JP6284406B2 - User situation confirmation system, user situation confirmation method, and power information collection apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  This disclosure relates to confirmation of a situation of a user who uses an electric device.

  Conventionally, various systems for estimating the living conditions of residents have been proposed. For example, in Japanese Patent No. 4851997 (Patent Document 1), there is a living situation estimation system that estimates a living situation of a resident of a power consumer using a basic power amount derived based on standby operation of an electric device. Proposed. The basic power amount is derived by integrating the power consumed by the standby operation of the electric equipment over the evaluation time.

Japanese Patent No. 4851997

  Here, in the living situation estimation system as described above, it is necessary to specify the basic power amount according to the above-described procedure in order to estimate the living situation of the resident. Therefore, there is a problem that the control of the system becomes complicated.

  The present disclosure has been conceived in view of such circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a user status confirmation system with simplified control.

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, a user status confirmation system for confirming the status of a user who uses an electrical device, the detection device for detecting the power consumption of the electrical device, and communication with the detection device a a power information collecting apparatus, the power information collecting apparatus, watch includes a storage device for storing information identifying the electrical device of the target, the power of each fixed period of watching target for electrical equipment in the power information collecting apparatus collects For the power consumption of the electrical equipment to be monitored for a certain period collected by the power information collection device, the power consumption of the latest certain period is the previous previous one. It is configured to perform a notification operation when a state in which there is no change that changes across the moving average value with respect to the power consumption for a certain period of time continuously occurs for a specific period. There, the user status check system is provided.

Preferably, the specific period is set according to the type of the electrical device to be watched over .

Preferably, the storage device stores information for specifying a plurality of electrical devices to be monitored, and the notification operation is performed for the power consumption of the latest fixed period for all power consumptions of the plurality of electrical devices to be monitored. This is executed when a state in which there is no change in which the amount changes across the moving average value with respect to the power consumption of the most recent fixed period is continuously generated for a specific period .

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a user status confirmation method executed by a power information collection device for confirming the status of a user who uses an electrical device, the power information collection device is an electrical device to be watched over Including a storage device that stores information for specifying the power consumption, a step of collecting power consumption for each fixed period of the electrical device, a step of calculating a moving average value of power consumption for each fixed period, and a monitoring target Regarding electrical equipment, there is no change in the state that the power consumption of the latest fixed period does not change over the moving average value with respect to the power consumption of the latest fixed period. In such a case, there is provided a method for confirming a user situation, including a step of executing a notification operation.

According to still another aspect of the present disclosure, a power information collection device for confirming a situation of a user who uses an electrical device, for calculating a moving average value of power consumption for each fixed period of the electrical device And a storage device for storing a moving average value for identifying the electrical device to be watched over, and the processor has the latest constant amount of power consumption of the electrical device to be watched over for a certain period of time. When a state occurs in which there is no change that the power consumption of the period changes across the moving average value with respect to the power consumption of the fixed period immediately before the latest, for a specific period, A power information collection device configured to perform a notification operation is provided.

  According to the present disclosure, whether to perform a notification operation regarding a user who uses an electrical device based on the power consumption of the electrical device for a certain period and the moving average value of the power consumption for a certain past period Is determined. Thereby, the user's situation can be confirmed by allowing the user to use the electric device as usual without specifying the basic power amount required in the technique described in Patent Document 1. Therefore, the control in the user status confirmation system can be simplified.

It is a figure which shows the specific example of a structure of the user condition confirmation system which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows an example of the outline of an apparatus structure of a HEMS (Home Energy Management System) controller. It is a block diagram which shows an example of the outline of a server apparatus structure. It is a figure showing an example of the hardware constitutions of a tap. It is a figure showing the hardware constitutions of the terminal device. It is a figure showing an example of the hardware constitutions of an electric equipment. It is a figure for demonstrating an example of the calculation method of the average value of the power consumption of an electric equipment. It is a figure for demonstrating an example of the judgment method of the necessity of the information transmission to a terminal device. In 2nd Embodiment, a HEMS controller is a flowchart of an example of the process performed in order to transmit information toward a terminal device. In 3rd Embodiment, a HEMS controller is a flowchart of an example of the process performed in order to transmit information toward a terminal device. In 4th Embodiment, a HEMS controller is a flowchart of an example of the process performed in order to transmit information toward a terminal device.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals. Their names and functions are also the same. Therefore, detailed description thereof will not be repeated.

  In the present disclosure, the electric device may include a power consumption measuring device and a controlled device, or may be only the controlled device. The controlled device includes an electric device used in a house and indicates an electric device driven by electric power supplied from the outside. Moreover, a house shows a house, an office, etc., for example.

<Outline of the embodiment>
When it is determined that an abnormality has occurred in the situation of a user who is a user of an electric device based on the power consumption of the electric device (an electric device 200 described later), Used for notification. The user status confirmation system performs the above notification when, for example, the amount of power consumed by an electrical device that the user is supposed to use in daily life does not exceed the amount of power expected during use for a relatively long period of time. To do. In this specification, it demonstrates especially how the said judgment based on the electric power consumption of an electric equipment is implement | achieved among the structures of a user condition confirmation system.

