JP6098008B2 - Controller and energy-saving control system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a controller and an energy saving control system for controlling an apparatus to save energy so that energy consumption in the apparatus is suppressed.

  In recent years, interest in energy saving (energy saving) has been increasing, and awareness of energy saving is increasing in ordinary households, such as selecting and purchasing low-power-consumption equipment. As a system that realizes energy saving, the controller (device control device) receives an energy saving instruction specifying the amount of energy consumption (electric power) reduction from the outside, and controls the device by sending a control signal to the device in response to the energy saving instruction. The system which performs is proposed (for example, refer patent document 1).

  In the system (device control system) described in Patent Document 1, the controller transmits a control signal including common control contents expressed in units common to a plurality of devices (controlled devices). Each device stores in advance the correspondence between the common control contents and the individual control contents for implementing energy-saving control corresponding to the common control contents. When a control signal is received, the common control contents are converted into individual control contents. Implement energy saving control. For example, when the control signal includes the common control content of reducing power consumption by 20 W, when the device comprising the lighting apparatus receives this control signal, it converts it into the individual control content of “decreasing the dimming level by one step” to save energy. To implement.

  Here, the energy saving instruction is given from an electric power company, for example. When an energy saving instruction is given from an electric power company, the controller executes energy saving control regardless of the user's operation, and suppresses energy consumption in the device.

JP 2011-226053 A

  However, with energy saving control, for example, if the air conditioner, the set temperature will rise (or fall), if it is a lighting fixture, the dimming level will be lowered, so when energy saving control is executed regardless of the user's intention, The user's comfort and convenience may be impaired. In particular, if the user changes the state of the device so as to suppress energy consumption by directly operating the device immediately before the energy saving control is executed, the state of the device further changes with the energy saving control immediately after that, As a result, the device is controlled twice for energy saving. Therefore, in such a case, the user's comfort and convenience may be greatly impaired.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above reasons, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a controller and an energy saving control system capable of suppressing energy consumption in a device within a range in which user comfort and convenience are not impaired as much as possible. And

  The controller of the present invention includes a monitoring unit that monitors a state of a device that can switch between at least two states of an energy saving state and a non-energy saving state, a notification unit that notifies if the state of the device is in the non-energy saving state, Whether to perform energy saving control for suppressing energy consumption in the device in the non-energy-saving state and causing the device to transition to the energy-saving state when notified by the notifying unit, to the operation input unit Informed by the selection unit selected according to the user's operation input, the execution unit that controls the device to execute the energy saving control when the selection unit selects execution of the energy saving control, and the notification unit When the state of the device that is the target of the energy saving control changes to the energy saving state after the energy saving control is executed, the execution processing in the execution unit of the energy saving control is invalidated And having a cancel section for.

  In this controller, when the state of the device that is a target of the energy saving control is changed to the energy saving state before the selection of the execution of the energy saving control by the selection unit, the cancel unit is configured to perform the energy saving control. It is desirable that the execution process in the execution unit is invalidated.

  In this controller, when the state of the device that is a target of the energy saving control is changed to the energy saving state after the energy saving control is selected by the selection unit, the cancel unit performs the execution of the energy saving control. It is more preferable that the execution process in the unit is invalidated.

  In this controller, the monitoring unit monitors a state of the plurality of devices, the notification unit notifies each device, and the selection unit selects whether to execute the energy saving control for each device, The execution unit executes the energy-saving control for each device, and the canceling unit is in the non-energy-saving state from the notification of the plurality of devices until the energy-saving control is executed. It is more desirable that the apparatus that has changed from the energy saving state to the energy saving state is configured to invalidate the execution process in the execution unit.

  In this controller, the execution unit executes the energy saving control by changing a specific element in which energy consumption in the device relatively changes among a plurality of controllable elements of the device. It is more desirable to be configured.

  In this controller, when the state of the device that is the target of the energy-saving control changes from the non-energy-saving state to the energy-saving state before the energy-saving control is executed after being notified by the notification unit, the device It is more desirable to further include a presentation unit that presents information on the energy saving state.

