JP6425000B2 - Remote control system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to electrical devices via a communication network from an information terminal to a remote control system for remotely controlling.

  Conventionally, there are various techniques for the user to remotely control an electric device such as a television receiver (television), an air conditioner (air conditioner), and a lighting fixture at home using an information terminal from outside. Proposed.

  For example, in Patent Document 1, a home server for controlling various home appliances (electrical devices) such as an air conditioner and a door lock is introduced, and in the case of remote control, an instruction is given to the home server from a mobile phone. Discloses a technology for controlling the home appliance.

  According to Patent Document 2, when a user sends an ON command or an OFF command to a switch system in the home via a public line using a mobile phone to start / stop the air conditioner at home from outside, The technology of operating the air conditioner by the air conditioner interface generating an infrared signal corresponding to the command according to an instruction from the system is shown. Moreover, in this technology, the current operating condition of the air conditioner is confirmed by detecting the current flowing through the power supply line of the air conditioner by the current transformer, and the result is transmitted to the user as a message to ensure that the air conditioner is concerned. It allows the user to confirm that it has operated.

JP 2002-335586 A JP, 2005-143072, A

  The prior art described in Patent Document 1 has a limitation that the electric device to be controlled is limited to one having a function that can be controlled by a control signal from a home server. In addition, it is necessary to configure a local network for connecting the home server and various electric devices. Therefore, application to existing electric devices is not easy, and there is a problem in cost.

  The prior art described in Patent Document 2 can be easily applied to existing electric devices by using a remote controller (hereinafter referred to as remote control) control by infrared provided in the existing electric devices. However, it is necessary to prepare a set of an air conditioner interface and a current transformer in a one-to-one relationship with an electric device to be controlled (for example, an air conditioner). For this reason, even when a plurality of electric devices to be controlled exist in one room, a combination of an air conditioner interface and a current transformer is required for each electric device, resulting in an increase in cost. Moreover, since it is necessary to attach the current transformer to the power supply line of each electric device and wire it to the air conditioner interface, not only the wiring therefor is complicated, but also it may be a hindrance when the user walks.

  By the way, in recent years, information terminals called smartphones and tablets have become widespread. In such an information terminal, there is no so-called numeric keypad or keyboard (hardware), and an input / display device having a relatively wide display screen which doubles as a touch panel. In such an information terminal, an operation surface on which a plurality of buttons of the remote control are arranged can be reproduced on a display screen in a pseudo manner. That is, by touching various buttons displayed on the display screen, almost the same operation as that of the remote control becomes possible, and the operation becomes easy.

  In an existing electric device such as a television, a single power button is disposed on the operation surface of a remote control, and a power switching signal is generated each time the power button is pressed, so-called toggle in which power ON and power OFF are alternately switched. There is a type of thing. Usually, the user operates the remote control in the direction of the television. Therefore, since the current power state of the television can be visually confirmed directly by the user, such a toggle type power button has no problem at all.

  However, when controlling an electric device at home using an information terminal from outside, the electric device to be controlled can not be seen. Therefore, when the power button of the toggle type is operated, if the current state of the power supply is not known, there arises a problem that it can not be clearly determined whether the operation instructs power on or power off. (In the technology described in Patent Document 2, in remote control of a home appliance, an infrared signal corresponding to each of power ON and power OFF is prepared separately, and ON instruction or OFF instruction can be separately instructed also in information terminal This problem does not occur because the

The present invention has been made in this background, and its object is easily applied to existing electrical equipment to be operated by remote control, and to provide a remote control system of relatively simple construction It is in.