[First Embodiment]
<System configuration>
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a specific example of the configuration of the user situation confirmation system according to the first embodiment. The user status confirmation system in FIG. 1 specifies the status of the user P01 of the first house H01 based on the power consumption amount of the electric device 200 in the first house H01, and sends it to the user P02 of the second house H02. This is a user status confirmation system for notification.

  Referring to FIG. 1, the user status confirmation system includes a HEMS controller 100, taps 231 to 233, and a broadband router 150. The first house H01 where the HEMS controller 100 is provided is provided with electrical equipment.

  In 1st Embodiment, the electric pot 201, IH (Induction Heating) cooker 202, and the microwave oven 203 are illustrated as an electric equipment. In this specification, the electric pot 201, the IH cooker 202, and the microwave oven 203 are collectively referred to as “electric device 200” as appropriate. Note that the number of electric devices 200 in the user status confirmation system is not limited to “3” shown in FIG. 1.

  The HEMS controller 100 is connected to a network NT such as the Internet via the broadband router 150. The server 300 can be connected to the network NT. Therefore, the HEMS controller 100 can communicate with the server 300 via the broadband router 150 and the network NT. The server 300 may be composed of a plurality of devices that share and cooperate with each other as described later, or may consist of a single device. The server 300 may be configured with a general computer.

  The terminal device 400 is arranged in the second house H02. And the terminal device 400 can communicate with the server 300 via the network NT. Therefore, the HEMS controller 100 can communicate with the terminal device 400 via the server 300. The terminal device 400 may be a stationary computer terminal or a portable terminal.

  The HEMS controller 100 collects the power consumption of the electrical equipment in the first house H01, and confirms the status of the user P01 who is a resident of the first house H01 based on the collected power consumption. Information is transmitted to the terminal device 400. Thereby, the user P02 who is a user of the terminal device 400 can acquire information for confirming the situation of the user P01 who is a resident of the first house H01 at a place away from the first house H01.

  Each of the HEMS controller 100 and the electric device 200 is connected to the broadband router 150 and constitutes the same subnet (network segment). The broadband router 150 has, for example, a wired LAN (Local Area Network) communication function and is connected to the HEMS controller 100 via the wired LAN. Preferably, the broadband router 150 further includes a wireless LAN function, and is connected to the electric devices 200 and the like via a wireless LAN.

  In addition, the HEMS controller 100 communicates with each of the taps 231 to 233 that are measurement devices. For example, the HEMS controller 100 performs wireless communication with each of the taps 231 to 233 using ZigBee (registered trademark). In this specification, the taps 231 to 233 are collectively referred to as “tap 230” as appropriate.

  The power plug 221 of the electric pot 201 is connected to the tap 231 and is connected to the outlet 211 via the tap 231. Thereby, the electric pot 201 and the tap 231 are fed. The tap 231 measures the power consumption of the electric pot 201 and transmits the measured value to the HEMS controller 100.

  The power plug 222 of the IH cooker 202 is connected to the tap 232 and is connected to the outlet 212 through the tap 232. Thereby, the IH cooker 202 and the tap 232 are supplied with power. The tap 232 measures the power consumption of the IH cooker 202 and transmits the measured value to the HEMS controller 100.

  A power plug 223 of the microwave oven 203 is connected to the tap 233 and is connected to the outlet 213 through the tap 233. Thereby, the microwave oven 203 and the tap 233 are fed. The tap 233 measures the power consumption of the microwave oven 203 and transmits the measurement value to the HEMS controller 100.

<Configuration of HEMS controller>
FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a schematic configuration of the HEMS controller 100. With reference to FIG. 2, the HEMS controller 100 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 10 for controlling the entire HEMS controller 100. The CPU 10 is an example of a processor.

  The HEMS controller 100 further includes a memory 13, an LED (Light Emitting Diode) 14 as an output unit, an operation unit 15, and a communication unit 16 connected to the CPU 10. For example, the memory 13 stores a ROM (Read Only Memory) 11 which is a memory for storing a program executed by the CPU 10 and various data such as state information of an electric device which will be described later, and the CPU 10 executes the program. And a RAM (Random Access Memory) 12 which is a memory for serving as a work area for the operation. The operation unit 15 is configured by, for example, a switch and receives an operation from the outside. The communication part 16 is comprised by the interface for communicating with the electric equipment 200, the tap 230, the broadband router 150 etc., for example.

  The apparatus configuration in FIG. 2 is an example of a simplified apparatus configuration of the HEMS controller 100, and does not limit the apparatus configuration of the HEMS controller 100. For example, the HEMS controller 100 includes a device for controlling the main body of the HEMS controller 100 and a device for communicating with the electric device 200, which are independent of each other, and these are communication circuits such as a UART (Universal Asynchronous Receiver Transmitter). It may be configured to be communicably connected using the.