  An energy saving control system of the present invention includes a device capable of switching at least two states of an energy saving state and a non-energy saving state, and a controller for controlling the device, and the controller monitors a state of the device. And a notification unit that notifies if the state of the device is in the non-energy-saving state, and when notified by the notification unit, suppresses energy consumption in the device in the non-energy-saving state, and A selection unit that selects whether or not to execute energy saving control for shifting to an energy saving state according to a user operation input to the operation input unit, and when the execution of the energy saving control is selected by the selection unit, An execution unit that controls the device to execute the energy saving control; and from the notification by the notification unit to the execution of the energy saving control, If the state has changed to the energy saving state, and having a cancel unit to disable the execution process in the execution of the energy-saving control.

  The present invention provides an execution process in the execution unit of the energy saving control when the state of the device that is the target of the energy saving control is changed to the energy saving state after the cancellation unit is notified by the notification unit and before the energy saving control is executed. Disable. Therefore, there is an advantage that energy consumption in the device can be suppressed as long as the user's comfort and convenience are not lost as much as possible.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the energy-saving control system which concerns on embodiment. It is a system configuration figure of an energy-saving control system concerning an embodiment. It is explanatory drawing of the alerting | reporting screen of the controller which concerns on embodiment. It is explanatory drawing of operation | movement of the controller which concerns on embodiment.

  The energy saving control system of the present embodiment is used for energy saving (energy saving) by controlling equipment so that energy consumption in the equipment is suppressed. Below, the case where the energy-saving control system is used for a general detached house and the energy to be controlled is electric power (electric energy) will be described as an example. However, the energy-saving control system is not limited to a detached house, and may be used in, for example, each dwelling unit, office, store, etc. of an apartment house, and the energy to be suppressed is energy other than electric power, such as heat energy. There may be.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the energy saving control system includes a controller 1, a plurality of devices 2 controlled by the controller 1, a measurement unit 3 that measures energy consumption (here, power consumption) in the devices 2, And a television receiver (hereinafter referred to as “TV”) 4. The controller 1 has a communication function with the plurality of devices 2 and the measurement unit 3.

  The plurality of devices 2 are various home appliances and equipment used in a house, and include an air conditioner (air conditioner) 21 and a lighting fixture 22 in the example of FIG. Hereinafter, when the air conditioner 21 and the lighting fixture 22 are not particularly distinguished from each other, they are collectively referred to as “device 2”.

  Here, the device 2 is configured to be capable of switching at least two states of an energy saving state with relatively small energy consumption and a non-energy saving state with relatively large energy consumption. That is, the device 2 is configured to be able to switch between two or more operating states in which the operating state is not one state and the amount of energy consumption varies depending on the operating state. For example, the air conditioner 21 enters a non-energy-saving state when the set temperature during the cooling operation is lower than the specified temperature or when the set temperature during the heating operation is higher than the specified temperature, and the set temperature during the cooling operation is higher than the specified temperature or is heated. If the set temperature during operation is lower than the specified temperature, the system enters an energy saving state. In the case of the lighting fixture 22 capable of dimming control, the fully lit (100% dimming) state is a non-energy saving state, and the dimming lighting state is an energy saving state.

  In the present embodiment, the controller 1 uses the television 4 as a user interface for displaying various information and accepting operation inputs from the user. For this reason, the controller 1 itself does not include a display unit or an operation input unit that receives an operation input from a user, but a dedicated operation input device may be attached thereto, or the display unit may be provided in itself. Or an operation input unit may be provided. Here, the television 4 has a function as a Web browser, and displays content provided from the controller 1 as a Web server. The controller 1 may be configured to use a tablet terminal, a smartphone, or the like for the user interface instead of the television 4.

  In the example of FIG. 2, a distribution board 5 connected to a single-phase three-wire service line (not shown) of a commercial power supply is provided in the house. The distribution board 5 is provided with a main breaker (not shown) to which a lead-in wire is connected and a branch breaker (not shown) inserted for each of a plurality of branch systems branching from the secondary side of the main breaker. ing. The branch system referred to here includes various appliances 2 connected to the indoor wiring 51 and wiring devices such as an outlet and a wall switch.

