JP4926330B2 - Information processing apparatus for consulting and data processing method - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a process for presenting a usage plan via a network such as the Internet, and more particularly, to a process for presenting and changing a utilization plan for utility resources such as electricity, gas, and water at home.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Currently, utility companies (consumed resources) such as electricity, gas, and water in each household perform remote meter reading using a network jointly by their power companies and gas companies. It is planned. Remote meter reading itself via a network is a known technique.
[0003]
Consumers in each household can confirm the consumption and usage charges of household electricity, gas, water, etc. from the information provided by the business operator. It is not possible to judge whether the usage plan and contract classification of the system are efficient. On the other hand, there exists a system that advises consumers on how to improve the consumption and usage fee of utility resources on the Internet website.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, even if the consumer considers changes to the utility resource consumption mode, usage plan, and contract category selection, the consumer does not know what kind of changes are possible, and if they change, I don't know how much the volume and usage fees will be improved numerically. In addition, the calculation of consumption and usage charges is complicated and labor intensive.
[0005]
The inventor will improve the service to consumers if the network environment used for remote meter reading can be further advanced and a concrete utilization plan of utility resources that meets the consumer's consumption environment conditions and a method for improving it can be presented. Recognized that it was possible.
[0006]
The main object of the present invention is to realize a consulting system related to resource utilization via a network.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
According to one of the features of the present invention, the processor of the information processing apparatus for consulting stores a fee table data for a plurality of contract conditions relating to energy resources, and data representing user contract conditions relating to the energy resources. See In Refer to the memory of the database or local controller It is determined whether consumption data for each time period of the energy resource in the predetermined period of the user is stored and usable, and the consumption data for the user's time period is stored and usable. If it is determined that there is, the processor The user's consumption data by time of the energy resource is converted into the user's tariff data of the contract conditions and the tariff data of other contract conditions in the tariff data by the contract conditions. Generates each usage fee value when applied, compares the generated usage fee values, and sends information representing the comparison result to another device However, if it is determined that the consumption data for the time period of the user is not available, the processor resembles or matches the consumption environment condition data of the energy resource of the user stored in the database. Based on the consumption data for each time period related to the standard energy resource stored in the database corresponding to the consumption environment condition to be estimated, the consumption data for each time period of the energy resource in the predetermined period of the user is estimated And generating the value of each usage charge when the estimated consumption data for each time period is applied to the charge table data of the contract conditions and the charge table data of the other contract conditions of the user To do.
[0012]
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a data processing method for performing a consulting process related to use of a user's energy resource in a consulting system including a memory and a processor, wherein the processor Refer to the database that stores the tariff data and the data representing the user's contract terms for the energy resource, and In Refer to the memory of the database or local controller It is determined whether consumption data for each time period of the energy resource in the predetermined period of the user is stored and usable, and the consumption data for the user's time period is stored and usable. If it is determined that there is, the processor The user's consumption data by time of the energy resource is converted into the user's tariff data of the contract conditions and the tariff data of other contract conditions in the tariff data by the contract conditions. Generates each usage fee value when applied, compares the generated usage fee values, and sends information representing the comparison result to another device If it is determined that the consumption data by the user's time period is not available, the processor is similar to or matches the consumption environment condition data of the user's energy resource stored in the database. Based on the consumption data for each time period related to the standard energy resource stored in the database corresponding to the consumption environment condition to be estimated, the consumption data for each time period of the energy resource in the predetermined period of the user is estimated And generating the value of each usage charge when the estimated consumption data for each time period is applied to the charge table data of the contract conditions and the charge table data of the other contract conditions of the user To do.
[0013]
ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the consulting system regarding utilization of a utility resource via a network is realizable.
[0014]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
FIG. 1 shows a configuration of a consulting system via a network according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, as a basic configuration (infrastructure), a power company server machine 121 (hereinafter also simply referred to as a server), which is a server that supplies utility resources such as electricity, gas, water, etc., a gas company server The machine 123 and the water station server machine 125, the device manufacturer server 127, and the local control device 150 provided in the consumer's house receiving the supply of utility resources are connected to each other via the network 50. The local controller 150 is further connected to a power meter 171, a gas meter 173, and a water meter 175 at a consumer's home via a data line. The network 50 is typically composed of the Internet, a telephone line network including a mobile communication network, a cable television network, a power line carrier network, and / or an optical fiber network.
[0015]
The local control device 150 includes a server 153 for local information processing, a memory 155, a meter reading interface 157, a client interface 159, a utility device interface 161, other interfaces, and other modules. The device interface 161 may be connected to the device 177 or the like via a home LAN.
[0016]
The server 153 provided in the local control device 150 reads the current instruction value of each meter from each meter 171, 173 and 175 via the meter reading interface 157, and reads the read meter reading data in the local control device 150. Are stored and accumulated in the memory 155, and the meter reading data is transmitted to these servers in response to requests from the servers 121, 123 and 125. In addition, the server 153 of the local control device 150 reads the current instruction value of each meter in response to a request from the servers 121, 123, and 125, and transmits the meter reading data to those servers.
