JP2016202647A - Electric rice cooker, home electric appliance, power command device and operation management system for home electric appliance - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a highly convenient constitution in which whether or not a rice cooker in which reservation rice cooking has been set has completed a rice cooking operation as reserved can be confirmed easily.SOLUTION: An electric rice cooker includes: an electric heater 61; an input operation part 71 capable of designating a reserved operation mode in which a rice cooking operation starts when predetermined time has come; a transmission part 90 for transmitting a notification signal of rice cooking operation being complete and incomplete by radio or by cable with respect to the outside; a reception part 90 for receiving an inquiry signal for a reserved rice cooking condition from the outside; and a control device 85 for controlling the electric heater 61, and for detecting whether or not the operation by the reserved operation mode is complete. When reservation preset time has elapsed, in the case where the inquiry signal is received from the reception part so as to be confirmed when a resident comes home, in the case where the reserved rice cooking operation has not been performed at that time point, the control device 85 transmits the signal for notifying that the rice cooking operation is incomplete from the transmission part 90, and after the completion of rice cooking operation, automatically transmits a signal for notifying the completion of rice cooking.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 17

Description

  The present invention relates to an electric rice cooker, a home appliance, a power command device, and an operation management system for a home appliance.

  In general households, electric power is supplied to a plurality of household appliances in a kitchen (for example, induction heating cookers through a single breaker. In such a thing, the induction heating cooking appliances have a maximum power consumption. Is 4800W (or 5800W), which accounts for a large percentage of household power, and as other home appliances, electric rice cookers and air conditioners (air conditioners) also have high maximum power consumption. Various devices and systems for integrated management have been proposed in the past, but some home appliances, such as an electric rice cooker, allow the user to make a reservation for the start of driving from the outside. In that case, there was a problem that it was impossible to know from the outside whether or not the driving operation was performed reliably.

  On the other hand, after preparing for cooking and going out, if the user has not ordered to start cooking by remote control from the outside, the user forgets that he did not cook today when he returned home The next time you cook rice, until you look inside the electric rice cooker, you may not notice that the rice soaked in water remains in the electric rice cooker. If water and rice are left in the electric rice cooker for a long time, problems such as rot and mold occur. Therefore, in order to solve this, information communication possessed by the user if the user does not actually issue an operation command from the outside in a predetermined period from the time when the electric rice cooker side can be remotely controlled. There has been a proposal to alert a terminal by transmitting a notification signal from the electric rice cooker side (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2014-226236 A (first page, FIG. 5)

  However, in the electric rice cooker of patent document 1, since the notification signal from the electric rice cooker side is transmitted on the go, when the time until returning home is long, the user of the electric rice cooker receives it on the go It is assumed that you have forgotten the alert notification, and it is still not possible to notice that the rice soaked in water remains in the electric rice cooker, which is not an effective improvement measure. It was. This was a problem that also exists in other home appliances other than electric rice cookers,

The 1st subject of this invention is notifying to the exterior from a rice cooker that the rice cooking operation was performed in the electric rice cooker which has a reservation rice cooking function.
A second problem of the present invention is to notify the home appliance from the home appliance that the reserved operation has been performed in the home appliance having a reserved operation function.
A third problem of the present invention is to notify the operating status of a reserved household electrical appliance in a power command apparatus that controls the power of the household electrical appliance having a reserved operation function.
A fourth problem of the present invention is to make it possible to reliably notify a user or a resident of the driving status of a reserved household appliance in a driving management system for a household appliance having a reserved driving function. .

The electric rice cooker according to the first invention relates to the first problem,
An electrical heating source;
An input operation unit that can specify a reserved operation mode for starting operation at a predetermined time;
A transmitter that transmits a rice cooking operation completion notification signal wirelessly or by wire to the outside;
A receiving unit that receives an inquiry signal of the reserved rice cooking status wirelessly or by wire from the outside,
A controller that accepts designation of the reserved operation mode from the input operation unit, controls the electric heating source, and detects whether or not the operation in the reserved operation mode is completed,
The control device transmits a reserved rice cooking operation completion notification signal from the transmitting unit when receiving an inquiry signal of the reserved rice cooking status from the receiving unit, and when the operation in the reserved operation mode is completed. It is what.

  According to the electric rice cooker of the first invention, in response to an inquiry from the outside, when the reserved rice cooking operation is performed, the reservation rice cooking operation completion notification signal is transmitted and used. Can be notified.

The electric rice cooker according to the second invention relates to the first problem,
An electrical heating source;
An input operation unit that can specify a reserved operation mode for starting operation at a predetermined time;
A transmitter for transmitting a rice cooking operation completion / incomplete notification signal wirelessly or by wire to the outside;
A receiving unit that receives an inquiry signal of the reserved rice cooking status wirelessly or by wire from the outside,
A controller that accepts designation of the reserved operation mode from the input operation unit, controls the electric heating source, and detects whether or not the operation in the reserved operation mode is completed,
The controller, when the operation in the reserved operation mode is completed, transmits a rice cooking operation completion notification signal from the transmission unit, and further receives the inquiry signal of the reserved rice cooking status from the reception unit, the reservation operation mode When the operation in is not performed, a reserved rice cooking operation incomplete notification signal is transmitted from the transmission unit.

  According to the electric rice cooker of the second invention, when a reserved rice cooking operation is performed, a predetermined notification signal is transmitted from the electric rice cooker side to notify the user or the like of the completion of rice cooking. Can do. Moreover, when rice cooking operation | movement is not performed, according to the inquiry signal from the outside, the incomplete notification signal of rice cooking operation | movement can be transmitted from a rice cooker, and it can alert | report to a user.

The household electrical appliance which becomes 3rd invention is related with the 2nd subject,
An electrical heating source or power source;
An input operation unit that can specify a reserved operation mode for starting operation at a predetermined time;
A transmitter that transmits a notification signal indicating completion or incomplete of the driving operation reserved wirelessly or by wire to the outside;
A receiving unit for receiving a reservation operation status inquiry signal wirelessly or by wire from the outside;
A control device that receives a command of the reserved operation mode from the input operation unit, controls the heating source or the power source, and detects whether or not the operation in the reserved operation mode is completed,
The control device, when receiving a reservation heating status inquiry signal from the receiving unit, when the operation in the reserved operation mode is being performed, transmits the completion notification signal from the transmission unit, and also reserved operation When the driving in the mode is completed, the home electric appliance is characterized in that a reserved driving completion notification signal is transmitted from the transmitter.

  According to the household electrical appliance of the third invention, when the reserved driving operation is performed, the reserved driving completion notification signal is transmitted from the household electrical appliance to the outside, and the reserved driving operation is performed. When performed, in response to an inquiry from the outside, a reserved operation completion notification signal can be transmitted from the home appliance to the outside.

The power command device according to the fourth invention relates to the third problem,
A power control unit that limits the total amount of power in the home by issuing a power reduction command signal for home appliances that can set the reserved operation,
Receiving units that receive the setting signal of the reserved driving operation and the completion signal of the reserved driving operation from the home appliances, and the return detection information of the resident, respectively,
Informing means for informing each of power information such as household power consumption, information for specifying a home appliance that has been reserved for operation, and information for specifying a home appliance that has not been reserved for operation,
A central control device for controlling the power control unit and the notification means,
When the central control device receives a return detection signal from the receiving unit, the central control device receives the completion signal of the reserved driving operation from the home appliance that has issued the setting signal of the reserved driving operation. The means is characterized by notifying information for specifying a home electric appliance that has not been reserved for operation.

  According to the power command device of the fourth aspect of the present invention, when a signal indicating that the resident has returned home is received, and there is a home appliance that is not operated in the reserved operation mode, the home appliance is Information that can be specified can be notified.

The home appliance operation management system according to the fifth invention relates to the fourth problem,
A home appliance comprising a first communication unit for wireless communication, and a heating source or a power source that operates with electric energy;
A power command device that transmits a power reduction command signal to the first communication unit of the home appliance to limit the total power consumption in the home;
With
The home appliance has a control device that controls a heating source or a power source, and an operation input unit that inputs a reservation setting input signal that starts operation when a predetermined time comes, to the control device,
The power command device includes a selection operation unit that can select a home mode and an outing mode, and a display unit that displays an operation result of the selection operation unit,
In the scene where the resident operates the selection operation unit when the resident returns home, the power command device receives the reservation setting input signal, and if there is a home appliance that has not been operated, information that can identify the home appliance is It displays on a display means.

  According to the operation management system for home appliances of the fifth aspect of the invention, in the scene where the resident returns home and operates the selection operation unit for the home mode and the outing mode using the power command device capable of managing the amount of household power. When there is a home appliance that is not operated in the reserved operation mode, it is possible to provide a highly convenient system that can notify information that can identify the home appliance.

The operation management system for household electrical appliances according to the sixth invention relates to the fourth problem,
A plurality of home appliances including a first communication unit for wireless communication, and a heating source or a power source that operates with electric energy,
An integrated management device that has a second communication unit that wirelessly communicates with each of the first communication units of the plurality of home appliances, and acquires a driving information signal;
With
The household electrical appliance has a control device that controls a heating source or a power source, and an operation input unit that sets a reserved operation mode that starts operation when a predetermined time comes,
The integrated management device includes a selection operation unit that can select a home mode and an outing mode, a display unit that displays the name of the home appliance that acquires the driving information signal and the driving status of the home appliance in association with each other in a list format. And having
The integrated management device, when a resident switches the selection operation unit from the outing mode to the home mode, and when there is a home appliance that has not been completely operated among the home appliances in the reserved operation mode, Is displayed on the display means.

  According to the operation management system for home appliances according to the sixth aspect of the present invention, a scene in which the resident operates the selection operation unit from the outing mode to the home mode using the integrated management device that acquires the operation information signals of the plurality of home appliances. Thus, when there is a home appliance that is not operated in the reserved operation mode, it is possible to provide a highly convenient system that can notify information that can identify the home appliance.

  According to the electric rice cooker of 1st invention, in response to the inquiry from the outside, when the reserved rice cooking operation is performed, the completion notification signal of the reserved rice cooking operation is transmitted to the user. Etc.

  According to the electric rice cooker of the second invention, when the reserved rice cooking operation is performed, a predetermined notification signal is transmitted from the electric rice cooker side to notify the user of the completion of the rice cooking. it can. Moreover, when rice cooking operation | movement is not performed, according to the inquiry signal from the outside, the incomplete notification signal of rice cooking operation | movement can be transmitted from a rice cooker, and it can alert | report to a user.

  According to the household electrical appliance of the third invention, when a reserved driving operation is performed, a reserved driving completion notification signal is transmitted from the household electrical appliance to the outside, and the reserved driving operation is performed. In the case of a failure, a reserved operation completion notification signal can be transmitted to the outside from the home appliance in response to an inquiry from the outside.

  According to the power command device of the fourth invention, when a signal indicating that the resident has returned home is received, if there is a home appliance that is not operated in the reserved operation mode, the home appliance is specified. Information that can be reported.

  According to the operation management system for home appliances of the fifth aspect of the invention, there is a home appliance that is not operated in the reserved operation mode when the resident returns home and operates the selection operation unit for the home mode and the outing mode. In some cases, information that can identify the home appliance can be notified, and a highly convenient system can be provided.

  According to the operation management system for home appliances according to the sixth aspect of the present invention, a scene in which the resident operates the selection operation unit from the outing mode to the home mode using the integrated management device that acquires the operation information signals of the plurality of home appliances. Thus, when there is a home appliance that is not operated in the reserved operation mode, information that can identify the home appliance can be notified, and a highly convenient system can be provided.

1 is a schematic diagram of one household according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. The conceptual diagram which shows the external communication circuit structure to which the operation management system of the household appliances of FIG. 1 is connected. The block diagram of the electric power instruction | indication apparatus and household appliances which concern on Embodiment 1 of this invention. The external view of the various household appliances which concern on Embodiment 1 of this invention. The perspective view of the state which opened the cover body of the electric rice cooker of Embodiment 1 of this invention. The enlarged plan view which shows a part of electric rice cooker cover body of Embodiment 1 of this invention. The control circuit diagram of the electric rice cooker which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. The block diagram which shows the control circuit structure of the electric rice cooker of FIG. Rice cooking process explanatory drawing of the electric rice cooker of FIG. Explanatory drawing 1 which shows the electric power control operation | movement of the electric power command apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. Explanatory drawing 2 which shows the electric power control operation | movement of the electric power command apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing an operation of the electric rice cooker according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a flowchart 1 showing the operation of a power command device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the operation of the power command apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Explanatory drawing 1 which shows operation | movement of the electric power control system which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention in time series. Explanatory drawing 2 which shows operation | movement of the electric power control system which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention in time series. Explanatory drawing 3 which shows operation | movement of the electric power control system which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention in time series. 1 is a front view 1 of a display panel of a power command device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. The front view 2 of the display board of the electric power command apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. The front view 3 of the display board of the electric power command apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. The front view 4 of the display board of the electric power command apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. The front view 5 of the display panel of the electric power command apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. The flowchart figure 1 which shows operation | movement of the electric rice cooker which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is flowchart 2 which shows operation | movement of the electric rice cooker which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention.

Embodiment 1 FIG.
Hereinafter, the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

(Definition)
In the present invention, “home appliance” EE refers to an electrical device designed mainly for use at home, and a kitchen such as an electric jar rice cooker (hereinafter referred to as “rice cooker”) 3 described later. Home appliances KP, video equipment such as television receiver 2, air conditioner 4, air treatment equipment such as air purifier and air deodorizer, heating equipment such as electric stove, vacuum cleaner, electric washing machine (drying Including hot water supply equipment (including hot water tanks) used for baths. In the following description, the home appliance EE includes the rice cooker 3 unless otherwise specified. The “power source” means an electric motor, an electric compressor driven by the motor, an electric blower, an electric pump, or the like. Generally, home appliances such as an automatic laundry (clothing) dryer and a dishwasher have a built-in power source.

In the present invention, the “identification information” of the home appliance EE is information for specifying the home appliance EE, which is information specific to the home appliance EE, and is necessary for accurate repair and inspection. Information. For example, specifically, the following is included in the identification information, but is not limited thereto. The home appliance EE will be described in detail later.
(1) Home appliance manufacturer name (2) Model name (3) Model number (4) Manufacturing number (machine number)
(5) Rated power consumption (6) Date of purchase (In many cases, it is the starting date of the quality assurance period of the manufacturer or distributor)
(7) Date of start of use (for dishwashers, this is the date of legal inspection)
(8) Quality Assurance Number The legal inspection of (7) above is based on the “Long-term Product Safety Check System” newly established under the “Consumer Product Safety Act” revised and enforced on April 1, 2009 Refers to inspection. In addition, the “Electrical Appliance and Material Safety Law”, which is separate from this law, has created a long-term product safety labeling system due to the revision of the Ordinance of the Technical Standards. Regarding the above standard use period and aging deterioration, it is obliged to display warnings etc. to encourage consumers to perform appropriate maintenance inspections. Therefore, the “Production Date” and “Elapsed Year” information calculated from the date of manufacture are displayed in the “Identification Information” of the home appliance EE so that it can be used as a reference for the standard usage period. May be included.
Further, whether or not it is a “specific home appliance” (environment improvement device) such as an air conditioner 4 described later is also a part of the identification information, and wirelessly communicates with the integrated management device (also referred to as “power command device”) 6. When this is performed, the identification information is provided to the integrated management device 5 side from the specific home appliance (environment improvement device) side.

  The “integrated management device” 6 in the present invention refers to a device for operating two or more home appliances EE in cooperation. For example, it refers to a device that links the rice cooker 3 that is the subject of the present invention and the operation of other home appliances EE such as the air conditioner 4 and the TV receiver 2. “Cooperation” means that information indicating one driving state or acquired data is used by the other home appliance for driving or display. For this reason, the integrated management apparatus 6 has a function of acquiring information related to the current status such as operation, stoppage, standby state, and the like of the home appliance EE from the home appliance EE using a wired or wireless signal.

  The “power command device” referred to in the present invention refers to a device that has a power consumption limiting function among the “integrated management device” 6 and has a function of regulating the upper limit of the total power consumption in one household. In one home appliance, the “integrated management device” may also serve as the “power command device”. Further, the “power command device” 6 of one home appliance is not necessarily a power command device for other home appliances.

In the present invention, the “environment information” of the environment detection unit 30 includes “environment data” itself detected by the environment detection unit 30 described later, and “environment evaluation information” created based on such environment data. This is a collective term and includes, but is not limited to, the following types of information that affect the living comfort of a house.
(1) Temperature information (2) Humidity information (3) Dust scattering degree (dust amount per unit air volume) information (4) Pollen scattering amount information (5) Light quantity (visible light amount) information ・ In other words, the living space This is brightness information.
(6) Noise information: Information on the quietness of the living space.

  The “environment data” acquired by the environment detection unit 30 in the present invention refers to data itself indicating a measured physical state such as temperature and humidity. For example, a temperature of 35 ° C. corresponds to environmental data. Information that has been classified, ranked, or otherwise processed through some evaluation criteria or calculation processing based on the temperature of 35 ° C. corresponds to “environmental evaluation information” as described above. For example, information such as “room temperature is high” and “standard temperature” corresponds to the “environmental evaluation information”.

In the first embodiment, “use of environmental information” means that various household electrical appliances EE, which will be described later, use the environmental information for efficient operation, effective operation, or environmentally friendly operation of the electrical home appliance EE. This includes the following examples:
(1) When the temperature is high, the operation of the heat retaining function of the rice cooker 3 is started continuously after the end of the rice cooking process.
(2) In the case of humidity, a dehumidifier that is one type of home appliance EE is operated. Or start the ventilation fan. The operating conditions (target room temperature, etc.) of the air conditioner 4 are changed.
(3) When fine dust that floats in the air is flying, the air cleaner is operated. Or start the ventilation fan.
(4) In the case of pollen scattering amount, the operation of the air cleaner is started.
(5) When the diameter or length is relatively large, and dust or clothes falling on the floor, the self-propelled vacuum cleaner is started.
(6) In the case of the light amount (visible light amount), the lighting fixtures 5A and 5B are turned on.
(7) In the case of noise, it is judged that it is a quiet time zone such as midnight from the state where there is no noise. Avoid operating the washer / dryer, which generates operating noise from the electric motor that rotates the motor.
In addition, calculating the so-called “discomfort index” based on the relationship between the temperature and the humidity and starting the operation of the air conditioner 4 is included.

