JP2019193389A - Electric apparatus control system - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an electric apparatus control system for achieving operation management and control of an electric apparatus of a customer home with a small-scale configuration.SOLUTION: An apparatus control unit 102 is connected to a target apparatus 103 of a customer home 100. The apparatus control unit 102 is a smart tap that controls operation of the target apparatus 103 and supplies power to the target apparatus 103. A target electric energy comparison unit 202 compares a main load of the customer home 100 measured by a main load measurement unit 101 with predetermined target electric energy. An apparatus operation determination unit 203 determines operation of the target apparatus 103 on the basis of the comparison results. An approval acquisition unit 204 inquires of a user whether or not to approve execution of operation of the target apparatus 103 determined by the apparatus operation determination unit 203. When the approval acquisition unit 204 obtains approval from the user, an apparatus operation execution command unit 205 instructs the apparatus control unit 102 to execute the operation of the target apparatus 103 determined by the apparatus operation determination unit 203.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to an electric equipment control system that controls electric equipment installed in a house of a consumer.

  In recent years, with the spread of the smart meter (SM), a next-generation power meter with communication functions, a system that measures and collects the main load, which is the total energy consumption of the customer's house (customer's house), every 30 minutes. It is becoming popular. In addition, various services that support the lives of consumers using the main load measured with a smart meter have been proposed. For example, the following Patent Documents 1 and 2 propose a service for estimating whether a consumer is at home from the main load measured with a smart meter and deploying the estimation result to the home delivery industry and security related industries. .

  In addition, as a technique for reducing the main load of the customer's house, for example, Patent Document 3 discloses a system that predicts the main load of the customer's house and proposes to the consumer a control method for the electric device according to the prediction result. Has been proposed. Furthermore, in patent document 4, the load for every electric equipment is acquired from the equipment load measuring device of HEMS (Home Energy Management System) or a customer's house, and the amount of electric power reduction when each equipment is operated in a power saving mode is calculated. Thus, a system to be presented to consumers has been proposed.

JP 2017-033341 Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2015-109046 JP, 2006-073072, A JP 2017-147869 A

  However, the technologies of Patent Literature 3 and Patent Literature 4 are based on a large-scale system (for example, a system in which a company operates an electrical device at a customer's home through a smartphone or the like) in order to control the electrical device at the customer's home. It is necessary to introduce. For this reason, in order to realize these systems, it is necessary to replace the electrical equipment in the customer's house, which requires a great deal of labor for the customer such as installation work. Further, Patent Document 4 discloses a system that does not use HEMS and only presents the amount of power reduction to the consumer. However, in this system, the consumer manually sets the operation of the electric device to the power saving mode. It is necessary to switch and lacks convenience.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an electrical equipment control system that realizes operation management and control of electrical equipment in a customer's house with a small-scale configuration.

  An electrical equipment control system according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a equipment control unit that is connected to equipment at a customer's house and can control the operation of the connected equipment, and a trunk load measurement that measures the trunk load at the consumer house. A target power amount comparison unit that compares the main load with a predetermined target power amount, and a target that is a device connected to the device control unit based on a comparison result by the target power amount comparison unit A device operation determining unit that determines the operation of the device, an approval acquiring unit that inquires whether or not to approve the execution of the operation of the target device determined by the device operation determining unit, to the consumer at the customer's home, and the approval acquisition When the unit obtains the approval from the consumer, the device operation determining command unit instructs the device control unit to execute the operation of the target device determined by the device operation determining unit, and the device control unit includes: The target device It controls the operation, a smart tap supplies power to the target device.

  An electrical equipment control system according to a second aspect of the present invention is connected to equipment at a customer's house and can control the operation of the equipment connected to the equipment control section, and the trunk load measurement for measuring the trunk load at the consumer's house. A load estimation unit for each device that estimates a load for each device of the customer's house from the main load measured by the main load measurement unit, and an estimated value for the load for each device and a predetermined value for each device A target power amount comparison unit that compares the target power amount, and a device operation determination unit that determines an operation of a target device that is a device connected to the device control unit, based on a comparison result by the target power amount comparison unit; An approval acquisition unit that inquires whether or not to approve the execution of the operation of the target device determined by the device operation determination unit, and the approval acquisition unit obtains approval from the consumer. The device operation decision A device operation execution command unit that instructs the device control unit to execute the operation of the target device determined by the device control unit, the device control unit controlling the operation of the target device and supplying power to the target device. It is a smart tap to supply.

  According to the electrical equipment control system of the present invention, the smart tap operates the target equipment according to the comparison result between the main load and the target power amount, or the estimated value of the load and the target power amount and the comparison result for each equipment. To control. With the introduction of smart taps, operation management and control of consumer electronics can be realized with a small-scale configuration. Further, the consumer only needs to give approval to the operation of the target device determined by the electric device control system, and high convenience is obtained.

