JP2013252037A - Power management system and control method therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a power management system which can reduce standby power while taking account of the convenience of a user.SOLUTION: The power management system includes at least one electric apparatus, a power supply device which is provided corresponding to the electric apparatus and can supply or stop power supply to or from a power supply, and a power management device for controlling the power supply device. The power management device includes a user specification unit for specifying a user in the house, a storage unit provided for each user and storing an operation table which defines the propriety state of a request of operation for an electric apparatus according to the presence or absence of a user in the house, and a power supply control unit for controlling a power supply device corresponding to an electric apparatus on the basis of the operation table stored in the storage unit corresponding to a user specified by the user specification unit.

Description

  The present invention relates to a power management system having a power supply device that supplies power to an electrical device and a control method for the power management apparatus.

  In recent years, for the purpose of energy saving, reduction of standby power consumption (standby power) in electrical appliances such as household appliances (home appliances) has been desired. Standby power refers to the power consumed when an electrical device does not perform its original utility. For example, the power consumed when a TV, a video deck, an air conditioner, etc. are waiting for a remote control operation. That is true. It is known that standby electricity accounts for about 10% of household energy consumption.

  Conventionally, standby power has been reduced by unplugging the power cord of an electrical device from a power outlet by hand. Further, standby power is reduced by providing a switch for limiting power supply to the electric device on the table tap and switching the switch by a human hand.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a system that measures an actual consumption value of energy such as electric power for the purpose of energy saving, and provides the energy consumer with information and the like that is compared with a target value.

  However, in order to reduce standby power, it is not efficient to insert / remove the plug into / from the outlet or switch the switch of the table tap.

  In this regard, Patent Document 2 proposes a method of detecting standby movement by detecting movement of a person, indoor temperature, and the like, and stopping power to an electric device based on the detection result.

JP 2008-77345 A JP 2010-213367 A

On the other hand, the usage frequency of electric devices varies depending on the user.
Therefore, it is possible to improve the convenience for the user by controlling the power to the electric device according to the user and reducing the standby power.

  The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-described problem, and is capable of reducing standby power of an electric device while considering user convenience, and a control method for a power management apparatus The purpose is to provide.

  A power management system according to an aspect of the present invention includes at least one electrical device, a power supply device that is provided corresponding to the electrical device, and that can supply and stop power from the power source to the electrical device, and a power source A power management device for controlling the supply device. The power management apparatus includes a user specifying unit for specifying a user in the house, and an operation table that is provided for each user, and that defines whether or not an operation request for an electric device according to the presence / absence of the user in the house is available. A storage unit for storing, and a power control unit for controlling a power supply device corresponding to the electrical device based on an operation table stored in the storage unit corresponding to the user specified by the user specifying unit.

Preferably, a power supply instrument measures the electric power supplied to the electric equipment.
Preferably, the operation table includes a plurality of sub operation tables having different application periods.

  Preferably, the user specifying unit includes an imaging unit that acquires an image of the user, and an authentication unit that specifies a user in the house based on the image acquired by the imaging unit.

  Preferably, the user specifying unit includes a position information acquiring unit that acquires the position information of the user, and an authentication unit that specifies a user in the house based on the position information acquired by the position information acquiring unit.

  A method of controlling a power management apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention is provided for a power management apparatus that controls a power supply device that is provided corresponding to an electrical device and that can supply and stop power from the power source to the electrical device. A control method, the power management apparatus is provided for each user, and has a storage unit that stores an operation table that defines whether or not an operation request for an electric device according to the presence / absence of a user in the house is available, The method includes a step of specifying a user in the house and a step of controlling a power supply device corresponding to the electric device based on an operation table stored in a storage unit corresponding to the specified user.

  Reduce standby power of electric equipment while considering user convenience.

It is a schematic diagram which shows the whole structure of the power management system 1 according to embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the hardware constitutions of the home controller 100 according to embodiment of this invention. It is an external view of the measuring device 400 according to embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the hardware constitutions of the measuring device 400 according to embodiment of this invention. It is a figure explaining the household appliance monitor screen displayed on the display part 102 of the home controller 100 according to embodiment of this invention. FIG. 10 is a diagram (No. 1) showing an example of a user interface screen related to a setting registration operation provided in home controller 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 20 is a diagram (No. 2) showing an example of a user interface screen related to a setting registration operation provided in home controller 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 14 is a diagram (No. 3) showing an example of a user interface screen related to a setting registration operation provided in home controller 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 20 is a diagram (No. 4) showing an example of a user interface screen related to a setting registration operation provided in home controller 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention; (No. 5) showing an example of a user interface screen relating to a setting registration operation provided in home controller 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention; FIG. It is a flowchart explaining the power management control process of home controller 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention. It is a flowchart explaining the authentication process according to embodiment of this invention. It is a figure explaining the specific example of the user presence table according to embodiment of this invention. It is a figure explaining the operation | movement table according to embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart explaining another authentication process according to the embodiment of the present invention.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals. Their names and functions are also the same. Therefore, detailed description thereof will not be repeated.

<Configuration of power management system>
Hereinafter, a power management system including one or a plurality of electric devices used in a house will be described as an example. However, the present invention is not applied only to such a power management system. Houses include houses and offices.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an overall configuration of a power management system 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

  Referring to FIG. 1, power management system 1 according to the present embodiment is installed in a house such as a house or an office. More specifically, the power management system 1 includes a plurality of home appliances as electric devices that consume power.