In the first embodiment, the “at-home detection unit” 34 (also referred to as “at-home detection means”) includes the following means, but in the following description of the embodiment, all means will be described in detail. First, only representative means will be described in detail.
(1) Means for detecting that the resident has returned from the electronic lock 33 installed outside the entrance (entrance) of the house and the personal identification number or biometric information (for example, fingerprint information) input to the electronic lock.
(2) Personal identification information recorded on a resident ID or ID card, etc., directly to the power command device 5 by magnetic or optical means, or by short-range communication or other communication means Means for reading and decoding the read information to determine that the person is at home.
(3) The personal identification information recorded in the information communication terminal device 20 such as a portable phone held by the resident is directly read into the power command device 6 by short-range communication or other communication means, and is read. A means of deciphering information and determining that the person is at home.
(4) The personal identification information recorded on the information communication terminal device 20 or the like, such as an identification card or ID card unique to the individual, is read into a specific home appliance EE, or an ID number known only by the individual or Means for causing the home appliance EE to read the password or inputting the password using an input key, decrypting the personal identification information and the password with the power command device 6, and determining that the read person is at home.

  In the first embodiment, “resident” means a person who lives in one house described later, and includes a parent-child, a brother, a sister, etc. who are related to each other. Visitors staying in the city and others living together. It includes those who borrow one or more living spaces by one or more people. In addition, when using rice cooker 3 and other household appliances EE, a resident is called a "user."

  In the first embodiment, “household” means one house managed by a specific manager, and may include multiple houses that have a plurality of rooms and a plurality of families. . That is, even in such an apartment house, as in the case of one house, the upper limit of commercial power is centrally managed by one power cut-off device (one breaker BK or a plurality of power breakers). This is considered a home.

  In the first embodiment, an integrated management device (also referred to as “power command device”) 6 “operation information”, which will be described later, is information indicating the upper limit total power amount set for one household, which is currently used. Information indicating the used electric energy, information indicating the difference between the total electric energy and the used electric energy, information such as a name that specifically identifies the electric home appliance EE controlled by the electric power command device 6, the electric home appliance Information indicating the use state of EE, information on the amount of power used in each home appliance EE (for example, average power amount for one minute), and the like are not limited thereto.

  In the first embodiment, “operation information” of the power command device 6 to be described later is information 110 indicating the upper limit total power amount set in one household, and information indicating the currently used power amount. 111, information 112 indicating the difference between the total electric energy and the amount of electric power used, information 114 that specifically specifies the home electric appliance EE controlled by the electric power command device 6, and the usage state of the electric home appliance EE Information 115, information on the amount of power used in each home appliance EE (for example, average power amount for one minute), and the like are not limited thereto.

  In the first embodiment, “home appliance side power limit information” refers to information related to some signal related to the power consumption received by the home appliance from the power command device 6, and includes a power reduction request signal AS1 and a power reduction described later. A signal including information related to a command such as the command signal AS2. Such information includes information indicating the reception time of the signal (time in year and month) and the meaning of the signal. For example, it is information such as “reception time: 1st April 2015, 17:00 seconds, 2% reduction in instantaneous maximum power consumption” with respect to the power reduction command signal AS2 at a certain point in time for the induction heating cooker 51 described later. Note that the power restriction information on the home appliance side is stored in time series in the storage device of the control device in the home appliance, for example, the rice cooker 3, and does not disappear even if the main power supply is turned on or off. Considering that the main power supply is turned on and turned off as one time of cooking, it is stored and held at least several times. The excess is automatically erased sequentially.

  In the first embodiment, the “location information on the home appliance side” is information (code) indicating in which room in the living space HA the home appliance exists. For example, the living room has code 001. The kitchen is code 002, the bedroom is 003, and the like is ruled in advance by the central control unit 27 of the power command device 6, and becomes a (power) control target of the power command device 6 using the home appliance EE. In this case, the position information is registered in the power command device 6 together with the identification information of the home appliance. In addition, even if it is the household appliances EE which are not the (electric power) control object of the electric power instruction | command apparatus 6, you may transmit the newest positional information which shows the installation position and use place.

  Like the built-in induction heating cooker 51 installed and used in the kitchen furniture of the kitchen and the air conditioner 4 used by being fixed to the wall, the initial installation position does not change (non-portable type) ) In the case of the home appliance EE, the position information can be used permanently.

  However, in the case of a (portable) household electrical appliance EE that can be easily carried by a user to an arbitrary place, when the wireless command communication is performed with the power command device (integrated management device) 6, for example, the latest position is the power. It is determined by the command device 6. When the power command device (integrated management device) 6 has determined the position, the identification code of the living space at that time is paired with the operation data (for example, operation start time and end time) of the home appliance EE. Thus, the information is stored in the storage unit (second storage unit described later) 27A of the control unit 27 of the integrated management apparatus 6.

Various techniques have been proposed for specifying the position of a home appliance that has established an electrical connection or communication session with the power command apparatus 6 from the power command apparatus 6 side.
For example, recently, in Japanese Patent Publication No. 2014-79036, in order to manage the relationship information between a newly introduced home appliance and a “power tap”, conventionally, the user of the home appliance has manually entered information. In order to solve the problem of having to register manually, when connecting a household appliance to the power strip, a device connection detection event is sent from the power strip and a startup completion event notification is sent from the household appliance. The home appliance (information home appliance) management apparatus that has received two notifications proposes a technique of registering in the table candidate information indicating which home appliance power cord is plugged into the connection port.

  In this prior art, after that, the home appliance management device instructs the power tap to turn off the power to the corresponding connection port, and monitors the communication state with the information home appliance assuming the correlation. When communication with the home appliance assuming the correlation is interrupted, the power ON instruction is again given to the connection port, and the home appliance and the connection port are registered assuming that the assumed correlation is correct.

  This prior art home appliance management apparatus proposes a technology that can automatically detect a correct connection relationship between a connection port and a home appliance without any human intervention and perform automatic registration processing. That is, by grasping the connection port, it is possible to specify the place where the home appliance is used.

  In the description of the first embodiment, detailed description of means for grasping the latest position of the rice cooker 3 and other individual portable home appliances is omitted. Note that the device connection detection event information may be transmitted from the home appliance EE itself without transmitting the device connection detection event information from the power strip.

(overall structure)
FIG. 1 shows an example of one house using the rice cooker 3 of the first embodiment. In FIG. 1, HA1 indicates a living space (bedroom) of one house. HA2 indicates an adjacent living space (kitchen) partitioned by the living space HA1 and the wall SB. Note that HA is used as a reference when generically referring to living spaces. Although the living space is not shown in FIG. 1, there are “living room”, “bathroom”, etc., and there are rooms with toilets. There may be other rooms.

  For example, electric power having a voltage of 200 V is supplied to all the living spaces HA from a commercial power source EP of an electric power company outside the house. The electric power is drawn into the house through the watt-hour meter 16. Reference numeral 1 denotes a power supply line (main line) connected to the commercial power supply EP having a voltage of 200V via a breaker BK. The power line 1 includes a television receiver (hereinafter referred to as “TV receiver”) 2, a rice cooker 3, an air conditioner 4, lighting fixtures 5 </ b> A and 5 </ b> B, kitchen appliances (hereinafter referred to as “TV receivers”) capable of receiving various broadcasts. KPs (referred to as “home appliances in the kitchen”) are connected to each other. In FIG. 1, only one TV receiver 2, air conditioner 4, and home appliance KP in the kitchen are shown, but there may be a plurality of them. Also, the lighting fixtures are not only two, 5A and 5B, but the other lighting fixtures are not shown.

  6 is a power command device (also serving as an integrated management device) to which power is supplied via the breaker BK, and is wall-mounted in a place where the family can easily approach, such as the wall of the living space HA2 (kitchen) Installed on the floor. There are a plurality of other home appliances such as a dishwasher 54 (see FIG. 4), an automatic washing clothes dryer (not shown), and other home appliances, which will be described later.

  In FIG. 1, AD is the “power tap” described above. In the first embodiment, each home appliance EE itself in the living space transmits an identification code such as position information and room information indicating the installed living space HA to the power command device 6. The power strip may be omitted.

  In FIG. 1, SL shows the wall surface which comprises the ceiling of living space HA. Reference numeral 7 denotes a composite sensor (temperature / humidity sensor) that detects the temperature and humidity in the living space HA1 and is a kind of environmental sensor. Reference numeral 8 denotes a composite sensor (temperature / humidity sensor) that detects the indoor air temperature and the indoor humidity of the living space HA2, and is a kind of environmental sensor. Reference numeral 9 denotes a temperature sensor installed in an external space of the house (such as the outer surface of the outer wall), which is a kind of environmental sensor.

  The composite sensors 7 and 8 and the temperature sensor have a function of transmitting the measured temperature and humidity to the environment detection unit 30 of the power command device 6 described later by radio or electric signal. The power source may be a charged battery, or may be power from the power line 1. In addition, since the power consumption of these sensors is as small as 1 W (watt) to several watts, even when operating with the power from the power line 1, the power command device 6 is not subject to power restriction. Measurement data is continuously transmitted to the power command device 6 at a predetermined timing.

  Although not shown, in addition to this, as one type of environmental sensor, a pollen sensor that measures the amount of pollen in the air, a noise sensor that detects the level of indoor noise, and the brightness of the room are detected. An illuminance sensor is provided at an appropriate position in each living space. In addition to the composite sensors 7 and 8, a temperature sensor or humidity sensor for detecting outdoor temperature and humidity may be provided, and the pollen sensor may be provided not only indoors but also outdoors (for example, the outer wall surface of a house, the outer frame of a window, It may be installed on a veranda or the like.

  The environment detection unit 30 itself is installed in a place separated from the main body 6A of the power command device 6 or in another living space, but is connected to the main body 6A wirelessly or by wire and is built in the main body 6A. Since the environment detection information is acquired under the control of the central control unit 27, the first embodiment of the present invention is defined as “a part of the power command device 6”.

  1 and 6, reference numeral 10 denotes a human sensor that can detect whether a human is present in the living space HA1 by detecting infrared rays that are naturally emitted by the human. Reference numeral 11 denotes a human sensor that can detect whether a human is present in the living space HA2 by detecting infrared rays naturally emitted by the human. In addition, you may install such a person detection sensor also in other living space HA. These person detection sensors 10 and 11 have a function of transmitting the result of detecting whether or not there is a person to the person detection unit 31 of the power command device 6 to be described later by radio or electric signal. The power source may be a battery charged in advance, or may be electric power that is branched and supplied from the power line 1. In addition, since the power consumption of these sensors is as small as about 1 W to several W, even when operating with the power from the power supply line 1, the power command device 6 is not subject to power restriction, so a predetermined timing is required. Measurement data is continuously transmitted to the power command device 6 (for example, every 10 seconds).

  Next, FIG. 1 will be described. Reference numeral 12 denotes an outdoor antenna connected to a tuner (not shown) of the TV receiver, and reference numeral 13A denotes a router A connected to the power command device 6. The router A supplies power to the power command device 6. Connected to an external organization 14A, such as a regional earthquake information provider, which transmits information to the company and the area of its house, via a wide-area communication circuit network (sometimes referred to as “communication network” or “Internet”) 15 such as the Internet. doing.

  Reference numeral 13B denotes a router B connected to the TV receiver 2. The router B connects the TV receiver 2 to the external engine 14A or another external engine via the wide-area communication network 15. 14B (not shown).

  The external organization 14B is, for example, a broadcasting station that provides a broadcast program, a public organization that provides medical / health information, a private company, or the like. The two external engines 14A and 14B may be separate or the same engine. “13” is used as a reference symbol when two routers are collectively referred to, and “14” is used as a reference when two external organizations are collectively referred to.

  Next, a communication environment outside the home will be described with reference to FIG. The power command device 6 of the first embodiment is connected to the external engine 14A via the router A13A via a network, but a device generally called a home gateway may be used. The home gateway in this case refers to a device for home use installed between various digital information media such as Internet connection, digital broadcasting, and IP telephone, and terminal devices such as the power command device 6 and the home appliance EE. The power command device 6 and the like are networked and controlled, and information received from communication / broadcast media is transmitted to the power command device 6 and home appliances. A router that lends to a resident (user) of such a family when an IP phone or content distribution service is provided in addition to the Internet connection in an always-on broadband service. "Is often called.

  The power command device 6 is connected to the external engine 14A via the wide area communication network 15 in FIG. 1, but actually, as shown in FIG. 2, the wide area communication network 15 includes 15A and 15B. ASP (“Application Service Provider”) which is composed of two or more numbers and is one of the external organizations via the relay server 18 and the respective wide area communication networks 15A and 15B. The server 17 is accessed. The ASP server 17 is provided with databases 17M and 17U to be described later, and is configured to store various information to be described later corresponding to a large number of houses.

  The ASP server 17 is hereinafter referred to as an “information server”. This information server mainly functions as a control means and information providing means for various home appliances EE, and an organization such as a manufacturer (manufacturer), distributor, repairer, or information service provider of home appliances EE, The service is installed alone or jointly by two or more organizations, and provides various services related to the home appliance EE to the user via the communication networks 15A and 15B.

  The information server 17 includes a central processing unit 17CP that functions as a host computer of the server, a communication unit 17IF that is a communication unit that is connected to the communication circuit 15 and transmits / receives information, and an application of the home appliance EE. An improvement software (measure program) providing unit 17S that stores software and stores improvement software, and a user identification database (also referred to as a “user information database”) 17U that identifies a user of the home appliance EE The manufacturer side information database 17M that accumulates technical information provided by the manufacturer (manufacturer) of the home appliance EE and the physical data at the time of operation or stop from the home appliance EE are received to determine whether there is an abnormality. And a determination unit 17H to perform.

  The information server 17 may be a so-called “Web server” (hereinafter referred to as “web server”). The web server conforms to HTTP (protocol used for exchanging data such as HTML documents and images between the web server and the web browser), and has an information communication function that is provided in various information communication terminal devices 20 and homes described later. For the web browser of the information processing equipment (client) side software such as “information receiving side” such as the power command device 6 or other personal computer provided, HTML and objects (images, etc.) It refers to a service program that provides display information and a server computer on which the service operates. The web browser is also referred to as an “Internet browser” or “WWW browser”, and is a browser provided for use of “World Wide Web”.

  In the user specifying database 17U, user-specific information such as a login ID or password to the information server 17 as information received by so-called user registration from a user such as a home appliance EE such as the rice cooker 3, Setting information such as the network address (MAC address) of the router A13A, unique information such as the network address, type, and model name of the specific home appliance EE (including the aforementioned “identification information”) are stored. That is, it has a function of storing user information of each of the home appliances EE in a large number of homes in a searchable state.

  For the improvement software providing unit 17S, the power command device 6 or the home appliance EE can be remotely controlled from the outside of the living space HA, for example, from a remote place such as a resident's work place or a place to go. Application software is stored and stored. As a result, by accessing the information server 17 from a mobile phone terminal (information communication terminal device) 20 which is one type of information communication terminal device described later, and downloading (reading) the control application software, the remote Control can be realized.

  The information server 17 stores “improvement software” that improves the contents of the operation program of the home appliance EE corresponding to a specific model model of the home appliance EE, and the power command device 6 performs wide-area communication. When obtained via the circuit network 15, the improvement software is provided from the power command device 6 to the home appliance EE via the input / output unit 29A. The “improved software” here is also referred to as “countermeasure software”. The improved software is not only created once, but a further improved version-up version may be prepared as necessary.

  The information communication terminal device 20 referred to in the first embodiment is a terminal device that can be easily carried by a user and communicates with a telephone and data (including mail information) indoors, outdoors, and other places. . A device that can not be called but can download information on the Internet, send an e-mail, or send a remote control signal is called a “portable communication device”. A portable personal computer is also a kind of portable communication terminal device.

  The “information communication terminal device” 20 according to the first embodiment has a function of causing the input / output unit of each home appliance EE to approach (or contact) several centimeters and send and receive signals through short-range communication. I have. The short-range communication is an international standard technology for wireless communication known as Near Field Communication (abbreviation: NFC).

  In this NFC communication, a so-called wireless tag (NFC tag) 82 (see FIG. 6) is embedded on the home appliance EE side. The NFC tag 82 is connected to an NFC communication control IC (hereinafter referred to as “NFC control circuit”) and this control circuit, and receives power of a predetermined frequency from the outside to receive power for the control circuit. And an microchip memory (hereinafter referred to as “NFC storage unit”) connected to the NFC control circuit.

  On the other hand, the information communication terminal device 20 such as a mobile phone terminal reads data from the NFC storage unit (not shown) of the rice cooker 3 which is one of the home appliances EE via the NFC tag (status information). In addition, the control data 85 is sent from the information communication terminal device 20 side to the NFC storage unit (not shown) of the rice cooker 3, and the control device 85 of the rice cooker 3 A control operation can be performed in accordance with the control command stored in the NFC storage unit (an NFC tag of this type may be referred to as an “active tag”).

The home appliances EE other than the rice cooker 3 have the same configuration. That is, the NFC of the first embodiment has a function of reading information stored in the internal storage device of the home appliance EE on the information communication terminal device 20 side (an NFC tag having such a function may be referred to as a “simple tag”). In addition, the operation on the home appliance EE side has a function that can be activated by a control command from the information communication terminal device 20. In other words, the information communication terminal device 20 has not only the reading of various types of information from the home appliance EE, but also a writing function to the NFC storage unit, and has two functions of a reader and a writer.
It is said that the advantage of NFC is that, in general, the format of data that can be exchanged by communication is not limited, and video data, XML data, etc. can be exchanged as well as text data.

  The base station 21 of the information communication terminal device 20 is connected to the wide area communication circuit network 15B via the relay server 18 and the wide area communication circuit network 15A, and the information server 15A is connected from the information communication terminal apparatus 20 via the base station 21. And the router A13A can be accessed.

  If the information communication terminal device 20 owned by a resident of the household is connected to the wide area communication network 15A from the outside like a work facility 22 in a remote place as shown in FIG. The information server 17 can be accessed, and the application can be remotely controlled from the facility 22 away from the home by downloading the application software for controlling the power command device 6 or the electric equipment EE.

  In the first embodiment, direct remote operation from the information communication terminal device 20 to the rice cooker 3 or other electric device EE is not allowed. This is because some household electrical appliances EE emit radiant heat directly into the room, such as an electric heating cooker, so remote control via the communication circuit used by many people from outside the house In consideration of safety, it is not adopted, and instead, all operations are performed via the power command device 6. In the house, the information communication terminal device 20 is limited so that only the TV receiver 2 can be operated. The contents of the remote control will be described in detail later.

