JP4724951B2 - Control device, control method, and power line communication control system - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a power line communication control system having a plurality of power line communication devices that communicate via a power line, and a control device that performs communication with the power line communication device and controls the power line communication device. Is.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, the following systems are known as systems for controlling power consumption using power line communication.
[0003]
FIG. 11 is a connection diagram showing a conventional power line communication control system.
[0004]
In FIG. 11, reference numerals 111 and 112 denote a communication function via the power line 7 as a power supply source, a function of measuring power consumption of a connected device (connected device), and a function of controlling a power supply state to the connected device. 2 is a lighting device connected to the power line communication device 111 and receiving power supply, 4 is a television receiver connected to the power line communication device 112 and receiving power supply, 6 Is an outlet serving as a power supply and network terminal, and 113 is a control device such as a personal computer for controlling the power line communication devices 111 and 112.
[0005]
The operation of the power line communication control system configured as described above will be described.
[0006]
The power line communication devices 111 and 112 constantly transmit the power consumption of the connected devices 2 and 4 to the control device 113. The control device 113 monitors the power consumption sent from the power line communication devices 111 and 112. For example, when the power consumption of the lighting device 2 becomes abnormally large, the control device 113 connects to the power line communication device 111 with a connected device (in this case, lighting). A request to stop power supply to the apparatus 2) is made by power line communication (communication via the power line 7). The power line communication device 111 that has received the request stops the power supply to the lighting device 2. As a result, it is possible to avoid the occurrence of a fire due to an abnormality in the octopus foot wiring or the connected device.
[0007]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the conventional power line communication control system, the control device 113 that controls the power line communication devices 111 and 112 needs to be constantly operated, and the system cannot be operated due to a failure of the control device 113. Had problems. In addition, power line communication is generally unreliable, and as the number of power line communication devices increases, traffic on the power line network also increases, so it is not possible to stop power supply immediately when power is excessively used. Have difficulty. If a control request for power supply is issued from the control device side when traffic on the power line network increases, a delay occurs until the actual control is performed.
[0008]
In this power line communication control system, it is required that each power line communication device can individually determine whether or not to supply power, and that it can detect a failure of the power line communication device and its connector. .
[0009]
In order to satisfy this requirement, each power line communication device can individually determine whether or not to supply power, and the present invention can detect a failure of the power line communication device and its connector. Control device, control method, and An object of the present invention is to provide a power line communication control system.
[0010]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve this problem, the control of the present invention apparatus Is a control device that communicates with the power line communication device via the power line, a request unit that transmits a status request to the power line communication device, Request power consumption information A monitoring unit that receives a response from the power line communication device that has received the status request, When there is a status response from the power line communication device and the power consumption indicated by the status exceeds a predetermined value, the monitoring unit performs a predetermined notification via the output means, The request unit sends a status request after a predetermined time, Status If there is no response, retry the transmission of the status request, and the monitoring unit will retry the transmission of the status request and after a predetermined time has elapsed, Status When there is no response, a configuration is provided in which a predetermined notification is made via the output means.
[0011]
As a result, each power line communication device can individually determine whether or not to supply power. Control device, control method, and A power line communication control system is obtained.
[0012]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The control device according to claim 1 of the present invention is a control device that communicates with a power line communication device via a power line, a request unit that transmits a status request to the power line communication device, Request power consumption information A monitoring unit that receives a response from the power line communication device that has received the status request, When there is a status response from the power line communication device and the power consumption indicated by the status exceeds a predetermined value, the monitoring unit performs a predetermined notification via the output means, The request unit sends a status request after a predetermined time, Status If there is no response, retry the transmission of the status request, and the monitoring unit will retry the transmission of the status request and after a predetermined time has elapsed, Status When there is no response, a predetermined notification is performed via the output means.
[0013]
With this configuration, By notifying when the power consumption exceeds the specified value, we will detect failure due to excessive use of power, By notifying when the state of the power line communication device is unknown, it is possible to determine that the power line communication device that cannot respond is faulty and perform failure detection.
