JP2023183252A - Control apparatus, equipment control system, equipment control method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

To control equipment without dissatisfying a user when receiving a request to suppress or increase power demand.SOLUTION: A control apparatus 2 includes an allowance information acquisition unit 201 and an equipment control unit 202. The allowance information acquisition unit 201 acquires, on receipt of a DR notification, allowance information indicating the content according to DR allowance degree designated by a user when purchasing each equipment 5, the allowance information corresponding to each equipment 5, from a management server 6. The equipment control unit 202 controls each equipment 5 on the basis of the acquired allowance information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 10

Description

The present disclosure relates to a control device, a device control system, a device control method, and a program.

In recent years, commercialization of demand response (DR) has progressed from the perspective of ensuring a stable supply of electricity. DR refers to changing the electricity demand pattern by the owner of energy resources on the consumer side or a third party controlling the energy resources, and reducing (suppressing) demand by the demand control pattern. It is divided into two types: "downward DR" and "upward DR" which increases (creates) demand. Regarding such DR, for example, Patent Document 1 proposes a technique for controlling in-home equipment according to the consumer's preferences.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2013-031355

However, in the conventional technology, it is difficult for users who are consumers to understand the control details of devices for DR, and there is a concern that this may cause dissatisfaction with the operation of devices that support DR.

The present disclosure has been made to solve the above problems, and provides a control device and equipment that can control equipment without causing dissatisfaction to the user when receiving a request to suppress or increase power demand. The purpose is to provide control systems, equipment control methods, and programs.

In order to achieve the above object, a control device according to the present disclosure includes:
When a request to suppress or increase power demand is received, the management server sends permission information corresponding to the device to be controlled, indicating the content according to the degree of tolerance, which is the degree to which the request specified by the user at the time of purchase of the device can be tolerated. a means for obtaining permissible information obtained from the
and equipment control means for controlling the equipment based on the acquired permission information.

According to the present disclosure, when receiving a request to suppress or increase power demand, it is possible to control devices without causing dissatisfaction to the user.

A diagram showing the overall configuration of a device control system in an embodiment Block diagram showing the hardware configuration of a control device in an embodiment Block diagram showing the hardware configuration of a user terminal in an embodiment Block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the management server in the embodiment Block diagram showing the functional configuration of the management server in the embodiment A diagram showing an example of a device management DB in an embodiment A diagram showing an example of tolerance information corresponding to a water heater in an embodiment A diagram showing an example of tolerance information corresponding to an air conditioner in an embodiment A diagram showing an example of tolerance information corresponding to a lighting device in an embodiment Block diagram showing the functional configuration of a control device in an embodiment Flowchart showing the procedure of DR tolerance management processing in the embodiment Flowchart showing the procedure of device control processing in the embodiment

Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a device control system 1 in an embodiment. The device control system 1 is an example of a device control system according to the present disclosure. When the device control system 1 receives a request to suppress power demand for one or more devices 5 installed in the house H, the device control system 1 controls each device according to the DR (Demand Response) tolerance associated with each device 5. This is a system that can control equipment 5. As shown in FIG. 1, the device control system 1 includes a control device 2, a user terminal 3, a router 4, one or more devices 5, a management server 6, a store server 7, and an RA installed in each residence. and a server 8.

<Control device 2>
The control device 2 is an example of a control device according to the present disclosure. The control device 2 is a computer that centrally controls each device 5 installed in the house H, and is, for example, a HEMS (Home Energy Management System) controller.

As shown in FIG. 2, the control device 2 includes a communication interface 20, a CPU 21, a ROM 22, a RAM 23, and an auxiliary storage device 24 as a hardware configuration. These components are interconnected via a bus 25. The communication interface 20 is hardware for communicating with other devices via the router 4.

The CPU 21 controls the control device 2 in an integrated manner. Details of the functions of the control device 2 realized by the CPU 21 will be described later. The ROM 22 stores a plurality of firmwares and data used when executing these firmwares. RAM23 is used as a work area for CPU21.

The auxiliary storage device 24 includes a readable and writable nonvolatile semiconductor memory, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), and the like. Examples of the readable and writable nonvolatile semiconductor memory include EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory) and flash memory. The auxiliary storage device 24 stores a program for controlling each device 5 installed in the house H (hereinafter referred to as "device control program") and data used when executing the device control program.