  FIG. 3 shows a configuration example of the power command device 6 of the first embodiment. In FIG. 3, 6A is the main body of the power command device 6, and the outer shape is box-shaped. In the main body 6A, a power control unit 23 (described later), a usage limit setting device (not shown) that defines an upper limit of the total power consumption of the home and an upper limit value of the power consumption for each home appliance to be controlled. Or a comparator (not shown) that compares the upper limit value with the amount of power used by home appliances and monitors the upper limit value so that it does not exceed the upper limit value. All the components of the power command device 6 such as setting means (not shown) for determining the priority order of the power command device 6 are stored.

  A display panel 24 for performing input for determining the upper limit value of power consumption to the use limit setting device is an input operation unit 25 having a touch-type input function, an input result of the input operation unit 25, and power A liquid crystal display screen 26 that can arbitrarily display “operation information” of the command device 6 is provided.

  The display panel 24 has a box shape that can be carried, and can be attached to and detached from the main body 6 </ b> A of the power command device 6. Information exchange with a central control unit 27 (described later) inside the main body 6 </ b> A is performed via an input / output unit (interface unit) 37. Therefore, an input / output unit 38 is provided on the main body 6A side.

  The central control unit 27, which will be described later, in the main body 6 </ b> A of the power command device 6 includes a display signal to be displayed on the liquid crystal display screen of the display panel 24 and a voice guide device (not shown) built in the display panel 24. Are transmitted to the display panel 24 side by radio, so even if the display panel 24 is separated from the main body 6A of the power command device 6, the display signal can be sufficiently displayed within the living space HM. Voice command signal arrives. Conversely, an input signal is also wirelessly transmitted from the display panel 24 side to the main body side of the power command device 6, and the signal is recognized by the central control unit 27. These wireless signals are exchanged via the pair of input / output units 37 and 38 shown in FIG.

  With respect to the main body 6A of the power command apparatus 6, from the external organization 14A such as an electric power company, the power usage state in the area where the house is located, in particular, information on power is tight, etc. via the wide area communication network 15 and the router A13A Is provided. That is, the main body 6A of the power command apparatus 6 can automatically receive a power reduction request signal from an electric power company or other public organization.

  A central control unit (control device) 27 having a host computer function of the power command device 6 controls the power control unit 23 (and each component such as the above-described comparator and priority setting means) in a centralized manner. In this case, the home appliances subject to power restriction are instructed to transmit a power reduction request signal AS1 and a power reduction command signal AS2.

  Reference numeral 28 denotes a storage device (large-capacity memory) built in the TV receiver 2, for example, a DVD, various semiconductor memories, a hard disk drive device (HDD), or the like.

In FIG. 3, 29A, 29B, and 29C are input / output units (also referred to as “interface units”) for transmitting and receiving wired or wireless signals.
29A is an input / output unit for wireless communication provided in common for each home appliance EE, and 29B is an input / output unit for wireless communication provided for the router A13A. 29C is an input / output unit for the TV receiver 2.

  When the main power of the TV receiver 2 is turned on, the TV receiver 2 is always connected to the input / output unit 29C even when the TV display screen is not driven and no video is displayed. The power command device 6 is connected to a predetermined wire (with a cable).

  The TV receiver 2 is connected to the external engines 14A and 14B via the router B13B and the wide area communication network 15 via an input / output unit (not shown) different from the input / output unit 29C. Become. As a result, when urgent information is received from the external organizations 14A and 14B, for example, request information indicating that the total power consumption of this household should be reduced (peak cut) immediately during the summer day, the TV receiver 2 Alternatively, when emergency earthquake information arrives from the Japan Meteorological Agency or a regional disaster prevention center or an earthquake warning center in charge of the residential area, the residents in the residential space HA can quickly know the information.

  Even when the TV receiver 2 is not being watched, when emergency cut-off information is transmitted, various TV receivers that have been activated with the information and informed of the information have been proposed. A specific description is omitted here.

  In FIG. 3, reference numeral 27A denotes a storage device that stores data related to the power control unit 23 and a control program. Various data transmitted from the rice cooker 3 and the home appliance EE and “operation information signal” to be described later are also stored in areas designated by unique addresses in the storage device 27A. In addition, information on the power upper limit value set in the breaker BK, data on the power amount upper limit value for limiting the power consumption amount of various home electric appliances EE, and the power usage (permission) set for each resident Information such as the upper limit value is stored.

  Reference numeral 27B denotes a storage device that stores data from the environment detection unit 30 described later, a control program for determining the comfort of the environment of the living space HM, and the like. Moreover, the cooking apparatus (including induction heating cookers) including the rice cooker 3 and the abnormality monitoring data transmitted from the home appliances EE such as the air conditioner 4 and the determination program for determining the abnormality are stored. Yes.

  The storage devices 27A and 27B may be various RAMs (Random Access Memory) or hard disks. Further, other semiconductor memories, CDs, DVDs, optical cards, etc. may be used, and other types of memories may be used as long as the stored contents are retained even when the power is turned off.

In FIG. 3, reference numeral 30 denotes an environment detection unit that receives information on temperature and humidity measured by the composite sensors 7 and 8 and the temperature sensor 9 that measures outdoor temperature.
Although not shown, in each of the above-described living sections HA1 and HA2, a sensor for detecting the degree of dust scattering in the space, a sensor for the amount of pollen scattering, an illuminance sensor for detecting the amount of light (visible light amount), and noise Each of the sensors is installed, and the environment detection unit 30 receives the detection information of the various environmental sensors.

  The illuminance sensor is for distinguishing whether the living space HA is bright or dark. For example, the illuminance sensor is bright in a situation where the human sensing unit 31 described later determines that there is no person in the certain living space HA2. When it is showing that it is in a state, there is a possibility that the resident has forgotten that the luminaire 5B is still on. Therefore, in such a case, the central control unit 27 of the power command device 6 assumes that the total power usage at that time is a small amount with a sufficient margin than the upper limit set by the usage limit setting device. In addition, from the viewpoint of eliminating waste of electric energy, the lighting device 5B is notified of the turn-off of the lighting fixture 5B (through the TV receiver 2) to a resident in another living space HA1. Thereafter, the central control unit 27 of the power command device 6 issues a turn-off command signal to the lighting fixture 5B (however, it is necessary to connect the lighting fixture so as to become a power reduction target device of the power command device 6). ).

  Reference numeral 31 denotes a person detection unit that receives person detection information of the person detection sensors 10 and 11. Reference numeral 32 denotes home detection means (also referred to as a home detection unit), which is configured to receive a detection signal from the person detection unit 31 as to whether or not the presence of a person is detected.

The environment detection unit 30 sends a “first alarm” level signal to the central control unit 27 at a temperature of 29 ° C. and a humidity of 70%, and the room temperature is 30 ° C. or more and the humidity exceeds 75%. In this case, a “second alarm” level signal is sent to the central control unit 27 at that time. If the living space in which the human sensing unit 31 detects the presence of a person such as a resident is issued the “first warning”, the central control unit 27 displays the “first warning” shown below. ”Is performed.
Countermeasure 1: An alarm is issued on the liquid crystal display screen 25 of the display panel 24 of the power command device 6.
Countermeasure 2: If the TV receiver 2 is being viewed, an alarm is displayed on the display screen.
Countermeasure 3: An alarm signal is output to the information communication terminal device 20 via the router A 13A and the wide area communication circuit network 15.

If the temperature does not improve to less than 29 ° C or less than 70% within 5 minutes after issuing the operation instructions for measures 1 to 3, the person in the living space may not experience the heat. Since it is assumed, in this case, the central control unit 27 performs a process for issuing a “secondary alarm” shown below.
Measure 4: Forcibly start the air conditioner 4 having cooling ability (temperature rise suppression effect) among the environmental improvement devices in the living space (for example, the indoor target temperature at that time is 27 ° C.).

  In the first embodiment, the case where the air conditioner 2 is in the living space naturally includes the fact that the device itself is inside the living space. Moreover, although the apparatus itself may exist in the exterior of a living space, the case where the processed air is supplied in a living space is also included. If the air conditioner 2 is not in the living space or if the power cord plug is pulled out of the connection port and it is found that the air conditioner 2 cannot be operated, other environmental improvement devices (described later, for example, ventilators and air Start operation of a purifier.

  In addition, the environment detection unit 30 immediately sends a “secondary alarm” to the central control unit 27 when the room temperature is 30 ° C. or more and the humidity exceeds 75% regardless of whether or not the “first alarm” has been issued. Put out against. The central control unit 27 instructs the processing of the above-described countermeasure 4 when the living space where the human sensing unit 31 detects the presence of a person such as a resident is issued the “secondary alarm”. To do. The environment detection unit 30 measures and monitors the latest environmental conditions of the living space that issued the alarm every minute after the measure 4 is commanded.

  An electric lock 33 (not shown) is installed outside the entrance (not shown), which is a common entrance / exit of the living space HA, and a personal identification number or biometric information (for example, fingerprint information) input to the electronic lock. ) Based on the personal authentication device 34 for detecting that the resident has come home. The personal authentication device 34 is configured to determine whether or not the user is a resident based on the password input from the resident, and the determination result is transmitted to the at-home detection unit 32. The electronic lock 33 that electronically locks the front door and the personal authentication means will not be described in detail because a number of configuration examples have already been proposed. A unique password is assigned to each of the four persons A to D. For example, all residents are instructed to decide a password according to the rule “two digits after a four-digit (common) number”. The password of the resident A is “123401”, the password of the resident B is “123402”, and the password of the resident A is “123403”. This password is entered with ten input keys (ten keys) installed at the electronic lock of the front door.

  When the resident enters the living space HA after entering the password and then goes out from the entrance, the password is not required, but the person sensing unit 31 is not allowed to enter for a predetermined time (for example, 30). If the presence of a person cannot be detected from all the living spaces HA over a period of minutes), the home detection unit 32 determines that all the residents are out, and all the residents who have entered so far Cancel the password entry record and change the detection information from home to absence. For this reason, when the resident returns home after this, it is necessary to input the password again. In addition, when going out from a front door, if it is made to input into the said personal authentication apparatus 34 that each resident goes out, the detection of a home state will become still more accurate. In addition, as described above, in order to omit the input of a password, the biometric information (for example, fingerprint information) is changed to a means for detecting that the resident has returned home, or a unique ID or ID held by the resident. The personal identification information recorded on the card or the like may be directly read into the personal authentication device 34 by magnetic or optical means, but detailed description is omitted.

  In FIG. 3, reference numeral 35 denotes an earthquake determination unit that determines that an earthquake has occurred, and is installed at a predetermined position in a living space, such as a refrigerator, a built-in (built-in) type dishwasher, an induction heating cooker, or the like. On the basis of seismic intensity (acceleration) information from the seismic intensity sensor 36 incorporated in the household electrical appliance EE used in this case, if the seismic intensity is a predetermined level, the earthquake detection information is instantly transmitted to the central control unit 27. In addition, if the seismic intensity sensor 36 is installed in a portable and portable home appliance EE such as a vacuum cleaner that moves on the floor, there is a possibility that the vibration during the movement is erroneously detected as the vibration of the earthquake. This is not preferable.

  In FIG. 3, reference numeral 40 denotes an NFC input / output unit, and a wireless communication unit (also referred to as “wireless input / output unit”, not shown) of the information communication terminal device 20 approaches a predetermined distance (about 10 centimeters). In this case, a communication established state in which information can be exchanged is established (one communication session is started), and information can be exchanged.

  Reference numeral 41 denotes a clock circuit (hereinafter referred to as a “timer”) also called a real time clock, which is always supplied with power from a commercial power source or a battery (not shown), and is driven for a long period of time. It has become. This may be, for example, a radio timepiece, which informs the current date and the exact time in seconds, and is set to the correct date and time at the manufacturing or installation stage of the power command device 6. Accordingly, various operations (each of start and end) of the power command device 6 can be reserved and set at a predetermined date and time in advance. For example, the operation of acquiring useful information from the external organizations 14A and 14B and the information server 17, replacing the old data in the storage unit 27A, and always storing the latest information is automatically executed.

Next, FIG. 4 will be described.
FIG. 4 shows a state in which the induction heating cooker 51, the rice cooker 3, and the like are used in a kitchen that is one of the living spaces HA.

  The housing 50A constituting the outer shell of the system kitchen (also referred to as “sink stand” or “kitchen furniture”) 50 is configured by incorporating five home appliances described below. That is, as the household appliances in the kitchen, induction heating cooker 51 having two left and right heating ports (first heating port 51L and second heating port 51R provided with induction heating coils in the space below the top plate). And a rice cooker 3, a grill cooker (electric fish cooker) 52, a microwave oven (hereinafter referred to as “open range”) 53 with an electric heater, and a dishwasher 54. Although the grill cooker 52 may be constituted independently, in this Embodiment 1, it is integrated in the induction heating cooker 2 and combined induction heating using electric heating and induction heating method together. It is comprised as one heating part of a cooking device. Therefore, when the main power circuit of the induction heating cooker 2 is cut off, the power supply to the grill cooker 52 is also cut off at the same time. Here, other appliances in the kitchen such as a refrigerator and a ventilation fan are not described.

  The kitchen appliance KP in the kitchen is connected to an AC 200V power source EP through one breaker BK. The household appliances KP in the kitchen and the power command device 6 are connected in a relationship of transmitting / receiving infrared or wireless signals, and each used power control means 19 (described in FIG. 8) of the household appliances KP in the kitchen and the power command. Information such as required power, cooking status of each cooker and use permission power is transmitted to and from the device 6, and the use power control means 19 within the use power permitted by the power command device 6 is used for the home appliances in the kitchen. The power is individually controlled.

  In the first embodiment, the power use control means 19 uses a frequency band called a 2.4 GHz ISM band defined in “International Standard IEEE 802.11b” whose center frequency band is one of wireless LAN related standards. To do. In addition, in all the household appliances KP in a kitchen including the rice cooker 3, the actual use center frequency is set to 2.412 GHz (2512 MHz)-2.472 GHz.

  There are other appliances in the kitchen, such as oven toasters, tabletop hot plates, and water heaters (electric pots), all of which have a maximum rated power of about 1000W. Is not shown. In addition, you may make it connect between the household appliances KP in a kitchen, and the said electric power instruction | command apparatus 6 by connecting with the signal wire | line which served as the electric power line using electric power line conveyance technology, and may be made to control.

(Configuration of rice cooker 3)
As shown in FIGS. 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9, the rice cooker 3 according to the first embodiment has a vertically or vertically rectangular rice cooker body case 55 and a lid 56. The steam processing unit 57 is configured. On the surface of the lid 56 or the main body case 55, there is an operation unit 71 that is operated by the user when inputting, and the operation unit has a rice cooking start button 59 (see FIG. 6). As is well known, the rice cooker automatically starts cooking when the rice cooking start button 59 is pressed, cooks it in a boiling process through a water absorption process, and cooks rice. In addition, after cooking rice, the rice is kept at a predetermined temperature (for example, 70 ° C.) by a heat retaining heater (not shown) for a certain time (for example, 7 hours). Since the rice cooker 3 can be carried freely by the user, it can also be used in places other than the system kitchen 1.

The rice cooker 3 is demonstrated in FIG.
Inside the main body case 55, a planar circular magnetic metal inner hook 60 having an upper surface opened, and one side edge of the rear portion of the main body case 55 so as to close the upper surface opening of the inner hook so as to be freely opened and closed. The lid body 56 supported by a hinge mechanism and a heating means 61 for heating the inner pot 60 are provided. As the heating means, an induction heating type heater (heating coil) is used, and the heater is installed so as to face the outer bottom surface of the inner pot 60 in a wide range with a close contact or a minute gap.

  Inside the lid body 56, an annular rubber lid sealing material is provided so that when the lid body 56 is closed, steam does not leak to the outside from between the upper surface of the inner pot 60 and the lid body 56. A circular inner lid 62 made of a heat conductive metal is detachably fixed. A steam generation port 63 for discharging the steam generated in the inner hook 60 to the outside is formed in a part of the inner lid 62.

  A liquid crystal display unit 64 (see FIG. 6) is accommodated in the lid 56 so as to face the upper surface thereof. On the display screen of the liquid crystal display unit, various condition setting information before the start of rice cooking, information on the rice cooking process being executed, and the like are displayed as characters, symbols, illustrations, and the like. In addition, relevant information (including the purpose of noting abnormal use and the purpose of notifying the occurrence of abnormal operating conditions) that is helpful for the operating state of the heating means 61 and rice cooking is also appropriately displayed on the display screen of the liquid crystal display unit 64. The

  Reference numeral 65 denotes a steam duct having one end connected to the steam generation port 63 and a steam discharge port 66 formed at the end portion, and is installed in the lid 56 in a substantially horizontal direction.

  The steam treatment device 57 includes a water tank (not shown) having an open upper surface capable of storing water for performing a process of condensing steam discharged from the steam generation port 63, and an upper surface opening of the water tank. And a tank lid 66 that can be freely opened and closed.

  67 is a steam inlet provided in the tank lid 66 at a position corresponding to the steam outlet 66. A communication pipe (described later) communicating with the introduction port is provided below the introduction port. When the lid 56 is closed, the upper surface opening of the inner hook 60 is sealed by the inner lid 62, and the steam inlet 67 comes into close contact with the steam outlet 66.

  The communication pipe (not shown) has an upper end fixed to the lower surface of the tank lid 66 and is installed vertically so that most of it is submerged in water in a water tank (not shown). The relationship between the vertical length and the size (height) of the water tank so that the lower end of the communication pipe is located at a fixed depth (H) position from the surface of the water stored in the water tank Has been taken into account. Thereby, the vapor | steam discharge | released from the lower end opening of the said communicating pipe fully contacts the water in a water tank, and is made to return to water.

  Therefore, the constant depth position (H) is set so that all of the steam generated from the steam generating port 63 can be condensed even when the heating means 61 is energized with the maximum heating power. Is determined from the speed at which the steam bubbles blow up into the water and the speed at which the steam cools and returns to the water when it exits into the water from the lower end opening of the communication pipe. The term “steam” as used herein refers to steam that is generated inside the inner pot 60 in the “rice cooking process” and “murmuring process”, which will be described later, and is guided to the communication pipe. In this embodiment, “water absorption” All the steam from the “process” to the “thermal insulation process” can be recovered. In this embodiment, the heat insulation process is up to 7 hours after the end of the “smoothing process”, but the length of this time can be changed as appropriate.

