JP2018048774A - Information providing system, information providing method and control program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an information providing system capable of providing information useful for determining whether or not to operate electrical devices in a predetermined place.SOLUTION: An information providing system 10 includes: an acquisition part 110 for acquiring use condition information which indicates the use condition of electrical devices in each of a plurality of facilities 20a-20c including electrical devices (air conditioning devices 21a-21c); a reception part 130 for receiving request information related to a request for information to be provided which shows the use condition of the electrical devices in the facility in the neighborhood of a predetermined place; a specification part 140 for specifying the range of the neighborhood of the predetermined place based on the request information; and an output part 150 for creating the information to be provided and outputting the information to be provided, based on the use condition information acquired by the acquisition part 110 regarding the facility in a range specified by the specification part 140 out of the plurality of facilities 20a-20c.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to an information providing system for providing information related to the use of an electric device, and an information providing method and a control program used in the information providing system.

  Conventionally, systems that provide weather information such as weather forecasts for various locations are known. The Japan Meteorological Agency provides high-temperature caution information for the prevention of heat stroke as weather information. The local weather information provided by the conventional system may lack information necessary for the user. Patent Document 1 describes an air quality monitoring device that assists in determining whether or not to open a window for ventilation because the air quality of the outside air is sometimes poor. Since this air quality monitoring device informs the user terminal if one or more of the windows are open by collecting information from the window sensors of a plurality of dwelling units within a predetermined range, the user can directly monitor the air quality of the outside air. Even if it is not possible to grasp, the window can be opened based on the notification.

International Publication No. 2016/021150

  In recent years, a lifestyle that does not use electrical equipment (air conditioning equipment, etc.) in vain has become widespread from the viewpoints of global environmental conservation and saving. In addition, for the prevention of heat stroke on hot and humid days, for example, it is necessary not to endure the use of air-conditioning equipment (air conditioner) having a cooling function in a home with elderly people, sick people, infants, etc. It is sometimes said that air conditioning equipment should be used appropriately.

  However, it is possible to refer to weather information such as high-temperature caution information for each region provided by the conventional system, but whether or not to use air conditioning equipment in facilities such as individual houses (operate the air conditioning equipment Judgment whether or not to be) is not always easy. This is because the situation (temperature, humidity, etc.) of each individual facility can vary greatly depending on the topography, altitude, etc. of the location of the individual facility (for example, a municipality or even a narrow area). Moreover, although the technique of patent document 1 provides the information for opening a window, it does not provide useful information for judgment whether an electric equipment, such as an air conditioner, should be operated.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an information providing system capable of providing useful information for determining whether or not an electric device should be operated. Another object of the present invention is to provide an information providing method and a control program used in this information providing system.

  In order to achieve the above object, an information providing system according to an aspect of the present invention includes: an acquisition unit configured to acquire usage status information indicating a usage status of an electrical device in the facility for each of a plurality of facilities including the electrical device; An accepting unit that accepts request information related to a request for provisioning information indicating a use status of an electrical device in a facility near the ground, a specifying unit that identifies a range near the predetermined site based on the request information, and An output unit configured to generate providing information based on the usage status information acquired by the acquiring unit for a facility within a range specified by the specifying unit among a plurality of facilities, and to output the providing information .

  In order to achieve the above object, an information providing system according to an aspect of the present invention provides usage status information, which is power information indicating power used by the electrical equipment of the facility, for each of a plurality of facilities provided with the electrical equipment. An acquisition unit for acquiring, a reception unit for receiving request information related to a request for information for provision indicating a situation of behavior estimated from power information related to use of electrical equipment in a facility in the vicinity of a predetermined location, and based on the request information And an identification unit that identifies a range in the vicinity of the predetermined place, and a facility within the range identified by the identification unit among the plurality of facilities is identified based on usage information acquired by the acquisition unit. An output unit that estimates an action in a facility within the range, generates providing information based on the estimated action, and outputs the providing information.

  In addition, in order to achieve the above object, an information providing method according to one aspect of the present invention includes an acquisition step of acquiring usage status information indicating a usage status of the electrical equipment in the facility for each of a plurality of facilities including the electrical equipment; An accepting step for accepting request information related to a request for information for provision indicating the use status of electrical equipment in a facility in the vicinity of the predetermined location; and a specifying step for identifying a range in the vicinity of the predetermined location based on the request information; A providing step of generating providing information based on the usage status information acquired in the acquiring step and providing the providing information for facilities within the range specified in the specifying step among the plurality of facilities; including.

  In addition, in order to achieve the above object, an information providing method according to an aspect of the present invention provides usage status information that is power information indicating power used by the electrical equipment of the facility for each of a plurality of facilities provided with the electrical equipment. An obtaining step for obtaining, a receiving step for accepting request information relating to a request for information for provision indicating a situation of behavior estimated from power information relating to use of electrical equipment in a facility in the vicinity of a predetermined place, and based on the request information A specifying step for specifying a range in the vicinity of the predetermined location, and a specification within the range specified in the specifying step among the plurality of facilities, based on the usage status information acquired in the acquiring step. A providing step of estimating behavior in a facility within a range, generating provision information based on the estimated behavior, and providing the provision information No.

  In order to achieve the above object, a control program according to an aspect of the present invention is a control program for causing a computer to execute the above-described information providing method. In the reception step, the reception of the request information is performed. In the providing step, the providing information is provided by transmitting the providing information to a transmission source of the request information.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide useful information for determining whether or not an electric device should be operated.

1 is a configuration diagram of an information providing system according to Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the usage condition information used with the information provision system which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of request information used in the information providing system according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen displayed based on provision information in the information provision system according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of information providing processing in the information providing system according to the first embodiment. 4 is a sequence diagram showing a sequence of information exchange between devices in the information providing system according to Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the usage condition information used with the information provision system which concerns on Embodiment 2. FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the request information used with the information provision system which concerns on Embodiment 2. FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of information providing processing in the information providing system according to the second embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of usage status information used in an information providing system according to Embodiment 3. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of request information used in an information providing system according to Embodiment 3. 14 is a flowchart illustrating an example of information provision processing in the information provision system according to the third embodiment. It is a block diagram (the 1) of the information provision system which concerns on other embodiment. It is a block diagram (the 2) of the information provision system which concerns on other embodiment.

(Embodiment 1)
Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. Each of the embodiments shown here shows a specific example of the present invention. Accordingly, the numerical values, shapes, materials, components, component arrangement and connection forms, steps (steps) and order of steps, and the like shown in the following embodiments are examples and limit the present invention. is not. Among the constituent elements in the following embodiments, constituent elements that are not described in the independent claims can be arbitrarily added. Each figure is a mimetic diagram and is not necessarily illustrated strictly.

