JP5538343B2 - Information reporting system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an information notification system, and in particular, to a user, information related to a measurement result of energy consumption of an energy consuming device used in a building and information provided from an information source (source) outside the building. It is related with the information alerting | reporting system notified.

  Information notification systems for reporting information to users are already known, and there is a system called a home energy management system (hereinafter referred to as HEMS). In HEMS, a home server is installed in the house, and this home server communicates with the sensors that measure the energy consumption of energy consuming equipment used in the house through the home network and collects the measurement results of each sensor. And the information according to the said measurement result is alert | reported with respect to a user (for example, resident of a house). As a result, the user reviews his own energy consumption behavior and tries to practice the energy saving behavior.

  On the other hand, in a community where there are a plurality of houses equipped with HEMS, a system (community energy management system, hereinafter referred to as CEMS) for practicing energy management on a community basis through a network such as the Internet may be constructed. In CEMS, a server (hereinafter referred to as CEMS server) that supervises each HEMS is provided, and it is possible to provide a service of distributing information such as energy-saving advice from the CEMS server to the home server of each house. . Information distributed from the CEMS server is received by the home server via the network, and the content is finally notified to the user.

By the way, in general HEMS, a user can be connected to a network such as a notebook computer, a wall-mounted terminal, or a PDA (Personal Digital Assistance), and has a terminal (notification terminal) having a web browser function. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1). In the power monitoring system described in Patent Literature 1, information related to the unit price of electricity charges is distributed from a center device (corresponding to the above-described CEMS server), and the information is received by the notification terminal via the integrated management panel.
Then, on the notification terminal side that has received the information on the unit price of electricity from the center device, the unit price of electricity that is applied in the current time zone and the unit price of electricity that is applied in the next time zone are displayed. . Further, the information received from the center device includes information indicating the time (hereinafter referred to as the transition time) until the transition to the unit price of the electricity rate applied in the next time zone. The user is notified of the time by light emission (specifically, a pictogram displayed by light emission from the LED).

JP 2011-160607 A

  However, in the power monitoring system described in Patent Document 1, it is necessary to activate the above-described notification terminal to notify the user of information, and the user is forced to perform an operation for starting the notification terminal. As a result of requiring the user's operation to activate the notification terminal in this way, the confirmation of information becomes troublesome for the user, and it becomes difficult to increase the user's motivation for energy saving. For this reason, there is a need for a device capable of notifying the user of information by a simple method as a notification device for notifying information without requiring time and effort for the user. Furthermore, it is desirable for the notification device to be able to cope with a case where information to be notified is diversified (that is, when the types / categories of information to be notified are increased).

  Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and its purpose is to notify a user of information by a simple method and also to a case where there are a plurality of types of information to be notified. It is to provide a compatible information notification system.

According to the information notification system of the present invention, the problem is that a measurement device that measures energy consumption in a building and transmits measurement result data indicating information according to the measurement result, and installed outside the building. In addition, a communication device that communicates with at least one of the information distribution devices that transmit the provision information data indicating the information to be provided to the user in the building, and the measurement result data and the at least one of the provision information data. based on the received data to which the communication device receives when it communicates with one device, and Ruho knowledge equipment to perform an informing operation depending on the received data, without the separate body from the said notification device, said communication device has a communicable information processing terminal, wherein the communication apparatus, based on said received data, transmits a execution request of the notification operation with respect to the notification device, the said notification device, wherein A light emitting mechanism that performs a light emitting operation that emits light in a light emission format according to the received data; a sound generating mechanism that performs a sound generating operation that generates sound according to the received data; and a vibration operation that vibrates according to the received data a vibrating mechanism for the execution, and the light emitting mechanism and the sound generation mechanism and the control unit for controlling the vibration mechanism, is provided, the control unit receives the execution request, the light emitting operation, the sound generating Among the operation and the vibration operation, at least one operation determined according to the execution request is executed as the notification operation, and the information processing terminal includes a display, and is obtained by communicating with the communication device As the information indicated by the data for use, information similar to the information indicated by the received data is displayed on the display, and the notification device imitates an animal, a human being, or a mascot. When the light emitting mechanism performs the light emitting operation, the light emitting mechanism emits light, and when the sound generating mechanism performs the sound generating operation, the sound is emitted from a speaker, and the vibration mechanism There is solved by Rukoto vibrate and to execute the vibration operation.

In the information notification system described above, information is notified to the user by performing a light emission operation, a sound generation operation, or a vibration operation by the figurine type notification device. That is, with the information providing system of the present invention, when notifying the user of the information, it is possible to notify the information by a simple method without requiring any particular operation from the user.
Furthermore, in the present invention, it is possible to switch the light emission type of the light emission operation, the sound emitted by the sound generation operation, and the presence or absence of the vibration operation according to the received data. That is, in the present invention, a plurality of notification operation execution patterns are prepared, and a plurality of types of information to be notified are obtained by using different notification operation execution patterns according to the types of information to be notified. Even so, it becomes possible to respond sufficiently.
Furthermore, since an information processing terminal such as a laptop computer, a wall-mounted terminal, or a PDA is provided separately from the notification device, a startup operation is required when the user checks information on the information processing terminal. And the alerting | reporting apparatus which alert | reports information easily to a user, without requiring such starting operation becomes more useful.

  In the information notification system, the communication device is a home server installed in a house as the building, and the information distribution device is communicably connected to the home server via the Internet. The communication information is an external server, and the provision information data transmitted by the external server includes target value data indicating a target value of power consumption consumed during a predetermined period in the house. When the target value data is received, a ratio of a cumulative value of power consumption actually consumed in the house during the predetermined period with respect to the target value is calculated, and the ratio corresponding to the calculated ratio is calculated. When the execution request is transmitted to the notification device, and the control unit receives the execution request, the light emission operation in which the light emission mechanism emits light in a light emission format according to the ratio, and And the sound generation operation emitted by the sound generating mechanism audio corresponding to the case, of the oscillating motion of the oscillating mechanism vibrates, when to execute at least one operation as the notification operation, it is preferable.

  Furthermore, in the information notification system, the provided information data transmitted by the external server includes unit price data indicating a current unit price of power supplied from a commercial power source to the house, and the communication device When the unit price data is received, the current value is specified, the execution request according to the specified current value is transmitted to the notification device, and the control unit receives the execution request, The light emission operation in which the light emission mechanism emits light in the light emission format according to the current value, the sound generation operation in which the sound generation mechanism emits sound in accordance with the current value, and the vibration operation in which the vibration mechanism vibrates. Of these, it is more preferable to execute at least one operation as the notification operation.

  As described above, it is possible to notify the user in the house of the ratio of the accumulated value of the actual consumption to the target power consumption and the current value of the unit price of the power supplied from the commercial power source. On the other hand, it is possible to give an opportunity to review the power supply and demand situation in the house and to promote energy saving behavior.

Further, in the above information broadcast system, before Symbol notification device becomes a conductive state when performing the notification operation, the information processing terminal is energized when displaying the information indicating the display data on the display Thus, it is more preferable that the power consumed by the notification device in the energized state is smaller than the power consumed by the information processing terminal in the energized state. With such a configuration, by notifying the information at broadcast intellectual equipment, compared to the case of confirming the information processing terminal, it is possible to reduce power consumption.

  Further, in the information notification system, the communication device has a function of controlling an operation state of energy consuming equipment used in the building via a network provided in the building, The notification device has an operation reception mechanism that receives an operation performed when a user controls the operation state of the energy consuming device, and the control unit receives the operation received by the operation reception mechanism. It is more preferable that a request for execution of a control process for controlling the operation state is transmitted to the communication device. In the information notification system having such a configuration, since the notification device has a function of remotely controlling the energy consuming device (remote control function), the notification device is convenient for the user, and the convenience of the notification device is improved. Become.

  In the above information notification system, when the operation reception mechanism receives the operation repeatedly a plurality of times, the control unit sends a request for execution of a control process for controlling an operation state of the energy consuming device to the communication device. Is more preferable. In the information notification system having such a configuration, it is possible to prevent the remote control of the energy consuming device by the notification device from being erroneously performed (erroneous operation).

According to the information notification system of the present invention, information is notified by light, voice, and vibration using a figurine-type notification device, and there is no need for an operation for the user in order to notify the information. It is possible to notify information by various methods. Furthermore, since a plurality of notification operation execution patterns are prepared, it is sufficient even if the types of information to be notified are plural types by properly using the notification operation execution patterns according to the types of information to be notified. It becomes possible to respond. Furthermore, since an information processing terminal such as a laptop computer, a wall-mounted terminal, or a PDA is provided separately from the notification device, a startup operation is required when the user checks information on the information processing terminal. And the alerting | reporting apparatus which alert | reports information easily to a user, without requiring such starting operation becomes more useful.

It is explanatory drawing of the building equipped with the information alerting | reporting system which concerns on this invention. It is an external view of the alerting | reporting apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is the figure which showed an example of the relationship with the home server and external server which concern on this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the hardware constitutions of the home server which concerns on this invention. It is the figure which showed the structure of the home server which concerns on this invention from the functional surface. It is a block diagram regarding the execution environment of the home server which concerns on this invention. It is the figure which showed an example of the screen drawn with the information processing terminal which concerns on this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the alerting | reporting apparatus which concerns on this invention. FIGS. 7A to 7C are schematic diagrams illustrating a notification device in a state where a notification operation is being performed, and FIG. 7D is a schematic diagram illustrating a state in which a user operation is received by the notification device. FIG. It is the figure which showed an example of the content of the light emission operation | movement which concerns on this invention. It is the figure which showed an example of the content of the audio | voice generation | occurrence | production operation | movement which concerns on this invention. It is the figure which showed an example of the operation | movement performed when the alerting | reporting apparatus which concerns on this invention receives a user's response operation. It is the figure which showed the flow of the information alerting | reporting process (the 1). It is the figure which showed the flow of the information alerting | reporting process (the 2). It is the figure which showed the flow of the information alerting | reporting process (the 3). It is the figure which showed the flow of the apparatus control process.

  An information notification system according to an embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter, this embodiment) will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of a building equipped with an information notification system according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is an external view of a notification device according to the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between the home server and the external server according to the present invention. FIG. 4A is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of the home server according to the present invention. FIG. 4B is a diagram showing the configuration of the home server according to the present invention from the functional aspect. FIG. 4C is a configuration diagram relating to the execution environment of the home server according to the present invention. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a screen drawn on the information processing terminal according to the present invention. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a configuration of a notification device according to the present invention. FIGS. 7A to 7C are schematic diagrams illustrating a notification device in a state where a notification operation is being performed, and FIG. 7D is a schematic diagram illustrating a state in which a user operation is received by the notification device. FIG. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the content of the light emitting operation according to the present invention. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of the sound generation operation according to the present invention. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a response operation executed when the notification device according to the present invention receives a user operation. 11 to 13 are diagrams showing the flow of information notification processing. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing the flow of the device control process.

