JP4265682B2 - Information aggregation device, aggregation method of information aggregation device, and recording medium recording the program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention collects, records and diagnoses the actual usage of devices in the home such as air conditioners, refrigerators, water heaters, etc., and particularly shows the user himself / herself how he / she is using the device. The present invention relates to an information totalization apparatus for a system that proposes efficient use of equipment and energy-saving usage, a control method for the information totalization apparatus, and a recording medium on which the program is recorded.

  An example of recording the actual usage of devices in the home. There exists patent document 1 as what records log | history, such as the frequency | count of driving | operation use of a household appliance. This is provided with a storage circuit for accumulating and storing the number of times of operation use in the control unit of the device, which is used as a reference for pursuing the cause of failure at the time of failure repair and for producing next-generation home appliances.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H10-228707 stores a device usage time zone. This is to automatically grasp the device usage time zone and automatically control the device even if the user does not intend to improve comfort and energy saving.
JP 63-262189 A JP 60-3580 A

  In recent years, global environmental issues have attracted attention, and energy-saving and resource-saving lives have been screamed. Traditionally, the use of devices in the home has been individual freedom. Even if the electric energy wasted due to excessive heating and cooling, it would have been sufficient if the electricity bill was paid. On the other hand, there is a demand to review how to use the equipment considering the global environment. Appropriate use of equipment leads to energy savings, and refrigerators, washing machines, etc. select resources suitable for themselves, leading to resource savings.

  From this point of view, the conventional system does not provide useful information to the user himself and suggest efficient use of the device. That is, if the user himself / herself does not know the record of the number of times of driving and the driving time zone, the user's usage of the device does not change. Or just knowing the record doesn't tell you where to change your usage.

  For example, in an electric device characterized by multiple functions, such as a microwave oven, it is difficult to select a function that is necessary or unnecessary when it is replaced. Alternatively, electrical devices characterized by capacity, size, and capacity, such as air conditioners, washing machines / dryers, refrigerators, and the like, have difficulty in selecting the capacity and size that they need at the time of replacement. As a result, there is a tendency to eventually purchase a product with many functions or a larger product from the idea of “giving a margin”. If you purchase more than you need, you end up wasting earth resources such as materials and power consumption.

  In addition, excessive use of air conditioners and heating devices such as air conditioners will waste energy. It is difficult to balance this comfort with waste. There is a desire to use with emphasis on economy and energy saving as one usage. However, only one month after use, as in the present, is not enough information to consider how to use an air conditioner just to be informed of the amount of electricity used by all the devices in the home. Also, it is common to find out who is making a long-distance call or long-distance call in the family to save on the phone bill, but it is normal to find out who is using the air conditioner for how long Not.

  Or there is a desire to emphasize comfort. For example, the user feels today's weather and changes the temperature setting to operate the equipment, but even the same user has different feelings depending on the day, and there is actually no criterion for how much is appropriate It is.

  On the other hand, with regard to housework, there are few opportunities to know how to do laundry and cleaning in other households, and it is normal that the family where you grew up and the way of parents are your standards. For example, when you grow up in a home where you do laundry and cleaning every day, you feel like it is normal. This is a difference in the daily sense of the user, but from the viewpoint of effective use of his own time and energy saving, it is more efficient to wash and clean several days at a time than to do it every day. Thus, there is no way to think about the balance between hard work and waste in housework.

  The problem to be solved by the present invention is to objectively notify the user himself how he / she is using the device and to give the user information for reviewing how to use the device.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the present invention is an information aggregation device that communicates with a central aggregation device that aggregates usage status information of a device from a plurality of households, and the information aggregation device transmits the usage transmitted from the device Based on the receiving means for receiving the actual information, the equipment identification storage means for storing information for identifying the equipment in advance, the information from the receiving means and the information from the equipment identification storage means A device discriminating unit for identifying a device; a storage accumulating unit for storing and accumulating the actual usage information for each device based on information from the receiving unit and information from the device discriminating unit; and a plurality of the information collecting devices User identification storage means for storing information for identification in advance, information on the device identification storage means, information on the user identification storage means, and information on the storage storage means Home information communication means for transmitting usage information of devices at home to the central tabulation device and receiving the result information tabulated in the central tabulation device; and the result information received by the home information communication portion is stored in the memory A diagnostic means for comparing information from the storage means, and a providing means for displaying a comparison result from the diagnostic means, the diagnostic means and the providing means comprising: a device used by the predetermined user; Compared with the same type of equipment of the predetermined user himself / herself in the plurality of extracted homes, the usage time of the equipment by the predetermined user himself / herself is compared with the usage time of the day in the usage status information. It is the information totalization apparatus which alert | reports together the use time of the apparatus by the said multiple households.

In addition, the information aggregation device communicates with a central aggregation device that aggregates the usage status information of the device from a plurality of households, the information aggregation device, receiving means for receiving the usage status information transmitted from the device; Device identification storage means for preliminarily storing information for identifying the device; device identification means for identifying a source device based on information from the reception means and information from the device identification storage means; Based on the information from the receiving means and the information from the device discriminating means, storage storage means for storing and accumulating the usage status information for each device, and information for identifying a plurality of the information aggregation devices are stored in advance. User identification storage means, information on the device identification storage means, information on the user identification storage means, and information on the storage storage means. The home information communication means that transmits to the central aggregation device and receives the result information aggregated in the central aggregation device and the result information received by the home information communication means are compared with the information from the storage storage means. Diagnosing means and providing means for displaying a comparison result from the diagnosing means, wherein the diagnosing means and the providing means include the device used by the predetermined user and the predetermined home in the extracted plurality of homes. Compare the usage frequency in the usage status information with the same type of device of the user himself, and combine the usage frequency of the device by the predetermined user and the usage frequency of the device by the multiple households. It is the information totalization apparatus which alert | reports.

