JP2010092232A - Electricity charge adjustment system and electricity charge adjustment adaptor - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To charge a user who has actually used a plug socket with electricity charges. <P>SOLUTION: In an electricity charge adjustment system 1, a plug socket 2 is connected with the power supply plug of equipment P1 and P2 or an adaptor 3 and is used not only by the owner of the plug socket 2 but also by the others. The adaptor 3 includes a power supply plug connected to the plug socket 2 and an exclusive plug socket to which equipment P3 is connected, so that the plug socket 2 can be used by the others, and a power received from the plug socket 2 is supplied to the equipment 3. A watt hour meter 4 measures a power or electric energy to be supplied to each plug socket 2. A management server 5 stores the contact information of the adaptor 3, and calculates the electricity charges of the whole plug socket 2 on the basis of power/electric energy data from the watt hour meter 4, and calculates the electricity charges of the adaptor 3 on the basis of the charging source information and contract information from the adaptor 3, and defines charges calculated by subtracting the charges for the adaptor 3 from the whole plug socket 2 as charges with which the owner of the plug socket 2 is charged, and defines the charges for the adaptor 3 as the charges with which the user of adaptor 3 is charged. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an electricity bill settlement system and an electricity bill settlement adapter that charge a bill for a person who actually uses an outlet.

In recent years, mobile devices such as mobile phones have become widespread, and accordingly, demand for frequent charging on the go has increased. In addition, it has become possible to charge an electric vehicle or the like with reduced environmental load from a general outlet.
JP 2007-329719 A

  However, if you try to charge from a general outlet that is not a dedicated charging facility, you will be charged the electricity charge for the charge and the person who actually used the outlet will not be charged. There is a problem that usage is not widespread. On the other hand, enormous costs are required to install a dedicated charging stand.

  Note that Patent Document 1 describes a billing system that can immediately determine a customer who uses power and can charge for power use appropriately and efficiently. However, in this system, a fixed system unit for each outlet calculates the electricity bill for the outlet, and the owner of the entire outlet under the watt-hour meter and the use of some outlets. Therefore, it cannot be said that the user can arbitrarily select an outlet because the electricity charge is not calculated separately from the user.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and a main object of the present invention is to allow an electric charge to be imposed on a person who actually uses an outlet.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention is an electricity bill settlement system, which is connected between an outlet serving as a power supply outlet and a device that receives power supply, and receives power received from the outlet. It is possible to communicate with an adapter supplied to the device, a watt-hour meter that measures the amount of power supplied to one or more outlets, and the adapter, and relates to an electricity bill when the adapter is used with an electric power company. A server that stores contract information indicating the contents of the contract for each contractor ID unique to a contractor who has signed a contract, and the adapter uses the connected device to start and end the power usage. And billing source information including the amount of power used is transmitted to the server together with the contractor ID, and the server transmits the power amount data of the entire outlet from the watt-hour meter. , Calculating a first electricity charge for the entire outlet based on the power amount data, receiving the billing source information including the contractor ID from the adapter, and corresponding to the contractor ID Based on the contract information and the billing source information, a second electricity charge for the adapter is calculated, and a charge obtained by subtracting the second electricity charge from the first electricity charge is charged to the owner of the entire outlet. It memorize | stores as an electricity bill, The said 2nd electricity bill is memorize | stored as an electricity bill imposed on the said contractor.

  According to this configuration, the electricity charge of the entire outlet under the watt hour meter and the electricity charge of the adapter connected to a part of the outlet are calculated, and the adapter electricity charge is charged to the adapter contractor. The electricity charge excluding the adapter is charged to the owner of the entire outlet. According to this, by using the adapter, it is possible to charge an electric charge for a person who actually uses power from the outlet.

Further, the present invention is an electricity bill settlement system, wherein the adapter stores one contractor ID and adds the contractor ID to the billing source information.
According to this configuration, when power is used through an adapter, a contractor (for example, the owner of the adapter) related to the adapter can be charged.

Further, the present invention is an electricity bill settlement system, wherein the adapter includes one or more dedicated outlets and a cash inlet corresponding to each dedicated outlet, according to the amount of cash inserted into the inlet. Electric power is supplied from the dedicated outlet.
According to this configuration, even if the adapter is fixedly installed on the outlet, the electricity bill can be collected from the person who actually uses the power.

Further, the present invention is an electricity bill settlement system, wherein the adapter acquires the contractor ID from a medium storing one contractor ID and adds the contractor ID to the billing source information.
According to this configuration, even if the adapter is fixedly installed on the outlet, it is possible to charge a person who uses the adapter using his / her medium.