A remote control system according to the present invention is a remote control system for remotely controlling an electric device operated by a wireless signal by remote control from an information terminal via a communication network, and a server connected to the communication network, Power measurement means for measuring the power usage of the electric device and generating power usage information; and a device operation signal generation device connected to the communication network , wherein the server is the latest obtained by the power measurement means Means for reporting the current power state of the electric device confirmed based on the used power information of the device to the information terminal as the power state information, and controlling the power of the electric device according to an instruction from the information terminal the control signals have a an instruction generating means for transmitting to the device operation signal generating device, the server further includes a control command for each electrical device The control signal having a data table in which signal patterns of the wireless signals are stored in association, and the data table is referred to based on a control command included in an instruction from the information terminal, and output to the device operation signal generator The information terminal includes means for transmitting operation screen information for operating the electric device to the user, including the signal pattern data corresponding to the control command, and the electric device obtained by the power measuring means The operation screen information reflecting the power state is transmitted to the user based on the latest power state information of the device , and the device operation signal generation device receives the control signal from the server based on an instruction from the information terminal At the same time, according to the control signal, the radio signal for controlling the electric device by the radio signal according to the device type of the Having a radio signal generating means for generating relative.
The remote control system according to the present invention is, according to another aspect, a remote control system for remotely controlling an electric device operated by a remote control with a remote control from an information terminal via a communication network, the communication network A power control unit that measures power consumption of the electrical device and generates power usage information, and a device operation signal generation device connected to the communication network, the server comprising: Means for reporting the current power state of the electric device confirmed based on the latest used power information obtained by the measuring means to the information terminal as the power state information, and in response to an instruction from the information terminal, And instruction generation means for transmitting a control signal for controlling the power supply of the electric device to the device operation signal generation device, and the information terminal comprises the electric device. A means for transmitting to the user operation screen information to be produced, to the user the operation screen information in which the power supply state is reflected based on the latest power supply state information of the electric device obtained by the power measurement means When the device operation signal generation device receives the control signal based on the instruction from the information terminal from the server, the device operation signal generation device transmits the electric signal by a wireless signal according to the device type of the electric device according to the control signal. The apparatus operation signal generation apparatus further includes a radio signal generation unit that generates a radio signal for controlling the apparatus to the electric apparatus, and the apparatus operation signal generation apparatus further associates a control command for each electric apparatus with a signal pattern of the radio signal. The wireless signal generation means refers to the data table based on a control command included in a control signal from the server. Generating the radio signal based on a signal pattern data corresponding to the control command.

When remotely controlling the electric device, the user controls the device operation signal generation device from the information terminal via the server. On the other hand, the server receives the power consumption information periodically reported by power measuring means, and reports the current power status information of the electrical device to the information terminal. In the present specification, "the current power state of the electrical device that is confirmed based on the latest power consumption information obtained by the power measuring means, reporting to the information terminal as a power status information", the latest In addition to transmitting information representing the power state of the information terminal, the operation screen information of the electric device for the information terminal is provided from the server to the information terminal, and the entire operation screen information is related to the power state of the electric device. It also includes the case where a part is updated. In response to this, the information terminal, Ru reflect the power state to the operation screen information based on the current power status information of the electrical device that is obtained from the server. Therefore, the user can perform remote control after recognizing the current power supply state of the electric device to be controlled on the operation screen prior to remote control.

Preferably, the power measurement unit is incorporated in a power tap , the power tap has a plurality of connection ports for connecting a plurality of electric devices, and the server determines which electric device is connected to which connection port. A management means to manage is provided. Thereby, a single power supply tap and a single device operation signal generator can be shared for a plurality of electrical devices.

The management means associates the device operation signal generating device, the power tap, and the type information of the electric device connected to the connection port of the power tap based on the user's input operation from the information terminal. Can be configured by means for registering. As a result, when the power tap has a plurality of connection ports, it is possible to distinguish a plurality of electric devices and to manage and control the power usage information individually.

  The server can hold operation screen information for operating the electric device, and in this case, the server supplies the operation screen information to the information terminal in response to a request from the information terminal.

  Alternatively, operation screen information for operating the electric device may be held in advance on the information terminal side.

  The information terminal can display the power supply state of the electric device to be controlled on the operation screen by text, a symbol or a figure. Thereby, the user can recognize the power supply state of the electric device in the information terminal. Instead, the information terminal displays a power ON button and a power OFF button for instructing power ON and power OFF on the operation screen, and the display attribute of the power ON button and / or the power OFF button is changed. The power state may be indicated.

The information terminal may have an instruction unit including a specific button or menu displayed on an operation screen for generating an instruction to confirm the latest power supply state of the electric device. This allows the user to check the latest power status of the desired electrical device at the desired time.

  The information terminal may output an instruction to periodically check the current power supply state. As a result, the latest power status of the electric device is sequentially acquired and updated without the user being particularly aware.

Said instruction generating means of the server, a power ON and power OFF by receiving a power supply switching signal to the electric device having a function of switching alternately, when receiving a power ON instruction from the information terminal, of the electrical device based on the latest power consumption information to generate the power source switching signal as the control signal to the device operation signal generator when the current power state of the electrical device is confirmed to be OFF, the power OFF from the information terminal when receiving the instruction, the power source switching signal as the control signal to the device operation signal generator when the current power state of the electrical device based on the latest power consumption information of the electric device is confirmed to be oN Generate Thereby, the user's desired power supply switching control can be properly performed regardless of the current power supply state of the control target electric device.