  According to the above invention, the information totalization apparatus records the usage status information transmitted from the device for each device. Then, by comparing and diagnosing the actual usage of the user and the actual usage of a plurality of homes, the user is objectively notified of how to use the device. Thus, the user can review how to use the device.

  The central tabulation device tabulates usage status information transmitted from the information tabulation device of each household, and statistically processes the usage status information in a plurality of homes. The information collection device that receives the result compares the user's own usage status with the usage status of a plurality of households, and objectively notifies the user of how to use the device. Thus, the user can review how to use the device.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram of a configuration of a device usage status diagnosis system according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. In FIG. 1, household A has an electrical appliance such as a water heater 1, a microwave oven 2, an air conditioner 3, a washing machine / dryer 4, an electric carpet 5, a heated toilet seat / washing toilet 6, a refrigerator 7, and usage information from these appliances. And an information totaling device 8 that collects information. The actual usage information includes the operation of the device, for example, the usage time of the device, the usage frequency, the operation content, the operation content, and the power consumption. It is possible to know the operation contents and the use time zone, which are the user's intentions, through the use status information.

  Radio waves are used as communication means from each device to the information totalization apparatus 8. This eliminates the need for wiring and makes it easy to add a new device to the usage status diagnosis system. In addition to radio waves, wireless communication such as infrared communication and optical communication and wired communication using a power line may be used.

  Also, outdoors, the information aggregation device 8 is connected to the central aggregation device 10 through the communication line 9. The central tabulation device 10 is also connected to the information tabulation device 11 of another home B, receives the usage-specific information unique to the home from a number of home information tabulation devices, and tabulates and statistically processes it. The statistical processing result is distributed to the information collecting device 8 in each home through the communication line 9 and used for diagnosis. Further, the central tabulation device 10 accesses an external database 12 as necessary for statistical processing, and collects, for example, weather information of the area where each household is located from the Japan Meteorological Agency. Here, the communication line 9 is generally a public line such as a telephone line, but a dedicated line such as a CATV line may be used.

  Next, the operation and action of the usage status diagnosis system will be described. First, the explanation will be given in the home A. The information totalization device 8 collects and records usage status information such as usage time, usage frequency, operation content, and power consumption of the electrical devices 1 to 7.

  For example, the water heater 1 or the like measures the usage time with a clock provided by itself, and transmits a signal that conveys the operation content and the usage time at that time to the information counting device 8 at the end of use. In addition, a device that does not include a clock transmits a signal that tells the start of operation when the operation starts, and a signal that tells the operation content and the end of operation when the operation ends. The information totaling device 8 calculates the usage time from the time when the operation start and end signals are received. In addition, a device whose operation contents change due to program operation without being operated by the user transmits a signal to the information counting device 8 when the air conditioner switches from strong wind to weak wind, for example. As for power consumption information, the microwave oven 2 or the like may transmit the power consumption value to the information aggregating device 8 for each use, and the refrigerator 7 or the like may be used for a certain period (for example, one day). A power consumption value may be transmitted.

  As described above, the usage status information such as the usage time, usage frequency, operation content, and power consumption of the electrical devices 1 to 7 is transmitted to the information aggregation device 8.

  The information aggregating apparatus 8 receives and records the information and diagnoses the information by device, time, etc., and gives useful information to the user. The diagnosis results will be specifically described below.

  For example, it is possible to diagnose a function that the user has used so far from usage information such as usage frequency and operation content. Electric devices that are characterized by multiple functions, such as the microwave oven 2, have a hard time selecting the functions that they need or do not need at the time of replacement. In such a case, the information totalization device 8 analyzes the user's actual usage record of the microwave oven 2 so far and gives the user information on functions that the user needs and unnecessary functions. An example is shown in FIG. FIG. 2 shows the frequency of use for each microwave oven, and may be displayed on a display device or printed out on paper. Here, the microwave ovens currently in use and the microwave ovens used before that are arranged in descending order of frequency of use. This is because the diagnostic material is increased by adding the device used last time rather than judging only by the device currently in use, and at that time, the device currently in use and not in the device used last time There is an advantage that the function becomes clear.

According to this example, since the user often uses the auto function, a microwave oven having this function is suitable. On the other hand, it turns out that the oven function is not used so much that it may not be necessary. Also, compared to the microwave oven that is currently in use and the microwave oven that was used before, the decompression function is often used. If the user thinks that the cooking method or ingredients have changed, or that the thawing function of the previous device is unsatisfactory, but the current device is satisfactory, then the user can find the next microwave oven to purchase. Important information can be obtained in the selection. As described above, the user can select a device having a minimum necessary function when replacing a device with reference to the diagnosis result of the information totalization device 8.