  Although not limited to these, FIG. 1 illustrates, as home appliances, an air conditioner (air conditioner) 200A, a television 200B, a heater 200C, a fan 200D, a lighting fixture 200E, and the like installed in a house. ing.

  Furthermore, the power management system 1 includes a home controller 100 which is a kind of power management apparatus for monitoring and controlling the measuring instruments 400A to 400E associated with the electric device 200 via the relay 150. The home controller 100 can perform data communication with the measuring instruments 400A to 400E associated with the electric device 200 via the wired or wireless network 401 in cooperation with the repeater 150.

  An arbitrary network can be used as the network 401. For example, Ethernet (registered trademark), PLC (Power Line Communications), or the like can be used as long as it is a wired network. In addition, for a wireless network, for example, a wireless local area network (LAN), ZigBee (registered trademark), Bluetooth (registered trademark), an infrared communication method, or the like conforming to the IEEE 802.11 standard can be used. Further, a plurality of communication methods may be combined. In addition, in this example, although the structure which provided the repeater 150 is shown, it is also possible to set it as the structure which the home controller 100 directly controls as a power management apparatus, without providing the repeater 150. Further, when the repeater 150 is provided, the repeater 100 may have a function as a power management apparatus, and application software for controlling the repeater 150 may be operated on the home controller 100.

  The measuring device 400 is associated with one of the electric devices 200, measures information regarding power consumption in the associated electric device 200, and transmits the measurement information to the home controller 100. Typically, as the measuring instrument 400, a power consumption measuring device that is disposed between the power line 402 and the plug of the electric device 200 and measures the state of power consumption is used.

  In the example shown in FIG. 1, five measuring devices 400 </ b> A to 400 </ b> E are electrically connected to the power line 402. Plug 250A of air conditioner 200A is connected to measuring instrument 400A, plug 250B of television 200B is connected to measuring instrument 400B, and plug 250C of heater 200C is connected to measuring instrument 400C. The measuring device 400D is connected to the plug 250D of the electric fan 200D, and the measuring device 400E is connected to the plug 250E of the lighting device 200E. Therefore, measuring instruments 400A-400E measure information about power consumption in air conditioner 200A, television 200B, heater 200C, electric fan 200D, and lighting fixture 200E, respectively.

  In addition, as will be described later, the measuring instrument 400 also has a function as a power supply device that can supply and stop the power supplied from the power system to the corresponding electrical device, and according to instructions from the home controller 100. Supply / stop of power is controlled.

  The home controller 100 stores, in the hard disk 109, information related to power consumption respectively transmitted from the measuring device 400 or the like associated with each electric device 200 acquired via the repeater 150.

  The home controller 100 provides a user interface that presents a user with a power consumption state in the power management system 1 and receives an instruction regarding power management in the power management system 1 from the user.

  The home controller 100 can also display a graph related to power consumption based on information related to power consumption stored in the hard disk 109. Home controller 100 may be a portable type, may be detachable from a base arranged on a table, or may be fixed to a wall of a room.

  In this example, the configuration in which the home controller 100 acquires data by performing data communication with each measuring device has been mainly described. However, a server that collects data (not shown) is provided, and the server communicates with each measuring device. Thus, the data can be stored, and the home controller 100 can obtain the data stored in the server.

  The power management system 1 also includes a camera 160 that is an imaging unit used to identify a user. An authentication process is performed based on the captured image of the camera, and a user is specified. That is, in this example, as a unit for specifying the user, the user is imaged by the imaging unit, and the acquired captured image is specified by the authentication process using the CPU. It is desirable that the camera 160 is appropriately arranged at a position where the user can be identified when the user goes home and goes out.

  Next, the hardware configuration of the main home controller 100 in terms of configuring the power management system 1 shown in FIG. 1 will be described.

<Home controller 100>
FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a hardware configuration of home controller 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

  Referring to FIG. 2, home controller 100 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 101 that is a processor, a communication interface 106, an output interface 107, an input interface 108, a hard disk 109, and a memory 110. In this configuration, the output interface 107, the speaker 111 of the display unit 102, and the display 103 are connected, and sound and images can be displayed on the display unit 102. The display unit 102 includes a tablet 104 and operation buttons 105, and the input interface 108 receives operation inputs from the tablet 104 and operation buttons 105.

  The CPU 101 is a processing entity that controls the overall processing in the home controller 100, and provides various functions as described below by executing a program stored in advance in the memory 110 or the like. In response to a user operation input from the tablet 104 or the operation button 105 via the input interface 108, the CPU 101 executes processing instructed by the user operation. Such an instruction includes an instruction regarding operation / stop of the electric device 200, an instruction to control power supply to the measuring device 400, an instruction to display a current or past power management state, and the like.

  The display unit 102 is a device that provides a user interface, presents various types of information to the user in accordance with instructions from the CPU 101, and outputs instructions input from the user to the CPU 101. More specifically, the display 103 includes, for example, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display, and displays an image on its display surface. The tablet 104 detects a touch operation with a user's finger or the like, and outputs a coordinate value indicating a position where the touch operation is performed to the CPU 101. In the present embodiment, a tablet 104 is provided in association with the display surface of the display unit 102. However, the home controller 100 does not necessarily need to include a touch panel, and only needs to be able to present various types of information to the user.

  The operation button 105 is an input unit for accepting a user operation, and typically one or a plurality of buttons are arranged on the surface of the display unit 102. Typically, the operation button 105 includes a plurality of buttons and keys such as a determination button, a return button, a direction button, and a numeric keypad. When the operation button 105 receives a user operation, the operation button 105 outputs information indicating the user operation to the CPU 101.