The device operating signal generating device, when the power ON and power OFF by receiving a power supply switching signal to the electric device having a function of switching alternately receiving the power ON instruction as the control signal from the server, the electro when the current power state of the electrical device is confirmed to be OFF based on the latest power consumption information of the device, generates a radio signal as the power source switching signal by the radio signal generating means, the control of the server when receiving the power OFF instruction as a signal, when the current power state of the electrical device based on the latest power consumption information of the electric device is confirmed to be oN, the said power supply switching signal by the radio signal generating means A wireless signal may be generated as Thereby, the user's desired power supply switching control can be properly performed regardless of the current power supply state of the control target electric device.

  The server further includes a simultaneous remote control command table in which a command group including a power ON instruction of the specified electric device is stored in advance, and a simultaneous remote control target for registering a user who is a target of remote control for each command group. A simultaneous remote control unit that executes a user table and a command group stored in the simultaneous remote control command table at a predetermined time with respect to the electric device of the user registered in the simultaneous remote control target user table; It is also good.

  As a result, common remote control or remote control desired by each user can be simultaneously performed on the electric devices of a plurality of users.

Server according to the present invention, the power measuring means for generating a measurement and power information using the power used for electric equipment, and, with respect to the electrical equipment a radio signal for controlling the electrical device in response to an instruction from the information terminal generating Te device operation signal generator in cooperation with, a server constituting a remote control system for remotely controlling the electrical device from the information terminal, in response to a request from the previous SL information terminal, wherein the current power state of the electrical device based on the latest power consumption information obtained by the power measuring means, and hand stage to report to the information terminal as a power state information, in response to an instruction from said information terminal, And instruction generation means for transmitting a control signal for controlling the power supply of the electric device to the device operation signal generation device via a communication network.

Device operation signal generator according to the present invention, there an electrical device which is operated by the wireless signals from remote control, in the device operation signal generation device used in a remote control system for remotely controlled via the communication network from the information terminal Te, wherein to measure the power consumption of the electrical device, generating a receiving means for receiving said power consumption information from the power measuring means for generating a power consumption information, the radio signal as the power supply switching signal to the electronic device When the power on instruction or the power off instruction from the information terminal is received to the electric device having a function to switch wireless signal generating means and a function to switch power on and off alternately upon receiving a power switching signal , The current power state of the electrical device is confirmed based on the latest power usage information of the electrical device, and when the instruction is a power ON instruction, the power When the power supply switching signal is generated when it is confirmed that the current power supply state of the device is OFF, and when the current power supply state of the electric device is confirmed when the instruction is a power OFF instruction And control means for controlling the wireless signal generating means so as to generate the power supply switching signal.

In the remote control system according to the present invention, the server (service server) mediates the control signal by transmitting the control signal instead of transmitting the control signal directly from the information terminal to the electric device of each user via the communication network. Because of the transmission to the device, the device operation signal generating device disposed in the home of each user can be of a simple configuration and function . Therefore, installation cost of the user of the present invention requires only relatively inexpensive.

  In addition, since the server can manage all users and their electric devices, taps, and device operation signal generation devices, it is highly flexible, can cope with existing home appliances without changing it, and can easily cope with new home appliances. The update of the operation screen can also be quickly executed only on the server side. Moreover, remote control regarding the power supply of an electric device can be ensured.

It is a figure showing a schematic structure of a remote control system in an embodiment of the invention. It is a figure which shows the example of a schematic hardware constitutions of the station (apparatus operation signal generator) shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the specific structural example of the service server shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the tap shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the information terminal shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing three forms of mutual connection relationship between stations, taps and communication networks in the embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the example of the remote control operation screen in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of the remote control operation screen which provided separately the power ON button and the power OFF button as an operation button for power supplies. It is a figure which shows the modification of the remote control operation screen shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the structural example of a user-specific apparatus * outlet corresponding table shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of a structure of the command * signal pattern corresponding table shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the electric power consumption database (DB) shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of the apparatus registration screen displayed on an information terminal in embodiment to this invention. It is the sequence diagram which represented typically the operation example of the remote control system in embodiment of this invention. It is the sequence diagram which represented typically the 2nd operation example of the remote control system in embodiment of this invention. It is the sequence diagram which represented typically the 3rd operation example of the remote control system in embodiment of this invention. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the relationship between a power control command generated from an information terminal, a control signal output from a service server, and an infrared signal output from a station in the embodiment of the present invention. It is a flowchart showing the general | schematic process of the service server corresponding to the form which uses a power supply switching button in a remote control operation screen in embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart showing the general | schematic process of the service server corresponding to the form which uses a power ON button and a power OFF button in a remote control operation screen in embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart showing the outline processing of the station corresponding to the form which uses a power ON button and a power OFF button in a remote control operation screen in an embodiment of the present invention. It is the figure which showed the whole structure of the remote control system in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the service server in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration of the remote control system in the present embodiment.