  Hereinafter, an information providing system 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

  The information provision system collects and accumulates usage status information indicating the usage status of electrical equipment at each facility from each of a plurality of facilities, and generates information based on the usage status information in response to a request from a user (user) This is a system that provides (information for provision). The provision information is information useful for the user to determine whether or not the electric device should be operated. For example, the providing information is information indicating a usage status of the electric device in a facility within a certain geographical range. In the present embodiment, as a more specific example, an example is provided in which a material for determining whether or not to operate an air conditioner (air conditioner) that is a specific type of electrical device in a certain user's house is provided. Hereinafter, an information providing system that provides information for providing information indicating the usage status of air conditioning equipment in a facility (house, etc.) in the vicinity of a user's house (for example, the proportion of houses using the air conditioning equipment in the neighborhood) 10 will be described.

(Constitution)
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an information providing system 10 according to the present embodiment.

  As shown in the figure, the information providing system 10 includes a server 100, facilities 20a to 20c including air conditioners 21a to 21c, and an information terminal 200. The server 100 and the facilities 20a to 20c (devices in the facility) can communicate with each other via a communication network 30 for wired communication or wireless communication. The communication network 30 is a communication path that may include a wide area network such as the Internet or a telephone line network. The information terminal 200 can also communicate with the server 100 via the communication network 30. In the present embodiment, the server 100 collects and accumulates usage status information from the facilities 20a to 20c, and the server 100 provides the information for provision to the information terminal 200 in response to a request from the information terminal 200 used by the user.

  The facilities 20a to 20c are facilities of electric power consumers, and are, for example, detached houses, apartment houses, stores, offices, and the like. The facilities 20a to 20c shown in FIG. 1 representatively indicate a plurality of facilities that the server 100 collects usage status information in the information providing system 10, and the number of facilities is not particularly limited. A plurality of facilities that the server 100 collects usage status information is located in various places. For example, several facilities (for example, several hundreds) in a certain range (one municipality or the like, or a certain distance range such as several kilometers or several tens of kilometers). , Thousands, etc.).

  The facility 20a includes an air conditioner 21a, and transmits usage status information indicating whether or not an apparatus in the facility 20a is operating for the air conditioner 21a to the server 100 periodically (for example, every 10 minutes). The facilities 20b and 20c are the same as the facility 20a. As a specific example, a home energy management system (HEMS) controller that manages energy such as electric power in a facility 20a detects the operating status of a HEMS device such as an air conditioner 21a, and generates usage status information in the server 100. Send. The HEMS controller communicates with the air conditioner 21a based on a communication protocol such as ECHONET Lite (registered trademark) via a local area network (LAN) in the facility 20a, for example, so that the operating status of the air conditioner 21a (Whether it is in operation or not) can be detected. The operating condition (whether or not the air conditioner 21a is operating) is, for example, a distinction between the air conditioner 21a being in a power-on state or a power-off state. For example, the air conditioner 21a is consuming only so-called standby power. You may treat it as not being in operation. Any method may be used for detecting the operating status of the air conditioner 21a. For example, in addition to communication with the air conditioner 21a, the HEMS controller measures the power used (consumed) by the air conditioner 21a by a current sensor installed in the branch circuit for the air conditioner 21a of the distribution board in the facility 20a. The operating status may be detected. Further, for example, the amount of power used in the facility 20a is measured from the measurement result of the current sensor added to the main breaker connected to the power system of the distribution board in the facility 20a, or in the part on the power system side from the distribution board. You may estimate the operating condition of the air conditioner 21a in the facility 20a from the measurement result by the watt-hour meter (smart meter) for meter-reading. In addition, the apparatus (for example, HEMS controller) in the facility 20a may hold an address for communication with the server 100 and periodically transmit the usage status information to the server 100 periodically. Usage status information may be transmitted in response to a general request. Further, here, for convenience of explanation, the facility 20a will be described as including one air conditioner 21a. If the facility 20a includes a plurality of air conditioners, for example, when one or more units are operating, the usage status information may indicate that they are operating, or how many units are operating in more detail. However, you may make it show how many units are not operating. Usage status information may include location specific information. FIG. 2 shows an example of usage status information. In the example of the figure, the usage status information includes a location and an operating / non-operating state. The location is information indicating the position of the location where the facility 20a is located. In the example of FIG. 2, the location is indicated by longitude and latitude. For example, the location may be indicated by a municipality name and a lot number. The operating / non-operating state is information indicating whether, for example, the air conditioner 21a is operating. The usage status information may include information that can be used by the server 100 to specify the location of the facility 20a instead of the information that directly indicates the location itself. Information that can be used by the server 100 to specify the location of the facility 20a is, for example, identification information of the facility 20a or identification information (user ID) of a resident of the facility 20a that is registered in advance in the server 100 in association with the location. Etc.

  The information terminal 200 is a terminal (computer) having a user interface such as a smartphone or a personal computer (PC), and has portability, for example. The information terminal 200 includes a display device such as a display and a projector, an input device such as a touch panel, a pointing device, and a keyboard, a memory, a communication circuit, and a processor. The information terminal 200 has a function of accepting an operation of a user who is a resident of a facility located in a predetermined place and requesting the server 100 for providing information indicating a material for determining whether or not to operate the air conditioner. Have. This request is made by transmitting request information to the server 100. In addition, the information terminal 200 has a function of performing display or the like based on the providing information acquired by receiving from the server 100. The request information may include information for specifying a predetermined location. FIG. 3 shows an example of request information. In the example shown in the figure, the request information includes a predetermined location and a range designation. The predetermined location in the request information is information indicating the position of the location of the facility of the user who operates the information terminal 200. In the example of FIG. 3, the predetermined location is indicated by longitude and latitude. For example, the predetermined place may be indicated by a municipality name and a lot number. The range designation is information for designating a range in the vicinity of the user's facility (such as the size of the range). FIG. 3 shows an example in which the range designation “1” predetermined by the server 100 is designated by the user as the range designation, which designates a range whose distance from a predetermined place is within 10 km. For example, the user may specify another range classification (for example, a range within a distance of 20 km from the predetermined location, for example, a range in the same city as the predetermined location). The request information in the example of FIG. 3 requests provision information indicating the usage status of the air conditioner in each neighboring facility whose distance from a predetermined place of longitude x and latitude y is within 10 km. The range designation may be a numerical value indicating the distance. Moreover, range designation | designated may show units, such as the same city and the same town. It should be noted that the request information is not the information directly indicating the predetermined location itself but, for example, the identification information of the user's facility or the user ID registered in advance in the server 100 in association with the predetermined location. Information that can be specifically used may be included.

  The server 100 is a computer including a communication interface, a memory, and a processor (microprocessor). The communication interface is a communication circuit for wireless communication or wired communication. The memory is a ROM that holds a control program and data in advance, a RAM that is used to store data when the control program is executed, and may include, for example, a nonvolatile memory. The server 100 may include a storage device such as a hard disk device in addition to the memory. The processor performs various processes by controlling the communication interface and the like by executing a control program stored in the memory. The server 100 may include a display device (display) and an input device (keyboard, touch panel, etc.) as user interfaces.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the server 100 includes an acquisition unit 110, a storage unit 120, a reception unit 130, a specification unit 140, and an output unit 150 as functional components.