1 is a functional block diagram of an electric equipment control system according to Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows the structural example using the hardware of the electric equipment control system which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of data of main | strain load. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a smart tap according to Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of the load according to apparatus. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a flow for determining the operation of the target device in the first embodiment. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of an approval input screen according to Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of an apparatus control signal. It is a functional block diagram of the electric equipment control system which concerns on Embodiment 2. It is a figure which shows the structural example using the hardware of the electric equipment control system which concerns on Embodiment 2. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a smart tap according to Embodiment 2. FIG. FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram of an electric equipment control system according to Embodiment 3. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example using hardware of an electric device control system according to a third embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a smart tap in a third embodiment. FIG. 10 is a functional block diagram of an electric equipment control system according to Embodiment 4. It is a figure which shows the structural example using the hardware of the electric equipment control system which concerns on Embodiment 4. FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a smart tap in a fourth embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a determination flow of operation of a target device in the fourth embodiment. FIG. 20 is a diagram showing an example of an approval input screen in the fourth embodiment.

<Embodiment 1>
An electrical equipment control system according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described. In the following description, a resident of a house whose power consumption is managed by the electric equipment control system is referred to as a “customer”, and the house is referred to as a “customer house”. In addition, among electric devices installed in a customer's house (hereinafter simply referred to as “devices”), a device whose operation is managed by an electric device control system is referred to as a “target device”. Further, the power consumption of each device is also referred to as “load”, and the total power consumption of the customer's house is referred to as “main load”.

  FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of the electrical equipment control system according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the electrical device control system includes a main load measuring unit 101, a device control unit 102, a target device 103, an approval input unit 104, and a device-specific load managed by the power company 200. An estimation unit 201, a target power amount comparison unit 202, a device operation determination unit 203, an approval acquisition unit 204, and a device operation execution command unit 205 are provided. As will be described later, the approval input unit 104 may be a portable communication terminal such as a smartphone, and is not necessarily installed in the customer's house 100.

  The main load measuring unit 101 measures the main load, which is the total power consumption of the customer's house 100, and transmits the measured main load data to the electric power company 200. The device control unit 102 is connected to one or more target devices 103 installed in the customer's house 100 and controls the operation of the target device 103. The approval input unit 104 is a user interface for a customer to input a “approval” or “non-approval” response to an inquiry from the approval acquisition unit 204 described later.

  The device-specific load estimation unit 201 estimates the device-specific load of the customer's home 100 based on the main load of the customer's home 100 measured by the main load measuring unit 101. The target power amount comparison unit 202 compares the main load measured by the main load measurement unit 101 with a predetermined target power amount. The device operation determination unit 203 determines the operation of the target device 103 based on the comparison result between the main load of the customer's house 100 and the target power amount.

  The approval acquisition unit 204 inquires of the customer of the customer's house 100 whether to approve the execution of the operation of the target device 103 determined by the device operation determination unit 203. The consumer may input, using the approval input unit 104, a response to the inquiry from the approval acquisition unit 204, that is, whether to approve execution of the operation of the target device 103 determined by the device operation determination unit 203. it can. The device operation execution command unit 205 executes the operation of the target device 103 determined by the device operation determination unit 203 when the approval acquisition unit 204 can obtain approval from the customer. To command.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example using hardware of the electrical device control system of FIG. The following description will be basically made with reference to FIG. 1, but FIG. 2 is also referred to as necessary.

  The main load measuring unit 101 in FIG. 1 is configured as a smart meter 101a in FIG. The smart meter 101a transmits the main load data of the customer's house 100 to the electric power company 200 using the A route (a communication route connecting the smart meter and the electric power company). FIG. 3 shows an example of main load data acquired by the electric power company 200 from the smart meter 101a. In FIG. 3, the main load is 30 minutes, but the granularity of the main load is not limited to this, and may be finer or coarser than the 30 minutes. The transmission destination to which the smart meter 101a transmits the main load may be a server system (for example, MDMS: Meter Data Management System) that collects data of the smart meter, but may be a server system provided separately in the electric power company 200.

  The main load measuring unit 101 is not limited to a smart meter, and may be a measuring instrument installed on a distribution board or the like of the customer's house 100 by the customer 105, for example. In that case, the trunk load measuring unit 101 may transmit the trunk load data to the power company 200 via the Internet, for example.

  The device control unit 102 in FIG. 1 is configured as a smart tap 102a in FIG. The “smart tap” has both a function as the device control unit 102 that controls the operation of the target device 103 and a function as a power tap that supplies power to the target device 103. FIG. 4 shows a configuration example of the smart tap 102a. The smart tap 102a in FIG. 4 is assumed to be installed between a power socket (outlet) provided on the wall of the customer's house 100 and the power plug of the target device 103. The configuration of the smart tap 102a is as follows. It is not limited to this.

  The target device 103 is connected to the device control unit 102 (smart tap 102a) among devices such as an air conditioner, a washing machine, and a refrigerator installed in the customer's house 100. The target device 103 may be an arbitrary device, but it is assumed that which device is the target device 103 (which device is connected to the device control unit 102) is known by the system on the electric power company 200 side. .