  The measurement unit 3 is electrically connected to the distribution board 5, measures the power used by the plurality of devices 2, and transmits the measurement result to the controller 1. Here, the measurement unit 3 measures the current value flowing through the main system and the indoor wiring 51 and the voltage value of the indoor wiring 51, and based on these current values and voltage values, the main system and each branch system are predetermined. The power value supplied through the measurement point set at the location is obtained. Furthermore, the measurement unit 3 performs an integration process of electric power values, and calculates not only the instantaneous electric power but also the electric energy (integrated electric power).

  The measurement unit 3 includes a communication unit (not shown) that communicates with the controller 1, and the calculation result (power) of the power measurement unit is periodically or in response to a request from the controller 1. Value) is transmitted from the communication unit to the controller 1. Here, the communication unit performs two-way wireless communication with the controller 1 using radio waves as a transmission medium, but communication between the measurement unit 3 and the controller 1 is not limited to wireless communication but wired communication. It may also be communication via a repeater. In addition, although the measurement unit 3 is installed side by side with the distribution board 5, it is not restricted to this structure, You may be accommodated in the distribution board 5 with another internal unit (main trunk breaker or branch breaker). .

  By the way, the controller 1 in this embodiment controls the device 2 to display energy based on related information related to energy (electric power) acquired from the measurement unit 3, and controls the device 2 to save energy. It has a function to plan. The configuration of the controller 1 for realizing these functions will be described below.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the controller 1 includes a first communication unit 11 that communicates with the television 4, a second communication unit 12 that communicates with the measurement unit 3, and a device 2 to be controlled. 3rd communication part 13 which communicates between. In this embodiment, the controller 1 constructs a local area network (LAN) using a general-purpose communication protocol in a house together with the television 4 and the measurement unit 3. Between the TV 4 and the controller (first communication unit 11) 1 and between the measurement unit 3 and the controller (second communication unit 12) 1 may be wired by a LAN cable, or by a wireless LAN. Wireless connection may be used. In this embodiment, as an example, the television 4 and the controller 1 are connected by wire, the measurement unit 3 and the controller 1 are wirelessly connected, and the device 2 and the controller 1 are wirelessly connected.

  Further, the controller 1 has a configuration for displaying the presentation information on the television 4 as an acquisition unit 111, a first storage unit 112, a determination unit 113, a second storage unit 114, a processing unit 115, and a third storage. Part 116.

  The acquisition unit 111 periodically acquires the measurement result of the measurement unit 3 as related information (for example, every 5 minutes), and stores the acquired related information in the first storage unit 112 in time series. The determination unit 113 determines whether the related information satisfies the determination condition by comparing the related information read from the first storage unit 112 with the determination condition stored in the second storage unit 114. The determination condition here is, for example, that the instantaneous power value of a certain branch system exceeds a predetermined threshold value, and the second storage unit 114 stores a plurality of determination conditions in advance.

  If the determination unit 113 determines that the related information satisfies the determination condition, the determination unit 113 issues a request (transmission request) to the processing unit 115 to cause the processing unit 115 to execute processing for displaying the presentation information. In other words, the processing unit 115 displays the presentation information on the television 4 by receiving the request from the determination unit 113 and reading the presentation information from the third storage unit 116 and providing it to the television 4. Here, the processing unit 115 has a function as a Web server that provides the presentation information, and the television 4 has a function as a Web browser that browses the presentation information provided from the processing unit 115. The television 4 displays the presentation information provided from the controller 1 on at least a part of the screen.

  With the above configuration, the controller 1 can notify the user of the energy consumption status of the device 2 by displaying the presentation information on the television 4 when the measurement result of the measurement unit 3 satisfies the determination condition. For example, when the instantaneous power value consumed by the device 2 exceeds a predetermined threshold, the controller 1 displays the presentation information on the television 4 to notify the user that the power is being used excessively. It is possible to prompt the user to suppress energy consumption.

  In addition, the controller 1 controls the device 2 to save energy, and includes a monitoring unit 121, a notification unit 122, a selection unit 123, an execution unit 124, a fourth storage unit 125, and a cancellation unit. 126. The controller 1 has a microcomputer (microcomputer) as a main component, and realizes the functions of the above-described units by executing appropriate programs.