  In this system, a smartphone (or tablet) 100 a, a mobile phone terminal 100 b, a personal computer (PC) 100 c, other devices 100 d, a home (home) H, and a service server 300 are mutually connected by a communication network 200.

  The smartphone (or tablet) 100a and the mobile phone terminal 100b are devices for the user to remotely control a desired electric device in the home H from outside or the like via the communication network 200 such as the Internet, and the like. In the book, it is collectively called the information terminal 100. A portable terminal is preferable on the go, but a stationary PC can also function as the information terminal 100 in the present invention. Other devices 100d are a glasses type device as a small information terminal worn in glasses, a watch type device worn on a user's arm, an in-vehicle device such as a car navigation device (in a car), etc. It is a device, and these can also function as the information terminal 100.

  The service server 300 is a device connected to the communication network 200 for providing a remote control service of the electric device 400 by the information terminal 100. The service server 300 can provide the same service to a plurality of homes H, that is, to a plurality of users.

  In the home H of FIG. 1, a television 400a, an air conditioner 400b and a lighting fixture 400c are shown as an example of the electric device 400 to be controlled. In the present embodiment, at least one of these electric devices receives a power switching signal from the remote control that controls the power of the electric device as its remote control response function, and switches the power ON and power OFF alternately. It shall be possessed. For such an electric device 400, a tap 430 as a power supply tap for supplying power and a station 410 as a device operation signal generator provided by the present invention are provided.

The tap 430 preferably has a plurality of outlets as connection ports for supplying power (electric power) to the respective electric devices 400, and the power consumption of each electric device 400 connected to each connection port It is a device having a power measurement function of sequentially measuring power consumption) and outputting it as power usage information. As such a device, what is called a so-called smart tap is known.

  The station 410 is a device that generates a wireless signal corresponding to an instruction to the designated electric device 400 according to the remote control from the information terminal 100. In the present embodiment, an example in which an infrared signal is used as a wireless signal is shown. However, when the electric device to be controlled corresponds to a so-called wireless remote controller using a signal utilizing electromagnetic waves (radio waves), such a wireless signal is used. Wireless signals other than infrared can also be used.

  In addition, as will be described later, the connection relationship between the station 410, the tap 430, and the communication network 200 may be other than the illustrated form.

  In this remote control system, instead of transmitting a control signal directly to the home H from the information terminal 100 via the communication network 200, the service server 300 mediates and transmits the control signal to the home H.

  That is, when operating as a remote control, the information terminal 100 displays a remote control operation screen for the target electric device. When an instruction to control the electric device is issued according to the user's operation on the remote control operation screen, the instruction (command) is transmitted to the service server 300. In response to the instruction, the service server 300 generates a control signal of the electric device and transmits the control signal to the station 410 in the home H. At this time, if the instruction received from the information terminal is a power switching instruction, the service server 300 instructs the station 410 to generate a wireless signal for power switching. If the instruction is power on or power off, the service server 300 confirms the current power state of the electric device based on the power usage information from the tap 430. Based on the confirmation result, the service server 300 instructs the station 410 to generate a wireless signal (here, an infrared signal) for power switching.

  Tap 430 normally has a plurality of outlets (connection ports), sequentially measures the amount of used power of the electric devices connected to each outlet, and outputs (transmits) the measured data to the outside as used power information . The used power information may be output each time of measurement, or the measurement data may be collectively output for each of a plurality of measurements (for example, every predetermined time between 1 minute and 30 minutes) You may In the example of FIG. 1, tap 430 transmits power usage information to station 410, which relays the power usage information to service server 300.

  The service server 300 is provided with a management means that manages which electrical equipment is connected to which connection port of which tap. The management means registers the station 410, the tap 430, and the type information of the electric device 400 connected to the connection port of the tap 430 in association with each other on the basis of the user's input operation from the information terminal. Have.

  Further, the service server 300 holds operation screen information for operating the electric device, and supplies the operation screen information to the information terminal in response to a request from the information terminal 100.

  Furthermore, the service server 300 manages the current (latest) power state of the electrical devices based on the latest power usage information of each electrical device acquired from the tap 430. That is, the service server 300 determines the power state of the electric device based on the acquired latest used power information of the electric device, and reflects the change of the power state of the electric device for the information terminal. Update operation screen information. That is, the power supply state of the electric device is preferably reflected on operation screen information that configures the operation screen of the electric device displayed on the display screen of the information terminal 100. When the information terminal 100 holds the operation screen information in advance, the information terminal 100 receives the power state information from the server 300 as information for reflecting the change of the power state in the operation screen information.