[0017]
In the present embodiment, the meter reading data such as electricity and gas will be described as being transmitted to the server 121 to 125 of each resource supply source via the local control device 150. However, as shown in FIG. The meter reading data may be directly transmitted to each server without going through the local controller 150.
[0018]
The utility device interface 161 may be connected to utility devices 177 such as an air conditioner, a refrigerator, a washing machine, a water heater, a microwave oven, and a gas range in the house via a data line. Each such utility device 177 is a so-called Internet home appliance, which includes a microcomputer, transmits / receives data to / from the local control device 150, and is controlled by data received from the outside via the network 50. In addition, data such as the consumption amount stored in the memory of the device 177 can be transmitted to an external information processing apparatus or the like via the network 50.
[0019]
The above-described servers 121, 123, 125 and 127 include a consulting server machine 100 related to the features of the present invention and a client machine 180 (hereinafter also simply referred to as a client) of a user of the consulting service. They are connected to each other via a network 50. The client 180 transmits and receives data to and from the local control device 150 and is connected to the network 50 via the local control device 150. The server 153 of the local control device 150 can perform data processing in accordance with the request or instruction of the client 180 or the consulting server 100. In FIG. 1, only one in-home system including the local control device 150, the client 180, the meters 171 to 175, and the device 177 is shown, but a plurality of similar in-home systems are connected to the network 50. Shall.
[0020]
The consulting server machine 100 typically includes a processor 101, a memory such as a magnetic disk, a network interface 105 connected to the network 50, a video monitor, a keyboard, and the like. The processor 101 typically includes a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM. The server 100 further includes a consulting server function 102 implemented (implemented) in the form of an application program stored in a storage device, and a management database 104. The server function 102 may be implemented as a dedicated processor in the form of hardware such as an integrated circuit.
[0021]
The user's client machine 180 is connected to the network 50 via the local control device 150 and includes a processor 181, a storage device, a network interface 183, an input device 185 such as a keyboard and a mouse, and a video monitor 187. It may be a typical personal computer (PC) or a dedicated information processing apparatus having the same configuration.
[0022]
In the present embodiment, the description will be made assuming that the user's client machine 180 is connected to the local control device 150, but the client machine 180 may be directly connected to the network 50 as shown in FIG.
[0023]
FIG. 2 illustrates an operational relationship among the client 180, the consulting server 100 that is activated by the client 180 and executes consulting processing, the utility resource supplier servers 121 to 125, and the device manufacturer server 127. FIG.
[0024]
The consulting server 100 is accessed and started by the client 180. The server 100 uses the consumption data management function 132 in accordance with the user's selection of the client 180 to access the database 104 and the charge management function 135 of the utility resource supply source servers 121 to 125, so that each user's consumption, charge, etc. The required data is acquired and provided to the client 180. However, the server 100 may periodically access the charge management function 135 to acquire the required data and store it in the database 104. The server 100 acquires energy consumption data of the device 177 periodically or as needed via the local control device 150 and stores it in the database 104. Further, the server 100 accesses the charge simulation function 136 of the resource supplier servers 121 to 125 and the device data management function 138 of the device manufacturer server 127 using the server plan presentation function 133 according to the user's request. Is obtained, and various calculations such as the consumption amount and the charge according to the contract condition plan and the used device are executed, and a possible utility resource consumption plan is supplied to the client 180 and presented to the user.
[0025]
Next, functions and operations of the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, in order to simplify the description, only the energy resources of electricity and gas will be described as utility resources. FIG. 3 shows a flowchart for the contract condition plan consulting process for the same energy. 4 and 5 show flowcharts for plan consulting processing regarding the equipment used. FIGS. 6 and 7 show flowcharts for plan consulting processing regarding switching of energy resources used. 8 to 22 exemplify screens displayed on the video monitor 187 of the client 180 in the flowcharts of FIGS.
[0026]
The user management function 131 of the server 100 collects environmental conditions for energy resource consumption of a consulting service user, who is an energy resource consumer, from the client 180 in advance by a user operation and accumulates it in the database 104. Alternatively, when the consulting service is a membership service, data relating to environmental conditions included in previously registered member information may be extracted and used. If possible, the consumption data management function 132 collects in advance the energy resource consumption amount for each user time zone and each device time zone and stores the energy resource in the database 104.
[0027]
The contents of the consumption environment conditions are household composition (relationship, gender, age, etc.), housing condition (housing structure (rebar, wooden, prefabricated, number of floors, etc.), floor plan, building age or construction year, etc.), equipment used Data (manufacturer name, specifications of model, etc.), home time data of each household member by time zone, etc. are included. If the used device is connected to the network 50 via the local control device 150 as in the device 177 of FIG. 1, the user management function 131 of the server 100 sends the device data to the device via the local control device 150. Can be collected from. Further, the operator of the consulting server 100 recruits monitor consumers in advance, collects the above-mentioned consumption environment condition data of the monitor consumer, and stores it in the database 104. The server 100 uses various data relating to the energy consumption status of the monitor consumer as standard data or reference data for comparison with the user of the consulting service.