  The monitoring unit 121 monitors the state of the device 2. That is, the monitoring unit 121 communicates with the device 2 through the first communication unit 11 at a predetermined monitoring timing, thereby monitoring whether the operating device 2 is in a non-energy saving state or an energy saving state. Here, the fourth storage unit 125 stores in advance determination conditions for determining whether each device 2 is in an energy saving state or a non-energy saving state. For example, for the air conditioner 21, the relationship between the specified temperature in each of the cooling operation and the heating operation and the set temperature with respect to the specified temperature for determining whether the energy saving state or the non-energy saving state is stored as a determination condition.

  Therefore, for example, when monitoring the state of the air conditioner 21, the monitoring unit 121 acquires the current set temperature from the air conditioner 21 through communication, and compares the set temperature with the determination condition in the fourth storage unit 125. It is determined whether 21 is in an energy saving state or a non-energy saving state. That is, for the air conditioner 21 in the cooling operation, the monitoring unit 121 determines that the set temperature is equal to or higher than a specified temperature (for example, 28 degrees), and determines that it is in an energy saving state. To do. Similarly, for the air conditioner 21 in the heating operation, the monitoring unit 121 determines that the set temperature is equal to or less than a specified temperature (for example, 20 degrees), and determines that the energy saving state is established. To do.

  Here, the monitoring timing at which the monitoring unit 121 monitors the state of the device 2 is set in advance for each device 2. For example, in the case of the air conditioner 21, the monitoring timing is set at a time when a predetermined time (for example, 30 minutes) has elapsed after the start of operation. That is, the monitoring unit 121 acquires the set temperature of the air conditioner 21 when a predetermined time elapses after the air conditioner 21 starts operation, and compares the set temperature at that time with the determination condition, whereby the air conditioner 21 saves energy. It is determined whether or not it is in a state. The controller 1 has a timer (not shown) for measuring the predetermined time.

  The monitoring unit 121 only needs to be configured to monitor the state of the device 2 when a certain monitoring condition is satisfied and determine whether the device 2 is in the energy saving state, and the monitoring timing is 1 of the monitoring condition. Just one. For example, in the case of the air conditioner 21, the monitoring unit 121 acquires the set temperature of the air conditioner 21 when various monitoring conditions such as the outside air temperature, the presence / absence of a person, and the time zone are satisfied, and whether or not the air conditioner 21 is in an energy saving state. May be judged. If it is the lighting fixture 22, the light quantity of external light, a time slot | zone, etc. become monitoring conditions.

  The alerting | reporting part 122 alert | reports, if the state of the apparatus 2 is a non-energy-saving state. Specifically, the notification unit 122 notifies the user that the device (in this case, the air conditioner 21) 2 is in a non-energy saving state by causing the television 4 to display a notification screen 40 as shown in FIG. The notification screen 40 is displayed on the television 4 by the push method similarly to the presentation information.

  In the present embodiment, the notification screen 40 suppresses energy consumption in the device 2 determined to be in the non-energy-saving state, and determines whether or not to execute energy-saving control for shifting the device 2 to the energy-saving state. It also serves as a screen for the user to select. That is, the notification unit 122 has a function of proposing energy saving control for shifting the device 2 to the energy saving state when it is determined that the device 2 is in the non energy saving state.

  Here, the content of energy saving control is stored in advance in the fourth storage unit 125 for each device 2. For example, for the air conditioner 21 during the cooling operation, the control content that raises the set temperature to the specified temperature or higher is stored as the energy saving control, and for the air conditioner 21 during the heating operation, the control temperature is lowered to the specified temperature or lower. The contents are stored as energy saving control. When it is determined that the device 2 is in the non-energy saving state, the notification unit 122 reads the content of the energy saving control corresponding to the device 2 from the fourth storage unit 125 and outputs it to the execution unit 124.

  The selection unit 123 selects whether or not to execute the energy saving control proposed by the notification unit 122 according to the user's operation input to the operation input unit (not shown). In the present embodiment, since the operation input unit is provided in the television 4, the selection unit 123 causes the user to select whether to execute the energy saving control on the notification screen 40 of the television 4. In the example of FIG. 3, the notification screen 40 is not executed with the execution button 41 operated when the energy saving control is executed, together with the text “execute home appliance control for energy saving”. A cancel button 42 operated in this case is displayed. The image of the execution button 41 is described as “execute”, and the image of the cancel button 42 is described as “detailed operation”.

