JP2015023456A - Controllable outlet and power consumption management system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a more useful outlet and a power management system.SOLUTION: A power system includes: a power supply part; a power meter for detecting total power consumption of the power supply part; a plurality of current sensors for respectively detecting currents flowing into a plurality of power consumption parts connected to the power supply part; and a control part for calculating respective power consumption values of the plurality of power consumption parts by the power meter and the plurality of current sensors. The plurality of current sensors are connected to respective sockets of an outlet to which the respective power consumption parts are connected. Specification information for specifying the power consumption part connected to each socket is transmitted from the outlet to the power supply part. The control part controls ON/OFF of respective sockets of the outlet. Control signals from the control part are respectively transmitted to the power consumption parts connected to respective sockets of the outlet.

Description

  The present invention relates to a controllable outlet and a power consumption management system.

  Regarding outlets, it has been proposed that a control signal corresponding to an operation signal from the operation unit is transmitted to the outlet, and power supply to the load is turned on / off by controlling a power supply control unit provided in each outlet. . In addition, each outlet has an address setting unit for setting an individual address, and the power supply control unit controls when the address included in the received transmission signal matches its own address set by the address setting unit. It has also been proposed to turn on / off the contact portion based on the signal. (Patent Document 1) Also, in the field of monitoring and automatically controlling the energy consumption and operating status of each electrical device or hot water supply device in the home, identification information stored in the IC tag in the plug of the electrical device Proposals have also been made regarding reading. (Patent Document 2)

JP 2010-93590 A JP 2011-254229 A

  However, there are many more issues to consider regarding more useful outlets and power management systems.

  In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to propose a more useful outlet and power management system.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention detects a current flowing through a power supply unit, a power meter that detects the total power consumption of the power supply unit, and a plurality of power consumption units connected to the power supply unit, respectively. There is provided a power management system comprising: a plurality of current sensors; and a control unit that calculates the power consumption of each of the plurality of power consumption units by the power meter and the plurality of current sensors. This makes it possible to calculate the power consumption of each power consuming unit individually with a simple configuration.

  According to a specific feature of the present invention, the plurality of current sensors are provided in each socket of an outlet to which the power consuming unit is connected. Accordingly, the power consumption of the power consumption unit connected to the outlet can be calculated by managing the outlet.

  According to another specific feature, the control unit controls power feeding to the sockets. As a result, unnecessary power supply and accidents can be prevented by management from the control unit.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, the current sensor includes a socket fed from a power supply unit, and detects a current flowing through a power consumption unit connected to the socket through the socket; and a current of the current sensor There is provided an outlet characterized by having a transmission unit for transmitting to the power supply unit. Thereby, information useful for power management can be easily obtained for each socket.

  According to a specific feature, the transmission unit transmits specific information specifying a power consumption unit connected to the socket to the power supply unit. Thereby, the power consumption unit connected to the outlet can be managed by managing the outlet.

  According to another specific feature, the transmission unit transmits information about whether or not a power consumption unit is connected to the socket to the power supply unit. Thereby, unnecessary power supply and accidents can be prevented by management from the power supply unit.

  According to another specific feature, the switch includes a switch for turning on and off the socket based on control from the power supply unit. Thereby, unnecessary power supply and accidents can be prevented by management from the power supply unit.

  According to another specific feature, a control signal is transmitted to a power consuming unit connected to the socket based on control from the power supply unit. As a result, the power supply unit can perform integrated management of the power consumption unit.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an outlet including a socket supplied with power from a power supply unit and a switch for turning on and off the socket based on control from the power supply unit.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, the power supply unit includes a socket fed from a power supply unit, and a transmission unit that transmits specific information specifying a power consumption unit connected to the socket to the power supply unit. Outlet.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, the power supply unit includes a socket fed from a power supply unit, and a transmission unit that transmits a control signal to a power consumption unit connected to the socket based on control from the power supply unit. Outlet characterized by.

  As described above, the present invention provides a more useful outlet and outlet system.