  When the lid 56 is closed, the sealing material of the steam outlet 66 at the end of the steam duct 65 comes into close contact with the steam inlet 67 of the tank lid 66, and the lid 56 The high-temperature steam passing through the inside is surely communicated to the inside of the communication pipe of the water tank (not shown) without communicating with the outside on the way.

Next, the lid 56 of the rice cooker 3 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a view of the rice cooker 3 as viewed from above, and 64 is the liquid crystal display unit.
Reference numeral 68A denotes an operation button of the main power switch 68.
Reference numeral 69 denotes display information indicating that a “high fire” process in a “rice cooking process” to be described later is being executed, and “boiling” is displayed in text.

  Reference numeral 70 denotes display information indicating that the home appliance (rice cooker 3) is in a process of preferentially securing power (high heat heating in the rice cooking process) at this time. During the period when the display information 70 is displayed, the power command reduction command signal is not issued from the power command device 6, and the supply of power is not forcibly restricted. In other words, it is information indicating that the rice cooker 3 guarantees that no command such as the power reduction request signal AS1, the power reduction command signal AS2, or the like is issued from the power command device 6. In addition, when the rice cooker 3 receives the power reduction command signal AS2, the display changes to a display such as “power reduction in progress”, which is one type of the “electric power restriction information on the home appliance side” described above.

  71 is an operation unit of the rice cooker 3, a “cooking start button” 59 for starting a rice cooking operation or confirming a reservation, and a mode for starting a mode for keeping the cooked cooked rice at a predetermined temperature. "Key" 72, "menu key" 73 for selecting various cooking menus such as normal rice, rice crackers and cooked rice, "rice key" 74 for selecting and inputting the type of rice to be cooked such as white rice and brown rice, "Voice navigation key" 75 for notifying the state of the rice cooker 3 and the next necessary operation by voice, adjusting the volume for notification, and turning on / off the voice mode, "Reservation key for setting the reserved rice cooking function" 76, “Off / Cancel key” 77 for canceling or turning off various input operations and modes, “Normal”, “Kai”, and “Okayu” different from normal cooking rice can be selected. " A tree with the key "78, are respectively provided.

  Each of these keys 72 to 78 may be either a mechanical switch or a capacitive touch type switch that closes an electric contact built in when the user presses and generates an input signal, or a combination thereof. May be used.

  Reference numeral 79 denotes a power saving switch that can reduce power consumption by a predetermined amount by being pressed once. For example, if this power saving switch is pressed during the preheating process, the power consumption can be reduced for the first few minutes. Even when the voice guidance (navigation) key 75 is not pressed each time, guidance such as “the power saving mode has been selected. The preheating process time is extended for several minutes” is performed.

  Reference numeral 80 denotes a health information display key for displaying information on healthy rice cooking on the liquid crystal display unit 64 by pressing once. When this key is pressed, information such as rice and rice cooking method may be obtained from the information server 17 or the external engines 14A and 14B via the power command device 6.

  Reference numeral 81 denotes an NFC input / output unit for allowing the information communication terminal device 20 having the NFC input / output unit to approach and enable short-distance wireless communication. The NFC input / output unit 81 is close to the upper surface of the lid 56 and embedded therein. It is. Further, on the upper surface of the lid 56, the target position for approaching or contacting the information communication terminal device 20 is “TOUCH” so that the user can easily see the position of the wireless tag (NFC tag) 82 of the NFC input / output unit 81. Displayed in characters.

Next, in FIG. 7, the structure of the main control means of the rice cooker 3 is demonstrated. FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing main control means constituting the rice cooker 3.
Reference numeral 83 denotes a control unit that takes charge of the overall control function of the rice cooker 3, and includes a power supply unit 84 and a control unit 85. The control unit 85 is configured around one or more microcomputers. The microcomputer is composed of four parts: an input part, an output part, a storage part, and a CPU (arithmetic control part). DC power is supplied via the power supply part 84, and the heating means 61 and the liquid crystal display part. It plays a central role in controlling the H.64.

  In the control unit 85, as an operating condition of the heating means 61, a correlation table between the temperature of the bottom surface of the inner pot 60 and the temperature of cooked rice, each rice cooking menu (selection of white rice, no-washed rice, “normal” for cooking, “Okayu”, which is different from normal rice cooking, is stored in the non-volatile semiconductor storage unit 85R.

  Further, a control program for sequentially executing four processes, ie, “preheating process”, “rice cooking process”, “spotting process”, and “heat insulation process”, is stored in the storage unit 85R as a process of cooking rice. In addition, there is an energization condition as one of the “operating conditions” referred to here, and the energization condition refers to the electrical and physical conditions of the heating unit 61, and the energization time, energization amount, and energization pattern of the heating unit 61. (Continuous energization, intermittent energization, energization rate, etc.) is a general term.

  In FIG. 7, an inner hook temperature detector 86 is pressed against the bottom surface of the inner hook 60 by a compression spring or the like from below, detects the temperature of the inner hook 60 bottom face, and outputs a detection signal thereof. I use it. Reference numeral 71 denotes an operation unit provided at the front upper portion of the lid 56 of the main body 1.

  In FIG. 7, reference numeral 87 denotes time measuring means (clock circuit) for measuring time, and a time signal output from the time measuring means (clock circuit) is input to the control unit 85, and current time and installation time information are given to the liquid crystal display unit 64. Since the time is output, these times are displayed on the display screen of the liquid crystal display unit 64. In addition, even if this power supply means pulls out the power cord of the rice cooker 3 from the power supply port (separates), this time measuring means operates for a long time with the battery (not shown) incorporated in the rice cooker 3. It is also possible to have a function of obtaining time information from the outside like a radio timepiece during operation and making a self-correction so that there is no deviation in the current time.

  In FIG. 7, reference numeral 88 denotes a water level sensor that detects the amount of water stored in the water tank based on the water level, and grasps the water level of the water tank by light, weight, and other physical conditions. 41 is provided in a portion facing the water tank in the front part of 41.

  In FIG. 7, 89 is a water temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the water stored in the water tank, and is provided at a portion facing the wall surface of the water tank so as to detect the water temperature through the side wall of the water tank. It is provided.

Next, FIG. 8 will be described.
Reference numeral 19 denotes the above-described power use control means, which controls the power of the rice cooker 3 in response to a command signal from the power command device 6. Further, in order to transmit operation information signals L1 to L8 (see FIG. 12) described later to the power command device 6, a wireless communication unit 90 (input / output unit) is incorporated. The actual use center frequency of the wireless communication unit 90 is set to 2.412 GHz (2512 MHz) to 2.472 GHz.

  In FIG. 8, reference numeral 91 denotes a temperature detection circuit, which is installed above the water temperature sensor 89, the inner lid 62, a temperature sensor (not shown) for detecting the internal temperature of the inner hook 60, and the inner pot temperature detection. The temperature detection signals are received from the three units 86, and the detected temperatures are sent to the control unit 85.

  Reference numeral 92 denotes an inverter circuit that supplies high-frequency power to the heating means (induction heating type heater) 61. In this figure, the DC power supply circuit is not shown.

  Reference numeral 93 denotes a heat-retaining heater that is installed in the space above the inner lid 62 and heats the inner lid, and 94 is a drive circuit thereof. The heat retaining heater 93 is energized in a heat retaining step to be described later.

  A drive circuit 95 drives the liquid crystal display unit 64. The heat retaining heater 93 is energized in a heat retaining step to be described later. Reference numeral 96 denotes a voice synthesizer in which the rice cooking conditions input from the operation unit 71 by the voice navigation key 75, information on occurrence of an abnormality, and the like are guided by voice, and 97 is a voice from the voice synthesizer. It is a speaker which alert | reports. Reference numeral 98 denotes a power cord that can be arbitrarily pulled out from the rice cooker body case 55, and has a power plug at the tip thereof.

In FIG. 8, reference numeral 100 denotes a remote control unit, which transmits a command from the power command device 6 received via the wireless communication unit 90 (input / output unit) to the control unit 85.
Reference numeral 101 denotes a standby determination unit. This is because if the command content from the power command device 6 is to start operation at a predetermined time, a standby state is set between the current time and a predetermined time (for example, 5 minutes before) of the specified time. The power supply unit 84 to the control device 85 is shut off. In such a standby state, the supply of direct current from the power supply unit 84 to the control unit 85 is temporarily interrupted, and the liquid crystal display unit 64 also stops operating. As a result, power consumption on the control unit 85 side is eliminated, and only the used power control device 19 side continues the process of calculating the time until the designated time arrives in the standby determination unit 101.

  Reference numeral 102 denotes a temporary storage unit that stores data necessary for the operations of the standby determination unit 101 and the remote control unit 100 (including data at the time of occurrence of an abnormality acquired from the control unit 85) for at least 12 hours. . The stored contents are automatically erased when the main power switch 68 is turned on and the power supply unit 84 is activated at the start of the next rice cooking operation.

(Basic operation of rice cooker)
Next, FIG. 9 will be described. Although the rice cooking operation | movement of the rice cooker 3 is demonstrated, not the reservation rice cooking but the case where a user starts rice cooking immediately is demonstrated.
As shown in FIG. 9, the rice cooker according to the first embodiment has a control program in the control unit 85 so as to sequentially execute the four steps of the preheating step, the rice cooking step, the unevenness step, and the heat retention step. .

  First, the power plug of the power cord 98 is connected to the power supply unit, the tank cover 66 of the water tank removed from the main body case 55 is removed, and water is poured into the water tank from the outside. Then, a predetermined amount of rice and water is put into the inner pot 60.

  When the operation button 68A of the main power switch 68 is pressed, the liquid crystal display unit 64 is activated and necessary display is performed, and information on the rice cooking condition setting is guided by voice from the speaker 97 which is a part of the voice guide device. .

  Next, the rice cooking start button 59 on the upper surface of the lid 56 of the main body case 55 is pressed to start rice cooking. Thereby, the heating means 61 is heated and cooked rice. At this first stage, since it is still a water absorption process, display information (not shown) indicating that “power may be reduced” is displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 64. Thereby, a user understands that it is a household appliance in which electric power reduction operation | movement is performed by the command from the outside in the first step which uses this rice cooker 3. FIG.

  In FIG. 9, in the preheating step H1, the heating means 61 starts energization with a continuous energization pattern so as to initially have a strong heating power, but the temperature detection that the temperature inside the inner pot 60 has reached a predetermined temperature (55 ° C.). If the part 86 detects, this information will be input into the control part 85, and since the energization amount will be suppressed so that 55 degreeC may be maintained, and since electricity supply will become intermittent, steam will not generate | occur | produce substantially, but the steam process in a water tank (Condensate treatment) is not performed. This state of maintaining at 55 ° C. is continued for a certain period of time. The clock circuit 87 measures the elapsed time from the time when the temperature reaches 55 ° C., and this timing signal is input to the control unit 85 to control the end time of the preheating step H1.

  Next, when entering the rice cooking process H2, in the first strong fire process H2A, the heating power of the heating means 61 becomes strong, the water temperature in the inner pot 60 gradually rises, and the water in the inner pot 60 reaches boiling. When the boiling becomes intense and the amount of steam increases, the pressure in the inner pot 60 rises from the atmospheric pressure, and the steam generated in the inner pot 60 is pushed out by the pressure and is discharged from the steam generating port 63 to the lid 56. It enters a sealed space constituted by an internal steam duct 65. Thereafter, the steam is jetted from the steam duct 65 to the water tank serving as the steam processing device 57. That is, the rice cooking process H2 is comprised from two, the high fire process H2A heated by the maximum heat power, for example, 1300W, and the subsequent low fire process H2B.

  When the rice cooking process is started, display information (not shown) indicating that “power may be reduced” disappears from the liquid crystal display unit 64, and instead, as shown in FIG. Display information 70 indicating “priority” is displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 64.

  Thereby, the user knows that the power is preferentially secured and the rice cooking operation is performed. The voice synthesizer 96 may notify the same effect by voice. When the power command device 6 enters the first high fire process H2A, the power command device 6 temporarily sends a command signal corresponding to the power reduction request signal AS1 or the power reduction command signal AS2 to the power usage control means 19. Even if it transmits, since the control part 85 ignores such a command, electric power used is not reduced by the high fire process H2A. In other words, the strong fire process H2A is executed with the heating power determined by the control unit 85.

  Then, the steam that has flowed into the water tank serving as the steam treatment device 57 is ejected into the water from the lower end opening of the communication pipe (not shown), where it comes into contact with the water in the water tank and removes heat to the water. I will dew and return to the water.

  By treating the steam in this way, the steam generated from the inner pot 60 is prevented from leaking to the outside, and the steam during cooking is released directly into the indoor space, thereby preventing an increase in unpleasant humidity. It becomes possible.

  And from the time in the middle of the rice cooking process (this is realized by the control unit 85 seeing the elapsed time from the time when the boiling state is reached), the heating power of the heating means 61 becomes the low heat process H2B. At the end, the moisture in the inner pot 60 that has been discharged by steaming is reduced, and the internal temperature of the inner pot 60 suddenly rises from about 100 degrees to about 130 ° C. Then, since the temperature detection means 86 detects such a rapid temperature rise and inputs temperature detection information from the temperature detection circuit 91 to the control unit 85, the control unit 85 determines that rice cooking is complete.

  Further, the display information indicating “power priority” displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 64 at the time of entering the low heat process H2B disappears. In addition, when the power reduction request signal AS1 is received from the power control device 6 in the low heat process or the preheating process, this is displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 64.

  Next, when the rice cracking process H3 is started and rice cooking proceeds, the amount of steam generated gradually decreases with time, and when cooking is completed, the inner pot 60 cools and the pressure decreases. As a result, the pressure inside the steam duct 65 is reduced, but a communication pipe (not shown) that is below the tank lid 66 and is mostly submerged in water in a water tank (not shown). ) Has a check valve (not shown), so that external air is sucked from the check valve and the pressure in the inner hook 60 returns to a state close to the original atmospheric pressure. It is possible to prevent an unexpected situation in which the water inside is sucked up to the lid 56 side and flows back to the inner pot 60 side.

  The amount of steam generated during cooking varies depending on the combination of the type of rice (white rice, non-washed rice, etc.), how to cook (hardness, stickiness), and the menu (normal rice cooking and rice porridge). However, steam processing is performed in the process until the cooking menu is finished, and the water capacity in the water tank is such that the water temperature in the water tank after cooking is not burned, for example, 55 ° C or less. Is set.

  After the completion of rice cooking, the process proceeds to a heat retaining step H4, and the temperature of the inner pot 60 is maintained at a predetermined temperature, for example, 70 ° C. by a heat retaining heater 93 provided separately from the heating means 61.

  As described above, since steam is mainly generated in the rice cooking process H2 and the unevenness process H3, in the first embodiment of the present invention, the amount of steam released in these processes is confirmed by calculation, experiment, etc. Set the water level and water level. Even if there is a sufficient amount of water, if the steam is spouted into the water at a shallow position in the water, the steam rises in the form of bubbles and is released from the water surface to the atmosphere without sufficient contact between the steam and water. I understood that it would end up. Therefore, in the first embodiment, the control unit 85 determines whether or not the amount of water in the water tank is sufficient from the detection information of the water level sensor 88 by the water level sensor 88 before starting the first water absorption process of the rice cooking process. ing.

  Further, since the water temperature sensor 89 for detecting the temperature of the water stored in the water tank is provided, the temperature information of the water tank is transmitted from the temperature detection circuit 91 to the control unit 85 in response to the output of the water temperature sensor. Then, the control unit 85 can determine whether the temperature of the water in the water tank is higher than a predetermined temperature. If it is abnormally high, the controller 85 does not execute the operation of starting energization of the heating means 61, and therefore does not even execute the preheating step.

  Furthermore, once the rice cooking process has been started, the water temperature of the water tank is set to be within a predetermined temperature range until the completion of rice cooking. Even when the water temperature of the water tank becomes higher than a predetermined temperature, the water temperature sensor can detect the water temperature. The control program of the control unit 85 is set so as to change the energization condition 61 and execute an operation of weakening the substantial heating power. However, this degree of thermal power suppression is performed within a range that does not hinder the original rice cooking operation and cooking. As a means for weakening the thermal power, an appropriate means such as reducing the amount of supplied power itself or lowering the energization rate may be used. In the first embodiment, when the water temperature is 35 ° C. or lower at the start of rice cooking, the rice cooking operation is started, and when it exceeds 35 ° C., the rice cooking operation is not started. This considers that the temperature of the water temperature of the water tank does not become an abnormally high temperature region at the end of cooking rice.

  In the rice cooker 3, the first strong fire process H2A of the rice cooking process H2 has the greatest influence on the rice cooking performance. So, in this rice cooker 3, the control part 85 has designated this high fire process H2A to "the execution time slot | zone of a priority cooking menu." In other words, it is always known whether the cooking menu being executed is in the “execution time zone of the priority cooking menu”, and if it is in the execution time zone, that fact is indicated through the power usage control means 19. It has a function of notifying the device 6. This prevents inadvertent power reduction. In addition, when the high-fire process H2A is entered, the display information 70C is displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 64, and the user knows that power is preferentially secured and the rice cooking operation is performed.

  Although the rice cooker of this Embodiment 1 was a thing of the type which collect | recovers the vapor | steam which generate | occur | produces during rice cooking with the said steam processing apparatus 57, it does not have such a steam processing apparatus 57, and does not provide steam during rice cooking. The thing of the type discharge | released to indoor space may be used.

(Basic operation of power command device)
Next, the basic operation of the power command device 6 will be described with reference to FIG.
One household appliance KP in the kitchen, for example, the rice cooker 3 described above, has a “priority cooking menu execution time zone”.
In addition, the induction heating cooker 51 has a plurality of heating means (heating ports) 51L and 51R, one of which is in the “priority cooking menu execution time zone” and is actually cooking, and the other heating If the means is not in the “priority cooking menu execution time zone”, power is maintained for the heating means in the “priority cooking menu execution time zone”, and the power of the other heating means is subject to reduction. It is.

  The rice cooker 3 and the induction heating cooker 51 are high in the priority of securing electric power. Next to these, priorities for securing electric power are determined in the order of the air conditioner 7 and the dishwasher 54, thereby preventing the workability of the user from being impaired.

  Although the air conditioner 4 is not installed in the kitchen, the power is cut off through the same breaker BK, so that the air conditioner 4 is set to a lower rank than the rice cooker 3 and the induction heating cooker 51. ing. The priority is set higher than that of the dishwasher 54.

  Next, a case where a command to reduce the total power amount is issued from the power command device 6 when one air conditioner 4, induction heating cooker 51, and rice cooker 3 are used at the same time will be described.