  In the example of FIG. 3, the notification screen 40 includes a notification area 43 for notifying that the device 2 is in a non-energy saving state, such as “the air conditioner remains at 30 ° C.”. This notification area 43 indicates not only that the device (air conditioner 21 in this case) 2 is in a non-energy-saving state, but also shows the detailed operation state of the device 2 such as the actual set temperature. Therefore, the notification unit 122 presents the fact that the device 2 is in a non-energy-saving state using the television 4 and detailed operation information of the device 2 when performing the notification.

  The user can cause the controller 1 to execute energy saving control by giving an operation input to the operation input unit and pressing the execution button 41 on the notification screen 40. On the other hand, the user can cause the controller 1 to cancel the energy saving control by giving an operation input to the operation input unit 211 and pressing the cancel button 42 on the notification screen 40. That is, in the state where the notification screen 40 is displayed, the television 4 accepts the user's operation input by the operation input unit, and sends this operation input indicating whether or not to execute the energy saving control to the selection unit 123 of the controller 1. Output.

  In this case, “pressing” means that the user presses a determination button on the remote controller in a state where one of the buttons is selected by operating a cursor key of a remote controller (remote controller) serving as an operation input unit of the television 4, for example. This means that a desired button is selectively operated.

  The execution unit 124 controls the device 2 to execute the energy saving control when the selection unit 123 selects the execution of the energy saving control. That is, when the execution button 41 is pressed on the notification screen 40 of the television 4, the execution unit 124 transmits a control signal for controlling the device 2 from the first communication unit 11 to the device 2 to be controlled, thereby saving energy. Execute control. For example, when the set temperature of the air conditioner 21 during the heating operation exceeds a specified temperature, the execution unit 124 performs control for executing energy saving control that lowers the set temperature to be equal to or lower than the specified temperature (for example, 28 degrees). A signal is transmitted to the air conditioner 21. The execution unit 124 confirms that the device 2 is actually controlled by receiving a confirmation signal from the device 2 that is the target of the energy saving control after executing the energy saving control.

  On the other hand, when the cancel button 42 is pressed on the notification screen 40 of the television 4, the execution unit 124 cancels the energy saving control and does not perform the energy saving control of the device 2, and therefore does not transmit a control signal.

  In addition, about the judgment conditions memorize | stored in the 4th memory | storage part 125, the content of energy-saving control, and also the monitoring timing, it may be comprised so that a user can set arbitrarily. In this case, the controller 1 has a setting unit (not shown) for setting the determination condition, the content of the energy saving control, and the monitoring timing. To set. Here, the energy-saving control is not limited to the control for shifting the device 2 to a specific state. For example, in the case of the air conditioner 21, the controllable element is changed in the energy-saving direction, such as increasing (or decreasing) the set temperature by 3 degrees. It is also possible to perform the control only to make it happen.

  With the configuration described above, the controller 1 can automatically control the device 2 in the non-energy saving state at the monitoring timing to shift to the energy saving state, thereby achieving energy saving. For example, in the case of the air conditioner 21, when the preset temperature is lower than the specified temperature when a predetermined time has elapsed after the start of the cooling operation, the controller 1 performs energy saving control on the air conditioner 21 to achieve energy saving. be able to. Here, if energy-saving control is executed regardless of the user's intention, for example, in the air conditioner 21, the set temperature rises (or falls) without permission, and the comfort and convenience of the user are impaired. there is a possibility.

  On the other hand, in the energy saving control system of the present embodiment, when executing the energy saving control of the device 2, the controller 1 first notifies the user by the notification unit 122. And since the controller 1 has the selection part 123 which selects whether it performs energy saving control according to a user's operation input, energy saving control will not be performed irrespective of a user's intention, and a user's intention is performed. Comfort and convenience can be secured.

  Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the controller 1 includes the cancel unit 126, so that the energy consumption in the device 2 can be suppressed within a range where the user's comfort and convenience are not impaired as much as possible.