<Server configuration>
FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a schematic device configuration of the server 300. Referring to FIG. 3, server 300 includes a CPU 30 for controlling the entire server 300. Server 300 further includes a memory 34 and a communication unit 35 for performing communication via network NT. These are connected to the CPU 30 by an internal bus. As an example, the memory 34 is a ROM 31 that is a memory for storing a program executed by the CPU 30, a RAM 32 that is a memory for storing a calculation value as a work area when the CPU 30 executes the program, and An HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 33 as an example of a large-sized storage device is included.

  As described above, the server 300 may be configured by a general computer. Therefore, FIG. 3 shows a schematic configuration of a general computer. The configuration of the server 300 is not limited to the configuration of FIG. For example, the server 300 may further include an operation unit and a display for receiving a user operation input. In addition, as illustrated in FIG. 1, when the server 300 includes a plurality of devices, each device may further include a communication device for communicating with other devices.

<Tap configuration>
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the tap 230. Referring to FIG. 4, the tap 230 includes a socket 2101 into which a power plug of the corresponding electric device 200 is inserted, a plug 2102 to be plugged into an outlet, a shunt resistor 2103, a power supply unit 2104, an LED 2105, a setting button 2106, an antenna 2107, A power sensor unit 2110 for measuring power consumption of the corresponding electric device 200, a wireless RF (Radio Frequency) built-in communication controller unit 2120, a wiring 2131, a wiring 2132, and a wiring 2133 are provided.

  The wireless RF built-in communication controller unit 2120 includes a CPU 2121, a ROM 2122, a RAM 2123, a GPIO 2124, and a wireless RF unit 2125. The ROM 2122 stores programs executed by the CPU 2121. An LED 2105 and a setting button 2106 are connected to the wireless RF communication controller 2120. Note that the ROM 2122 is generally composed of NVRAM (Non Volatile RAM).

  The LED 2105 represents the data processing state of the tap based on a signal from the CPU 2121 by a blinking color and / or a lighting color. The setting button 2106 is operated by the user for setting the tap state and the operation content is output to the CPU 2121.

  The power sensor unit 2110 is connected to the wiring 2131 and the wiring 2132, detects a voltage (potential difference) between the two wirings, and detects a current value of a current flowing through the shunt resistor 2103. In order to calculate electric power, the detected voltage value and current value are multiplied, and a digital signal indicating the multiplied value is subjected to digital / frequency conversion. The frequency signal obtained by the conversion is output to the GPIO 2124 of the wireless RF built-in communication controller unit 2120.

  The CPU 2121 performs data conversion on the frequency signal acquired from the GPIO 2124, and the wireless RF unit 2125 transmits the signal obtained by the data conversion to the HEMS controller 100 using the antenna 2107.

  The power supply unit 2104 is connected to the wiring 2132, converts AC power obtained from the wiring 2132 into DC power, and supplies the converted power to the power sensor unit 2110 and the wireless RF built-in communication controller unit 2120.

<Configuration of terminal device>
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the terminal device 400. Referring to FIG. 5, terminal device 400 includes a CPU 4010, a touch screen 4020, a clock 4030 that performs a timekeeping operation, a memory 4040, a button 4050 such as power ON / OFF, a communication interface 4060, and a speaker 4070. The touch screen 4020 constitutes a display-integrated input device including a display 4021 and a touch panel (tablet) 4022. The terminal device 400 may include a display and an operation unit (button, key, etc.) separately from the display-integrated input device.

  The memory 4040 is realized by various types of RAM, ROM, flash memory, hard disk, and the like. The memory 4040 stores various programs executed by the CPU 4010 and various data read by the CPU 4010. The CPU 4010 executes various types of information processing and the like by executing various programs stored in the memory 4040.

  The communication interface 4060 communicates with the HEMS controller 100 or the server 300 via the broadband router 150 by being controlled by the CPU 4010.

<Configuration of electrical equipment>
FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the electric device 200. Referring to FIG. 6, electric device 200 includes a CPU 20 for controlling the entire electric device 200, a memory 24, and a communication unit 25 for communicating with HEMS controller 100. The communication unit 25 can communicate with the HEMS controller 100 in a wireless and / or wired manner. Wireless communication includes LAN, ZigBee (registered trademark), Bluetooth (registered trademark), infrared communication with a remote controller, and the like. Wired communication includes a wired LAN or the like. Note that communication between the electric device 200 and the HEMS controller 100 may pass through the tap 230. In this case, the communication unit 25 may be omitted in the electric device 200.

  As an example, the memory 24 includes a ROM 21, a RAM 22, and a flash memory 23. The ROM 21 stores a program executed by the CPU 20. The RAM 22 serves as a work area when the CPU 20 executes the program, and stores calculated values. The HDD 23 is an example of a secondary storage device.

