JP2015154559A - Electric apparatus management device and electric apparatus management system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electric apparatus management device capable of easily recovering a built-in microcontroller into a normal state if the microcontroller abnormally operates.SOLUTION: In an electric apparatus management device 70, a power supply line 16 is provided between a first connection part 12 to which power is supplied from the outside, and a second connection part 14 for connecting with a power supply line of a corresponding electric apparatus. A current detection section 34 detects a magnitude of a current flowing in the power supply line 16. A microcontroller 36 periodically transmits information relating to a detection result of the current detection section 34 by means of a radio transmitter 38. The microcontroller 36 is operated by an external supply power source or a secondary battery. On the basis of a change in a voltage of the power supply line 16, a power supply detection section 40 detects start or end of power supply from the outside through the first connection part 12 and outputs a reset signal to the microcontroller 36 in the timing of at least either the start or the end of power supply from the outside.

Description

  The present invention relates to an electrical equipment management apparatus and system for managing the usage state of a plurality of electrical equipments.

  Various systems for managing the usage state of electrical equipment have been proposed. Such a system is useful for efficiently using medical devices in hospitals and the like.

  For example, in the system described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-238595 (Patent Document 1), a device for acquiring the power supply state of an electrical device is attached to each electrical device. This power status acquisition device (hereinafter also referred to as “electric equipment management device”) connects an outlet into which a power plug of the electric equipment is inserted, a power plug to be inserted into an outlet in the building, and the outlet and the power plug. A power line that performs detection, a sensor that detects whether a current is flowing through the power line, and a transmission unit that wirelessly transmits a detection result of the sensor. The power status display panel displays the received power status information.

JP 2006-238595 A

  The above-mentioned electrical equipment management device is configured to be operable by a built-in secondary battery even when the power plug is not inserted into an outlet in the building in order to periodically notify the location of the electrical equipment. It is desirable. In this case, the electric device management apparatus operates with both the external power supply and the built-in secondary battery.

  However, assuming that the electrical equipment management device is configured to operate even with the built-in secondary battery, if the microcontroller built into the electrical equipment management device runs out of control, it is normal to remove the built-in secondary battery. The inconvenience that it cannot return to a state arises. This is because the electrical device management apparatus is usually not provided with a reset switch in order to simplify the interface.

  The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and its main object is to provide an electrical equipment management apparatus that can easily return to a normal state when a built-in microcontroller malfunctions. Is to provide. Other objects of the present invention are shown in the description of the embodiments and the attached drawings.

  In one aspect, the present invention is an electrical equipment management apparatus, and includes a first connection unit, a second connection unit, a power supply line, a current detection unit, a secondary battery, a microcontroller, and a power supply. A detector. The first connection portion is provided to receive power supply from the outside. The second connection portion is provided to connect to the power supply line of the corresponding electric device. The power supply line connects between the first and second connection portions. The current detection unit detects the magnitude of the current flowing through the power supply line. The secondary battery is charged when receiving power supply from the outside through the first connection portion. The microcontroller periodically transmits information related to the detection result of the current detection unit and identification information of the self-management device by the wireless transmitter. The microcontroller is operated by a power source or a secondary battery supplied from the outside via the first connection unit. The power supply detection unit detects the start or end of external power supply based on the voltage change of the power supply line. The power supply detection unit outputs a reset signal to the microcontroller at at least one timing of the start and end of power supply from the outside.

  According to the above configuration, the power supply detection unit detects the start or end of the supply of external power via the first connection unit, specifically, the insertion or removal of the power plug from the outlet. . Therefore, if the reset signal is output to the built-in microcontroller by inserting / removing the power plug into / from the outlet, the normal state can be easily restored when the microcontroller is operating abnormally.

  In a preferred configuration example, the electrical equipment management apparatus further includes a rectifier circuit for rectifying an AC power supply voltage supplied from the outside via the first connection portion, and a smoothing output voltage of the rectifier circuit. And a smoothing circuit. The power supply detection unit includes a differentiating circuit for differentiating the output voltage of the smoothing circuit and a comparator for comparing the output voltage of the differentiating circuit with a reference voltage. In this case, the reset signal is generated based on the output signal of the comparator.

  In another preferable configuration example, the electrical equipment management apparatus further includes a rectifier circuit for rectifying an AC power supply voltage supplied from the outside via the first connection unit, and a smoothing of an output voltage of the rectifier circuit. And a smoothing circuit. The power supply detection unit includes a comparator for comparing the output voltage of the smoothing circuit with a reference voltage, and a one-shot pulse generation circuit that generates a pulse signal at the timing of rising or falling of the output of the comparator. In this case, the reset signal is generated based on the pulse signal output from the one-shot pulse generation circuit.

  Preferably, the power supply detection unit outputs a reset signal to the microcontroller at both the start and end timings of power supply from the outside. The microcontroller has a built-in counter and is configured to reset the built-in counter by a reset signal. The counter value is incremented periodically. The microcontroller periodically transmits the value of the counter in addition to the information related to the detection result of the current detection unit and the identification information of the self-management device.

  According to said structure, the charging time and discharge time of a secondary battery can be notified to an external host computer with the value of a counter.

  In another aspect, the present invention provides an electrical equipment management system for receiving the data transmitted from each of the electrical equipment management devices and the electrical equipment management devices attached to the electrical equipment. A host computer. The host computer is configured to detect the usage state of each electrical device based on the information related to the detection result of the current detection unit transmitted from each electrical device management apparatus.