  The approval input unit 104 in FIG. 1 is configured as a communication terminal 104 a owned by the customer 105 who is a resident of the customer home 100 in FIG. 2. The communication terminal 104a may be a general-purpose communication terminal such as a smartphone, a personal computer, or a tablet, but may be a communication terminal dedicated to this system.

  The device-specific load estimation unit 201, target power amount comparison unit 202, device operation determination unit 203, approval acquisition unit 204, and device operation execution command unit 205 in FIG. 1 are servers that are managed by the power company 200 in FIG. It is constructed on the company server 200a. That is, each function of the device-specific load estimation unit 201, the target power amount comparison unit 202, the device operation determination unit 203, the approval acquisition unit 204, and the device operation execution command unit 205 is performed by the processor of the power company server 200a. This is realized by executing the program stored in (). FIG. 2 shows an example in which the device-specific load estimation unit 201, the target power amount comparison unit 202, the device operation determination unit 203, the approval acquisition unit 204, and the device operation execution command unit 205 are all built in one power company server 200a. However, they may be constructed separately on a plurality of servers.

  The device-specific load estimation unit 201 estimates the load (device-specific load) for each device installed in the customer's home 100 from the main load of the customer's home 100 acquired from the main load measuring unit 101 (smart meter 101a). FIG. 5 shows an example of an estimated value for each device load. The device-specific load estimation unit 201 may estimate loads of all devices in the customer's house 100, or may estimate only loads of some devices (air conditioners, washing machines, and refrigerators in the example of FIG. 5). Also good. Further, the device-specific load estimation unit 201 may estimate the device load for each application, such as a device for kitchen use and a device for air conditioning, instead of the load of each device.

  The method by which the device-specific load estimation unit 201 estimates the device-specific load from the main load may be any method, and for example, the technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-224121 can be applied. Further, the device-specific load estimation unit 201 may acquire information on the usage status of each device from the customer's home 100 and calculate the device-specific load estimation value based on the information. In addition, for example, if the power company 200 has acquired the amount of power used for each device from the other customer homes of the consumer home, the ratio between the main load and the power consumption of each device at the other customer homes (others) If there are a plurality of customer houses, an average value thereof) may be used to calculate the load estimated value for each consumer device.

  The device-specific load estimation unit 201 may acquire the data of the main load of the customer's house 100 measured by the main load measurement unit 101 from MDMS, or may acquire the data from the main load measurement unit 101 via the Internet. Good.

  The target power amount comparison unit 202 compares the main load of the customer's home 100 measured by the main load measuring unit 101 with a predetermined target power amount, and determines which of the main load and the target power amount of the customer's home 100 is larger. judge. The target power amount is not limited to one. For example, a plurality of target power amounts such as a first target power amount and a second target power amount may be determined.

  Alternatively, the target power amount may be determined for each device, and the target power amount comparison unit 202 may compare the load for each device estimated by the device-specific load estimation unit 201 with the target power amount for each device. In this case, the target power amount may be provided for the total load of two or more devices. For example, the target power value is determined as the sum of the load of the air conditioner and the load of the refrigerator, and the target power amount comparison unit 202 calculates the sum of the estimated value of the load of the air conditioner and the estimated value of the load of the refrigerator and the target power value. You may compare. Of course, the target power amount comparison unit 202 may perform both the comparison between the main load and the target power value and the comparison between the estimated load value for each device and the target power amount for each device.

  The target power amount may be set by the power company 200, or may be set by the customer 105 and transmitted to the device-specific load estimation unit 201 via the Internet. The granularity of the target electric energy is not limited to the 30 minute value, and may be finer or coarser than the 30 minute value. Further, the target power amount comparison unit 202 not only compares the current value of the main load or device-specific load estimated value with the target power amount, but also includes the past value of the main load or device-specific load estimated value. A comparative evaluation with the target power amount may be performed on the time series data.

  The device operation determination unit 203 determines the operation of the target device 103 based on the comparison result by the target power amount comparison unit 202. When a comparison using a plurality of target power amounts is performed by the target power amount comparison unit 202 and a plurality of comparison results are obtained, the operation of the target device 103 may be determined based on the plurality of comparison results.

  In the present embodiment, the device operation determination unit 203 determines whether to turn on or off the operation of the target device 103 based on the comparison result by the target power amount comparison unit 202. For example, if the main load is larger than the target power amount and the operation of the target device 103 is on, the device operation determination unit 203 determines to turn off the operation of the target device 103, and the main load Can be reduced. Whether or not the operation of the target device 103 is on can be determined from the magnitude of the load on the target device 103 estimated by the device-specific load estimation unit 201.

  FIG. 6 shows an example of a flow in which the device operation determination unit 203 determines the operation of the target device 103. In the flow of FIG. 6, when the main load of the customer's house 100 is larger than the target power amount (0.5 kWh), or when the estimated load value of the target device 103 is larger than the target power amount (0.3 kWh). The operation of the target device 103 is determined to be turned off. In addition, when the main load of the customer's home 100 is equal to or less than the target power amount (0.5 kWh) and the estimated load value of the target device 103 is also equal to or less than the target power amount (0.3 kWh), the operation of the target device 103 is turned on. To be determined.