1 is a system diagram illustrating an overall configuration of Embodiment 1 of the present invention. Example 1 It is a system diagram which shows the whole structure of Example 2 of this invention. (Example 2) It is a system diagram which shows the whole structure of Example 3 of this invention. (Example 3) The operation of the overall control unit for each implementation is shown. It is a basic flowchart. It is a flowchart which shows the detail of step S6 of FIG. 4, step S20, and step S24. It is a flowchart which shows the detail of step S32 of FIG.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an overall configuration of Example 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention. Example 1 constitutes an outlet system in the home. The commercial power source 2 is drawn into a power source unit 4 in the home and connected to a distribution board 8 via a power meter 6. The overall control unit 10 controls the distribution board 8 and monitors its state. The overall control unit 10 controls an outlet system in the home by synthesizing and transmitting a control signal to power line communication via a PLC (Power Line Communications) modem 12. Note that the storage unit 13 of the overall control unit 10 stores information on which home appliance is connected to which socket of each outlet as will be described later. The overall control unit 10 is controlled by the setting of the operation unit 14, and the control state is displayed on the display unit 16. As will be described later, the display unit displays the power consumption of each home appliance together with the total power consumption based on the detection result of the current flowing through each socket of the outlet and the power meter.

  The distribution board 8 is connected to outlets 18 arranged at various locations in the home. In FIG. 1, for the sake of simplicity, only one detail of the outlet 18 is shown, and the others are omitted. However, as shown by broken lines, a number of similar outlets are connected to the distribution board 8. These outlets can be controlled by the overall control unit 10, and the details will be described based on the outlet 18. The outlet 18 outputs power from the distribution board 8 from the socket 22 via the switch 20. The PLC modem 24 of the outlet 18 demultiplexes the control signal transmitted from the overall control unit 10 through power line communication, and controls on / off of the switch 20 based on this. For example, when a standby current off mode is set for the socket 22 by operating the operation unit 14 such as when a long trip is planned, a control signal is transmitted from the overall control unit 10 and the switch 20 is turned off. Unnecessary standby current connected to the socket 22 can be turned off. If a timer is set by the operation unit 14, the overall control unit 10 transmits a control signal that turns off the switch 20 only during a predetermined time period of the day and turns on the switch 20 during other time periods.

  The current sensor 26 provided in the outlet 18 detects a current flowing through the socket 22 and transmits a detection signal to the power supply unit 4 through the PLC modem 24 by power line communication. In the power supply unit 4, the overall control unit 10 receives a detection signal demultiplexed by the PLC modem 12. The detection signal is mainly used for three purposes. The first purpose is to estimate the socket 22 that causes the total power change of the power meter 6 based on the change in the detection signal of the current flowing through the socket 22 and the corresponding total power change of the power meter. is there. Thus, the power consumed through the estimated socket is calculated. In this way, by grasping the power consumption for each socket and displaying them on the display unit 16, it is possible to realize “visualization” of the power consumption for each home appliance. Further, when the total electric power exceeds a predetermined peak, the home electric appliance (s) that cause the total electric power is specified, and the respective electric home appliances are controlled in an integrated manner, thereby controlling the total electric power consumption.

  The second purpose of using the detection signal is to turn off the power supply to the socket where the current consumption by the home appliance is zero. Specifically, if the current detected by the current sensor 26 continues to be zero for a predetermined time or longer, the overall control unit 10 determines that the home appliance plug is not inserted into the socket 22 and outputs a control signal. Transmit and switch 20 is turned off. Even after the switch 20 is turned off, a control signal for turning on the switch 20 for a short time is sent from the overall control unit 10 to the switch 20 every predetermined time, and whether or not the current is detected by the current sensor 26 at this time. Is checked. When a current is detected, it is determined that a household appliance plug has been inserted into the socket 22, and thereafter the switch 20 is turned on. It should be noted that the current sensor is used not only in the case of inserting / removing the plug of the home appliance as described above, but also in the case where the main power supply of the home appliance is turned off and the current consumption becomes completely zero while the plug is inserted. Based on this detection signal, the switch 20 is turned off. Similarly to the above, when the main power source is turned on, this is determined based on the detection signal of the current sensor and the switch 20 is turned on.