Further, the present invention is an electricity bill settlement system, and when the adapter detects that the adapter is connected to the outlet, the contractor ID is transmitted to the server and the contract information is received from the server. If the contractor ID is received from the adapter and the server stores the contract information corresponding to the contractor ID, the server transmits the contract information to the adapter. It is characterized by that.
According to this configuration, the adapter supplies power when it has the contractor ID of the contract information stored in the server in advance, and thereafter, the server correctly supplies the electric power related to the adapter based on the contract information. Charges can be calculated.

Further, the present invention is an electricity bill settlement system, and when it is detected that the adapter is connected to the outlet, an adapter connection signal indicating that is transmitted to the watt-hour meter, and the watt-hour meter When the restriction information related to the power supply is received from the power supply, the power is supplied according to the restriction information.
According to this configuration, the adapter supplies power in accordance with the restriction information received from the watt hour meter, so that it is possible to smoothly supply power to the connected device.

  Moreover, this invention is an electricity bill settlement system, Comprising: When transmitting and receiving each said information between the said adapter and the said server, it makes it pass through the said watt-hour meter.

  The present invention includes an electricity bill settlement adapter. In addition, the problems disclosed in the present application and the solutions thereof will be clarified by the column of the best mode for carrying out the invention and the drawings.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to charge an electric charge for a person who actually uses an outlet.

  Hereinafter, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The electricity bill settlement system according to the embodiment of the present invention is based on a contract with an electric power company when the contractor related to the entire outlet under the watt-hour meter is different from the contractor related to the adapter. When the adapter contractor uses the power by connecting the adapter to one outlet, the charge of the adapter is charged by subtracting the adapter electricity charge from the electricity charge of the entire outlet. The fee is charged to the contractor of the adapter. According to this, when a person who is not a contractor related to the entire outlet uses the outlet, an electric charge can be imposed on the person who actually uses the outlet by using the adapter.

≪System configuration and overview≫
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of an electricity bill settlement system 1. The electricity bill settlement system 1 includes an outlet 2, an adapter 3, a watt hour meter 4, and a management server 5. Between the outlet 2 and the watt hour meter 4, power transfer and data communication are possible via a power line 6 </ b> A such as indoor wiring. The watt-hour meter 4 receives power supply from a distribution system (not shown) via a power line 6B such as a distribution line. The watt-hour meter 4 and the management server 5 can perform data communication via a communication line 7 such as an optical fiber. The data transmitted and received between the adapter 3, the outlet 2, the watt-hour meter 4 and the management server 5 is encrypted, and the key data registered in the watt-hour meter 4 and the management server 5 in advance and the adapter 3 has If the key data does not match, the data transmission / reception may be NG and the power supply may not be permitted. According to this, security against unauthorized use of the adapter 3 can be ensured.

  The outlet 2 is a power supply outlet provided in a general house or various facilities. For example, the power plugs (plugs to the outlet) of the devices P1 and P2 and the power plug of the adapter 3 are connected. The outlet 2 is not limited to the owner of the outlet 2, but may be used by others who are not the owner.

  The adapter 3 is necessary when another person uses the outlet 2 that is not his / her property. For example, the adapter 3 is connected between the outlet 2 and the device P3. The adapter 3 includes a power plug connected to the outlet 2 and a dedicated outlet for connecting the power plug of the device P3, and supplies the power received from the outlet 2 to the device P3. The adapter 3 may be owned by a person who wants to use electric power, or may be owned by a person who lends the adapter 3 to a person who wants to use electric power. However, the adapter 3 is based on contract information related to the use of the adapter 3 only. Charged. The adapter 3 has functions such as reading of a personal identification number and card information, fingerprint authentication, and the like, and the personal authentication of the user is performed by collating the acquired personal data with data such as an ID and biometric information unique to the adapter 3. If it is not possible, it may be disabled. This is to determine whether or not the user has the right to use the adapter 3, and even if the adapter 3 is lost, it is a measure for preventing unauthorized use by others.

  The watt-hour meter 4 receives power from a power distribution system (not shown) via the power line 6B, supplies the power to each outlet 2 via the power line 6A, measures the amount of power, and connects the power line 6A and the communication line 7 to each other. Via the adapter 3 and the management server 5, information necessary for the settlement of the electricity bill is transmitted and received. The management server 5 is a server computer installed in an electric power company, and calculates and charges an electricity bill while transmitting and receiving data to and from the watt-hour meter 4 via the communication line 7.