  The acquisition unit 110 is realized by, for example, a communication interface or the like, and acquires usage status information indicating the usage status of the electrical equipment (specifically, any one of the air conditioning devices 21a to 21c) from each of the facilities 20a to 20c. To do. Specifically, the obtaining unit 110 obtains the facilities 20a to 20c by receiving the usage status information from the devices in the facility, and stores (accumulates) the acquired usage status information in the storage unit 120. The acquisition unit 110 may acquire a set of usage status information by receiving the collection result from an external device (such as another server) that collects usage status information for each of the facilities 20a to 20c. Further, the usage status information may be power information related to the power usage of the facility that can be used to estimate the operation (usage status) of the electrical equipment in the facility. That is, the power information is treated as usage status information by estimating the operation of the electrical device by the server 100.

  The storage unit 120 is realized by a storage area of a storage medium such as a memory, and holds usage status information acquired by the acquisition unit 110.

  The accepting unit 130 is realized by a communication interface, for example, and accepts request information related to a request for providing information indicating the use status of an air conditioner in a facility near a predetermined place. Specifically, the accepting unit 130 accepts the request information by receiving the request information from the information terminal 200.

  The specifying unit 140 is realized by a processor or the like that executes a control program stored in a memory, and specifies a neighborhood range of a predetermined location based on the request information received by the receiving unit 130. For example, the specifying unit 140 specifies a predetermined place of longitude x and latitude y based on the request information specifying the range category “1” in the example of FIG. 3, and the distance from the specified predetermined place is within 10 km. Identify a range as a neighborhood range. The identifying unit 140 transmits the identified neighborhood range to the output unit 150. In addition, regarding the specification of the neighborhood range by the specifying unit 140, in addition to specifying the range within a predetermined fixed distance (for example, 10 km, etc.), when indicating the distance in the request information, It may be specified as a range. When the request information indicates a unit of a municipality or the like, the unit of the municipality or the like as map data may be specified in the same range as the predetermined place. In addition, the lot number may be specified by request information. For example, a resident of a dwelling unit in a housing complex (predetermined land) uses the air conditioner in another dwelling unit of the same housing by specifying the lot number of the predetermined land in the request information. Request information for the situation can be requested.

  The output unit 150 generates providing information and outputs the providing information. The output unit 150 includes a provision information generation unit 151 that is realized by a processor or the like that executes a control program stored in a memory, and is further realized by, for example, a communication interface. The output unit 150 outputs the provision information by transmitting it to the information terminal 200 that is the transmission source of the request information. The information terminal 200 that receives the providing information presents the providing information to the user. For example, the information terminal 200 presents the providing information to the user by displaying a screen based on the received providing information on a display or the like.

  The providing information generating unit 151 generates providing information based on the usage information acquired by the acquiring unit 110 for the facilities within the range specified by the specifying unit 140 among a plurality of facilities (facility 20a to 20c). To do. For example, the providing information generation unit 151 includes information on the total number of facilities that are in the range (neighboring range) specified by the specifying unit 140 and in which the air conditioners of the facility are in operation. Is generated. The information on the total number of facilities may be, for example, the total number itself, or the ratio (ratio) of the total number of facilities in which air conditioning equipment is operating in the vicinity range to the total number of facilities in the vicinity range. Also good. The providing information may include a list of usage status information collected from facilities within the range specified by the specifying unit 140, and information such as an average value and distribution obtained by statistically processing the usage status information. It may also include a map (image or the like) in which the position on the map and the usage status are associated with each other. The output unit 150, when transmitting provision information to the information terminal 200, further receives a graphical user interface (GUI: Graphical User Interface) that accepts an operation for changing the air conditioner in a facility located in a predetermined location from a non-operating state to an operating state. ) Information may be transmitted.

  FIG. 4 shows an example of a screen displayed on the information terminal 200 based on the provision information generated by the provision information generation unit 151 and transmitted from the output unit 150. The providing information screen 50 in this example includes a usage status display area 51 that indicates the usage status of the air conditioning equipment in each facility in the vicinity of the predetermined location indicated by the request information, and an advice display area 52 that indicates the recommended action. , A use button 53 and an end button 54. In the usage status display area 51 in the example of FIG. 4, the total number of facilities that operate air conditioners (such as houses that use air conditioners) is 1600, and facilities that do not operate (housings that do not use air conditioners). Etc.) is 400, indicating that the ratio of use is 80%. Further, the advice display area 52 is an area indicating recommended actions, and indicates advice (message) to recommend the use of air conditioning equipment. The information shown in the usage status display area 51 and the advice display area 52 is information included in the provision information generated by the provision information generation unit 151. For example, the providing information generation unit 151 includes advice information indicating that the use of the air conditioner is recommended only when the usage rate indicated in the usage status display area 51 is higher than a predetermined threshold. The use button 53 is a GUI component as an option for executing a program that transmits a control signal for operating an air conditioner, for example. For example, the information terminal 200 used by the user may be installed with a program for transmitting a control signal for executing the air conditioning equipment in the user's facility by remote control, or the server 100 adds the program to the provision information. Then, it may be transmitted to the information terminal 200. The use button 53 may be a GUI component for displaying a screen for setting the control content of the air conditioner. Instead of the use button 53, a GUI component for setting the control content of the air conditioner and a GUI component for operating the air conditioner according to the set content may be displayed. Further, the use button 53 may be a GUI component for giving an instruction to shift the air conditioner from the operating state to the stopped state. That is, the GUI may allow the user to specify the control content of the air conditioner. The end button 54 is a GUI component as an option for ending the display of the providing information screen 50.

(Operation)
Hereinafter, an operation example of the information providing system 10 having the above-described configuration will be described focusing on the operation of the server 100.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of information providing processing in the information providing system 10. Hereinafter, the information providing process by the server 100 will be described with reference to FIG. This information providing process is a process for providing providing information as information for determining whether or not the server 100 operates the air conditioner in response to a request from the information terminal 200 by the user.

  The server 100 collects usage status information indicating the usage status of the air conditioning equipment of each facility from each of the plurality of facilities (facility 20a to 20c) by the acquisition unit 110 (step S11). Collection (reception, etc.) of the usage status information in step S11 is repeatedly performed, for example, periodically. The collected usage status information is stored in the storage unit 120, so that the server 100 can refer to the latest usage status (whether or not the air conditioning device is operating) in each facility.

  When server 100 receives request information (information relating to a request for information for providing information indicating the use status of an air conditioner in a facility near a predetermined location) from reception unit 130 (step S12), server 100 performs the following steps S13 to S13. The process at S15 is performed. In other words, the server 100 uses the specifying unit 140 to specify the vicinity range of the predetermined location based on the request information (step S13). Subsequently, the server 100 uses the provision information generation unit 151 to generate provision information based on the use state information acquired in step S11 for the facilities within the range specified in step S13 among the plurality of facilities ( Step S14). Then, the server 100 transmits the provision information by the output unit 150 to the information terminal 200 that is the transmission source of the request information (step S15). Thereafter, the server 100 returns to the process at step S11 again.

  FIG. 6 shows an example of a sequence of information exchange between the device of the facility 20a, the device of the facility 20b, the server 100, and the information terminal 200. In addition, description about other facilities (facility 20c) is abbreviate | omitted here.

