JP2002340945A - Monitoring device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To verify the operating status of various apparatus of which the connection to a home network is difficult by applying a monitoring device to, for example, a television receiver. SOLUTION: The monitoring device monitors the operating status of various apparatus 2, 3, and 5 according to electric power consumption patterns.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a monitoring device,
For example, it can be applied to a television receiver. The present invention monitors the operating conditions of various devices based on a power consumption pattern, so that the operating conditions of various devices that are difficult to connect to a home network can be checked.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, various methods have been proposed for improving the usability of home appliances by connecting them via a home network. In such a device, by transmitting and receiving various data to and from another device connected to a network, the operation status of the other device can be monitored.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a home network of this type. A television receiver 1, a microwave oven 2, an intercom 3 with a television, a washing machine 4 with a dryer, a telephone 5 and the like are connected by the home network. Connected. These television receiver 1, microwave oven 2, etc.
It operates with a commercial power supply supplied through the switchboard 6 to transmit and receive various information between the devices. For example, in a state where a television broadcast program is being watched by the television receiver 1, the washing with the dryer is performed. When the work is completed on the machine 4,
Processing such as confirming completion of this work can be executed via the display screen of the television receiver 1.

On the other hand, in such a television receiver which is difficult to connect to a home network, in addition to the function of operating alone to simply receive a television broadcast, the television receiver is connected to a video device such as a video tape recorder. The video signal and the audio signal output from these video devices can be monitored.

[0005]

In the case where, for example, the user is engaged in housework while keeping the television receiver turned on, the user sometimes concentrates on the contents of the television broadcast, and the housework is sometimes neglected. is there. Even in such a case, if the operation status of various home appliances is monitored by the television receiver through the home network, the necessary processing is executed after confirming the end of the work on the home appliances and the like. be able to.

However, many home appliances do not have a function of connecting to such a network at present, and after all, other appliances which execute through a television receiver as described above are eventually used. Operation monitoring has a problem that can be applied to only a very limited number of devices.

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and it is an object of the present invention to propose a monitoring apparatus capable of confirming the operation status of various devices that are difficult to connect to a home network.

[0008]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, at least the power of the commercial power supply is reduced according to the power consumption pattern of the commercial power supply detected by the predetermined power consumption monitoring means. Device, a determining unit for determining the operating condition of the device, and a notifying unit for notifying the determination result by the determining unit.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, a device that consumes at least the power of the commercial power supply according to the power consumption pattern of the commercial power supply detected by the predetermined power consumption monitoring means,
By providing a determination unit for determining the operation status of the device and a notification unit for notifying the determination result by the determination unit, the operation status of the device having no network connection function can be determined based on the power consumption pattern. Can be determined and notified.

[0010]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings as appropriate.

(1) Configuration of Embodiment FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing home equipment by a monitoring apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this home facility, power is supplied via the television receiver 11 to equipment for which the user wishes to monitor operation. That is, in this domestic facility, the commercial power obtained from the switchboard 6 is supplied to the microwave oven 2, the intercom with television 3, the washing machine with dryer 4, and the telephone 5 via the television receiver 11 functioning as a household appliance monitoring device. Supply. Further, in the television receiver 11, the operation of each device is monitored based on the power consumption pattern of each device, and the operation status of each device is notified to the user as necessary or by operating the remote commander 12.

That is, as shown in FIG. 1, in the television receiver 11, the tuner section 14 receives and processes a desired television broadcast wave under the control of the controller 15, thereby converting the video signal and the audio signal. Output. The video signal processing circuit 16 controls the video signal output from the tuner unit 14 under the control of the controller 15,
Further, the cathode ray tube 17 is driven by a video signal input from an external device, thereby displaying a television broadcast program and an image from the external device. Instead of displaying the program, a predetermined menu screen is displayed according to an instruction from the controller 15, and the display of the menu screen is switched.

The audio signal processing circuit 18 includes the controller 1
Under the control of 5, the speaker 19 is driven by an audio signal output from the tuner unit 14 or an audio signal input from an external device, whereby audio of a television broadcast program and audio input from an external device are output. Output.

The remote commander 12 is a remote control means for controlling the operation of the television receiver 1. The remote commander 12 is necessary for setting the tuner 14, the video signal processing circuit 16, and the audio signal processing circuit 18, and switching the processing target. Various controls and various controls necessary for monitoring various devices, which will be described later, are arranged, and output a remote control signal by infrared rays in response to the operation of these controls.

The receiving section 20 receives a remote control signal based on infrared rays output from the remote commander 12 and outputs a result of the reception to the controller 15.

The power detector 21 detects the current supplied from the television receiver 11 to each of the devices 2 to 5 at fixed time intervals, and notifies the controller 15 of the detection result.