  That is, when the state of the device 2 that is the target of the energy saving control changes to the energy saving state after the notification by the notification unit 122 until the energy saving control is executed, the cancel unit 126 performs the energy saving control by the execution unit 124. Is configured to disable execution processing. In short, even if the selection unit 123 selects the execution of the energy saving control, if the device 2 shifts to the energy saving state before the execution of the energy saving control, the canceling unit 126 invalidates the execution process of the energy saving control. Does not perform energy saving control.

  For example, although the air conditioner 21 is in a non-energy saving state at the monitoring timing, the user directly operates the air conditioner 21 to set the set temperature after the notification by the notification unit 122 until the energy saving control is executed. As a result of the change, energy saving may occur. Therefore, the controller 1 performs energy saving control at the canceling unit 126 when the state of the device 2 shifts from the non-energy saving state to the energy saving state by the user directly operating the device 2 from the notification to the execution of the energy saving control. The execution process is invalidated. Here, the time when the device 2 is actually controlled and shifts to the energy saving state is defined as the time when the energy saving control is executed.

  Specifically, the canceling unit 126 performs the energy saving control 124 when the state of the device 2 that is the target of the energy saving control is changed to the energy saving state before the selection unit 123 selects the execution of the energy saving control. It is configured to disable execution processing in That is, the canceling unit 126 shifts the state of the device 2 monitored by the monitoring unit 121 to the energy saving state after the notification by the notification unit 122 and before the selection unit 123 selects execution of the energy saving control. Determine whether or not. At this time, if the device 2 has shifted to the energy saving state, the cancel unit 126 ends the display of the notification screen 40 without waiting for the user's operation input, and ends the process for energy saving control.

  Furthermore, after the execution of the energy saving control is selected by the selection unit 123, the communication between the third communication unit 13 and the device 2 and the response of the device 2 are generally performed until the energy saving control is actually executed. This causes a certain time delay. Therefore, the cancellation unit 126 executes the energy saving control in the execution unit 124 even when the state of the device 2 that is the target of the energy saving control changes to the energy saving state after the selection unit 123 selects the execution of the energy saving control. Configured to disable processing. That is, the canceling unit 126 is the device 2 monitored by the monitoring unit 121 after the selection unit 123 selects execution of the energy saving control and before the execution unit 124 actually executes the energy saving control. It is determined whether or not the state has shifted to the energy saving state. At this time, if the device 2 has shifted to the energy saving state, the cancel unit 126 causes the execution unit 123 to end the process for energy saving control regardless of the user's operation input.

  Further, in the present embodiment, when the state of the device 2 that is the target of the energy saving control is changed to the energy saving state after the notification by the notification unit 122 and before the energy saving control is executed, the notification unit 122 performs the energy saving control. It is configured to notify that the target device 2 has shifted to the energy saving state. That is, when the cancellation unit 126 invalidates the execution process of the energy saving control, the notification unit 122 notifies the notification screen 40 displayed on the television 4 that the state of the device 2 has shifted to the energy saving state. The notification performed by the notification unit 122 at this time is realized, for example, by displaying a text such as “already in an energy saving state” on the notification screen 40.

  Next, the operation of the controller 1 of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 shows an operation when the monitoring unit 121 determines that the state of the device 2 is the non-energy saving state at the monitoring timing, that is, when the notification unit 122 performs notification.

  When the monitoring unit 121 determines that the state of the device 2 is in the non-energy saving state at the monitoring timing, the controller 1 notifies the notification unit 122 (S1 in FIG. 4). Thereafter, the controller 1 continuously monitors the state of the device 2 by the monitoring unit 121, and determines whether or not an energy saving state has been established (S2).

  When the controller 2 selects the execution of the energy saving control by the selection unit 123 (S3: Yes) while the device 2 is not in the energy saving state (S3: Yes), the monitoring unit 121 monitors the state of the device 2 again. (S4). At this time, if the device 2 is not in the energy saving state and remains in the non-energy saving state (S4: No), the controller 1 executes the energy saving control in the execution unit 124 (S5), and ends the process.