[0018]
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
[0019]
(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a connection diagram showing a power line communication control system according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. The power line communication control system shown in FIG. 1 and the conventional power line communication control system shown in FIG. 11 have the same configuration, but this embodiment is different from the conventional technique in that the power line communication control system Function and operation.
[0020]
In FIG. 1, reference numerals 1 and 3 denote power lines having a communication function via a power line 7 as a power supply source, a function of measuring power consumption of a connected device, and a function of controlling a power supply state to a connected device. A communication device, 2 is a lighting device connected to the power line communication device 1 and is supplied with power, 4 is a television receiver connected to the power line communication device 3 and is supplied with power, and 5 is each power line. A control device such as a personal computer for controlling the communication devices 1 and 3 is an outlet serving as a power supply and a network terminal.
[0021]
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the power line communication devices 1 and 3 of FIG.
[0022]
In FIG. 2, 21 is a communication unit for performing data communication via the power line 7, 22 is a reception data storage unit that stores reception data received from the power line 7 by the communication unit 21, and 23 is a communication unit 21. A transmission data storage unit for storing transmission data transmitted to the power line 7, 24 is an analysis unit for performing an analysis for extracting an event list based on the reception data extracted from the reception data storage unit 22, and 25 is connected A control unit that controls power supply to a device (connected device), 26 is a monitoring unit that monitors power consumption, 27 is an event list storage unit that stores an event list extracted by the analysis unit 24, and 28 is a connected device. It is a power measurement unit that measures power consumption.
[0023]
FIG. 3 is a hardware configuration diagram specifically showing the power line communication devices 1 and 3 of FIG.
[0024]
In FIG. 3, 31 is a CPU (central processing unit) that executes a program, 32 is a ROM (read only memory) that stores a program to be executed, and 33 is a control (ON / OFF) of power supply to connected devices. ) Is a RAM (random access memory) in which various data are stored during program execution, 35 is a modem for performing data communication via the power line 7, and 36 is the power consumption of the connected device. It is the power consumption measuring device which measures.
[0025]
Here, the correspondence between the configurations shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 will be described.
[0026]
The communication unit 21, the analysis unit 24, the control unit 25, the monitoring unit 26, and the power measurement unit 28 in FIG. 2 are realized by the CPU 31 in FIG. 3 executing a program stored in the ROM 32. The reception data storage unit 22, transmission data storage unit 23, and event list storage unit 27 of FIG. 2 are realized by the RAM 34 of FIG.
[0027]
The operation of the power line communication devices 1 and 3 of the power line communication control system configured as described above will be described.
[0028]
The following initial settings are made in advance in the event list storage unit 27 of the power line communication devices 1 and 3.
[0029]
{Power consumption ≧ 2000W (Watt), Power supply OFF}
Here, the event list defines the contents of {event, action}, and indicates that “action” is performed when a certain “event” occurs. For example, in the case of the event list, when a device connected to the power line communication devices 1 and 3 consumes 2000 W or more, it means that the power supply to the device is stopped. The event list is an operation parameter of the power line communication devices 1 and 3.
[0030]
Here, an operation example in the power line communication device 1 will be described. First, the power measuring unit 28 digitizes the power consumption of the lighting device 2 obtained from the power consumption measuring device 36, and then passes it to the monitoring unit 26. Upon receiving this, the monitoring unit 26 acquires an event list from the event list storage unit 27 and checks whether or not a defined event (power consumption ≧ 2000 W) has occurred. Here, for example, when the power consumption of the lighting device 2 is 200 W, no event has occurred, so nothing is performed. However, when the lighting device 2 is in an abnormal state such as a failure and the power consumption is 2000 W, the controller 25 is requested to stop the power supply in order to perform a defined action (power supply OFF). . The control unit 25 stops the power supply to the lighting device 2 by the power supply control device 33 (power supply OFF). The above operation is always repeated.
[0031]
Here, the initial setting of the event list is {power consumption ≧ 2000 W (watts), power supply OFF}, but this may be changed depending on each connected device. For example, the power line communication device 1 of the lighting device 2 may be {power consumption ≧ 200 W (watts), power supply OFF}.