  Preferably, the host computer is further configured to detect a charge amount of a secondary battery built in each electric equipment management device based on a counter value transmitted from each electric equipment management device. It is even better if a warning prompting charging is displayed when the amount of charge falls below a specified value.

  The main effect of the present invention is that when the microcontroller built in the electrical equipment management apparatus operates abnormally, the microcontroller can be easily restored to a normal state by, for example, inserting / removing the power plug into / from an outlet. .

It is a block diagram which shows typically the structure of an electric equipment management system. FIG. 2 is a block diagram schematically showing the configuration of each management device in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a timing diagram illustrating an example of an input voltage and an output voltage of the differentiating circuit in FIG. 2. FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram showing a more detailed configuration of a part of FIG. 2. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the microcontroller of FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the operation of the host computer of FIG. 1 in the electrical equipment management system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of management information of each electric device displayed on a display device of a host computer in the electric device management system according to the first embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the electric equipment management apparatus by Embodiment 2. FIG. FIG. 9 is a timing diagram illustrating an example of an input voltage and an output voltage of the differentiating circuit in FIG. 8. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the microcontroller of FIG. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the charge amount of a secondary battery, and the value of a counter. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the host computer of FIG. 1 in the electrical equipment management system according to the second embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of management information of each electrical device displayed on a display device of a host computer in the electrical device management system according to the second embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure which determines whether an electric equipment management apparatus is a power supply state. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure which estimates the charge amount of a secondary battery. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the electric equipment management apparatus by Embodiment 3. FIG. It is a figure which shows the voltage waveform in each location of the power supply detection part of FIG.

  Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will not be repeated.

<Embodiment 1>
[Overall configuration of electrical equipment management system]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematically showing the configuration of the electrical equipment management system. Referring to FIG. 1, electrical device management system 100 indicates the usage state and location of a plurality of electrical devices 110A, 110B,... (Generally referred to or referred to as electrical device 110 when indicating an unspecified one). to manage.

  1 shows an example in which the electric devices 110A, 110B,... Are arranged in the rooms 200A, 200B,... In the building and the host computer 140 is arranged in the room 200Z. 110 can be moved to an arbitrary place. As shown in FIG. 1, each electric device 110 is supplied with a power supply voltage via outlets 202A, 202B,... Provided in each room 200A, 200B,. The host computer 140 is supplied with a power supply voltage via an outlet 202Z provided in the room 200Z. The power supply voltage is supplied to the outlets 202A, 202B,... Via the distribution line 210 from outside the rooms 200A, 200B,. Note that the outlets 202A, 202B,. The rooms 200A, 200B,... Are also collectively referred to as the room 200 when collectively referred to or unspecified.

  The electrical device management system 100 includes electrical device management devices (also simply referred to as “management devices”) 70A, 70B,... Corresponding to the plurality of electrical devices 110A, 110B,. In addition, when referring generically about management apparatus 70A, 70B, ..., or showing an unspecified thing, it describes as the management apparatus 70.

  Each electrical device 110 is supplied with a power supply voltage via a corresponding management device 70. In other words, the power plugs 112A, 112B,... Provided in the electric devices 110A, 110B,... Are respectively inserted into the outlets of the management devices 70A, 70B,. Further, the power plugs 12A, 12B,... Respectively provided in the management devices 70A, 70B,... Are inserted into the outlets 202 in the building. .. And the power plugs 12A, 12B,... Are collectively referred to as the power plug 112 and the power plug 12.

  Each electric device 110 is normally used while being always connected to the corresponding management device 70. Therefore, the power supply plug 112 may not be provided in each electrical device 110, and the power line of each electrical device 110 may be directly connected to the corresponding management device 70.

  Each management device 70 is configured to be able to communicate with the host computer 140 via a wireless network. In the case of FIG. 1, access points 120A, 120B,... For wireless LAN (Local Area Network) are provided for each management area such as each room 200 and corridor. The access points 120A, 120B,... Are connected to the host computer 140 via the wired LAN 130. The method for wireless communication with each management apparatus 70 may be any method as long as it is a short-range wireless communication, and is not limited to a wireless LAN.

  Each management device 70 periodically detects the magnitude of the current flowing between the corresponding power plug 12 and the corresponding electrical device 110 (effective value or peak value in the case of an alternating current). Each management device 70 transmits information relating to the detected current together with its own identification information to the host computer 140 via the network. The host computer 140 detects the location of each electrical device 110 based on the access point 120 used for communication and the identification information of the management device 70. Furthermore, the host computer 140 detects the operating state of the electrical device 110 corresponding to each management device 70 based on the information regarding the detected current transmitted from each management device 70.

  Each management device 70 needs to inform the host computer 140 of at least the location of the corresponding electrical device 110 even when the corresponding power plug 12 is not inserted into the outlet 202. For this reason, each management device 70 operates with an external power source when the corresponding power plug 12 is inserted into the outlet 202, but when the corresponding power plug 12 is not inserted into the outlet 202, Operated by built-in secondary battery.

  The electrical device management system is preferably used for managing medical devices in a hospital, for example. By detecting the location and operation state of each medical device from the host computer 140, it is possible to eliminate the medical device left unused and to efficiently use the medical device.