  As described above, the information terminal 100 receives operation screen information for operating the electric device 400 from the outside (for example, the service server 300) each time, or holds it in advance, and displays it on the display screen in the remote control mode. . In the operation screen information of the electric device, the power state is reflected based on the acquired latest power state information of the electric device. For example, the information terminal 100 displays the power state on the operation screen by text, a symbol, a figure, or the like. The specific example will be described later. Whether to reflect the power state on the operation screen information on the server side or the terminal side depends on how to hold the operation screen information. In any case, it is sufficient if the power state is finally reflected on the operation screen of the terminal.

  Next, a configuration example of each part of the remote control system will be described.

  FIG. 2 shows an example of a schematic hardware configuration of the station 410 as a device operation signal generator.

  The station 410 includes a control unit 411, a storage unit 412, an infrared control unit 413, a wireless communication unit 414, a display unit 415, and a communication unit 416.

  The control unit 411 includes a processor such as a CPU for executing control of each unit of the station 410 and necessary data processing.

  The storage unit 412 includes an EEPROM and a flash ROM that store various control programs (computer programs) to be executed by the control unit 411 and necessary data in a nonvolatile manner, and a RAM that provides a temporary storage area and a work area. It has a memory.

  The infrared control unit 413 as a wireless signal generation unit is an infrared signal as a wireless signal for controlling a specific electric device according to a control signal output corresponding to an instruction (command) received by the service server 300 from the information terminal 100. Generate a signal.

  The wireless communication unit 414 is a part for performing wireless communication between the station 410 and another device (in this case, the tap 430), and receives power consumption information of each electric device 400 from the tap 430.

  The display unit 415 is a part that configures an indicator for displaying the operation state of the station 410, and is configured by a display device such as an LED or an LCD, for example.

  Another communication unit 416 is for communicating with the service server 300, and includes, for example, a LAN controller. The LAN controller is connected to the communication network 200 via, for example, a router (not shown) disposed in the home H. In the present embodiment, the communication unit 416 configures information transfer means for transferring the power usage information received from the tap 430 to the service server 300.

  FIG. 3 shows a specific configuration example of the service server 300. In this example, the service server 300 includes a communication unit 310, a display unit 320, an input unit 330, a data processing unit 340, and a storage unit 350.

  The communication unit 310 is connected to the communication network 200 and is a unit for performing mutual communication with an information terminal or the like, and is configured by, for example, a communication device such as a router. The display unit 320 is a display device such as an LCD for providing a display interface to a user (server maintenance person or the like). The input unit 330 is an input device such as a keyboard for providing an input interface to a user (server maintenance person or the like).

  The data processing unit 340 is a control unit for controlling each unit of the service server 300 and executing necessary processing, and is configured by a CPU or the like. Data processing unit 340 in the present embodiment includes user-specific device / outlet correspondence table management unit 341, user operation confirmation / response / instruction generation unit 343, device power consumption management unit 345, remote control screen data management unit 346, and user The management unit 347 is configured.

  The storage unit 350 stores various control programs (computer programs) to be executed by the data processing unit 340 and necessary data in a non-volatile manner, and also provides a temporary storage area and a work area HDD, ROM, RAM, etc. Storage device. In this embodiment, the storage unit 350 includes a user-specific device / outlet correspondence table 351, a command / signal pattern correspondence table 353, a user-specific power consumption database (DB) 355, a control-target remote control screen data storage unit 356, and It has a registered user DB 357.

  The user-specific device / outlet correspondence table 351 is a data table that holds the correspondence between each electrical device to be controlled for each user (home H) and the outlet of the tap 430. This table is created by the service server 300 based on the information input by the user when each user registers the electric device to be controlled. A specific example of this table will be described later.

  The command / signal pattern correspondence table 353 is a data table in which the infrared signal pattern is registered in association with the control command for each control target electric device. The major types of electrical equipment of major manufacturers (TV, air conditioner, lighting fixture, video recorder, etc.) are registered in advance. For an unregistered electric device, the infrared signal pattern of the control command can be registered afterward.

  The user-specific power consumption database (DB) 355 is a database for storing data obtained by periodically measuring the power consumption of the registered electric devices of each user. The "periodically" is, for example, a predetermined time interval or a fixed time. The "predetermined time interval" is, for example, a time of several seconds to one minute or so. The user may be able to variably set this time interval.