[0032]
Further, it is possible to set an event list from the outside by power line communication via the power line 7. The communication unit 21 receives data transmitted through the power line 7 by the modem device 35. The received data is stored in the received data storage unit 22. The received data is analyzed by the analysis unit 24, and if it is an event list, it is stored in the event list storage unit 27. The analysis unit 24 creates a response frame indicating that the event list has been set for the transmission source of the event list, and stores the response frame in the transmission data storage unit 23. The stored transmission data is transmitted onto the power line 7 by the communication unit 21.
[0033]
As described above, according to the present embodiment, the power line communication devices 1 and 3 include the communication unit 21 for performing data communication via the power line 7 and the reception received from the power line 7 by the communication unit 21. A reception data storage unit 22 for storing data, an analysis unit 24 for performing an analysis for extracting an event list based on the reception data extracted from the reception data storage unit 22, and an event list storage for storing the extracted event list Unit 27, power measuring unit 28 for measuring the power consumption of the connected devices 2, 4 connected to the power line communication devices 1, 3, a monitoring unit 26 for monitoring the measured power consumption, and monitoring in the monitoring unit 26 By including the control unit 25 that controls the power supply to the connection devices 2 and 4 based on the result and the event list, the control unit 25 connects the connection device based on the monitoring result in the monitoring unit 26. 4 can be controlled by the power line communication device itself so that the power supply to the connection devices 2 and 4 of the power line communication devices 1 and 3 can be determined by the power line communication device itself. Regardless of the state or the state of the power line network, the power supply can be immediately controlled.
[0034]
(Embodiment 2)
FIG. 1 is a connection diagram showing a power line communication control system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. The power line communication control system shown in FIG. 1 and the conventional power line communication control system shown in FIG. 11 have the same configuration, but the present embodiment is different from the conventional technique in that the function of the control device, Is the action.
[0035]
FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the control device 5 of FIG.
[0036]
In FIG. 4, reference numeral 41 denotes a communication unit for performing data communication via the power line 7, reference numeral 42 denotes a reception data storage part that stores reception data received from the power line 7 by the communication part 41, and reference numeral 43 denotes a communication part 41. A transmission data storage unit 44 for storing transmission data to be transmitted to the power line, and an analysis 44 for extracting the event list and the state of the power line communication devices 1 and 3 based on the reception data extracted from the reception data storage unit 42 The analysis unit 45 performs conversion to a data format that can be transmitted based on the event list and stores it in the transmission data storage unit 43, and 46 receives the status from the power line communication devices 1 and 3 in the analysis unit 44. A display unit for notifying the user of the contents when it becomes clear, 47 is an event list (definition will be described later) to be set in each power line communication device 1, 3. Input of 48 is an event list storage unit for storing event list which is input by the input unit 47.
[0037]
FIG. 5 is a hardware configuration diagram specifically showing the control device 5 of FIG.
[0038]
In FIG. 5, 51 is a CPU (Central Processing Unit) for executing a program, 52 is a ROM (Read Only Memory) in which a program to be executed is stored, 53 is a status of the power line communication devices 1 and 3. A display device, 54 is a random access memory (RAM) in which various data are stored during program execution, 55 is a modem for performing data communication via the power line 7, and 56 is an input for the user to input an event list Device.
[0039]
Here, the correspondence between the components shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 will be described.
[0040]
The communication unit 41, analysis unit 44, creation unit 45, and input unit 47 in FIG. 4 are realized by the CPU 51 in FIG. 5 executing a program stored in the ROM 52. Further, the reception data storage unit 42, the transmission data storage unit 43, and the event list storage unit 48 of FIG. 4 are realized by the RAM 34 of FIG. 4 is realized by the display device 53 of FIG.
[0041]
About the control apparatus 5 of the power line communication control system comprised in this way, the operation | movement is demonstrated.
[0042]
The input unit 47 stores an event list input by the user in the event list storage unit 48 using the input device 56. This event list is input for each power line communication device. The event list is converted into a transmittable data format by the creation unit 45 and stored in the transmission data storage unit 43. The communication unit 41 transmits transmission data onto the power line 7 using the modem 55.