  The operation of the target device 103 determined by the device operation determination unit 203 may not be two choices of ON or OFF. For example, an option of maintaining the current operation without sending a control signal to the target device 103 is also considered. It is done. Further, in order to prevent the control signal from being continuously transmitted to the target device 103, a new control signal may not be transmitted until a certain time has elapsed after the control signal is transmitted to the target device 103. . Further, the device operation determination unit 203 may determine the operation of the target device 103 in consideration of environmental factors (for example, time and temperature) other than the main load and the load estimation value for each device.

  In addition, when the target power amount comparison unit 202 compares the estimated load value for each device and the target power amount to obtain a plurality of comparison results, each of the plurality of comparison results may be weighted. For example, when the estimated load value and the target power amount are compared with respect to t devices, an evaluation formula for the load of the device i is defined as in Expression (1), and the overall load of the plurality of devices is determined. The evaluation equation may be defined as in equation (2), and the device operation determination unit 203 may determine the operation of the target device 103 based on the evaluation value T obtained from equation (2).

Here, W _i is a weighting factor for the estimated value k _i of the load of the device i, and f (k _i , s _i ) is when the estimated value k _{i of the} load exceeds the target power amount s _i of the device i. 1 is a function that outputs 0 if not exceeded.

  When there is a priority among the plurality of comparison results as a criterion for determining the operation of the target device 103, the device operation determination unit 203 uses a comparison result having a high priority instead of an evaluation value based on weighting. Thus, the operation of the target device 103 may be determined.

  The approval acquisition unit 204 inquires of the customer 105 whether to approve execution of the operation of the target device 103 determined by the device operation determination unit 203. The consumer 105 can input an approval or non-approval response to the inquiry using the approval input unit 104 (communication terminal 104a).

  FIG. 7 is an example of an approval input screen that is a screen displayed on the communication terminal 104 a when receiving an inquiry from the approval acquisition unit 204. When the customer 105 touches the “Yes” button on this screen, the communication terminal 104a performs the operation of the target device 103 determined by the device operation determination unit 203 (here, the air conditioner is turned off). The approval is determined to be approved, and the approval acquisition unit 204 is notified accordingly. On the other hand, when the customer 105 touches the “No” button, the communication terminal 104a determines that the customer 105 has not approved the operation of the target device 103 determined by the device operation determining unit 203, and approves that. The acquisition unit 204 is notified.

  Note that the approval acquisition unit 204 does not necessarily have to make an inquiry to the customer 105 every time the device operation determination unit 203 determines the operation of the target device 103. For example, in the case where prior consent is obtained from the consumer 105, it is considered that the consumer 105 has approved the operation of the target device 103 determined by the device operation determination unit 203, and the inquiry may be omitted. .

  When the approval acquisition unit 204 can obtain approval from the customer 105, the device operation execution command unit 205 causes the device control unit 102 to execute the operation determined by the device operation determination unit 203 in the target device 103. A command (device operation execution command) is transmitted. Transmission of the device operation execution command from the device operation execution command unit 205 to the device control unit 102 may be via the Internet, for example, using a LAN (Local Area Network) that is preliminarily arranged in the customer's house 100 and can be connected to the Internet. Good.

  Upon receiving the device operation execution command, the device control unit 102 transmits a device control signal for executing the operation determined by the device operation determination unit 203 to the target device 103. Any device control signal transmission method may be used as long as it is a communication standard supported by the target device 103. For example, Echonet Lite (registered trademark), Bluetooth (registered trademark), infrared communication, or the like may be used.

  When the target device 103 receives the device control signal from the device control unit 102, the target device 103 executes the operation determined by the device operation determination unit 203. The target device 103 may store in advance an operation to be performed when the device control signal is received. In this case, it is not necessary to include information indicating specific operation contents in the device control signal. When the device control unit 102 can grasp the current operation of the target device 103, the device control unit 102 may omit transmission of a device control signal that causes the target device 103 to perform the same operation as the current operation.

  FIG. 8 is an example of a device control signal that the device control unit 102 transmits to the target device 103. The operation of the target device 103 can be controlled by a combination of numerical values in the “data” portion of FIG.

  According to the electrical equipment control system according to the first embodiment, depending on the comparison result between the main load of the customer's house 100 and the target power amount, or the estimated value of the load and the target power amount and the comparison result for each equipment The operation of the device 103 is controlled. With the introduction of the smart tap 102a, operation management and control of the electrical equipment at the customer's house can be realized with a small configuration. In addition, since any device having a communication function can be used as the target device 103, it is possible to reduce troubles such as replacement to the device and installation work. Furthermore, the consumer 105 only needs to give approval for the operation of the target device 103 determined by the electric device control system. Therefore, the consumer 105 does not need to manually operate the target device 103 to change the operation, and high convenience is obtained.