  In FIG. 10, as a result of totaling the power request results from the home appliances KP in the kitchen and the air conditioner 4 by a required power adder (not shown) of the power command device 6, the total power is the breaker capacity (for example, The case where the user has voluntarily lowered the power usage upper limit value by looking at the display screen of the use limit setting device (display screen 26 of the display panel 24) will be described.

  In this case, as shown in FIG. 10, the power command device 6 determines in the first step 1 that the command for reducing the total power is given from the outside (ST1).

  Then, the new upper limit value (second upper limit capacity; for example, 7000 W) is compared with the electric power request results from each kitchen appliance KP and the air conditioner 4 using a comparator (not shown) (ST2). If the value is exceeded, the power reduction width is determined by a power consumption reduction width determining means (not shown) (ST3).

  And according to a priority, the electric power reduction command is issued to the air conditioner 4 in use. In response to this command, the air conditioner 4 reduces power consumption (ST4). When the power reduction width is 300 W, the air conditioner 4 is the electric compressor that consumes the most power in the air conditioner 4 by changing the cooling target temperature from 26 ° C. to 28 ° C. The rotation speed of the machine (not shown) is reduced, and the operation is changed to energy saving operation with reduced power consumption. Note that, based on the correlation between the target temperature and the current indoor temperature, the amount of power used when the rotational speed of the electric compressor is reduced is obtained in advance through experiments and the data is stored on the air conditioner 7 side. Therefore, the operating condition of the electric compressor (not shown) for the power reduction operation is instantaneously determined according to the power reduction request from the power command device 6.

  If the air conditioner 4 is not used, neither the rice cooker 2 nor the induction heating cooker 51 is immediately subject to power reduction. This is because the rice cooker 3 is executing the high-fire process (boiling process) H2A, and the induction heating cooker 51 is also in the “priority cooking menu execution time zone”.

  Thereafter, the air conditioner 4 notifies the power command device 6 that the power used has been reduced by 300 W. After that, the power command device 6 re-aggregates the power request results from the home appliances KP and the air conditioner 4 in each kitchen (ST5), and the power request total value is small and there is a margin that exceeds the power reduction width of 300W. In some cases, for example, if the total power requirement at that time does not exceed 6500W with respect to the above new upper limit value (7000W), there will be a margin of 500W, so air conditioning that has been reduced by 300W previously The air conditioner 4 is proposed (notified) in advance to return the power used by the machine 4 to the original level. The air conditioner 4 returns to the operation of automatically lowering the target temperature to 26 ° C. within a predetermined time from the notification (ST6). As shown in FIG. 10, when the air conditioner 4 performs the operation of reducing the power consumption and performs the operation of increasing the power, immediately after that, the air conditioner 4 transmits the information of the power usage to the power command device 6. .

  As described above, the operation information (execution of cooking menu, setting of thermal power, etc.) is transmitted to the power command device 6 as needed in each process from the power-on to the power-off of each household electrical appliance KP in the kitchen. In the air conditioner 4 as well, operation information (execution of the cooling / heating operation menu, setting of the target temperature, etc.) is transmitted to the power command device 6 at any time in all processes from turning on the power to turning off the power. It is possible to always grasp the power usage status of a plurality of home appliances EE. This will be described in detail below.

  FIG. 11 shows a rice cooker 3 as a representative example, and operation information (execution of cooking menu, setting of thermal power, etc.) is transmitted to the power command device 6 at any time in all processes from power-on to power-off. It is a time table showing the situation. In other kitchen appliances KP and the air conditioner 4 as well, operation information is transmitted to the power command device 6 as needed.

  In FIG. 11, L1 to L8 are operation information signals transmitted from the rice cooker 3 to the power command device 6. L1 is a signal indicating that the main power is turned on (ON), and is transmitted when the operation button 68A of the main power switch 68 is pressed. An abnormality occurrence notification signal ES, which will be described later, is also one of the driving information signals.

  L2 is the information which selected reservation rice cooking mode. L3 is notice information (also referred to as “start request signal”) that is transmitted when the reserved time for starting rice cooking approaches (for example, 5 minutes before the set time for reserved rice cooking).

In FIG. 11, KS is a “cooking start permission signal” transmitted from the power command device 6 within a short time (usually within a few seconds) from the start notice information (also referred to as “start request signal”) L3. is there. Unless this signal reaches the rice cooker 3, the rice cooker 3 does not start the actual rice cooking operation.
L4 is one of the operation information signals, and indicates that the inverter circuit 92 is actually driven, the induction heating operation is started, and the preheating process H1 is started.

  L5 is an operation information signal indicating that the rice cooking process H2A has started. L6 is an operation information signal indicating that the rice cooking process H2A has ended. In the execution time zone of this rice cooking process H2A, power is not reduced by an operation or command from the outside. That is, whether or not the rice cooker 3 is actually in the “execution time zone of the priority cooking menu” is determined by whether or not it is after this information L5 (however, the next information L6 is not received).

  L6 shows the driving | operation information signal which rice cooking process H2A was complete | finished. L7 indicates that the unevenness process H3 has been completed. L8 is information indicating the cutoff (OFF) of the main power switch 68. Each of these pieces of information L1 to L8 includes the current time up to the second unit. In addition, although there is also a response signal from the power command device 6 side for each operation information signal, detailed description is omitted.

  Since the power command device 6 has the highest priority for the required power of the rice cooker 3 and secures the required power of the rice cooker 3 with the highest priority, the capacity of the breaker BK is likely to exceed 8000W. Even if it becomes or exceeds the upper limit power capacity (for example, 7000 W) designated by the user, the electric power is not reduced in the boiling process H2A, and delicious rice can be cooked.

(Reserved rice cooking operation of rice cooker)
Next, operation | movement of the rice cooker 3 which is one of the characteristics of this Embodiment 1 is demonstrated, referring FIG.
Steps S <b> 1 to S <b> 8 show the operation up to the setting of reserved rice cooking, and are the operation of the control unit 85 of the rice cooker 3.

  When the user sequentially presses the button 68 and the reservation key 76 of the operation unit 71 to set the rice cooking time, and finally presses the rice cooking start button 59, a setting confirmation signal for the reserved rice cooking is generated, and the setting of the reserved rice cooking is performed. Confirm (S1).

  In response to this confirmation signal, an operation information signal L2 indicating the setting of the reserved rice cooking mode is transmitted from the wireless communication unit 90 to the power command device 6 (S2). At that time, the rice cooking operation start time information is also transmitted in a 24-hour display, such as “20:00”. In addition, information of the reservation setter (presumed to be a user) may be transmitted by including in the data, for example, a code number indicating “resident B”.

  Next, the time interval between the rice cooking start time set by the user and the current time is calculated. In addition, when a user sets rice cooking desired time, "cooking completion time" is set. That is, it is set that the set time is “20:00” because it is desired to complete the rice cooking when returning home, but the control unit 85 receives this input and the rice cooking process (in this case, as shown in FIG. The required time of the preheating process H1, the rice cooking process H2, and the unevenness process H3) is calculated, and the start time of the preheating process H1 is calculated (S3).

  If there is a time of 15 minutes or more from the calculation result in step S3, “Yes” is determined in the next step S4, and the process proceeds to the next step S5. “Standby processing” in step S5 means that when the standby determination unit 101 built in the power consumption control means 19 receives information about the rice cooking start time from the control unit 85, the current time determines the predetermined time (from the current time). For example, until 5 minutes ago, in order to enter a standby state, the power supply unit 84 to the control device 85 is shut off, and the liquid crystal display unit 64 and the operation are stopped. This eliminates power consumption on the control unit 85 side.

  The standby determination unit 101 uses a time information from the clock circuit 87 to determine whether or not a predetermined time (for example, 5 minutes) before the designated time for cooking rice (start) from the current time. Check at intervals. A description of the subsequent operation is omitted.

  On the other hand, if there is no time of 15 minutes or more from the calculation result of step S3, the process proceeds to step S6. In step S6, whether or not a predetermined time (for example, 5 minutes) before the designated time is checked at regular time intervals. If “Yes” in this step, the process proceeds to the next step S7.

  In step S <b> 7, an operation information signal (notice signal) L <b> 3 indicating the start of rice cooking in the reserved rice cooking mode is transmitted from the wireless communication unit 90 to the power command device 6. At that time, the rice cooking operation start time information is also transmitted in a 24-hour display, such as “20:00”.

  In the next step S8, the voice synthesizer 96 and the liquid crystal display unit 64 notify the start of the rice cooking operation by voice or text. A description of the subsequent operation is omitted.

(Remote operation of reserved cooking time)
Next, when changing the reservation time of “operation start time (start reservation time A)” of the home appliance EE, for example, the rice cooker 3, which is one of the features of the first embodiment, and the home appliance EE (rice cooker) Two cases of changing the reservation time of “operation end time (end reservation time A)” of 3) will be described.

  FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the operation of the central control unit 27 of the power command device 6. The basic operation program (information processing program) shown in this flowchart is stored in a semiconductor memory (ROM) inside a microcomputer (not shown) constituting the central control unit 27 of the power command device 6.

The case where the resident B (user B) makes a rice cooking reservation in advance for the rice cooker 3 and reserves 20:00 (8 pm) as the “operation end time” will be described as an example.
The resident B goes out after making a rice cooking reservation, and the estimated time to return home is 22:00 from the remote facility 22 as shown in FIG. When the information is changed, information on the scheduled return time (expected) time is transmitted from the information communication terminal device 20 and reaches the power command device 6 via the wide area communication network 15. Specifically, it reaches the central control unit 27 via the router A13A and the input / output unit 29B (step 1. Hereinafter, “step” is described as “SU”).

  Next, the central control unit 27 compares the reserved time acquired in advance from the rice cooker 3 with the scheduled return time (SU2).

  In the comparison result, it is determined whether or not there is a deviation of 30 minutes or more (SU3). If there is a deviation of 30 minutes or more, the reservation time for the rice cooker 3 is set to the return home. A change command is issued to match the scheduled (expected) time (SU4). Therefore, in the case of the rice cooker 3 described above, the rice cooking completion reservation time is changed to 22:00.

  Note that the reason why the deviation of 30 minutes or more is set as the threshold value here is that there is a possibility that an unreasonable operation may be performed on the home appliance side if a change in time shorter than this is dealt with each time. For example, the rice cooker 3 takes about 30 minutes from the start of rice cooking to the end of the boiling process, as described above. Therefore, even if the “operation end time” is advanced by 20 minutes, Cooking rice cannot be completed before the scheduled time. If there is no deviation of 30 minutes or more in the comparison result of SU3, SU4 is skipped and no reservation time change command is issued.

  In this Embodiment 1, when there is a time lag of 30 minutes or more, a change command is given to the rice cooker 3 so that the reserved time is set to 22:00 of the scheduled return (predicted) time. Before the change, the unit price of the electricity rate applied at the time after the change (determined by the contract with the electric power company) is compared with the unit price of the electricity rate applied at the time before the change (SU4). In this comparison, an index of “cheap” or “high” may be prepared based on the unit price of each time zone instead of the electricity rate itself, and the comparison may be made using the index. The information on the electricity bill unit price may be acquired in advance by the power command apparatus 6 from the external engines 14A and 14B, or may be acquired from the outside each time.

  If the comparison result shows that the unit price increases (economically disadvantageous), the central control unit 27 sends the information on the scheduled return (estimated) time (22:00) of the sender. The information communication terminal device 20 is notified that it is an unfavorable time zone on the electricity bill. For example, “Since the return time will be delayed, the rice cooker reservation time will be reduced accordingly, but the electricity bill will rise from“ low ”to“ medium ”” (SU6) And the email is delivered to the information communication terminal device 20. The resident B may see the e-mail and send a new scheduled time for returning home.

  In the case of the rice cooker 3 described above, the rice cooking completion reservation time is changed from 20:00 to 22:00. However, since it is the “morning / night time” before 20:00 and before 22:00, It is neither disadvantageous nor advantageous in terms of price.

  When an electrical device with a reserved time (operation start time or operation end time) is changed to a scheduled return time, a determination is made as to whether or not the operation avoidance time zone set for a specific home appliance is entered. (SU7). The “driving avoidance time zone” here is, for example, a home appliance that produces a driving sound such as the self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner (also referred to as “cleaning robot”, not shown). 22:00) to 6am the next morning. This is because the user (resident) can individually set the target home appliance and time zone in the power command device 6, but in the case of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner, the operation sound of the blower motor is driven by the operation. This is because, in the case of a housing complex, there is a concern that the residents in an adjacent room may be disturbed by noise.

  In the case of the rice cooker 3 described above, since the “driving avoidance time zone” is not set, the determination step (SU7) is YES, and the process proceeds to the next step SU8. This SU8 is a step in which it is determined whether or not the target electrical device is compatible with various environmental conditions when it is operated at the time after the change. For example, in the case of the rice cooker 3, based on the information of the environment detection unit 30, the central control unit 27 determines that the room temperature is 2 ° C. to 35 ° C. as “conforming”. That is, if the temperature of the kitchen is 4 ° C. at the stage of the rice cooking start time (for example, 21:20), the rice cooking operation starts from 21:20 (the water absorption process starts at 21:20 at first). . If the temperature is 0 ° C., it is assumed that the water in the steam recovery device of the rice cooker is frozen and the generated steam cannot be recovered. Therefore, whether or not to start rice cooking is determined in such a temperature range.

  As explained in the example of FIG. 9, the process automatically shifts from the completion of rice cooking to the heat-retaining process, and the heat-retaining operation is continued for a maximum of 7 hours. It can be selected before the start of cooking, and if the heat insulation process is stopped, the electricity consumption is reduced by the amount of electricity supplied by the heat insulation heater. However, if the room temperature is high, the cooked rice may be spoiled. Therefore, based on the information of the environment detection unit 30, the central control unit 27 determines that the room temperature is 2 ° C to 23 ° C as "conforming". The In other words, for example, if the room temperature of the kitchen at the time when the boiling process is finished and before the warming process is started is 30 ° C., the warming operation will not be stopped automatically even if the “warming off” mode is selected. It becomes operation | movement which transfers to a heat retention process.

  As described above, the SU 8 in FIG. 14 determines “applicability to environmental conditions” that determines whether or not the reservation time should be changed from the room temperature of the living space where various home appliances are installed and other environmental conditions. It is processing. The “permission condition” that is the basis of this determination is set by the central control unit 27 of the power command device 6 and stored in advance in the second storage unit 27B.

  SU9 in FIG. 14 is a correction possibility check process. Here, for example, when the air conditioner 4 does not meet environmental conditions (for example, when the room temperature is too low for cooling), the process shifts to energy-saving control that increases the target indoor temperature or decreases the cooling capacity. Therefore, it is determined whether or not such operating conditions (heating amount, motor output, cooling capacity, etc.) can be corrected. If correction processing is possible, correction processing is performed (SU10), and an operation condition change command is issued from the central control unit 27 of the power command device 6 to the related home appliance (in this case, the air conditioner 7). . In the case of the rice cooker 3 this time, step SU9 becomes “Yes”.

  When it is determined in step SU8 that the environmental condition is met, and after the change processing SU10 to energy saving control is performed, the reservation time (operation start time or operation end time) change processing is performed. Specifically, a command to change the operation start time or the operation end time is issued from the central control unit 27 of the power command device 6 to the related home appliance (SU11), and the electric device starts to operate according to the change command. Alternatively, processing for changing the end time is performed. In the case of the rice cooker 2, the reservation content is rewritten so that rice cooking is completed at 22:00.

  On the other hand, if the reservation time (operation start time or operation end time) is changed, the reservation time cannot be permitted in the case of driving in the driving avoidance time zone. Answer processing SU12 is performed. In practice, the central control unit 27 of the power command device 6 transmits information clearly indicating the reason for disapproval, and the transmitted information reaches the information communication terminal device 20 via the wide area communication network 15. become. Therefore, residents who plan to use home appliances EE that emit driving noise, such as self-propelled vacuum cleaners, will be at midnight during their return time, and self-propelled vacuum cleaners (Fig. It can be understood from the information from the power command device 6 that the operation cannot be started.

  Even if the processing SU8 for determining whether or not “environmental condition conformance is possible” becomes “nonconformity” and the correction processing SU10 is also impossible, the process proceeds to the same step SU12, and the power command device 9 supplies the information indicating the reason for disapproval. A series of processing ends after making a call. In the non-permitted answer processing SU12, various answer contents are conceivable depending on the type of electrical equipment and environmental conditions, and these answers are pre-patterned and stored in the second storage unit 27B. Appropriate answer contents are selected and transmitted by the central control unit 27 each time. For example, when the reason is the driving avoidance time zone, the answer may be concise, such as “prohibit driving because it is a midnight time zone” or “cannot drive because the room temperature is low”. The purpose of transmitting such reasons for disapproval is to avoid misunderstandings of residents (users). In other words, if the home appliance reservation time (operation start time or operation end time) cannot be automatically changed due to the notification of the return home time, this will be notified, so the resident (user) will be in the stage before returning home. Knowing that a disapproval notice has come, you can predict the operating status of home appliances. In some cases, it is known that a notice of disapproval has been received, which leads to an action to change the reservation content of the electric device by speeding up the return time.

  If the above-described steps also result in the reservation time being changed, the central control unit 27 sets the reservation time (operation start time or operation end time) acquired in advance from the target home appliance. Then, it issues a command to change to the scheduled return time notified from the information communication terminal device 20 (SU11 in FIG. 56). In the above example, in the case of the rice cooker 2, the reservation content is rewritten so that rice cooking is completed at 22:00 (therefore, the preheating process starts before 22:00).

  FIGS. 15 to 17 are for explaining a rice cooker 3, an air conditioner (air conditioner) 4, a power command device 6, an information communication terminal device 20, and a power control system composed of these and an operation management system for home appliances. It is time-series operation explanatory drawing.

  15 to 17, various processes (command signal transmission, notification signal transmission, etc.) executed by the power command device 6, the home appliance EE, and the information communication terminal device 20 are attached in the order of occurrence, such as T 1, T 2, T 3. It is shown by the serial number. In FIGS. 15 to 17, arrows indicate that various notifications and commands are issued.

  In these scenes of FIGS. 15 to 17, in the state where the resident A and the resident B are at home, the reservation setting of the rice cooker 3 is performed, and then the resident A and the resident B go out together and live. In this example, it is assumed that the person B carries the information communication terminal device 20.