[Configuration of management device]
FIG. 2 is a block diagram schematically showing the configuration of each management apparatus shown in FIG. Referring to FIG. 2, the management device 70 includes a power plug 12, an outlet 14, a power supply line 16, a current sensor 18, a rectifier circuit 20, a smoothing circuit 22, a diode 24, a charging circuit 26, a constant voltage circuit 28, a secondary circuit. A battery 30, a current detection unit 34, a microcontroller 36, a wireless transmitter 38, and a power supply detection unit 40 are included.

  The power plug 12 functions as a first connection portion that receives a power supply voltage from the outside by being inserted into the outlet 202 in the building shown in FIG. The outlet 14 functions as a second connecting portion connected to the power line of the corresponding electric device 110 by inserting the power plug 112 of the corresponding electric device 110 shown in FIG. The power supply line 16 connects the power plug 12 and the outlet 14.

  The rectifier circuit 20 converts an AC voltage supplied from the outside through the power plug 12 into a DC voltage. The smoothing circuit 22 smoothes the output voltage of the rectifier circuit 20. When a DC voltage is supplied from the outside via the power plug 12 (in the case of DC distribution), the rectifier circuit 20 and the smoothing circuit 22 are not necessary.

  The node ND1 on the output side of the smoothing circuit 22 is connected to the secondary battery 30 via the diode 24 and the charging circuit 26. The diode 24 is provided to prevent backflow from the secondary battery 30 to the power supply line 16 when the power plug 12 is not inserted into the outlet 202 in the building shown in FIG. As charging circuit 26, for example, a resistance element for limiting current is provided.

  The constant voltage circuit 28 generates the internal power supply voltage VDD based on the voltage of the node ND2 between the charging circuit 26 and the secondary battery 30. When the power plug 12 is not inserted into the outlet in the building, the constant voltage circuit 28 generates the internal power supply voltage VDD based on the discharge voltage of the secondary battery 30. When the power plug 12 is inserted into the outlet 202 in the building, the power supply voltage supplied from the outside is used for generating the internal power supply voltage VDD and also for charging the secondary battery 30. The generated internal power supply voltage VDD is used for the operation of the internal circuit of the electric device management apparatus 70 such as the microcontroller 36, the reference voltage generation unit 44, and the comparator 46.

  The current sensor 18 detects a current flowing through the power supply line 16. The current detection unit 34 detects the magnitude of the current flowing through the power supply line 16 (effective value or peak voltage in the case of an alternating current) based on the output signal of the current sensor 18. The magnitude of the detected current is input to the analog input terminal IN1 of the microcontroller 36.

  The microcontroller 36 A / D (Analog to Digital) converts the magnitude of the detection current received from the current detection unit 34. The microcontroller 36 periodically transmits the magnitude of the detected current after A / D conversion as a transmission signal together with the identification information of the self-management device to the access point 120 shown in FIG. 1 via the wireless transmitter 38. Note that the microcontroller 36 does not indicate the magnitude of the detected current itself but information on the magnitude of the detected current (for example, what stage corresponds to the magnitude of the current divided into a plurality of stages). It may be configured to transmit.

  The power supply detection unit 40 detects a change in the voltage of the node ND1 in FIG. 1, whereby the timing when the power plug 12 is inserted into the outlet 202 in the building shown in FIG. 1 or the power plug 12 is removed from the outlet 202. Detect the timing. In other words, the power supply detection unit 40 detects the timing of the start or end of external power supply. The power supply detection unit 40 outputs a reset signal SG1 to the reset terminal / RST of the microcontroller 36 when the power plug 12 is inserted or removed, that is, when power supply from the outside starts or ends. The microcontroller 36 is initialized by receiving the reset signal SG1.

[Reason for resetting the microcontroller 36]
The reason for outputting the reset signal as described above is to reset the microcontroller 36 when the microcontroller 36 runs away due to an abnormal operation. In the electric equipment management apparatus 70, there are many cases where no reset switch is provided in order to simplify the structure of the casing, to ensure waterproofness, or to avoid user malfunction. In such a case, if the built-in microcontroller 36 runs away, the runaway operation continues until the secondary battery 30 is almost completely discharged. Therefore, by detecting the insertion or removal timing of the power plug 12 and resetting the microcontroller 36 at this timing, the above inconvenience can be solved. Note that the microcontroller 36 mainly performs an operation of periodically transmitting current consumption information of the corresponding electrical device to the host computer 140, and does not need to be constantly operated. Therefore, there is no problem even if the microcontroller 36 is reset at the timing of insertion or removal of the power plug 12 during normal operation.

[Details of Power Supply Detection Unit 40]
Hereinafter, a detailed configuration example of the power supply detection unit 40 will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, the power supply detection unit 40 includes a differentiation circuit 43, a reference voltage generation unit 44, a comparator 46, and an inverter 48.

  The differentiating circuit 43 differentiates the voltage of the node ND1 on the output side of the smoothing circuit 22. The reference voltage generation unit 44 generates the reference voltage RV1 by dividing the power supply voltage VDD output from the constant voltage circuit 28. The comparator 46 compares the output voltage of the differentiating circuit 43 with the reference voltage RV1, and outputs a signal that becomes a high level (H level) or a low level (L level) according to the comparison result. In the case of FIG. 3, it is assumed that the comparator 46 detects the rising timing of the voltage at the node ND1 (timing at which the power plug 12 is inserted into the outlet 202).