<Embodiment 2>
FIG. 9 is a functional block diagram of the electrical device control system according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention, and FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example using hardware of the electrical device control system. 9 is different from FIG. 1 in that the device control unit 102, the device operation determination unit 203, the approval acquisition unit 204, and the device operation execution command unit 205 are respectively replaced with the device control unit 2102, the device operation determination unit 2203, the approval acquisition unit 2204, and It is replaced with the device operation execution command part 2205. FIG. 10 is different from FIG. 2 in that the smart tap 102a, the device operation determination unit 203, the approval acquisition unit 204, and the device operation execution command unit 205 are respectively replaced with the smart tap 2102a, the device operation determination unit 2203, the approval acquisition unit 2204, and the device operation. The execution instruction unit 2205 is replaced. In FIG. 9 and FIG. 10, elements that function in the same manner as those shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 are given the same reference numerals, and detailed descriptions thereof are omitted here.

  FIG. 11 shows a configuration example of a smart tap 2102a that is the device control unit 2102 of the second embodiment. The smart tap 2102a does not have a function of transmitting a device control signal to the target device 103, and instead has a function of switching power supply on and off (supply and cutoff) to the target device 103. This is different from the smart tap 102a of FIG.

  The device operation determination unit 2203 determines the operation of the target device 103 by determining whether to turn on or off the power supply to the target device 103 based on the comparison result by the target power amount comparison unit 202. . When the target power amount comparison unit 202 performs comparison using a plurality of target power amounts and obtains a plurality of comparison results, the power supply is turned on or off (hereinafter referred to as “on / off”) based on the plurality of comparison results. ”).

  The determination content of the device operation determination unit 2203 does not have to be two choices of on / off of power supply to the target device 103, for example, as it is without switching on / off of power supply to the target device 103. The option of maintaining it is also possible. In addition, the device operation determination unit 2203 may determine on / off of power supply to the target device 103 in consideration of environmental factors (for example, time and temperature) other than the main load and the estimated load for each device. .

  In addition, when the target power amount comparison unit 202 compares the estimated load value for each device and the target power amount to obtain a plurality of comparison results, each of the plurality of comparison results may be weighted. If there is a priority among the plurality of comparison results that should be prioritized as a criterion for determining on / off of the power supply to the target device 103, the device operation determination unit 2203 has a high priority instead of an evaluation value based on weighting. You may determine ON / OFF of the power supply to the object apparatus 103 using a comparison result.

  The approval acquisition unit 2204 inquires of the customer 105 whether to approve the content determined by the device operation determination unit 2203 (on / off of power supply to the target device 103). The consumer 105 can input an approval or non-approval response to the inquiry using the approval input unit 104 (communication terminal 104a).

  Note that the approval acquisition unit 2204 does not necessarily have to make an inquiry to the customer 105 every time the device operation determination unit 2203 determines on / off of power supply to the target device 103. For example, in the case where prior consent is obtained from the consumer 105, it is considered that the consumer 105 has approved the content determined by the device operation determination unit 2203, and the inquiry may be omitted.

  When the approval acquisition unit 2204 can obtain approval from the customer 105, the device operation execution command unit 2205 causes the device control unit 2102 to cause the target device 103 to execute the content determined by the device operation determination unit 2203. (Equipment operation execution command) is transmitted. Transmission of the device operation execution command from the device operation execution command unit 2205 to the device control unit 2102 may be performed via the Internet. For example, a LAN that is provided in advance in the customer's house 100 and that can be connected to the Internet may be used.

  Upon receiving the device operation execution command, the device control unit 2102 switches on / off the power supply to the target device 103 according to the determination by the device operation determination unit 2203. As a result, as in Embodiment 1, the operation of the target device 103 is switched on and off.

  The device control unit 2102 may notify the customer 105 that the power supply is switched on / off using a display or sound before switching on / off the power supply to the target device 103. In that case, the smart tap 2102a shown in FIG. 11 needs to be provided with a display means such as a light emitting element or a display panel, or an audio output means such as a buzzer or a speaker.

  According to the electrical equipment control system according to the second embodiment, the target equipment according to the comparison result between the main load of the customer's house 100 and the target power amount, or the estimated value of the load for each equipment and the target power amount and the comparison result Since the operation of 103 is controlled, the same effect as in the first embodiment can be obtained. In addition, since the control of the operation of the target device 103 is performed by switching on / off of the power supply to the target device 103, a device that does not have a communication function can be the target device 103, and has high versatility. can get. Therefore, it is possible to further reduce troubles such as replacement to equipment and installation work.

<Embodiment 3>
FIG. 12 is a functional block diagram of the electric device control system according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention, and FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example using hardware of the electric device control system. FIG. 12 is obtained by adding a target device load measuring unit 3106 to the customer's house 100 and replacing the target power amount comparison unit 202 of the power company 200 with a target power amount comparison unit 3202 with respect to FIG. FIG. 13 differs from FIG. 2 in that the smart tap 102a and the target power amount comparison unit 202 are replaced with a smart tap 3102a and a target power amount comparison unit 3202, respectively. 12 and 13, elements that function in the same manner as those shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted here.