  The apparatus (for example, HEMS controller) of the facility 20a transmits the latest usage status information to the server 100 (step S101). The usage status information may be transmitted in response to a request from the server 100. Moreover, the apparatus of the facility 20b transmits the latest usage status information to the server 100 (step S102). Thereby, the server 100 grasps | ascertains the use condition of the air conditioner in the facility for each facility.

  The information terminal 200 transmits request information for requesting information on the state of use of the air conditioner in the facility near the user's facility, and the server 100 receives the request information (step S103). Subsequently, the server 100 transmits the providing information generated according to the request information to the information terminal 200 (step S104). As a result, the information terminal 200 can present the providing information (information used as a material for determining whether or not to operate the air conditioning equipment of the user's facility) to the user.

  Thereafter, usage information is sequentially transmitted from the facilities 20a and 20b to the server 100 (steps S105 and S106).

  As described above, according to the information providing system 10, the user can know the use status of the air conditioner in the nearby facility, which is useful for determining whether the air conditioner in the user's facility (house, etc.) should be operated. it can. For example, in seasons when air conditioning equipment is used for cooling, when the ratio of facilities operating air conditioning equipment is high in the neighborhood of the user's facility, it may be estimated that the neighborhood is hot. it can. In this case, for example, if the user is in the user's house (facility), the air conditioner can be operated to prevent heat stroke and the like. Further, if the user is out and before returning home, the air conditioner can be remotely controlled and operated to be able to return home comfortably. Further, in this case, if the user is out of the house with the elderly person left in the house, the elderly person can be prevented from suffering from heat stroke by operating the air conditioner remotely.

(Embodiment 2)
Hereinafter, an embodiment in which a part of the processing contents of the information providing system 10 described above is modified will be described.

  In the first embodiment described above, for each facility, the server 100 collects usage status information including information for specifying the location of the facility and information indicating whether the air conditioner is operating in the facility. An example to do. In the present embodiment, an example will be described in which information indicating an attribute of a facility is further included in the usage status information, and the server 100 provides information based on the attribute of the facility. Note that the information providing system of the present embodiment has basically the same configuration as the information providing system 10 shown in the first embodiment, and therefore, each component will be described using the same reference numerals as those in the first embodiment. . The information providing system 10 according to the present exemplary embodiment is the same as the information providing system 10 according to the first exemplary embodiment, unless otherwise specified (see FIG. 1). Here, each facility will be described as a house (for example, a detached house, a dwelling unit of an apartment house, etc.).

  FIG. 7 shows an example of usage status information that each facility (facility 20a to 20c) periodically transmits to the server 100 in the information providing system 10 according to the present embodiment. In the example of the figure, the usage status information includes a location, an operating / non-operating state, a house attribute, and a resident attribute. This location and the operating / non-operating state are the same as those shown in the first embodiment (see FIG. 2). The housing attribute and the resident attribute are attributes for the facility.

  Specific examples of the house attribute include a house type element, an element related to the house orientation, an element related to the height of the house, and an element related to the age of the house. The house type element indicates a distinction between a detached house and a collective house. The element regarding the orientation of the house indicates the division of the direction in which the maximum opening portion of the house faces, for example, a division by four directions of north, south, west, east, or an arbitrary division unit such as division by eight directions. expressed. The elements related to the height of the house are, for example, the first floor to the third floor, the fourth floor to the sixth floor, the seventh to the ninth floor, etc., and the number of floors is divided in arbitrary units. In addition, each dwelling unit of a housing complex is classified as a floor. The element related to the age of a house indicates a category related to the number of years that have elapsed since the completion of the house (building). For example, the age of the building is arbitrarily selected, for example, less than 10 years, more than 10 years but less than 30 years, more than 30 years, etc. It is divided by the unit of.

  The resident attribute is an attribute related to a resident of a house, and includes, as a specific example, an element related to the age of the resident such as the presence or absence of an elderly person. The information providing system 10 may define the age of the elderly person in any way. It may be defined that the elderly person is, for example, a person 65 years or older.

  The request information transmitted to the server 100 by the information terminal 200 used by the user in the information providing system 10 of the present embodiment has attributes that match the attributes (housing attributes and resident attributes) of the user's house (a house in a predetermined area). It requests information related to the usage status of air conditioning equipment in nearby houses. An example of the request information is shown in FIG. In the example of the figure, the request information includes a predetermined location, a range specification, a house attribute, and a resident attribute. This location and range designation are the same as those shown in the first embodiment (see FIG. 3). The house attribute and the resident attribute are attributes about the house (facility) of the user who uses the information terminal 200. The request information in the example of FIG. 8 includes information on south-facing apartment houses that are less than 10 years old among neighboring houses that are within a distance of 10 km from a predetermined place (location of the user's house) of longitude x and latitude y. The dwelling unit (house) on the 1st to 3rd floors requests information for provision indicating the use status of the air conditioner in a house where the elderly are included in the resident.

  Hereinafter, an operation example of the information providing system 10 according to the present embodiment will be described focusing on the operation of the server 100.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of information providing processing in the information providing system 10 according to the present embodiment. Hereinafter, the information providing process by the server 100 will be described with reference to FIG. This information providing process is a process for providing providing information as information for determining whether or not the server 100 operates the air conditioner in response to a request from the information terminal 200 by the user.

  The server 100 collects usage status information indicating the usage status, the residential attribute, the resident attribute, etc. of the air conditioner of each of the plurality of houses (facility 20a to 20c) by the acquisition unit 110 (step S21).

  When server 100 receives request information (information related to a request for providing information indicating the use status of an air conditioner in a house near the house having an attribute that matches the user's house) by reception unit 130, (Step S22), the processing in the next steps S23 to S26 is performed. That is, the server 100 uses the specifying unit 140 to specify the neighborhood range of the predetermined place (user's house) based on the request information (step S23), and further, based on the request information, the home attribute (housing attribute and resident) (Attribute) is specified (step S24). Subsequently, the server 100 uses the providing information generation unit 151 to use a house having the same attribute as the specified attribute within the range specified by the specifying unit 140 among the plurality of houses (facility 20a to 20c). Based on the situation information (operation / non-operation state information, etc.), the provision information is generated (step S25). Then, the server 100 transmits the provision information by the output unit 150 to the information terminal 200 that is the request information transmission source (step S26). Thereafter, the server 100 returns to the process in step S21 again.

  As described above, according to the information providing system 10, the air conditioner in the nearby facility having the same attribute (house attribute, resident attribute) is useful for determining whether or not the user should operate the air conditioner in the user's house. You can know information based on the usage status. For example, in a season where the user is an elderly person and the air conditioner is used for cooling, a neighboring house having the same house attributes as the user's house (the first to third floors of a south-facing apartment house less than 10 years old) In the dwelling unit), the user can acquire information based on the usage status of the air conditioner in the housing group in which elderly people are included in the resident. If the proportion of houses in which air conditioning equipment is in operation is high in these housing groups, it is estimated that the temperature is high enough for elderly people to use the air conditioning equipment in houses with similar environmental conditions to the user. can do. In this case, for example, if the user is in the user's house, the air conditioner can be operated to prevent heat stroke and the like.