The control device 2 can acquire a device control program or an update program for updating the device control program from another server through communication. In addition, these programs are compatible with CD-ROMs (Compact Disc Read Only Memory), DVDs (Digital Versatile Discs), magneto-optical discs, USB (Universal Serial Bus) memories, HDDs, SSDs (Solid State Drives), memory cards, etc. It is also possible to store and distribute it on a computer-readable recording medium. When such a recording medium is directly or indirectly attached to the control device 2, it is also possible to read and import the device control program or update program from the recording medium.

<User terminal 3>
The user terminal 3 is an electronic device that serves as an interface with the user in the device control system 1, and is, for example, a smart device such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal. As shown in FIG. 3, the user terminal 3 includes a display 30, an operation reception section 31, a communication interface 32, a CPU 33, a ROM 34, a RAM 35, and an auxiliary storage device 36. These components are interconnected via a bus 37.

The display 30 includes a display device such as a liquid crystal display and an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display. The display 30 displays various screens and the like according to user operations under the control of the CPU 33.

The operation reception unit 31 is configured to include one or more input devices such as push buttons, touch panels, touch pads, etc., receives operation input from the user, and sends a signal related to the received operation to the CPU 33.

The communication interface 32 is hardware for communicating with other devices via the router 4. The CPU 33 centrally controls the user terminal 3. The ROM 34 stores a plurality of firmwares and data used when executing these firmwares. The RAM 35 is used as a work area for the CPU 33.

The auxiliary storage device 36 is composed of a readable and writable nonvolatile semiconductor memory, an HDD, and the like. Examples of the readable and writable nonvolatile semiconductor memory include EEPROM and flash memory. The auxiliary storage device 36 stores various programs including application programs (hereinafter referred to as "service applications") for using services provided by the device control system 1, and data used when executing these programs. is memorized.

The user terminal 3 can acquire a service application or an update program for updating the service application from another server through communication. Further, these programs can also be stored and distributed in computer-readable recording media such as CD-ROMs, DVDs, magneto-optical disks, USB memories, HDDs, SSDs, and memory cards. When such a recording medium is directly or indirectly attached to the user terminal 3, the user terminal 3 can also read and import the service application or update program from the recording medium.

<Router 4>
The router 4 is a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) router such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark) installed in the house H. Note that the router 4 may be a wired LAN router. Alternatively, the router 4 may have both wireless LAN and wired LAN functions, and may be configured to perform wireless communication with one device 5 and wired communication with another device 5.

<Device 5>
The device 5 is an example of a device according to the present disclosure. The device 5 is a device to be controlled by the control device 2, and is, for example, a home appliance such as a water heater, an air conditioner, or a lighting device. The device 5 includes hardware for wireless communication with the control device 2 via the router 4, and when receiving a control command from the control device 2, performs an operation according to the control command. Note that the device 5 may be configured to be connected to the router 4 by wire, or may be configured to perform wireless or wired communication using an external communication adapter (not shown).

Further, the device 5 performs an operation according to the user's operation using the above-mentioned service application or the user's operation using the dedicated remote control of the device 5.

<Management server 6>
The management server 6 is an example of a management server according to the present disclosure. The management server 6 is a so-called cloud server installed and operated by the manufacturer, sales company, etc. of the device 5, and manages the DR tolerance of each device 5.

As shown in FIG. 4, the management server 6 includes a communication interface 60, a CPU 61, a ROM 62, a RAM 63, and an auxiliary storage device 64 as a hardware configuration. These components are interconnected via a bus 65. The communication interface 60 is hardware for communicating with other devices via a network N, which is a wide area network such as the Internet, and is, for example, an interface based on Ethernet (registered trademark).

The CPU 61 centrally controls the management server 6. Details of the functions of the management server 6 realized by the CPU 61 will be described later. The ROM 62 stores a plurality of firmwares and data used when executing these firmwares. The RAM 63 is used as a work area for the CPU 61.

The auxiliary storage device 64 is composed of a readable and writable nonvolatile semiconductor memory, an HDD, and the like. Examples of the readable and writable nonvolatile semiconductor memory include EEPROM and flash memory. The auxiliary storage device 64 stores a program for managing the DR tolerance of each device 5 (hereinafter referred to as "DR tolerance management program") and data used when executing the DR tolerance management program. Ru.