  The target device load measuring unit 3106 is connected to the target device 103 of the customer's house 100, and measures the load (power consumption) of the target device 103 and transmits it to the power company 200. This measured value may be an instantaneous value or an integrated value over a certain period of time. Further, the interval at which the target device load measuring unit 3106 transmits the load data of the target device 103 may be different from the interval at which the main load measuring unit 101 transmits the main load data of the customer's house 100. The data format of the load of the target device 103 may be the same as the main load example shown in FIG. In addition, transmission of the measurement value from the target device load measurement unit 3106 to the power company 200 may be performed via the Internet, and for example, a LAN connected in advance to the customer's house 100 and connected to the Internet may be used. Moreover, when the smart tap 3102a as the target device load measuring unit 3106 has a communication means with the outside, the measured value may be directly transmitted from the target device load measuring unit 3106 to the power company 200 server.

  In FIG. 13, the device control unit 102 and the target device load measurement unit 3106 shown in FIG. 12 are configured as a smart tap 3102a. That is, the smart tap 3102a has a function of controlling the operation of the target device 103 in response to a device operation execution command from the power company server 200a, and a function of measuring the load of the target device 103 and transmitting it to the power company server 200a. Have.

  FIG. 14 shows a configuration example of the smart tap 3102a. The smart tap 3102a in FIG. 14 functions as the device control unit 102 that controls the operation of the target device 103, and functions as the target device load measurement unit 3106 that measures the load of the target device 103 and transmits the load to the power company server 200a. And a function as a power tap for supplying power to the target device 103.

  The target power amount comparison unit 3202 compares the main load of the customer's home 100 measured by the main load measurement unit 101 with a predetermined target power amount, and determines which of the main load and the target power amount of the customer's home 100 is larger. judge. The target power amount may not be one. For example, a plurality of target power amounts such as a first target power amount and a second target power amount may be set.

  Also, a target power amount is set for each device, and the target power amount comparison unit 3202 loads the device for each device estimated by the device-specific load estimation unit 201 or the load of the target device 103 measured by the target device load measurement unit 3106. And a target power amount for each device may be compared. In this case, the target power amount may be provided for the total load of two or more devices. For example, the target power value is determined as the sum of the load of the air conditioner and the load of the refrigerator, and the target power amount comparison unit 3202 calculates the sum of the estimated value of the load of the air conditioner and the estimated value of the load of the refrigerator and the target power value. You may compare. Of course, the target power amount comparison unit 3202 compares the main load with the target power value, compares the estimated load value for each device with the target power amount for each device, and measures the load value of the target device 103 and the target device. Two or more of the comparisons with the target power amount of 103 may be performed.

  The target power amount may be set by the power company 200, or may be set by the customer 105 and transmitted to the device-specific load estimation unit 201 via the Internet. The granularity of the target electric energy is not limited to the 30 minute value, and may be finer or coarser than the 30 minute value. The target power amount comparison unit 3202 does not only compare the current value of the main load, the estimated load value for each device or the measured value of the load of the target device 103 with the target power amount, You may perform comparative evaluation with target electric energy with respect to time series data including the past value of the load estimated value or the measured value of the load of the target apparatus 103.

  The device operation determination unit 203 determines the operation of the target device 103 based on the comparison result by the target power amount comparison unit 3202. When a comparison using a plurality of target power amounts is performed by the target power amount comparison unit 3202 and a plurality of comparison results are obtained, the operation of the target device 103 may be determined based on the plurality of comparison results.

  In the present embodiment, the device operation determination unit 203 determines whether to turn on or off the operation of the target device 103 based on the comparison result by the target power amount comparison unit 3202. For example, the device operation determination unit 203 determines the main load measured by the main load measurement unit 101, the load for each device estimated by the device-specific load estimation unit 201, or the load of the target device 103 measured by the target device load measurement unit 3106. An operation of turning off the operation of the target device 103 can be considered when either of them becomes larger than the target power amount.

  According to the electrical equipment control system according to the third embodiment, the target load depends on the comparison result between the main load of the customer's house 100 and the target power amount, or the estimated value of the load and the target power amount for each equipment. Since the operation of the device 103 is controlled, the same effect as in the first embodiment can be obtained. Furthermore, since the operation of the target device 103 can be controlled according to the comparison result between the load of the target device 103 measured by the target device load measuring unit 3106 and the target power amount, The effect that the power supply to the equipment can be stabilized can be expected.