  In addition, it is possible to diagnose whether the capacity, size, and capacity of the device that is currently used are sufficient from the usage information such as the operation content and the power consumption. Electric devices that are characterized by capacity, size, and capacity, such as air conditioners 3, washing machines / dryers 4, refrigerators 7, etc., struggled to select the capacity and size that they needed at the time of replacement. There is a tendency to purchase larger ones from the idea of “having a”. If you purchase more than you need, you end up wasting earth resources such as materials and power consumption.

  Here, the information totalization device 8 diagnoses its own actual usage records regarding the air conditioner 3, the washing machine / dryer 4 and the refrigerator 7, and provides information such as capacity, size and ability required by the user to the user. To give. The user can select a device having a minimum size when replacing the device with reference to this.

  For example, if the power consumption value of the refrigerator 7 is considerably larger than the standard value, it can be understood that the current usage is overloaded to the refrigerator and insufficient in capacity. An example is shown in FIG. The frequency distribution of power consumption is shown with the horizontal axis representing the power consumption per month and the vertical axis representing the number of months. This shows the refrigerator currently in use and the refrigerator used before. For each refrigerator, catalog values are shown as standard power consumption values for normal use. According to this, it can be seen that in the previous refrigerator of 380 liter size, the distribution of power consumption was shifted in a direction larger than the standard value and the capacity was insufficient. In the 450-liter refrigerator currently in use, the distribution of power consumption is shifted in a direction smaller than the standard value, indicating that the capacity is sufficient. Therefore, it can be seen that a 450-liter refrigerator is sufficient in the current usage, and a device having a necessary minimum size can be selected on the basis of this in the next replacement.

  In addition, the washing machine 4 and the like have a weight sensor and a water level sensor, so that the user can know the amount of washing performed at a time. An example is shown in FIG. The frequency distribution of the washing amount is shown with the washing amount on the horizontal axis and the number of washings on the vertical axis. This shows the washing machine currently in use and the washing machine used before. It can be seen that the washing machine used last time had a lot of washing around the maximum capacity of 5 kg, and the capacity was insufficient. On the other hand, the currently used washing machine has a maximum capacity of 7 kg, and the number of washings is less than 6 kg. Considering these, if you put up with the next washing machine a little, you can think that 6kg is enough.

  These depend on the environment such as the living area, the degree of sunlight, the thermal insulation of the house, the sensitivity, the number of rooms, etc., and the usage of the user. Whether the equipment is appropriate for the user is actually used. I don't know without it. According to the device usage status diagnosis system of the present invention, it is clear how to use the device, and it is not necessary to purchase a device having a performance higher than necessary at the time of replacement.

  The following effects are also obtained in daily life. Air conditioners and heaters such as the air conditioner 3, electric carpet 5, and heated toilet seat 6 are comfortable if used excessively, but they waste energy. It is difficult to distinguish between comfort and waste.

There is a desire to use with emphasis on economy and energy saving as one usage. Even if there is a lot of electricity bill, it would be as good as last year, and if possible, would like to save more than last year. In particular, a comfortable device such as the air conditioner 3 tends to become a wasteful use due to comfort.

  The information totalization device 8 collects usage information on the amount of power consumption from air conditioners and heating devices and makes a diagnosis compared to the previous year. An example is shown in FIG. The horizontal axis shows the entire year from January to December, and the vertical axis shows the power consumption of the air conditioner 3 for that month. When there is no plot point, it indicates that the vehicle is not in operation. In addition to the records up to today this year, the records from the last year are displayed again. Comparing this, it can be seen that this year's power consumption decreased for heating, but increased for cooling, and increased overall. While watching this regularly, the user can practice how to use it by reducing the frequency of use of the cooling and increasing the set temperature to keep it at the same level as last year.

  Or there is a desire to emphasize comfort. For example, the user feels today's weather and changes the temperature setting to operate the equipment, but even the same user has different feelings depending on the day, and there is actually no criterion for how much is appropriate It is.

  The information aggregating device 8 collects usage information such as the outside air temperature, operation time, and set temperature from the air conditioner or the heating device, diagnoses whether the user's operation is appropriate compared with the outside air temperature, and informs the user. Report. For example, the air conditioner 3 is provided with indoor and outdoor temperature sensors and humidity sensors, and by using these measured values, the information totaling device 8 can know the temperature and humidity. For example, FIG. 6 shows a comparison between the set temperature of each device and the outside air temperature. One year is shown with the horizontal axis as the time axis. The upper graph shows the set temperatures of the air conditioner 3 and the electric carpet 5, and indicates that the vehicle is not in operation when there is no plot point. The lower graph shows the outside air temperature, which may be the average daily temperature, the highest temperature in summer, and the lowest temperature in winter. In addition to the records up to today this year, the records from the last year are displayed again. From these, the user can have the use standards of the air conditioner 3 and the electric carpet 7 based on the outside temperature, compared to yesterday, and compared to last year. Because it is cooler than yesterday, use of air conditioner 3 will be reduced. Compared to last year, this year it is warmer, so set temperature of air conditioner 3 in summer is lowered, set temperature of heating equipment in winter is raised, earlier than last year For example, the use of the air conditioner 3 is terminated and the heating device can be used appropriately such as delaying the use start time. Although not shown, if the horizontal axis is viewed in units of one day, the user's usage standards can be obtained for the time when the air conditioner 3 starts to be operated and the time when the operation ends. By the above, the user can use the device which has been used ambiguously until now with a clear standard.