  The inverter 48 outputs a signal obtained by inverting the logic level of the output signal of the comparator 46 as the reset signal SG1. Accordingly, the reset signal SG1 becomes low level (L level) in the reset state, and returns to H level when the reset state is released.

  FIG. 3 is a timing diagram showing an example of the input voltage and output voltage of the differentiating circuit of FIG. 3A shows a waveform of the input voltage (voltage of node ND1) of differentiation circuit 43 in FIG. 2, and FIG. 3B shows the output voltage of differentiation circuit 43 in FIG. 2 (voltage of node ND1). The waveform of the voltage differentiation is shown.

  Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the output voltage of smoothing circuit 22 (the voltage at node ND1) increases from 0 to VCC between time t1 and t2 because power plug 12 is inserted into the outlet in the building. To do. The output voltage of the smoothing circuit 22 (the voltage at the node ND1) decreases from VCC to 0 because the power plug 12 is removed from the outlet in the building between the times t3 and t4. When the voltage of the node ND1 does not change (before time t1, from time t2 to time t3, after time t4), the output voltage of the differentiating circuit is set to Vo (however, Vo is smaller than the reference voltage VR1). Since the differential voltage exceeds the reference voltage RV1 between time t1 and time t2 (that is, when the power plug 12 is inserted into the outlet 202), the output of the comparator 46 becomes H level.

  FIG. 4 is a circuit diagram showing a more detailed configuration of a part of FIG. 4 shows the rectifier circuit 20, the smoothing circuit 22, the diode 24, the charging circuit 26, the current sensor 18, the differentiating circuit 43, the comparator 46, the reference voltage generating unit 44, and the inverter 48 of FIG. Yes.

  Referring to FIG. 4, power supply line 16 connects voltage line 16 </ b> A that connects terminal 13 </ b> A of power plug 12 and terminal 15 </ b> A of outlet 14, and terminal 13 </ b> B of power plug 12 and terminal 15 </ b> B of outlet 14. And neutral wire 16B. When the power supply line 16 is a single-phase three-wire system, the first voltage line 16A and the second voltage line 16B are shown in FIG. 4, and the neutral line may be omitted. .

  Current sensor 18 includes a transformer 32 having a primary winding inserted into voltage line 16A and a secondary winding. A voltage generated in the secondary winding of the transformer 32 is detected by the current detector 34.

  The rectifier circuit 20 is configured by a diode bridge, and rectifies the voltage between the voltage line 16A and the neutral line 16B. A smoothing capacitor C1 as a smoothing circuit 22 is connected between an output node (node ND1) on the high potential side of the rectifier circuit 20 and an output node (ground node GND) on the low potential side. The node ND1 is connected to the constant voltage circuit 28 and the secondary battery 30 via the diode 24 and the current limiting resistance element R1 as the charging circuit 26.

  Differentiating circuit 43 includes resistance elements R2 and R3, a capacitor C2, a resistance element R4, and an operational amplifier AMP1 connected in series between node ND1 and ground node GND. Reference voltage generation unit 44 includes resistance elements R5, R6, and R7 connected in series between power supply node ND3 to which power supply voltage VDD is applied and ground node GND.

  Connections of the differentiation circuit 43, the reference voltage generation unit 44, and the comparator 46 are as follows. The connection node ND4 of the resistance elements R2 and R3 is connected to the negative terminal (inverting input terminal) of the operational amplifier AMP1 through the capacitor C2. The resistive element R4 is connected between the negative terminal and the output terminal of the operational amplifier AMP1. The + terminal (non-inverting input terminal) of the operational amplifier AMP1 is connected to the connection node ND5 of the resistance elements R5 and R6 that constitute the reference voltage generation unit 44. The negative terminal (inverted input terminal) of the comparator 46 is connected to the output terminal of the operational amplifier AMP1, and the positive terminal (non-inverted input terminal) of the comparator 46 is a connection node of the resistance elements R6 and R7 constituting the reference voltage generation unit 44. Connected to ND6.

  Inverter 48 includes a resistance element R8 and an NPN-type bipolar transistor TR1. One end of resistance element R8 is connected to power supply node ND3, and the other end of resistance element R8 is connected to the collector of transistor TR1. The collector of the transistor TR1 is further connected to the reset terminal (/ RST) of the microcontroller 36 of FIG. The base of the transistor TR1 is connected to the output terminal of the comparator 46, and the emitter of the transistor TR1 is connected to the ground node GND.

  Next, operations of the differentiation circuit 43, the comparator 46, and the inverter 48 will be described. When the voltage of the node ND1 has not changed, the output voltage of the operational amplifier AMP1 is equal to the voltage of the node ND5 of the reference voltage generation unit 44. The output voltage of the operational amplifier AMP1 (the voltage at the node ND5) is input to the negative terminal of the comparator 46, and the voltage at the node ND6 of the reference voltage generation unit 44 is input to the positive terminal of the comparator 46. In this case, since the voltage of the node ND6 is smaller than the voltage of the node ND5, the output voltage of the comparator 46 becomes L level, and the transistor TR1 is turned off. Therefore, the collector voltage (reset signal) of transistor TR1 is equal to the voltage (H level) of node ND3.