FIG. 15 shows a case where reserved rice cooking is set for the rice cooker 3 while the air conditioner 4 is in operation.
When the operation of the air conditioner 4 is started, an operation state signal is transmitted to the power command device 6 (T1). The first storage unit 27 of the power command device 6 has a basic database of home appliances EE subject to power control, and operating conditions (information on maximum power consumption, scheduled end time of operation, etc.) executed by each home appliance EE. Are written and updated from time to time.

Operation information of the air conditioner 4 is additionally recorded in the basic database (T2).
Next, when the reserved rice cooking of the rice cooker 3 is set by the operation unit 71, the reserved rice cooking setting is determined when the rice cooking start button 59 is pressed as described above (T3).

Then, the reserved rice setting information is transmitted from the rice cooker 3 to the power command device 6 (T4).
The first storage unit 27 of the power command apparatus 6 has a basic database (hereinafter referred to as “absence mode setting database”) for electrical equipment having a reserved time (operation start time or operation end time). In this, the reservation setting conditions of the rice cooker 3 are recorded (T5).

  Next, the power command apparatus 6 notifies the information communication terminal device 20 that the reserved rice setting has been made (referred to as “notification A”, T6). However, when the owner of the information communication terminal device 20 is still in the living space HA, this step T6 may be omitted. Moreover, the electric power instruction | command apparatus 6 alert | reports to the rice cooker 3 that it had registered in the absence mode setting database that there was reservation rice cooking setting (T7).

  In rice cooker 3, after receiving notification signal T7, standby determination unit 101 shuts off power supply unit 84 to control device 85, liquid crystal display unit 64 also stops operating, and enters a standby state (T8). Note that this standby state is also referred to as a “standby power cut-off” state because reservation setting contents such as operation start and operation stop are changed by a remote operation command from the power command device 6 or the information communication terminal device 20.

  When reservation rice cooking of rice cooker 3 is set as described above, and resident A and resident B go out together, the stage before resident A or B leaves the living space HA when going out. Then, the “absence mode” is set on the display panel 24 of the power command device 6 and an operation of shutting off the power supply of the home appliances EE at once is performed in order to suppress unnecessary power consumption during absence.

  When the central control unit 27 senses such a setting of “answer mode” (T9), the central control unit 27 determines whether the home appliance that completely shuts off the power during absence and the electrical device that does not shut off (in this case, Discriminating rice cooker 3). For this purpose, the target electrical device is specified using the data in the basic database and the absence mode setting database (T10).

  Next, even if the air conditioner 4 is still in operation at that time, a command signal for stopping operation is issued to the power usage control means 19 (T11), and the home appliance that completely shuts off the power during absence is displayed. The power is shut off all at once (T12). In addition, although the rice cooker 3 continues the power supply of the power supply part 84 of the used power control means 19, the used power control means 19 is not driven by the power from the commercial power supply EP, and another power source such as a rechargeable battery is used. May be ensured, the main power switch 68 of the rice cooker 3 may be turned off.

  Next, the air conditioner 4 transmits an operation state signal indicating stop of operation to the power command device 6 (T13). The operation stop information is also transmitted from the power command device 6 to the information communication terminal device 20 (“notification B”, T14). Further, the air conditioner 4 turns off the main power switch (not shown) by itself (T15).

  FIG. 16 shows a scene that continues from the state of FIG. 15, where both residents A and B have gone out and nobody is in their home (residence space HA). It shows the situation until later. Further, the case of FIG. 16 shows an example in which reserved rice cooking is performed as reserved.

  The power command device 6 uses the data of the absence mode setting database to monitor whether the reserved operation start time of the rice cooker 3 is approaching, and is a predetermined time (for example, 5 minutes) before the reserved rice cooking time. When it is determined that the power has been cut (T16), a command signal for returning the power from the standby power cut-off state is transmitted to the rice cooker 3 (T17).

  Furthermore, the power command device 6 notifies the information communication terminal device 20 that a command for returning the rice cooker 3 has been issued ("notification C", T18).

  In the rice cooker 3, the standby determination unit 101 resumes the power supply from the power supply unit 84 to the control unit 85 in order to recover from the standby power cut-off state (T19).

  When the resident B who is away from home receives the notification C to the information communication terminal device 20 that he / she is holding, if the predetermined approval information is returned from the information communication terminal device 20 (T20), the power command device 6 transmits the signal (heating cooking start permission signal KS) which permits the start of reservation rice cooking operation | movement with respect to the rice cooker 3 (T21).

  After receiving the permission signal KS, the rice cooker 3 starts energizing the heating means 61 (T23) when the controller 85 determines that the reserved rice start time has come (T22), and performs the reserved rice cooking as scheduled. An operation information signal L5 indicating the start is transmitted to the power command device 6 (T24).

  The central control unit 27 of the power command device 6 receives the signal L5 and stores the rice cooker 3 in the monitoring target list of the basic database in order to monitor the operation state and the amount of power of the rice cooker 3 (T25).

  When the rice cooking process ends and the unevenness process ends, the rice cooker 3 enters the heat retaining process (T26), and transmits an operation information signal L7 indicating that the unevenness process ends to the power command apparatus 6 ( T27).

  The central control unit 27 of the power command device 6 receives the signal L7, updates the monitoring target list in the basic database, and the rice cooker 3 reflects in the basic database that the reserved rice cooking has been completed (T28).

  Furthermore, the power command device 6 notifies the information communication terminal device 20 that the reserved rice cooking operation of the rice cooker 3 has been completed (“notification D”, T29).

  Thereafter, the resident B first comes home, performs the unlocking operation with the electronic lock at the entrance, and the personal authentication device 34 issues an unlocking operation signal from the input data for unlocking the electronic lock 33 at the entrance. To do. The resident B who has returned to the living space HA in this manner cancels the “answer mode” on the display panel 24 and returns to the “home mode” (T30).

  At this time, the central control unit 27 receives the signal for canceling the absence mode, and displays on the liquid crystal display screen 26 information that can identify the home electric appliance EE that has started operation during absence. Further, it is also displayed whether or not the set home electric appliance EE has started and ended as scheduled, especially when starting operation while absent (T31). The display content of the liquid crystal display screen 26 in this scene will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

  As apparent from the description of FIGS. 15 and 16, when the resident B cancels the absence mode when returning home, the resident B performs an operation of canceling the absence mode on the liquid crystal display screen 26 of the display panel 24. Information that can identify the home appliance EE (rice cooker 3) that should have started operation while absent, and whether the home appliance (rice cooker 3) has started and ended as scheduled Information can be visually confirmed at a time.

  FIG. 17 shows a scene that continues from the state of FIG. 15, where both residents A and B have gone out and nobody is in their home (residence space HA). It shows the situation until later. Further, the case of FIG. 16 shows an example in which reserved rice cooking is not performed as reserved.

  In FIG. 17, T16 to T22 are the same as those shown in FIG.

  When the rice cooker 3 does not start the rice cooking operation for some reason after receiving the operation start permission signal KS of the reserved rice cooking (T23), the operation becomes as follows. The reason why rice cooking operation does not start is that, for example, a prescribed amount of water is put into the water tank of the steam processing device 57 and the rice cooking reservation is confirmed, but there is an earthquake while the resident is away, and the rice cooker 3 shakes. In this case, it is assumed that the water tank moves to an abnormal position and the water in the water tank overflows outside. As described above, when the amount of water is too small, the water level sensor 88 is activated, and safety measures are taken so that the rice cooking operation is not started.

  The rice cooker 3 starts the rice cooking operation by starting energization to the heating means 61 when the controller 85 determines that the reserved rice cooking start time (Tm) has come (T22). If not started (T23), the central control unit 27 of the power command device 6 determines whether or not the reservation rice start information has been received from the rice cooker 3 (multiple times) after the reserved rice start time (Tm). ) Check (T24).

  If the start information of reserved rice is still not received within 1 minute from the reserved rice start time (Tm), it is estimated that the reserved rice is not started due to the problem of the rice cooker 3 itself. The central control unit 27 of the commanding device 6 stores the rice cooker 3 in the monitoring target list of the basic database (T25).

  And the central control part 27 of the electric power instruction | command apparatus 6 alert | reports that the reservation rice cooking operation | movement of the rice cooker 3 is not completed with respect to the information communication terminal device 20 ("notification D", T26). Further, the central control unit 27 transmits an execution status inquiry signal to the rice cooker 3 to confirm the “implementation status” of (rice cooking operation) for a plurality of times thereafter (T27, T28). . This inquiry continues for up to 14 hours from the reserved cooking start time (Tm) (for example, repeated at least every 30 minutes).

  In the rice cooker 3, when the communication function or the like is broken and communication is not possible, the control unit 85 obtains information such as the prohibition of operation start due to an abnormality detection of the water level sensor 89, for example (T29).

In the rice cooker 3, the history information acquired in this way (rice cooking operation) is integrated and transmitted to the power command device 6 (T30). The signal at this time is referred to as “reserved rice cooking not yet informed signal” LN.
In response to this transmission result, the power command device 6 notifies the information communication terminal device 20 of information such as the cause that the reserved rice cooking operation of the rice cooker 3 has not been completed ("notification E", T31).

  Thereafter, the resident B (or another resident may return) returns home, performs unlocking operation with the electronic lock at the entrance, and the personal authentication device 34 performs unlocking operation from the input data for unlocking the electronic lock 33 at the entrance. Give a signal and unlock. The resident B who has returned to the living space HA in this manner cancels the “answer mode” on the display panel 24 and returns to the “home mode” (T32).

  At this time, the central control unit 27 receives the signal for canceling the absence mode, and displays information on the liquid crystal display screen 26 that can identify the home appliance EE that has started operation during absence (also in the voice guidance device, by voice). Alert you). In addition, it is also displayed whether or not the set home electric appliance EE has started and ended according to the reservation to start driving particularly during absence (T33). In the example of FIG. 17, the rice cooker 3 has made a reservation rice but notifies that no rice has been cooked. The display content of the liquid crystal display screen 26 in this scene will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

  As is clear from the explanation of FIG. 17, when the resident B cancels the absence mode when returning home, the resident B performs the operation for canceling the absence mode on the liquid crystal display screen 26 of the display panel 24 during the absence. Information that can specify the home appliance EE (rice cooker 3) that should have started driving, information that indicates whether the home appliance (rice cooker 3) has started operation and has been completed as scheduled, Can be visually confirmed at a time. In addition, before returning home, the resident B is informed that the rice is not cooked twice for the notifications D and E [. Attention is paid to the rice cooker 3 from before, and it is also notified when returning home, so it is forgotten as it is, and the rice cooker 3 is left for a long time with rice and water in it. It hardly happens.

  Then, the fixed information that reservation rice cooking of the rice cooker 3 is not performed is transmitted again with respect to the information communication terminal device 20 of the resident B ("notification F", T34). This is a safety measure that is assumed even when a resident other than the resident B returns home. Resident B, who received this notification F, sends a phone call or email to another resident who has returned home, requests that the rice cooker 3 be seen, or supplies water and cooks rice. This makes it possible to make appropriate checks and instructions for improvement.

(LCD display screen of display panel 24)
FIG. 18 shows the details of the liquid crystal display screen 26 of the display panel 24 of the power command device 6. In these figures, 110 is the maximum allowable power information indicating the value of the rated capacity (first upper limit capacity: 8000 W) of the breaker BK allowed to be used in the home, and 111 is the home power currently used. It is the present electric power display information which shows the electric power consumption with a number. In addition, you may display the power margin value information 112 (not shown) which shows the margin with the electric power value currently used with respect to the maximum permissible power value.

  Reference numeral 113 denotes a setting key that can select only one of the maximum allowable power levels in the home from four levels. Each key 113 displays a power amount indicating the contents of each setting key. In the state of FIG. 18, since only the 4000 W key is displayed in white letters, the power usage limit is half of the predetermined capacity (8000 W) of the breaker BK.

  These setting keys 113 are configured by touch-type keys such as a capacitance type, and only when the touch can be input, characters (for example, 4000 W) indicating the outline of the keys and a part of the functions can be visually observed. It is displayed as follows. In other words, in a state where input is not possible, the input key itself is not displayed or displayed so thin that it cannot be almost visually confirmed. Actually, a capacitance type input key is formed on a glass plate covering the surface of the liquid crystal display screen 26, and when a key at a predetermined position is touched, an input signal corresponding to the key is input to the operation input unit 25. To the central control unit 27.

  114 is usage state display information for displaying household electrical appliances EE that are controlled by the power command device 6, and the names 114A of the induction heating cooker 51 and the name 114B of the rice cooker 3 are listed. Is displayed. In the usage state display information 114, the device displayed on the left side has a higher priority in terms of securing power.

  Reference numeral 115 denotes a usage display section that lights up when power is used, that is, when it is currently used. In FIG. 18, it turns out that the air conditioner 4 and the lighting fixture are used. The numerical value displayed in the vicinity of the usage display unit 115 is the amount of power used, and for example, the average power value in the past one minute is displayed every minute. In addition, when the priority of household electrical appliances EE is set, the screen display configuration may be such that the names of the set household electrical appliances are displayed from left to right in the order of highest priority. Then, the user can immediately recognize home appliances with high priority.

  116 is an information key. When the user touches this information key, information related to the power that is useful to the user in that situation, and information such as how to use power efficiently and how to set the temperature of the air conditioner are displayed on this LCD screen. 26 is displayed each time.

  When an abnormality occurrence or failure is displayed on the home appliance EE in the liquid crystal display screen 26, when the information key 116 is pressed, a failure or a failure related to a specific home appliance is detected from the information database of the occurrence or failure. The details of the abnormality are displayed in detail.

  Reference numeral 117 denotes a help mode key. When the user touches the help mode key, information useful for the user's operation is displayed in the scene, and correct operation is performed by a voice guide device (not shown) provided separately. The method is notified by voice. When this key is pressed many times, how to view and input the liquid crystal display screen 26 is displayed on the entire liquid crystal display screen 26 with a schematic diagram and characters.

  In FIG. 18, it turns out that abnormality has generate | occur | produced in the induction heating cooking appliance 51, and it has stopped now. Unlike the names of other home appliances, only the induction heating cooker 51 is displayed in white letters, and the usage display unit 115 is changed to an abnormality display unit 118 in which characters indicating the occurrence of abnormality are displayed. .

  In the display area 122 of usage status display information, there is an advice area 119 for displaying power saving checkpoints and other home appliance EE abnormalities, breakdowns, safety information, and the like. In this advice area 119, as shown in FIG. 18, it is displayed in characters that there is a home appliance EE (for example, induction heating cooker 51) in which an abnormality has occurred and has been urgently stopped.

  In FIG. 18, a selection key (operation unit) 120 is used to select a home mode that sets an optimal living environment for a scene where the resident is home. A selection key 121 for switching to the absence mode (also referred to as “outing mode”) is arranged near the right side of the selection key 120.

  When the selection key 120 is pressed, a predetermined absence mode setting command is given to the control unit 27. Hereinafter, this selection key will be referred to as “absence mode selection means”. When the selection key (operation unit) 121 is pressed, a setting command for a predetermined home mode is given to the central control unit 125, and hence this selection key is hereinafter referred to as “home mode selection means”.

  The absence mode selection means 121 will be described. This key is useful when all the residents go out, for example, when the whole family goes out for shopping or travel.

  When the absence mode selection means 121 is pressed from the state of FIG. 18, the central control unit 27 of the power command device 6 operates as shown in FIG. 19, and the display content of the liquid crystal display screen 26 changes.

A case where the resident tries to set the absence mode to go out will be described.
In FIG. 19, when the absence mode selection means 121 is pressed, the central control unit 27 of the power command device 6 starts to operate according to a predetermined control program in order to set the absence mode. Then, the central control unit 27 collates whether or not there is a record in which the abnormality monitoring data is acquired in the first storage unit 27A.

  And if there is a record that acquired abnormality monitoring data, it means that abnormality has occurred in any of the home appliances EE, so check the latest situation before turning off the whole house and going out Therefore, the central control unit 27 of the power command device 6 receives the current status confirmation signal in the same manner as the command signal for reducing the total power amount from the power command device 6 to the home appliance EE (such as the induction heating cooker 51). It emits to the induction heating cooker 51.

  Next, a notification signal (response signal) indicating that the operation has already been stopped may be issued from the induction heating cooker 51 side, or the power supply may be completely shut off and there may be no reaction. Thereby, it turns out that the induction heating cooking appliance 51 has already stopped on the electric power command apparatus 6 side also at the latest time.

  Next, the central control unit 27 of the power command device 6 completes the setting of the absence mode when the stop of the induction heating cooker 51 can be confirmed, and after a predetermined time has elapsed (for example, after 10 minutes), The “collective power-off operation” is started to simultaneously shut off the power supplies of the home appliances EE.

  A lighting apparatus that is preferably turned on when a resident goes out, such as lighting in front of the entrance, may be delayed in the timing of power-off, instead of simultaneously shutting off the power of all the home appliances EE. In other words, the central control unit 27 of the power command device 6 is an exceptional household electrical appliance set by the resident in advance, that is, a household electrical appliance that should be continuously operated even when going out (for example, an electric refrigerator, a tropical Shut off the power supply of other household appliances except seawater heat heaters and lighting equipment for ornamental fish (not cut off completely, some household appliances are in a so-called standby mode) In some cases, only a small amount of power is supplied.)

  Next, the central control unit 27 checks whether or not a resident is left in the living space by the human detection unit 31 having a human sensor, and when detecting a reaction that a person is present, the main body of the power command device 6 An alarm is issued by a speaker (not shown) built in 6A. For example, when a large pet (animal) is placed in a room and goes out, the human detection unit 31 may detect the pet as a resident, and in such a case, such a pet is not erroneously detected. To perform input operations such as changing the sensitivity of a specific human sensor. It should be noted that the time required from when the absence mode selection key 121 is pressed to when the alarm is issued is preferably within one minute. This is because if the alarm timing is late, it is assumed that all the residents have gone outside at the time of the alarm, and the alarm is not noticed.

  Next, the central control unit 27 confirms that the presence of the resident is not detected by the human detection unit 31 and that the lock of the electronic lock 33 at the entrance has been completed based on the signal from the home detection unit 32, and the home management database. The data in the storage device 28 that stores the data is partially changed, and all the residents are instructed to change the data from “at home” to “absent”. At this time, the central control unit 27 enters the “absence mode”.

  In this “absence mode”, the central control unit 27 maintains the interruption of the power supply of the various home appliances EE or accepts the minimum power supply (so-called standby state). Is maintained in a compulsory hold state in which a full-scale operation start input for exhibiting the above functions (heating and air conditioning) is not accepted.