  The devices P1 and P2 and the device P3 are electric devices that receive and consume power, and are connected to the outlet 2 and the adapter 3 by their own power plugs.

<< Device configuration >>
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the adapter 3. The adapter 3 includes a communication unit 31, a processing unit 32, a storage unit 33, an authentication unit 34, a power / electric energy measuring unit 35, a time management unit 36, a blocking unit 37, and an alarm unit 38, and each unit is connected via a bus. Is done. The communication unit 31 is a part that performs data communication with other devices via the outlet 2 and the power line 6A, and is realized by, for example, a PLC (Power Line Communication) modem, a data transceiver, or the like. The processing unit 32 exchanges data between the units and controls the entire adapter 3, and is realized by a CPU (Central Processing Unit) executing a program stored in a predetermined memory. . The storage unit 33 stores data from the processing unit 32 and reads the stored data, and is realized by a nonvolatile storage device such as a flash memory or a hard disk device, for example.

  The authentication unit 34 is a part that acquires data necessary for authentication of a contractor ID related to use of the adapter 3 in accordance with a user's input operation, and displays an authentication result by the management server 5. It is realized by a keyboard, a liquid crystal display (LCD), or the like. You may display the electric power concerning the adapter 3, an electric energy, an electricity bill, etc. on a display. The power / power amount measuring unit 35 measures the power and the amount of power consumed by the device P3 connected to the adapter 3 and notifies the processing unit 32 of the power and power amount. The time management unit 36 is a part having a clock function, and is used for timer setting when the power supply is limited in time, time information for calculating the electricity bill, and the like. The blocking unit 37 is a part that blocks the supply of power received from the outlet 2 to the device P3. When the adapter 3 is not connected, the blocking unit 37 is in a blocking state, and the adapter 3 is connected to the outlet 2. In addition, when the contractor ID is authenticated, power can be supplied, and the shut-off state is released. The alarm unit 38 is a part for notifying an abnormal state. For example, when an interruption signal is received from the watt hour meter 4 due to overload, excessive contract power, or the like, an alarm sound is generated.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the watt-hour meter 4. The watt hour meter 4 includes a communication unit 41, a processing unit 42, a storage unit 43, a power / power amount measuring unit 44, and a time management unit 45, and each unit is connected via a bus. The communication unit 41 is a part that performs data communication with the outlet 2 through the power line 6A, and performs data communication with the management server 5 through the communication line 7, and is realized by, for example, a PLC modem or a data transceiver. The The processing unit 42 exchanges data between the respective units and controls the entire watt-hour meter 4. The processing unit 42 is realized by the CPU executing a program stored in a predetermined memory. The storage unit 43 stores data from the processing unit 42 and reads the stored data, and is realized by, for example, a nonvolatile storage device such as a flash memory or a hard disk device. The power / power amount measuring unit 44 measures the power consumed by each outlet 4 and the total amount of power and notifies the processing unit 42 of the total value. The time management unit 45 is a part having a clock function, and is used for timer setting when there is a time limit in power supply, time information for calculating electricity charges, and the like.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the management server 5. The management server 5 includes a communication unit 51, a processing unit 52, a storage unit 53, and a time management unit 54, and each unit is connected via a bus. The communication unit 51 is a part that performs data communication with the watt-hour meter 4 via the communication line 7, and is realized by, for example, a data transceiver. The processing unit 52 exchanges data between the respective units and controls the entire management server 5 and is realized by the CPU executing a program stored in a predetermined memory. The storage unit 53 stores data from the processing unit 52 and reads the stored data, and is realized by, for example, a nonvolatile storage device such as a flash memory or a hard disk device. The time management unit 54 is a part having a clock function.

<< Data structure >>
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of data stored in the storage unit of each device. FIG. 5A shows the configuration of data stored in the storage unit 33 of the adapter 3. The storage unit 33 stores contract information 331, watt-hour meter information 332, and billing source information 333. The contract information 331 indicates the content of the contract that the owner of the adapter 3 has exchanged with the power company. For example, the contractor ID unique to the contractor and the unit price of the electric charge for each time zone are displayed. Includes how to decide. The contract information 331 may store all information before using the adapter 3, or stores only the contractor ID in advance, and the contract information corresponding to the contractor ID is received from the management server 5. When it arrives, information other than the contractor ID may be stored. In order to register the contract information 331 in advance, the operator may use an ID card (medium) in which the contractor ID is stored or directly type in the keyboard of the authentication unit 34. If at least the contractor ID is stored in the contract information 331, the management server 5 can authenticate the use of the adapter 3 when the adapter 3 is connected to the outlet 2.