  The control target-classified remote control screen data storage unit 356 stores data of a typical remote control screen for each control target, that is, for each type of electric device of each maker. The data of the remote control screen is preferably configured as operation screen data including various buttons that can be touch operated. About the information terminal which does not have a touch panel, it can be set as operation screen data which enables the key operation which used a focus and a cursor, or the operation by arbitrary user interfaces.

  The device power consumption management unit 345 and the user power consumption database (DB) 355 constitute power consumption information storage means for receiving and storing the power consumption information periodically reported from the tap according to the present invention. There is.

  The user operation confirmation / response / instruction generation unit 343 constitutes response means for responding at least the latest power state information of the electric device 400 to the information terminal in response to a request from the information terminal 100. The user operation confirmation / response / instruction generation unit 343 also transmits, according to an instruction from the information terminal 100, an instruction generation means for transmitting a control signal for controlling the power supply of the electric device 400 to the device operation signal generation device (station 410). Are configured.

  The remote control screen data management unit 346 stores and manages remote control screen data of the control target-classified remote control screen data storage unit 356 in the storage unit 350 for each control target.

  The user management unit 347 manages registration and update of the registered user DB 357 in the storage unit 350. The registered user DB 357 stores user information for using the remote control system of the electric device provided by the service server 300. The user information includes at least a user ID for uniquely identifying the user, a password for authentication, and the like.

  FIG. 4 shows a configuration example of the tap 430 as a power supply tap in the present invention.

  The tap 430 includes a control unit 431, a storage unit 432, a power monitoring unit 434, a power supply unit 433, a display unit 435, a communication unit 436, and a wireless communication unit 437.

  The control unit 431 includes a processor such as a CPU for performing control of each unit of the tap 430 and necessary data processing.

  The storage unit 432 stores various control programs (computer programs) to be executed by the control unit 431 and necessary data in a non-volatile manner, and is a memory such as a ROM or a RAM that provides a temporary storage area and a work area.

  The power supply unit 433 converts the AC voltage supplied from the plug 433a for connection to a commercial power supply into an operating voltage required for each part of the tap 430, and has a plurality of connection ports (outlets) 433b of the commercial power supply. . Although the number of connection ports 433b is four, the number is not limited to four. Although one may be sufficient, in order to enable control of a plurality of electric devices at one station, a plurality is preferable.

  The power monitoring unit 434 is a part that sequentially measures (monitors) the amount of used power of the connected electric device 400 for each connection port 433b. The term "sequentially" as used herein includes the time when instructed regularly and individually. The operation power supply of the control target electric device 400 can acquire the used power information of each electric device by acquiring from the connection ports 433b.

  The wireless communication unit 437 is a part for performing wireless communication with another device, for example, the station 410, and transmits and outputs the measured power consumption information of each electric device 400.

  The display unit 435 is a portion that configures an indicator for displaying the operation state of the tap 430, and is configured of a display device such as an LED, an LCD, or the like.

  Another communication unit 436 is for communicating with an external device such as the server 300, and is configured of, for example, a LAN controller. The communication unit 436 is used in another connection form to be described later, and is unnecessary depending on the connection form.

  FIG. 5 shows a configuration example of the information terminal 100. Although the outer shape, the display screen size, and the necessary parts differ depending on whether the information terminal 100 is a smartphone, a tablet, a mobile phone terminal, a PC, or the like, FIG. 5 shows basic functional units.

  The information terminal 100 includes a control unit 101, a storage unit 102, an input unit 104, a display unit 105, a communication unit 106, and an audio processing unit 107.

  The control unit 101 has a processor such as a CPU, is connected to predetermined units, and controls each unit of the terminal 100 by executing a program stored in the storage unit 102 to realize various functions (means). .

  The storage unit 102 includes an operating system and a temporary storage area of data by the control unit 101, in addition to an area in which fixed data such as fonts are stored in a nonvolatile manner, in addition to an OS, a computer program such as a browser or application. Includes the area used as Further, storage unit 102 includes an area for storing data (operation screen information) and the like constituting the remote control screen acquired from server 300 in a non-volatile manner. The input unit 104 is a user interface for the user to input various instructions and data to the information terminal 100, and includes a touch panel having a touch input area overlapping the display screen of the display unit 105. In addition to or instead of the touch panel, various keys such as a power key, a call key, a numeric keypad, and a cursor operation key can be included. The input unit 104 can also include a voice input unit that receives a user's voice instruction, and a photographed image recognition unit that receives an instruction by the user's gesture (movement of a finger or a hand).