  In addition, the amount of power consumed at home is displayed for each device. In particular, heating devices such as the air conditioner 3 and the electric carpet 5, heating devices such as the dryer 4, and devices with large power consumption such as a 24-hour continuous operation device such as a refrigerator are effective. In addition, devices that cannot ignore power during standby, such as a microwave oven 2 and a VTR (not shown), are also effective.

  The power consumption of these devices is totaled by the information totalization device 8, and for example, the amount of electric energy used and the cost of electricity for each device in one month are analyzed. Users can look back on their actual usage and understand the correlation with power consumption, and consider their own electricity bills and know which devices will greatly affect their household electricity bills. it can.

  For example, knowing how much electricity charges for air conditioners have increased compared to last month will change how you use your equipment. Just a month after use, as it is now, it is not enough information to think about how to use a device just to be informed of the amount of electricity used by the entire device at home.

  As described above, according to the device usage status diagnosis system of the present invention, the information collection device records the usage status information transmitted from the device for each device, and compares and diagnoses past information and current information. It is possible to objectively inform the user how to use his / her equipment.

  Note that there are devices that are effective to be analyzed for each user when performing such device usage diagnosis. There are things that even the user himself / herself does not notice can be seen by comparing with others. For devices that are shared by multiple people at home, for example, you can see who has the longest shower time in the family. Similarly, in the toilet, you can see how much the length of the shower time varies depending on the individual. This is the same as finding out who is calling the most when saving phone bills.

  For this purpose, personal identification means for identifying the user is provided in the device, and usage status information including information indicating who the user is is sent to the information counting device 8. The user may carry a wireless transmitter that always transmits a radio wave for identifying the user, and the device may receive the radio wave to identify the user. In addition, there is a method suitable for each device, for example, a method for identifying a person based on weight or sitting condition in a washing toilet. In consideration of the age of the user as described above, infants may be diagnosed strictly in terms of discipline, and elderly persons may be diagnosed loosely while allowing slow motion.

  The above is a system for diagnosing usage of equipment closed in the home. In a closed system at home, the use of the device was diagnosed by comparing past results, predetermined values (catalog values, etc.), or in the family. Next, a system that is open outside the home will be described. Opening it outside the home can be compared with the actual usage of other homes, increasing the objectivity of diagnosis and increasing the persuasive power. This is especially effective in apartment buildings. This is because equipment such as water heaters is common, there are common items in the environment such as temperature, and there are several favorable conditions such as similar income and family structure of users, so only the housing complex A highly reliable diagnosis result can be obtained even if the actual conditions of use are examined and compared. Furthermore, by examining the actual usage of many homes, highly reliable diagnosis results can be obtained not only in apartments but also in general homes.

(Embodiment 2)
Explain the operation and functions of the system opened outside the home. In FIG. 1, the central tabulation device 10 uses the communication line 9 to tabulate actual usage information and diagnosis results of each device from the information tabulation devices 8 and 11 such as the home A and the home B, and performs statistical processing. In statistical processing, evaluation is performed by taking an average value, maximum value, minimum value, ranking, and calculating a deviation value. The results of the statistical processing are transmitted to the information totaling devices 8 and 11 of each household. The information totaling devices 8 and 11 compare and diagnose the statistical processing results in a plurality of homes and the actual usage information of their homes to the user. Inform. According to this, it is possible to know how to use one's own device in the standard of the world, and it is also possible to find unusual usage and abnormality of the device.

  For example, in FIG. 6 described above, the information totalization device 8 collects information on the usage time and the set temperature from the air conditioner and heating equipment such as the air conditioner 3 and the electric carpet 5 and diagnoses. Here, the central tabulation device 10 collects information on usage time and set temperature in each home from the information tabulation device 8, and performs statistical processing by limiting the area. Thereby, the standard of the area can be known, and the information totalization apparatus 8 can diagnose how to use its own device in comparison with the standard. For example, it can be seen that the set temperature is different by several degrees from other households where many neighboring households do not use the air conditioner but only themselves use the air conditioner 3. By seeing this, the user can know the characteristics of his / her usage compared to the usage of many people, and can correct it if there is a problem. Further, the central tabulation device 10 may collect outside temperature information from each information tabulation device and perform statistical processing in a region having a similar temperature.

  At this time, the central tabulation apparatus 10 may be connected to an external database 12 such as the Japan Meteorological Agency to obtain information on weather changes and wind power in the area. Further, information such as an event peculiar to the area may be obtained from the external database 12. As a result, information that cannot be selected only by the usage status information can be included in the statistical processing, or can be sent to the information totaling device 8 to give the user information closely related to the living.

  Further, when the information totalization device 8 diagnoses the amount of power consumed by the device in the home, it may be compared with the statistical processing result from the central totalization device 10. The central tabulation device 10 collects power consumption information for each device from each home information tabulation device, and performs statistical processing for each same device and same model, for example. As a result, the standard of the same device and the same model can be known, and the information totaling device 8 can make a comparative diagnosis with how to use the device.

  For example, a comparison of power consumption for air conditioners will be described with reference to FIG. As a comparison condition, the power consumption when using the same type of air conditioner is shown for households with the same user and family structure, the same level of heat insulation and airtightness in the house, and the same area. The horizontal axis represents the average power consumption for one month, and the vertical axis represents the number of households. On the graph, the average power consumption, the maximum value, and the minimum value range are shown as the actual usage. According to this example, the average power consumption of the user is smaller than the peak value of the distribution of the entire user, and it can be seen that the user is using it with excellent energy saving. Further, the comparison may be made by changing the model of the air conditioner to be compared. If you select the power consumption distribution of people with the same usage conditions from your home that uses a new energy-saving air conditioner and compare it with your current usage results, the new air conditioner and your own model You can see how much difference there is. If the difference seems to be large, the user will consider switching to a new model that supports energy conservation. If you compare various types of air conditioners, you can find the most energy-saving models under your own usage conditions.