<< Outline of Information Broadcasting System According to this Embodiment >>
An information notification system according to the present embodiment (hereinafter, system S) will be outlined with reference to FIGS. In FIG. 1, among the lines connecting the elements constituting the system S, the solid line indicates the electrical wiring, and the broken line indicates the communication line.

  Hereinafter, a configuration in which the system S is installed in a house H as an example of a building will be described as an example. However, the house H is merely an example of a building, and the information notification system of the present invention can be used in other buildings such as an office building, a building in a factory, a store, and the like.

<Configuration of information notification system according to this embodiment>
This system S manages the power consumption in the house H as the energy consumption in the house H, and the power in the house H is given to a user (for example, a resident of the house H). Broadcast information about consumption. More specifically, the present system S is a so-called home energy management system (HEMS), and for the purpose of reducing the power consumption in the house H, the power consumption of the power consuming devices used in the house H. Is visualized, and the visualized information is notified to the user.

  The power consuming device corresponds to an energy consuming device, and specifically includes home appliances, lighting, an air conditioner, a water heater, an AV device, a crime prevention facility, and the like. In the house H according to the present embodiment, a plurality of power consuming devices are used. In other words, the present system S is installed in a house H where at least one power consuming device is used.

  In FIG. 1, for convenience of illustration, only the air conditioner 7a and the illumination 7b are illustrated as power consuming devices. However, the combination of the power consuming devices illustrated in FIG. 1 is merely an example, and naturally, more power consuming devices than the power consuming device illustrated in FIG. 1 may be installed in the house H. A type of power consuming device not shown in FIG. 1 may be installed in the house H.

  Moreover, in the house H, as shown in FIG. 1, while the electric power from the commercial power source 4 (hereinafter, system power) is received, solar power as natural energy is generated by the power generation unit 1 installed in the house H. It is possible to generate electricity using Electric power generated by the power generation unit 1 (hereinafter, generated power) and system power are supplied to each of the power consuming devices installed in the house H through the distribution board 2. The generated power is converted from DC power to AC power by a power conditioner 5 installed between the power generation unit 1 and the distribution board 2.

  The unit price of the grid power (that is, the electricity rate) varies depending on the time zone. For example, the unit price in the midnight time zone is set somewhat lower than the unit price in the daytime zone. Furthermore, the unit price of the grid power may fluctuate with the seasons and changes in crude oil prices.

  In the present embodiment, the power generation unit 1 is linked to the commercial power source 4, and the surplus generated power can be reversely flowed (sold) to the commercial power source 4. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the storage battery 3 is provided, and system power and generated power can be stored in the storage battery 3. Then, the electric power stored in the storage battery 3 (hereinafter, stored electric power) is discharged at an appropriate timing, and is supplied to each of the power consuming devices in the house H through the distribution board 2 like other electric power. A bidirectional inverter 6 is installed between the storage battery 3 and the distribution board 2. The bidirectional inverter 6 converts system power and generated power from AC power to DC power when stored in the storage battery 3, and stored power is converted from DC power to AC power when discharged.

  On the other hand, a sensor group for measuring electric power is provided in the house H in which HEMS (that is, the present system S) is mounted. More specifically, the distribution board 2 is provided with a sensor 21 made of a smart meter. The sensor 21 composed of this smart meter corresponds to a measuring device and measures the power consumption consumed in the house H (more precisely, the total power consumption consumed in the house H) as the energy consumption. Is. In particular, in the present embodiment, the sensor 21 measures a cumulative value of power consumption during a predetermined period. Here, the predetermined period is a period of one month in the present embodiment, but may be set to another period (for example, one day or one week). When a predetermined period has elapsed from the start of measurement, the sensor 21 resets the measurement result and restarts the measurement.

  Further, individual sensors 22a and 22b are attached to the air conditioner 7a and the illumination 7b, respectively. These sensors 22a and 22b are power sensors having a communication function, and measure the power consumption of the corresponding devices.

  Furthermore, sensors 23a, 23b, and 23c for measuring generated power, system power, and stored power are provided. More specifically, the generated power sensor 23a is disposed between the power conditioner 5 and the distribution board 2, and the system power sensor 23b is a power receiving facility (not shown) provided in the house H. And the distribution power sensor 23 c are attached to a predetermined position of the storage battery 3.

  Each sensor 21, 22a, 22b, 23a-23c described above outputs (transmits) measurement result data indicating information corresponding to the measurement result. Here, the information according to the measurement result is a value obtained by quantifying the measurement result (that is, a measurement value), and the measurement result data indicating the information according to the measurement result is a quantified measurement result. It is converted into a digital signal. Of the sensors 21, 22a, 22b, and 23a to 23c, the sensor 21 that measures the power consumption consumed in the house H constantly monitors the instantaneous power consumption in the house H, and the instantaneous power consumption is When the predetermined size is exceeded, report data for reporting the situation is output (transmitted).

  And about measurement result data and report data, it is possible to acquire via the network (henceforth, home network TN) provided in the house. That is, in this system S, it is possible to communicate with each sensor 21, 22a, 22b, 23a-23c via the home network TN. Note that the home network TN is configured by, for example, a wired IP network using an Ethernet (registered trademark) cable or a wireless IP network using IEEE 802.1x or Bluetooth (registered trademark).

  Furthermore, in the present system S, it is possible to communicate with the power consuming device via the home network TN and control the operation state of the power consuming device. In other words, in the present system S, it is possible to remotely control the operation state of each power consuming device including the air conditioner 7a and the lighting 7b through the home network TN.

  More specifically, in the present system S, a signal (control signal) for controlling the operating state of the power consuming device is transmitted to the power consuming device through the home network TN. On the other hand, on the power consuming device side that has received the control signal via the home network TN, the operation state of the power consuming device is switched to a state corresponding to the control signal. Here, the operation state is a concept indicating the current state of items that can be controlled (adjustable) with respect to operation such as start / stop (on / off), operation modes such as cooling and heating, and operation management values such as set temperatures.

  As described above, in the present system S, it is possible to monitor and control each power consuming device and visualize (visualize) the power supply / demand balance in the house H by communication via the home network TN. It is. And the function of this system S demonstrated so far is the home server 10 (home gateway) installed in the inside of the house H, and a user controls electric power consumption apparatus and monitors the electric power supply-demand balance in the house H. This is realized by a device (specifically, a portable terminal 30 or a robot 50 described later) that functions as an interface when performing the above.

  The home server 10 corresponds to a communication device of the present invention, and is connected between communication target devices (specifically, power consuming devices, sensors 21, 22a, 22b, 23a to 23c) in the house H through the home network TN. In this way, data and signals are exchanged, and each communication target device is managed collectively. That is, in this embodiment, acquisition of measurement result data from each sensor 21, 22a, 22b, 23a-23c and transmission of a control signal to each power consuming device are performed centrally by the home server 10. .

  By the way, among the power consuming devices, there are devices having different communication methods (synonymous with communication standards and communication protocols). In general, it is recommended to use power consuming equipment that adopts a common communication method in the house H where HEMS is installed. For example, equipment that adopts the ECHONET standard proposed by the ECHONET consortium It is hoped that they will be unified. On the other hand, there are cases where devices outside the ECHONET standard are included in the power consumption devices in the house H because the user arbitrarily purchases the power consumption devices (without worrying about the communication method). In this case, the communication method differs between the power consuming devices used in the house H.

  For this reason, the home server 10 according to the present embodiment is configured to be able to switch communication methods according to communication target devices and to communicate using a communication method corresponding to the communication target devices. Here, the case where each communication target device in the house H is classified into three types of the first standard device, the second standard device, and the third standard device depending on the communication method will be described as an example. For example, when communicating with the first standard device, the communication method corresponding to the first standard device is adopted, and then when communicating with the second standard device, the communication method is compatible with the second standard device. Switch to the communication method selected. The function of the home server 10 that switches the communication method according to the type of device will be described in detail later.

  On the other hand, the system S includes an information processing terminal that communicates with the home server 10 through the home network TN, and a notification device connected to the home server 10 by the USB connector 50b. Each of these devices is interposed between the home server 10 and the user, and functions as an interface when controlling the power consuming device and monitoring the power supply / demand balance in the house H.

  The notification device is a figurine-type device that notifies a user of predetermined information. In particular, the notification device according to the present embodiment is a communication robot having an appearance illustrated in FIG. 2 (hereinafter simply referred to as a robot 50). ). The robot 50 receives the execution request transmitted from the home server 10 and executes a predetermined notification operation. The robot 50 according to the present embodiment has a form imitating a long egg-shaped mascot as shown in FIG. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the form of the robot 50 can be designed in an arbitrary form (for example, a form imitating an animal or a human).

  Further, as described above, the robot 50 is connected to the home server 10 via the USB connector 50b, and exchanges data with the home server 10. Furthermore, the robot 50 according to the present embodiment is electrically connected to the home server 10 via the USB connector 50b, and the home server 10 is connected to the robot 50 while the home server 10 is in an energized state (on state). Power is supplied from 10 and held in an energized state (on state). That is, the power supply source (power source) for the robot 50 is linked to the power source of the home server 10.

  On the other hand, the robot 50 according to the present embodiment performs, as a notification operation, a light emission operation that emits light in a light emission format according to the information to be notified, a sound generation operation that emits a sound according to the information to be notified, and a vibration according to the information to be notified. It is possible to select and execute at least one of the vibration operations to be performed. Details of the configuration and operation of the robot 50 will be described later.

  The information processing terminal is a terminal having a browsing function, is separate from the above-described notification device (specifically, the robot 50), and is communicably connected to the home server 10 via the home network TN. . Further, the information processing terminal has a display for displaying information (specifically, information indicated by acquired data acquired from the home server 10). In the present embodiment, the information processing terminal includes a smartphone, a PDA, a laptop computer, It is configured by a portable terminal (hereinafter, portable terminal 30) such as a digital photo frame in which predetermined application software is installed.

  Various programs (applications) are installed in the mobile terminal 30, and one of them is a screen on which the measurement results of the sensors 21, 22 a, 22 b, and 23 a to 23 c are displayed (for example, see FIG. 5, below). There is a program that draws an energy management screen. This program (hereinafter, energy management program) is activated by a user performing a predetermined operation (for example, an operation of touching an icon displayed on the touch panel 31) on the touch panel 31 mounted on the mobile terminal 30. .

  When the energy management program is activated, the portable terminal 30 communicates with the home server 10 and requests the home server 10 to transmit data related to the measurement results of the sensors 21, 22a, 22b, and 23a to 23c. The home server 10 that has received the request communicates with the sensors 21, 22a, 22b, and 23a to 23c to acquire the above-described measurement result data. Thereafter, the home server 10 generates response data according to the acquired measurement result data, and transmits the response data to the mobile terminal 30. When the portable terminal 30 receives (acquires) the response data via the home network TN, the portable terminal 30 analyzes the data and specifies the measurement results of the sensors 21, 22a, 22b, and 23a to 23c.