  The display unit 105 is a user interface for the information terminal 100 to provide display information to the user, and includes a display device such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display.

  The communication unit 106 is a part for connecting to the communication network 200, and performs wireless communication with a base station in a third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G) mobile telephone wireless system via an antenna. And a processing unit for performing a call or data communication with a communication partner via a base station. In addition, as the communication unit 106, any existing communication means such as a wireless LAN or BLUETOOTH (registered trademark) can be used.

  The audio processing unit 107 is a functional unit for a call or music player function, and includes a microphone 111a and a speaker 111b. In addition to the above, although not shown, it is possible to provide a function unit specific to each information terminal. In the present embodiment, when the power state is output as voice, the control unit 101 generates a voice output message, and the voice is output as voice from the speaker 111 b via the voice processing unit 107.

  FIGS. 6A, 6B, and 6C show three forms of mutual connection between the station 410, the tap 430, and the communication network 200. FIG. The form described above is the form of connection via a station shown in FIG. 6A, and the tap 430 is connected to the communication network 200 via the station 410.

  FIG. 6 (b) shows a form of tap connection. In this configuration, station 410 is connected to communication network 200 via tap 430. In this case, the communication unit 436 shown in FIG. 4 is required. For the station 410, the communication unit 416 (FIG. 2) is unnecessary.

  FIG. 6 (c) shows the form of parallel connection. In this configuration, tap 430 and station 410 are connected in parallel to communication network 200 via PC (or gateway) 450, respectively.

  Although the case of wired connection is shown between the station 410 and the communication network 200 and between the station 410 and the PC 450, it is also possible to use a wireless interface such as a wireless LAN.

  Next, in the information terminal 100, an example of a remote control operation screen configured by arranging operation buttons and the like in a pseudo manner on the display screen will be described. Here, it is assumed that an operation can be performed by using a touch panel as the input device 104 and by the user directly touching an operation button or a tab on the screen.

  In the remote control operation screen 600 shown in FIG. 7, the operation screens of a plurality of electric devices (TV and air conditioner in this example) can be switched by the tabs 610a and 610b. However, switching of electrical devices is not limited to the use of tabs.

  As with the actual remote control, the operation screen of the television is the power switch button 601, the voice increase button 602, the voice decrease button 603, the mute button 604, the input switch button 605, the screen display button 606, and ten keys (here, 1 to 9). It has 608. Although the button 607 is not directly related to the present invention, the button 607 is a program guide operation button for facilitating user operation in the television program guide.

  In addition to these, a state confirmation button 609 is further provided on this operation screen. In addition, the current power state (the latest power state confirmed) of the electrical device is indicated by an "ON" or "OFF" display 619. The display 619 of the power state is not limited to characters (text), and may be another display form such as a symbol or a figure.

  The state confirmation button 609 is used to confirm the current power supply state of the electric device 400 when the user operates this button. That is, the "instruction unit including a specific button or menu displayed on the operation screen for confirming the latest power supply state of the electric device" in the present invention is configured. The power state confirmed by the operation of the state confirmation button 609 is reflected on the display 619. Although the display 619 shows only the case of "ON" or "OFF", a character (symbol) representing an unconfirmed (pre-confirmed) state, for example, "---" is displayed at the time of activation or the like, or It may be blank (not shown).

  Although not shown, the state confirmation instruction may be selected by a selection means such as a menu opened on the display screen instead of the state confirmation button as an instruction means.

  As one aspect of the present embodiment, such screen data of the remote control operation screen is prepared in the service server 300, and when the user starts the remote control mode in the information terminal 100, the service server 300 as WEB data It is assumed that the information is distributed and displayed on the information terminal 100. The WEB data includes a predetermined script for realizing a user interface that supports the operation of various buttons. Alternatively, in the information terminal 100, an application dedicated to remote control mode including remote control operation screen data may be installed in the information terminal 100 at the time of shipment or after the shipment according to the user's request.

  Generally, when the power of the electric device 400 is turned ON / OFF with a single power switching button 601, whether the operation of the power switching button 601 instructs power ON or power OFF changes depending on the current power state. come. That is, when the power switch button 601 is operated in the power-off state, the power ON instruction is issued, and when the power switch button 601 is operated in the power-on state, the power OFF instruction is issued.

  Then, the user can confirm the current power supply state of the television by operating the state confirmation button 609. For example, if you notice that you have left the power of your home television, or if you can not remember whether the TV has been turned off, operate the status check button 609 while away from home In this way, it is possible to check the current power status of the television. If in the ON state, the power can be turned off by operating the power switch button 601. Also, in order to confirm that the power is turned off surely in response to the power off instruction, the state confirmation button 609 can be operated after the operation of the power switch button 601.