The management server 6 can acquire the DR tolerance management program or an update program for updating the DR tolerance management program from another server through communication. Further, these programs can also be stored and distributed in computer-readable recording media such as CD-ROMs, DVDs, magneto-optical disks, USB memories, HDDs, SSDs, and memory cards. When such a recording medium is directly or indirectly attached to the management server 6, it is also possible to read and import the DR tolerance management program or update program from the recording medium.

<Store server 7>
The store server 7 is an example of a store server according to the present disclosure. The store server 7 is a computer installed in a store that sells the device 5, or a computer that provides an online shop service that sells the device 5, and is connected to the network N. When a device 5 is purchased, the store server 7 stores the device ID (identifier), which is identification information that uniquely identifies the device 5, the model name of the device 5, and the information specified by the purchaser at the time of purchase. Information including the DR tolerance (hereinafter referred to as "purchase information") is transmitted to the management server 6. The device ID is, for example, the serial number of the device 5.

In this embodiment, when purchasing the device 5, the user specifies the DR tolerance. The selling price (namely, price) of the device 5 becomes cheaper as the specified DR tolerance is higher. The DR tolerance is the degree to which DR can be tolerated, and is indicated, for example, as DR-0, DR-1, DR-2, etc. in descending order of DR tolerance.

<RA server 8>
The RA server 8 is a computer installed and operated by a resource aggregator that has concluded a VPP (Virtual Power Plant) service contract with a consumer (that is, a user of each residence H), and is connected to a network N. The RA server 8 transmits a DR notification to the control device 2 of each house H requesting suppression of the power demand when a tightening of power supply and demand is predicted, that is, when a shortage of power supply is predicted. . The DR notification includes information indicating the type of DR and information indicating the target time slot (hereinafter referred to as "target time slot").

<Functional configuration of management server 6>
FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the management server 6. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, the management server 6 includes a purchase information receiving section 600 and a permissible information notifying section 601. These functional units are realized by the CPU 61 executing the above-described DR tolerance management program stored in the auxiliary storage device 64.

Purchase information receiving section 600 is an example of purchase information receiving means according to the present disclosure. When the purchase information described above is sent from the store server 7, the purchase information receiving unit 600 receives the purchase information. The purchase information receiving unit 600 registers the received purchase information in the device management DB 640 as device management information. The device management DB 640 is a database in which device management information of each device 5 is registered, and is stored in the auxiliary storage device 64. As shown in FIG. 6, device management information in which the device ID, model name, and DR tolerance are linked is registered for each device 5 in the device management DB 640.

Permissible information notifying unit 601 is an example of permissible information notifying means according to the present disclosure. When the permissible information notification unit 601 is notified of the device ID and receives a request for permissible information from the control device 2 of one of the houses H, in response to the request, the permissible information notifying unit 601 determines the DR permissible information corresponding to the device 5 having the corresponding device ID. The control device 2 is notified of permissible information indicating the permissible contents of the degree. Specifically, the permission information notifying unit 601 first refers to the device management DB 640 based on the device ID notified from the control device 2, and acquires the corresponding model name and DR tolerance.

Next, the permissible information notification unit 601 refers to the permissible information DB 641 based on the acquired model name and DR permissible level, and acquires permissible contents corresponding to the DR permissible level. The tolerance information DB 641 is a database in which tolerance information in which DR tolerance and allowable content are linked for each model of the device 5 is registered, and is stored in the auxiliary storage device 64. The device management DB 640 and the tolerance information DB 641 are examples of databases according to the present disclosure. Examples of tolerance information are shown in FIGS. 7 to 9.

In the example of the water heater in FIG. 7, it is shown that DR-0, which has the lowest DR tolerance, does not respond to DR. Additionally, in DR-1, the amount of boiling water during boiling operation is limited to 80% of the normal amount, and in DR-9, which has the highest DR tolerance, boiling operation is prohibited. It has been shown that they are responsive to

Furthermore, in the example of the air conditioner in FIG. 8, it is shown that DR-0, which has the lowest DR tolerance, does not respond to DR, as in the case of the water heater. In addition, in DR-1, it is shown that the temperature can be set 0.5℃ higher than the set temperature for cooling, and 0.5℃ lower than the set temperature for heating, and in DR-9, which has the highest DR tolerance, , has been shown to comply with being prohibited from driving.