  On the other hand, when the voltage of the node ND1 changes from the L level to the H level (when the power plug 12 is inserted into the outlet 202 in the building shown in FIG. 1), the input voltage at the negative terminal of the operational amplifier AMP1 temporarily increases. Therefore, the output voltage of the operational amplifier AMP1 temporarily decreases. As a result, when the output voltage of the operational amplifier AMP1 is lower than the voltage of the node ND6 input to the + terminal of the comparator 46, the output voltage of the comparator 46 temporarily changes to the H level. As a result, transistor TR1 becomes conductive, so that the collector voltage (reset signal) of transistor TR1 changes to the voltage level (L level) of ground node GND. As a result, a reset signal is output from the transistor TR1 to the reset terminal (/ RST) of the microcontroller 36.

[Operation of microcontroller and host computer]
Next, the operation of the microcontroller 36 provided in the management device 70 of FIG. 2 and the operation of the host computer of FIG.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the microcontroller 36 of FIG. Hereinafter, the operation of the microcontroller 36 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 5. The microcontroller 36 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a memory (main storage device, auxiliary storage device), an input / output interface, and the like. The microcontroller 36 performs the operation of each step in FIG. 5 by executing the program stored in the memory by the CPU.

  As shown in FIG. 5, every time the reset state is released, the microcontroller 36 executes a predetermined initialization operation (step S100). As already described, when the power plug 12 is inserted into the outlet 202 in the building shown in FIG. 1 or when the power plug 12 is removed from the outlet 202 (however, the power plug is inserted in FIGS. 3 and 4). A reset signal is input to the microcontroller 36.

  During normal operation, the microcontroller 36 acquires the magnitude of the current flowing through the power supply line 16 from the current detection unit 34, that is, the magnitude of the current consumption of the corresponding electrical device (step S110). Subsequently, the microcontroller 36 transmits the identification information of the own management device and the information on the power consumption of the corresponding electrical device to the host computer 140 of FIG. 1 via the wireless network (step S120).

  The microcontroller 36 executes steps S110 and S120 again after elapse of a waiting (waiting) state (step S125) for a predetermined period. When the reset signal is input, the microcontroller 36 executes the initialization operation (step S100) after releasing the reset.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the host computer of FIG. 1 in the electrical equipment management system according to the first embodiment. Hereinafter, the operation of the host computer 140 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 6. The host computer 140 has the same configuration as a normal computer, and includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a memory (main storage device, auxiliary storage device), an input device, a display device, and the like. The host computer 140 performs the operation of each step in FIG. 6 by executing the program stored in the memory by the CPU.

  Specifically, when receiving data (identification information and current consumption magnitude) from any of the management devices 70 (YES in step S200), the host computer 140 receives the data based on the access point 120 used for communication. The location of the electric device 110 corresponding to the identification information is determined (step S205). Note that the electric devices 110A, 110B,... Are associated with the management devices 70A, 70B,..., So that the electric devices can be easily determined based on the identification information received from each management device.

  Furthermore, the host computer 140 determines the usage state of the corresponding electric device 110 based on the received current consumption (step S210). For example, it is determined whether the device is in use, in a standby state (a standby current smaller than that in use flows), or not in use, depending on the amount of current consumption.

  After the above determination, the host computer 140 stores the data received from the management device 70 (identification information, current consumption magnitude) and the determination result (location, use state) in a built-in memory (step S220).

  Next, when the host computer 140 receives a request to display the management information of the electrical device on the display device via the input device (YES in step S225), the host computer 140 displays the latest management information of each electrical device stored in the memory. It is displayed (step S230). Thereafter, the above steps are repeated.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of management information of each electrical device displayed on the display device of the host computer in the electrical device management system according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 7, the device name, location, and usage state of the electrical device are displayed on the display device.

[Effect of Embodiment 1]
As described above, according to the electrical device management system 100 according to the first embodiment, even if the microcontroller 36 built in the management device 70 attached to each electrical device 110 runs away, the power plug of the management device 70 is connected to the outlet. The microcontroller 36 can be reset by a simple operation of inserting / removing from / from.

<Embodiment 2>
[Problem of the second embodiment]
In general, it is difficult for the secondary battery to predict the remaining charge from the terminal voltage. In particular, when an inexpensive nickel-metal hydride battery is used, the terminal voltage hardly changes until the remaining charge becomes about 10% or less. In order to increase the estimation accuracy of the remaining charge, it is necessary to estimate the remaining charge by integrating the charge time and the discharge time.

  In the second embodiment, a function for estimating the charge amount of the secondary battery built in the electric equipment management apparatus is further added. Specifically, in each electrical device management apparatus, the microcontroller 36 is reset at the timing of insertion or removal of the power plug. Therefore, by detecting the reset timing from the host computer 140, the charging time and discharging time of the secondary battery can be integrated. And based on the integrated value of the charging time and discharging time of the secondary battery, the remaining amount of the secondary battery built in each management device 70 is estimated. This will be specifically described below.

[Configuration of electrical equipment management device]
FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the electrical equipment management apparatus according to the second embodiment. 8 differs from the power supply detection unit 40 of the electrical device management apparatus 70 of FIG. 2 in the configuration of the power supply detection unit 41. The power supply detection unit 40 in FIG. 2 detects only one of the rise and fall of the voltage of the node ND1 (that is, only one of timings when the power plug 12 is inserted into or removed from the outlet in the building). It was. On the other hand, the power supply detection unit 41 in FIG. 8 has both the rise and fall of the voltage of the node ND1 (that is, the timing when the power plug 12 is inserted into the outlet 202 and the timing when it is removed from the outlet 202 Detect both.