  It is also effective to analyze the power consumption in time series. If the refrigerator 7 and the like are near the end of their life and cooling efficiency decreases, the amount of power consumption increases. If the central aggregation device 10 collects information on the power consumption of the same model from a plurality of information aggregation devices at home and performs statistical processing, it can calculate the life trend of that model from the increase in the number of hours used and the power consumption. . Also, if the usage time from the purchase of the model to the failure is counted, the user can obtain a failure prediction of the device being used. At this time, the occurrence information may be included in the usage status information and totaled by the central counting device 10. Or even if it does not use malfunction occurrence information, the refrigerator which existed when it totaled previously is lost this time, and what is necessary is just to investigate what another refrigerator has increased instead. If these are broken down and replaced with new ones, or if they are replaced with new ones, the trend of the product life of the equipment can be obtained.

  An example of this is shown in FIG. For the same type of air conditioner, it shows the correlation between the failure rate and the period of use from the purchase to the present (upper graph) and the actual operation time (lower graph). On top of that, the period of use and the operating time of the equipment I used are displayed. If you look at the graph above, the failure rate has increased slightly to over 5% after 5 years of use, and your device is now 4.2 years, so it is almost time for many failures to occur. Recognize. In addition, the graph below shows that in terms of operation time, the equipment is still at a low failure rate. Depending on the device, it is better to focus on the upper graph or the lower graph, but if you know the life of your device through such failure diagnosis or device life diagnosis, the user will have time and economic margin. It is possible to consider replacements with

(Embodiment 3)
Finally, if the information on the actual usage of the device as described above is aggregated by the information aggregating apparatus 8, a daily life record can be obtained. The usage time of the housekeeping devices such as the washing machine / dryer 4 and the vacuum cleaner (not shown) is recorded as housework, and it is easy to see the average working time of each housework and the number of days. Also, it is possible to estimate the bedtime by recording the off time of the lighting device, the return time by the on time, the bathing time from the actual use of the water heater 1, and the meal time from the actual use of the microwave oven 2 and rice cooker. Compared with the actual conditions of other households obtained by the central tabulation device 10 as well, it is possible to objectively know how to do housework and how to live.

  In other words, there are few opportunities to know how to wash and clean in other households, and it is normal for the family you grew up and the way your parents become your standards. As an example, when you grow up in a home where you do laundry and cleaning every day, it makes sense to do so. This is a difference in the daily sense of the user, but from the viewpoint of effective use of his own time and energy saving, it is more efficient to wash and clean several days at a time than daily. The present invention provides a material for determining the balance between hard work and waste in housework.

  An example is shown in FIG. The upper part shows the usage time of yesterday's main equipment on the time axis. Looking at this, it was a day when I finished housework in the morning and watched the TV in the afternoon, that it was about 6 am from the hours of lighting, and that it was about 23:00. It can be seen from 19:00 to 23:00 that the bath has been used. In this way, if you look at the actual usage of equipment on a certain day, you can roughly see what you did on that day. The bottom row shows the results of comparative diagnosis of the usage frequency and usage time of each device with the average of users and other households. Here are the average daily TV viewing times for the week, the time span for the whole family to bathe, the operating time of the air conditioner, and the cleaning time. From now on, we know that we are watching TV more than the average households in the country, it is better to concentrate more on bathing time with family, and cleaning is usually done every other day. Can think. Of course, if the diagnosis is made by distinguishing the users, for example, the sleep time of each family member can be compared with a social standard.

  As described above, it is necessary to consider the difference in the living environment of the user when comparing how to use various devices at home. For example, it may be a family structure such as the number of users and the age of the user, or a residential environment such as the architectural style of the house, airtightness or heat insulation. Such information is registered / managed / updated in the information totaling apparatus 8 and is transmitted to the central totalizing apparatus 10 each time it is necessary for statistical processing. The central tabulation device 10 deletes the family information when the statistical processing is completed. This not only reflects the latest family information, but also prevents personal privacy from remaining in the central tabulation device 10.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to objectively analyze and diagnose how to use one's own device. Conventionally, how to use a device has been determined based on individual values and ambiguous comfort, but the present invention makes it possible to make an objective determination, and reducing the waste of the global environment and resources by reviewing the usage. It becomes possible.

  Further, it is possible to promote energy saving by examining the power consumption situation in each household at the time of peak power energy demand using the central aggregation device 10. That is, the central aggregation device 10 requests the information aggregation device 8 in each household to diagnose the actual usage of the power consumption of the device. The information aggregator 8 aggregates and diagnoses the amount of power currently used by each device, recommends energy-saving operation, recommends the use of gas instead of electricity, and stops the use of devices that seem to be less important Can be recommended. For example, use a gas instead of a boiling jar to boil hot water, stop heating the toilet seat, reduce the opening / closing of the refrigerator door, etc. This allows the user to know in real time when there is a power shortage, and to know exactly how he can cooperate with it.