  The communication interface 106 performs data communication with the measuring device 400 or the like according to a command from the CPU 101. More specifically, the communication interface 106 includes the Ethernet (registered trademark), the PLC (Power Line Communications), the wireless LAN (Local Area Network) conforming to the IEEE 802.11 standard, the ZigBee (registered trademark), as described above. Bluetooth (registered trademark), an infrared communication system, or the like is used.

  The output interface 107 mediates exchange of internal commands between the CPU 101 and the display unit 102. The input interface 108 mediates exchange of internal commands between the tablet 104 and / or the operation buttons 105 and the CPU 101.

  The hard disk 109 stores various data necessary for information processing in the home controller 100 as a kind of storage unit.

  The memory 110 is realized by a RAM (Random Access Memory) that is a volatile storage device, a ROM (Read-Only Memory) that is a nonvolatile storage device, and the like. Store the necessary work data.

  The speaker 111 is an audio device, and outputs audio according to a command from the CPU 101. The clock 112 is a time measuring unit, and responds to the CPU 101 with the current date and time according to a command from the CPU 101.

  Note that the hard disk 109 and / or the memory 110 functioning as a storage unit may be realized using a storage medium connected via a communication interface. As such storage media, semiconductor memories such as flash memory, mask ROM, EPROM (Electronically Programmable Read-Only Memory), EEPROM (Electronically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory), IC (Integrated Circuit) card, CD-ROM (Compact Disc-Read Only Memory) and optical disc storage media such as DVD-ROM (Digital Versatile Disk-Read Only Memory), magneto-optical disc storage media such as MO (Magnetic Optical Disc) and MD (Mini Disc), FD ( Magnetic storage media such as Flexible Disk), magnetic tape, and cassette tape can be used.

  Information processing in the home controller 100 is realized by the CPU 101 executing a program in cooperation with peripheral hardware components. Generally, such a program is installed in advance in the memory 110 or the like.

  Such a program can be provided by being stored and distributed in an arbitrary storage medium. Alternatively, such a program can be provided by downloading from a server device (or other device) connected to the Internet or the like. That is, the program stored in the storage medium is read out, or the program is acquired by downloading from the server device and temporarily stored in the memory 110 or the like. The CPU 101 expands the program stored in the memory 110 into an executable format and then executes the program. Storage media for storing such programs include semiconductor memory media such as flash memory, mask ROM, EPROM, EEPROM, and IC card, optical disk storage media such as CD-ROM and DVD-ROM, and optical media such as MO and MD. Magnetic storage media such as magnetic disk storage media, FD, magnetic tape, cassette tape, etc. can be used.

  Furthermore, instead of installing the program in advance in the memory 110 or the like, the CPU 101 may read and execute a program stored in another system or apparatus.

  Furthermore, after a program read from a storage medium or the like is written to a memory or the like mounted on a function expansion board or function expansion unit mounted on the computer, it is stored in the function expansion board or function expansion unit according to the program. The function according to the present embodiment may be realized by performing all or a part of the necessary processing by a mounted arithmetic unit (CPU or the like).

  Furthermore, not only the functions according to the present embodiment are realized by the CPU 101 executing the program, but also all or part of the processing required by the OS (operating system) executed on the computer according to the program. By performing the above, the function according to the present embodiment may be realized.

  When the function according to the present embodiment is realized by the software as described above, the program itself read from the storage medium or the like, or the storage medium storing the program constitutes one embodiment of the present invention. Become.

  In this specification, the program includes not only a program that can be directly executed by the CPU 101 but also a program in a source program format, a compressed program, and an encrypted program.

  Further, a part of the functions of the home controller 100 described above may be provided in the repeater 150, and the function according to the present embodiment may be realized by controlling the repeater from the home controller using a browsing tool.

<Measurement device 400>
FIG. 3 is an external view of measuring instrument 400 according to the embodiment of the present invention. Here, FIG. 3A shows a perspective view including the socket 4001 of the measuring instrument 400, FIG. 3B shows a side view of the measuring instrument 400, and FIG. A perspective view including a plug 4002 of the container 400 is shown.

  Referring to FIGS. 3A to 3C, measuring instrument 400 is arranged to be inserted between a socket for supplying power flowing through power line 402 and a plug of electric device 200. . More specifically, referring to FIG. 3A, a plug insertion socket 4001 is provided on the surface 4051 of the measuring instrument 400. On the other hand, referring to FIG. 3B and FIG. 3C, a plug 4002 is provided on a surface 4053 which is a surface opposite to the surface 4051 of the measuring device 400. The socket 4001 is plugged into the electric device 200 and the plug 4002 is plugged into a socket (outlet / outlet) for supplying power via a power line 402 provided in the house.

  Since the measuring device 400 is preferably as thin as possible, the thickness of the side surface 4052 is designed to be as small as possible.

  On the surface 4051 of the measuring instrument 400, an LED 4041 and a setting button 4042 are further provided. The LED 4041 displays a data processing state in the measuring device 400. More specifically, the LED 4041 varies the presence / absence of lighting, the presence / absence / cycle of blinking, the emission color, and the like according to the data processing state. A setting button 4042 is an input unit for accepting a user operation. When operated by the user, an initial setting in the measuring instrument 400 is started.

  FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a hardware configuration of measuring instrument 400 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

  Referring to FIG. 4, measuring instrument 400 includes, in addition to socket 4001, plug 4002, LED 4041, and setting button 4042, a pair of main wirings 4004 and 4005 that electrically connect socket 4001 and plug 4002, A shunt resistor 4003 inserted in the wiring 4005, a relay switch 4006 provided in the main wirings 4004 and 4005 to control electrical connection, a power supply unit 4007, a power detection unit 4010, a communication module 4020, and an antenna 4030. including.

  The power detection unit 4010 detects power flowing from the plug 4002 to the socket 4001. More specifically, the power detection unit 4010 includes a voltage input ADC (Analog to Digital Converter) 4011, a current input ADC 4012, a multiplier 4013, and a digital / frequency conversion unit 4014.

  Voltage input ADC 4011 is connected to main wirings 4004 and 4005 via wirings V1P and V1N, respectively. The voltage input ADC 4011 outputs a digital signal indicating a voltage (potential difference) generated between the main wirings to the multiplier 4013.

  The current input ADC 4012 is electrically connected to both ends of the shunt resistor 4003 inserted in the main wiring 4005 via the wirings V2P and V2N. The shunt resistor 4003 is a minute (several hundred micro Ω) resistor used for measuring a flowing current value. The current input ADC 4012 outputs a digital signal indicating the current value of the current flowing through the shunt resistor 4003 to the multiplier 4013.

  The multiplier 4013 multiplies the digital signal (voltage value) from the voltage input ADC 4011 by the digital signal (current value) from the current input ADC 4012, and a value obtained as a result (power consumption / unit: W or kW). Is output to the digital / frequency converter 4014.

  The digital / frequency converter 4014 converts the digital signal from the multiplier 4013 into a frequency signal, and outputs the resulting frequency signal to the communication module 4020.

  The power supply unit 4007 supplies power to each component of the measuring device 400. The power supply unit 4007 is connected to the main wirings 4004 and 4005, and uses part of the power flowing from the plug 4002 to the socket 4001 as power for operation of the measuring device 400. The power supply unit 4007 converts the AC power into DC power, and then supplies the DC power to the power detection unit 4010 and the communication module 4020.

  The communication module 4020 transmits a radio signal indicating the power consumption in the electric device connected to the socket 4001 calculated by the power detection unit 4010 via the antenna 4030. More specifically, the communication module 4020 includes a CPU 4021, a ROM 4022, a RAM 4023, a GPIO (General Purpose Input / Output) 4024, and a wireless RF (Radio Frequency) unit 4025.

  The GPIO 4024 receives the frequency signal input from the digital / frequency conversion unit 4014 and outputs information on the frequency signal to the CPU 4021.

  The CPU 4021 converts the frequency signal information from the GPIO 4024 according to a predetermined logic, and outputs the result to the wireless RF unit 4025. The wireless RF unit 4025 generates a wireless signal by modulating a carrier wave based on a data conversion result from the CPU 4021. A wireless signal generated by the wireless RF unit 4025 is transmitted via the antenna 4030.

  The CPU 4021 implements the processing as described above by executing a program stored in the ROM 4022 in advance. The RAM 4023 stores work data necessary for the CPU 4021 to execute the program.

  Further, the CPU 4021 controls the relay switch 4006 according to the instruction from the home controller 100 received via the antenna 4030. Specifically, the electrical connection of the main wirings 4004 and 4005 provided between the plug 4002 and the socket 4001 is controlled under the control of the CPU 4021. As a result, electric power from the system power supply is supplied to or stopped from the electrical device in which the plug is inserted into the socket 4001.

  That is, the measuring instrument 400 functions as a power supply device that can supply and stop power from the power source to the electrical device.

<Measurement information>
The measuring device 400 basically measures the power consumption (unit: W or kW) consumed by the connected electrical device. By integrating the power consumption over a predetermined time, the power consumption amount (unit: Wh or kWh) of the electric device is calculated.

  The home controller 100 can display both the power consumption and the power consumption of each electric device. Further, a plurality of electric devices are grouped, and the power consumption and power consumption for the entire group are displayed.

  Therefore, an example of mounting measurement information about the corresponding electrical device 200 transmitted from the measuring device 400 is as follows (however, it is not limited to the following example).

  (1) The measuring device 400 measures the power consumption in the electric device 200 every predetermined cycle (for example, every second), and transmits the measured power consumption as measurement information in the same transmission cycle as the measurement cycle.

  (2) The measuring device 400 measures the power consumption in the electric device 200 every predetermined cycle (for example, every second), and is measured between the previous transmission and the current transmission at a transmission cycle longer than the measurement cycle. The plurality of power consumptions are transmitted as measurement information.

  (3) The measuring device 400 measures the power consumption in the electric device 200 at predetermined intervals (for example, every second), and is measured between the previous transmission and the current transmission at a transmission cycle longer than the measurement cycle. The average power consumption obtained by averaging the plurality of power consumptions is transmitted as measurement information.

  (4) In (2) or (3), transmission is performed after adding to the measurement information a power consumption amount obtained by integrating a plurality of power consumptions measured from the previous transmission to the current transmission. Furthermore, you may add the average value, minimum value, maximum value, etc. of some power consumption.

  Although the time information acquired by the measuring device 400 at some part may be added to the measurement information, generally, when the home controller 100 receives the measurement information, the time at that time is acquired from the clock 112, The data is stored in the hard disk 109 in association with the received measurement information.

  An arbitrary protocol can be adopted for exchanging measurement information between the home controller 100 and the measuring device 400. Typically, a configuration is adopted in which the measuring device 400 broadcasts a packet including its own measurement result, and the home controller 100 receives this packet. However, the home controller 100 may periodically poll each measuring device 400.