[0043]
FIG. 6 is a data diagram showing an example of setting an event list.
[0044]
In FIG. 6, three event lists for the power line communication device 1 and one event list for the power line communication device 3 are set, and an action (status transmission) used for failure detection is included. In the event list setting example, three event lists are transmitted to the power line communication device 1, and one event list is transmitted to the power line communication device 3.
[0045]
FIG. 7 is a sequence diagram showing a data flow between the power line communication devices 1 and 3 and the control device 5 when the event list of FIG. 6 is set.
[0046]
First, the first event list is transmitted from the communication unit 41 of the control device 5 to the power line communication device 1 (S1). Receiving this, the communication unit 21 of the power line communication device 1 stores the event list in the event list storage unit 27, and responds to the control device 5 that is the transmission destination of the event list (S2). As for this response, the communication unit 41 of the control device 5 receives data from the power line 7 by the modem 55, the received data is stored in the received data storage unit 42, and the received data is analyzed by the analysis unit 44. Is recognized. The communication unit 41 of the control device 5 that has received the response similarly transmits the remaining event list to each setting destination. Here, when the event A that the power consumption exceeds 10 W occurs in the power line communication device 1, the monitoring unit 26 of the power line communication device 1 transmits the status (power supply state, power consumption) in a data format that can be transmitted. The data is stored in the data storage unit and transmitted as a status to the control device 5 by the communication unit 21 (S3). In the control device 5 that has received the status, the communication unit 41 responds to the power line communication device 1 that is the transmission destination (S4), and the analysis unit 44 confirms the status content, and the display unit 46 is informed of the abnormality of the lighting device 2. Request a display showing. The display unit 46 can notify the user by using the display device 53 and displaying a message such as “the device connected to the power line communication device 1 has failed!”. it can. Next, when the event B that the power consumption exceeds 14 W occurs, the control unit 25 of the power line communication device 1 stops the power supply to the lighting device 2, and further transmits the status to the control device 5 (S5). ). Receiving this status, the communication unit 41 of the control device 5 transmits a response to the status reception to the power line communication device 1 (S6).
[0047]
Here, when there is no response to status reception or event list transmission (for example, a case where reception was not normally performed due to noise), the power line communication devices 1 and 3 and the control device 5 perform a certain number of retry transmissions. You can go.
[0048]
By such an operation, the power consumption during normal operation of devices connected to the power line communication devices 1 and 3 is defined as an event in the event list, and the status of the connected device is defined by defining a status request as an action. Can be confirmed on the 5th side. For example, if there is a lamp with a power consumption of 15 W to 20 W in a normal state, if an event list {power consumption ≧ 20, status transmission} is registered in the power line communication devices 1 and 3, the power consumption of the lamp When the power exceeds 20 W, the status is transmitted to the control device 5, and the control device 5 can confirm the abnormality (failure) of the lamp.
[0049]
As described above, according to the present embodiment, the control device 5 stores the communication unit 41 for performing data communication via the power line 7 and the reception data received from the power line 7 by the communication unit 41. Received data storage unit 42, analysis unit 44 that performs analysis for extracting the event list and the state of the power line communication device based on the received data extracted from received data storage unit 42, and the extracted power line communication device The display unit 46 for displaying the status of the power line, the input unit 47 for inputting the event list defining the operation of the power line communication device, the event list storage unit 48 for storing the event list, and the event list storage unit 48 The communication unit 41 includes a generation unit 45 that generates transmission data from the generated event list, and a transmission data storage unit 43 that stores the generated transmission data. By transmitting the transmission data stored in the storage unit 43 to the power line communication device and acquiring the state of the power line communication device and the connected device connected to the power line communication device under a specific condition, the communication unit 41 Since the state of the power line communication device and the connected device connected to the power line communication device can be acquired under a specific condition, the analysis unit 44 is connected to the power line communication device or the power line communication device. By detecting this when there is an abnormal power consumption state, the failure of the power line communication device or connected device can be detected, and the power supply of the power line communication device or connected device can be detected according to the detected failure content. Control can be performed.