  The watt-hour meter information 332 is information specific to the watt-hour meter 4 to which the adapter 3 is connected via the outlet 2, and can be supplied with power, an upper limit value of the power amount, restrictions on the adapter 3 (for example, continuation) Time limit for power supply), billing form not based on the contractor ID (for example, when using one room of a hotel), and the like. The watt hour meter information 332 is received by the adapter 3 from the watt hour meter 4 via the outlet 2 and stored in the storage unit 33. The billing source information 333 is information necessary for calculating the electricity bill, and includes a charging start time, a charging end time, maximum power, power consumption, and the like. The billing source information 333 is measured by the power / power amount measuring unit 35 and the time management unit 36, temporarily stored in the storage unit 33, and then transferred from the adapter 3 to the management server 5 through the outlet 2 and the wattmeter 4. Is done.

  FIG. 5B shows a configuration of data stored in the storage unit 43 of the watt-hour meter 4. The storage unit 43 stores contract information 431, adapter information 432, watt-hour meter information 433, and power / power amount data 434. The contract information 431 indicates the contents of the contract exchanged between the owner of the adapter 3 connected to the outlet 2 under the watt-hour meter 4 and the power company, and is received from the management server 5. Information is stored. The adapter information 432 is information unique to the adapter 3 or its owner, and includes at least a contractor ID, and may be contract information or information related to a medium having a credit function. The information received from the adapter 3 is Remembered. The watt-hour meter information 433 is information unique to the watt-hour meter 4 and is stored in the storage unit 43 in advance. When the watt-hour meter 4 receives an adapter connection signal from the adapter 3, the watt-hour meter information 433 Send to adapter 3. The electric power / electric energy data 434 is a total value of electric power and electric energy consumed by each of the subordinate outlets 2 and lower, which is measured by the electric power / electric energy measuring unit 44, and is temporarily stored in the storage unit 43 and is stored in the management server 5. Sent to.

  FIG. 5C shows the configuration of data stored in the storage unit 53 of the management server 5. The storage unit 53 stores contract information 531, adapter information 532, power / power amount data 533, billing source information 534, and electricity bill data 535. The contract information 531 indicates the contents of a contract that the power company operating the management server 5 exchanges with the owner of each adapter 3, and information including the contractor ID is stored every time a contract is established. Is done. The adapter information 532 is information unique to the adapter 3 or its owner, includes at least a contractor ID, and is received and stored by the management server 5 from the adapter 3 via the outlet 2 and the watt-hour meter 4. The electric power / electric energy data 533 is data of electric power and electric energy measured by each watt hour meter 4 connected to the management server 5, and is used for calculating the electric charge of the outlet 2 under the watt hour meter 4. It is done. The billing source information 534 is data necessary for calculation of the electricity bill related to the adapter 3 connected to each outlet 2 under the watt-hour meter 4 connected to the management server 5. It is received via the watt-hour meter 4 and stored, and is used to calculate the electricity bill for each adapter 3. The electricity charge data 535 is data of electricity charges imposed on the owner of each outlet 2 and the owner of each adapter 3, and is based on the contract information 531, adapter information 532, power / power amount data 533, and billing source information 534. Calculated and memorized.

≪System processing≫
FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing processing of the electricity bill settlement system 1. The outline of this process will be described. In the electricity bill settlement system 1, when the adapter 3 is connected to the outlet 2, each information is transmitted and received between the adapter 3, the watt-hour meter 4 and the management server 5. As a result, power can be supplied from the adapter 3. And the apparatus P3 is connected to the adapter 3, and electric power is supplied to the apparatus P3. When the supply of power becomes unnecessary and the device P3 is removed from the adapter 3, information necessary for calculating the electricity bill is transferred from the adapter 3 to the management server 5 via the watt-hour meter 4. The management server 5 calculates an electricity charge based on the transferred information, and charges the owner of the outlet 2 or adapter 3 for the electricity charge. Details of this process will be described below.

  First, the user connects the adapter 3 to the outlet 2 (S601). This is performed by using the adapter 3 owned by the operator who is not the owner of the outlet 2 when the outlet 2 is used. By receiving power supply through the adapter 3 instead of directly from the outlet 2, charging for the power supply is made to the owner of the adapter 3, not the owner of the outlet 2. Note that the adapter 3 at this time is in a state in which the shut-off unit 37 is operating and power cannot be supplied immediately.