  On the other hand, when the device 2 is in the energy saving state in the process S2 (S2: Yes), the cancel unit 126 disables the energy saving control, so that the controller 1 informs the notification unit 122 that the device 2 has shifted to the energy saving state. (S6), and the process ends without executing the energy saving control. Similarly, when the device 2 is in the energy saving state in the process S4 (S4: Yes), the cancel unit 126 invalidates the energy saving control, so that the controller 1 causes the notification unit 122 to shift the device 2 to the energy saving state. (S6), and ends the process without executing the energy saving control. In addition, when cancellation of the energy saving control is selected in the process S3 (S3: No), the controller 1 ends the process without executing the energy saving control.

  According to the energy saving control system of the present embodiment described above, the controller 1 performs energy saving control of the device 2 while performing energy saving control by performing energy saving control of the device 2 in a non-energy saving state. First, the notification unit 122 notifies the user. And since the selection part 123 selects whether the controller 1 performs energy saving control according to a user's operation input, energy saving control will not be performed regardless of a user's intention, and a user's comfort Can be secured.

  In addition, when the state of the device 2 that is the target of the energy saving control is changed to the energy saving state after the notification by the notification unit 122 until the energy saving control is executed, the controller 1 The execution process is invalidated by the cancel unit 126. Therefore, immediately before the controller 1 executes the energy saving control, if the user directly operates the device 2 to change the state of the device 2 to the energy saving state, the energy saving control is not executed. It is possible to avoid double control for energy saving. Therefore, according to the energy-saving control system of this embodiment, there exists an advantage that the energy consumption in the apparatus 2 can be suppressed in the range which does not impair a user's comfort and convenience as much as possible.

  In the present embodiment, the cancel unit 126 performs the energy saving control when the state of the device 2 that is the target of the energy saving control is changed to the energy saving state before the selection unit 123 selects the execution of the energy saving control. The execution process at 124 is invalidated. Therefore, before the user operates the operation input unit and selects execution of the energy saving control, the controller 1 disables the subsequent energy saving control and saves energy. Therefore, it is possible to avoid double control.

  Further, the canceling unit 126 executes the energy saving control in the execution unit 124 even when the state of the device 2 that is the target of the energy saving control is changed to the energy saving state after the selection unit 123 selects the execution of the energy saving control. Disable processing. Therefore, after the user operates the operation input unit and selects the execution of the energy saving control, the controller 1 disables the subsequent energy saving control and saves energy when the state of the device 2 shifts to the energy saving state. It is possible to avoid double control.

  In the present embodiment, the canceling unit 126 changes the state of the device 2 that is the target of the energy saving control to the energy saving state before and after the selection unit 123 selects execution of the energy saving control. The execution process of the energy saving control is invalidated, but is not limited to this configuration. That is, the canceling unit 126 saves energy when the state of the device 2 that is the target of energy saving control changes to the energy saving state only before or after execution of the energy saving control is selected by the selection unit 123. The configuration may be such that the control execution process is invalidated.

  By the way, in this embodiment, the some apparatus 2 containing the air conditioner 21 and the lighting fixture 22 becomes a control object of the controller 1. FIG. Therefore, the monitoring unit 121 monitors the states of the plurality of devices 2, and the notification by the notification unit 122, the selection by the selection unit 123, and the energy saving control by the execution unit 124 are configured to be executed for each device 2. ing. The cancel unit 126 performs an execution process in the execution unit 124 on the devices 2 that have changed from the non-energy-saving state to the energy-saving state after the notification by the notification unit 122 and the execution of the energy-saving control among the plurality of devices 2. Is configured to disable.

  Therefore, the controller 1 excludes the devices 2 that have entered the energy-saving state from the notification by the notification unit 122 until the energy-saving control is executed, while targeting the plurality of devices 2. be able to. On the other hand, the controller can achieve energy saving as an object of energy saving control for the device 2 in the non-energy saving state.

  Moreover, in this embodiment, the execution part 124 performs energy-saving control by changing the specific element from which the energy consumption in this apparatus 2 changes comparatively largely among several elements which the apparatus 2 can control. Is configured to run. For example, in the case of the air conditioner 21, in addition to the set temperature, there are a plurality of controllable elements such as an air volume, a wind direction, and an operation mode, but the execution unit 124 makes a setting that greatly contributes to changes in energy consumption. Energy saving control is executed by changing the temperature. Therefore, the controller 1 can reduce energy consumption in the device 2 by executing energy saving control, thereby achieving energy saving.