<Embodiment 4>
FIG. 15 is a functional block diagram of an electric device control system according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention, and FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example using hardware of the electric device control system. 15 is different from FIG. 1 in that the device control unit 102, the device operation determination unit 203, the approval acquisition unit 204, and the device operation execution command unit 205 are respectively replaced with the device control unit 4102, the device operation determination unit 4203, the approval acquisition unit 4204, and The device operation execution command unit 4205 is replaced. FIG. 16 is different from FIG. 2 in that the smart tap 102a, the device operation determination unit 203, the approval acquisition unit 204, and the device operation execution command unit 205 are respectively replaced with the smart tap 4102a, the device operation determination unit 4203, the approval acquisition unit 4204, and the device operation. The execution instruction unit 4205 is replaced. In FIG. 15 and FIG. 16, elements that function in the same manner as those shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 are assigned the same reference numerals, and detailed descriptions thereof are omitted here.

  FIG. 17 shows a configuration example of a smart tap 4102a that is the device control unit 4102 of the fourth embodiment. The smart tap 4102 a has both a function as the device control unit 102 that controls the operation of the target device 103 and a function as a power tap that supplies power to the target device 103. The smart tap 4102a has not only a function for switching the operation of the target device 103 on and off, but also a function for changing the operation setting of the target device 103. The setting of the target device 103 means a setting of an operation other than on / off of the operation of the target device 103.

  The device operation determination unit 4203 determines the operation setting of the target device 103, particularly the operation setting that affects the load of the target device 103, based on the comparison result by the target power amount comparison unit 202. For example, when the target device 103 is an air conditioner, settings of temperature, air volume, and operation mode (normal mode, energy saving mode, etc.) affect the load on the target device 103. When a comparison using a plurality of target power amounts is performed by the target power amount comparison unit 202 and a plurality of comparison results are obtained, the setting of the operation of the target device 103 is determined based on the plurality of comparison results.

  FIG. 18 shows an example of a flow in which the device operation determination unit 4203 determines the operation of the target device 103. In the flow of FIG. 18, when the main load of the customer's house 100 is larger than the target power amount (0.5 kWh), it is determined to turn off the operation of the target device 103. Further, when the main load of the customer's house 100 is equal to or less than the target power amount (0.5 kWh) and the estimated load of the target device 103 is also equal to or less than the target power amount (0.3 kWh), the operation of the target device 103 Is determined to turn on in normal mode. Further, when the main load of the customer's house 100 is equal to or less than the target power amount (0.5 kWh) and the estimated load value of the target device 103 is larger than the target power amount (0.3 kWh), The operation is determined to be turned on in an energy saving mode (an operation mode with less power consumption than the normal mode).

  For example, an option of maintaining the current state without changing the operation setting of the target device 103 may be considered as the determination content of the device operation determination unit 4203. In addition, the device operation determination unit 4203 may determine the setting of the operation of the target device 103 in consideration of environmental factors (for example, time and temperature) other than the main load and the load estimation value for each device.

  The device operation determination unit 4203 may acquire information on the current operation setting of the target device 103 and may determine the operation setting of the target device 103 based on the information. For example, when the main load of the customer's house 100 is larger than the target electric energy, the set temperature of the air conditioner during cooling operation is set higher than the current value, or the set temperature of the air conditioner during heating operation is set higher than the current value. It can be lowered. In this case, it may be configured such that the setting information of the current operation of the target device 103 is stored in the device control unit 4102 (smart tap 4102a), and the device operation determination unit 4203 acquires the information. Alternatively, if the target device 103 has a communication function, the device operation determination unit 4203 may directly acquire setting information of the current operation from the target device 103.

  In addition, when the target power amount comparison unit 202 compares the estimated load value for each device and the target power amount to obtain a plurality of comparison results, each of the plurality of comparison results may be weighted. If there is a priority among the plurality of comparison results as a criterion for determining the operation setting of the target device 103, the device operation determination unit 4203 uses a comparison result having a high priority instead of an evaluation value based on weighting. Thus, the operation setting of the target device 103 may be determined.

  The approval acquisition unit 4204 inquires of the customer 105 whether to approve the content determined by the device operation determination unit 4203 (the operation setting of the target device 103). The consumer 105 can input an approval or non-approval response to the inquiry using the approval input unit 104 (communication terminal 104a).

  FIG. 19 is an example of an approval input screen displayed on the communication terminal 104a when receiving an inquiry from the approval acquisition unit 4204. In this example, the approval acquisition unit 204 inquires of the customer 105 whether or not to approve changing the operation setting in order to reduce the power consumption of the air conditioner. Further, when approving it, the customer 105 can select whether to lower the set temperature of the air conditioner or to operate in the energy saving mode. That is, when the customer 105 touches the “lower set temperature” button, the communication terminal 104a determines that the customer 105 has approved to lower the set temperature of the air conditioner, and notifies the approval acquisition unit 4204 to that effect. To do. When the customer 105 touches the “put energy saving mode” button, the communication terminal 104a determines that the customer 105 has approved the operation of the air conditioner in the energy saving mode, and notifies the approval acquisition unit 4204 to that effect. . On the other hand, when the customer 105 touches the “do not change” button, the communication terminal 104 a determines that the customer 105 did not approve changing the air conditioner operation setting, and notifies the approval acquisition unit 4204 to that effect. Notice.