  When the adapter 3 detects that it is connected to the outlet 2 by energizing the power plug, it transmits an adapter connection signal to the watt hour meter 4 (S602). The adapter connection signal is transferred from the communication unit 31 via the outlet 2 and the power line 6A by the PLC. Hereinafter, data communication between the adapter 3 and the watt hour meter 4 is performed by the PLC.

  In the watt-hour meter 4, the communication unit 41 receives the adapter connection signal from the adapter 3 (S603), and as a response, the communication unit 41 stores the watt-hour meter information 433 stored in the storage unit 43. To the transmission source of the connection signal) (S604).

  In the adapter 3, the communication unit 31 receives the watt-hour meter information 433 from the watt-hour meter 4, and the processing unit 32 stores the watt-hour meter information 332 in the storage unit 33 (S605). As a response, the processing unit 32 extracts the contractor ID from the contract information 331 in the storage unit 33, and the communication unit 31 transmits adapter information including the contractor ID to the watt-hour meter 4 (S606). The adapter information may be the entire contract information 331 in the storage unit 33, or may include information on a credit function of a credit card or a mobile phone. According to this, it becomes possible to pay the electricity bill by credit settlement. After S606, the contractor ID is assigned to the data sent from the adapter 3 to the watt-hour meter 4 in order to clearly indicate that the data relates to the use of the adapter 3. In S605, the processing unit 32 displays the watt-hour meter information 332 on the display of the authentication unit 34, and the supply power, restrictions on the adapter 3 (for example, adapter type that can be transmitted / not transmitted), the billing form, etc. It may be confirmed whether or not it is accepted. In this case, when the restriction item or the like is not accepted by the operator and the adapter 3 acquires a message to that effect, the adapter information is not transmitted in S606.

  In the watt hour meter 4, the communication unit 41 receives the adapter information from the adapter 3, the processing unit 42 stores the adapter information 432 in the storage unit 43, and the communication unit 41 transmits the adapter information 4 to the management server 5 (S607). Data communication via the communication line 7 is performed between the watt-hour meter 4 and the management server 5 (the same applies hereinafter). After S607, the watt-hour meter ID, which is a unique ID of the watt-hour meter 4, is assigned to the data sent from the watt-hour meter 4 to the management server 5 in order to clearly indicate the data of the watt-hour meter 4. It shall be.

  In the management server 5, the communication unit 51 receives the adapter information from the watt-hour meter 4, and the processing unit 52 stores the adapter information 532 in the storage unit 53 (S608). Then, the processing unit 52 determines whether or not the contractor ID included in the adapter information 532 has been registered in the contract information 531 stored in the storage unit 53. When the contractor ID is already registered, that is, when the authentication of the adapter information 532 is OK, the processing unit 52 extracts the contract information 531 corresponding to the contractor ID from the storage unit 53, and the communication unit 51 reads the watt hour meter. 4 (S609). Here, the fact that the authentication of the adapter information is OK means that the power supply to the adapter 3 is permitted.

  The information transmitted from the adapter 3 to the management server 5 via the watt-hour meter 4 is given a contractor ID and a watt-hour meter ID. In addition, the watt-hour meter ID is given to the information transmitted from the watt-hour meter 4 to the management server 5. Therefore, when the management server 5 receives information transmitted from the adapter 3 and the watt hour meter 4, the management server 5 organizes the watt hour meter ID and the contractor ID and stores them in the storage unit 53. Thereby, the calculation of the electricity bill finally performed can be performed smoothly.

  In the watt-hour meter 4, the communication unit 41 receives the contract information from the management server 5, the processing unit 42 stores the contract information as the contract information 431 in the storage unit 43, and the communication unit 41 transmits the contract information to the adapter 3 (S610). In the adapter 3, the communication unit 31 receives the contract information from the watt-hour meter 4, and the processing unit 32 stores the contract information as the contract information 331 in the storage unit 33 (S611). When the watt hour meter 4 transmits the contract information to the adapter 3, the time information is acquired from the time management unit 45 and added to the contract information. The adapter 3 uses the time information received from the watt hour meter 4. The clock of the time management unit 36 may be set and the billing source information 333 of the storage unit 33 may be cleared.

  The fact that the adapter 3 has received the contract information means that the power supply is permitted, so the processing unit 32 releases the blocking unit 37 (S612). Thereby, the adapter 3 can supply power to the device P3. At this time, the processing unit 32 may display a message indicating that power can be supplied on the display of the authentication unit 34. Then, for example, the operator connects the device P3 to be charged to the adapter 3 (S613). Thereby, electric power is supplied from the adapter 3 to the device P3, and charging is started. Although the adapter 3 has been described so as to be able to supply power, the outlet 2 and the watt hour meter 4 may be provided with a cut-off switch, and the power supply may or may not be switched according to the authentication result of the management server 5. .