<Home appliance monitor screen>
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a home appliance monitor screen displayed on display unit 102 of home controller 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

  Referring to FIG. 5, here, on home appliance monitor screen 500, a screen in which the power consumption is displayed as an object for a plurality of electric devices (in this example, five electric devices as an example) is shown. The power consumption of the electric device is based on measurement information measured by the corresponding measuring device 400. Note that the measuring device 400 is a power consumption measuring device as described above.

  Specifically, in this example, a plurality of power management objects are displayed, and as an example, a case where five power management objects 502 to 510 provided so as to be selectable are shown. In addition, a setting button 520 for providing a user interface screen for setting and registering attribute information and the like of the electrical equipment described later is provided.

  In each power management object, for example, the power consumption of the electric device is shown, and the value of the instantaneous power consumption is shown. Note that the display is not limited to the instantaneous power consumption, and may be, for example, the value of the power consumption (Wh or kWh) of the electrical equipment, or may be displayed together, and information on power consumption. Anything can be used.

  The power management object in the home appliance monitor screen 500 corresponds to a button that can be selected, and by selecting the power management object, an instruction to the corresponding electrical device can be made. To do. For example, by selecting the power management object and performing a predetermined operation, it is possible to instruct the measuring device 400 corresponding to the electrical device to supply or stop power from the system power supply. . For example, when the measurement device 400 corresponding to the electric device is instructed to stop the supply of power from the system power supply, 0 w is displayed as the power consumption in the power management object as an example.

<Measurement device registration operation>
Next, an operation example of setting registration when registering an electrical device corresponding to the measurement device when the electrical device 200 is connected to the measurement device 400 will be described. By the setting registration, the electric device and a plurality of attribute information are set in association with each other.

  Home controller 100 according to the present embodiment provides a user interface screen for accepting designation of associated electric device 200 for each measuring instrument 400.

  6 to 10 are diagrams showing an example of a user interface screen related to a setting registration operation provided in home controller 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

  When the user requests the home controller 100 to start setting registration (for example, selection of the setting button 520 in FIG. 5), a user interface screen 650 as shown in FIG. 6 is presented on the display unit 102.

  On the user interface screen 650, a list of measuring instruments 400 (indicated as “measuring instruments” in FIG. 6) capable of data communication with the home controller 100 is displayed, and an identification number (see FIG. 6) for each measuring instrument 400 is displayed. In the example shown in FIG. 6, the MAC address), the associated electric device 200 and its installation location are displayed. The processing related to the display of the user interface screen and the measuring instrument registration operation is realized by the CPU 101 executing a program stored in advance in the memory 110 as an example. The user interface screen 650 is based on the measuring instrument correspondence table 140 stored in the hard disk 109 after the following setting registration operation for the measuring instrument is completed.

  The user interface screen 650 includes a replacement button 661, a setting button 662, a delete button 663, and a completion button 664.

  When the user selects the replacement button 661, the information on the associated electric device 200 is switched between the two selected measuring instruments 400 among the measuring instruments 400 displayed in the list (about the user interface for selection). Is not shown). Therefore, it is more convenient when the electric device 200 connected to each other is exchanged between the two measuring devices 400.

  When the user selects the setting button 662, a series of setting operations shown in FIGS. 7 to 10 can be performed.

  In the example with reference to FIGS. 7 to 10 described later, a case where a setting operation is performed on the third measuring device 400 that is not associated with any electrical device 200 will be described.

  When the user selects the delete button 663, the setting information of the electric device 200 associated with the pre-selected measuring instrument 400 is deleted. When the user selects the completion button 664, the user exits the setting registration mode and returns to the home appliance monitor screen (FIG. 5).

  In the user interface screen 650 shown in FIG. 6, when the user selects the third measuring device 400 displayed as a list and selects the setting button 662, the screen transitions to the user interface screen 651 shown in FIG. 8.

  On the user interface screen 651, input of the floor on which the electric device 200 connected to the selected measuring instrument 400 is installed is requested. In the example shown in FIG. 7, the first floor (1F) to the fifth floor (5F) and the rooftop are listed as options.

  For example, when the user selects the first floor (1F), the screen transitions to a user interface screen 652 shown in FIG.

  The user interface screen 652 requires input of a room (area) where the electric device 200 connected to the selected measuring instrument 400 is installed. In the example shown in FIG. 8, the entrance, the living room, the kitchen, the dining room, the study, and the children's room are listed as options. For example, when the user selects a child room, the screen transitions to a user interface screen 653 shown in FIG.

  On the user interface screen 653, input of the type of the electric device 200 connected to the selected measuring instrument 400 is requested. In the example shown in FIG. 9, TV, air conditioner, lighting, recorder, and microwave oven are listed as options. For example, when the user selects lighting, a series of setting registration operations is completed. Then, as shown in FIG. 10, the user interface screen 654 presents that information about the electric device 200 input by a series of operations is associated with the third measuring device 400.

  When the association between any of the measuring devices 400 and the electric device 200 is registered by the setting registration operation as described above, the registration contents (attribute information and the like) are stored in the measuring device correspondence table 140 of the hard disk 109 of the home controller 100. Stored. Other electrical devices 200 are set and registered according to the same method. When changing the association between the measuring device 400 and the electric device 200, it is possible to change by changing the replacement process or the above process again.

  In accordance with the setting operation, the measuring device 400 and the electric device 200 are associated with each other, so that power management control for the measuring device 400 described later can be executed.