[0050]
(Embodiment 3)
FIG. 1 is a connection diagram showing a power line communication control system according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention. The power line communication control system shown in FIG. 1 and the conventional power line communication control system shown in FIG. 11 have the same configuration, but the present embodiment is different from the conventional technique in that the function of the control device, Is the action.
[0051]
FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing the control device 5 of FIG.
[0052]
In FIG. 8, the communication unit 41, the reception data storage unit 42, the transmission data storage unit 43, the analysis unit 44, the creation unit 45, the display unit 46, the input unit 47, and the event list storage unit 48 are the same as those in FIG. The same reference numerals are given and the description thereof is omitted. A monitoring unit 49 periodically monitors the power line communication devices 1 and 3.
[0053]
FIG. 9 is a hardware configuration diagram specifically showing the control device 5 of FIG.
[0054]
9, a CPU (central processing unit) 51, a ROM 52, a display device 53, a RAM 54, a modulation / demodulation device 55, and an input device 56 are the same as those in FIG. Reference numeral 57 denotes a warning device (for example, a buzzer) for warning by voice or the like.
[0055]
Here, the correspondence between the components shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 will be described.
[0056]
The communication unit 41, analysis unit 44, creation unit 45, input unit 47, and monitoring unit 49 in FIG. 8 are realized by the CPU 51 in FIG. 9 executing the program stored in the ROM 52. Further, the reception data storage unit 42, the transmission data storage unit 43, and the event list storage unit 48 of FIG. 8 are realized by the RAM 34 of FIG. 8 is realized by the display device 53 of FIG.
[0057]
About the control apparatus 5 of the power line communication control system comprised in this way, the operation | movement is demonstrated.
[0058]
The monitoring unit 49 of the control device 5 makes a status request to the power line communication devices 1 and 3 at regular intervals, and the response from the power line communication devices 1 and 3 is confirmed by the analysis unit 44, whereby each power line The failure state of the communication devices 1 and 3 is checked. Here, an example when the power line communication device 3 fails will be described.
[0059]
FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing a data flow between the power line communication devices 1, 3 and the control device 5.
[0060]
First, the monitoring unit 49 of the control device 5 transmits a status request to the power line communication device 1 (S11). The analysis unit 24 of the power line communication device 1 that has received the status request transmits a response (power supply state, power consumption) to the control device 5 (S12). The communication unit 41 of the control device 5 that has received this response then transmits a status request to the power line communication device 3 (S13). When a response is not transmitted due to a failure, the monitoring unit 49 of the control device 5 makes a status request again after n seconds (S14). After retrying the transmission of the status request several times, the monitoring unit 49 of the control device 5 determines that the power line communication device 3 has failed (S15), and notifies the user using the warning device 57 (for example, a buzzer sound). Notification), and requests the display unit 46 to display the abnormality of the power line communication device 3. The display unit 46 uses the display device 53 to display a message such as “The power line communication device 3 has failed!”. Thereby, it is possible to notify the user of a failure of the power line communication device.
[0061]
In the present embodiment, for example, a buzzer is used as the warning device 57. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a warning lamp or the like can also be used. Further, although the message is displayed using the display device 53, the display format can be graphical.
[0062]
As described above, according to the present embodiment, the control device 5 includes the monitoring unit 49 that monitors the state of the power line communication device at regular intervals, and the monitoring unit 49 is unclear about the state of the power line communication device. In this case, the monitoring unit 49 periodically checks the state of the power line communication device, determines that the power line communication device that cannot respond is faulty, and performs a warning to detect the failure. It can be carried out.
[0063]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the control device of the first aspect of the present invention, the control device communicates with the power line communication device via the power line, and is a request for transmitting a status request to the power line communication device. And Request power consumption information A monitoring unit that receives a response from the power line communication device that has received the status request, When there is a status response from the power line communication device and the power consumption indicated by the status exceeds a predetermined value, the monitoring unit performs a predetermined notification via the output means, The request unit sends a status request after a predetermined time, Status If there is no response, retry the transmission of the status request, and the monitoring unit will retry the transmission of the status request and after a predetermined time has elapsed, Status When there is no response, by giving a predetermined notification via the output means, By notifying when the power consumption exceeds the specified value, we will detect failure due to excessive use of power, By notifying when the state of the power line communication device is unknown, it is possible to obtain an advantageous effect that it is possible to determine that the power line communication device that cannot respond is in failure and perform failure detection.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a connection diagram showing a power line communication control system according to Embodiments 1, 2, and 3 of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the power line communication device of FIG.