[0028]
The consumption data for each time zone for each device used in the homes of general consumers and monitor consumers is that the device is connected to the network 50 via the local control device 150 like the device 177 in FIG. If so, the data can be stored in the local control device 150, and the consumption data management function 132 of the server 100 can access the local control device 150 to collect and manage the consumption data.
[0029]
The charge management function 135 of the energy resource supplier servers 121 and 123 stores, in the database 104, charge table data, user contract conditions, regular consumption of energy resources by each user and monthly usage charges collected by remote meter reading. Accumulated. The consumption data management function 132 of the consulting server 100 periodically and as required from the energy resource supplier servers 121 and 123 via the network 50 periodically consumes energy resources by each user (by time period). , Daily, weekly, monthly), user contract conditions, and data on the monthly usage fee can be acquired. The simulation function 136 of the servers 121 and 123 executes a simulation calculation of the usage fee for the energy consumption for each contract condition plan and supplies the calculation result in accordance with a request from the server 100 or the like.
[0030]
In this embodiment, the calculation processing of energy resource consumption and fee for each contract condition plan will be described mainly as being executed mainly by the server 100, but the processing is performed by such a processing program. May be processed by the local controller 150 or the client 180 by loading from the server 100. Although the fee simulation is described as being executed by the servers 121 to 125, the server 100 may process at least a part thereof, and such a processing program is loaded from the server 100. Accordingly, at least a part of the processing may be processed in the local control device 150 or the client 180.
[0031]
Next, processing procedures of the consulting server 100 and the client 180 will be described. In order to receive the processing service of the consulting server 100, the user of the consulting service first inputs and transmits the user ID and password on the screen of the video monitor 187 of the client 180, and enters the consulting function of the consulting server 100. Log on. Then, the user management function 131 of the server 100 operates, confirms the user ID and password, and starts a consulting service. The client 180 receives data from the server 100 and displays the first screen 1 for energy resource consulting shown in FIG. 8 on the video monitor 187.
[0032]
When the user of the client 180 designates and executes “consumption / charge comparison” on the screen 1 in FIG. 8, the consumption data management function 132 of the server 100 displays the consumption of power and gas for the past year of the user. The volume and usage fee and its total amount and the average and minimum values of other consumers of the same consumption environment conditions are retrieved from the database 104 or obtained from the servers 121 and 123 and calculated to obtain a video monitor 187. The screen is displayed as shown in the screen 2 of FIG.
[0033]
In screen 2, when the user inputs the period to be compared in the “change in comparison period” field and selects and executes the change in comparison period, the comparison result with other consumers in the input period is It is displayed in the same form.
[0034]
On the other hand, when “Go to energy consulting menu” is selected on the screen 1 in FIG. 8 or the screen 2 in FIG. 9, the selection screen 3 in FIG. 10 is displayed on the video monitor 187 of the client 180 by the server 100. The selection screen 3 presents, as selection menus, plan / consulting processing for contract conditions related to the same energy, plan / consulting processing for equipment used, and plan / consulting for switching of energy consumption resources. When the user selects “plan consulting with the same energy”, the server 100 executes the process flow of FIG. 3 for that purpose, and when the user selects “consulting equipment used”, the process flow of FIGS. 4 and 5 is executed. When the user selects “use energy switching consulting”, the processing flow of FIGS. 6 and 7 is executed. Hereinafter, each consulting process will be described.
[0035]
FIG. 3 shows a flowchart for the plan / consulting process for contract conditions related to the same energy. When the user selects “plan consulting with the same energy” on the screen 3, in step 301, the plan presentation function 133 of the server 100 calls the consumption data management function 132 of the server 100, and the user's monthly and past 1 The consumption of electricity and / or gas for the year and the contract conditions or usage plan selected by the user are acquired as basic data for the consulting process, and the first of the screen 4 in FIG. 11 is displayed on the video monitor 187. Display the table. The consumption data management function 132 acquires user identification data from the user management function 131, accesses the power company server 121 and / or the gas company server 123, and acquires the basic data.
[0036]
Next, when the user selects the power and / or gas to be consulted on the screen 4 in FIG. 11, in step 303, the user's consumption data by time zone is referred to with reference to the user's consumption data in the database 104. Determine whether can be collected. If the power meter 171 and the gas meter 173 are connected to the local control device 150 and the consumption data for each time period of electricity and gas is accumulated in the local control device 150, the plan presentation function 133 is sent from the local control device 150. That data can be collected. Further, if a device 177 such as an Internet home appliance is connected to the local control device 150 and consumption data for each time period of electricity and gas for each device is accumulated in the local control device 150, the plan presentation function 133 is The data may be collected from the local controller 150.