  As a result of the execution of the above processing, an energy management screen is drawn on the touch panel 31 as a display, and on the energy management screen, each sensor 21, 22a, 22b, The measurement results 23a to 23c are displayed. Through such an energy management screen, the user can visually recognize the power consumption of each power consuming device and the power supply / demand balance in the house H. The response data corresponds to display data that the mobile terminal 30 displays on the touch panel 31 by communicating with the home server 10.

  Furthermore, while the energy management screen is drawn on the touch panel 31, the user performs an operation of pressing operation buttons (for example, operation buttons B1 to B6 in FIG. 5) provided on the screen via the touch panel 31. Thus, it is possible to switch the operating state of the power consuming device whose operation button has been pressed.

  Specifically, when receiving a user operation (specifically, an operation of pressing the operation buttons B1 to B6) through the touch panel 31, the mobile terminal 30 communicates with the home server 10 and is used in the house H. Among power consuming devices, an execution request for a control process for controlling the operation state of the device that is the target of the user operation (that is, the device whose operation state is controlled, hereinafter referred to as a control target device) is sent to the home server. 10 is transmitted. Upon receiving a control process execution request, the home server 10 generates a control signal corresponding to the user operation and transmits the signal to the control target device. When the power consuming device that is the control target device receives the control signal, the operation state of the control target device is switched in accordance with the control signal.

As described above, the HEMS (that is, the present system S) is built in the form in which the mobile terminal 30 and the robot 50 are incorporated with the home server 10 as the core.
Further, in this embodiment, a plurality of houses H on which HEMS is installed gathers to form a community, and a system that performs energy management (power monitoring) in units of the community, that is, a community energy management system (CEMS) is constructed. Has been.

  A CEMS server 40 is provided as a server for supervising the HEMS of each house H. The CEMS server 40 is an external server installed outside the house H (for example, in a community management facility), and as shown in FIG. 3, the home server of each house H via an outside network GN made up of the Internet. 10 is communicably connected. Further, the CEMS server 40 communicates with the home server 10 of each house H, and distributes data indicating information directed to the user of each house H to each home server 10. In this sense, it can be said that the CEMS server 40 corresponds to an information distribution device that transmits provision information data indicating information to be provided to users in each house H.

  As provided information data distributed from the CEMS server 40, unit price data indicating the current value of the unit price of power supplied from the commercial power supply 4 to each house H in the community, and requesting power saving to each house H in the community. Power saving request data, weather data indicating information on the weather in the region to which the community belongs, and notification data indicating information to be notified to the user of each house H regarding other communities. The provided information data described above is merely an example, and data indicating information other than the information described above may be included.

  In addition to the above data, the provision information data from the CEMS server 40 includes target value data indicating the target value of the power consumption consumed in the house H during a predetermined period. Here, the predetermined period is, for example, a period set for collecting the total power consumption when collecting the power usage fee, and is usually a period from a predetermined day of each month to a predetermined day of the next month. is there. However, the setting of the period can be arbitrarily set. For example, the period may be a period of one day or a period of one year.

  When the target value data described above is described, when the CEMS server 40 transmits the target value data, a target value of power consumption consumed during a predetermined period is set in each house H in advance. It is necessary to store the setting result of the target value as data in the storage unit of the CEMS server 40 (hereinafter referred to as the CS-side storage unit 42).

  A procedure for storing the setting result of the target value of power consumption on the CEMS server 40 side will be described. For example, the URL of the CEMS server 40 is input by the input device 12 of the home server 10, for example. An input screen (not shown) for inputting the target value is displayed on the display 11, and the target value is input through a keyboard or the like (not shown). The home server 10 that has received this input operation generates data indicating the content of the input operation and transmits the data to the CEMS server 40. On the other hand, the CEMS server 40 receives the data indicating the contents of the input operation, and based on the data, the data indicating the target value input on the home server 10 side (target value data) and the transmission source of the data. Data (source ID data) indicating the source ID assigned for identification is generated. Finally, these data are stored in the CS-side storage unit 42 in a state of being associated with each other.

A series of operations performed to set the target value as described above is periodically repeated, for example, on a day corresponding to several days before the first day of the period in which the target value is applied.
In this embodiment, the target value is set on the home server 10 side, and the target value data indicating the target value is managed (stored) on the CEMS server 40 side. However, the target value is set on the CEMS server. It may be performed on the 40 side. For example, on the CEMS server 40 side, data indicating the power consumption actually consumed in the house H during a predetermined period (specifically, the previous year or the previous month) (hereinafter, actual power consumption data) is used as the home of the house H. The target value may be automatically set based on the received actual power consumption data received from the server 10.

  When the CEMS server 40 receives the target data transmission request from the home server 10 side, the CEMS server 40 specifies the home server 10 that is the transmission source of the request based on the transmission source ID data, and then the CS-side storage unit 42. The target value data corresponding to the identified home server 10 is read out from the target value data stored in, and the target value data is transmitted to the home server 10.

  When the target value data is transmitted from the CEMS server 40, the home server 10 that has requested the data transmission receives the target value data. Moreover, the home server 10 requests | requires transmission of the measurement result data of electric power consumption with respect to the sensor 21 which consists of a smart meter by reception of target value data. Here, the measurement result data transmitted from the sensor 21 corresponds to the cumulative value of the power consumption consumed in the house H as described above, and more specifically, in a predetermined period. This corresponds to the accumulated value of the power consumption actually consumed in the house H from the start to the present time (strictly, when the home server 10 requests the measurement result data from the sensor 21).

  Upon receiving the target value data from the CEMS server 40 and the measurement result data from the sensor 21, the home server 10 receives the target value for a predetermined period from the target value data (specifically, the target value currently applied) Value), and the accumulated value (specifically, the accumulated power consumption actually consumed in the house H from the start of the period in which the target value is applied to the present time) from the measurement result data Value). Thereafter, the home server 10 calculates the ratio of the specified cumulative value to the target value. And the home server 10 requests | requires execution of the alerting | reporting operation | movement according to the calculated said ratio with respect to the robot 50 mentioned above.

  In the present embodiment, the CEMS server 40 is taken as an example of the external server. However, among servers connected to the Internet, a server other than the CEMS server 40, for example, a server owned by a management company of the house H, HEMS The server owned by the system development company that built the server, the server owned by the aggregator, or the server owned by the power company may function as an external server that transmits the above-described provision information data.

<Configuration of each part of information notification system according to this embodiment>
Next, the configuration of each part of the system S described above (excluding the robot 50 which is a notification device) will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 4A, 4B, 4C and FIG.
(1) Home Server 10 The hardware configuration of the home server 10 that forms the core of the system S will be described. As shown in FIG. 4A, the CPU 10a, the memory 10b, the nonvolatile storage device 10c, and the communication interface 10d ( 4A, the display 11 and the input device 12 are provided, and these components are connected via a bus 10e. The nonvolatile storage device 10c stores various programs (for example, a communication program, a USB driver, etc.).

  On the other hand, the configuration of the home server 10 will be described again from the functional aspect. As shown in FIG. 4B, the external data acquisition unit 101, the measurement result data acquisition unit 102, the response data transmission unit 103, the device control unit 104, and the robot And a driving unit 105. Each of these units includes hardware (that is, the CPU 10a, the memory 10b, the non-volatile storage device 10c, the communication interface 10d, the display 11) constituting the home server 10 described above, and various programs stored in the non-volatile storage device 10c. Consists of.

  The external data acquisition unit 101 communicates with the CEMS server 40 through the external network GN, requests data transmission to the CEMS server 40, and receives data (provided information data) transmitted from the CEMS server 40. Is. The received provision information data is temporarily stored in the memory 10b and then stored in the nonvolatile storage device 10c.

  The measurement result data acquisition unit 102 instructs the sensors 21, 22a, 22b, and 23a to 23c to measure the power consumption and transmit the measurement result data through the home network TN, and receives the measurement result data. is there. For example, when the measurement result data acquisition unit 102 receives a data transmission request issued from the mobile terminal 30 when the energy management program is activated on the mobile terminal 30 side, the measurement result data acquisition unit 102 receives the data from the sensors 21, 22a, 22b, and 23a-23c. Communication is started and measurement result data is acquired. Further, upon receiving the target value data from the CEMS server 40, the measurement result data acquisition unit 102 requests the sensor 21 including the smart meter to transmit the measurement result data in conjunction with the target value data. Measurement result data corresponding to the cumulative value of the power consumption consumed in the house H is received.

  The response data transmission unit 103 generates response data according to the acquired measurement result data acquired by the measurement result data acquisition unit 102 and transmits the response data to the mobile terminal 30. On the mobile terminal 30 side that has received the response data, as a result of analyzing the response data, an energy management screen displaying the measurement results of the sensors 21, 22a, 22b, and 23a to 23c is drawn on the touch panel 31. . That is, the response data corresponds to display data indicating information displayed on the touch panel 31 by the mobile terminal 30 communicating with the home server 10. The information indicated by the response data is the same as the information indicated by the home server 10, and specifically the measurement results of the sensors 21, 22a, 22b, and 23a to 23c. In the present embodiment, the response data is XML format data. For this reason, the mobile terminal 30 that has received the response data can display the measurement result in a format according to the specifications of the mobile terminal 30.

  The device control unit 104 communicates with a device to be controlled among the power consuming devices used in the house H through the home network TN, and transmits a control signal to the device to be controlled. The device control unit 104 generates a control signal based on an operation performed by a user to control the operation state of a power consuming device that is a control target device, and transmits the control signal to the control target device. It is. Here, the user operation performed to control the operation state of the control target device is received by the mobile terminal 30 through the touch panel 31 as described above. The mobile terminal 30 that has received the user operation requests the device control unit 104 to execute processing (control processing) for controlling the driving state of the device that is the target of the user operation (that is, the control target device). .

  And the apparatus control part 104 will generate | occur | produce the control signal according to the said user operation, and will transmit a control signal toward a control object apparatus, if the execution request | requirement of the control process sent from the portable terminal 30 is received.

  In the present embodiment, the robot 50 can accept a user operation performed to control the operation state of the control target device. That is, when the user performs a predetermined operation (specifically, three gripping operations described later) on the robot 50, the robot 50 controls the home server 10 (specifically, the device control unit 104). A processing execution request is transmitted. Upon receiving the control processing execution request sent from the robot 50, the device control unit 104 transmits a control signal to a predetermined control target device. Note that a mechanism (specifically, the operation reception mechanism 55) provided in the robot 50 for receiving the above-described user operation will be described later.