(Embodiment 3)
Hereinafter, another embodiment in which a part of the processing content of the information providing system 10 according to Embodiment 1 described above is modified will be described.

  In the first embodiment described above, for each facility, the server 100 collects usage status information including information for specifying the location of the facility and information indicating whether the air conditioner is operating in the facility. An example to do. This air conditioning device is an example of a specific type of device, and may be changed to another electric device such as a washing machine. In this embodiment, an example that can correspond to a plurality of types of devices is further shown. That is, in the present embodiment, an example will be described in which the usage status information includes information indicating whether or not various electric devices in the facility are operating, not limited to air conditioning devices. Note that the information providing system of the present embodiment has basically the same configuration as the information providing system 10 shown in the first embodiment, and therefore, each component will be described using the same reference numerals as those in the first embodiment. . The information providing system 10 according to the present exemplary embodiment is the same as the information providing system 10 according to the first exemplary embodiment, unless otherwise specified (see FIG. 1).

  In the information providing system 10 according to the present embodiment, the server 100 collects usage status information related to the usage status of various electrical devices (for example, air conditioners and washing machines) in a plurality of facilities (facility 20a to 20c). To do. Then, the server 100 transmits the provision information to the information terminal 200 according to the request information received from the information terminal 200 used by the user. However, this request information includes type designation information which is designation of the type of electric equipment by the user. For this reason, the server 100 can provide information for provision based on the usage status of the type of electrical equipment specified in the request information at each facility near the user's facility.

  FIG. 10 shows an example of usage status information that each facility (facility 20a to 20c) periodically transmits to the server 100 in the information providing system 10 according to the present embodiment. In the example of the figure, the usage status information includes the location, the type of device, and the operating / non-operating state. This location is the same as that shown in the first embodiment (see FIG. 2). The type of device as the type designation information is a type such as an air conditioner or a washing machine, and is a type that distinguishes the main functions of an electrical device, for example. The operating / non-operating state is information indicating whether or not the electrical device indicated by the type of device is operating. Each facility transmits usage status information to the server 100 for each type of electrical equipment in the facility. As a result, the acquisition unit 110 of the server 100 receives (acquires) usage status information and stores it in the storage unit 120. As described above, the usage status information acquired by the acquisition unit 110 is information indicating the usage status in association with the type of each type of electrical equipment.

  The request information transmitted to the server 100 by the information terminal 200 used by the user in the information providing system 10 according to the present embodiment is the type of electricity specified by the user at a facility near the user's facility (a facility located at a predetermined location). Requests information on the usage status of equipment. An example of the request information is shown in FIG. In the example shown in the figure, the request information includes a predetermined location, a range specification, and a device type. This location and range designation are the same as those shown in the first embodiment (see FIG. 3). This type of device is the type of electrical device specified by the user. For example, when the user wants to obtain information for determining whether or not to use an air conditioner, the information terminal 200 transmits request information specifying the air conditioner to the server 100. In addition, for example, when the user wants to obtain information for determining whether or not to use a washing machine (whether or not to wash), the information terminal 200 transmits request information specifying the washing machine to the server 100.

  Hereinafter, an operation example of the information providing system 10 according to the present embodiment will be described focusing on the operation of the server 100.

  FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing an example of information providing processing in the information providing system 10 according to the present embodiment. Hereinafter, the information provision processing by the server 100 will be described with reference to FIG. This information providing process provides providing information useful as a material for determining whether or not to operate an electric device of that type in response to a request that the server 100 designates the type of electric device from the information terminal 200 by the user. It is a process to do.

  The server 100 collects usage status information indicating the usage status of various electrical devices of the facility from each of the plurality of facilities (facility 20a to 20c) by the acquisition unit 110 (step S31).

  When the server 100 receives the request information (information related to a request for information for providing information indicating the usage status of the type of electrical equipment specified by the user at a facility near the user's facility) by the reception unit 130 (step S32), processing in the following steps S33 to S36 is performed. That is, the server 100 uses the specifying unit 140 to specify the vicinity range of the predetermined place (user facility) based on the request information (step S33), and further specifies the type of electric device based on the request information. (Step S34). Subsequently, the server 100 uses the providing information generation unit 151 to provide the same type of electrical equipment as the specified type in the facility within the range specified by the specifying unit 140 among the plurality of facilities (facility 20a to 20c). Based on the usage status information (operation / non-operation status information, etc.), provision information is generated (step S35). Then, the server 100 transmits the provision information by the output unit 150 to the information terminal 200 that is the transmission source of the request information (step S36). Thereafter, the server 100 returns to the process in step S31 again.

  As described above, according to the information providing system 10, the user can use the same kind of information in neighboring facilities, which is useful for determining whether or not a specific kind of electric equipment such as an air conditioner and a washing machine in the user's facility should be operated. You can know the usage status of electrical equipment. For example, if the ratio of the facilities operating the washing machines in the neighboring facility group is high to some extent according to the request information specifying the washing machine by the user, the user's facility can be viewed without looking at the outside of the facility. It can be estimated that the weather is suitable for drying laundry in the neighborhood of the facility. For this reason, the user can easily determine that the washing machine is used.

(Other embodiments, etc.)
As mentioned above, although the information provision system 10 was demonstrated by Embodiment 1-3, it cannot be overemphasized that the embodiment mentioned above is only an example, and various changes, addition, omission, etc. are possible.

  In the above-described embodiment, it has been shown that the information terminal 200 operated by the user can be a portable smartphone or the like, but the information terminal that communicates with the server 100 in the information providing system 10 may be a stationary type. Good. FIG. 13 shows an information providing system 10a in which the server 100 and the stationary information terminal 200a communicate with each other. As shown in the figure, the stationary information terminal 200a installed in the user facility 20d communicates with the server 100 instead of the information terminal 200 described above. The information terminal 200a is a computer, and may be a PC, a HEMS controller, or the like. Note that the HEMS controller or the like may use a device such as a touch panel connected via a LAN in the facility 20d as a user interface of the own device. The information terminal 200a transmits request information (see FIG. 3) to the server 100 and receives provision information from the server 100. The information terminal 200a may display a screen as shown in FIG. 4 based on the received providing information. At this time, when the user operates the use button 53, the information terminal 200a transmits a control signal via the LAN in the facility 20d or directly transmits a control signal (for example, a remote control signal such as infrared rays). Thus, the air conditioner 21d in the user facility 20d may be operated. Further, the information terminal 200a may sequentially transmit usage status information (see FIG. 2) relating to whether or not the air conditioner 21d in the facility 20d is in operation to the server 100. The information providing system 10a is the same as the information providing system 10 with respect to points not particularly shown here.