  Specifically, the power supply detection unit 41 in FIG. 8 includes a differentiation circuit 43, reference voltage generation units 44 and 45, comparators 46 and 47, and a NOR circuit 50. Compared with the power supply detection unit 40 of FIG. 2, a reference voltage generation unit 45 and a comparator 47 are added, and a NOR circuit 50 is provided instead of the inverter 48.

  FIG. 9 is a timing chart showing an example of the input voltage and output voltage of the differentiating circuit of FIG. Similarly to the case of FIG. 3, FIG. 9A shows the waveform of the input voltage (voltage of the node ND1) of the differentiating circuit 43 of FIG. 8, and FIG. 9B shows the differentiating circuit of FIG. A waveform of the output voltage 43 (differentiation of the voltage of the node ND1) is shown.

  8 and 9, the first comparator 46 compares the output of the differentiating circuit 43 with the reference voltage RV1 output from the first reference voltage generating unit 44, and the output of the differentiating circuit 43 is the reference. When the voltage RV1 is exceeded, an H level signal is output (time t1 to time t2 in FIG. 9). Therefore, the first comparator 46 detects the rising timing of the voltage at the node ND1 (that is, the timing at which the power plug 12 is inserted into the outlet 202).

  The second comparator 47 compares the output of the differentiating circuit 43 with the reference voltage RV2 output from the second reference voltage generating unit 45, and becomes H level when the output of the differentiating circuit 43 becomes less than the reference voltage RV2. A signal is output (time t3 to time t4 in FIG. 9). Therefore, the second comparator 47 detects the falling timing of the voltage at the node ND1 (that is, the timing at which the power plug 12 is removed from the outlet 202).

  The NOR circuit 50 outputs an L level signal (reset signal SG1) when at least one of the comparators 46 and 47 outputs an H level signal. When the reset signal SG1 returns to the H level (reset is released), the microcontroller 36 executes a predetermined initialization operation.

  In the initialization operation of the microcontroller 36, the value of the built-in counter 54 is also reset to zero. The signal transmitted from the microcontroller 36 via the wireless transmitter 38 includes the value of the counter 54 in addition to the identification information of the self-management device and the current consumption information of the corresponding electrical device.

  Since the other points of FIG. 8 are the same as those of FIG. 2, the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will not be repeated.

[Operation of microcontroller]
FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the operation of the microcontroller 36 of FIG. Hereinafter, the operation of the microcontroller 36 will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 and 10.

  Each time the reset state is released, the microcontroller 36 executes a predetermined initialization operation (step S100). At this time, the value of the counter 54 built in the microcontroller 36 is also initialized to zero. As described above, the reset signal is input to the microcontroller 36 at both the timing when the power plug 12 is inserted into the outlet in the building and when the power plug 12 is removed from the outlet.

  During normal operation, the microcontroller 36 acquires the magnitude of the current flowing through the power supply line 16 from the current detection unit 34, that is, the magnitude of the current consumption of the corresponding electrical device (step S110). At this time, the microcontroller 36 increases the value of the counter 54 by +1 (step S115). Subsequently, the microcontroller 36 transmits the identification information of the self-management device, the information on the power consumption of the corresponding electrical device, and the value of the counter 54 to the host computer 140 of FIG. 1 via the wireless network. (Step S120).

  The microcontroller 36 executes steps S110, S115, and S120 again after the standby state (step S125) for a predetermined period has elapsed. When the reset signal is input, the microcontroller 36 executes the initialization operation (step S100) after releasing the reset.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between the charge amount of the secondary battery and the value of the counter. FIG. 11A shows the charge amount of the secondary battery, and FIG. 11B shows the value of the counter 54.

  Referring to FIGS. 8 and 11, at times t1 and t3, power plug 12 is inserted into outlet 202 in the building shown in FIG. At time t2 and t4, the power plug 12 is removed from the outlet 202. In this specification, the state in which the power plug 12 is inserted into the outlet 202 (from time t1 to time t2, from time t3 to time t4) is the power supply state, and the state in which the power plug 12 is not inserted into the outlet 202 (From time t2 to t3, after time t4) is referred to as a non-power supply state.

  In the power supply state, the counter value increases from 0 with the passage of time, and the charge amount of the secondary battery also increases with the passage of time (the upper limit is 100%). Even in the non-power supply state, the counter value increases from 0 over time. On the other hand, since the secondary battery is used for the operation of the management device 70 in the non-power supply state, the amount of charge gradually decreases (the lower limit is set to 0%).

  From the above considerations, it can be seen that if the power supply state or the non-power supply state can be distinguished, the charge amount of the secondary battery can be estimated based on the value of the counter.

[Operation of host computer]
FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the operation of the host computer of FIG. 1 in the electrical equipment management system according to the second embodiment. The flowchart of FIG. 12 differs from the flowchart of FIG. 6 in that step S215 is provided between step S210 and step S220. In step S215, the charge amount of the secondary battery built in the management device 70 is estimated based on the counter value received from the management device 70. Details of the estimation method will be described later with reference to FIGS.