  In the middle of supplying electric power, when the watt hour meter 4 detects an overload, excessive contract power, or the like, the communication unit 41 transmits a cutoff signal to the adapter 3 (S614). In the adapter 3, the communication unit 31 receives the cutoff signal from the watt-hour meter 4, and the processing unit 32 shuts off the cutoff unit 37 (S615). Thereby, the power supply from the adapter 3 to the device P3 is stopped. In the watt-hour meter 4, the power / power amount data is measured through the power / power amount measuring unit 44, the processing unit 42 is stored in the storage unit 43 as the power / power amount data 434, and the communication unit 41 is also a management server. 5 (S616). In the management server 5, the communication unit 51 receives the power / power amount data from the watt-hour meter 4, and the processing unit 52 stores the power / power amount data 533 in the storage unit 53 (S617). The electric power / electric energy data 533 is a total value of electric power and electric energy consumed by each outlet 2 and below, which is measured by the electric energy meter 4, and is used for calculation of an electricity bill.

  After S613, when charging of the device P3 is completed, the operator pulls out the device P3 from the adapter 3 (S618). Note that during the period from the start of charging in S613 to the completion of charging in S618, the power / power amount measuring unit 35 and the time management unit 36 operate and data such as the charging start time, the charging end time, the maximum power, and the amount of power used. Is stored in the storage unit 33 as the billing source information 333 through the processing unit 32. When the adapter 3 detects that the device P3 has been removed due to the opening of the dedicated outlet, the communication unit 31 transmits the billing source information 333 stored in the storage unit 33 to the watt-hour meter 4 (S619). In the watt-hour meter 4, the communication unit 41 receives the billing source information from the adapter 3 and transmits it to the management server 5 (S620).

  In the management server 5, the communication unit 51 receives the billing source information from the watt hour meter 4, and the processing unit 52 stores the billing source information 534 in the storage unit 53 (S621). The billing source information 534 is used for calculating the electricity bill for the adapter 3. Then, for each predetermined period, the processing unit 52 calculates the electricity bill, stores it as electricity bill data 535 in the storage unit 53, and charges the owner (contractor) of the outlet 2 or adapter 3 (S622). The electricity bill for the watt-hour meter 4 is calculated based on the power / power amount data 533 stored in the storage unit 53. The electricity bill for the adapter 3 is calculated based on the contract information 531, adapter information 532, and billing source information 534 stored in the storage unit 53. Each electricity charge is calculated from, for example, the amount of power used, the time used, and the unit price of power consumption (in units of 1 kwh). A charge obtained by subtracting the electricity charge of the adapter 3 from the electricity charge of the watt-hour meter 4 is stored in the electricity charge data 535 of the storage unit 53 as a charge imposed on the owner of the outlet 2, and then charged to the contractor. The In addition, the electricity charge of the adapter 3 is stored in the electricity charge data 535 of the storage unit 53 as a charge imposed on the owner of the adapter 3 and then charged to the contractor. In order to charge the electricity bill, there is a method in which the management server 5 informs the person in charge of the power company by displaying it on the display or printing it on the printer, and prompts the procedure for billing the electricity bill. There is also a method of transmitting an electricity billing message to the mail address of the person (the owner of the outlet 2 or the adapter 3). When the adapter information 532 includes information on the credit function, payment by credit settlement is possible, and immediate settlement is also possible depending on the contents of the contract information 531.

  Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, in order to make each device in the electricity bill settlement system 1 shown in FIG. 1 function, a program executed by the processing unit of each device is stored on a computer-readable recording medium. It is assumed that the electricity bill settlement system 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention is realized by recording, causing the computer to read and execute the recorded program. Note that the program may be provided to the computer via a network such as the Internet, or a semiconductor chip or the like in which the program is written may be incorporated in the computer.

  According to the embodiment of the present invention described above, since the person who actually uses the outlet 2 is charged, the owner of the entire outlet 2 is not damaged, so that the outlet 2 can be easily lent. Therefore, the existing infrastructure can be used efficiently. According to this, it can be expected that the spread of electric vehicles will gain momentum, and the satisfaction of customers who make contracts with electric power companies regarding electric charges will be improved.