Further, if the statistical processing results of the usage status of a plurality of household devices are viewed in the central tabulation device 10, there is an advantage that the power supplier can analyze the current situation in real time. For example, it is possible to easily investigate the reason why the power demand has increased compared to three years ago to the level of which device consumption has increased, and measures can be quickly taken. In addition, for manufacturers, it is possible to easily check the functions utilized by many users, the required capacity, size, and capabilities, so that they can make products that match the actual usage of users. be able to. By reducing the production of devices with more functions than necessary and devices with capacity, waste of earth resources such as materials and power consumption will be suppressed.

  As described above, the central tabulation device 10 can request device usage status information to the home information tabulation device 8 and the information tabulation device 8 to each device as necessary. That is, when the user wants to know the actual usage status of the device immediately, for example, when it is necessary to know the current operation status such as power consumption and the latest diagnosis result, the information totalizing device 8 immediately collects information from the device and presents it. can do. In addition, when the power supplier wants to analyze the trend of today's power demand and predict the future demand peak, or when the equipment manufacturer wants to conduct a usage survey of the equipment, the central tabulation apparatus 10 immediately Information can be collected and presented from.

  Next, the configuration of each device in the home, the information aggregation device, and the central aggregation device will be described with reference to FIG.

  First, 21 is a household device, for example, a water heater, a microwave oven, an air conditioner, or the like. For home appliances, appliance control means 22 for controlling the appliance main body, appliance operation measurement means 23 for measuring appliance operation content, usage time, etc., appliance control means 22, and power consumption measurement for measuring appliance power consumption. The wireless communication means 25 that modulates and transmits the actual usage information from the means 24, the device operation measuring means 23, and the power consumption measuring means 24 into a wireless signal, and receives and demodulates the response signal. Wireless control means 26 for controlling In addition, a wireless ID storage unit 27 that stores an ID for identifying a transmission partner and a reception partner during wireless communication, a transmission / reception antenna 28 that efficiently transmits and receives wireless signals, and the like are provided.

  Here, the wireless control unit 26 temporarily stores information from the device operation measuring unit 23 and the power consumption measuring unit 24, determines the transmission timing, adds a wireless ID to the transmitted information, and modulates it by the wireless communication unit 25. Then send. In reception, control of intermittent reception waiting to intermittently turn on / off the power supply of the wireless communication means 25, determination of presence / absence of a signal to be received by carrier sense or wireless ID, communication error Detect and correct the received content. In addition, it controls the entire wireless communication, such as whether the response signal for transmission has returned normally.

  In addition to this, although not shown in the figure, the home device 21 is provided with a clock means, which can accumulate the use time of the device and the power during a predetermined period, and can notify the wireless control means 26 of the time for wireless communication.

  Next, the configuration of the information counting device 8 will be described. A wireless communication means 31 that receives and demodulates a wireless signal transmitted from the home device 21 and modulates and transmits a response signal, a wireless control means 32 that controls the wireless communication, and an ID required for wireless communication Wireless ID storage means 33 for storing and transmitting / receiving antenna 34 for efficiently transmitting and receiving wireless signals. These are means for wirelessly communicating with the home device 21 and have the same operations and functions as those provided in the home device 21. As described above, the information totalization apparatus 8 receives the usage status information from the plurality of home devices 21 and outputs it from the wireless control means 32.

  In FIG. 10, for the sake of easy understanding, the flow of signals transmitted from the information totalization device 8 to the home device 21 is not shown. This includes a response signal indicating that a radio signal from the home device 21 has been received, and a request signal requesting the home device 21 for actual usage information.

  Next, the analysis, storage, and diagnosis operation of the collected usage information will be described. The device identification storage means 35 stores information for identifying a plurality of home devices 21 and information regarding the specifications of the devices 21. The specification information includes the model name, serial number, performance value described in the catalog, as well as the date the device was purchased and the date it was no longer used.

  The device discriminating unit 36 compares the information received from the wireless control unit 32 with the information stored in the device identification storage unit 35 to identify, for example, that the received power consumption information is from an air conditioner. The model number and the rated value of the maximum power consumption are checked and output to the memory saving means 37.

  The storage saving means 37 organizes and stores the received usage status information for each model according to the information on the corresponding equipment obtained from the equipment discrimination means 36, and constructs a database.

  The diagnostic means 38 outputs the results of comparison of the actual usage information of this year and last year from the storage and saving means 37, which is this database, when there is a request from the user or when a predetermined time comes, and outputs the result of comparison to the reporting means 39 To do.

  As described above, the information totalization apparatus 8 stores and diagnoses the actual usage information received from the plurality of household devices 21 and presents it to the user.

  Further, the information totalizing device 8 transmits the device usage status information to the central totaling device 10. Then, the result of the statistical processing by the central tabulation device 10 is received, and the diagnostic means 38 compares its own usage status with that of others. Here, the communication between the information totaling device 8 and the central totaling device 10 will be described using a wired telephone line.

  As a means of wired communication for transmitting the usage status information to the central tabulation device 10, a wired communication means 40 that modulates information from the storage and saving means 37 into a wired communication signal and demodulates the received signal, and its wired A wired control means 41 for controlling the communication means 40, and a wired ID storage means 42 for storing an ID for identifying a transmission partner and a reception partner and a telephone number of a communication partner at the time of wired communication. The wired communication means 40 receives and demodulates the wired communication signal from the central tabulation apparatus 10, decodes the communication content by the wired control means 41, and outputs it to the diagnosis means 38. Also, personal privacy information such as the user's family structure and housing conditions is registered in the user identification storage means 43.