  The other points in FIG. 12 are almost the same as those in FIG. Referring to FIG. 12, the operation of the host computer 140 will be briefly described. When the host computer 140 receives data (identification information, current consumption magnitude, and counter value) from any of the management devices 70 (steps). Based on the access point 120 used for communication, the location of the corresponding electrical device 110 is determined (step S205). Further, the host computer 140 determines the usage state of the corresponding electric device 110 based on the received current consumption (step S210), and the secondary computer built in the management device 70 based on the received counter value. The amount of charge of the battery is estimated (step S215).

  After the above determination and estimation, the host computer 140 receives the data received from the management device 70 (identification information, current consumption magnitude, counter value) and determination / estimation results (location, home appliance usage status, secondary battery) Is stored in the built-in memory (step S220).

  Next, when the host computer 140 receives a request for displaying the management information of the electrical device on the display device via the input device (YES in step S225), the host computer 140 displays the latest management information of each electrical device stored in the memory. (Step S230). Thereafter, the above steps are repeated.

  FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of management information of each electrical device displayed on the display device of the host computer in the electrical device management system according to the second embodiment. As shown in FIG. 13, the device name, location, usage state, and charge amount of the secondary battery are displayed on the display device. In FIG. 13, when the amount of charge is less than 10%, a warning prompting the user to charge the secondary battery is displayed as “please charge”.

[Secondary battery charge estimation method]
Hereinafter, a method for estimating the charge amount of the secondary battery will be described. First, a method for distinguishing whether the electrical device management apparatus 70 is in a power supply state or a non-power supply state will be described.

  FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure for determining whether or not the electrical device management apparatus is in a power supply state. With reference to FIG. 1 and FIG. 14, first, whether or not each of the electrical equipment management devices 70 is in a power supply state as an initial state is input to the host computer 140 (step S300). In the case of FIG. 14, the electrical equipment management device 70 is initially set to a non-power supply state.

  Next, when the host computer 140 receives data from the electric device management apparatus 70 that was in a non-power supply state at the time of the previous data reception, the magnitude of the current consumption of the electric device 110 corresponding to the management apparatus 70 is greater than or equal to the threshold In this case (NO in step S305), the management device 70 determines that the power supply state has been changed (step S315). Alternatively, even if the current consumption of the electrical device 110 corresponding to the management device 70 is smaller than the threshold value (YES in step S305), the host computer 140 determines that the transmitted count value is greater than the previous value. If the counter value has decreased, that is, if the counter value has returned to 0 (YES in step S310), the management device 70 determines that the power supply state has been changed (step S315). In this latter case, the power plug 12 of the management device 70 is inserted into a building outlet, but this corresponds to the case where the power supply of the corresponding electrical device 110 is off.

  On the other hand, when the host computer 140 receives data from the electrical equipment management apparatus 70 that was in the power supply state at the time of the previous data reception, the transmitted count value is smaller than the previous value, that is, the counter value. When the value returns to 0 (YES in step S320), it is determined that the management device 70 has been changed to the non-power supply state (step S325).

  Thereafter, the above steps S305 to S325 are repeated. When the electrical device management apparatus 70 is initially set to the power supply state, the process is executed from step S320 in FIG.

  FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure for estimating the charge amount of the secondary battery. Referring to FIGS. 1 and 15, when host computer 140 receives data from any electrical device management apparatus 70, host computer 140 determines whether or not the management apparatus 70 is in a power supply state (step S 400). . When the management device 70 is not in the power supply state (NO in step S400), the host computer 140 multiplies the received count number by a predetermined discharge constant, and charges the multiplication result in the immediately previous power supply state. Subtract from quantity. Thereby, the host computer 140 estimates the charge amount of the secondary battery built in the management device 70 (step S405).

  Conversely, when the management device 70 is in the power supply state (YES in step S400), the host computer 140 multiplies the received count number by a predetermined charging constant, and the multiplication result is the previous non-power supply. Add to the amount of charge in the state. Accordingly, the host computer 140 estimates the charge amount of the secondary battery built in the management device 70 (step S410).

  More preferably, when the estimated charge amount of the secondary battery is less than 10% (YES in step S415), the host computer 140 displays a warning display prompting the user to charge the secondary battery. (Step S420). Each of the above steps is repeated each time data is received from each management device 70.

  In steps S405 and S410 described above, the discharge constant and the charge constant are determined in advance by the standard or experiment of the secondary battery. In order to further improve the estimation accuracy of the amount of charge, calculate the total number of charge / discharge cycles from the new state of the secondary battery (the accumulated value of at least one of the charge count and discharge count). Change the discharge constant and charge constant accordingly. Thereby, the influence of the deterioration of the secondary battery can be taken into the estimation of the charge amount.

[Effect of Embodiment 2]
As described above, according to the second embodiment, in addition to the effects of the first embodiment, the charge amount of the secondary battery built in each electrical device management apparatus can be estimated by a simple method.

<Embodiment 3>
FIG. 16 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the electrical equipment management apparatus according to the third embodiment. In the third embodiment, a modified example of the configuration of the power supply detection unit is shown. Specifically, the power supply detection unit 42 in FIG. 16 includes a reference voltage generation unit 44, a comparator 46, and a one-shot pulse generation circuit 52. Compared with the power supply detection unit 40 of FIG. 2, the power supply detection unit 42 of FIG. 16 does not include the differentiation circuit 43, and includes a one-shot pulse generation circuit 52 instead of the inverter 48.