  The electric device 200 further includes an operation unit 26. The operation unit 26 is an operating part for exhibiting a unique function of the electric device 200. As an example, when the electric device 200 is a microwave oven, the operation unit 26 includes a magnetron for heating food and a power feeding device for the magnetron. As another example, when the electric apparatus 200 is an IH cooker, the operation unit 26 includes a coil for causing the cooking utensil to self-heat and a power supply device for the coil.

  Electric device 200 further includes an operation unit 27. The operation unit 27 is, for example, a hardware button such as a switch and / or a software button displayed on the display. The CPU 20 receives an input of a signal corresponding to an operation on the operation unit 27. The operation unit 27 also includes a remote controller that directly transmits a control signal to the electric device 200 using infrared rays or the like.

<Devices to watch>
In the user status confirmation system, the electric device 200 that is a power consumption monitoring target is set for the HEMS controller 100. The memory 13 of the HEMS controller 100 stores information for specifying the electric device 200 and / or information for specifying the tap 230 to which the electric device 200 is connected.

  Examples of the electric device 200 may include any electric device that consumes electric power. However, there are electrical devices 200 that are suitable as watching targets and those that are not suitable. For example, an electric device suitable for watching is switched on / off by a manual operation by a user, not by a timer control or a reservation function. In the present embodiment, the power-off state means a state where the power consumption is lower than the power-on state (operating state), and includes a so-called standby state. In addition to the electric pot 201, the IH cooker 202, and the microwave oven 203, the electric device 200 that is suitable for watching is an oven cooker, a toaster, a washing machine, and a user manually switching on / off. Lighting fixtures that can be used.

  An example of the electric device 200 that is not suitable as an object to be watched is an electric device that can be automatically switched between ON / OFF states at a relatively high frequency by a timer function or the like. More specific examples of such an electric device 200 are an air conditioner, a television, a video recorder, a fixed telephone (answering machine function), and the like. However, it can be said that these electric devices are also suitable as a target of watching when a function for automatically switching ON / OFF by a timer function or the like is not used.

  Further, in the present embodiment, each electric device 200 measures the power consumption by the tap 230. In this sense, it can be said that electric devices that are not connected to the same tap 230 on a regular basis are not suitable for monitoring. Examples of such electric devices include a vacuum cleaner, a dryer, an iron, and a charger. However, if these electric devices are also connected to the same tap 230 steadily, it can be said that they are suitable as an object of watching.

<Monitoring process>
In the process for watching the user (user P01) in the present embodiment (hereinafter referred to as “watch process” as appropriate), the HEMS controller 100 acquires the power consumption of the electrical device 200 selected as the watch target, and Based on the power consumption, it is determined whether or not it is necessary to transmit information to the terminal device 400, and appropriate information is transmitted when it is determined that it is necessary. The HEMS controller 100 determines whether or not information transmission to the terminal device 400 is necessary according to a different algorithm for each electrical device selected as a monitoring target. Hereinafter, an example of an algorithm set for each electric device 200 will be described. Information (program and / or data) for the HEMS controller 100 to operate according to the set algorithm is stored in the memory 13, for example.

<Algorithm for electric pot>
Assumption The electric pot 201 that is the object of watching starts power consumption only when the user (resident) manually operates, and does not automatically start power consumption. In addition, the period during which the power consumption of the electric pot 201 is large is mainly about 15 minutes immediately after the start of the operation by manual operation.

Hypothesis The hypothesis about the resident's operation with respect to the electric pot 201 is as follows.

Residents should occasionally water (for example, more than once every two days).
When the resident is away from the first house H01, the resident should unplug the power plug 221 of the electric pot 201 from the power outlet.

● Contents of Algorithm Whether or not information transmission to the terminal device 400 is necessary is determined according to the following steps A1 to A4.

  A1: The amount of power consumption per hour is acquired, and the average value thereof is calculated (for example, about 20 Wh). The calculated average value may be a moving average value.

  A2: Obtain the power consumption for 1 hour. If the latest power consumption for one hour is less than the average value (for example, 20 Wh), it is determined that the electric pot 201 is not used for the hour that is the target of the latest power consumption. .

  A3: If a period in which the power consumption amount for 1 hour does not exceed the above average value (for example, 20 Wh) continues for two days or more, it is determined that information transmission to the terminal device 400 is necessary as an abnormal state.

  A4: It should be noted that when the state in which the hourly power consumption did not exceed the average value continued for two days, and when the hourly power consumption did not exceed the average value, The information transmission to the terminal device 400 may be cancelled. This is because there is a possibility that the resident is on a trip.

  In the present embodiment, “1 hour”, which is a detection period of power consumption, is an example of “a certain period”. The period can be changed as appropriate according to the intention of the system administrator.

<Algorithm for IH cooker>
Assumptions The IH cooker 202 that is the object of watching starts power consumption only when the user (resident) manually operates, and does not automatically start power consumption.

Hypothesis The hypothesis about the resident's operation with respect to the IH cooker 202 is as follows.