  Here, the wired control means 41 stores the information from the storage saving means 37 and the user identification storage means 43, judges the timing of transmission, makes a call to the number of the other party, adds the wired ID to the transmission information, and sends the wired information. Modulation is performed by the communication means 40. Also, when receiving a call, it is determined whether the call is from the central totalization device 11; if so, data is received; otherwise, the telephone line is connected to a telephone or a FAX receiver. . In addition, when data is received, communication errors are detected and corrected, and the entire wired communication is controlled such as whether a response signal to transmission is returned normally. These communication procedures are similar to wireless communication.

  As described above, the information totalization device 8 transmits the usage status information to the central totalization device 11. In addition, the data statistically processed by the central tabulation device 11 is received. The received statistical processing data is stored in the storage / saving means 37, and if necessary, the diagnosis means 38 extracts the user's own actual usage information and statistical processing data from the storage / saving means 37 and compares the results under the same conditions. Output to the reporting means 39.

  Next, the configuration of the central tabulation apparatus 10 will be described. As means for performing wired communication with the information aggregating apparatus 8, wired communication means 51 that receives and modulates and transmits a signal to be demodulated or sent, usage control means 52 that controls the wired communication, wired communication Wired ID storage means 53 is provided for storing IDs necessary for communication. These are the same in operation and function as those provided in the information totalization device 8. As described above, the central tabulation device 10 receives usage status information from the plurality of information tabulation devices 8 and tabulates it.

  The central tabulation apparatus 10 includes a storage unit 54 and a processing unit 55. The storage unit 54 stores actual usage information transmitted by wired communication, and uses collected from a plurality of households by the processing unit 55 as necessary. Statistical processing of actual information. The report means 56 reports the result to the power supplier or manufacturer. Then, the processing means 55 outputs the result of the statistical processing to the wired control means 52, controls the wired communication means 51, and transmits it to the information collecting device 8 at each home.

  Here, when statistical processing is performed in accordance with the conditions of the user, personal information such as the family structure of each household, the style of the house, heat insulation and airtightness, and the area of residence is required. These are not held by the central tabulation device 10 but are requested and ordered from the user identification storage means 43 of the information tabulation device 8 when necessary.

  Such personal privacy information is registered by the user by the identification information registration means 44. On the other hand, registration of the device identification means 35 for storing device specification information may be performed from the outside by a manufacturer or the like using a telephone line. In that case, the specification information is sent to the device identification storage means 35 through the wired communication means 40 and the wired control means 41.

  The processing means 55 collects information by accessing an external database (not shown) as required for statistical processing. Also at this time, the wired control means 52 and the wired communication means 51 are used to connect to an external database via a telephone line. Necessary IDs such as telephone numbers and passwords at that time are stored in the wired ID storage means 53, and a communication procedure for collecting information is performed by the wired control means 52.

  As described above, the information totaling device 8 performs wireless communication with the home device 21 to total and diagnose usage status information and report it to the user. The central tabulation device 10 performs wired communication with these information tabulation devices 8 to tabulate and statistically process usage information of a plurality of households. The result is transmitted again to the information totalization apparatus 8 and utilized for diagnosis. In this way, information on how to use the device is given to the user from the usage information.

  Further, the device identification ID for identifying the device that is the transmission source of the usage status information received by the information aggregation device may also serve as the wireless communication ID. The user identification ID for identifying the home, which is the transmission source of the usage status information received by the central tabulation device, may also serve as a wired communication ID or telephone number.

  Note that the communication configuration of the device 21, the information totalization device 8, and the central totalization device 10 is not limited to the above, and any configuration that allows communication is possible. For example, in the home device 21, the wireless communication unit and the power consumption measuring unit 24 may be separate housings.

  Thus, by using the wireless communication unit as a separate housing, it is possible to use a common component as a wireless communication adapter, and it is possible to collectively apply for approval of the wireless communication unit. In addition, usage information can be obtained by attaching a wireless communication adapter to an existing home device. And when changing the frequency used for wireless communication, it can respond by exchanging only the wireless communication adapter.

  Further, the power consumption can be obtained by measuring the current without connecting to the home device 21 between the power cord and the AC outlet. Therefore, only the power consumption may be transmitted to the information aggregating apparatus 8 without the device control unit 22 and the device operation measurement unit 23.

As described above, the present invention collects, records, and diagnoses the actual usage of devices in the home such as air conditioners, refrigerators, and water heaters, and in particular, the user himself / herself how he / she is using the device. It is possible to propose how to use the equipment objectively and efficiently and how to save energy.