  Next, power management control for the measuring device 400 for reducing standby power of the electrical equipment will be described.

<Power management control processing of home controller 100>
FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a power management control process of home controller 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention. A program for executing the flow is stored in the HDD 109 or the memory 110, and is realized by the CPU 101 executing the program.

  Referring to FIG. 11, first, an authentication process for specifying a user is executed (step S4). Details of the authentication process will be described later.

  Then, as a result of the authentication process, it is determined whether or not the authentication is OK (step S6). If it is determined in step S6 that the authentication is OK (YES in step S6), the user presence table is then updated to determine whether the user has returned home or is out (step S7). The user presence table will be described later.

  Next, it is determined whether the user's action is going out or going home according to the user presence table (step S8).

  If it is determined in step S8 that the user is going home, an operation table (when returning home) is acquired (step S10).

  Next, it is determined whether or not a change control instruction is required according to the operation table (at home) (step S12). In this example, specifically, for each electric device, an instruction for change control is required for the measuring device corresponding to the electric device whose power supply is stopped (OFF) according to the operation table (at the time of returning home). Judge that there is. It is determined that an instruction for change control is not necessary for a measuring instrument corresponding to an electric device for which power is already supplied (ON) in the house.

  If it is determined in step S12 that a change control instruction is necessary (YES in step S12), a control command is transmitted according to the operation table (step S14). By this processing, the user can immediately use the electrical device in the house to instruct the measuring device 400 corresponding to the electrical device whose power supply is stopped (OFF) to supply power. is there.

  Then, the process ends (END). And it returns to step S4 as needed.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S12 that a change control instruction is not required (NO in step S12), the process ends as it is (end).

  If it is determined in step S8 that the user is out, then it is determined whether there is another user in the house (step S16).

  If it is determined in step S16 that there is another user in the house (YES in step S16), the process ends as it is (end). This is in order not to obstruct the use of electric devices of other users in the house.

  On the other hand, when it is determined in step S16 that there is no other user in the house (NO in step S16), an operation table (when going out) is acquired (step S17).

  In step S12, it is determined whether or not a change control instruction is necessary according to the operation table (when going out). In this example, specifically, for each electrical device, it is necessary to instruct change control to the measuring device corresponding to the electrical device to which power is supplied (ON) according to the operation table (when going out). to decide. It is determined that an instruction for change control is not necessary for a measuring instrument corresponding to an electrical device whose power supply has already been stopped (OFF) in the house.

  If it is determined in step S12 that a change control instruction is necessary (YES in step S12), a control command is transmitted according to the operation table (step S14). By this processing, it is possible to suppress wasteful standby power and the like when going out to instruct the measuring device 400 corresponding to the electric device to which power is supplied (ON) to stop supplying power. Is possible.

Then, the process ends (END).
On the other hand, if it is determined in step S12 that a change control instruction is not required (NO in step S12), the process ends as it is (end).

  If it is determined in step S6 that the authentication is not OK (NO in step S6), it is next determined whether or not there is another user in the house (step S18).

  If it is determined in step S18 that there is another user in the house (YES in step S18), the process proceeds to step S7. In this case, for example, the user is determined to be a customer. In step S8, it is determined whether the user's action is going out or going home according to the user presence table (step S8). Subsequent processing is the same as that described above, and thus detailed description thereof will not be repeated.

  If it is determined in step S18 that there is no other user (NO in step S18), the process is ended as it is (end).

  In this example, the case where the authentication process is executed has been described. However, for example, a human sensor or the like is provided, and after the human sensor is detected by the human sensor, the authentication process of step S4 is executed. You may do it. When no person is present by this method, it is possible to reduce power consumption by not executing the flow.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating authentication processing according to the embodiment of the present invention.
Referring to FIG. 12, first, image information is acquired (step S20). Specifically, image information captured by the camera 160 is acquired. For example, it is assumed that image information captured by the camera 160 is stored in the HDD 109 as an example. Then, image information stored in the HDD 109 is used.

  Next, it is determined whether a face included in the acquired image information is detected (step S22). Specifically, it is determined whether a face image is detected by pattern matching or the like.

  Next, when it is determined in step S22 that a face has been detected (YES in step S22), it is next determined whether or not a feature point has been detected (step S24). Specifically, it is determined whether or not feature points that are features of eyes, nose, mouth, ears, and the like included in the face image have been detected. The feature point is not limited to a plurality of feature points, and may be a single feature point.

  If it is determined in step S24 that a feature point has been detected (YES in step S24), it is determined whether the face state corresponds to the user setting (step S26). In the authentication process, it is necessary to register information related to the face image of each user in advance according to the user setting which is the initial setting. Specifically, each user captures a face image, extracts feature points that are features of the user's eyes, nose, mouth, ears, and the like included in the face image, and registers them as information about the face image. . For example, it is assumed that information regarding the face image is stored in the HDD 109 or the memory 110. Therefore, it is determined whether or not a feature point similar to the feature point included in the face state registered at the time of user setting has been detected. For example, when eyes are registered as information about a face image, it is determined whether eyes are detected as feature points.

  Next, when it is determined that the face state corresponds to the user setting, it is determined whether or not the face recognition reliability is greater than or equal to a threshold value (step S28). Specifically, the similarity between the detected feature point and the feature point registered for each user is calculated, and it is determined whether or not the similarity is equal to or greater than a threshold value. If there is a user feature point that is equal to or greater than the threshold value, it is possible to determine that the probability that the face image of the user is high.