[0037]
If it is determined in step 303 that hourly consumption data can be collected, in step 305, the plan presenting function 133 uses the consumption data management function 132 to check whether consumption data by hour is accumulated in the management database 104. If it is not accumulated, the consumption data for each time zone accumulated in the charge management function 135 of each resource supplier 121 to 125 is collected via the network 50 and stored in the management database 104. To do. If it is not stored in the charge management function 135 of each resource supplier 121-125, the local control device 150 on the client 180 side is accessed via the network 50, and the past 1 stored in the memory 155 is stored. Annual consumption or the latest consumption by time zone is collected and stored in the database 104. The plan presenting function 133 calculates the average amount of consumption per hour for each month for one year and displays the second table of the screen 4 in FIG. 11 on the video monitor 187.
[0038]
On the other hand, when it is determined in step 303 that the user's consumption data by time zone cannot be collected, in step 307, standard data that matches the user's consumption environment condition is retrieved from the database 104. As the standard data, average data of a group of monitor consumers whose consumption environment conditions are most similar (or matched) with the user is used. Next, based on the user's consumption environment condition, the user's monthly consumption amount is multiplied by the distribution or ratio of the consumption amount of the standard data by time zone, and the user's consumption amount by time zone is estimated. The plan presentation function 133 makes an analogy calculation of the average amount of consumption for each month for one year and displays the screen 4 on the video monitor 187.
[0039]
The user's consumption environment condition is registered in the database 104 by the user management function 131 of the server 100 in advance, but may be changed after that. In step 307, the screen of FIG. 12 is displayed on the video monitor 187 of the client 180. 5 may be displayed to allow the user to check and correct or add the data of the consumption environment condition. In that case, when the user clicks “to display basic data list” on the screen 5, the plan presentation function 133 retrieves the standard data according to the consumption environment conditions on the screen 5, and the monthly data for one year as described above. 13 is displayed on the video monitor 187 similar to the screen 4 by analogy calculation.
[0040]
Next, in step 311, based on the consumption by time zone determined in step 305 or 307, the usage fee by contract plan provided by the power company and gas company is calculated. For this purpose, the plan presentation function 133 accesses the simulation function 136 in the server 121 or 123 and causes the server 121 or 123 to calculate the contract plan usage fee. For example, the charge of one contract plan (contract condition) is expressed as the sum of the minimum monthly basic charge for basic consumption up to a certain predetermined amount in one month and the pay-as-you-go charge for the amount exceeding the basic consumption. The Further, in a certain contract plan, a daytime metered fee with a high fee rate and a late metered metered fee with a low fee rate are set separately.
[0041]
In the same step 311, the usage fee for each contract plan as a calculation result is received from the server 121 or 123 and the screen 7 in FIG. 14 is displayed on the video monitor 187 of the client 180. At that time, the current user's contract plan charge and the other presented contract plan charges are displayed, and the contract plan with the lowest charge is displayed as the recommended plan. Further, on the same screen 7, the user is instructed (prompted) to apply for the change to the recommended plan and to select the first energy consulting menu display. When the energy consulting menu is selected on the screen 7, the screen returns to the screen 3 and another consulting service can be provided.
[0042]
If the application for change to the presentation plan is selected on the screen 7 in step 311, in step 319, the plan presentation function 133 displays the contract plan change contents and the change start year on the video monitor 187 as shown in the screen 8 in FIG. 15. Display the month. When there are a plurality of presentation plans, the contents of each presentation plan and the change start date are displayed, the contract plan with the lowest charge is displayed as a recommended plan, and the user is allowed to select one of them. When the user confirms or selects it and clicks “plan change application”, the plan presentation function 133 notifies the resource supplier server 121 or 123 of the user's contract plan change. The plan presenting function 133 receives screen data for confirming acceptance of the contract plan change from the server 121 or 123 and transmits it to the client 180 to display the screen 9 in FIG. When the user clicks “OK” on the screen 9, the consulting process in FIG. 3 ends.
[0043]
4 and 5 show flowcharts for plan consulting processing regarding the equipment used. When the user selects “consulting equipment to be used” on the screen 3 in FIG. 10, in step 401 in FIG. 4, the plan presentation function 133 of the server 100 calls the consumption data management function 132 of the server 100, and The power consumption and / or gas consumption for the past year, the usage plan and contract classification selected by the user are acquired as basic data for consulting processing, and the first table in screen 4 of FIG. 11 is displayed. To do. The consumption data management function 132 acquires the basic data from the power company server 121 and / or the gas company server 123.
[0044]
Next, in the same step 401, the consumption data management function 132 executes the same processing as the steps 303 to 307 in FIG. 3, and the second and third of the screen 10 in FIG. 17 similar to the screen 4 in FIG. The table is displayed on the video monitor 187.