  When entering the absence mode, the central control unit 27 issues an operation command for the monitoring mode to the environment detection unit 30 during execution of the absence mode so as to monitor whether there is any abnormality in the living space HA. The detection unit 30 performs measurement and monitoring of the temperature and humidity of the living space and recording operation of the measurement data at predetermined time intervals (for example, every few minutes). The environmental measurement data is temporarily stored in the internal memory of the environment detection unit 30 for a certain amount of information, and then the stored data is automatically transferred to the second storage unit 27B or the storage device 28. You may move to.

  On the other hand, when the central control unit 27 of the power command device 6 confirms that the electronic lock at the entrance has been unlocked by a signal from the home detection unit 32 and the human detection unit 31 detects the presence of a person. The central control unit 27 determines that the resident has come home, partially cancels the “absence mode”, and turns on the entrance lighting and the like. When the resident touches the “home mode selection means” 120 on the outer front of the display panel 24, the home mode is completely restored, so that each household electrical appliance EE can be used (however, all Residents cannot use all home appliances, and dedicated home appliances can only be used by certain residents).

Next, the selection key 121 and the use state display information area 122 when setting the “absence mode” will be described.
In the home mode state (that is, before switching to the absence mode), the push button type key (operation unit) 120 clearly displays the key outline and the key name as shown in FIG. On the other hand, the absence mode selection means 121 is displayed in an inconspicuous state on the surface of the display panel 24 as shown in FIG. Although the outline indicating the operation part of the selection key 121 is thin, characters indicating the function of “absence mode selection” are clearly displayed.

  Next, when the absence mode selection means 121 is touched from this state, as shown in FIG. 19, a selection key 123 on which characters indicating a function of “collective power OFF” are displayed for the first time.

  The user can confirm that the induction heating cooker 51 is abnormal in the use state display information area 122 in the state of FIG. 18 by displaying the abnormality display information 118, but the liquid crystal display screen 26 is further displayed in FIG. Since the display of the abnormality display information 118 is continued even at the stage of switching to the state, there is almost no possibility that the user (resident) will overlook.

  As described above, the abnormality display information 118 corresponding to the abnormality occurrence device display information identifies the home appliance (where the exercise measurement device and the health care device may be included) in which the abnormality has occurred by visual information such as characters and figures. One or more pieces of information that can be made.

In the example of FIG. 19, the abnormality display information 118 is displayed immediately above the name display portion of the induction heating cooker 51 in order to indicate that the induction heating cooker 51 is abnormal.
Therefore, the user can check the state of the induction heating cooker 51 by visiting the site directly. As a result of the actual confirmation, if it is confirmed that the induction heating cooker 51 has stopped, the user touches the selection key 123 (hereinafter referred to as “collective power OFF key”).

  Next, the information 114B indicating the name of the induction heating cooker 51 disappears on the liquid crystal display screen 26 of the display panel 24 as shown in FIG. Accordingly, when the absence mode selection unit 121 is touched in this state next time, the collective power OFF key display changes to a thin state. Instead, the operation unit of the absence mode selection unit 121 indicates “absence mode confirmation”. Since the characters are changed to a clearly displayed form, the user can easily understand that the absence mode has been set.

  As shown in FIG. 20, the information 114B indicating the name of the induction heating cooker 51 is erased when the information 114B is displayed when setting the collective power supply OFF. This is because, at the stage of the “collective power OFF key” or “absence mode confirmation”, there is a concern that the power of the induction heating cooker 51 can be unconditionally shut off by remote operation.

  FIG. 19 shows the liquid crystal display screen 26 in the home mode. In FIG. 19, reference numeral 124 denotes first reserved driving confirmation information indicated by characters “reserved operation completed”. This information indicates that the cooked rice has already been finished at this point as a result of setting the cooker 3 as a reserved cooked rice.

  Next, FIG. 20 shows the liquid crystal display screen 26 in a scene where the absence mode is set from the home mode. In FIG. 20, reference numeral 125 denotes second reserved driving confirmation information indicated by the characters “reserved”. This information shows that as a result of setting the rice cooker 3 as a reserved rice cooker, the rice cooker has not been finished yet.

  Next, FIG. 21 shows a liquid crystal display screen 26 in a scene where a resident returns home from a place where he / she goes out, cancels the absence mode, and switches to the home mode. In FIG. 21, reference numeral 126 denotes third reserved driving confirmation information indicated by characters “incomplete”. This information indicates that the cooker 3 has been set as a reserved rice cooker, but has not yet been cooked at the time of returning home.

Next, FIG. 22 shows the liquid crystal display screen 26 in a scene where the resident returns home from the outside, cancels the absence mode, and switches to the home mode, as in FIG. In FIG. 22, 126 is the third reserved operation confirmation information as described above.
In FIG. 22, unlike the display contents of the advice area 119 of FIG. 21, the rice cooker 3 is displayed with characters indicating that the reserved rice cooking has not been completed, so as to alert the resident who has returned home.

(Summary of Embodiment 1)
As is clear from the above description, the rice cooker in the first embodiment has the following configuration.
That is,
A heater 61 serving as an electric heating source (induction heating type);
An input operation unit 71 having a dedicated reservation key 76 capable of designating a reserved operation mode for starting operation at a predetermined time;
A wireless transmission unit 90 that transmits a wireless rice cooking operation completion notification signal (FIG. 11, an operation information signal L7) to the outside;
A receiving unit 90 for receiving a reservation cooking status inquiry signal wirelessly from outside;
A controller 85 that receives designation of the reserved operation mode from the input operation unit 71, controls the heater 61, and detects whether or not the operation in the reserved operation mode is completed;
When the control unit 85 receives a reservation cooking status inquiry signal (FIG. 17, Taming T27) from the reception unit 90, the control unit 85 transmits the notification signal (T30, see FIG. 17) indicating the operation status of the reserved operation mode. The electric rice cooker is characterized by being transmitted from the unit 90.

Furthermore, in the first embodiment,
The transmission unit 90 and the reception unit 90 are configured as one used power control means 19,
The used power control means 19 is configured to transmit the power reduction command signal AS2 received from the receiving unit 90 to the control unit 85.

Furthermore, in Embodiment 1,
Separately from the transmission unit 90 and the reception unit 90, the configuration further includes an NFC input / output unit 81 that is in a short-distance wireless communication establishment state with the communication unit of the information communication terminal device 20. I have.

  The said control part 85 is equipped with the structure which transmits a predetermined | prescribed driving | operation information signal (FIG. 11. L2) from the said transmission part 90, when a user selects reservation rice cooking mode with the reservation key 76. FIG.

  The said control part 85 is equipped with the structure which transmits the predetermined | prescribed driving | operation information signal (L3. Refer FIG. 13) for the advance notice, before starting rice cooking operation | movement according to the reservation rice cooking mode which the user designated.

  When the rice cooking process is started in accordance with the reserved rice cooking mode, the control unit 85 transmits a predetermined operation information signal (L3, see FIG. 13) for notifying the start of the process, and is external during the rice cooking process. Even when a power reduction command signal is received, the power is not reduced.

Furthermore, the operation management system for home appliances in the first embodiment has the following configuration.
That is,
A rice cooker 3 that is a kind of home appliance EE including a first communication unit 90 for wireless communication, and a heating source (induction heater) 61 that operates by electric energy;
A power command device 6 that transmits a power reduction command signal AS2 to the first communication unit 90 of the home appliance to limit the total amount of power in the home;
With
In the rice cooker 3 (home appliance), the control unit 85 that controls the heating source and the reservation setting input signal by operating the reservation key 76 to start the operation when a predetermined time comes are controlled by the control. An operation input unit 71 for inputting to the unit 85,
The power command device 6 includes selection operation units 120 and 121 capable of selecting a home mode and an absence mode, and display means (liquid crystal display screen) 26 for displaying operation results of the selection operation units 120 and 121.
When the electric power command device 6 receives the reservation setting input signal when the resident operates the selection operation units 120 and 121 when returning home, and the rice cooker 3 is a household appliance that has not been operated, Information (114A, 126) that can identify the rice cooker 3 is displayed on the display means 26.

  Furthermore, in the operation management system for home electric appliances according to the first embodiment, when the resident operates the selection operation units 120 and 121 when returning home, the display means 26 has a home appliance for which a reservation is set (rice cooking) Information (114A, 125) indicating the device 3) and information (114C, 115) indicating the home electric appliance (air conditioner 4) in operation are provided.

Furthermore, another household appliance operation management system in Embodiment 1 has the following configuration.
That is,
As a plurality of home appliances, a first communication unit 90 for wireless communication, a rice cooker 3 provided with a heating source (induction heater) 61 that operates with electric energy, and an induction heating cooker 51 provided with an induction heating coil. When,
An integrated management device 5 having a second communication unit 29A that wirelessly communicates with each of the first communication units 90 of the plurality of home appliances, and acquiring the driving information signals L1 to L8;
With
The rice cooker 3 that is one of the home appliances has a control unit 85 that controls the heating source 61 and an operation input unit 71 that sets a reserved operation mode in which operation starts at a predetermined time. And
In the integrated management device 6, the selection operation units 120 and 121 that can select the home mode and the absence mode, the name of the home appliance that obtains the driving information signals L1 to L8, and the operation status of the home appliance are associated with each other. Display means (liquid crystal display screen 26) for displaying in a list format,
When the resident switches the selection operation unit 120, 121 from the absence mode to the home mode, the integrated management device 6 is a home appliance that does not complete driving among the home appliances in the reserved operation mode (rice cooker). In the case of 3), information (114A, 126) that can identify the home appliance is displayed on the display means (liquid crystal display screen 26).

  Furthermore, in the operation management system for home appliances according to the first embodiment, the integrated management device 6 operates from a home appliance (induction heating cooker 51) that is stopped due to an abnormality during the period in which the home mode is set. An information signal (abnormality occurrence notification signal) ES is acquired, and information (114B, 118) that can specify the home appliance (induction heating cooker 51) is displayed on the liquid crystal display screen 26. Yes.

  Furthermore, in the operation management system for home appliances according to the first embodiment, the integrated management device 6 has the home appliance in the reserved operation mode (rice cooker 3) during the period when the home mode is set. Information (114A, 125) that can identify the device is displayed on the display means.

  In the first embodiment described above, every time there is an operational fluctuation such as turning on the main power source or starting cooking from the rice cooker 3 or induction heating cooker 51 side where power consumption is limited by the power command device 6, FIG. The operation information signals L1 to L8 as described above are transmitted, and in response to this, the power command device 6 determines the main power-on, selection of the cooking menu, progress of the cooking process, etc. for the home appliances EE such as the rice cooker 3. In addition to this, in addition to this, a signal for inquiring about the operation status at a constant time interval may be issued from the power command device 6 side. For example, a command for obtaining information such as required power and cooking progress status may be issued from the power command device 6 side to the used power control means 19 at intervals of several seconds to 30 seconds.

  Moreover, you may make it use the electric power control means 19 demonstrated in Embodiment 1 by making it the adapter type for communication, and being fixed to the main body inside or the outer side wall surface of the rice cooker 3 or the induction heating cooker 51. The communication adapter may be directly connected to the power line (main line) 27 separately from the home appliances EE such as the rice cooker 3 and the induction heating cooker 51, and the power may be obtained from the power line. It is also possible to use a method in which power is obtained by branching from the middle of the power supply circuit and connecting with connecting means such as a connector. Since a plurality of the adapters are used in one home, each adapter is assigned an identification number (adapter ID) unique to each adapter. Only specific adapters can be identified.

  The information transmitted from the information server 17 to the power command device 6 and the information communication terminal device 20 is useful information (for the user) regarding the response and recovery after the abnormality of the home appliance EE or the emergency automatic stop. (Includes instructions and explanations on special operation methods for restoration of home appliances EE), analysis results of causes of abnormalities in home appliances EE, and useful (for users) regarding recurrence prevention and repair / inspection requests It is even better to include information.

  The wide area communication network 15 is an arbitrary communication network capable of bidirectional communication. This communication network may be, for example, the Internet, a wired communication network, or a satellite communication network. Also, different communication networks may be used for the transmission path from the home to the information server 17 (referred to as “uplink communication path”) and conversely the transmission path from the information server 17 to the home (referred to as “downlink communication path”). .

  In addition, the information communication terminal device 20 such as the high-function mobile phone terminal described in the first embodiment may be used for either the “uplink communication path” or the “downlink communication path” described above. For example, the rice cooker 3 and the induction heating cooker 51 transmit a signal indicating their operation state, abnormality monitoring information, and the like to the power command device 6, and the power command device 6 indicates the operation state of the home appliance EE. The information communication terminal device 20 is converted into a signal suitable for high-speed communication and transmitted to the information communication terminal device 20, and the information communication terminal device 20 is connected to the information server 17 via the wide area communication network 15, such as the rice cooker 3 and the induction heating cooker 51. You may make it alert | report a driving | running state. Alternatively, the power command device 6 may notify the information server 17 of the operating state of the rice cooker 3 or the like via the wide area communication network 15 without interposing the information communication terminal device 20.

Embodiment 2. FIG.
Next, the second embodiment shown in FIGS. 23 and 24 will be described.
23 and 24 are flowcharts showing the operation of the rice cooker 3 according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
In FIG. 23, steps SV <b> 1 to SV <b> 20 are operations of the control unit 85 and the used power control means 19 of the rice cooker 3. In addition, about the same or equivalent part as Embodiment 1, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and the overlapping description is abbreviate | omitted.

  When the user connects the plug of the power cord to the power connection port and presses the operation button 68A of the main power switch 68, the main power switch 68 is turned on (closed) (SV1). Then, the liquid crystal display unit 64 is activated (SV2).

  Next, when the reservation key 76 is pressed (SV3), the rice cooking completion time is set (input), and finally the rice cooking start button 59 is pressed, a reservation rice setting confirmation signal is input to the controller 85, The setting is confirmed (SV4).

  In response to the confirmation signal, in the next step SV5, an operation information signal L2 indicating the setting of the reserved rice cooking mode is transmitted from the wireless communication unit 90 to the power command device 6. At that time, the rice cooking operation start time information is also transmitted in a 24-hour display, such as “20:00”. In addition, information of the reservation setter (presumed to be a user) may be transmitted by including in the data, for example, a code number indicating “resident B”.

  In step SV5, the standby determination unit 101 shuts off the power supply unit 84 to the control device 85, and the liquid crystal display unit 64 and the operation are stopped. This eliminates power consumption on the control unit 85 side. For this reason, step SV5 corresponds to step S5 described in FIG. 12 of the first embodiment.

  In the next step SV6, the time interval between the rice cooking start time set by the user and the current time is calculated. In addition, when a user sets rice cooking desired time, "cooking completion time" is set. That is, it is set that the set time is “20:00” because it is desired to complete the rice cooking when returning home, but the control unit 85 receives this input and the rice cooking process (in this case, as shown in FIG. The required time of the preheating process H1, the rice cooking process H2, and the unevenness process H3) is calculated, and the start time of the preheating process H1 is calculated.

  Then, from the result of calculating the time up to the start time, it is checked whether or not it is 5 minutes ago at regular time intervals. If “Yes” is determined in this step, the process proceeds to the next step SV7.

  In step SV7, the standby determination unit 101 returns the power supply from the power supply unit 84 to the control unit 85 to release the standby state. The control unit 85 is activated, and the water level sensor 88 determines whether or not the water level of the water tank in the steam processing device 57 is within a specified range (SV8).

  In step SV8, when the controller 85 determines that there is no abnormality in the water level (SV9), the process proceeds to the next step SV10. However, if it is detected that the water level is abnormally lowered, the process proceeds to step SV20.

  Step SV20 performs a response when an abnormality occurs, and causes the power command device 6 to transmit a notification signal ES indicating that an abnormality has occurred. This notification signal (hereinafter referred to as “abnormality generation notification signal”) ES is generated by the control unit 85 analyzing a detection signal of a predetermined voltage indicating the water level measurement result of the water level sensor 88.

  The control unit 85 compares the detection output (voltage) of the water level sensor 88 with the abnormality determination table (contrast data), identifies the abnormality content, and corresponds to the type of abnormality (for example, the water level is abnormally low). In order to understand the cause, etc., information classified in advance is extracted. And this abnormality determination date and this rice cooker 3 identification information (at least a model name, a model number, a manufacturing number) are set and transmitted to the power command device 6 as an abnormality occurrence notification signal ES. At this time, the identification number is added because it is convenient when the power command device 6 transmits unique information included in the abnormality occurrence signal ES to the information server 17.

If there is no abnormality in the water level, the rice cooking operation start notice signal L3 is transmitted to the power command apparatus 6 in the next step SV10. Then, the process proceeds to the next step SV11.
In SV11, it is repeatedly determined whether or not the rice cooking start time set by the user has come. If the rice cooking start time is reached, this step SV11 is “Yes”, and energization of the heater 61 is started (SV12).

  Since the heater 61 heats the inner pot 60, as described in the first embodiment, the preheating process H1 for water absorption, the rice cooking process H2, and the process sequentially proceed. In step SV13, it is determined whether the preheating process, the rice cooking process H2, and the unevenness process H3 have been completed. In the case of completion, the process proceeds to the next step SV14.

  In step SV14, an operation information signal (corresponding to signal L7 shown in FIG. 11 of the first embodiment) indicating that the unevenness process has been completed is transmitted to power command device 6. In addition, since the liquid crystal display unit 64 has already been activated, the end of rice cooking is displayed, and the completion of rice cooking is also notified by voice by the synthesized voice device 96 and the speaker 97.

  Next, when the user has set the heat retaining step H4, this step SV15 becomes “Yes”, and the heat retaining step is started (SV16).

  The next step SV17 is a step of determining whether or not an inquiry signal indicating whether or not the reserved rice cooking operation has been performed is received from the power command device 6. When there is an inquiry, a predetermined notification signal indicating that cooking of rice has been completed, for example, a signal corresponding to the operation information signal L7 shown in FIG. 11 of the first embodiment is transmitted (SV18).

  If it is determined in step SV17 that no inquiry signal has been received from the power command apparatus 6 regarding whether or not the reserved rice has been cooked, the process proceeds to the next step SV19. In this step, it is determined whether or not an instruction to stop the heat retention process has been issued by the user. When there is no stop command, for example, the heat retention is a control program that continues for a maximum of 12 hours from the completion of the rice cooking process H2, and thereafter automatically stops. Therefore, in this case, during the 12 hours, when an inquiry signal indicating whether or not the reserved rice has been cooked is received from the power command device 6, it automatically responds (step SV18) any number of times.