  Furthermore, when the control of the operation state is completed in the control target device that has received the control signal, the device control unit 104 transmits a signal transmitted from the control target device (specifically, the control of the operation state is performed on the control target device side). This is a signal indicating completion, and hereinafter, a control completion signal) is received.

  The robot drive unit 105 supplies power to the robot 50 via the USB connector 50 b and transmits a notification operation execution request to the robot 50. Specifically, the robot driving unit 105 includes a CPU 10a of the home server 10, a memory 10b, a nonvolatile storage device 10c and a USB port (not shown), a robot driver 205 stored in the nonvolatile storage device 10c, and It is configured in cooperation with the USB driver 206 (for example, see FIG. 4C).

  Then, when the external data acquisition unit 101 receives data (provided information data) from the CEMS server 40, the robot driving unit 105 according to the present embodiment sends a request for executing a notification operation according to the data through the USB circuit. Sent to 50.

  In this embodiment, when the external data acquisition unit 101 acquires target value data from the CEMS server 40 and the measurement result data acquisition unit 102 receives measurement result data from the sensor 21, the robot drive unit 105 receives these data. Based on the target value in the predetermined period and the accumulated value of the power consumption actually consumed in the house H during the predetermined period. Then, the robot drive unit 105 calculates the ratio of the cumulative value to the target value, and transmits a notification operation execution request corresponding to the calculated ratio to the robot 50 through the USB circuit.

As described above, the robot drive unit 105 transmits a notification operation execution request to the robot 50 based on the received data received from the communication destination by the home server 10 such as the measurement result data and the provided information data.
In the present embodiment, when the device control unit 104 receives the control completion signal, the robot driving unit 105 transmits a notification operation execution request to the robot 50 in accordance with the control completion signal. Further, in the present embodiment, the sensor 21 that measures the power consumption consumed in the house H transmits report data for notifying that the instantaneous power consumption in the house H has exceeded a predetermined level. When the report data is received on the home server 10 side (for example, the measurement result data acquisition unit 102), the robot drive unit 105 transmits a notification operation execution request according to the report data to the robot 50.

  The home server 10 equipped with the functions described above further switches the communication method according to the type of device (communication target device) that can communicate through the home network TN, and supports each communication target device. The function to communicate with the communication method is implemented. For example, when the device control unit 104 described above controls a device belonging to the first standard device among the power consuming devices in the house H, a communication method corresponding to the first standard device is adopted, and then When a device belonging to the second standard device is controlled, the communication method is switched to the communication method corresponding to the second standard device.

  The function of the home server 10 described above, that is, the function of communicating with the communication method corresponding to the communication target device is realized by the execution environment of the home server 10 illustrated in FIG. 4C. More specifically, the home server 10 includes an OS 201, a JAVA (registered trademark) virtual machine (hereinafter referred to as JVM) 202, an OSGi (Open Services Gateway Initiative) framework 203, and software that operates on the OSGi framework 203. (Hereinafter also referred to as a bundle).

  The OSGi framework 203 is built on the JVM 202 and manages a life cycle such as downloading, installing, starting and stopping a bundle operating on the OSGi framework 203. The bundles operating on the OSGi framework 203 can be dynamically replaced, and a plurality of bundles can be executed in parallel.

  Bundles operating on the OSGi framework 203 include standard bundles and application bundles. The standard bundle is a bundle of basic protocols such as HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) and UPnP (Universal Plug and Play). The application bundle is application software registered in the OSGi framework 203. The application bundle includes a first standard device communication bundle 204a, a second standard device communication bundle 204b, and a third standard device communication. A bundle 204c is included. The first standard equipment communication bundle 204a is an application for communicating with the first standard equipment by a communication method corresponding to the first standard equipment. Similarly, the second standard equipment communication bundle 204b is an application for communicating with the second standard equipment in a communication method corresponding to the second standard equipment, and the third standard equipment communication bundle 204c is the first standard equipment communication bundle 204b. This is an application for communicating with a third standard device by a communication method corresponding to the three standard device.

  Then, when the three communication bundles 204a, 204b, and 204c are executed by the CPU 10a, the home server 10 communicates with the communication target device using a communication method. When a device adopting a new communication method is introduced into the house H, application software for communicating with the introduced device may be registered in the OSGi framework 203 using a communication method corresponding to the introduced device. . As a result, even when a device adopting a new communication method is introduced into the house H, the home server 10 is able to communicate with the bundle (specifically, registered with the new communication method). By selecting (application software), it becomes possible to communicate with the device.

  Note that the above-described robot driver 205 is included in the bundle that operates on the OSGi framework 203 (see FIG. 4C).

  In addition, the function of dynamically switching the bundle of the OSGi framework 203 allows the communication bundle to be executed to be switched according to the communication target device communicating with the home server 10. In other words, the communication method adopted by the home server 10 is switched by replacing the communication bundle. Further, when each communication bundle is registered in the OSGi framework 203, an interface for using the function of each communication bundle is registered in the registry (service registry). In addition, the OSGi framework 203 provides a combination of these interfaces as an application program interface (hereinafter referred to as a general-purpose API).

  The general-purpose API is used in a program executed by a device other than the home server 10 (for example, a program executed by the mobile terminal 30). During the execution of the program, the communication bundles 204a, 204b, and 204c are activated. This is a function for performing replacement. Further, the general-purpose API is disclosed and used for developing a program (for example, a program executed by the mobile terminal 30) that is executed by a device other than the home server 10. That is, if a general-purpose API is used when developing a program, the program developer does not need to be aware of the difference in communication method between communication target devices, and uses a general-purpose API such as the URI of the home server 10 (request). By using the information (code) for doing so, it is possible to cause the home server 10 to perform communication using a communication method corresponding to the communication target device.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the above-described general-purpose API is implemented in the home server 10 as a mechanism for absorbing differences in communication bundles (differences in communication methods adopted by communication target devices). The general-purpose API is open to the public. For example, when developing a program to be mounted on the portable terminal 30 in order to control the operation state of the power consuming device in the house H, the general-purpose API is used in the program. Information is incorporated. As a result, it is possible to develop a program that can request the home server 10 to execute communication by a communication method corresponding to a communication target device by simply incorporating information for using the general-purpose API in this way. Program development becomes easy. For this reason, the degree of freedom of program development is improved for the program developer, and a program that can meet the needs of the user can be more easily developed.

  Note that the information for using the general-purpose API is information (code) for requesting execution of communication between the home server 10 and the communication target device in accordance with REST (Representational State Transfer). Here, the communication protocol applied when the communication execution request is transmitted from the device (specifically, for example, the portable terminal 30) requesting communication execution to the home server 10 is HTTP. Therefore, the communication execution request transmitted to the home server 10 includes the URI (address) of the home server 10 and the like.

(2) About the mobile terminal 30 As described above, the mobile terminal 30 is an information processing terminal that is communicably connected to the home server 10 via the home network TN, and includes a CPU, a memory, a communication interface, etc. (not shown). The energy management program and the equipment control program are installed. The energy management program requests the home server 10 to transmit data related to the measurement results of the sensors 21, 22a, 22b, and 23a to 23c, receives response data transmitted from the home server 10, and sends the response data to the home server 10 It is a program for analyzing and deploying.

  Then, by executing the energy management program, the energy management screen illustrated in FIG. 5 is drawn on the touch panel 31, and the sensors 21, 22a, 22b, and 23a are displayed on the energy management screen. The measurement results of ˜23c are displayed. Through such an energy management screen, the user can visually recognize the power consumption of each power consuming device and the power supply / demand balance in the house H.

  The device control program is based on an operation (specifically, an operation of pressing the operation buttons B1 to B6 on the energy management screen) for controlling the operation state of the power consuming device performed by the user through the energy management screen. It is a program for transmitting the execution request | requirement of the control process which controls the driving | running state to the home server 10. FIG. As described above, this device control program incorporates information for using the general-purpose API, and the data to be generated and transmitted by the device control program to request execution of control processing includes the communication target device. Data for requesting the home server 10 to execute communication by a communication method corresponding to the above is included. In the present embodiment, the device control program is activated in conjunction with the activation of the energy management program, and thereafter is in a standby state until the above-described user operation is performed.

  Here, the energy management screen will be described. As shown in FIG. 5, items indicating the power supply / demand balance in the house H are displayed. Specifically, a plurality (six in the example shown in FIG. 5) display areas Ar1 to Ar6 are provided on the energy management screen, and the display area Ar1 indicates a value indicating the amount of power generated by the power generation unit 1. However, a value indicating the amount of power received from the commercial power supply 4 (amount of power purchased) is displayed in the display area Ar2, and a value indicating the amount of electricity stored in the storage battery 3 is displayed in the display area Ar3.

In the display area Ar4, a value indicating the total power consumption in the house H is displayed, and specifically, the house from the start of a predetermined period (more specifically, this month) to the present time. A cumulative value of the power consumption actually consumed in H is displayed. In the display area Ar4, the target value of the power consumption consumed in the house H in a predetermined period (more specifically, this month) is also displayed.
In addition, the display areas Ar5 and Ar6 are allocated to main devices (for example, devices that are frequently used) among the power consuming devices used in the house H. In the example illustrated in FIG. A display area Ar5 is assigned to the air conditioner 7a, and a display area Ar6 is assigned to the illumination 7b.

  In the display areas Ar5 and Ar6 allocated to the power consuming device, operation buttons B1 to B6 are displayed in addition to the value indicating the power consumption of the power consuming device. The operation buttons B1 to B6 will be described. The operation buttons B1, B2, B4, and B5 are buttons for switching on and off (on / off) of the corresponding device, and the operation buttons B1 and B1 that are described as “ON” therein. B4 is a button for bringing the corresponding device into an operating state (ON state), and the operation buttons B2 and B5, in which “OFF” is written, are for putting the corresponding device into a stop state (OFF state). It is a button.

  The start / stop (on / off) state of each device can be confirmed in the display areas Ar5 and Ar6 corresponding to each device. More specifically, the operation buttons B1 and B4 written as “ON” are lit for the devices in the operating state, and the operation buttons B2 and B5 written as “OFF” are lit up for the devices in the stopped state. To do. For example, in the case shown in FIG. 5, it can be confirmed that the air conditioner 7a and the lighting 7b are in an operating state.

  The operation buttons B3 and B6 are buttons for performing detailed setting of the operation state of the corresponding device. When the operation buttons B3 and B6 are pressed, a detailed setting screen (not shown) is superimposed on the energy management screen in a pop-up format. Will be drawn. Then, through this detailed setting screen, the user can set operation management values such as an operation mode such as cooling and heating, and a set temperature, and can control the operation state of the device to be controlled.

  By providing the operation buttons B1 to B6 as described above, the user can perform an operation for controlling the operation state of the control target device. That is, when the user presses the operation buttons B <b> 1 to B <b> 6, the control process is performed from the portable terminal 30 toward the home server 10 so that the control process is executed using the power consuming device that is the target of the operation as the control target device. An execution request is sent. On the side of the home server 10 that has received the execution request, a control signal corresponding to the operation is generated based on the above-described operation (more specifically, the button pressed by the user among the operation buttons B1 to B6). Then, it will be sent to the controlled device.