Further, in the example of the lighting device in FIG. 9, it is shown that DR-0, which has the lowest DR tolerance, does not respond to DR, as in the case of water heaters and air conditioners. Further, in DR-1, it is shown that the illuminance is responded to by reducing the current illuminance by 10%, and in DR-9, which has the highest DR tolerance, it is shown that it is responded to by turning off the light.

The permission information notification unit 601 notifies the requesting control device 2 of the permission information indicating the permission content acquired as described above.

<Functional configuration of control device 2>
FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the control device 2. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 10, the control device 2 includes a DR notification reception section 200, a permission information acquisition section 201, and a device control section 202. These functional units are realized by the CPU 21 executing the above-described device control program stored in the auxiliary storage device 24.

The DR notification receiving unit 200 receives the DR notification sent from the RA server 8. Upon receiving the DR notification, the DR notification receiving unit 200 notifies the permission information acquisition unit 201 to that effect. Further, the DR notification receiving unit 200 supplies the device control unit 202 with information indicating the target time period included in the received DR notification.

The permission information acquisition unit 201 is an example of permission information acquisition means according to the present disclosure. When the DR notification is received by the DR notification receiving unit 200, the permission information acquisition unit 201 acquires permission information corresponding to each device 5 from the management server 6. Specifically, the permissible information acquisition unit 201 reads out all the device IDs stored in the device ID table 240 and notifies the management server 6 of each device ID that has been read out. Request and obtain permission information indicating the permission content corresponding to the request. The device ID table 240 is a data table stored in the auxiliary storage device 24. The device ID table 240 stores the device IDs of all the devices 5 under the control of the control device 2, that is, all the devices 5 installed in the house H.

The permission information acquisition section 201 supplies the device control section 202 with permission information corresponding to each device 5 acquired from the management server 6 .

The device control unit 202 is an example of device control means according to the present disclosure. The device control unit 202 normally controls each device 5 during time periods other than the DR target time period. In normal control, each device 5 is controlled based on, for example, a schedule and setting contents registered in advance by the user. On the other hand, during the DR target time period, the device control unit 202 controls each device 5 based on the permission information corresponding to each device 5. For example, if the device 5 is a water heater and its allowable content is "amount of boiling water: 75% of the normal amount", the device control unit 202 controls the water supply so that the amount of boiling water is 75% of the normal amount. control the machine. Further, if the device 5 is a water heater and its permissible content is “boiling operation not allowed”, the device control unit 202 prohibits the boiling operation of the water heater in the target time period. Note that if the device 5 is a water heater and its permissible content is “do not comply with DR”, the device control unit 202 controls the water heater so that the amount of boiling water is the same as usual.

Further, for example, if the device 5 is an air conditioner and its allowable content is "set temperature: +1.0 (when cooling), -1.0 (when heating)" and is in the cooling mode, the device control unit 202 During the target time period, the air conditioner is instructed to raise the set temperature by 1°C. Further, if the device 5 is an air conditioner and its permissible content is “operation prohibited”, the device control unit 202 prohibits the operation of the air conditioner during the target time period. Note that when the device 5 is an air conditioner and its permissible content is “do not comply with DR”, the device control unit 202 controls the air conditioner to perform normal air conditioning operation.

Further, for example, if the device 5 is a lighting device and its permissible content is “illuminance: 10% reduction”, the device control unit 202 controls the illuminance of the lighting device to fall within the target time period. Reduce the illuminance by 10% from the previous illuminance. Further, if the device 5 is a lighting device and its permissible content is “lights out”, the device control unit 202 turns off the lighting device during the target time period. Note that when the device 5 is a lighting device and its permissible content is “do not comply with DR”, the device control unit 202 controls the lighting device to perform normal lighting.

<DR tolerance management process>
FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the DR tolerance management process executed by the management server 6.

(Step S100)
Management server 6 determines whether purchase information has been received from store server 7. If purchase information is received (step S100; YES), the process of the management server 6 transitions to step S101. On the other hand, if purchase information has not been received (step S100; NO), the process of the management server 6 transitions to step S102.

(Step S101)
The management server 6 registers the received purchase information in the device management DB 640 as device management information. After that, the process of the management server 6 transitions to step S102.