  The third purpose of using the detection signal is to turn off the power supply to the socket in an abnormal state. Specifically, when the current detected by the current sensor 26 becomes a large current exceeding the rating, it is determined that an abnormality has occurred in the home appliance or that a foreign object has been inserted into the socket and the T is shorted, and the control signal And switch 20 is turned off. The current value of the limit for making this determination can be set for each socket based on information from home appliances connected to the socket. In addition, in case there is no information from home appliances, a value between the current value that is not considered in normal home appliance use and is in a dangerous state is uniformly set as a limit. . The uniform limit current value is set to be larger than the limit current value set based on information from individual home appliances, and smaller than the current value at which the breaker of the distribution board 8 operates. Thus, before the breaker of the distribution board is activated, the current supply can be turned off finely for each socket in each outlet in order to prevent danger.

  The home appliance 28 is connected to the socket 22 of the outlet 18 by a plug 30, and the function of the home appliance 28 is achieved by the function unit 32. The home appliance 28 is, for example, a TV, a refrigerator, an air conditioner, lighting, a vacuum cleaner, or a washing machine. The function unit 32 is controlled by the control unit 36 based on manual operation or manual setting of the operation unit 34. Further, the control unit 36 can automatically control the functional unit 32 based on a control signal transmitted from the overall control unit 10 through power line communication and demultiplexed to the PLC modem 38. The controller 36 identifies whether or not the home appliance 28 is designated based on the IP address included in the control signal. And when it is a control signal which designates the household appliance 28, the function part 32 is automatically controlled based on this. Specifically, for example, when the home appliance 28 is an air conditioner, the function unit 32 is controlled such that the cooling operation does not overlap with the cooling operation of a refrigerator connected to a socket of another outlet, for example. In this way, the overall control unit 10 sends a control signal to each home appliance to shift the time periods during which functions with high power consumption operate so that the total power in the power meter 6 does not exceed a predetermined peak. To do.

  The storage unit 40 of the control unit 36 stores an IP address that identifies the home appliance 28, and transmits this IP address to the overall control unit 10 via the PLC modem 38 in a predetermined procedure. The overall control unit 10 stores the IP address assigned to the socket 22 of the outlet 18 in the storage unit 13, and grasps the detection signal of the current sensor 26 and controls the on / off of the switch 20 based on this IP address. . Further, the storage unit 13 stores the IP address of each home appliance received from the connected home appliance 28. In addition, the IP address storage unit 13 also stores the correspondence between the IP address of the second home appliance 50 and the IP address of the socket 44, specifies which home appliance 28 is connected to which socket 22, and Grasp the power consumption for each and control each home appliance. The IP address for specifying the home appliance 28 is, for example, when power supply to the home is started (including power restoration after a power failure), or when the plug 30 is newly inserted into the socket 22, or the switch 20 is turned on. The IP address stored in the storage unit 13 of the overall control unit 10 is checked against the transmitted IP address, and the IP address storage is updated when there is a change.

  As will be described later, when a home appliance that does not store an IP address or does not have a function of transmitting the IP address to the overall control unit is connected to the socket 22 of the outlet 18, such home appliance is assigned to the IP address of the socket 22. Is manually input by the operation unit 14. This ID may be arbitrarily determined by the user. In this case, such a home appliance cannot be controlled, but the home appliance can be specified through the ID assigned to the IP address of the socket 22 and the power consumption of the home appliance can be calculated in the same manner as described above. Then, by displaying the calculated value on the display unit 16, the power consumption of the home appliance can be “visualized”.