  FIG. 17 is a diagram showing voltage waveforms at various points in the power supply detection unit of FIG. 17A shows the input waveform of the comparator 46 (voltage waveform at the node ND1), FIG. 17B shows the output waveform of the comparator 46, and FIG. 17C shows the one-shot pulse generation. A voltage waveform of the reset signal SG1 output from the circuit 52 is shown.

  16 and 17, comparator 46 compares the output voltage of smoothing circuit 22 (the voltage at node ND1) with reference voltage RV3 output from reference voltage generation unit 44, and the voltage at node ND1 is the reference. When the voltage is higher than the voltage RV3, a signal that becomes H level is output. Therefore, when the power plug 12 is inserted into an outlet in the building (that is, when the voltage of the node ND1 rises), the output of the comparator 46 changes from L level to H level (time t1 in FIG. 17). Conversely, when the power plug 12 is removed from the outlet (that is, when the voltage at the node ND1 falls), the output of the comparator 46 changes from the H level to the L level (time t3 in FIG. 17).

  The one-shot pulse generation circuit 52 is a reset that temporarily becomes L level at least one of timing when the output of the comparator 46 changes from L level to H level and timing when the output of the comparator 46 changes from H level to L level. The signal SG1 is output to the reset terminal (/ RST) of the microcontroller 36. In the case of FIG. 17, the reset signal is output at the timing t1 to t2 when the power plug 12 is inserted into the outlet 202, and the timing t3 to t4 when the power plug 12 is removed from the outlet 202. A reset signal is output.

  The embodiment disclosed this time must 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.

  12, 112 power plug, 14, 202, 202A, 202B, 202Z outlet, 16 power supply line, 18 current sensor, 20 rectifier circuit, 22 smoothing circuit, 24 diode, 26 charging circuit, 28 constant voltage circuit, 30 secondary battery 34, current detection unit, 36 microcontroller, 38 wireless transmitter, 40, 41, 42 power supply detection unit, 43 differentiation circuit, 44, 45 reference voltage generation unit, 46, 47 comparator, 48 inverter, 50 NOR circuit, 52 One-shot pulse generation circuit, 54 counter, 70 electrical equipment management device, 100 electrical equipment management system, 110 electrical equipment, 120 access point, 140 host computer.

Claims (6)

An electrical equipment management device,
A first connection for receiving power from outside;
A second connection for connecting to the power line of the corresponding electrical device;
A power supply line connecting between the first and second connection portions;
A current detector for detecting the magnitude of a current flowing through the power supply line;
A secondary battery that is charged when receiving power from the outside via the first connection part;
A microcontroller for periodically transmitting information about the detection result of the current detection unit and identification information of the self-management device by a wireless transmitter;
The microcontroller is operated by power supplied from the outside via the first connection unit or the secondary battery,
The electrical equipment management device further includes a power supply detection unit that detects the start or end of external power supply based on a voltage change of the power supply line,
The power supply detection unit is an electrical equipment management device that outputs a reset signal to the microcontroller at at least one timing of start and end of power supply from the outside. The electrical equipment management device further includes:
A rectifier circuit for rectifying an AC power supply voltage supplied from the outside via the first connection portion;
A smoothing circuit for smoothing the output voltage of the rectifier circuit,
The power supply detector is
A differentiating circuit for differentiating the output voltage of the smoothing circuit;
A comparator for comparing the output voltage of the differentiating circuit with a reference voltage;
The electrical device management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the reset signal is generated based on an output signal of the comparator. The electrical equipment management device further includes:
A rectifier circuit for rectifying an AC power supply voltage supplied from the outside via the first connection portion;
A smoothing circuit for smoothing the output voltage of the rectifier circuit,
The power supply detector is
A comparator for comparing the output voltage of the smoothing circuit with a reference voltage;
A one-shot pulse generation circuit that generates a pulse signal at the timing of at least one of rising and falling of the output of the comparator;
The electrical device management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the reset signal is generated based on a pulse signal output from the one-shot pulse generation circuit. The power supply detection unit outputs a reset signal to the microcontroller at both the start and end timing of external power supply,
The microcontroller has a built-in counter, and is configured to reset the built-in counter by the reset signal, and the value of the counter is periodically increased,
The electrical device management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the microcontroller periodically transmits the value of the counter in addition to information related to a detection result of the current detection unit and identification information of the self management apparatus. A plurality of electrical equipment management devices according to any one of claims 1 to 3, each attached to a plurality of electrical equipments,
A host computer for receiving data transmitted from each of the electrical equipment management devices;
The host computer is an electrical device management system configured to detect a usage state of each electrical device based on information on a detection result of the current detection unit transmitted from each electrical device management apparatus. The plurality of electrical equipment management devices according to claim 4 attached to each of the plurality of electrical equipments;
A host computer for receiving data transmitted from each of the electrical equipment management devices;
The host computer
Based on the information on the detection result of the current detection unit transmitted from each electrical device management device, the usage state of each electrical device is detected,
An electrical equipment management system configured to detect a charge amount of a secondary battery built in each electrical equipment management device based on a value of the counter transmitted from each electrical equipment management device.

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