[0045]
Further, in the same step 401, the plan presenting function 133 of the server 100 refers to the consumption data of the user from the local control device 150 or in the database 104, and various data by the user and consumption by time zone. Whether or not data can be collected is displayed on the video monitor 187 as shown in the fourth and fifth tables of the screen 10. In the fourth and fifth tables of the screen 10, OK indicates that the consumption data by time zone of the used devices in the same row can be collected, and NG indicates that the consumption data by time zone of the used devices in the same row is not collected. Indicates that it is possible.
[0046]
Next, in step 403 of FIG. 4, the plan presentation function 133 refers to the data for each device, and determines whether or not the consumption data for each time zone of the user can be collected.
[0047]
If it is determined in step 403 that consumption data for a certain device can be collected, in step 405, the plan presenting function 133 uses the consumption data management function 132 to store the consumption data for each device in the management database 104. Check whether data is stored, and if it is not stored, access the local control device 150 on the client 180 side via the network 50 and store the devices for the past year stored in the memory 155. The consumption for each different time zone is collected and stored in the database 104. The plan presentation function 133 calculates the monthly consumption of each device for each year for each year, and displays a table such as the first table in FIG.
[0048]
On the other hand, when it is determined in step 403 that it is not possible to collect device-specific consumption data by time zone, in step 407, standard data that matches the user's consumption environment conditions is extracted from the database 104. Next, based on the user's consumption environment condition, the average data of the group of monitor consumers whose consumption environment condition is the most similar (or matched) with the user is used as standard data to calculate the monthly consumption of the user. Multiplying the distribution or ratio of the consumption by time zone of standard data by device, the user's consumption by time zone of the device is analogized. The plan presentation function 133 estimates the consumption for each device by time zone for each month for one year, and continuously displays a table such as the second table in FIG. When all of the user devices 177 are not connected to the local control device 150, the consumption by time zone of all the devices is calculated by analogy.
[0049]
In step 409, the plan presenting function 133 selects a currently used device to be consulted from a plurality of tables as shown in FIG. 18 displayed at the bottom of the screen 10 on the video monitor 187, and uses the selected device. Instruct the user to enter conditions (such as floor plan).
[0050]
In step 411, the plan presentation function 133 obtains the device data of the newest device having the highest efficiency and the lowest efficiency that meet the usage conditions of the user of the device in step 409 from the device manufacturer server 127, and presents the current data of those devices. Alternatively, the power or gas consumption corresponding to the standard usage state is calculated, and the charge simulation calculation is executed. For this purpose, the plan presenting function 133 accesses the simulation function 136 in the server 121 or 123 and requests a simulation calculation of the usage fee for the total consumption of the home when each device is alternatively installed in the current contract plan. .
[0051]
Next, in the same step 411, the plan presenting function 133 receives the monthly fee and the annual fee when the highest efficiency and the lowest efficiency devices are alternatively installed as the calculation result from the server 121 or 123, and displays them on the video monitor 187. 19 screens 11 are displayed. At that time, the current charge is also displayed. Further, on the same screen 11, the user is instructed to narrow down introduction candidate devices, and another option is instructed to select whether to return to the selection of the current device to be replaced or to return to the energy consulting menu. .
[0052]
When narrowing down of introduction candidate devices is selected on the screen 11, the plan presenting function 133 obtains the maximum effect (efficiency) among the introduction candidates on the video monitor 187 as shown in the screen 12 of FIG. Display the data such as manufacturer, price range, power consumption, noise level, mounting method and function for the equipment to be used and the minimum effect equipment, and the device narrowing condition (manufacturer, price) in the upper row of the table on screen 12 Input the band, power consumption, noise level, etc.), and instruct the user to click “Execute refinement”.
[0053]
Next, in the same step 413, the plan presentation function 133, as a result of narrowing down the devices, on the bidet monitor 187, the manufacturer, price, power consumption, noise amount, mounting method and function for each candidate device such as the screen 13 in FIG. A list of such data is displayed, and the user is further instructed to select a plurality of devices for comparison and click “Compare”.
[0054]
When the user selects a device and clicks “Compare”, in step 415, the plan presentation function 133 searches for a device sales site (online shop site) and displays it on the video monitor 187 as shown in the screen 14 in FIG. The price, construction cost, online shop name (sales shop), power consumption and noise level, etc. of each device selected by a simple user are displayed, and the monthly amount of electricity or gas for the next year when each device is installed Users are expected to display the price and annual price forecasts and the price forecasts for the current equipment, let the user understand the improvements, and select one of them to apply for the purchase of the installed equipment. To instruct. In addition, on the same screen, as another option, an instruction is given to select whether to return to the selection of the current device to be replaced or to return to the energy consulting menu.
[0055]
When the purchase application for the introduced device is selected on the screen 14, in step 417, the plan presenting function 133 displays a screen for confirming the purchase of the device selected by the user on the video monitor 187, and the purchase is confirmed. When the confirmation is made, a transition is made to the corresponding online shop on the network 50, and the user is made to execute a procedure for purchasing the device by a known method. It is also possible to select returning to the energy consulting menu as another option on the same screen. In this way, the consulting process of FIGS. 4 and 5 is completed.