Next, FIG. 24 will be described.
In FIG. 24, steps SV20 to SV25 are operations of the control unit 85 and the power usage control means 19 when the occurrence of abnormality is detected in the rice cooker 3.

  In step SV20, the determination result of the occurrence of abnormality of the control unit 85 and the determination target data (abnormal decrease in the water level of the water tank) are temporarily stored in the storage unit 102. This operation corresponds to “reserved rice cooking history data collection” T29 (see FIG. 17) in the first embodiment.

  In the next step SV21, the remote control unit 100 transmits these data to the power command device 6 via the wireless communication unit 90. The operation at this time corresponds to the transmission of the “reserved rice cooking history signal” T30 (see FIG. 17) in the first embodiment, and the “reserved rice non-execution notification signal” LN is transmitted.

  In step SV22, standby determination unit 101 blocks power supply from power supply unit 84 to control unit 85 to enter a standby state.

  The next step SV23 is a step of determining whether or not an inquiry signal has been received from the power command apparatus 6 as to whether or not the reserved rice cooking has been completed. When there is an inquiry, a predetermined notification signal indicating that cooking of rice has not been completed is transmitted. In step SV21, since the determination result of the occurrence of abnormality and the determination target data have already been transmitted, the same data is not transmitted, but it is notified again that rice cooking has not been performed as scheduled due to the abnormality detection of the water level sensor.

  The automatic response as described above continues for 12 hours after the controller 85 determines that the water level is abnormal, and then automatically ends. After the elapse of 12 hours, even if an inquiry signal indicating whether or not the reserved rice cooking has been completed is received from the power command device 6, whether or not the reserved rice cooking operation has been completed does not respond from the power usage control means 19. The 12 hours may be extended and continued until the next time when the rice cooking operation (including other than the reserved rice cooking) is performed.

The electric rice cooker shown in the second embodiment embodies the first invention and the second invention,
A heater 61 serving as an electric heating source;
An input operation unit 71 capable of designating a reserved operation mode for starting operation at a predetermined time;
A transmitter 90 for transmitting a rice cooking operation completion notification signal wirelessly or by wire to the outside;
A controller 85 that receives designation of the reserved operation mode from the input operation unit 71, controls the heater 61, and detects whether or not the operation in the reserved operation mode is completed;
When the operation in the reserved operation mode is completed, the controller 85 is an electric rice cooker that transmits a rice cooking operation completion notification signal (L7, SV14, see FIG. 23) from the transmission unit.

  According to the electric rice cooker having this configuration, when the reserved rice cooking operation is performed before the resident or the like returns home, a notification signal indicating that the reserved rice cooking has been performed is transmitted from the rice cooker. Is done. Therefore, if the notification signal is used, a resident or the like can know in advance the completion of the rice cooking operation.

Furthermore, the said transmission part 90 transmits both the rice cooking operation completion alerting | reporting signal (L7. Refer FIG. 23) and the reservation rice cooking incomplete notification signal (SV21. Refer FIG. 24) with respect to the exterior,
When the controller 85 receives an inquiry signal of the reserved rice cooking status from the receiver 90, when the operation in the reserved operation mode is completed, the controller 85 transmits a rice cooking operation completion notification signal L7 from the transmitter 90. When the operation in the reserved operation mode is not completed, a rice cooking operation non-execution notification signal (LN, SV21, see FIG. 24) is transmitted from the transmission unit. .

  According to the electric rice cooker having this configuration, for example, when a reference signal is received to confirm whether the reserved rice cooking operation has been performed before the resident or the like returns home, the reserved rice is performed from the rice cooker. Notification signals of both being and not being sent are transmitted. Therefore, if the notification signal is used, a resident or the like can know in advance whether or not the rice cooking operation has been completed.

  In the above description, the rice cooker 3 has been described as a representative home appliance that can be reserved, but the present invention can also be applied to other home appliances. For example, in the dishwasher 54, there is a case where the user wants to wash the dishes to be washed in the washing tank and have the user wash them when they go out. The user selects a course to be carefully washed and finalizes the reserved driving.

  Further, a rotary drum (washing tub) for putting laundry, a motor for rotating the drum, and hot air generating means for supplying hot air to the laundry in the drum (electric heater, gas, The automatic washing dryer (automatic washing clothes dryer) equipped with a heat pump heat exchanger, etc.) has a function that allows a resident to automatically perform a predetermined series of courses from washing to dehydration and drying while going out. In some cases, such operation start can be reserved at a predetermined time or a predetermined time after the setting. The present invention can also be applied to such home appliances.

(Other embodiments)
At least a part of the control unit 85 of the rice cooker 3 in the first and second embodiments may be configured as hardware by a logic circuit formed on an integrated circuit, or realized by software using a CPU or the like. May be.

Further, the temperature detection circuit 91, the clock circuit 87, and the power consumption control means 19 may be realized by software.
For example, when the power usage control means 19 is realized by software, a CPU that executes instructions of a control program that realizes each function, a ROM that stores the program, a RAM that develops the program, a program, and various data are stored. The configuration includes a storage device (recording medium) such as a memory.

  In the first and second embodiments, the command signal is exchanged between the used power control means 19 and the control unit 85 by wireless communication. However, such a wireless communication means is abolished and used power control means. The 19 functions may be configured as hardware by a logic circuit formed on the integrated circuit, and may be directly connected to the control unit 85 on the integrated circuit by an electric circuit, or may be integrated with the configuration of the control unit 85 and hardware. May be used.

In the power command device 6, at least a part of the central control unit 27 may be configured as hardware by a logic circuit formed on an integrated circuit, or may be realized by software using a CPU or the like. .
Further, the power control unit 23 and the central control unit 27 may be configured by a CPU serving as one host computer and a logic circuit formed on an integrated circuit, and the hardware may be integrated. At least a part of the home detection unit 32, the person detection unit 31, and the storage device 28 may be configured as hardware by a logic circuit formed on an integrated circuit, or may be software using a CPU or the like. It may be realized by.

  The embodiment disclosed this time should be considered as illustrative in all points and not restrictive. The substantial 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.

  The power control system according to the present invention can be widely used not only in homes but also in shops or small factories where commercial appliances are installed.

AS1 Power reduction request signal AS2 Power reduction command signal BK Breaker EE Home appliances EP AC 200V power supply (commercial power supply)
ES error occurrence notification signal
H1 Preheating process H2 Rice cooking process H2A High fire process (execution time zone of priority cooking menu)
H2B Low fire process H3 Murase process H4 Thermal insulation process HA Living space KP Kitchen appliances KS Heating cooking start permission signal L1 to L8 Operation information signal LN Reservation cooking not informed signal SL Ceiling SB Wall 1 Power line (main line)
2 TV receiver 3 Electric jar rice cooker 4 Air conditioner 5A Lighting fixture 5B Lighting fixture 6 Power command device (integrated management device)
6A Power command device body 7 Composite sensor 8 Composite sensor 9 Temperature sensor 10 Human sensor 11 Human sensor 12 Outdoor antenna 13 Router 13A Router A
13B Router B
14 External Organization 14A External Organization 14B External Organization 15 Wide Area Communication Circuit 15A Wide Area Communication Circuit 15B Wide Area Communication Circuit 16 Energy Meter 17 ASP Server (Information Server)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 18 Relay server 19 Power usage control means 20 Information communication terminal device 21 Base station 22 Facility 23 Power control part 24 Display panel 25 Input operation part 26 Liquid crystal display screen 27 Central control part 27A 1st memory | storage part 27B 2nd memory | storage part 28 Storage device 29A Input / output unit 29B Input / output unit 29C Input / output unit 30 Environment detection unit 31 Human detection unit 32 Home detection means 33 Electronic lock 34 Personal authentication device 35 Seismic determination unit 36 Seismic intensity sensor 37 Input / output unit 38 Input / output unit 40 NFC Input / output unit 41 Clock circuit 50 Kitchen furniture 51 Induction heating cooker 52 Grill cooker 53 Microwave oven 54 Dishwasher 55 Rice cooker body case 56 Lid 57 Steam processing device 59 Rice cooking start button 60 Inner pot 61 Heating means (heater)
62 Inner lid 63 Steam generating port 64 Liquid crystal display unit 65 Steam duct 66 Tank lid 67 Steam inlet 68 Main power switch 68A Main power switch operation button 69 Display information 70 Display information 71 Operation unit 72 Insulation key 73 Menu key 74 Rice Key 75 Voice navigation key 76 Reservation key 77 Off / Cancel key 78 Cooking key 79 Power saving switch 80 Health information display key 81 NFC input / output unit 82 Wireless tag (NFC tag)
83 Control means 84 Power supply part 85 Control part 85R Storage part 86 Inner pot temperature detection part 87 Timekeeping means (clock circuit)
88 Water level sensor 89 Water temperature sensor 90 Wireless communication unit (input / output unit) (first communication unit)
91 Temperature detection circuit 92 Inverter circuit 93 Heat retention heater 94 Drive circuit 95 Drive circuit 96 Speech synthesizer 97 Speaker 98 Power cord 100 Remote control unit 101 Standby judgment unit 102 Storage unit 110 Maximum allowable power display information 111 Current use power display information 113 Setting Key 114 Usage status display information 115 Usage display section 116 Information key 117 Help mode key 118 Abnormality display section 119 Advice area 120 Selection key (Home mode selection operation section)
121 selection key (selection operation part of absence mode)
122 Display area 123 Selection key (Batch power OFF key)
124 1st reserved driving confirmation information 125 2nd reserved driving confirmation information 126 3rd reserved driving confirmation information.

Claims (25)

An electrical heating source;
An input operation unit that can specify a reserved operation mode for starting operation at a predetermined time;
A transmitter that transmits a rice cooking operation completion notification signal wirelessly or by wire to the outside;
A receiving unit that receives an inquiry signal of the reserved rice cooking status wirelessly or by wire from the outside,
A controller that accepts designation of the reserved operation mode from the input operation unit, controls the electric heating source, and detects whether or not the operation in the reserved operation mode is completed,
The control device transmits a rice cooking operation completion notification signal from the transmission unit when receiving the inquiry signal of the reserved rice cooking status from the reception unit, and when the operation in the reserved operation mode is completed. Electric rice cooker. The transmission unit and the reception unit are configured as one power consumption control means,
The electric rice cooker according to claim 1, wherein the power consumption control means transmits a power reduction command signal received from the receiving unit to the control device.   The NFC input / output unit that is in a short-distance wireless communication establishment state with the communication unit of the information communication terminal device is provided separately from the transmission unit and the reception unit. Electric rice cooker. The transmitter transmits both the rice cooking operation completion notification signal and the incomplete notification signal wirelessly or by wire to the outside,
The control device, when receiving a reservation cooking status inquiry signal from the receiving unit, when the operation in the reserved operation mode is completed, transmits a rice cooking operation completion notification signal from the transmission unit, the reservation operation The rice cooker according to claim 1, wherein when the operation in the mode is not completed, a rice cooking operation incomplete notification signal is transmitted from the transmission unit.   The said control apparatus transmits a predetermined driving | operation information signal from the said transmission part, when a user selects reservation rice cooking mode, The electric rice cooker as described in any one of Claims 1-4 characterized by the above-mentioned. .   The said control apparatus transmits the predetermined driving | operation information signal for the advance notice, before starting rice cooking operation | movement according to the reservation rice cooking mode which the user specified. Electric rice cooker as described in.   When starting the rice cooking process according to the reserved rice cooking mode, the control device transmits a predetermined operation information signal for informing the start of the process, and receives an external power reduction command signal during the rice cooking process. Even if it does not reduce electric power, the electric rice cooker as described in any one of Claims 1-6 characterized by the above-mentioned. An electrical heating source;
An input operation unit that can specify a reserved operation mode for starting operation at a predetermined time;
A transmitter for transmitting a rice cooking operation completion / incomplete notification signal wirelessly or by wire to the outside;
A receiving unit that receives an inquiry signal of the reserved rice cooking status wirelessly or by wire from the outside,
A controller that accepts designation of the reserved operation mode from the input operation unit, controls the electric heating source, and detects whether or not the operation in the reserved operation mode is completed,
The controller, when the operation in the reserved operation mode is completed, transmits a rice cooking operation completion notification signal from the transmission unit, and further receives the inquiry signal of the reserved rice cooking status from the reception unit, the reservation operation mode When the operation in is not performed, the rice cooking operation incomplete notification signal is transmitted from the transmission unit. The transmission unit and the reception unit are configured as one power consumption control means,
The electric rice cooker according to claim 8, wherein the power consumption control means transmits a power reduction command signal received from the receiving unit to the control device.   9. The NFC input / output unit that is in a short-range wireless communication established state with the communication unit of the information communication terminal device, separately from the transmission unit and the reception unit. Electric rice cooker. The transmitter transmits both the rice cooking operation completion notification signal and the incomplete notification signal wirelessly or by wire to the outside,
The control device, when receiving a reservation cooking status inquiry signal from the receiving unit, when the operation in the reserved operation mode is completed, transmits a rice cooking operation completion notification signal from the transmission unit, the reservation operation The rice cooker according to claim 8, wherein when the operation in the mode is not completed, a rice cooking operation incomplete notification signal is transmitted from the transmission unit.   The said control apparatus transmits a predetermined driving | operation information signal from the said transmission part, when a user selects reservation rice cooking mode, The electric rice cooker as described in any one of Claims 8-11 characterized by the above-mentioned. .   The said control apparatus transmits the predetermined driving | operation information signal for the advance notice, before starting a rice cooking operation | movement according to the reservation rice cooking mode which the user designated, The any one of Claims 8-11 characterized by the above-mentioned. Electric rice cooker as described in.   When starting the rice cooking process according to the reserved rice cooking mode, the control device transmits a predetermined operation information signal for informing the start of the process, and receives an external power reduction command signal during the rice cooking process. Even if it does not reduce electric power, the electric rice cooker as described in any one of Claims 8-13 characterized by the above-mentioned. An electrical heating source or power source;
An input operation unit that can specify a reserved operation mode for starting operation at a predetermined time;
A transmission unit for transmitting a notification signal of completion of the driving operation reserved wirelessly or by wire to the outside;
A receiving unit for receiving a reservation operation status inquiry signal wirelessly or by wire from the outside;
A control device that receives a command of the reserved operation mode from the input operation unit, controls the heating source or the power source, and detects whether or not the operation in the reserved operation mode is completed,
The control device, when receiving a reservation heating status inquiry signal from the receiving unit, when the operation in the reserved operation mode is being performed, transmits the completion notification signal from the transmission unit, and also reserved operation When the driving in the mode is completed, a home appliance that transmits a reserved driving completion notification signal from the transmission unit. The transmission unit transmits both a completion notification signal and an incomplete notification signal of a driving operation reserved by wireless or wired to the outside,
When the controller receives the reservation operation status inquiry signal from the reception unit, when the operation in the reserved operation mode is completed, the controller transmits a reserved operation completion notification signal from the transmission unit, and the reserved operation The household electrical appliance according to claim 15, wherein when the operation in the mode is not completed, a reserved operation incomplete notification signal is transmitted from the transmission unit. A power control unit that limits the total amount of power in the home by issuing a power reduction command signal for home appliances that can set the reserved operation,
Receiving units that receive the setting signal of the reserved driving operation and the completion signal of the reserved driving operation from the home appliances, and the return detection information of the resident, respectively,
Informing means for informing each of power information such as household power consumption, information for specifying a home appliance that has been reserved for operation, and information for specifying a home appliance that has not been reserved for operation,
A central control device for controlling the power control unit and the notification means,
When the central control device receives a return detection signal from the receiving unit, the central control device receives the completion signal of the reserved driving operation from the home appliance that has issued the setting signal of the reserved driving operation. In the means, the power command device is characterized in that information specifying a home electric appliance for which the reserved operation is not completed is notified. The home appliance is a heating cooker,
The cooking device has an execution time zone of a priority cooking menu in an operation time zone,
The power command apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the power control unit does not send a power reduction command signal to the cooking device in an execution time zone of the priority cooking menu. The home appliance is a heating cooker,
The cooking device has an execution time zone of a priority cooking menu in an operation time zone,
The power command apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the power control unit does not send a power reduction command signal to the cooking device in an execution time zone of the priority cooking menu.   The central control device receives an operation information signal sent from the heating cooker, gives an operation start permission signal to the electric device, and further stores a notification signal indicating completion of the reserved operation The power command device according to claim 19, further comprising a portion. A home appliance comprising a first communication unit for wireless communication, and a heating source or a power source that operates with electric energy;
A power command device that transmits a power reduction command signal to the first communication unit of the home appliance to limit the total power consumption in the home;
With
The home appliance has a control device that controls a heating source or a power source, and an operation input unit that inputs a reservation setting input signal that starts operation when a predetermined time comes, to the control device,
The power command device includes a selection operation unit that can select a home mode and an absence mode, and a display unit that displays an operation result of the selection operation unit,
In the scene where the resident operates the selection operation unit when the resident returns home, the power command device receives the reservation setting input signal, and if there is a home appliance that has not been operated, information that can identify the home appliance is An operation management system for home electric appliances characterized by displaying on a display means.   In a scene in which a resident operates the selection operation unit when returning home, the display means displays information indicating household appliances that have been set for reservation and information indicating household appliances that are in operation. The household appliance operation management system according to claim 21. A plurality of home appliances including a first communication unit for wireless communication, and a heating source or a power source that operates with electric energy,
An integrated management device that has a second communication unit that wirelessly communicates with each of the first communication units of the plurality of home appliances, and acquires a driving information signal;
With
The household electrical appliance has a control device that controls a heating source or a power source, and an operation input unit that sets a reserved operation mode that starts operation when a predetermined time comes,
In the integrated management device, a display unit that displays a selection operation unit that can select a home mode and an absence mode, a name of the home appliance from which the driving information signal is acquired, and a driving status of the home appliance in association with each other in a list format And having
The integrated management device, when a resident switches the selection operation unit from the absence mode to the home mode, and when there is a household appliance that has not been completely operated among the household appliances in the reserved operation mode, The operation management system for home electric appliances is characterized in that information that can identify the device is displayed on the display means.   The integrated management device acquires an abnormality occurrence notification signal from a home appliance that has stopped due to occurrence of an abnormality during a period in which the home mode is set, and displays information that can identify the home appliance on the display unit. 24. The operation management system for home appliances according to claim 23.   24. The integrated management apparatus, when a home appliance is in the reserved operation mode during a period in which the home mode is set, displays information that can identify the home appliance on the display unit. The operation management system for home appliances described.

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