  Moreover, you may change how the function sharing of the server 100 and the information terminal 200 in the information provision system 10 shown by the above-mentioned embodiment may be changed. An information providing system 10b obtained by changing the function sharing is shown in FIG. The function sharing between the server 100a and the information terminal 200b in the information providing system 10b is such that the same functional components as those of the server 100 are included on the information terminal 200b side. In the example of FIG. 14, the information terminal 200b includes an acquisition unit 110a, a storage unit 120, a reception unit 130a, a specification unit 140, and an output unit 150a. The information terminal 200b may be a portable terminal such as a smartphone or a stationary apparatus such as a HEMS controller. For example, the server 100a receives and collects usage status information indicating the usage status of the electrical equipment in the facility from each of the facilities 20a to 20c (specifically, devices in the facility). Information can be provided to the information terminal 200b. The acquisition unit 110a of the information terminal 200b acquires usage status information from the server 100a and stores it in the storage unit 120. The acquisition unit 110a may acquire usage status information from a server external to the information providing system 10b, or may acquire usage status information from each of the facilities 20a to 20c. The accepting unit 130a is realized by an input device as a user interface, and accepts request information (for example, a request for providing information indicating the use status of an air conditioner in a facility near a predetermined location) input to the user. The specifying unit 140 specifies a range near the predetermined place based on the request information received by the receiving unit 130a. The output unit 150a includes the provision information generation unit 151 described above. The output unit 150a is realized by, for example, a display as a user interface, and outputs the providing information generated by the providing information generating unit 151 (for example, displays a screen on a display based on the providing information). The information providing system 10b is the same as the information providing system 10 with respect to points not particularly shown here.

  Further, the information providing system 10 shown in the above-described embodiment is merely an example, and the information providing system for providing information is not necessarily the information terminal 200 and the facility like the information providing system 10 of the first embodiment. It does not need to be comprised including 20a-20c. The information providing system may be configured by, for example, the server 100 alone.

  In the above-described embodiment, the usage status information includes the information for specifying the location of the facility, but it is not always necessary to include the information. For example, if the facility connected to the server 100 via a specific dedicated line and the location are separately associated with each other in the server 100, the server 100 uses the usage status information received from the specific dedicated line and the location of the facility. The correspondence can be grasped. Similarly, the request information may not include information for specifying a predetermined location. For example, if the server 100 separately associates a facility apparatus connected to the server 100 via a specific dedicated line and the predetermined location, the server 100 can obtain the request information received from the specific dedicated line and the predetermined location. Can understand the response.

  In the above-described embodiment, the example in which the information terminal 200 presents the providing information to the user by displaying the screen (see FIG. 4) has been described. ) May provide the providing information to the user.

  Moreover, in the above-mentioned Embodiment 2, the element which distinguishes a detached house and an apartment house, the element regarding the direction of a house, the element regarding the height of a house, and the element regarding the age of a house are shown as a housing attribute. However, these are only examples. For example, only some of these elements may be set as housing attributes.

  In the above-described embodiment, an example has been shown in which the user can request the server or the like for providing information related to the usage status of a specific type of electrical device (for example, an air conditioner). It is also possible to specify a function of the electrical device and request information for provision related to the use status of the function. In this case, for example, the request information (see FIG. 3) includes function designation information for designating a function of a specific type of electrical equipment (for example, air conditioning equipment). Examples of the function of the specific type of electrical equipment include “cooling function”, “dehumidification function”, “heating function”, etc., when the specific type of electrical equipment is an air conditioner. The function of the electrical equipment here may be what is called an operation mode, for example. In addition, the usage status information transmitted by each facility apparatus and received by the acquisition unit 110 indicates whether or not the function is in operation for each function of a specific type of electrical equipment (for example, air conditioning equipment). When the receiving unit 130 receives request information including function specifying information in the server 100, the specifying unit 140 further specifies a function based on the request information. Further, the output unit 150 generates provision information based on whether the function specified by the specifying unit 140 indicated by the usage status information is in operation. As a result, the server 100 can provide, for example, a material for determining whether or not to operate the “cooling function” in distinction from the “dehumidification function” of the air conditioner. Further, the user may be able to request providing information indicating the set temperature. On the other hand, the server 100 can provide, for example, the number of facilities for each temperature at a predetermined interval included in the provision information. Further, the server 100 collects information such as the temperature and humidity of the facility when collecting the usage status of the electrical equipment from each facility, and provides the provision information generated based on the collected information such as the temperature and humidity. May be.

  In addition, the usage status information about a certain facility shown in the above-described embodiment indicates whether or not the electrical equipment in the facility is in operation, but instead indicates the amount of power used in the facility. There may be. As a result, the user can obtain information for provision related to the amount of power used in a facility in the vicinity of the predetermined location, and can refer to the information for provision after determining whether or not the electric device should be operated in the predetermined location. . Note that the server 100 may retain the usage status information collected from each facility for a certain period in the past, search for and extract past usage status information based on certain conditions, and use the information for generation of providing information. . Moreover, the server 100 is good also as estimating the action in a facility based on the usage condition information as power information which shows the electric power consumption in a facility, and providing provision information based on the estimation result. Presumed behaviors include the return of the resident of the facility, sleep and the like. For example, a user (for example, a guardian of a child) who lives in a house in a predetermined location obtains provision information indicating the return home situation of the child estimated from a nearby house (facility) from the server 100, so that only the child at home It may be possible to contact the child, search, etc. when the child is not home. In addition, the execution order of the various processing procedures (for example, the information provision processing procedures shown in FIGS. 5, 9, and 12) in the information providing systems 10, 10 a, and 10 b is not necessarily the same as the order described above. It is not limited, and the execution order can be changed, a plurality of procedures can be performed in parallel, or a part of the procedures can be omitted without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, all or part of the information providing process described above may be realized by hardware of an apparatus in the information providing system 10 or may be realized by using software. Note that the processing by software is realized by a processor included in a device (for example, a server, an information terminal, etc.) in the information providing systems 10, 10a, 10b executing a control program stored in the memory. Further, the control program may be recorded on a recording medium and distributed or distributed. For example, by installing the distributed control program in a certain device (computer) and causing the processor of the device to execute it, it is possible to cause the device to perform all or part of the information providing process.

  In addition, embodiments realized by arbitrarily combining the components and functions shown in the above-described embodiments and modifications are also included in the scope of the present invention.

  Note that various general or specific aspects of the present invention include one or a plurality of combinations of an apparatus, a system, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, a computer-readable recording medium, and the like.

  Hereinafter, an information providing system, an information providing method, and a configuration of a control program used in the information providing system according to one aspect of the present invention, a modification, an effect, and the like will be described.

  (1) The information providing systems 10, 10a, and 10b according to one aspect of the present invention indicate the usage status of the electrical equipment in each of the plurality of facilities 20a to 20c including the electrical equipment (for example, the air conditioners 21a to 21c). Acquiring units 110 and 110a that acquire usage status information to be received, and a reception unit that receives request information related to a request for providing information indicating the usage status of electrical equipment in a facility in the vicinity of a predetermined location (for example, the location of the user's facility 20d) 130, 130a, a specifying unit 140 that specifies a neighborhood range of a predetermined location based on the request information, and acquisition units 110, 110a for facilities within the range specified by the specifying unit 140 among the plurality of facilities 20a to 20c. Output units 150 and 150a that generate providing information and output the providing information based on the usage status information acquired by the Obtain.