[0056]
6 and 7 show flowcharts for the plan consulting process regarding the type of energy resources used. This process is a comparison between the charge and the current charge when it is assumed that one device that consumes one energy resource is replaced with another device that consumes another energy resource that can replace it. Basically, this is processing for executing a combination of the flowcharts of FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 for a plurality of contract plans for a plurality of energy resources. At that time, the sum of the charges for power and gas is also displayed, and the charge comparison is performed with the total charge for each combination of the contract plans for power and gas.
[0057]
When the user selects “use energy switching consulting” on the screen 3 in FIG. 10, the server 100 executes the same processing as that in step 401 in FIG. 4 in step 501 in FIG. 1 table is displayed. Hereinafter, the processing of steps 501 to 507 is the same as 401 to 407 in FIG.
[0058]
In step 509, the selection of the currently used device to be consulted from the table representing the consumption amount by device as shown in FIG. 18, and another energy resource usage mode (heating, hot water supply, etc.) after switching. Instructing the selection of the equipment to be installed and the input of the usage conditions (such as floor plan).
[0059]
In step 511, the plan presentation function 133 acquires the device data of the new device with the highest efficiency and the lowest efficiency suitable for the use candidate device to be introduced that uses another energy resource from the manufacturer server 127, and outputs another device after switching. The resource consumption converted into the energy resource is calculated, and the simulation calculation for each contract plan of the other energy resource is executed. For this purpose, the plan presentation function 133 accesses the simulation function 136 in the server 121 or 123 and requests the server 121 or 123 to perform simulation calculation of the usage fee for each contract plan. The plan presentation function 133 receives the monthly fee and annual fee for each contract plan as a result from the server 121 or 123, calculates the sum of the amount of power and gas, and displays the sum of the amount of power and gas on the video monitor 187 of the client 180 as shown in FIG. A screen such as the screen 11 is displayed. At that time, the current charge is also displayed.
[0060]
Figure 7 In step 513, the plan presentation function 133 displays a screen such as the screen 12 in FIG. 20 on the video monitor 187, so that the manufacturer, price range, noise level, mounting method, function, etc. Present a list of data and instruct the user to narrow down the number of devices.
[0061]
In step 515, the plan presentation function 133 displays a screen such as the screen 14 of FIG. 22 on the video monitor 187 to display the refined device and the improvement content for each contract plan, the price, the name of the online shop, and the like. Instruct the user to select a device and contract plan.
[0062]
When the purchase application for the introduced device is selected in step 515, in step 517, the plan presenting function 133 displays a screen for confirming the purchase of the device selected by the user on the video monitor 187. When the purchase is confirmed, a transition is made to the corresponding online shop on the network 50, and the user is caused to execute a procedure for purchasing the device by a known method.
[0063]
In step 519, the plan presentation function 133 displays the contents of the contract plan change and the change start date on the video monitor 187. When the user confirms this and executes the contract plan change application, the plan presenting function 133 notifies the resource supplier server 121 or 123 of the user's contract plan change. The plan presentation function 133 receives screen data for confirming acceptance of the contract plan change from the server 121 or 123 and transmits it to the client 180 for display. When the user confirms this, the consulting process of FIGS. 7 and 8 is finished.
[0064]
The embodiments described above are merely given as typical examples, and variations and variations thereof will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Those skilled in the art will depart from the principles of the present invention and the scope of the invention described in the claims. Obviously, various modifications of the above-described embodiment can be made.
[0065]
(Supplementary note 1) An information processing apparatus for consulting comprising a memory and a processor,
The processor determines another usage condition of the resource of the user different from the current usage condition based on a current usage condition of the resource of the user and usage data of the resource of the user in a predetermined period. Supplying a predicted value of utilization data of the resource in a predetermined period of time,
An information processing device for consulting, characterized by
(Supplementary note 2) The information processing apparatus according to supplementary note 1, wherein the processor further accepts a change to the another use condition of the resource in response to an input of the user.
(Supplementary Note 3) The information processing apparatus according to Supplementary Note 1, wherein the predicted value of the resource usage data is received from another information processing apparatus via a network.
(Supplementary note 4) An information processing apparatus for consulting comprising a memory and a processor,
The processor separates the resource of the user that is different from the current use condition calculated based on the current use condition of the resource of the user and the use data of the resource of the user in a predetermined period. Supplying a predicted value of utilization data of the resource in a predetermined period of the use conditions of
An information processing device for consulting, characterized by
(Additional remark 5) The said processor supplies the said estimated value to a display apparatus, The information processing apparatus of Additional remark 4 characterized by the above-mentioned.
(Appendix 6) A consulting program used in an information processing apparatus,
The information processing apparatus includes a processor and a memory,
Based on the current usage conditions of a certain resource of the user and the usage data of the resource of the user in a predetermined period, in a predetermined period in another usage condition of the resource of the user different from the current usage condition A consulting program that causes the processor to execute a step of supplying a predicted value of utilization data of the resource.