FIG. 3 is a hardware configuration diagram specifically showing the power line communication device of FIG. 1;
4 is a block diagram showing the control device of FIG. 1;
FIG. 5 is a hardware configuration diagram specifically showing the control device of FIG. 1;
FIG. 6 is a data diagram showing an example of setting an event list.
7 is a sequence diagram showing a data flow between the power line communication device and the control device when the event list of FIG. 6 is set.
FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing the control device of FIG. 1;
FIG. 9 is a hardware configuration diagram specifically showing the control device of FIG. 1;
FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing a data flow between a power line communication device and a control device.
FIG. 11 is a connection diagram showing a conventional power line communication control system.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 Power line communication equipment
2 Lighting equipment
3 Power line communication equipment
4 Television receivers
5 Control device
6 Outlet
7 Power line
21 Communication Department
22 Received data storage
23 Transmission data storage
24 Analysis Department
25 Control unit
26 Monitoring unit
27 Event list storage
28 Power measurement unit
31 CPU
32 ROM
33 Power supply control device
34 RAM
35 Modem
36 Power consumption measuring device
41 Communication Department
42 Received data storage
43 Transmission data storage
44 Analysis Department
45 Creation Department
46 Display
47 Input section
48 Event list storage
49 Monitoring unit
51 CPU
52 ROM
53 Display device
54 RAM
55 Modem
56 Input device
57 Warning device

Claims (7)

A control device that communicates with a power line communication device via a power line,
A request unit for transmitting a status request to the power line communication device;
A monitoring unit that receives a response from the power line communication device that has received a status request for requesting information on power consumption ,
The monitoring unit has a status response from the power line communication device, and when the power consumption indicated by the status exceeds a predetermined value, performs a predetermined notification via the output means,
The request unit retries the transmission of the status request when there is no status response after the elapse of a predetermined time after transmitting the status request, and the monitoring unit retries the transmission of the status request after the elapse of the predetermined time, If there is no response status, control device and performs a predetermined notification via said output means.   The control device according to claim 1, wherein the request unit retries transmission of a status request a plurality of times.   The control device according to claim 2, wherein the request unit periodically retries transmission of the plurality of status requests. The output means is a display unit that displays an image,
The control device according to claim 1, wherein the monitoring unit controls display of a predetermined image via the display unit. The output means is an audio output unit that outputs audio;
5. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the monitoring unit performs output control of predetermined sound via the sound output unit. 6. A control method for communicating with a power line communication device via a power line,
Transmitting a status request to the power line communication device;
Receiving a response from the power line communication device that has received the status request for requesting power consumption information ;
When there is a status response from the power line communication device and the power consumption indicated by the status exceeds a predetermined value, a step of performing a predetermined notification via the output means;
A step of retrying the transmission of the status request when there is no response to the status after a predetermined time has elapsed since the transmission of the status request;
If there is no status response after a predetermined time has elapsed after sending a status request,
Control method characterized by comprising the step of performing a predetermined notification via said output means. A power line communication control system,
A control device that transmits an event list indicating a predetermined condition of power supply via a power line;
A power line communication device that controls power supply based on a predetermined condition indicated by the event list,
The controller is
A request unit for transmitting a status request to the power line communication device;
A monitoring unit that receives a response from the power line communication device that has received a status request for requesting information on power consumption ,
The monitoring unit has a status response from the power line communication device, and when the power consumption indicated by the status exceeds a predetermined value, performs a predetermined notification via the output means,
The request unit retries the transmission of the status request when there is no status response after the elapse of a predetermined time after transmitting the status request, and the monitoring unit retries the transmission of the status request after the elapse of the predetermined time, A power line communication control system, wherein a predetermined notification is made via the output means when there is no status response.

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