Configuration conceptual diagram of equipment usage diagnosis system in Embodiment 1 of the present invention Illustration of display example in the device usage diagnosis system Illustration of display example in the device usage diagnosis system Illustration of display example in the device usage diagnosis system Illustration of display example in the device usage diagnosis system Illustration of display example in the device usage diagnosis system Configuration conceptual diagram of device usage status diagnosis system in Embodiment 2 of the present invention Illustration of display example in the device usage diagnosis system The figure of the example of a display of the use condition diagnosis system of the apparatus in Embodiment 3 of this invention Block diagram of the device usage diagnosis system

Explanation of symbols

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 Electric appliances in home 8, 11 Information aggregation device 9 Communication line 10 Central aggregation device 12 External database 21 Domestic device 22 Device control means 23 Device operation measurement means 24 Power consumption Measuring means 25, 31 Wireless communication means 26, 32 Wireless control means 35 Device identification storage means 37 Storage saving means 38 Diagnosis means 40, 51 Wired communication means 41, 52 Wired control means 43 User identification storage means 54 Storage means 55 Statistical processing means

Claims (5)

An information aggregation device that communicates with a central aggregation device that aggregates device usage status information from multiple homes,
Receiving means for receiving the usage information transmitted from the device;
Device identification storage means for storing in advance information for identifying the device;
A device discriminating unit that identifies a source device based on information from the receiving unit and information from the device identification storage unit;
Storage storage means for storing and storing the usage status information for each device based on information from the receiving means and information from the device discrimination means;
User identification storage means for storing in advance information for identifying a plurality of the information aggregating devices;
The device usage storage information is transmitted to the central tabulation device from the information of the device identification storage means, the information of the user identification storage means, and the information of the storage storage means, and is tabulated in the central tabulation device. A home information communication means for receiving the obtained result information;
Diagnostic means for comparing the result information received by the home information communication means with information from the storage storage means;
Providing means for displaying a comparison result from the diagnostic means
And
The diagnostic means and the providing means include
In comparison with the device used by the predetermined user and the same type of device of the predetermined user itself in the extracted multiple homes, the usage time of the day in the usage status information, An information totalization apparatus that notifies the usage time of the device by the predetermined user and the usage time of the device by the plurality of households together. An aggregation method of an information aggregation device that communicates with a central aggregation device that aggregates device usage status information from multiple homes,
A receiving step of receiving the usage status information transmitted from the device by a receiving means;
Device identification storage means for preliminarily storing information for identifying the device is provided, and the device identification means determines the source device based on the information from the reception means and the information from the device identification storage means. A device identification step to identify;
A storage accumulation step for storing the usage status information for each device based on the information from the reception unit and the information from the device determination unit, and accumulating in the storage storage unit;
User identification storage means for preliminarily storing information for identifying a plurality of the information aggregating devices, information on the device identification storage means, information on the user identification storage means, and information on the storage storage means The home information communication step of transmitting the usage status information of the device at home to the central tabulation device and receiving the result information tabulated in the central tabulation device;
A diagnostic step of comparing the result information received in the home information communication step with information from the storage storage means by a diagnostic means;
A providing step of displaying the comparison result from the diagnostic means on the providing means
And
By the diagnostic step and the providing step,
In comparison with the device used by the predetermined user and the same type of device of the predetermined user itself in the extracted multiple homes, the usage time of the day in the usage status information, A totaling method of an information totaling apparatus that notifies the usage time of the device by the predetermined user and the usage time of the device by a plurality of households together. An information aggregation device that communicates with a central aggregation device that aggregates device usage status information from multiple homes,
Receiving means for receiving the usage information transmitted from the device;
Device identification storage means for storing in advance information for identifying the device;
A device discriminating unit that identifies a source device based on information from the receiving unit and information from the device identification storage unit;
Storage storage means for storing and storing the usage status information for each device based on information from the receiving means and information from the device discrimination means;
User identification storage means for storing in advance information for identifying a plurality of the information aggregating devices;
The device usage storage information is transmitted to the central tabulation device from the information of the device identification storage means, the information of the user identification storage means, and the information of the storage storage means, and is tabulated in the central tabulation device. A home information communication means for receiving the obtained result information;
Diagnostic means for comparing the result information received by the home information communication means with information from the storage storage means;
Providing means for displaying a comparison result from the diagnostic means
And
The diagnostic means and the providing means include
The device used by the predetermined user and the same type of device of the predetermined user himself / herself in the plurality of extracted homes are compared with respect to the usage frequency in the usage status information, and the predetermined user is used. An information totalization apparatus that notifies the user of the frequency of use of a device by the user and the frequency of use of the device by a plurality of households. An aggregation method of an information aggregation device that communicates with a central aggregation device that aggregates device usage status information from multiple homes,
A receiving step of receiving the usage status information transmitted from the device by a receiving means;
Device identification storage means for preliminarily storing information for identifying the device is provided, and the device identification means determines the source device based on the information from the reception means and the information from the device identification storage means. A device identification step to identify;
A storage accumulation step for storing the usage status information for each device based on the information from the reception unit and the information from the device determination unit, and accumulating in the storage storage unit;
User identification storage means for preliminarily storing information for identifying a plurality of the information aggregating devices, information on the device identification storage means, information on the user identification storage means, and information on the storage storage means The home information communication step of transmitting the usage status information of the device at home to the central tabulation device and receiving the result information tabulated in the central tabulation device;
A diagnostic step of comparing the result information received in the home information communication step with information from the storage storage means by a diagnostic means;
A providing step of displaying the comparison result from the diagnostic means on the providing means.
And
By the diagnostic step and the providing step,
The device used by the predetermined user and the same type of device of the predetermined user himself / herself in the plurality of extracted homes are compared with respect to the usage frequency in the usage status information, and the predetermined user is used. An aggregation method of an information aggregation device that notifies the user of the frequency of use of a device by the user and the frequency of use of the device by a plurality of households. A recording medium on which a program for causing a computer to realize the information totalizing apparatus according to claim 1 or 3 is recorded.

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