The controller 15 is a control means for controlling the operation of the television receiver 11 as a whole. The controller 15 is arranged by operating the remote commander 12 detected via the receiving section 20 or on the television receiver 11. The entire operation is switched by operating the operating element. In this process, when a predetermined operation element is operated on the remote commander 12, the controller 15 displays a menu screen displaying a menu of various setting items.
Further, when a device monitoring setting menu is selected on this menu screen, a registration screen of a device supplying power via the television receiver 11 is displayed.

On the registration screen, the names of various home appliances are displayed in a list, and the inverted name in the list is scrolled by operating the remote commander 12 to operate the operator for determination, thereby inputting the device names. It has been made possible.

The controller 15 receives the input of the device name in this manner, and subsequently switches the operation mode to the power consumption pattern registration mode according to the device name. Here, the controller 15 selects this registration mode in the case of a device such as a microwave oven that can be operated on a trial basis for detecting power consumption. In this case, the controller 15 switches the display screen, displays the device name, and displays a message prompting the operation of the device. Further, at this time, in the case where power consumption is detected in the microwave oven 2, for example, in accordance with the registration procedure previously recorded in the registration mode, an operation by thawing and an operation by heating are sequentially instructed.

The controller 15 records and holds the thus registered device name and the thus detected power consumption pattern in a memory (not shown).

On the other hand, when the user selects a menu for monitoring the operation of the device on the menu screen, the controller 15 monitors the power consumption detected by the power detection unit 21. Here, for example, when the power consumption sharply increases and this increase corresponds to the power consumption pattern recorded in the memory, the video signal processing circuit 16 is controlled to superimpose the power consumption on the display screen. Is displayed, and the user is notified of the start of operation of this device. If the operation of this device can be determined (for example, the determination of thawing and heating in the microwave oven 2), the operation of this device is also notified. By the way,
If it corresponds to the microwave oven 2, the controller 15 notifies a message, for example, that "the food is being heated in the microwave oven".

After detecting the start of the operation in this way, if the device that has detected the start of the operation can determine that the operation has stopped due to the decrease in power consumption, the controller 1
5 notifies the user of the end of the operation in the same manner.

On the other hand, if the change in power consumption does not correspond to the registered power consumption pattern, the controller 1
5 indicates that any device has started operation in the same manner,
Alternatively, the user is notified that the operation has been completed.

In this process, the controller 15
If it can be determined that any device has started operation due to an increase in power consumption, a menu as to whether or not to register a power consumption pattern of the device is displayed on this menu screen. When the user selects this menu by operating the remote commander 12, the controller 15 displays a menu screen for selecting the name of the device that has started the operation and accepting the operation name.
Accepts input of device name and operation name. Further, the power consumption pattern is recorded in the memory by the device name and the operation name.

With these, the controller 15 accumulates a power consumption pattern for each device that supplies power via the television receiver 11, monitors the operation of the device based on the stored power consumption pattern, Has been made to notify.

That is, for example, regarding the intercom 3, an operation by a visitor is detected and notified to the user. For the telephone 5, the user is notified of the start of recording of the answering machine, the end of recording, the start of reception of a fax, the end of reception, and the like. As for the washing machine 4 with a dryer, the selection starts,
The end, dehydration start, end, drying start and end are notified.

In these processes, for example, when a visitor's operation by the intercom 3 is detected, the controller 15 switches the operation of the video signal processing circuit 16 and the audio signal processing circuit 18 by operating the remote commander 12, and 3 is displayed, and an audio signal is output from the speaker 19.

Further, in monitoring such an operation, the controller 15 determines, for example, when it is determined that the drying time is much longer than usual in the washing machine 4 with a dryer, and furthermore, when an extreme power change occurs. Notify the user of the abnormality.

When the user instructs the monitor mode in which the device name is specified, the controller 15 similarly determines the power consumption pattern, and starts and ends the operation of the device specified by the user. Notify the user.

Thus, the television receiver 11
Is configured by a functional block diagram as shown in FIG.

(2) Operation of Embodiment In the above configuration, the television receiver 11 according to this embodiment (FIGS. 1 and 2) is installed in, for example, a home, and the television receiver 11 is installed in the home. The power cords of various devices 2, 3, 4, and 5 whose operation is monitored by the device 11 are connected to the television receiver 11, and power from the switchboard 6 is supplied to the devices 2 through the television receiver 11. 5 is supplied.

In the television receiver 11, the name of the device that supplies power in this way is registered by the user, and the power consumption pattern is recorded. If the power consumption changes and the change in power consumption does not correspond to the registered power consumption pattern, the power consumption pattern is detected and registered by a user operation.