  Here, the conversion outlet 19 shown in FIG. 1 will be described. The conversion outlet 19 has the same configuration (current sensor, PLC modem, and switch) as the outlet 18, but is not provided as household equipment by direct wiring from the distribution board 8, and can be controlled. This is converted into a controllable outlet by plugging it into a socket of a normal outlet 17 which is not configured. That is, the plug 18 of the conversion outlet 19 is inserted into the socket of the normal outlet 17, and then the plug of the compatible household appliance 29 corresponding to PLC communication or the like is inserted into the socket of the conversion outlet 19, thereby explaining the outlet 18 and the household appliance 28. The power supply unit 4 and the corresponding home appliance 29 can be linked and controlled in exactly the same way.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an overall configuration of Example 2 according to the embodiment of the present invention. The second embodiment also constitutes an outlet system in the home. Since the second embodiment in FIG. 2 has many parts in common with the first embodiment in FIG. 1, the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted unless necessary. The second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the outlet 42 is a two-port outlet having a second socket 44 and has control connectors 46 and 48 for home appliances. In addition, the 1st household appliance 28 in Example 2 is the same as the household appliance 28 in Example 1, and since it is the same as that of Example 1 also about cooperation with the power supply part 4 via the electrical outlet 42, description is abbreviate | omitted. Moreover, when the 1st household appliance 28 controlled by power line communication is connected to the 1st socket 22 (the same thing as the socket 22 of FIG. 1), the 1st control connector 44 corresponding to this is not used.

  Hereinafter, Example 2 is demonstrated in detail focusing on the relationship with the 2nd household appliance 50. FIG. In the second embodiment, as described above, the outlet 42 includes the first socket 22 and the set of the first control connector 46 corresponding thereto, and the second socket 44 and the set of the second control connector 48 corresponding thereto. ing. In FIG. 2, the first home appliance 28 is connected to the first socket 22 and the second home appliance 50 is connected to the second socket 44, but this may be reversed. As described above, the outlet 42 has a similar configuration so that any socket can be connected to any socket. The first control connector 46 and the second control connector 48 communicate with home appliances when a home appliance that does not support power line communication is connected to the first socket 22 or the second socket 44. Specifically, the PLC modem 52 of the outlet 42 demultiplexes the control signal and the IP address request signal transmitted from the overall control unit 10 and outputs them to the first control connector 46 and the second control connector 48. The IP address signals received from the first control connector 46 and the second control connector 48 are combined with the power line and transmitted to the overall control unit 10.

  A switch 54 and a current sensor 56 are provided in relation to the second socket 44, and these are the same as the switch 20 and the current sensor 26 provided in relation to the first socket 22. The PLC modem 52 determines whether the control signal designates the first socket 22 or the second socket 44 based on the IP address included in the demultiplexed control signal, and turns the switch 20 and the switch 54 on and off. Take control.

  The second home appliance 50 connected to the socket 44 of the outlet 42 by the plug 58 achieves the original function of the second home appliance 50 by the function unit 60 in the same manner as the first home appliance 28. The second home appliance 50 is also a TV, a refrigerator, an air conditioner, an illumination, a vacuum cleaner, a washing machine, or the like, and is not different from the first home appliance 28 except that it does not support power line communication. Similar to the first home appliance 28, the functional unit 60 of the second home appliance 50 is controlled by the control unit 62 based on a manual operation or manual setting of the operation unit 64. The control unit 62 is connected to the second control connector 48 of the outlet 42 by a control plug 66. As a result, the function unit 62 can communicate with the overall control unit 10 by a signal transmitted / received from the overall control unit 10 through power line communication and demultiplexed / combined by the PLC modem 52. Specifically, the control unit 62 identifies whether or not the second home appliance 50 is designated based on the IP address included in the control signal received via the control plug 66, and designates the second home appliance 50. If so, the function unit 62 is automatically controlled based on this. As a result, in the same manner as described for the home appliance 28 of the first embodiment, the time zones in which functions with large power consumption operate in relation to other home appliances are shifted to each other, and the total power in the power meter 6 reaches a predetermined peak. It is possible to control the system so that it does not exceed.

  Similarly to the first home appliance 28, the storage unit 68 of the control unit 62 of the second home appliance 50 stores an IP address that identifies the second home appliance 50, and this IP address is converted to the PLC of the outlet 42 by a predetermined procedure. The data is transmitted to the overall control unit 10 via the modem 52. The overall control unit 10 stores the received IP address of the second home appliance 50 in the storage unit 13. The IP address storage unit 13 stores the IP address assigned to the socket 44 of the outlet 42 in the storage unit 13. Based on this IP address, the detection signal of the current sensor 56 is detected and the switch 44 is turned on / off. Take control. The storage unit 13 also stores the correspondence between the IP address of the second home appliance 50 and the IP address of the socket 44, identifies which home appliance 28 is connected to which socket 22, and determines the power consumption of each home appliance. Grasp and control each home appliance.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an overall configuration of Example 3 according to the embodiment of the present invention. The third embodiment also constitutes an outlet system in the home. 3 has many parts in common with Example 1 of FIG. 1 or Example 2 of FIG. 2, and therefore, the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted unless necessary. The third embodiment is different from the first or second embodiment in that communication between the power supply unit and the outlet is not power line communication but short-range wireless communication.