  The resident should occasionally turn on the power of the IH cooker 202 (for example, at least once every three days).

● Details of Algorithm Whether or not information transmission to the terminal device 400 is necessary is determined according to the following steps B1 to B3.

  B1: The amount of power consumption for every hour is acquired, and the average value thereof is calculated (for example, about 20 Wh). The calculated average value may be a moving average value.

  B2: Obtain the power consumption per hour. If the latest power consumption for one hour is less than the average value (for example, 20 Wh), it is determined that the IH cooker 202 is not used for the hour that is the target of the latest power consumption. The

  B3: If a period in which the power consumption amount for 1 hour does not exceed the average value (for example, 20 Wh) continues for three days or more, it is determined that information transmission to the terminal device 400 is necessary as an abnormal state.

<Algorithm for microwave oven>
● Assumption As a premise, the microwave oven 203 to be watched on starts power consumption only when the user (resident) manually operates, and does not automatically start power consumption.

Hypothesis The hypothesis about the resident's operation with respect to the microwave oven 203 is as follows.

  The resident should occasionally turn on the power of the microwave oven 203 (for example, at least once every three days).

● Details of Algorithm Whether or not information transmission to the terminal device 400 is necessary is determined according to the following steps C1 to C3.

  C1: The amount of power consumption per hour is acquired, and the average value thereof is calculated (for example, about 20 Wh). The calculated average value may be a moving average value.

  C2: Obtain power consumption for 1 hour. When the latest power consumption for one hour is less than the average value (for example, 20 Wh), it is determined that the microwave oven 203 is not used for the hour that is the target of the latest power consumption. .

  C3: If a period in which the power consumption amount for 1 hour does not exceed the above average value (for example, 20 Wh) continues for three days or more, it is determined that information transmission to the terminal device 400 is necessary as an abnormal state.

<Calculation of average power consumption>
As described above, the average value of the power consumption (integrated amount of power consumption per hour) of each electrical device 200 is used for the monitoring process (abnormality determination) for each electrical device 200. The average value is calculated using, for example, the detected power consumption every hour. FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining an example of a method for calculating the average value of the power consumption of the electric device 200.

  FIG. 7 shows Equation (1) and Equation (2). Expressions (1) and (2) are expressions for calculating an average value (EA [k]). More specifically, the formula (1) is a calculation formula when the number of power consumptions per hour acquired after the measurement of the power consumption of the electric device 200 is less than 336. . The value k in the equation (1) represents the number of times “one hour power consumption” is detected. A value A [k] in equation (1) represents the k-th power consumption for one hour. Expression (1) derives an average value of all the acquired power consumption amounts.

  Formula (2) is a calculation formula in the case where the number of “power consumption per hour” acquired after the measurement of power consumption of the electric device 200 is 336 or more. Expression (2) derives the latest 336 average values of the acquired power consumption. That is, Expression (2) is an expression for deriving a moving average value of power consumption.

<Judgment whether or not the electric device 200 is used>
In each of the above-described steps A2, B2, and C2, the HEMS controller 100 determines whether or not the electric device 200 has been used based on whether or not the power consumption of the electric device 200 for the latest hour has exceeded the average value. to decide. FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining an example of a method for determining whether information transmission to the terminal device 400 is necessary.

  As shown in FIG. 8, if the latest one hour power consumption (D (A) [k]) is larger than the average value (EA [k]) for the electrical device A, the HEMS controller 100 It is determined that the electric device A is in the ON state even at least for the moment in the latest hour, that is, the electric device A has been used. On the other hand, if the latest hourly power consumption (D (A) [k]) is equal to or less than the average value (EA [k]), the HEMS controller 100 turns off the electric device A throughout the latest hour. It is determined that it was in a state, that is, the electric device A was not used.

<Information transmission to terminal device 400>
As described above, the HEMS controller 100 determines whether or not the power consumption amount exceeds the average value for the electrical device 200 to be monitored every hour. And the HEMS controller 100 performs alerting | reporting operation | movement, when the state where power consumption did not exceed the said average value continued for a specific period. In the present embodiment, the specific period is “two days” for the electric pot 201. It is “3 days” for the IH cooker 202 and the microwave oven 203. The user can appropriately set the length of the specific period.

  An example of the notification operation is transmission of information toward the terminal device 400. The information to be transmitted is, for example, a message such as “User P01 has not used the electrical device to be watched for more than two days”.

<Summary of Embodiment>
In the first embodiment described above, when the electrical device 200 to be watched over is inserted into an outlet via the tap 230, the HEMS controller 100 detects the power consumption amount for each fixed period of the electrical device 200. To do. The HEMS controller 100 accumulates the detected power consumption, and calculates an average value (EA [k]) of the accumulated power consumption. And the HEMS controller 100 judges whether the power consumption of the electric equipment 200 for every hour exceeded the said average value. And the HEMS controller 100 transmits information toward the terminal device 400, when the state that the electric energy consumption of the electric equipment 200 for every hour does not exceed the said average value continues for a specific period.