  If it is determined in step S28 that the face recognition reliability is equal to or higher than the threshold (YES in step S28), it is determined that the authentication is OK (step S30).

Then, the process ends (return).
On the other hand, if it is determined in step S22 that a face cannot be detected (NO in step S22) or if it is determined in step S24 that a feature point cannot be detected (NO in step S24), the process returns to step S20, and again. Get image information. This is because a feature point to be compared at the time of authentication cannot be detected.

  Further, when it is determined in step S26 that the face state does not correspond to the user setting (NO in step S26), or when it is determined in step S28 that the face recognition reliability is not equal to or higher than the threshold value (NO in step S28). Is determined to be authentication NG (step S32). Since the similarity between feature points is equal to or less than a threshold value, it can be determined that there is no corresponding user. For example, it is authentication NG in the case of a customer.

Then, the process ends (return).
FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a specific example of the user presence table according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 13, here, the states of five users are shown.
Specifically, “father”, “mother”, “eldest daughter”, “eldest son”, and “customer” are shown as users.

  As an example, “Father” is in the “going out” state, “Mother” is in the “going home” state, “The eldest daughter” is in the “Going out” state, “The eldest son” is in the “Returning home” state, and there is no “Customer”, ”State is shown.

  The user presence table is changed when the user presence table is updated in step S7 described above after the authentication is OK. Specifically, for example, when “Father” is in the “going out” state and “Authentication OK” is determined, “Father” in the user presence table is changed to the “Return home” state. Conversely, when “mother” is in the “return home” state and authentication is determined to be OK, “mother” in the user presence table is changed to the “out” state. By referring to the user presence table, it is possible to determine whether or not the user is in the house and control according to the presence or absence.

FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an operation table according to the embodiment of the present invention.
Referring to FIG. 14, here, a case is shown in which three sub operation tables classified according to seasons are provided as operation tables. The period for applying each sub operation table is different. Note that it is not necessary to provide a plurality of tables, and a single operation table can be used. It is assumed that the table is stored in advance in the HDD 109 or the memory 110.

  Referring to FIG. 14A, here, a sub operation table in the spring and autumn seasons is shown. For example, as an example, the spring and autumn seasons are assumed to be 3 to 5 and September to November in one year. The summer season is June to August of the year. The winter season is December to February of the year.

  Specifically, in the case of returning home, the electric appliance names “air conditioner”, “TV”, “heater”, “electric fan”, “TV game machine”, “warm water heating toilet seat” electric appliances correspond to each user respectively. In this case, ON (ON) and OFF (OFF) related to standby power are registered. It is assumed that the home appliance ID to be controlled of the electric device is associated with the measuring device set in FIG.

  Specifically, in the case of the user “Father”, “OFF”, “ON”, “Air Conditioner”, “TV”, “Heater”, “Fan”, “TV Game Machine”, “Hot Water Heating Toilet” The case where it is registered as “OFF”, “ON”, “OFF”, “OFF” is shown.

  In the case of the users “mother” and “eldest daughter”, “OFF”, “ON” for “air conditioner”, “TV”, “heater”, “fan”, “TV game machine”, “warm water heating toilet seat” ”,“ OFF ”,“ OFF ”,“ OFF ”, and“ ON ”are registered.

  In the case of the user “eldest son”, “OFF”, “ON”, “OFF” for “air conditioner”, “TV”, “heater”, “fan”, “TV game machine”, “warm water toilet seat”. ”,“ OFF ”,“ ON ”, and“ OFF ”are registered.

  In the case of the user “customer”, “ON”, “ON”, “OFF” for “air conditioner”, “TV”, “heater”, “fan”, “TV game machine”, “warm water toilet seat”. ”,“ OFF ”,“ OFF ”, and“ ON ”are registered.

  In the case of going out, a case where each home appliance is registered as “OFF” is shown.

  14B and 14C are sub-operation tables in the summer and winter seasons, and the registration contents of “ON” and “OFF” are different for seasonal home appliances and the like as compared with FIG. 14A.

For example, a case where the user “Father” returns home will be described with reference to FIG.
In this case, it is possible to use the electric device as soon as it is instructed to supply (ON) power to the measuring devices corresponding to “TV” and “fan”. In addition, when using an electric device to which power is not supplied, for example, as described above, the electric power management object on the home appliance monitor screen 500 is selected and a predetermined operation is performed to deal with the electric device. It is possible to instruct the measuring device 400 to supply power from the system power supply. In that case, it may be linked with ON / OFF control of the corresponding electrical device.

  Further, only when the user “eldest son” returns home, the power supply (ON) is instructed to the measuring device corresponding to the “TV game machine” considered to be used only by the “eldest son”. Therefore, until then, even when another user returns home, power is not supplied, so that wasteful standby power can be reduced. Further, when the user “eldest son” comes home, the user can immediately use the “TV game machine”, so that the convenience of the user can be improved.

  In addition, by providing a table for the user “customer”, in the case of a visitor, it is possible to supply (ON) power to a measuring instrument corresponding to the electrical device in consideration of the convenience of the visitor. It is possible to improve the convenience of the user.

  On the other hand, at the time of going out, in this example, the supply of power from the system power supply is stopped (OFF) to the measuring instruments 400 corresponding to all electric devices. Thereby, it is possible to reduce standby power of an electric device that is not used when going out. In addition, although not shown, for electrical devices that need to be driven even when a person such as a refrigerator is not present in the house, the convenience of the user can be improved by turning on even when going out. It is possible to secure.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 14B and 14C, it is possible to further improve the convenience of the user by providing a table for each season. For example, user convenience is ensured by supplying (ON) or stopping (OFF) power from a system power supply to a measuring instrument corresponding to a “warm water heating toilet seat” or the like according to the season. It is possible.