(Supplementary note 7) The program according to supplementary note 6, further causing the processor to execute a step of accepting a change to the another use condition of the resource in response to the input of the user.
(Supplementary note 8) The program according to supplementary note 6, further causing the processor to execute a step of receiving utilization data of the resource of the user from another information processing apparatus via a network.
(Additional remark 9) Furthermore, the said processor is made to perform the step which receives regularly the utilization data of the said user from another information processing apparatus via a network, and accumulate | stores in the said memory, It is characterized by the above-mentioned. The program according to appendix 6.
(Supplementary note 10) The program according to supplementary note 6, wherein the resource usage data of the user includes consumption amounts of the resource of the user in a plurality of periods.
(Supplementary note 11) The program according to supplementary note 6, wherein the usage data of the resource of the user includes a consumption amount of each device that consumes the resource of the user in a plurality of periods.
(Supplementary note 12) The program according to supplementary note 6, wherein the resource usage data of the user includes a charge of the consumption amount of the resource of the user in a plurality of periods.
(Supplementary note 13) The step of supplying the predicted value further includes, based on the standard data corresponding to the current usage condition of the resource of the user and the usage data of the resource of the user. The program according to appendix 6, which supplies an analogy value of another utilization data of resources.
(Supplementary note 14) The step of supplying the predicted value further includes the predicted value of the usage data in the other usage condition of the resource based on standard data corresponding to the current usage condition of the resource of the user. The program according to appendix 6, wherein the program is supplied.
(Supplementary Note 15) The program according to Supplementary Note 6, further causing the processor to execute a step of receiving the predicted value of the resource usage data from another information processing apparatus via a network.
(Supplementary Note 16) Further, the step of transmitting the predicted value of the utilization data of the resource to another information processing apparatus via a network; and the resource calculated by the another information processing apparatus based on the predicted value The program according to appendix 6, wherein the processor is caused to execute a step of receiving another predicted value of different usage data from the other information processing apparatus via a network.
(Supplementary note 17) The program according to supplementary note 6, which causes the processor to execute a step of transmitting the predicted value of the utilization data of the resource to another information processing apparatus via a network.
(Supplementary Note 18) The current use condition includes a contract condition for the user to receive the resource supply, and the another use condition includes another contract condition for the user to receive the resource supply. The program according to appendix 6, characterized by:
(Supplementary note 19) The program according to supplementary note 6, wherein the current use condition includes a current device that consumes the resource, and the another use condition includes another device that consumes the resource.
(Supplementary note 20) The resource includes a plurality of resources, the current use condition includes a current device that consumes one of the plurality of resources, and the another use condition includes the plurality of resources. The program according to appendix 6, including another device that consumes another resource.
(Supplementary note 21) Furthermore, the method further includes a step of receiving device data related to the other device from another information processing device,
The program according to appendix 19 or 20, wherein the step of supplying the predicted value further supplies the predicted value of the resource usage data based on the device data.
(Supplementary note 22) The program according to supplementary note 6, wherein the use condition includes an environmental condition for consuming the resource in the residence of the user.
(Supplementary Note 23) A consulting program used for an information processing apparatus,
The information processing apparatus includes a processor and a memory,
In another use condition of the resource of the user that is different from the current use condition calculated based on the current use condition of the resource of the user and the use data of the resource of the user in a predetermined period A program for consulting, characterized by causing the processor to execute a step of supplying a predicted value of utilization data of the resource in a predetermined period.
(Supplementary Note 24) A data processing method for performing consulting service processing related to user resource use in a consulting system,
A predetermined period in another usage condition of the resource of the user different from the current usage condition based on a current usage condition of the resource of the user and usage data of the resource of the user in a predetermined period A method for processing data, comprising the step of supplying a predicted value of utilization data of said resource.
(Supplementary note 25) The data processing method according to supplementary note 24, further comprising a step of accepting a change to the other use condition of the resource in response to the user input.
(Supplementary note 26) The data processing method according to supplementary note 24, further comprising receiving usage data of the resource of the user from another information processing apparatus via a network.
(Supplementary note 27) The data processing method according to supplementary note 24, further comprising a step of receiving the predicted value of the resource utilization data from another information processing apparatus via a network.
(Supplementary note 28) Further, the step of transmitting the predicted value of the utilization data of the resource to another information processing apparatus via a network, and the resource calculated by the another information processing apparatus based on the predicted value 25. The data processing method according to appendix 24, further comprising: receiving another predicted value of different usage data from the other information processing apparatus via a network.
(Supplementary note 29) The data processing method according to supplementary note 24, further comprising the step of transmitting the predicted value of the resource utilization data to another information processing apparatus via a network.
[0066]
【Effect of the invention】
The present invention has an effect that a consulting system can be realized via a network by the above-described features.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 shows a configuration of a consulting system via a network according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining an operation relationship among a client, a consulting server that executes consulting processing by the client, a utility resource supplier server, and a device manufacturer server.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart for a contract condition plan consulting process related to the same energy.