  According to the first embodiment, the HEMS controller 100 can start the above-described average value calculation and the above-described determination as soon as the watched electric device 200 is inserted into the outlet via the tap 230. . That is, the HEMS controller 100 is not required to perform processing for calculating the “basic power amount” related to the power consumption of the electrical device 200 when determining an abnormality for the watching target user (user P01). The HEMS controller 100 can transmit information for notifying that an abnormality has occurred in the user P01 to the terminal device 400 while allowing the user P01 to live as usual. Thereby, for example, when a situation in which the electric device 200 cannot be used occurs because the user P01 remains in the first house H01, the user P02 uses the terminal device 400 to The occurrence of the situation can be recognized at a location separated from the house H01.

  The HEMS controller 100 can accept a setting for interrupting the watching of the user P01. For example, when the user P01 knows in advance that the first house H01 is away from the predetermined period, the user P01 inputs information for interrupting the watching process for the predetermined period to the HEMS controller 100. Thereby, when the predetermined period starts, the HEMS controller 100 interrupts the watching process for performing notification to the terminal device 400 based on the power consumption of the electric device 200 until the predetermined period ends.

  When the predetermined period ends, the HEMS controller 100 resumes the watching process. At the time of resumption, the period related to the detection of the power consumption until then can be reset. That is, in the watching process, when the situation where the power consumption amount for each “predetermined period” does not exceed the average value continues for the “specific period”, the HEMS controller 100 notifies the terminal device 400 to that effect. At the time of resumption, the measurement time for the “certain period” and “specific period” is reset. That is, power consumption measurement is restarted from the beginning. As the “average value”, an already calculated value may be used, or after restarting, a value calculated from the beginning using the mathematical expressions described in FIGS. 7 and 8 is used again. May be.

[Second Embodiment]
The configuration of the user status confirmation system of the second embodiment can be the same as the configuration of the first embodiment shown in FIG. In the second embodiment, two or more electric devices 200 can be set as watching targets. And the HEMS controller 100 alert | reports that to the terminal device 400, when the state judged that all the said 2 or more electric equipments 200 are not used more than a specific period continues. Send information for. Moreover, the content of the information notified in 2nd Embodiment is set in steps according to the length of the period when it was judged that all the said electric equipments 200 are not used.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing executed by the HEMS controller 100 to transmit information to the terminal device 400 in the second embodiment. This process is realized, for example, when the CPU 10 executes a program stored in the memory 13 (or a storage device separated from the HEMS controller 100).

  Referring to FIG. 9, HEMS controller 100 sets “0” as the values of variable ALLV and variable StCount in step S10. Then, control proceeds to step S20.

  In step S <b> 20, the HEMS controller 100 stands by until the latest measurement result of power consumption in a certain period is input for all the electric devices 200 set as the watching target. And if the said measurement result is input, the HEMS controller 100 will advance control to step S30. However, it may be considered that the HEMS controller 100 may not be able to collect measurement results for all the electric devices 200 due to communication failure or the like. In other words, the HEMS controller 100 determines the previous collection result of the electric device 200 or the power consumption amount of the electric device 200 for the electric device 200 for which the measurement result cannot be collected when a certain time has elapsed. The control may be advanced to step S30 by substituting the average value or the fixed value as the power consumption amount in the latest fixed period.

  In step S30, the HEMS controller 100 determines whether or not the state of at least one electric device 200 among the electric devices 200 set as watching targets has been switched from the power OFF to the power ON. The determination is performed based on the method described with reference to FIG. If the HEMS controller 100 determines that the state of at least one electric device 200 has been switched from power OFF to power ON, the control returns to step S10 (YES in step S30). Further, if the HEMS controller 100 determines that none of the electric devices 200 set as watching targets has been switched from power OFF to power ON, the control proceeds to step S40 (NO in step S30).

  In step S40, the HEMS controller 100 updates the value of the variable StCount by adding “1”. And control is advanced to step S50.

  In step S50, the HEMS controller 100 determines whether or not the value of the variable StCount has reached the value of “constant ALTR [ALLV + 1]”. The constant ALTR [ALLV + 1] is a constant for determining whether or not the value of the variable StCount has reached the value for adding and updating the variable ALLV. The value of the constant ALTR [ALLV + 1] is, for example, “24”, but is not limited to this value. When the HEMS controller 100 determines that the value of the variable StCount has reached the value of the constant ALTR [ALLV + 1], the HEMS controller 100 proceeds to step S60 (YES in step S50), and determines that the value has not yet reached control to step S20. Return (NO in step S50).

  In step S60, the HEMS controller 100 updates the value of the variable ALLV by “1”. Then, control proceeds to step S70.

