JP2013162286A - Energy source control system and energy source control method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To perform energy saving while considering the time for a user to utilize devices.SOLUTION: An energy source control system comprises a system controller including a positional information acquisition section which acquires positional information of a user, a time estimation section which estimates a time of arrival when the user arrives at a predetermined place, and an energy source selection section which selects an energy source of a device that operates at the predetermined place on the basis of the time of arrival, and an energy source switching control device which switches an energy source on the basis of the selected energy source and supplies energy to the device.

Description

  The present disclosure relates to an energy source control system and an energy source control method.

  Recently, mobile devices such as smartphones have become widespread and various functions can be easily used. For example, Patent Document 1 described below describes a system that detects position information of a user by GPS and remotely controls home appliances from a location outside the home.

JP 2010-288231 A

  As home appliances controlled remotely by a portable device, there are various appliances such as home appliances such as air conditioners and rice cookers, as well as bath tubs. However, when the user remotely controls these devices, if the time until the user returns home and uses the device is short, there is a problem that energy consumption increases depending on the device. In the prior art described above, it is not assumed that the user performs control in consideration of energy saving in consideration of the time for using the device.

  Therefore, it has been desired to save energy in consideration of the time for which the user uses the device.

  According to the present disclosure, based on the location information acquisition unit that acquires the location information of the user, the time estimation unit that estimates the arrival time at which the user arrives at a predetermined location based on the location information, and the arrival time An energy source selection unit that selects an energy source of a device operating at the predetermined location; and an energy source switching control that switches the energy source based on the selected energy source and supplies the energy source to the device An energy source control system is provided.

  The system controller further includes a device information acquisition unit that acquires information on the device that is operated at the predetermined location, and the energy source selection unit is an energy source that operates the device acquired by the device information acquisition unit. May be selected.

  The system controller further includes an approach determination unit that determines whether or not a user has approached the predetermined location based on the position information, and the time estimation unit is configured so that the user approaches the predetermined location. If it is determined that the arrival time has been determined, the arrival time may be estimated.

  The position information acquisition unit acquires the position information at a predetermined timing, and the time estimation unit estimates the arrival time each time the position information is acquired, and selects the energy source. The unit may select the energy source in real time based on the arrival time.

  The device information acquisition unit may acquire the device information based on a user reservation setting.

  The device information acquisition unit may acquire information on the device based on a user's past usage history.

  Further, according to the present disclosure, obtaining the user's position information, estimating an arrival time at which the user arrives at a predetermined location based on the position information, and determining the predetermined time based on the arrival time Selecting an energy source of equipment operating at the location of the energy source control method.

  According to the present disclosure, it is possible to save energy in consideration of the time for which the user uses the device.

It is a schematic diagram which shows the system configuration | structure of this embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows the case where the user has not performed the reservation setting of the operation control of an apparatus and an instrument beforehand. It is a schematic diagram which shows the priority at the time of selecting an energy source. It is a schematic diagram which shows the priority at the time of selecting an energy source. It is a block diagram which shows the home control system of this embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the process of a system controller. It is a flowchart which shows the process of a system controller.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, in this specification and drawing, about the component which has the substantially same function structure, duplication description is abbreviate | omitted by attaching | subjecting the same code | symbol.

The description will be made in the following order.
1. 1. System configuration of this embodiment 2. Block configuration example of home control system of this embodiment System controller processing flow

1. System Configuration of this Embodiment FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the system configuration of this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the system of this embodiment includes a home control system 100. The home control system 100 optimally switches the energy supplied to the home such as normal power, gas, solar power generation, fuel cell, etc., and supplies it to home appliances such as the bath 110, the rice cooker 120, and the air conditioner 130.

  In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the user has a mobile device 200 (a mobile phone or a mobile terminal) with a position detection function such as GPS. This embodiment demonstrates the case where normal electric power (electric power distributed from an electric power company), household solar power generation, gas, a fuel cell, a household storage battery, etc. are used as an energy source. The household storage battery can be used by charging with normal power during nighttime sleeping hours or by solar power generation. Moreover, the fuel cell of the name of ENE-FARM (trademark of the stationary fuel cell system unified by the related organizations) can be utilized, for example, and this can be used in a general household.