(Step S102)
The management server 6 determines whether or not a request for permission information has been received from the control device 2 of any of the houses H. If a request for permission information is received from any of the control devices 2 (step S102; YES), the process of the management server 6 transitions to step S103. On the other hand, if a request for permission information has not been received from any of the control devices 2 (step S102; NO), the process of the management server 6 returns to step S100.

(Step S103)
The management server 6 acquires the DR tolerance corresponding to the specified device 5 from the device management DB 640. After that, the process of the management server 6 transitions to step S104.

(Step S104)
The management server 6 acquires the tolerance information corresponding to the acquired DR tolerance from the tolerance information DB 641. After that, the process of the management server 6 transitions to step S105.

(Step S105)
The management server 6 notifies the requesting control device 2 of the permission information indicating the acquired permission content. After that, the process of the management server 6 returns to step S100.

<Device control processing>
FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the procedure of device control processing executed by the control device 2. As shown in FIG.

(Step S200)
The control device 2 determines whether or not a DR notification has been received from the RA server 8. When a DR notification is received (step S200; YES), the process of the control device 2 transitions to step S201. On the other hand, if the DR notification has not been received (step S200; NO), the process of the control device 2 transitions to step S202.

(Step S201)
The control device 2 notifies the management server 6 of the device ID of each device 5 and acquires permission information corresponding to each device 5 from the management server 6. After that, the process of the control device 2 transitions to step S202.

(Step S202)
The control device 2 determines whether the current time is included in the DR target time period. If the current time is included in the target time zone (step S202; YES), the process of the control device 2 transitions to step S203. On the other hand, if the current time is not included in the target time zone (step S202; NO), the process of the control device 2 transitions to step S204.

(Step S203)
The control device 2 controls each device 5 based on the corresponding permission information. After that, the process of the control device 2 returns to step S200.

(Step S204)
The control device 2 normally controls each device 5. After that, the process of the control device 2 returns to step S200.

As explained above, in the device control system 1 according to the present embodiment, when the control device 2 receives the DR notification, the control device 2 controls the device 5 according to the DR tolerance specified by the user at the time of purchasing the device 5. Permission information indicating the content is acquired from the management server 6. Then, during the DR target time period, the device 5 is controlled based on the corresponding permission information. Therefore, it becomes possible to control the device 5 without causing dissatisfaction to the user.

Furthermore, the higher the DR tolerance, the lower the price of the device 5, which makes it easier for the user to understand the benefits of responding to a DR request, and provides a sufficient sense of satisfaction.

(Modification 1)
If it is predicted that the amount of power supplied will be excessive, the RA server 8 may send a DR notification requesting an increase in power demand to each customer. In this case, the tolerance information managed by the tolerance information DB 641 of the management server 6 is information in which the DR tolerance and the allowable content for each DR type are linked. When the control device 2 receives the DR notification, it notifies the management server 6 of the device ID and the DR type, and acquires permission information corresponding to the device 5 and the DR type from the management server 6.

(Modification 2)
After purchasing the device 5, the user may be able to change the DR tolerance specified at the time of purchase. For example, the user accesses the store server 7 by operating the user terminal 3 using a service application and requests a change in the DR tolerance. In this case, if the DR tolerance after the change is lower than before the change, the user pays the difference through online payment or the like. On the other hand, if the DR tolerance after the change is higher than before the change, the user receives the difference in price or points corresponding to the difference in a predetermined manner.

(Modification 3)
The device control unit 202 of the control device 2 in the above embodiment controls the device 5 according to the permissible contents (see FIGS. 7 to 9) indicated by the permissible information corresponding to the device 5 acquired from the management server 6. However, the configuration may be such that the device 5 is controlled within a range in which the amount of power to be suppressed notified from the RA server 8 can be suppressed. In this case, the DR notification sent from the RA server 8 to the control device 2 includes suppressed power amount information indicating the suppressed power amount. The curtailment power amount is the power amount that each consumer is requested to suppress during the target time period.

For example, if the device 5 is an air conditioner and its allowable content is "set temperature: +3.0 (when cooling), -3.0 (when heating)", by increasing the set temperature by 2 degrees Celsius during cooling, When it is expected that the amount of power consumption will be reduced, the device control unit 202 instructs the air conditioner to increase the set temperature by 2° C. during the target time period. Thereby, the influence on the user caused by responding to DR can be kept to a minimum.