  In step S70, the HEMS controller 100 determines whether or not the value of the variable ALLV exceeds “3”. If the HEMS controller 100 determines that the value of the variable ALLV exceeds “3”, the control returns to step S10 (YES in step S70), and if it does not exceed yet, the control proceeds to step S80 (in step S70). NO).

  In step S80, the HEMS controller 100 transmits a warning message at a stage according to the value of the variable ALLV to the terminal device 400, and returns the control to step S20.

  In the second embodiment described above, two or more electric devices 200 are set as watching targets. As a result, when none of these is used, it is determined that the state is abnormal. When at least one of these is used, the normal state (the user P01 uses the electric device 200). It is judged that they are living everyday life). Thereby, the user status confirmation system can determine the status of the user P01 with higher accuracy.

  In the second embodiment, the initial value of the variable ALLV is “0”. The value of the variable ALLV is added and updated by “1” (step S60). The variable ALLV is returned to the initial value “0” when the value exceeds “3” (steps S70 and S10). Thus, warning messages are prepared in three stages corresponding to the values “1” to “3” of the variable ALLV. That is, in the second embodiment, when the state where the electric device 200 is not used continuously for 24 hours continues, a warning message corresponding to the value “1” of the variable ALLV is output. Further, when the state in which the electric device 200 is not used continues for 24 hours, that is, for 48 hours, a warning message corresponding to the value “2” of the variable ALLV is output. Further, when the state in which the electric device 200 is not used continues for 24 hours, that is, for 72 hours, a warning message corresponding to the value “3” of the variable ALLV is output.

  In the second embodiment, as the value of the variable ALLV increases, the corresponding message becomes more serious about the situation of the user P01. Note that the value “3” of the criterion for the variable ALLV is merely an example, and may be changed as appropriate.

[Third Embodiment]
The configuration of the user status confirmation system according to the third embodiment can be the same as the configuration according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. The control content in the third embodiment has the common points with the control content in the second embodiment. However, in the third embodiment, the state of at least one of the two or more electric devices 200 set as the watching target is switched from ON to OFF, or is switched from OFF to ON. Thus, it is determined that the electric device 200 is being used.

  FIG. 10 is a flowchart of an example of processing executed by the HEMS controller 100 to transmit information toward the terminal device 400 in the third embodiment. The process shown in FIG. 10 includes step S32 instead of the process shown in FIG. 9 including the control of step S30.

  In step S32, has the HEMS controller 100 changed the power consumption amount of the latest fixed period so as to straddle the above-described average value for at least one of the two or more electric devices 200 set as watching targets? Judgment is made. “Change across the average value” includes a change from a state exceeding the average value to a state below the average value, and a change from a state below the average value to a state exceeding the average value.

  The former change occurs when the power consumption during the latest fixed period is equal to or less than the average value, and the power consumption during the latest fixed period exceeds the average value. This change means, for example, that the power supply state of the electric device 200 has been switched from ON to OFF in the latest fixed period.

  The latter change occurs when the power consumption during the latest fixed period exceeds the average value and the power consumption during the latest fixed period is equal to or less than the average value. The change means, for example, that the power state of the electric device 200 has been switched from OFF to ON in the latest fixed period.

  In the third embodiment described above, if the state of the electric device 200 to be watched is switched from ON to OFF, or if it is switched from OFF to ON, the electric device 200 is used. It is judged that Thereby, the user status confirmation system can determine the status of the user P01 more accurately.

[Fourth Embodiment]
The configuration of the user status confirmation system according to the fourth embodiment can be the same as the configuration according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. The control content in the fourth embodiment has the same points as the control content in the second embodiment. However, in the fourth embodiment, once a warning message at the highest level is transmitted, the transmission of the message is continued until the next use of the electrical device 200 to be monitored is detected.

  FIG. 11 is a flowchart of an example of processing executed by the HEMS controller 100 to transmit information to the terminal device 400 in the fourth embodiment. The process shown in FIG. 11 further includes step S72 as compared with the process shown in FIG.

  If it is determined in step S70 that the value of the variable ALLV has exceeded “3”, the HEMS controller 100 advances the control to step S72.

  In step S72, the HEMS controller 100 sets the value of the variable ALLV to “3”. Then, control proceeds to step S80.

  That is, in the fourth embodiment, once the value of the variable ALLV reaches “3”, the control proceeds from step S30 to step S10 until the value of the variable ALLV is returned to “0”. Is maintained at “3”. Thereby, the transmission of the warning message corresponding to the value “3” of the variable ALLV in step S80 is maintained. Thereby, when occurrence of a serious situation is assumed, it is possible to notify the user of the terminal device 400 of the situation more reliably.

[Fifth Embodiment]
The configuration of the user status confirmation system of the fifth embodiment can be the same as the configuration in the first embodiment shown in FIG. In the fifth embodiment, the power consumption of the electric device 200 is detected by a CT sensor (current sensor) instead of the tap 230.