  This provides useful information (information for provision) based on the usage status of the electrical equipment in the vicinity of the predetermined place in order to determine whether or not the electric equipment (for example, air conditioning equipment) in the predetermined place should be operated. obtain.

  (2) For example, the reception unit 130 may receive the request information, and the output unit 150 may output the provision information by transmitting the request information to the transmission source of the request information.

  Thereby, if a user transmits request information from an arbitrary information terminal (for example, a stationary device or a portable smartphone) to a device (for example, the server 100) constituting the information providing system, the providing information is provided. Can be obtained.

  (3) For example, the usage status information for each of the plurality of facilities 20a to 20c includes information for specifying the location of the facility, and the acquisition units 110 and 110a include, for each of the plurality of facilities 20a to 20c, The request information may be obtained by receiving usage status information from the device, and may include information for specifying a predetermined location.

  As a result, the user can obtain information for provision based on the usage status of electrical equipment in the vicinity of the user's facility by including the information for specifying the predetermined location in the request information with the location of the user's facility as the predetermined location. Is possible.

  (4) For example, the usage status information for each of the plurality of facilities 20a to 20c further includes information indicating the attribute of the facility, the request information indicates the attribute of the facility located in the predetermined place, and the specifying unit 140 Furthermore, the attribute of the facility is specified based on the request information, and the output units 150 and 150a have the same attribute as the specified attribute within the range specified by the specifying unit 140 among the plurality of facilities 20a to 20c. It is good also as producing | generating the information for provision based on the usage condition information about a plant | facility.

  Thereby, the usage status information that is the basis of the information for provision is narrowed down by the attribute about the facility. For this reason, the user can obtain information based on the usage status of the electrical equipment in a nearby facility having the same attribute as the user's facility.

  (5) For example, the above-mentioned facility is a house, and the attribute of the above-mentioned facility relates to an element (house type element) that distinguishes a detached house from an apartment house, an element related to the orientation of the house, and the height of the house. It is good also as including at least 1 or more elements among the elements and the elements regarding the age of a house.

  Thereby, the user can acquire useful information based on the usage status of the electric device in the house having the commonality with the user's house.

  (6) For example, the above-mentioned facility attribute may include an element related to the age of the resident of the house.

  Thereby, for example, as information for determining whether or not to operate an electrical device in a facility where an elderly person is present, information based on the usage status of the electrical device in a facility group where an elderly person is present in the vicinity of the facility can be provided.

  (7) For example, the usage status information indicates whether or not a specific type of electrical device (for example, an air conditioner) is in operation, and the output units 150 and 150a are specified by the specifying unit 140 among the plurality of facilities 20a to 20c. Information for provision may be generated by including information on the total number of facilities that are within the specified range and in which a specific type of electrical equipment of the facility is operating. The information regarding the total number of facilities in which the electrical equipment is operating may include information regarding the total number of facilities in which the electrical equipment is operating at a predetermined time (for example, one hour ago).

  Thereby, the user can know the total number of facilities where a specific type of electrical equipment is operating in the vicinity, and the user can easily determine whether or not to operate the type of electrical equipment.

  (8) For example, when outputting the providing information, the output units 150 and 150a further change a specific type of electrical equipment in a facility located at a predetermined location from a non-operating state to an operating state, or from an operating state to a non-operating state. It is good also as outputting the information for GUI which receives operation which changes into a state.

  Accordingly, it may be possible for the user to easily operate a specific type of electric device via the GUI.

  (9) For example, the usage status information acquired by the acquisition units 110 and 110a is information indicating whether or not the function is in operation for each function of the specific type of electrical equipment described above, and the request information is specified. The function specifying information for specifying the function of the type of electrical equipment is included, the specifying unit 140 further specifies the function based on the request information, and the output units 150 and 150a are specified by the specifying unit 140 indicated by the usage status information. The providing information may be generated based on whether the function is in operation.

  Thereby, the user can obtain information for provision based on the usage status of the “cooling function” rather than the usage status of the “dehumidification function” of the air conditioning device, for example, by making a request specifying the “cooling function” of the air conditioning device. Could be possible. This provision information is useful as a material for determining whether or not to operate the “cooling function” of the air-conditioning equipment.

  (10) For example, the usage status information acquired by the acquisition units 110 and 110a is information indicating the usage status in association with the type of each type of electrical equipment, and the request information specifies the type of electrical equipment. The type specifying information is included, the specifying unit 140 further specifies the type of the electric device based on the request information, and the output units 150 and 150a indicate the usage status corresponding to the type of electric device specified by the specifying unit 140. The providing information may be generated based on the usage status information.

  As a result, when the user makes a request designating an arbitrary type of electrical equipment (for example, a washing machine, an air conditioner, etc.), the provision information useful as a material for determining whether or not the type of electrical equipment should be operated You can get.

  (11) For example, the output units 150 and 150a may generate providing information by including information indicating recommended actions.

  Accordingly, the user can know the action to be performed, and can quickly determine whether or not to operate the electric device.

  (12) The information providing systems 10, 10 a, and 10 b according to one aspect of the present invention use electric power used by the electrical equipment in each of the plurality of facilities 20 a to 20 c including the electrical equipment (for example, air conditioning equipment 21 a to 21 c). The acquisition units 110 and 110a that acquire usage status information, which is power information indicating power, and a request for provision information indicating the status of behavior estimated from power information related to the use of electrical equipment in a facility near a predetermined location Receiving units 130 and 130a that receive request information, a specifying unit 140 that specifies a range in the vicinity of a predetermined location based on the request information, and a facility within the range specified by the specifying unit 140 among the plurality of facilities 20a to 20c Based on the usage information acquired by the acquisition units 110 and 110a, the behavior in the facility within the specified range is estimated and estimated. Generating the provided information based on the action, and an output unit 150,150a outputting the provided information.

  Thereby, useful information (information for provision) based on the situation of the action estimated in the vicinity of the predetermined place can be provided in order to determine whether or not to perform the action at the predetermined place.

  (13) The information providing method according to one aspect of the present invention includes usage status information indicating a usage status of the electrical equipment in each of the facilities 20a to 20c including the electrical equipment (for example, the air conditioners 21a to 21c). An accepting step (for example, step S11, S21, S31, S101, S102, etc.) and a requesting step (for example, step S11, S21, S31, S101, S102, etc.) for accepting request information relating to a request for information for provision indicating the usage status of electrical equipment in a nearby facility in a predetermined location S12, S22, S32, S103, etc.) and a specifying step (for example, steps S13, S23, S33) for specifying a neighborhood range of a predetermined location based on the request information, and a specifying step among the plurality of facilities 20a to 20c. Information for provision based on the usage information acquired in the acquisition step for facilities within the specified range Produced, and a providing step of providing the providing information (for example, step S14, S15, S25, S26, S35, S36, S104, etc.). Here, the accepting step may accept the request information via a user interface (for example, an input device) in the information terminal 200b. In the providing step, the providing information may be provided (presented) to the user via a user interface (for example, a display) in the information terminal 200b.