  The equipment and appliances used by the user operate with the above-mentioned energy source. Specifically, the case where the user uses a bath, a rice cooker, an air conditioner, etc. will be described, but the present invention is not limited to these.

  FIG. 1 shows a case where a user has made a reservation setting for operation control of devices and appliances in advance. For example, the case where a user makes a reservation so that devices such as the bath 110 and the rice cooker 120 automatically operate when returning home is shown. In this case, the home control system 100 estimates the user's return time based on the user's position information obtained from the mobile device 200, and automatically selects the optimum energy source for energy saving.

  FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing priorities when selecting an energy source. In the example of FIG. 1, the home control system 100 automatically switches the optimum energy source for energy saving based on the priority order shown in FIG. 3.

  The home control system 100 estimates the return time of the user based on position information obtained from the portable device 200 via the network 300 such as the Internet. As shown in FIG. 3, when the arrival time of the user at the house is 30 minutes to 1 hour, energy is selected in the priority order of gas, normal power, fuel cell, and photovoltaic power generation. In this case, since the time until the user arrives is relatively short, energy having a large energy amount per unit time is preferentially selected. Thereby, preparations such as boiling the bath 110 can be performed in a short time until the user arrives at home.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3, when the arrival time of the user at the house is 1 hour or more, the energy is selected in the order of priority of photovoltaic power generation (storage battery), fuel cell, normal power, and gas. In this case, since the time until the user arrives is relatively long, the priority order is set based on the cost of energy. Thereby, the household appliance currently reserved can be operated at minimum cost.

  This priority can be set in advance by the user or the operator, but may be changed as appropriate. For example, in the block configuration example illustrated in FIG. 5, the priority order can be appropriately changed via the network 300 connected to the system controller 110. The priority can be changed when the arrival time is long according to the market cost of the energy source.

  FIG. 2 shows a case where the user has not previously set reservations for operation control of devices and appliances. In the example illustrated in FIG. 2, when the user enters a range of a predetermined distance from the home (a range indicated by a broken line in FIG. 2), the in-home control system 100 is based on past use history information of the device. Thus, the user estimates the household devices that the user is likely to use, and automatically selects the optimum energy source for energy saving. The result of the automatic selection is sent to the user's mobile device 200 via the network 300. When the user receives the result and the user approves the result of the automatic selection, the home control system 100 controls the operation of the device and the appliance based on a predetermined process of selecting the energy source. Further, the home control system 100 may automatically control the operation of devices and appliances based on the process of selecting an energy source without obtaining approval from the user.

  Also in the example of FIG. 2, the energy source is selected based on the priority order of FIG. 3, and the optimum energy is selected based on the energy priority or the cost priority according to the time until the user arrives at home.

  FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing priorities when energy sources are selected in the same manner as FIG. 3, and shows a case where the arrival time classification is made finer than in FIG. 3. In the example shown in FIG. 4, optimal priorities are set for each of three types of arrival times of 30 minutes to 45 minutes, 45 minutes to 90 minutes, and 90 minutes or more. In addition, when the arrival time is intermediate (45 minutes to 90 minutes), a plurality of energy sources are used in combination, such as using both normal power and a fuel cell.

  The priorities shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 are set as defaults, or can be set and changed as appropriate via the network 300 when the user operates the mobile device 200.

2. Block Configuration Example of Home Control System of the Present Embodiment FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the home control system 100 of the present embodiment. The home control system 100 includes a system controller 110 and a switching control system 120. Each energy source, such as normal power, gas, fuel cell, solar power generation, and storage battery, is connected to the switching control system 120, and predetermined switching control is performed based on control data from the system controller 110.

  The system controller 110 is connected to a network 300 such as the Internet, and appropriately receives position information from the mobile device 200 owned by the user. Based on the position information, the system controller 110 performs a predetermined control process and selects an optimum energy source.