  Of course, when the energy management screen is drawn on the touch panel 31, the state of the portable terminal 30 is in an energized state. That is, the mobile terminal 30 displays information indicated by the response data from the home server 10 on the touch panel 31 as a display (more specifically, each sensor 21, 22a, 22b, 23a-23c displayed on the energy display screen). When the measurement result is displayed, power is consumed in an energized state.

(3) About CEMS Server 40 The CEMS server 40 includes a CPU, a memory, a communication interface, and the like (not shown), and receives data from the home server 10 (specifically, the external data acquisition unit 101) through the outside network GN. A transmission request is received, and data (provided information data) is transmitted to the home server 10.

  As described above, the provided information data includes unit price data indicating the current value of the unit price of power supplied from the commercial power supply 4, power saving request data for requesting each house H to save power, and information on the weather in the region to which the community belongs. , The notification data indicating the information to be notified to the user of each house H, and the target value data indicating the target value of the power consumption consumed in the house H during a predetermined period are included. . In addition, as notification data which shows the information which should be notified to the user of each house H, for example, it is a community about the information which notifies that said target value is not set yet, and the reduction amount of the power consumption in each house H Information ranked in the following (hereinafter referred to as energy saving ranking).

  These provided information data are stored in the CS-side storage unit 42 including an auxiliary storage device such as an HDD, and data to be transmitted is read according to the content of the data transmission request from the home server 10, and then It is transmitted toward the home server 10.

<< Characteristics of energy management system of this embodiment >>
In this system S, the home server 10 communicates with each power consuming device and the sensors 21, 22a, 22b, and 23a to 23c via the home network TN, so that monitoring and control of each power consuming device are performed in a unified manner. . In addition, based on data transmitted from the home server 10 (specifically, the above-described response data), an energy management screen is drawn on the touch panel 31 of the mobile terminal 30, and the sensors 21, 22a, The measurement results 22b and 23a to 23c are displayed. This makes it possible to visualize (visualize) the power supply / demand balance in the house H, and the user can view the power supply / demand balance in the house H by looking at the energy management screen. become.

  However, as described in the section of the problem to be solved by the invention, when the user looks at the energy management screen, it takes time to perform an operation for starting the portable terminal 30. As a result of such time and effort, it is troublesome for the user to confirm the state of power supply and demand in the house H, and it is difficult to promote energy saving behavior. On the other hand, if the mobile terminal 30 is always energized with the mobile terminal 30 activated, the mobile terminal 30 consumes power wastefully.

In view of the above situation, in the present system S, in addition to the portable terminal 30, a robot 50 that is a notification device is provided as an interface when controlling the power consuming device and monitoring the power supply / demand situation in the house H. It has been. With this robot 50, the user can obtain information on various places including information on the power supply / demand balance in the house H by a simpler method. The robot 50 according to the present embodiment can cope with a case where there are a plurality of types of information to be notified (that is, when information to be notified is diversified).
Hereinafter, a configuration example and an operation example of the robot 50 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

<Configuration Example of Robot 50>
Below, the structural example of the robot 50 which concerns on this embodiment is demonstrated.
In describing the configuration example of the robot 50, the functions of the robot 50 will be outlined. The robot 50 receives an execution request transmitted from the home server 10 (specifically, the robot drive unit 105), and receives a predetermined request. A notification operation is executed. The signal transmitted to the robot 50 to request execution of the notification operation is based on the received data when the home server 10 communicates with the sensors 21, 22a, 22b, 23a-23c and the CEMS server 40 and receives data. Generated by the robot drive unit 105.

  On the other hand, when the robot 50 receives the notification operation execution request, the robot 50 analyzes the request and executes the notification operation to notify the user of information according to the analysis result. Here, as described above, the notification operation execution request is made based on the received data received by the home server 10 from the sensors 21, 22a, 22b, 23a to 23c and the CEMS server 40, and information to be notified to the user is also included. This is the content indicated by the received data. Therefore, the robot 50 performs a notification operation according to the received data based on the received data of the home server 10.

  Then, as described above, the robot 50 according to the present embodiment notifies, as the notification operation, the light emission operation that emits light in the light emission format according to the information to be notified (in other words, the above reception data; the same applies hereinafter). A sound generation operation that generates a sound corresponding to information and a vibration operation that vibrates according to information to be notified are selected and executed.

  In order to execute the above three types of notification operations, the robot 50 includes a light emitting mechanism 51, a sound generation mechanism 52, and a vibration mechanism 53 as shown in FIG. 6. Further, the robot 50 has a controller 54 as a control unit that controls these mechanisms 51, 52, and 53. Each part of the robot 50 described above (that is, the light emitting mechanism 51, the sound generation mechanism 52, the vibration mechanism 53, and the controller 54) is attached to the inside of the robot 50, specifically, a frame (not shown). It is covered with a rubber cover member 50a having translucency. The cover member 50a defines the external shape of the robot 50, and is elastically deformed so as to be crushed when gripped by the user (see FIG. 7D).

The light emitting mechanism 51 performs a light emitting operation for emitting light in a light emission format corresponding to information to be notified (received data). The light emitting mechanism 51 is configured by a known light emitting device (light source) such as an LED element. When the light emitting mechanism 51 performs a light emitting operation, the light is transmitted through the cover member 50a. As a result, the entire robot 50 is issued as shown in FIG.
Here, the light emission format when the light emission mechanism 51 performs the issue operation is a concept indicating the execution conditions of the light emission operation, and specifically, the light emission color, the light emission intensity (illuminance), and the light emission mode (lighting or blinking). Selection), blinking speed and the like. Then, the light emitting mechanism 51 switches the light emission format according to the category and content of the information to be notified, and in this embodiment, the light emission color, the light emission mode, and the blinking speed are switched.

  The sound generation mechanism 52 performs a sound generation operation for generating sound corresponding to information to be notified (received data). The sound generation mechanism 52 is configured by a known sound reproduction device such as a small digital audio player, and has a built-in memory (not shown) in which a plurality of sound files are stored. Then, the sound generation mechanism 52 reproduces the sound file corresponding to the information to be notified from the plurality of sound files stored in the memory. As a result, as shown in FIG. 7B, sound recorded in the sound file can be emitted from a speaker (not shown). Note that the sound generation mechanism 52 according to the present embodiment reproduces a sound file composed of electronic data, but is not limited to this, and for example, reproduces sound recorded on a tape, a compact disk, or the like. It is good also as what you do.

  The vibration mechanism 53 performs a vibration operation that vibrates according to information (reception data) to be notified. The vibration mechanism 53 is configured by a known vibration imparting device such as a vibrator. When the vibration operation is executed, the robot 50 as a whole vibrates as shown in FIG. The vibration operation is executed in order to make the user aware that predetermined information is notified by the robot 50, and in this embodiment, the vibration operation is executed for all the information notified by the robot 50. . That is, the robot 50 according to the present embodiment first performs a vibration operation in order to draw the user's attention when notifying the user of information.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the controller 54 includes a CPU 54a, a memory 54b, a communication interface 54c, a control circuit 54d, and the like. The USB circuit 50 is connected to the USB port of the home server 10 while the USB connector 50b is connected. Via the home server 10 (specifically, the robot drive unit 105).

  In the present embodiment, as described above, the power supply for the robot 50 is interlocked with the power supply of the home server 10, and while the home server 10 is energized, the robot from the home server 10 side via the USB circuit. 50 is supplied with electric power. Since the home server 10 is always energized from the viewpoint of monitoring and controlling the power supply and demand situation in the house H, the robot 50 is also always energized. On the other hand, when the robot 50 performs the notification operation, the robot 50 is in an energized state. That is, in the present embodiment, the robot 50 is always in a state capable of executing the notification operation, and immediately responds to the notification operation when the home server 10 requests execution of the notification operation. However, the present invention is not limited to the above configuration, and the state of the robot 50 is switched by timer control and is normally energized. On the other hand, it is not energized (power off state) during a predetermined time period (for example, at night). ).

  In this embodiment, the power consumed by the robot 50 in the energized state (power consumed per unit time, the same applies below) is compared with the power consumed by the mobile terminal 30 in the energized state. It is getting smaller. That is, the power consumption when the robot 50 is always energized is somewhat smaller than the power consumption when the mobile terminal 30 is always energized.

  Upon receiving the notification operation execution request from the home server 10, the controller 54, among the light emission operation by the light emission mechanism 51, the sound generation operation by the sound generation mechanism 52, and the vibration operation by the vibration mechanism 53, according to the execution request. At least one operation is executed as a notification operation.

  More specifically, when the controller 54 receives a notification operation execution request from the home server 10, the controller 54 analyzes the execution request and determines a category of information to be notified (that is, information notifying the user through the notification operation). Identify. In other words, data indicating the category of information to be notified is embedded in the execution request transmitted from the home server 10, and the controller 54 specifies the category based on the data. After specifying the category of information to be notified, the controller 54 selects an operation corresponding to the above category from the light emission operation, the sound generation operation, and the vibration operation, and causes the selected operation to be executed as the notification operation.

In the present embodiment, information categories to be notified include “current value of grid power unit price”, “power saving request”, “weather in the region to which the community belongs”, “target value not set”, and “energy saving ranking”. Can be mentioned.
Furthermore, in the category of information to be notified, in addition to the above-mentioned category, the ratio of the cumulative value of the power consumption actually consumed in the house H during the same period to the target value in a predetermined period A calculation result at the time of calculation (hereinafter referred to as “ratio calculation result”), information notifying that the control of the operation state of the power consuming device that has become the control target device (hereinafter referred to as “control completion”), and , Information that reports that the instantaneous power consumption in the house H has increased until it exceeds a predetermined level (hereinafter referred to as “instantaneous power consumption increase”) is included.

The correspondence relationship between the category of information to be notified and the operation executed as the notification operation is tabulated and stored in the memory 54b. The controller 54 (more specifically, the CPU 54a) specifies an operation corresponding to the category of information to be notified by referring to the table, and causes the specified operation to be executed as the notification operation. In the present embodiment, the correspondence between the category of information to be notified and the operation executed as the notification operation is as follows.
・ Category “Current Value of System Power Unit Price”: Light Emitting Operation, Sound Generation Operation, Vibration Operation ・ Category “Power Saving Request”: Sound Generation Operation, Vibration Operation ・ Category “Regional Weather”: Sound Generation Operation, Vibration Operation ・ Category “Target value not set”: Sound generation operation, vibration operation • Category “Energy saving ranking”: Sound generation operation, vibration operation • Category “Percentage calculation result”: Light emission operation, vibration operation • Category “Control completed”: Sound generation operation , Vibration operation-Category "Instantaneous power consumption increase": Light emission operation, vibration operation

  Furthermore, the controller 54 analyzes the notification request for the notification operation received from the home server 10 and specifies the content of the information to be notified. In other words, data indicating the content of the information to be notified is incorporated in the execution request transmitted from the home server 10, and the controller 54 specifies the content of the information based on the data. Here, the content of information to be notified is a concept indicating the current state for each of the above-described categories. For example, in the case of information in the category of “regional weather”, “sunny”, “cloudy”, “ “Rain” corresponds to the content. After specifying the content of the information to be notified, the controller 54 executes an operation corresponding to the above-described category among the light emitting operation, the sound generation operation, and the vibration operation in a format corresponding to the specified information content.