  Note that the approval acquisition unit 4204 does not necessarily need to make an inquiry to the customer 105 every time the device operation determination unit 4203 determines the operation setting of the target device 103. For example, when prior consent is obtained from the consumer 105, it is considered that the consumer 105 has approved the content determined by the device operation determination unit 4203, and the inquiry may be omitted.

  When the approval acquisition unit 4204 is able to obtain approval from the customer 105, the device operation execution command unit 4205 determines the content determined by the device operation determination unit 4203 to the target device 103 with respect to the device control unit 4102 via the Internet. A command to execute (device operation execution command) is transmitted. Transmission of the device operation execution command from the device operation execution command unit 4205 to the device control unit 102 may be performed via the Internet, for example, a LAN previously deployed in the customer's house 100 may be used.

  Upon receiving the device operation execution command, the device control unit 4102 changes the operation setting of the target device 103 according to the determination by the device operation determination unit 4203. As a result, the load of the target device 103 is adjusted, which can contribute to the reduction of the main load of the customer's house 100.

  According to the electrical equipment control system according to the fourth embodiment, depending on the comparison result between the main load of the customer's house 100 and the target power amount, or the estimated value of the load for each equipment and the target power amount and the comparison result, Since the operation of the device 103 is controlled, the same effect as in the first embodiment can be obtained. In addition, since the control of the operation of the target device 103 is performed by switching the setting of the operation of the target device 103, it is possible to reduce the main load of the customer's house 100 without stopping the operation of the target device 103. .

  It should be noted that the present invention can be freely combined with each other within the scope of the invention, and each embodiment can be appropriately modified or omitted.

  100 consumer homes, 101 main load measurement unit, 101a smart meter, 102, 2102, 4102 device control unit, 102a, 2102a, 3102a, 4102a smart tap, 103 target device, 104 approval input unit, 104a communication terminal, 105 customer, 3106 Target device load measurement unit, 200 Electric power company, 200a Electric power company server, 201 Device-specific load estimation unit, 202, 3202 Target power amount comparison unit, 203, 2203, 4203 Device operation determination unit, 204, 2204, 4204 Approval acquisition unit , 205, 2205, 4205 Device operation execution command section.

Claims (7)

A device control unit that is connected to a customer's home device and can control the operation of the connected device;
A main load measuring unit for measuring the main load of the customer's house;
A target power amount comparison unit that compares the main load with a predetermined target power amount;
Based on a comparison result by the target power amount comparison unit, a device operation determination unit that determines an operation of a target device that is a device connected to the device control unit;
An approval acquisition unit that inquires whether or not to approve the execution of the operation of the target device determined by the device operation determination unit for the consumer of the customer house,
When the approval acquisition unit obtains the approval from the consumer, the device operation execution command unit that instructs the device control unit to execute the operation of the target device determined by the device operation determination unit;
With
The device control unit is a smart tap that controls the operation of the target device and supplies power to the target device.
Electrical equipment control system. From the main load measured by the main load measuring unit, further comprising a device-specific load estimation unit that estimates a load for each device of the customer's house,
The target power amount comparison unit further compares the estimated load value for each device with a predetermined target power amount for each device,
The device operation determination unit determines the operation of the target device by taking into account the comparison result between the estimated load value for each device and the target power amount for each device.
The electrical equipment control system according to claim 1. A device control unit that is connected to a customer's home device and can control the operation of the connected device;
A main load measuring unit for measuring the main load of the customer's house;
From the main load measured by the main load measuring unit, the load estimation unit by device for estimating the load by device of the customer's house, and
A target power amount comparison unit for comparing the estimated load value for each device and a predetermined target power amount for each device;
Based on a comparison result by the target power amount comparison unit, a device operation determination unit that determines an operation of a target device that is a device connected to the device control unit;
An approval acquisition unit that inquires whether or not to approve the execution of the operation of the target device determined by the device operation determination unit for the consumer of the customer house,
When the approval acquisition unit obtains the approval from the consumer, the device operation execution command unit that instructs the device control unit to execute the operation of the target device determined by the device operation determination unit;
With
The device control unit is a smart tap that controls the operation of the target device and supplies power to the target device.
Electrical equipment control system. A target device load measuring unit for measuring the load of the target device;
The target power amount comparison unit further compares the load of the target device with a predetermined target power amount of the target device,
The device operation determination unit determines the operation of the target device, taking into account the comparison result between the load of the target device and the target power amount of the target device.
The electrical equipment control system according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The device operation determination unit determines whether to turn on or off the operation of the target device based on a comparison result by the target power amount comparison unit.
The electrical equipment control system according to any one of claims 1 to 4. The device control unit switches on and off the operation of the target device by switching on and off the power supply to the target device.
The electrical equipment control system according to claim 5. The device operation determination unit determines the setting of the operation of the target device that affects the load of the target device based on the comparison result by the target power amount comparison unit.
The electrical equipment control system according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

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