  Therefore, the system controller 110 includes a position information acquisition unit 110a, a return time estimation unit 110b, an energy source selection unit 110c, a change information acquisition unit 110d, a priority order change unit 110e, an approach determination unit 110f, and a device information acquisition unit 110g. Configured. Further, the system controller 110 includes a priority order storage unit 112 and a usage history storage unit 114. The position information acquisition unit 110a acquires position information of the mobile device 200 from the user's mobile device 200 at a predetermined timing. The return time estimation unit 110b estimates the return time (arrival time at home) of the user based on the position information of the mobile device 200. The energy source selection unit 110c selects an energy source with reference to the priorities of FIGS. 3 and 4 based on the user's time to go home. The information of FIGS. 3 and 4 is stored in the priority order storage unit 112. The change information acquisition unit 110d acquires various types of information from the mobile device 200, such as information related to the change of priority. The priority order changing unit 110e changes the priority order of FIG. 3 based on the information acquired by the change information acquisition unit 110d. The approach determination unit 110f determines whether or not the user is located within a predetermined range from the home based on the position information. The device information acquisition unit 110 acquires information about which device is to be operated based on the device reservation setting by the user or the past use history of the device by the user. The usage history storage unit 114 stores the past usage history of the device by the user.

  The configuration of the system controller 110 shown in FIG. 5 can be configured by a circuit (hardware) or a central processing unit such as a CPU and a program (software) for causing it to function. In this case, the pro program can be stored in a memory included in the system controller 110 or a storage medium connected from the outside, or can be downloaded by the system controller 110 via the network 300.

  The switching control system 120 shown in FIG. 5 switches energy sources such as normal power, gas, fuel cell, solar power generation, storage battery, etc. based on instructions from the system controller 110, such as an air conditioner, rice cooker, cooking equipment, bath, etc. It is a control apparatus supplied to each apparatus. The switching control system 120 can perform energy conversion such as energy conversion from gas to electricity.

3. Process Flow of System Controller FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the process of the system controller 110, and shows the operation when the operation of the appliance used by the user is set (reserved) in advance as shown in FIG.

  First, in step S10, the process waits until a predetermined time when the user sets (reserves) the operation, and proceeds to step S12 when the predetermined time is reached. In step S12, the user position information p is detected. The user position information p is sent from the portable device 200 owned by the user to the system controller 110 via the network 300.

  In the next step S14, the user's return time t is estimated based on the position information p. In the next step S16, the optimum energy source E is selected based on the position information p and the return time t.

  In the next step S18, the reserved home appliance is operated by the energy source E selected in step S16. In the next step S20, it is determined whether or not a predetermined time for detecting the position has been reached. If the predetermined time has been reached, the process proceeds to step S22 and thereafter, and the user position information p1 is newly detected. In the next step S24, the user's return time t1 is estimated based on the position information p1. On the other hand, if it is not the predetermined time in the next step S20, the process returns to step S18.

  After step S24, the process proceeds to step S26, and it is determined whether or not the arrival time of the user at the home is as scheduled. If the arrival time of the user is not as scheduled, the process proceeds to step S28. In step S28, an energy source is changed based on the new position information p1 and the return time t1. As a result, when the user arrives earlier than planned, switching to an energy source with higher energy makes it possible to place the home device in a standby state in accordance with the user arrival time. In addition, when the user's arrival time is later than planned, the cost can be reduced by switching to a lower-cost energy source.

  When the arrival time of the user is as scheduled in step S26, or after step S28, the process proceeds to step S30. In step S30, it is determined whether or not the user has returned home based on the position information sent from the mobile device 200. If the user has returned home, the process ends. On the other hand, if the user has not come home, the process returns to step S18 and the subsequent processing is repeated.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the processing of the system controller 110, and shows the operation when the operation of the appliance used by the user is not set (reserved) in advance as shown in FIG.

  First, in step S50, user position information p is detected. In the next step S52, it is determined whether or not the position information p has entered a predetermined range with reference to the home. If the position information p is within the predetermined range, the process proceeds to step S54. In step S54, the mobile device 200 held by the user is notified that the position information p of the mobile device 200 has entered a predetermined range. In step S54, the home device used by the user is estimated based on the past device usage history information, and the mobile device 200 is notified that the optimum energy source for energy saving is automatically selected. To do.