FIG. 4 shows a part of a flowchart for plan / consulting processing regarding a device used;
FIG. 5 shows the remaining part of the flowchart for the plan consulting process regarding the equipment used.
FIG. 6 shows a part of a flowchart for plan / consulting processing relating to switching of energy resources to be used.
FIG. 7 shows the remaining part of the flowchart for a plan consulting process related to switching of energy resources used.
FIG. 8 shows a screen 1 displayed on the video monitor in the flowchart of FIG. 3;
FIG. 9 shows a screen 2 displayed on the video monitor in the flowchart of FIG. 3;
FIG. 10 shows a screen 3 displayed on the video monitor in the flowchart of FIG. 3;
11 shows a screen 4 displayed on the video monitor in the flowchart of FIG. 3. FIG.
12 shows a screen 5 displayed on the video monitor in the flowchart of FIG. 3. FIG.
FIG. 13 shows a screen 6 displayed on the video monitor in the flowchart of FIG. 3;
FIG. 14 shows a screen 7 displayed on the video monitor in the flowchart of FIG. 3;
FIG. 15 shows a screen 8 displayed on the video monitor in the flowchart of FIG. 3;
FIG. 16 shows a screen 9 displayed on the video monitor in the flowchart of FIG. 3;
FIG. 17 shows a screen 10 displayed on the video monitor in the flowchart of FIG. 4;
18 shows a table continuously displayed below the screen 10 of FIG. 17 in the flowchart of FIG. 4;
FIG. 19 shows a screen 11 displayed on the video monitor in the flowchart of FIG. 4;
FIG. 20 shows a screen 12 displayed on the video monitor in the flowchart of FIG. 5;
FIG. 21 shows a screen 13 displayed on the video monitor in the flowchart of FIG. 5;
FIG. 22 shows the screen 14 displayed on the video monitor in the flowchart of FIG. 5;
FIG. 23 shows a configuration of a consulting system via a network according to another embodiment of the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
100 Consulting server machine
121 Electric power company server
123 Gas company server
125 Waterworks server
127 Equipment manufacturer server
150 Local controller
180 client machines
171 Electric power meter
172 Gas meter
173 water meter
177 Utility equipment

Claims (3)

An information processing device for consulting comprising a memory and a processor,
The processor references and a plurality of terms different tariff data on the energy resources, the reference to the database that stores the data representing the user of the terms and conditions on the energy resources, the memory of the database or a local control device to the further And determining whether or not consumption data for each time period of the energy resource in the predetermined period of the user is stored and usable,
When it is determined that the consumption data of the user for each time period is stored and available, the processor may use the plurality of consumption data for the time period of the energy resource of the user. Generating the value of each usage charge when applied to the charge schedule data of the contract conditions of the user and the charge schedule data of other contract conditions in the charge schedule data according to the contract conditions of the Compare the values of each usage charge and send the information indicating the comparison result to another device ,
If it is determined that the user's consumption data by time of day is not available, the processor consumes similar or matching consumption energy condition data of the energy resource of the user stored in the database. Estimating the energy resource consumption data by time of the energy resource for a predetermined period of time based on the standard consumption data by time of the energy resource stored in the database corresponding to the environmental conditions; Generates the value of each usage charge when the estimated consumption data by time zone is applied to the charge table data of the contract conditions and the charge table data of the other contract conditions of the user. An information processing apparatus for consulting, characterized by being.   The processor is further configured to receive and process a processing request for changing the contract condition of the energy resource of the user to the other contract condition in response to the input of the user. The information processing apparatus for consulting according to claim 1. A data processing method for performing a consulting process related to the use of energy resources of a user in a consulting system including a memory and a processor,
Wherein the processor is a separate tariff data more terms relating to the energy resource, the reference to the database that stores the data representing the user of the terms and conditions on the energy resources, the memory of the in further database or a local control device Determining whether consumption data for each time period of the energy resource in the predetermined period of the user is stored and can be used;
When it is determined that the consumption data of the user for each time period is stored and usable, the processor may use the plurality of consumption data for the time period of the energy resource of the user for the plurality of consumption data. Generating the value of each usage charge when applied to the charge schedule data of the contract conditions of the user and the charge schedule data of other contract conditions in the charge schedule data according to the contract conditions of the Compare the values of each usage charge and send the information indicating the comparison result to another device ,
If it is determined that the consumption data for the time period of the user is not available, the processor consumes similar or matches the consumption environment condition data of the energy resource of the user stored in the database. Estimating the energy resource consumption data by time of the energy resource for a predetermined period of time based on the standard consumption data by time of the energy resource stored in the database corresponding to the environmental conditions; Generating the value of each usage charge when the estimated consumption data by time period is applied to the charge schedule data of the contract conditions and the charge schedule data of the other contract conditions of the user ; Characteristic data processing method.

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