<< Other embodiments >>
Although the best mode for carrying out the present invention has been described above, the above embodiment is intended to facilitate understanding of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. The present invention can be changed and improved without departing from the gist thereof, and equivalents thereof are also included in the present invention. For example, the following embodiments can be considered.

(1) In the above embodiment, the contractor ID is unique to the adapter 3 and described so as to be included in the contract information 331 stored in the storage unit 33 of the adapter 3. The ID may be stored in the ID card as unique to the ID card, and the adapter 3 fixedly connected to the outlet 2 may read the contractor ID of the ID card. According to this, even if the adapter 3 is not owned, the adapter 3 can be used at any time by using the ID card in which the contractor ID related to the contract with the electric power company is stored.

(2) In the above embodiment, the power charge of the adapter 3 is charged to the owner of the power outlet 2 by subtracting the power charge of the adapter 3 from the total power charge of the power outlet 2 owner. Although described so as to be charged, as another form, the owner of the outlet 2 can pay the entire electricity charge and charge the owner of the adapter 2 for the electricity charge of the adapter 3. Further, the owner of the outlet 2 may be able to select one of the two billing methods.

(3) In the above embodiment, regarding the outlet 2 to which the adapter 3 is connected among the outlets 2 under the watt-hour meter 4, the electricity charge relating to the power supplied from the outlet 2 is calculated for the adapter 3. Although described as imposed on the contractor, other forms may be applied. For example, when the adapter 3 is connected to one outlet 2 of the outlets 2 under the watt hour meter 4, all outlets 2 under the watt hour meter 4 are operated according to the contract of the adapter 3. May be. In this case, when the management server 5 receives the adapter information from the watt-hour meter 4, the subsequent electricity charges for all outlets 2 under the watt-hour meter 4 are contractor IDs included in the adapter information. We manage to impose on contractor concerned. According to this, for example, when using a house or a hotel room, by connecting the adapter 3 to the outlet 2 installed there, the electricity charges for one house or one hotel room can be integrated. Thus, it can be imposed on the contractor of the adapter 3 (a user of a house or a hotel room). At this time, the ID card (1) may be used.

(4) The above embodiment assumes that an ordinary household outlet is borrowed. As another form, the adapter is fixed to the outlet of the charging stand or the adapter is installed instead of the outlet. It is possible to do. In this case, charging rules such as a fixed amount and an extra fee may be set for each dedicated stand. According to this, the charging-dedicated stand can be easily installed, and the charging demand of various devices can be satisfied.

  As one form, it can be considered that a vending machine for selling electric power is connected to the adapter 3 for operation. The vending machine has, for example, one or more dedicated outlets and a cash inlet corresponding to each dedicated outlet, and the user connects equipment to the dedicated outlet and supplies power according to the amount of cash inserted. Shall be received. In this case, it is assumed that the owner of the adapter 3 and the operator of the vending machine are the same. Then, the operator of the vending machine pays the electricity charge for the adapter 3 to the electric power company, and obtains the usage fee for the vending machine as the price. According to this, even if the adapter 3 is fixedly installed on the outlet 2, it is possible to collect an electricity bill from a person who actually uses power through the outlet 2 and the adapter 3. The adapter 3 may be configured to have a vending machine function. It can be said that this is a configuration in which the adapter 3 is built in the tap (a plurality of dedicated outlets).

(5) In the above embodiment, the data transmission / reception between the adapter 3 and the management server 5 is described as being performed via the watt-hour meter 4. However, the data is directly transmitted without passing through the watt-hour meter 4. It may be. In this case, the adapter 3 adds the ID of the watt-hour meter 4 having the outlet 2 to which the adapter 3 is connected to the information transmitted to the management server 5.

(6) In the above embodiment, it has been described that the adapter connection signal and watt-hour meter information are exchanged as in the processing of S602 to S605 in FIG. The presence of a total of 4 may be confirmed.

(7) The adapter 3 may have an AC / DC conversion function for converting the AC voltage of the outlet 2 into a DC voltage. According to this, since it is not necessary for the device 3 operating internally with direct current to perform AC / DC conversion, the device 3 can be made compact. The voltage to be converted may be selected by a changeover switch of one type of adapter, or may be handled by many types of adapters.

(8) In the above embodiment, the management server 5 performs an authentication check based on the contractor ID as in the process of S609 in FIG. 6, but the watt-hour meter 4 receives the contract information from the management server 5 in advance. In the contract information 431 of the storage unit 43, when the adapter information is received from the adapter 3, it is determined whether or not the contractor ID in the adapter information is registered in the contract information 431. May be. According to this, since data transmission / reception between the watt-hour meter 4 and the management server 5 becomes unnecessary, an authentication check can be performed earlier, and the adapter 3 can be used earlier.