  In the next step S56, approval for the notification in step S54 is received from the user's portable device 200. After step S56, the process proceeds to step S14 and subsequent steps, and the same processing as step S14 and subsequent steps in FIG. 5 is performed. At this time, in step S18, the user's portable device 200 is notified of the selected energy source via the network 300. In step S <b> 28, the changed optimal energy source is notified to the user's portable device 200 via the network 300. Thereby, the optimal energy source is selected based on the position information.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, by estimating the arrival time based on the user's position information, it is possible to select the optimum energy source and operate the household device. Therefore, it is possible to prepare the operation of the device in the home in accordance with the user's return home, and to minimize the cost of energy.

  The preferred embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the technical scope of the present disclosure is not limited to such examples. It is obvious that a person having ordinary knowledge in the technical field of the present disclosure can come up with various changes or modifications within the scope of the technical idea described in the claims. Of course, it is understood that it belongs to the technical scope of the present disclosure.

The following configurations also belong to the technical scope of the present disclosure.
(1) a location information acquisition unit that acquires location information of the user;
Based on the position information, a time estimation unit that estimates an arrival time at which the user arrives at a predetermined location;
A system controller comprising: an energy source selection unit that selects an energy source of a device that operates in the predetermined location based on the arrival time;
An energy source switching control device for switching the energy source based on the selected energy source and supplying the energy source to the device;
An energy source control system comprising:

(2) The system controller includes a device information acquisition unit that acquires information on the device to be operated at the predetermined location,
The energy source control system according to (1), wherein the energy source selection unit selects an energy source for operating the device acquired by the device information acquisition unit.

(3) The system controller includes an approach determination unit that determines whether the user has approached the predetermined location based on the position information,
The said time estimation part is an energy source control system as described in said (1) which estimates the said arrival time, when it determines with the said user approaching the said predetermined place.

(4) The position information acquisition unit acquires the position information at a predetermined timing,
The time estimation unit estimates the arrival time each time the position information is acquired at the predetermined timing,
The energy source control system according to (1), wherein the energy source selection unit selects the energy source in real time based on the arrival time.

(5) The device according to (2), wherein the device information acquisition unit acquires information on the device based on a user reservation setting.

(6) The energy source control system according to (2), wherein the device information acquisition unit acquires information on the device based on a user's past usage history.

(7) obtaining user location information;
Estimating an arrival time at which the user arrives at a predetermined location based on the location information;
Selecting an energy source of equipment operating at the predetermined location based on the arrival time;
An energy source control method comprising:

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Home control system 110 System controller 110a Position information acquisition part 110b Return time estimation part 110c Energy source selection part 120 Switching control system

Claims (7)

A location information acquisition unit that acquires user location information;
Based on the position information, a time estimation unit that estimates an arrival time at which the user arrives at a predetermined location;
A system controller comprising: an energy source selection unit that selects an energy source of a device that operates in the predetermined location based on the arrival time;
An energy source switching control device for switching the energy source based on the selected energy source and supplying the energy source to the device;
An energy source control system comprising: The system controller includes a device information acquisition unit that acquires information of the device to be operated in the predetermined location,
The energy source control system according to claim 1, wherein the energy source selection unit selects an energy source for operating the device acquired by the device information acquisition unit. The system controller includes an approach determination unit that determines whether a user has approached the predetermined location based on the position information,
The energy source control system according to claim 1, wherein the time estimation unit estimates the arrival time when it is determined that the user has approached the predetermined location. The position information acquisition unit acquires the position information at a predetermined timing,
The time estimation unit estimates the arrival time each time the position information is acquired at the predetermined timing,
The energy source control system according to claim 1, wherein the energy source selection unit selects the energy source in real time based on the arrival time.   The energy source control system according to claim 2, wherein the device information acquisition unit acquires information on the device based on a user reservation setting.   The energy source control system according to claim 2, wherein the device information acquisition unit acquires information on the device based on a user's past use history. Getting user location information,
Estimating an arrival time at which the user arrives at a predetermined location based on the location information;
Selecting an energy source of equipment operating at the predetermined location based on the arrival time;
An energy source control method comprising:

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