  Specifically, when the light emission operation is executed as the notification operation, the light emission operation is executed in a light emission format corresponding to the content of the specified information. Here, the correspondence between the information content and the light emission format is tabulated as shown in FIG. 8 and stored in the memory 54b, and the controller 54 refers to the table to obtain the specified information content. The light emission operation is executed in the corresponding light emission format.

  More specifically, for example, when the category of information to be notified is “ratio calculation result”, the light emission mechanism 51 performs a light emission operation with a predetermined emission color, and the emission color is In FIG. 8, it is determined based on the correspondence described in the table of number (1). For example, when the ratio is less than 50%, the emission color is light blue, and when the ratio is in the range of 51 to 70%, the emission color is blue.

When the category of information to be notified is “Instantaneous power consumption increase”, the light emission mechanism 51 performs the light emission operation while changing the emission color as shown in the table of number (2) in FIG. It will be.
Furthermore, when the category of information to be notified is “current value of unit price of system power”, the light emitting mechanism 51 performs the light emitting operation in the flashing mode, and the flashing speed (flashing interval) is shown in FIG. Among them, it is determined based on the correspondence described in the table of number (3). For example, when the current value of the unit price is 0.5 times or less of the standard fee, it blinks at intervals of 10 seconds, and when it is within the range of 0.6 times to 0.8 times, it blinks at intervals of 8 seconds.

  On the other hand, when the sound generation operation is executed as the notification operation, the sound file corresponding to the specified information content is reproduced and the sound recorded in the file is emitted. Here, the correspondence between the information contents and the sound (in other words, the sound file) is tabulated as shown in FIG. 9 and stored in the memory 54b, and the controller 54 refers to the table. Then, a sound generation operation for generating a sound corresponding to the specified information content is executed.

More specifically, for example, when the category of information to be notified is “power saving request”, the controller 54 causes the sound generation mechanism 52 to play back an audio file in which the sound “Sedence Set” is recorded. .
When the category of information to be notified is “current value of unit price of grid power”, the controller 54 reduces the current value of the unit price compared to the unit price when the previous notification operation was performed for the category. If it is, the sound generation mechanism 52 is caused to play a sound file containing the sound “Ryokingaya Sukuttayo”, and when it is raised, the sound “Ryokingatakanattayo” is recorded. Play an audio file.

When the category of the information to be notified is “control completed”, the controller 54 causes the sound generation mechanism 52 to reproduce the sound file containing the sound “Seigyo Tayo”, and the category of the information to be notified is If “target value is not set”, an audio file in which a voice “Mokuhyo Worried” is recorded is reproduced.
Furthermore, when the category of the information to be notified is “energy saving ranking”, the controller 54 notifies the sound generation mechanism 52 when the rank is higher than the ranking when the previous notification operation was performed for the category. , Play an audio file containing the voice "Rank Up", play an audio file containing the voice "Rank Down" if the rank goes down, and if there is no change in the rank, Is played back.
When the category of information to be notified is “regional weather”, the controller 54 reproduces an audio file in which the sound “Kyoha Halleluyo” is recorded when the day's weather in the region is clear. If it is cloudy, an audio file containing the voice “Kyoha Kumoridayo” is played, and if it is raining, an audio file containing the voice “Kyoha Amega Full Camo” is played.

  By the way, in this embodiment, the vibration operation is to be executed in the same format (for example, the same vibration time) regardless of the category and content of information to be notified. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the execution format of the vibration operation may be changed according to the category and content of information to be notified.

  As described above, the robot 50 according to the present embodiment automatically performs a notification operation when receiving an execution request from the home server 10. Thereby, the robot 50 notifies the user of various information including information related to the power supply / demand situation in the house H. Considering from the user's standpoint, various information is automatically notified by the notification operation of the robot 50 without requiring any operation, so that the user can easily obtain the information. That is, the robot 50 according to the present embodiment can notify the user with a simple method without requiring any operation.

  As described above, in this embodiment, information is notified to the user without requiring any operation, so that the user can be more easily noticed, and the user can review his / her own energy consumption behavior. It will be easier to provide.

  In addition, the robot 50 according to the present embodiment executes the above-described three types of notification operations, and for the light emission operation and the sound generation operation, a plurality of execution patterns are prepared according to the category and content of information to be notified. ing. The execution pattern is a light emission format at the time of a light emission operation (in the present embodiment, a light emission color, a light emission mode, a blinking speed) and a content of a sound generated during a sound generation operation.

If the type of notification operation to be performed and the execution pattern are switched according to the information to be notified, even if the information to be notified is diversified (in other words, the types of information to be notified are multiple types). Even).
Furthermore, for example, by switching the light emission color, the light emission mode, the flashing speed, etc. during the light emitting operation, it is also possible to notify a plurality of information at the same time. Specifically, by switching the light emission color and the flashing speed, It is possible to simultaneously notify information related to the category “ratio calculation result” and information related to the category “current value of unit price of grid power”.

Moreover, in this system S, the portable terminal 30 and the robot 50 are used together as a device for the user to confirm information regarding the power supply / demand situation in the house H. Thereby, the effect (effectiveness) by having provided the robot 50 further increases.
More specifically, although the mobile terminal 30 can provide more information than the robot 50, it requires time and effort for the user such as a startup operation. On the other hand, since the robot 50 can easily notify the user of information without requiring a starting operation or the like, the robot 50 is useful for the user. Compared with the case where the mobile terminal 30 is provided (that is, when the mobile terminal 30 is not used in combination), it becomes more meaningful.

  Furthermore, as described above, the power consumed by the energized robot 50 is smaller than the power consumed by the energized mobile terminal 30, so that the mobile terminal 30 is always energized. The power consumption when the robot 50 is always energized is somewhat smaller than the power consumption. That is, if the user desires simple information as information on the power supply and demand situation in the house H, the robot 50 is somewhat energized rather than the mobile terminal 30 is always energized. Economical and power consumption can be reduced. Therefore, when the user obtains information on the power supply / demand situation in the house H, the robot 50 is always energized, and simple information is obtained through a notification operation of the robot 50, and further detailed information is confirmed. If the mobile terminal 30 is activated when the user wants to do so, it becomes possible to realize a suitable energy management action in consideration of the power consumption.

  By the way, the robot 50 according to the present embodiment has a configuration for executing the notification operation described above, and a function for accepting an operation performed when the user controls the operation state of the power consuming device. It is equipped with. That is, in the present embodiment, the user can perform an operation performed when controlling the operation state of the power consuming device through the energy management screen drawn on the touch panel 31 of the portable terminal 30 or through the robot 50. Is possible.

  The configuration provided in the robot 50 for receiving a user operation performed when controlling the operation state of the power consuming device will be described. The robot 50 includes an operation receiving mechanism 55 as shown in FIG. Yes. The operation receiving mechanism 55 receives an operation performed when the user controls the operating state of the power consuming device. In this embodiment, the operation receiving mechanism 55 is provided between the frame existing inside the robot 50 and the cover member 50a covering the frame. It is comprised by well-known operation reception mechanisms, such as the arrange | positioned pressure sensor.

  The operation receiving mechanism 55 will be described in more detail. The user grips the robot 50 (strictly, in the vicinity of the place where the operation receiving mechanism 55 is installed) as shown in FIG. When performing (hereinafter, referred to as a gripping operation), the operation receiving mechanism 55 including a pressure sensor receives the gripping operation. Such a gripping operation corresponds to an operation performed when the user controls the operating state of the power consuming device.

  Then, the operation reception mechanism 55 generates a signal when receiving a gripping operation, and transmits the signal to the controller 54. When the controller 54 receives the signal sent from the operation receiving mechanism 55, the controller 54 controls the operating state of the power consuming device based on the signal (in other words, based on the gripping operation received by the operation receiving mechanism 55). Is transmitted to the home server 10. When the home server 10 (more specifically, the device control unit 104 described above) receives a control processing execution request from the robot 50 side, the home server 10 generates a control signal, and among the power consuming devices in the house H, the control target is generated. A control signal is transmitted to a power consuming device that is a device.

  As described above, the robot 50 according to the present embodiment also has a function (remote control function) for remotely controlling the operation state of the power consuming device, which is the control target device, in addition to the above-described notification operation function. . As a result, the robot 50 which is an information notification device is convenient for the user, and the convenience of the robot 50 is improved.

  In the present embodiment, when the home server 10 receives a control processing execution request from the robot 50 side, the device control unit 104 of the home server 10 needs to always operate among the power consuming devices in the house H. Except for certain devices (for example, the home server 10 and the refrigerator), all are controlled devices and control signals are generated and transmitted. Specifically, each controlled device is turned off. Generate and transmit control signals. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and among the power consuming devices in the house H, it is also possible to generate and transmit a control signal using only devices designated by the user as control target devices.

  Further, in the present embodiment, when the operation receiving mechanism 55 receives the gripping operation repeatedly a plurality of times (more accurately, when the controller 54 receives a plurality of gripping operations within a predetermined time), the controller 54 An execution request for control processing is transmitted to the server 10.

  More specifically, as shown in FIG. 10, the response operation in the robot 50 differs depending on the number of times that the gripping operation is performed (in other words, the number of times the operation reception mechanism 55 has received the gripping operation). Only when the number of operations is three, the controller 54 transmits a control processing execution request to the home server 10. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the remote control of the power consuming device using the robot 50 from being erroneously performed (erroneous operation).

  That is, when the user or the like unintentionally performs a gripping operation, if the controller 54 transmits a control processing execution request to the home server 10 based on the gripping operation, the user's intention is On the contrary, the operating state of the power consuming device is switched. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, since the number of executions of the gripping operation for transmitting the control processing execution request is set to 3, the user or the like erroneously performs the gripping operation once or twice. Even if it is performed, it is possible to prevent the execution request of the control process from being transmitted from the robot 50 against the intention of the user.