1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an electricity bill settlement system 1. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of an adapter 3. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a hardware configuration of an watt-hour meter 4. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of a management server 5. FIG. It is a figure which shows the structure of the data memorize | stored in the memory | storage part of each apparatus, (a) shows the structure of the data memorize | stored in the memory | storage part 33 of the adapter 3, (b) is the memory | storage part 43 of the watt-hour meter 4. (C) shows the configuration of data stored in the storage unit 53 of the management server 5. It is a flowchart which shows the process of the electricity bill settlement system.

Explanation of symbols

1 Electricity billing system 2 Outlet 3 Adapter (Electricity billing adapter)
32 processing unit 33 storage unit 331 contract information (contract ID)
333 Billing source information 4 Energy meter 42 Processing unit 43 Storage unit 433 Energy meter information (restriction information)
434 Electric power / electric energy data (electric energy data)
5 Management server (server)
52 Processing Unit 53 Storage Unit 531 Contract Information 535 Electricity Charge Data (Electricity Charge)
6A, 6B Power line 7 Communication line P1, P2, P3 Equipment

Claims (11)

An adapter that is connected between an outlet that is a power supply outlet and a device that receives power supply, and that supplies the power received from the outlet to the device;
Communicating with an watt-hour meter that measures the amount of power supplied to one or more of the outlets and the adapter, and unique to a contractor who has signed a contract for electricity charges when using the adapter with an electric power company A server for storing contract information indicating the content of the contract for each contractor ID of
With
The adapter measures billing source information including the start time and end time of power use of the connected device and the amount of power used, and sends the information to the server together with the contractor ID.
The server
Receiving the power amount data of the entire outlet from the watt-hour meter, and calculating a first electricity charge for the entire outlet based on the power amount data;
Receiving the billing source information including the contractor ID from the adapter, and calculating a second electric charge related to the adapter based on the contract information corresponding to the contractor ID and the billing source information;
Storing a charge obtained by subtracting the second electricity charge from the first electricity charge as an electricity charge to be imposed on the owner of the entire outlet,
The electricity bill settlement system, wherein the second electricity bill is stored as an electricity bill imposed on the contractor. The electricity bill settlement system according to claim 1,
The adapter stores one contractor ID and adds the contractor ID to the billing source information. The electricity bill settlement system according to claim 2,
The adapter is
It has one or more dedicated outlets and a cash slot corresponding to each dedicated outlet.
An electricity bill settlement system, wherein power corresponding to the amount of cash inserted into the inlet is supplied from the dedicated outlet. The electricity bill settlement system according to claim 1,
The adapter acquires the contractor ID from a medium storing the one contractor ID, and adds the contractor ID to the billing source information. The electricity bill settlement system according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The adapter is
If it is detected that the outlet is connected, the contractor ID is transmitted to the server,
When the contract information is received from the server, it is possible to supply power,
The server
When the contractor ID is received from the adapter, the contract information is transmitted to the adapter when the contract information corresponding to the contractor ID is stored. The electricity bill settlement system according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The adapter is
When it is detected that it is connected to the outlet, an adapter connection signal indicating that is transmitted to the watt hour meter,
When the restriction information related to the power supply is received from the watt-hour meter, power is supplied according to the restriction information. The electricity bill settlement system according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
When the information is transmitted and received between the adapter and the server, the electricity meter is used to pass through the electricity meter. An electricity bill adjustment adapter connected between an outlet that is a power supply outlet and a device that receives power supply, and that supplies power received from the outlet to the device,
Measures billing source information including the start time, end time, and power consumption of connected devices, and is unique to contractors who have signed a contract for electricity charges when using the adapter with an electric power company. The billing source information is transmitted to the server of the electric power company together with the contractor ID. The electricity bill settlement adapter according to claim 8,
1. The electricity bill settlement adapter, wherein the contractor ID of 1 is stored and the contractor ID is added to the billing source information. The electricity bill settlement adapter according to claim 9,
It has one or more dedicated outlets and a cash slot corresponding to each dedicated outlet.
An electricity bill settlement adapter, wherein power corresponding to the amount of cash inserted into the inlet is supplied from the dedicated outlet. The electricity bill settlement adapter according to claim 8,
1. The electricity bill settlement adapter, wherein the contractor ID is acquired from a medium storing the contractor ID of 1 and added to the billing source information.

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