  Thereby, useful information for provision for determining whether or not an electric device (for example, an air conditioner) in a predetermined place should be operated can be provided.

  (14) The information providing method according to one aspect of the present invention is power information indicating the power used by the electrical equipment of the facility for each of the plurality of facilities 20a to 20c including the electrical equipment (for example, the air conditioners 21a to 21c). An acquisition step (for example, steps S11, S21, S31, S101, S102, etc.) for acquiring certain usage status information, and a provision indicating the behavior status estimated from the power information related to the use of electrical equipment in a nearby facility in a predetermined location A reception step (for example, steps S12, S22, S32, S103, etc.) for receiving request information related to a request for information, and a specifying step (for example, steps S13, S23, S33), and acquisition of the facilities within the range specified in the specific step among the plurality of facilities 20a to 20c. A providing step (estimating an action in a facility within the specified range based on the usage situation information acquired in the step, generating providing information based on the estimated action, and providing the providing information ( For example, steps S14, S15, S25, S26, S35, S36, S104, etc.) are included. Here, the accepting step may accept the request information via a user interface (for example, an input device) in the information terminal 200b. In the providing step, the providing information may be provided (presented) to the user via a user interface (for example, a display) in the information terminal 200b.

  Thereby, information for providing useful for determining whether or not to perform an action in a predetermined place can be provided.

  (15) A control program according to an aspect of the present invention is a control program for causing a computer (for example, the server 100) to execute any one of the above-described information providing methods. The request information is received (for example, steps S12, S22, and S32). In the providing step, the providing information is provided by transmitting the providing information to the request information transmission source (for example, steps S14 and S15). , S25, S26, S35, S36).

  If this control program is installed in a computer, the apparatus performs information providing processing and can function as the server 100 in the information providing system. This information providing system (server 100) provides useful providing information for determining whether or not to operate an electrical device (for example, an air conditioner) in a predetermined place or whether or not to perform a specific action. obtain.

10, 10a, 10b Information providing system 20a-20d Facility 21a-21d Air conditioner 110, 110a Acquisition unit 130, 130a Reception unit 140 Identification unit 150, 150a Output unit

Claims (15)

For each of a plurality of facilities equipped with electrical equipment, an acquisition unit that obtains usage status information indicating the usage status of the electrical equipment of the facility;
A reception unit that receives request information related to a request for information for provision indicating the use status of electrical equipment in a facility in the vicinity of a predetermined place;
Based on the request information, a specifying unit that specifies a neighborhood range of the predetermined location;
An output unit that generates providing information based on the usage status information acquired by the acquiring unit for a facility within the range specified by the specifying unit among the plurality of facilities, and outputs the providing information. Provide information providing system. The accepting unit accepts the request information by receiving it,
The information providing system according to claim 1, wherein the output unit outputs the provision information by transmitting to the transmission source of the request information. The usage status information for each of the plurality of facilities includes information for specifying the location of the facility,
The acquisition unit acquires each of the plurality of facilities by receiving the usage status information from a device in the facility,
The information providing system according to claim 1, wherein the request information includes information for specifying the predetermined location. The usage status information for each of the plurality of facilities further includes information indicating attributes of the facility,
The request information indicates an attribute of a facility located in the predetermined place,
The specifying unit further specifies an attribute of the facility based on the request information,
The output unit generates the provision information based on the use status information for a facility having the same attribute as the specified attribute within the range specified by the specifying unit among the plurality of facilities. The information providing system according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The facility is a house;
The attribute includes at least one element among an element that distinguishes a detached house from an apartment house, an element related to the orientation of the house, an element related to the height of the house, and an element related to the age of the house. Information providing system described. The information providing system according to claim 5, wherein the attribute includes an element related to an age of a resident of the house. The usage status information indicates whether or not a specific type of electrical equipment is in operation,
The output unit includes the information regarding the total number of facilities that are within the range specified by the specifying unit among the plurality of facilities and in which the specific type of electrical equipment of the facility is operating. The information providing system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the information is generated. The output unit, when outputting the provision information, further changes the specific type of electrical equipment in the facility located in the predetermined place from a non-operating state to an operating state, or from an operating state to a non-operating state. The information providing system according to claim 7, wherein information for a graphical user interface that receives an operation to be changed is output. The usage information acquired by the acquisition unit is information indicating whether or not the function is in operation for each function of the specific type of electrical equipment,
The request information includes function designation information for designating a function of the specific type of electrical equipment,
The specifying unit further specifies a function based on the request information,
The information providing system according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the output unit generates the provision information based on whether or not the function specified by the specifying unit indicated by the usage status information is in operation. The usage status information acquired by the acquisition unit is information indicating the usage status in association with the type of each type of electrical equipment,
The request information includes type designation information for designating a type of electrical equipment,
The specifying unit further specifies the type of electrical equipment based on the request information,
The said output part produces | generates the said information for provision based on the said usage condition information which shows the usage condition corresponding to the electric equipment of the kind specified by the said specific | specification part. Information providing system described. The information providing system according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the output unit generates information for provision by including information indicating recommended behavior. For each of a plurality of facilities equipped with electrical equipment, an acquisition unit that obtains usage status information that is power information indicating the power used by the electrical equipment of the facility;
A reception unit that receives request information related to a request for information for provision that indicates a situation of an action estimated from power information related to use of electrical equipment in a facility near a predetermined place;
Based on the request information, a specifying unit that specifies a neighborhood range of the predetermined location;
Based on the estimated behavior, the behavior in the facility within the specified range is estimated based on the usage information acquired by the acquiring unit for the facility within the range specified by the specifying unit among the plurality of facilities. An information providing system comprising: an output unit that generates providing information and outputs the providing information. An acquisition step of acquiring usage status information indicating the usage status of the electrical equipment of the facility for each of a plurality of facilities equipped with the electrical equipment;
A reception step for receiving request information relating to a request for information for provision indicating the use status of electrical equipment in a facility near a predetermined place;
A specifying step of specifying a neighborhood range of the predetermined location based on the request information;
A providing step of generating providing information based on the usage status information acquired in the acquiring step and providing the providing information for facilities within the range specified in the specifying step among the plurality of facilities Including information provision methods. An acquisition step of acquiring usage status information, which is power information indicating the power used by the electrical equipment of the facility, for each of a plurality of facilities equipped with the electrical equipment;
An accepting step of receiving request information related to a request for information for provision indicating a situation of an action estimated from power information related to use of electrical equipment in a facility near a predetermined place;
A specifying step of specifying a neighborhood range of the predetermined location based on the request information;
For the facilities in the range specified in the specific step among the plurality of facilities, the behavior in the facility in the specified range is estimated based on the usage status information acquired in the acquisition step, and the estimated behavior is A providing step of generating providing information based on the information and providing the providing information. A control program for causing a computer to execute the information providing method according to claim 13 or 14,
In the reception step, the reception of the request information is performed by receiving the request information,
In the providing step, the providing of the providing information is performed by transmitting the providing information to a transmission source of the request information.

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