  In this example, a configuration in which a table is provided for each season has been described. However, a monthly table may be provided in more detail, or may be provided for each day of the week, or a table for each hour. It is also possible to provide.

  Note that the operation table is not fixed, but it is possible to further improve convenience by providing it in an editable manner. For example, it is assumed that by performing a predetermined operation on the home appliance monitor screen of FIG. 5, a screen on which the operation table can be edited is displayed, and switching such as ON / OFF can be performed according to the user's operation.

<Other forms>
In the above description, the method for executing the authentication process based on the captured image captured by the camera in order to identify the user has been described. However, it is also possible to identify the user without using the camera. Another method for identifying the user will be described. In this example, it is assumed that each user has a GPS (Global Positioning System) -equipped communication device that can acquire position information as an example. And each communication apparatus and the home controller 100 shall be provided so that communication is mutually possible. For example, it is assumed that the communication interface 106 is provided so as to be able to communicate with an external communication device. Information on each communication device is registered in the HDD 109 or the memory 110 of the home controller 100 in association with the user, and requests communication with each communication device using the information via the communication interface 106. It is assumed that position information is transmitted from the communication device to the home controller 100. That is, it is possible to grasp the position of each user based on the position information from the communication device. It is assumed that a location (inside the house) where the home controller 100 is provided is registered in advance as position information in the HDD 109 or the memory 110.

  Therefore, it is possible to specify the user in the house by acquiring the position information of the user and comparing it with the position information in the house.

  FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating another authentication process for identifying a user in the house according to the embodiment of the present invention.

  Referring to FIG. 15, first, position information is requested (step S40). Specifically, the CPU 101 of the home controller 100 requests location information from each user's mobile terminal via the communication interface 106.

  Next, it is determined whether or not the position information has been successfully acquired (step S42). Specifically, it is determined whether or not position information has been transmitted from a registered communication device.

  Next, when the position information has been successfully acquired in step S42 (YES in step S42), it is determined whether or not the position information has been detected in the setting area (step S44). The setting area is based on position information registered in advance in the HDD 109 or the memory 110 with respect to the point where the home controller 100 is provided. For example, it is assumed that the setting area indicates a home area.

  If it is determined in step S44 that the detection has been made within the set area, it is determined that the authentication is OK (at the time of returning home) (step S46). Since the acquired position information is within the setting area indicating the home area, it can be determined that the user is returning home.

Then, the process ends (return).
On the other hand, if it is determined in step S44 that the detection is outside the set area, it is determined that the authentication is OK (when going out) (step S50). Since the acquired position information is outside the setting area indicating an area other than the home, it can be determined that the user is out.

Then, the process ends (return).
On the other hand, if the acquisition of the position information is not successful in step S42 (NO in step S42), it is determined that the authentication is NG (step S48). This is because authentication is not possible.

Then, the process ends (return).
It is assumed that this process is executed for each user at predetermined intervals.

  Since the subsequent processing is the same as that described in FIG. 11, detailed description thereof will not be repeated.

  In this example as well, it is possible to control the supply and stop of power to the measuring device corresponding to the electric device according to the presence or absence of the user's home, thus reducing standby power while considering user convenience Is possible.

  The embodiment disclosed this time should be considered as illustrative in all points and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined by the terms of the claims, rather than the description above, and is intended to include any modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the terms of the claims.

  1 Power Management System, 100 Home Controller, 101, 4021 CPU, 102 Display Unit, 104 Tablet, 105 Operation Button, 106 Communication Interface, 107 Output Interface, 108 Input Interface, 109 Hard Disk, 110 Memory, 111 Speaker, 112 Clock, 150 Repeater, 160 camera, 200 electrical equipment, 400 measuring instrument.

Claims (6)

At least one electrical device;
A power supply device that is provided corresponding to the electrical device and capable of supplying and stopping power from a power source to the electrical device;
A power management device for controlling the power supply device,
The power management device includes:
A user identification unit for identifying a user in the house;
A storage unit that is provided for each user, and stores an operation table that defines whether or not an operation request for the electric device according to the presence / absence of a user in the house is available,
And a power control unit that controls a power supply device corresponding to the electrical device based on the operation table stored in the storage unit corresponding to the user specified by the user specifying unit.   The power management system according to claim 1, wherein the power supply instrument measures electric power supplied to the electric device.   The power management system according to claim 1, wherein the operation table includes a plurality of sub operation tables having different application periods. The user identification unit is
An imaging unit for acquiring a user image;
The power management system in any one of Claims 1-3 containing the authentication part which identifies the user who is in a house based on the image acquired by the said imaging part. The user identification unit is
A location information acquisition unit that acquires location information of the user;
The power management system according to claim 1, further comprising: an authentication unit that identifies a user in the house based on the location information acquired by the location information acquisition unit. A control method of a power management apparatus that controls a power supply device that is provided corresponding to an electrical device and that can supply and stop power from a power source to the electrical device,
The power management device is provided for each user, and includes a storage unit that stores an operation table that defines whether or not an operation request for the electrical device according to the presence / absence of a user in the house is available,
Identifying a user in the house;
Controlling a power supply device corresponding to the electrical device based on the operation table stored in the storage unit corresponding to the identified user.

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