Hereinafter, the correspondence relationship between the number of executions of the gripping operation and the response operation in the robot 50 will be described more specifically.
First, when a gripping operation is received only once within a predetermined time, a signal indicating that the operation receiving mechanism 55 has received a single gripping operation is generated and transmitted to the controller 54. The controller 54 that has received the signal requests the external data acquisition unit 101 of the home server 10 to execute communication with the CEMS server 40, whereby the external data acquisition unit 101 sends a request to the CEMS server 40. A request for data transmission is made, and provided information data is acquired from the CEMS server 40. When the robot drive unit 105 of the home server 10 transmits a notification operation execution request corresponding to the acquired provided information data to the robot 50, the controller 54 causes the controller 54 to emit light, generate sound, and vibrate. Among the operations, the operation corresponding to the provided information data is executed as a notification operation.

  In the present embodiment, a sound generation operation for generating a predetermined sound (for example, a sound according to the local weather) is executed as a notification operation performed by the robot 50 when only one gripping operation is received. I will do it.

  Next, when two gripping operations are received within a predetermined time, a signal indicating that the operation receiving mechanism 55 has received two gripping operations is generated and transmitted to the controller 54. The controller 54 that has received the signal controls the sound generation mechanism 52 to replay the sound file reproduced at the time of the sound generation operation performed last time so that the same sound as the previous sound generation operation can be emitted. The voice generation operation is executed. As described above, since the sound file reproduced in the previous sound generation operation can be reproduced again, the user performs the sound generation operation as the notification operation while the house H is absent, for example. Even so, it is possible to confirm the content of the sound generation operation (that is, the content of the sound generation operation that the user missed) after returning home.

  Further, when three gripping operations are received within a predetermined time, a signal indicating that the operation receiving mechanism 55 has received three or more gripping operations is generated and transmitted to the controller 54. As described above, the controller 54 that has received the signal transmits a control process execution request to the home server 10 and controls the sound generation mechanism 52 to receive a predetermined sound (for example, a control process execution request). A sound generating operation for generating a sound indicating that the transmission has been performed is executed.

  In accordance with the correspondence as described above, a request for execution of control processing is transmitted from the robot 50 (strictly, the controller 54) to the home server 10. In the present embodiment, the number of executions of the gripping operation for transmitting the execution request for the control process is set to three. However, the number of executions is not limited to this. It is possible to set the number of times.

<Operation example of the robot 50>
Next, an operation example of the robot 50 having the configuration described above will be described. In describing an operation example of the robot 50, hereinafter, a series of operations (hereinafter referred to as an information notification process) performed until the robot 50 performs a notification operation, and a user controls the operation state of the power consuming device. A series of operations (hereinafter, device control process) after the robot 50 accepts the gripping operation performed when performing the operation will be described.

(1) About information alerting | reporting process Hereinafter, the procedure of an information alerting | reporting process is demonstrated. First, an information notification process in the case where the category of information to be notified is “ratio calculation result” will be described as an example with reference to FIG.
When starting the information notification process for information related to the “ratio calculation result”, the user has input a target value of power consumption consumed in the house H during a predetermined period, and target value data indicating the target value Is stored in the CS-side storage unit 42 of the CEMS server 40.

  In the above state, the external data acquisition unit 101 of the home server 10 communicates with the CEMS server 40 through the outside network GN, and requests the CEMS server 40 to transmit target value data (S001). The information notification process is started with the request for data transmission. In the present embodiment, the data transmission request is made at intervals of about 30 minutes. For this reason, in this embodiment, the information notification process about the information regarding “the calculation result of the ratio” is performed at intervals of about 30 minutes. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the interval at which the information notification process for the information related to the “ratio calculation result” is performed can be arbitrarily set.

  Next, when receiving a data transmission request from the home server 10 (S002), the CEMS server 40 identifies the home server 10 that is the transmission source of the request, and then sets the target value data corresponding to the identified home server 10 Is read from the CS-side storage unit 42 and the target value data is transmitted to the home server 10 (S003).

  Thereafter, in the home server 10, the external data acquisition unit 101 receives the target value data transmitted from the CEMS server 40 through the outside network GN (S004). In the present embodiment, in conjunction with the reception of the target value data, the measurement result data acquisition unit 102 requests the sensor 21 including the smart meter to transmit the measurement result data, and the sensor 21 receives the measurement result data. Is received (S005). Such measurement result data is obtained by measuring a cumulative value of power consumption actually consumed in the house H from the start of the period in which the target value is applied to the present time (according to the measurement result). Data).

  When the home server 10 receives the measurement result data and the target value data, the robot driving unit 105 actually performs the target value in a predetermined period and the actual value in the house H during the predetermined period based on these data. And the cumulative value of the power consumption consumed for the current value, and the ratio of the cumulative value to the target value is calculated (S006). Thereafter, the robot drive unit 105 transmits a notification operation execution request corresponding to the calculated ratio to the robot 50 (S007).

  On the robot 50 side, the controller 54 receives a notification operation execution request from the robot drive unit 105 through the USB circuit (S008), analyzes the execution request, specifies a category of information to be notified, and then emits light. Of the operation, the sound generation operation, and the vibration operation, the operation corresponding to the identified category is determined as the notification operation to be executed (S009). After the category of the notification operation to be executed is determined, the controller 54 controls the light emitting mechanism 51, the sound generation mechanism 52, and the vibration mechanism 53 to execute the determined notification operation (S0010). In the case of this specific example, since the category of information to be notified is “ratio calculation result”, the robot 50 performs the light emission operation and the vibration operation as the notification operation.

  When performing the light emitting operation as the notification operation, the controller 54 of the robot 50 specifies the content together with the category of information to be notified, and causes the light emitting mechanism 51 to perform the light emitting operation in the light emission format corresponding to the specified content. .

  Through the series of procedures described so far, the robot 50 performs the light emission operation and the vibration operation as the notification operation, and notifies the user of the ratio of the accumulated value of the actual consumption to the target power consumption. Will be. As a result, it becomes possible to give the user a chance to review the power supply and demand situation in the house H and his own energy consumption behavior. In other words, the user can easily confirm how much power has actually been consumed with respect to the target power consumption through the notification operation of the robot 50. It becomes easy to have.

  In the above example, the light emission operation and the vibration operation are executed as the notification operation for notifying the ratio of the cumulative value of the actual consumption to the target power consumption. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Instead, at least one of the light emission operation, the sound generation operation, and the vibration operation may be executed as the notification operation.

  In the above example, the target value data indicating the target value of the power consumption is stored in the CS-side storage unit 42 of the CEMS server 40, and the ratio of the cumulative value of the actual consumption to the target power consumption is calculated. In doing so, the target value data is acquired by communicating with the CEMS server 40 through the outside network GN, but is not limited thereto. For example, the target value data may be stored in the home server 10 (specifically, the memory 10b or the nonvolatile storage device 10c). In the case of such a configuration, as shown in FIG. 12, in calculating the ratio of the cumulative value of the actual consumption to the target power consumption, the target value data stored in the home server 10 is read (S011). Since steps S012 to S017 after reading the target value data are the same as steps S005 to S010 described in the above example, description thereof will be omitted.

Next, an information notification process in the case where the category of information to be notified is “current value of unit price of system power” will be described as an example with reference to FIG.
As described above, the unit price of the system power (that is, the electricity rate) changes according to the time zone. When the unit price changes, the CEMS server 40 is installed in each home H in the community. Unit price data indicating the unit price after the change (that is, the current unit price of the grid power) is distributed (S021). This unit price data is provided information data distributed by the CEMS server 40. For example, the unit price data is generated in advance based on the electricity bill set by the power company, and automatically when the unit price of the system power changes. Delivered to.

  Thereafter, in the home server 10, the external data acquisition unit 101 receives the unit price data transmitted from the CEMS server 40 through the outside network GN (S022). When the unit price data is acquired on the home server 10 side, the robot drive unit 105 specifies the current value of the unit price of the system power based on the unit price data, and then sets the current unit price of the specified system power. A corresponding notification operation execution request is transmitted to the robot 50 (S023).

  On the robot 50 side, the controller 54 receives a notification operation execution request from the robot drive unit 105 through the USB circuit (S024), analyzes the execution request, specifies a category of information to be notified, and then emits light. Of the operation, the sound generation operation, and the vibration operation, the operation corresponding to the identified category is determined as the notification operation to be executed (S025). After the category of the notification operation to be executed is determined, the controller 54 controls the light emitting mechanism 51, the sound generation mechanism 52, and the vibration mechanism 53 to execute the determined notification operation (S026). In the case of this specific example, since the category of information to be notified is “current value of unit price of grid power”, the robot 50 performs the light emission operation and the vibration operation as the notification operation. More specifically, for example, the robot 50 performs a vibration operation by the vibration generating mechanism 53 in order to make the user aware that the current value of the unit price of the system power has been updated, and according to the updated current value of the unit price. The light emission operation by the light emission mechanism 51 is executed in the light emission format (more specifically, the light emission color corresponding to the current value of the updated unit price).

  As a result of the robot 50 performing the light emission operation and the vibration operation as the notification operation by the series of procedures described so far, it becomes possible to notify the current value of the unit price of the system power to the user. As a result, the user is given an opportunity to review his own energy consumption behavior, and the user's awareness of energy saving can be raised.

  In the above example, the light emission operation and the vibration operation are performed as the notification operation for notifying the current value of the unit price of the system power. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the light emission operation and sound are not limited to this. Of the generation operation and the vibration operation, at least one operation may be executed as the notification operation.

  In the above example, the case where the unit price data indicating the current value of the unit price of the system power is received by the home server 10 among the provided information data distributed by the CEMS server 40 is described. For example, even when the above-described power saving request data, weather data, and the like are received, a notification operation corresponding to the data may be executed according to the same procedure as described above.

  Furthermore, when the sensor 21 transmits the above-described report data (data for notifying that the instantaneous power consumption in the house H has exceeded a predetermined level) and the report data is received on the home server 10 side, The robot drive unit 105 requests the robot 50 to execute a notification operation for notifying that the instantaneous power consumption has increased. Thereafter, by the same procedure (S024 to 026) as described above, the light emission operation and the vibration operation are executed as the notification operation corresponding to the category “Instantaneous power consumption increase” on the robot 50 side. Note that the light emission operation executed in response to the category “Instantaneous power consumption increase” is executed while changing the emission color as described above.

  Further, when the device control unit 104 of the home server 10 receives a control completion signal transmitted when the control is completed for the power consuming device (control target device) whose operation state is controlled, the robot drive unit 105 requests the robot 50 to execute a notification operation for notifying completion of control. Thereafter, the voice generation operation and the vibration operation are executed as the notification operation corresponding to the category “control completion” on the robot 50 side by the same procedure (S024 to 026) as described above.