[Sixth Embodiment]
The HEMS controller 100 of 6th Embodiment transmits information toward the terminal device 400 regularly, and stops the said transmission, when it is judged that the said electric equipment 200 is not used for a specific period. In the sixth embodiment, such stoppage of transmission of information is an example of the notification operation.

  In the first to fourth embodiments, the HEMS controller 100 is directed to the terminal device 400 when it is determined that the electric device 200 is not used for a specific period based on the power consumption of the electric device 200. Issue a warning. Transmission of such a warning is an example of a notification operation in each embodiment. In the sixth embodiment, when the HEMS controller 100 constantly transmits information and it is necessary to alert the user (user P02) of the terminal device 400, the terminal device is stopped by transmitting the information. The 400 users P02 can constantly confirm the safety of the user (user P01) of the electric device 200 and can also recognize the emergency situation of the user P01.

[Seventh Embodiment]
In the seventh embodiment, the HEMS controller 100 can be input with information (notification prohibition information) for prohibiting notification to the terminal device 400 performed in the first to sixth embodiments.

  The notification prohibition information is input to the HEMS controller 100, for example, when the operation unit 15 is operated in a predetermined manner. Thereby, the HEMS controller 100 interrupts the process (monitoring process) for performing alerting | reporting to the terminal device 400 based on the power consumption of the electric equipment 200. FIG.

  The HEMS controller 100 can also accept input of information (cancellation information) for canceling the interruption. The release information is input to the HEMS controller 100 when the operation unit 15 is operated in a predetermined manner, for example. Thereby, the HEMS controller 100 restarts the process (monitoring process) for performing alerting | reporting to the terminal device 400 based on the power consumption of the electric equipment 200. FIG. At the time of resumption, a count of a period such as “a certain period” or “a specific period” used in the watching process can be reset.

  The HEMS controller 100 may be input with information specifying the end timing in advance before the interruption is ended. That is, the notification prohibition information may include end timing. In this case, the HEMS controller 100 restarts the watching process on condition that the end timing has arrived.

  The embodiment disclosed this time should be considered as illustrative in all points and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined by the terms of the claims, rather than the description above, and is intended to include any modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the terms of the claims.

  In the user status confirmation system of each embodiment described above, various conditions in the HEMS controller 100 (monitoring target electric device setting, constant ALTR value setting, moving average period setting, absence setting, etc.) are: For example, it is set by the user P01 or the administrator of the system. For example, the user P01 uses the terminal device 400 to execute the above setting via the broadband router 150. For example, the system administrator uses the server 300 to execute the above setting. Further, part or all of the setting information of the HEMS controller 100 may be stored in the server 300. The server 300 can control the HEMS controller 100 via the network NT using the setting information.

  100 HEMS controller, 200 electric equipment, 201 microwave oven, 202 electric pot, 203 IH cooker, 300 server, 400 terminal device, NT network.

Claims (5)

A user status confirmation system for confirming the status of a user who uses an electrical device,
A detection device for detecting power consumption of the electrical device;
A power information collection device capable of communicating with the detection device;
The power information collection device includes:
Including a storage device that stores information identifying the electrical device to be watched over,
Calculate a moving average value of power consumption for a certain period of the electrical equipment to be watched collected by the power information collection device,
Regarding the power consumption of the electrical equipment to be watched over the fixed period collected by the power information collection device, the latest power consumption of the fixed period is the power of the fixed period immediately before the latest period. A user status confirmation system configured to perform a notification operation when a state in which a change that changes across the moving average value does not occur with respect to consumption occurs continuously for a specific period. The user status confirmation system according to claim 1, wherein the specific period is set according to a type of the electrical device to be watched over . The storage device stores information for specifying a plurality of the electrical devices to be watched over,
For the power consumption of all of the plurality of electrical devices to be watched over, the notification operation is based on the latest power consumption of the certain period with respect to the power consumption of the certain period immediately before the latest. 3. The user status confirmation system according to claim 1, which is executed when a state in which a change that changes across the moving average value does not occur continuously occurs for a specific period . A method for confirming a user situation executed by a power information collecting device for confirming a situation of a user who uses an electrical device,
The power information collection device includes a storage device that stores information for specifying an electrical device to be watched over,
Collecting the power consumption of the electric device for a certain period;
Calculating a moving average value of power consumption for each predetermined period;
For the electrical device to be watched over, a change occurs in which the latest power consumption during the certain period changes across the moving average value with respect to the latest power consumption during the certain period. And a step of performing a notification operation when a state of absence occurs continuously for a specific period. A power information collection device for confirming the status of a user who uses an electrical device,
A processor for calculating a moving average value of power consumption for a certain period of electrical equipment;
Includes information identifying the electrical device of the subject watching and said moving average value and the storage device for storing,
With respect to the power consumption of the electrical device to be watched over in the certain period, the processor is configured such that the latest power consumption in the certain period is the power consumption in the certain period immediately before the latest period. A power information collecting apparatus configured to perform a notification operation when a state in which a change that changes across the moving average value does not occur continuously occurs for a specific period.

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