to change the operation related to the power saving control of the power consuming device when it is detected that the state is different from the normal state.
Communication means;
A power consuming device that performs power saving control; and
Control means;
Communication means;
A health condition acquisition means for acquiring information on the health condition;
A health information management device having storage means for storing the health status;
Control means;
Communication means;
A power saving control system comprising a device control device having storage means for storing power saving operation information for the power consuming device,
The control means of the health information management device acquires information on the health status by the health status acquisition means, and based on the information on the health status of the user of the device stored by the storage means, the health of the user When it is detected that the state is different from normal, an instruction to change the operation related to the power saving control of the power consuming device is issued to the device control device,
The control means of the device control device stores the power consumption device stored in the storage means when the device control device receives the instruction to change the operation related to the power saving control of the power consumption device. Change power saving operation information for
The power saving control system, wherein the control means issues an instruction to change an operation related to the power saving control of the power consuming device based on power saving operation information for the power consuming device.
When the control unit of the health management device detects that the health state of the user is different from the normal state, the control unit of the device control device displays the power saving operation information for the power consumption device. Rewrite it to operate according to one condition,
When the control means of the health management device detects that the user's health is in a normal state, power saving operation information for the power consuming device operates the power consuming device according to a second condition. The power saving control system according to claim 2, wherein the power saving control system is rewritten as follows.
An instruction to change the operation related to the power saving control of the power consuming device when the control unit of the health information management device detects that the health state of the user is different from the normal state. Includes location information of the health information management device,
The control means of the device control device rewrites power saving operation information for the power consuming device so that the health information management device does not preferentially execute the power saving operation in the vicinity of the power consuming device. The power saving control system according to claim 2.
An instruction to change the operation related to the power saving control of the power consuming device when the control unit of the health information management device detects that the health state of the user is different from the normal state. Includes information about the user of the health information management device,
The control unit of the device control device is configured to prevent the power consuming device associated with the user of the health information management device from preferentially performing the power saving operation on the power saving operation information for the power consuming device. The power saving control system according to claim 2, wherein the power saving control system is rewritten.
An instruction to change the operation related to the power saving control of the power consuming device when the control unit of the health information management device detects that the health state of the user is different from the normal state. Includes information identifying the power consuming device,
The control means of the device control device rewrites the power saving operation information for the power consuming device so that the power consuming device specified by the information specifying the power consuming device does not preferentially execute the power saving operation. The power saving control system according to claim 2.
The power-saving control system according to claim 1, wherein the health condition acquisition means of the health information management device comprises at least one of an acceleration sensor, a pulse sensor, and a temperature sensor.
The power-saving control system according to claim 1, wherein the health information management device acquires information on a health condition from an external device by communication.