(2) Device Control Process Hereinafter, the device control process will be described with reference to FIG.
First, when the user performs an operation of grasping the robot 50 (gripping operation), the operation accepting mechanism 55 accepts the grasping operation on the robot 50 side (S031). Here, when the number of gripping operations received by the operation receiving mechanism 55 within a predetermined time is 1 (“1” in S032), the controller 54 of the robot 50 causes the external data of the home server 10 to be stored. The acquisition unit 101 is requested to execute communication with the CEMS server 40 (S033). Accordingly, the external data acquisition unit 101 requests data transmission to the CEMS server 40 (S034), and the CEMS server 40 distributes the provided information data (specifically, weather data) in response to the request. (S035).

  When the external data acquisition unit 101 receives the provision information data from the CEMS server 40 (S036), the robot drive unit 105 transmits a notification operation execution request corresponding to the provision information data to the robot 50 ( S037). On the robot 50 side, when the controller 54 receives a notification operation execution request from the home server 10 side (S038), the controller 54 executes an operation corresponding to the provided information data as a notification operation (S039). In the present embodiment, since the provided information data from the CEMS server 40 is weather data, the robot 50 executes a sound generation operation for generating a sound corresponding to the local weather as a notification operation.

  Next, a case where the number of gripping operations received by the operation receiving mechanism 55 within a predetermined time is two (“twice” in S032) will be described. The controller 54 of the robot 50 determines that the voice generating mechanism 52 The sound file reproduced at the time of the previous sound generation operation is specified (S040). The audio file specifying process is performed by the CPU 54a referring to the reproduction history of the audio file stored in the memory 54b. Then, after the specification of the audio file is completed, the controller 54 controls the audio generation mechanism 52 to reproduce the audio file reproduced last time and to execute an audio generation operation for generating the same audio as the previous time (S041).

  Next, a case where the number of gripping operations received by the operation receiving mechanism 55 within a predetermined time is 3 (“3 times” in S032) will be described. In this case, the device control process is performed, and the house H The operation state of the power consuming device is controlled by the device control unit 104 of the home server 10.

  In other words, in the present embodiment, the controller 54 first issues a control processing execution request for controlling the operating state of the power consuming device when the operation receiving mechanism 55 receives the user's gripping operation three times within a predetermined time. It transmits to the server 10 (S042). As described above, the controller 54 transmits a control process execution request to the home server 10 and controls the voice generation mechanism 52 to transmit a predetermined voice (for example, a control process execution request). Voice generation operation is performed (S042).

  On the home server 10 side that has received the control process execution request, the device control unit 104 executes the control process (S043). That is, the control signal is transmitted to the device to be controlled among the power consuming devices used in the house H. As described above, in the present embodiment, when the home server 10 receives a control processing execution request from the robot 50 side, among the power consuming devices in the house H, a device that needs to be operated at all times (for example, a home server 10). A control signal for turning off the power is transmitted to all devices except for the server 10 and the refrigerator.

  When the control of the operation state of the control target device is completed, the device control unit 104 receives a control completion signal from the control target device (S044), and after receiving the control completion signal, the robot drive unit 105 However, a request for executing the notification operation in accordance with the control completion signal is transmitted to the robot 50 (S045). Upon receiving the execution request (S046), the controller 54 analyzes the execution request, specifies the category of information to be notified, and selects the specified category from the light emission operation, the sound generation operation, and the vibration operation. The corresponding operation is determined as the notification operation to be executed (S047). After the category of the notification operation to be executed is determined, the controller 54 controls the light emitting mechanism 51, the sound generation mechanism 52, and the vibration mechanism 53 to execute the determined notification operation (S048).

  More specifically, the category of information to be notified is specified as “control completion”, and a sound generation operation for generating a sound indicating the completion of the control process and a vibration operation are executed as the notification operation. In the present embodiment, the sound generation operation and the vibration operation are performed when the information of the category “control completion” is notified. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the light emission operation, the sound operation, and the like are performed. Of the generation operation and the vibration operation, at least one operation may be executed.

<< Other Embodiments >>
In the above embodiment, the information notification system of the present invention has been mainly described. However, the above embodiment is for facilitating the understanding of the present invention, and does not limit the present invention. The present invention can be changed and improved without departing from the gist thereof, and the present invention includes the equivalents thereof.

  Moreover, in said embodiment, the sensor 21 as a measuring apparatus which measures the energy consumption amount in the house H, and transmits measurement result data, and the CEMS server 40 as an information delivery apparatus which transmits provision information data. Although the home server 10 that communicates with both is described as an example of a communication device, the present invention is not limited to this. Any communication device that communicates with at least one of the measurement device and the information distribution device may be used. And about the alerting | reporting apparatus (it corresponds to the robot 50 in said embodiment) which performs alerting | reporting operation | movement, the received data received when communicating with said at least one apparatus among said measurement result data and provision information data For example, only when the home server 10 receives the measurement result data (or provided information data), the notification operation according to the reception data may be performed. It may be a notification device that executes.

  In the above embodiment, the mascot-shaped communication robot (robot 50) is given as an example of the notification operation for executing the notification operation. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a sphere or individual shape is used. It may be a figurine. That is, the arrangement can be changed relatively easily, and can be used without limitation as long as it is a figurine-type notification device that can easily notify the user of information.

  Further, in the above embodiment, as a mechanism for switching and executing communication bundles according to communication target devices and integrating and providing interfaces for using the functions of the respective communication bundles as APIs (general-purpose APIs). The OSGi framework 203 has been described as an example, but any existing technology other than the OSGi framework 203 may be used as long as the OSGi framework 203 has the above functions.

  In the above embodiment, the energy management screen on which the measurement results of the sensors 21, 22 a, 22 b and 23 a to 23 c are displayed is drawn on the touch panel 31 mounted on the mobile terminal 30. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be drawn on the display 11 of the home server 10.

  In the above embodiment, the robot 50 connected to the home server 10 via USB is described as an example, and power is supplied in conjunction with the power supply of the home server 10. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a notification device that has a rechargeable internal power supply and performs wireless communication with the home server 10 may be used. Such a notification device eliminates the need for wiring such as USB, so that the placement location can be freely determined. For charging the internal power supply, it is preferable to use wireless charging, that is, a method of charging without contacting the charger, in order to freely determine the place of placement.

  In the above-described embodiment, the energy management system that manages the power consumption in the house H has been described by taking electric power as an example of energy. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be a system that includes other energy consumption (gas consumption or water usage) as a management target.

S System H Residential TN Home network GN External network 1 Power generation unit 2 Distribution panel 3 Storage battery 4 Commercial power supply 5 Power conditioner 6 Bidirectional inverter 7a Air conditioner 7b Lighting 10 Home server 10a CPU
10b Memory 10c Nonvolatile storage device 10d Communication interface 10e Bus 11 Display 12 Input device 21 Sensor 22a, 22b Sensor 23a, 23b, 23c Sensor 30 Mobile terminal 31 Touch panel 40 CEMS server 42 CS side storage unit 50 Robot 50a Cover member 50b USB Connector 51 Light emitting mechanism 52 Sound generating mechanism 53 Vibration mechanism 54 Controller 54a CPU
54b Memory 54c Communication interface 54d Control circuit 55 Operation acceptance mechanism 101 External data acquisition unit 102 Measurement result data acquisition unit 103 Response data transmission unit 104 Device control unit 105 Robot drive unit 201 OS
202 JVM
203 OSGi framework 204a First standard equipment communication bundle 204b Second standard equipment communication bundle 204c Third standard equipment communication bundle 205 Robot driver 206 USB driver Ar1, Ar2, Ar3, Ar4, Ar5, Ar6 Display area B1, B2, B3, B4, B5, B6 operation buttons

Claims (6)

A measuring device that measures energy consumption in a building and transmits measurement result data indicating information according to the measurement result, and a provision that indicates information provided to a user in the building installed outside the building A communication device that communicates with at least one of the information distribution devices that transmit information data; and
The measurement result data and of the providing information data, based on the received data to which the communication device has received upon communication with the at least one device, and Ruho knowledge equipment to perform an informing operation depending on the received data,
An information processing terminal that is separate from the notification device and can communicate with the communication device,
The communication device transmits an execution request for the notification operation to the notification device based on the received data,
The notification device includes a light emission mechanism that performs a light emission operation that emits light in a light emission format according to the reception data, a sound generation mechanism that performs a sound generation operation that generates sound according to the reception data, and the reception data. a control unit for controlling the oscillating mechanism to perform the oscillating motion of the vibration, and the light emitting mechanism and the sound generation mechanism and the vibration mechanism in response to, is provided,
The control unit, upon receiving the execution request, causes at least one operation determined according to the execution request among the light emission operation, the sound generation operation, and the vibration operation to be executed as the notification operation ,
The information processing terminal includes a display, and displays information similar to the information indicated by the received data on the display as information indicated by display data acquired by communicating with the communication device.
The notification device is a figurine-type device imitating an animal, a human being, or a mascot. When the light emitting mechanism performs the light emitting operation, the light emitting mechanism emits light, and the sound generating mechanism generates the sound. When performing operations issued the sound from the speaker, the information notification system characterized that you vibration and the vibration mechanism to execute the vibration operation. The communication device is a home server installed in a house as the building,
The information distribution device is an external server that is communicably connected to the home server via the Internet,
The provided information data transmitted by the external server includes target value data indicating a target value of power consumption consumed during a predetermined period in the house,
When the communication device receives the measurement result data and the target value data, the communication device calculates a ratio of a cumulative value of power consumption actually consumed in the house during the predetermined period to the target value, Transmitting the execution request according to the calculated ratio to the notification device;
When the control unit receives the execution request, the light emission mechanism emits light in a light emission format according to the ratio, and the sound generation operation in which the sound generation mechanism emits sound according to the ratio. The information notification system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the vibration operations in which the vibration mechanism vibrates is executed as the notification operation. The provision information data transmitted by the external server includes unit price data indicating a current unit price of power supplied from commercial power to the house,
The communication device, when receiving the unit price data, specifies the current value, transmits the execution request according to the specified current value to the notification device,
When the control unit receives the execution request, the light emission mechanism emits light in a light emission format according to the current value, and the sound generation mechanism emits sound according to the current value. The information notification system according to claim 2, wherein at least one of the operation and the vibration operation in which the vibration mechanism vibrates is executed as the notification operation. Before Symbol notification device becomes a conductive state when performing the notification operation,
The information processing terminal is energized when displaying information indicated by the display data on the display,
The information notification system according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the power consumed by the notification device in the energized state is smaller than the power consumed by the information processing terminal in the energized state. The communication device implements a function of controlling the operating state of energy consuming equipment used in the building via a network provided in the building,
The notification device has an operation reception mechanism that receives an operation performed when a user controls an operation state of the energy consuming device,
The control unit transmits an execution request for a control process for controlling an operation state of the energy consuming device to the communication device based on the operation received by the operation reception mechanism. 4. The information notification system according to claim 1.   When the operation receiving mechanism receives the operation repeatedly a plurality of times, the control unit transmits an execution request for a control process for controlling an operation state of the energy consuming device to the communication device. The information notification system according to claim 5.

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