  More specifically, a short-range wireless communication unit 74 is connected to the overall control unit 10 of the power supply unit 72 and performs short-range communication with each outlet. Correspondingly, the outlet 76 is provided with a short-distance communication unit 78 and communicates with the short-distance wireless communication unit 74 of the power supply unit. The relationship between the short-range communication unit 78 of the outlet 76 and the control connector 48 is the same as the relationship between the PLC modem 52 and the second control connector 48 in the second embodiment shown in FIG. 2, and their functions are also the same. The other configuration of the outlet 76 is the same as that of the switch 54 and the current sensor 56 in the second embodiment of FIG. The configuration of the second home appliance 50 connected to the socket 44 of the outlet 76 by the plug 58 and connected to the control connector 48 of the outlet 76 by the control plug 66 is the same as that of the second embodiment in FIG. Description is omitted.

  The conversion outlet 80 and the third home appliance 82 in the third embodiment of FIG. 3 have basically the same configurations as the outlet 76 and the second home appliance 50, respectively. Therefore, the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted. The identification of the switch 54 of the outlet 76, the switch 54 of the conversion outlet 80, and the respective current sensors attached thereto is based on the IP address, and the identification between the switch 20 and step S54 in the second embodiment in FIG. It is the same.

  The conversion outlet 80 is different from the outlet 76 in the same manner as the conversion outlet 19 described in the first embodiment of FIG. 1 except that it is not provided as equipment in the home by direct wiring from the distribution board 8. In this configuration, the plug 88 of the conversion outlet is inserted into the socket 86 of the outlet 84. Thereby, the normal outlet 84 is converted into a controllable outlet, and the power consumption of the third home appliance can be grasped and controlled as in the second home appliance 50.

  FIG. 4 is a basic flowchart for explaining the operation of the overall control unit 10 in the first to third embodiments. The flow starts when power supply from the commercial power supply 2 is started to the power supply unit 4 or 72, and executes a procedure for establishing communication with each socket in step S2. Next, in step S4, the process of confirming the IP address of each socket is performed, and in step S6, the process of confirming the IP address of each home appliance is performed, and the process proceeds to step S8. Note that step S6 also includes processing for manually assigning and inputting the home appliance ID to the socket IP address for home appliances that do not have an IP address.

  In step S8, the socket determined to have no plug inserted is turned off. Next, in step S10, it is checked whether or not the standby current off mode is set. If not, the setting target socket is turned on in step S12 and the process proceeds to S14. If the target socket is originally on, nothing is performed in step S12, and the process proceeds to step S14. On the other hand, if the setting of the standby current off mode is confirmed in step S10, the process proceeds to step S16, the setting target socket is turned off, and the process proceeds to step S14.

  In step S14, it is checked whether or not a new home appliance plug has been inserted into the socket in which no plug has been inserted. When new insertion of the plug is confirmed, the corresponding socket is turned on, and processing for confirming the IP address of the home appliance is performed in step S20, and the process proceeds to step S22. On the other hand, if insertion of a new home appliance plug is not confirmed in step S14, the process directly proceeds to step S22.

  In step S22, it is checked whether the socket in which the plug is inserted and in the off state is turned on. When it is confirmed that the socket is turned on, in step S24, a process for confirming the IP address of the home appliance is performed, and the process proceeds to step S26. On the other hand, if it is not confirmed in step S22 that the socket is turned on, the process directly proceeds to step S26. In step S22, it is also checked whether or not a breaker that collects a plurality of outlets and sockets has been turned on. If the breaker is turned on, as in the case of each socket being turned on, the same applies in step S24. The process of confirming the IP address of each home appliance under the control of the breaker to be performed is performed, and the process proceeds to step S26.