In the television receiver 11, when a change in power consumption is detected, the name of the device whose operation has been started and ended is compared with the power consumption pattern registered in this way via the display screen. The user is notified. Thus, in this embodiment, the operation status of the device is monitored based on the power consumption pattern to notify the user, and the operation of the device that is difficult to connect to the network can be monitored. I have.

Therefore, even when the user concentrates on the contents of the television broadcast while performing housework by using such a device, it is possible to effectively avoid neglecting housework.

In particular, the television receiver 11 is frequently used in daily life, and provides various kinds of information to the user through visual perception, thereby monitoring and operating various devices as in this embodiment. By executing the status notification by the television receiver, the status of various devices can be reliably grasped even for users who are distant from the ear or difficult to check the status of the device due to frequent movements. Therefore, for example, even for elderly people, hearing-impaired persons, etc., it is possible to spend their daily lives safely.

Further, in this embodiment, such monitoring enables the intercom 3 and the like, which are devices capable of taking over the operation of the television receiver 11, to respond to the operation of the user by notifying the operation status. The image and the sound of the visitor are output by the television receiver 11, so that the usability can also be improved.

In monitoring such power consumption,
When an abnormality is detected, the user is notified, and thus, it is possible to spend his daily life safely.

(3) Other Embodiments According to the above configuration, the operating conditions of various devices are monitored based on the power consumption pattern, so that the operating conditions of various devices difficult to connect to the home network are confirmed. be able to.

At this time, in a television receiver 11 comprising display means for displaying an image based on a predetermined video signal and audio output means for outputting audio according to an audio signal corresponding to the video signal, this display means is provided. By notifying the operating condition of each device via the device, the operating condition can be reliably notified to the elderly, the hearing-impaired, and the like, by effectively using the devices that are familiar and used everyday.

Further, there is provided a registering means for registering the name of the device and the pattern of power consumption of the device. The operation of the device can be monitored, and the usability can be improved accordingly.

Further, by detecting and notifying the abnormality of the device, the abnormality of the device can be promptly notified to the user for safety.

By performing such switching of operations such as monitoring under the control of a remote commander, which is a remote control means, even the elderly, the hearing impaired, and the like can grasp the operating conditions as needed. .

(4) Other Embodiments In the above-described embodiment, the case where the operating condition is notified by the screen display has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The notification may be made by an alarm sound or the like, or further by vibration, lighting of a lamp, or the like. Instead of such a notification at the monitoring point, a notification may be made to a remote place via, for example, a telephone line.

In the above-described embodiment, a case has been described in which the power consumption of each device is collectively detected. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the power consumption may be detected for each device.

In the above embodiment, the case where power consumption is detected intensively by the television receiver has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a power detection mechanism may be separately provided. The monitoring of such various devices may be performed by a device other than the television receiver.

[0046]

As described above, according to the present invention, the operating conditions of various devices that are difficult to connect to the home network can be confirmed by monitoring the operating conditions of various devices based on the power consumption pattern. .

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a television receiver according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing connection between the television receiver of FIG. 1 and various devices.

FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of the television receiver of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a conventional home network.

[Explanation of symbols]

1, 11 ... television receiver, 2 ... microwave oven,
3 ... intercom with TV, 4 ... washing machine with dryer, 5 ... telephone, 6 ... switchboard, 12 ... remote commander, 15 ... controller, 21 ... power detection unit,
20 ... Reception unit

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Yoshihiko Sozono 7-35, Kita-Shinagawa, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo Inside Sony Corporation (72) Inventor Fumiko Miura 6-35, Kita-Shinagawa, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo Sony Corporation F term (reference) 5C025 BA27 CA09 CA20 CB10 5K033 BA01 BA08 DA01 DB23 DB25 EA07 5K048 AA16 BA03 BA12 EA11 EA21 EB10 FC01

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A device that consumes at least the power of the commercial power source from a power consumption pattern of the commercial power source detected by a predetermined power consumption monitoring unit, and a determining unit that determines an operation state of the device. And a notifying unit for notifying a result of the determination by the determining unit. A display means for displaying at least an image based on a predetermined image signal; and an audio output means for outputting an audio based on an audio signal corresponding to the image signal, wherein the notifying means includes the display means and / or The monitoring device according to claim 1, wherein the determination result is notified by an audio output unit. 3. A registration unit for registering a name of the device and a pattern of power consumption of the device, wherein the determination unit determines the determination based on the power consumption pattern registered by the registration unit. The monitoring device according to claim 1, wherein the monitoring device outputs a result. 4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit detects an abnormality of the device consuming the power and outputs an abnormality detection result, and the notifying unit notifies the abnormality detection result. 1
The monitoring device according to claim 1. 5. The monitoring device according to claim 1, wherein the notifying unit notifies a result of the determination by the determining unit in response to an instruction from a remote control unit.