(Modification 4)
Instead of the control device 2, each device 5 in each house H may be controlled by a server having the same functions as the control device 2 (see FIG. 10). The server is an example of a control device according to the present disclosure.

(Modification 5)
The control device 2 may be configured to include a database similar to the tolerance information DB 641 included in the management server 6. In this case, the control device 2 does not need to acquire the permission information of the device 5 from the management server 6, but only needs to be able to acquire the DR tolerance.

(Modification 6)
The device 5 may hold tolerance information corresponding to itself and may operate with the tolerance content corresponding to the DR tolerance notified from the control device 2. In this case, the control device 2 may acquire the DR tolerance from the management server 6 instead of the tolerance information, and may notify the corresponding device 5 of the acquired DR tolerance during the DR target time period.

(Modification 7)
The management server 6 may be composed of a plurality of separate servers.

(Modification 8)
All or part of the functional units (see FIG. 5) of the management server 6 may be realized by dedicated hardware. Further, all or part of the functional units (see FIG. 10) of the control device 2 may be realized by dedicated hardware. The dedicated hardware is, for example, a single circuit, a composite circuit, a programmed processor, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or a combination thereof.

The technical ideas related to each of the above-mentioned modifications may be realized individually, or may be realized in combination as appropriate.

This disclosure is capable of various embodiments and modifications without departing from its broad spirit and scope. Further, the embodiments described above are for explaining the present disclosure, and do not limit the scope of the present disclosure. In other words, the scope of the present disclosure is indicated by the claims rather than the embodiments. Various modifications made within the scope of the claims and the meaning of the equivalent disclosures are considered to be within the scope of the present disclosure.

1 equipment control system, 2 control device, 3 user terminal, 4 router, 5 equipment, 6 management server, 7 store server, 8 RA server, 20, 32, 60 communication interface, 21, 33, 61 CPU, 22, 34, 62 ROM, 23, 35, 63 RAM, 24, 36, 64 auxiliary storage device, 25, 37, 65 bus, 30 display, 31 operation reception unit, 200 DR notification reception unit, 201 permissible information acquisition unit, 202 device control unit , 240 device ID table, 600 purchase information receiving section, 601 permission information notification section, 640 device management DB, 641 tolerance information DB

Claims (6)

When a request to suppress or increase power demand is received, the management server sends permission information corresponding to the device to be controlled, indicating the content according to the degree of tolerance, which is the degree to which the request specified by the user at the time of purchase of the device can be tolerated. a means for obtaining permissible information obtained from the
A control device comprising: equipment control means that controls the equipment based on the acquired permission information. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the higher the tolerance, the lower the cost of the equipment. Comprising a store server, a management server, and a control device,
When a device is purchased, the store server sends purchase information including identification information of the device and a user-specified tolerance, which is the degree to which a request for suppressing or increasing power demand can be tolerated, to the management server. send,
The management server is
purchase information receiving means for receiving the purchase information;
a database that links and manages identification information of the device, the tolerance level, and the tolerance content;
permissible information notification means for notifying the control device of permissible information indicating permissible content corresponding to a designated device in response to a request from the control device;
The control device includes:
Permissible information acquisition means that, upon receiving the request, acquires permission information corresponding to the device to be controlled from the management server;
A device control system comprising: device control means for controlling the device based on the acquired permission information. The equipment control system according to claim 3, wherein the higher the tolerance, the cheaper the cost of the equipment. When the permission information acquisition means receives a request to suppress or increase the power demand, the permission information acquisition means receives a request to suppress or increase the power demand, and generates content corresponding to the degree of tolerance that corresponds to the device to be controlled and is the degree to which the request specified by the user at the time of purchase of the device can be tolerated. Obtain the permission information shown from the management server,
A device control method, wherein a device control means controls the device based on the acquired permission information. computer,
When a request to suppress or increase power demand is received, the management server sends permission information corresponding to the device to be controlled, indicating the content according to the degree of tolerance, which is the degree to which the request specified by the user at the time of purchase of the device can be tolerated. means for obtaining permissible information obtained from;
A program that causes the program to function as a device control means that controls the device based on the acquired permission information.

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