  In step S26, based on the detection signal from the current sensor, it can be determined that the current is zero for a predetermined time or more and the plug has been removed, or the current is a large current exceeding the rating, and the socket is in an abnormal state such as a short circuit. Check if it can be determined. When a current zero state or a current exceeding the rated value is detected for a predetermined time or longer, the process proceeds to step S28, and the corresponding socket is turned off. Next, the storage of the IP address of the home appliance inserted in the socket in step S30 is canceled, and the process proceeds to step S32. On the other hand, if neither the state where the current is zero for the predetermined time or the current exceeding the rated value is detected in step S26, the process proceeds directly to step S32.

  In step S32, processing for monitoring and controlling each socket based on a current sensor, a power meter, and the like is performed, and the process proceeds to step S34. In step S34, it is checked whether or not power is being supplied from the commercial power source 2 to the power supply unit 4 or 72. If power is being supplied, the process returns to step S10, and steps S10 to S34 are performed as long as power is being supplied. Repeatedly respond to various situation changes.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing details of the home appliance IP address confirmation processing in steps S6, S20, and S24 of FIG. When the flow starts, one target socket is specified in step S40. In step S42, it is checked whether or not the home appliance IP address has been confirmed a predetermined number of times or more. If it is less than the predetermined number of times, the process proceeds to step S44 to request an IP address from the home appliance connected to the socket. Next, in step S46, it is checked whether an IP address is returned from the home appliance. If there is no reply, it is determined that the home appliance does not have an IP address, and the process proceeds to step S48. In step S48, a display for prompting manual input of the home appliance ID assigned to the socket is performed on the display unit 16. In step S50, it is checked whether or not the socket assigned home appliance ID in accordance with this is manually input. If there is a manual input, the process proceeds to step S52. On the other hand, when the reply of the IP address from the home appliance is confirmed in step S46, the process directly proceeds to step S52.

  In step S52, the presence / absence of a home appliance IP address already stored in the storage unit 13 is checked. If there is a stored IP address, the process proceeds to step S54, where the stored IP address is compared with the newly returned IP address to check whether they are the same. If they are not the same, a display for confirming the update of the home appliance IP address is performed in step S46 in step S16, and it is checked in step S58 whether or not there is an agreement operation within a predetermined time. And if there is consent operation, it will transfer to Step S60. On the other hand, when the stored home appliance IP address cannot be confirmed in step S52, the process directly proceeds to step S60. Further, when it is confirmed that the IP address stored in step S54 is the same as the newly returned IP address, the process directly proceeds to step S60. On the other hand, if it is not possible to confirm the consent operation within the predetermined time in step S58, the process returns to step S42 to check whether or not there has been any. Steps S42 to S58 are repeated as long as the home appliance IP address is confirmed a predetermined number of times or less.

  When step S60 is reached, the new home appliance IP address is stored and the process proceeds to step S64. “Storage of new home appliance IP address” in step S60 includes the case where the same IP address as previously stored is stored and the storage does not change as a result. On the other hand, if the home appliance IP address has been confirmed a predetermined number of times or more in step S42, the process proceeds to step S62, and the display unit 16 displays that the home appliance assigned to the socket is unknown, and then proceeds to step S64. Transition. In step S64, it is checked whether or not there is a target socket to be checked next. If there is, the process returns to step S40, and the same operation is repeated for the next target socket. On the other hand, if there is no next target socket in step S64, the flow is terminated, and the process proceeds to step S8, step S22, or step S26 in FIG.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing details of the monitor / control process in step S32 of FIG. When the flow starts, it is checked in step S472 whether or not it is a measurement timing. If it is the measurement timing, the current for each socket is monitored in step S74 and the total power at the corresponding time is monitored by the power meter 6 in step S75. . In step S76, the power consumption of each home appliance connected to the socket is calculated based on the total power and the current of each socket, and the result is stored in the storage unit 13 and displayed on the display unit 16, and the process proceeds to step S78. This realizes “visualization” of the power consumption for each home appliance. On the other hand, if the measurement timing is not reached in step S72, the process directly proceeds to step S78.