  As a modification of the present embodiment, when the cancel unit 126 invalidates the execution process of the energy saving control, the controller 1 presents information related to the energy saving state of the device 2 that is the target of the energy saving control that has been invalidated ( (Not shown) may further be provided. That is, when the state of the device 2 that is the target of the energy saving control is changed from the non-energy saving state to the energy saving state before the energy saving control is executed after being notified by the notification unit 122, Provide detailed information on energy saving status. For example, in the case of the air conditioner 21, the presentation unit presents detailed information representing an energy saving state such as the current set temperature by displaying it on the notification screen 40 of the television 4.

  According to this modification, the user is determined to be in an energy saving state from the information related to the energy saving state presented by the presentation unit, and is excluded from the target of energy saving control. Can know.

  In the above-described embodiment, the controller 1 uses the television 4 as a user interface for displaying various information and receiving an operation input from the user, but the television 4 may be controlled. Assuming that it is possible to select an energy saving mode in which the energy consumption is reduced by lowering (darkening) the screen brightness compared to the normal mode, the TV 4 is operating in the normal mode in a non-energy-saving state and energy-saving. The state operating in the mode is the energy saving state.

1 Controller 2 Equipment 4 Television 21 Air Conditioner (Equipment)
22 Lighting equipment (equipment)
121 monitoring unit 122 notifying unit 123 selecting unit 124 executing unit 126 canceling unit

Claims (7)

A monitoring unit that monitors the state of a device capable of switching at least two states of an energy saving state and a non-energy saving state;
An informing unit for informing if the state of the device is in the non-energy-saving state,
Whether to perform energy saving control for suppressing energy consumption in the device in the non-energy-saving state and causing the device to transition to the energy-saving state when notified by the notifying unit, to the operation input unit A selection unit to select according to a user operation input;
An execution unit that controls the device to execute the energy saving control when the selection unit selects execution of the energy saving control;
When the state of the device that is the target of the energy saving control is changed to the energy saving state after the notification by the notification unit and the execution of the energy saving control, the execution process in the execution unit of the energy saving control is performed. A controller comprising: a cancel unit that is invalidated. When the state of the device that is the target of the energy saving control is changed to the energy saving state before the energy saving control is selected by the selection unit, the canceling unit The controller according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to invalidate execution processing. The cancel unit executes the energy-saving control in the execution unit when the state of the device that is the target of the energy-saving control changes to the energy-saving state after the selection unit selects execution of the energy-saving control. The controller according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to invalidate the processing. The monitoring unit monitors a state of the plurality of devices, the notification unit notifies each device, the selection unit selects whether to execute the energy saving control for each device, and the execution unit The energy saving control is executed for each device,
The cancellation unit is configured to change, in the execution unit, the device that has changed from the non-energy-saving state to the energy-saving state after the notification unit notifies the energy-saving control among the plurality of devices. The controller according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to invalidate execution processing. The execution unit is configured to execute the energy saving control by changing a specific element in which energy consumption in the device changes relatively greatly among a plurality of elements controllable by the device. The controller according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: When the state of the device that is the target of the energy-saving control changes from the non-energy-saving state to the energy-saving state after the notification by the notification unit and before the energy-saving control is executed, the energy-saving state of the device The controller according to claim 1, further comprising: a presentation unit that presents information regarding. A device capable of switching between at least an energy saving state and a non-energy saving state;
A controller for controlling the device,
The controller is
A monitoring unit for monitoring the state of the device;
An informing unit for informing if the state of the device is in the non-energy-saving state,
Whether to perform energy saving control for suppressing energy consumption in the device in the non-energy-saving state and causing the device to transition to the energy-saving state when notified by the notifying unit, to the operation input unit A selection unit to select according to a user operation input;
An execution unit that controls the device to execute the energy saving control when the selection unit selects execution of the energy saving control;
When the state of the device that is the target of the energy saving control is changed to the energy saving state after the notification by the notification unit and the execution of the energy saving control, the execution process in the execution unit of the energy saving control is performed. An energy-saving control system comprising a cancel unit for disabling.

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