  In step S78, it is checked whether or not data requiring processing is generated based on changes in power consumption and total power for each socket. This check corresponds to the check of the time zone, frequency, trend, etc. where the total power consumption is large. If there is such data, the process proceeds to step S80, and a process of extracting a time zone in which the total power consumption is equal to or greater than a predetermined value is performed. Next, in step S82, a process of analyzing a combination of sockets and a time zone, which is a factor increasing the total power consumption based on the information of the current sensor, is performed. In step S84, a factor socket is extracted, and the process proceeds to step S86. Note that the processes in steps S80, S82, and S84 are not performed until completion, but once the predetermined allocation time has elapsed, the process is temporarily interrupted and the process proceeds to the next step.

  In step S86, it is checked whether or not the processes in steps S80, S82, and S84 are all completed. If not, the process proceeds to step S88. In step S88, it is checked whether or not the processing time allocated this time to steps S80, S82, and S84 has ended. If it has ended, the process proceeds to step S90, the process is interrupted, and the process proceeds to step S92. On the other hand, if the processing time currently assigned to steps S80, S82, and S84 has not ended in step S88, the process returns to step S80, and the processes of steps S80, S82, and S84 are repeated in a time-sharing manner until the allocation time ends. . If it is detected in step S86 that all the processes in steps S80, S82, and S84 are completed, the process directly proceeds to step S92. When the process interruption procedure is performed in step S90, the process is resumed when step S32 is reached next time in FIG. If there is no data to be processed in step S78, the process directly proceeds to step S92.

  In step S92, it is checked whether or not a management required time zone (a time zone in which total power consumption is expected to increase) determined based on the processing results of steps S80, S82, and S84 has been reached. If not, the process proceeds to step S94, and it is checked whether or not the total power consumption is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. If applicable, the process proceeds to step S96, the factor socket is extracted, and the process proceeds to step S98. On the other hand, when the management time zone is required in step S92, the factor socket data based on the previous analysis is adopted and the process proceeds to step S98. In this way, even if it is not the management time zone that is predicted in advance according to the analysis, if the total power consumption temporarily rises to a predetermined value, the factor socket is extracted in step S96 and the response is performed.

  In step S98, the home appliance connected to the factor socket is integratedly managed and a management signal instructing to shift the peak of power consumption is output to each home appliance, and the flow is terminated. On the other hand, if the total power consumption is not greater than or equal to the predetermined value in step S94, the flow is immediately terminated.

The present invention can be applied to an outlet and a power management system.

4, 72 Power supply unit 6 Power meter 26, 56, Current sensor 10 Control unit 18, 19, 42, 76, 80 Outlet 20, 54 Switch

Claims (11)

  A power supply unit; a power meter that detects total power consumption of the power supply unit; a plurality of current sensors that respectively detect currents flowing through a plurality of power consumption units connected to the power supply unit; and the power meter; A power management system comprising: a control unit that calculates the power consumption of each of the plurality of power consumption units by the plurality of current sensors.   The power management system according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of current sensors are provided in each socket of an outlet to which the power consumption unit is connected.   The power management system according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls power feeding to the sockets.   A current sensor for detecting a current flowing through a power consuming unit connected to the socket through the socket; and a transmitter for transmitting a current of the current sensor to the power supply unit. An outlet characterized by having.   The outlet according to claim 4, wherein the transmission unit transmits specific information specifying a power consumption unit connected to the socket to the power supply unit.   The outlet according to claim 4, wherein the transmission unit transmits information on whether or not a power consuming unit is connected to the socket to the power supply unit.   The outlet according to claim 4 or 5, further comprising a switch for turning on and off the socket based on control from the power supply unit.   The outlet according to any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein a control signal is transmitted to a power consuming unit connected to the socket based on control from the power supply unit.   An outlet comprising: a socket supplied with power from a power supply unit; and a switch for turning on and off the socket based on control from the power supply unit.   An outlet comprising: a socket that is fed from a power supply unit; and a transmission unit that transmits specific information specifying a power consumption unit connected to the socket to the power supply unit.   An outlet comprising: a socket supplied with power from a power supply unit; and a transmission unit configured to transmit a control signal to a power consumption unit connected to the socket based on control from the power supply unit.

Images