  The same power supply switching button and state confirmation button can be provided for the air conditioner. For example, in an application where the power is turned on from the place outside the home before a predetermined time for returning to winter, it becomes possible to reliably control the air conditioner at home by using the power switching button 601 and the status confirmation button 609. .

  The same applies to lighting devices, and it can be used for applications such as lighting a home lighting device from outside after sunset, for crime prevention.

  In FIG. 8, instead of a single power supply switching button 601, a power on button 601 a for instructing power on and a power off button 601 b for instructing power off are separately provided as operation buttons for power. A remote control operation screen 600a is shown. The state confirmation button 609 and the display 619 of the power state are the same as in the case of FIG.

  In the case of the remote control operation screen 600a of FIG. 8, the user operates the power ON button 601a after confirming that the current power supply state is OFF, and after confirming that the current power supply state is ON, the power OFF button It will operate 601b. However, for the electric device 400 provided with the remote control using the power supply switching button 601, the infrared signal for power control given to the electric device 400 is still the “power switching” infrared signal. Therefore, when the power ON button 601a and the power OFF button 601b are operated, it is necessary to appropriately cope with the outside of the information terminal 100, for example, the service server 300 side. Processing outside the information terminal 100 for that purpose will be described later.

  FIG. 9 shows a modification of the remote control operation screen shown in FIG. In this remote control operation screen 600b, as shown in FIG. 8, the power ON button 601a and the power OFF button 601b are separately provided, but instead of the power status display 619, the power ON button 601a and the power OFF button 601b. The power state is indicated by the change of the display attribute of. That is, according to the current power supply state, the display attributes of the operable (or operated and meaningful) button and the inoperable (or operated and meaningless) button are different. In the illustrated example, the operable buttons are displayed at normal display brightness, and the display brightness of the inoperable button is reduced and displayed. Specifically, when the power state is ON, the display brightness of the power ON button is lowered to indicate that only the power OFF button can be operated. Conversely, when the power state is OFF, the display brightness of the power OFF button is reduced, indicating that only the power ON button can be operated. As a result, it is possible to immediately know which button is effective, that is, whether the current power supply state is ON or OFF, simply by looking at the displayed power supply operation button.

  Although not shown, there may be a mode in which the inoperable button is erased from the screen and only the operable button is displayed. This aspect can also be regarded as the case where the luminance of the inoperable button is reduced to zero.

  Here, specific examples of various data in the storage unit 350 of the service server used in the present embodiment will be conceptually described. Those data structures and data items are for illustrative purposes, and the present invention is not limited to the details.

  FIG. 10 shows a configuration example of the user-specific device / outlet correspondence table 351. The user-specific device / outlet correspondence table 351 uses “station ID” which is identification information of the station being used, “device type” and “maker” of the electric device to be controlled, for each user ID. Each item of “tap ID” which is identification information of the tap, “outlet number (#)” of the tap, and the latest “power status” of the electric device is held. As for items other than the "power state", item contents are set when the user registers the electric device. The "power supply status" is updated so that the content is reflected each time the latest power supply status of each electric device is recognized in the service server.

  FIG. 11 shows a configuration example of the command / signal pattern correspondence table 353. The command / signal pattern correspondence table 353 holds a maker, a command, and infrared signal pattern data corresponding to the command for each device type such as a television (TV), an air conditioner, and a lighting fixture. Such data is known about the products of major manufacturers and can be prepared in the service server initially. It is also possible to add a new product later by the service server maintenance staff. In the case of an electric device having a function to switch power ON and power OFF alternately upon receiving a power switching signal, as in the case where commands of power ON instruction and power OFF instruction are separately prepared, command and infrared signal pattern data However, it does not correspond to one to one in a strict sense, and may be conditionally associated with specific infrared signal pattern data by predetermined processing as described later.

  Also, addition of data on a new product can be performed to the service server by the user of the information terminal learning the infrared pattern outputted from the actual remote control at the station. In that case, an infrared sensor (not shown) is provided at the station to add a function of learning infrared pattern data of each command. The data added by the user may be released to other users in the command / signal pattern correspondence table 353. Alternatively, the data may be stored separately for each user and may be used only by the user.

  FIG. 12 shows a configuration example of the power consumption database (DB) 355. In the power usage database (DB) 355, date and time data and power usage data (w) are accumulated in pairs for each user ID and for each tap ID and outlet #. The service server 300 determines, for each electric device 400, the current state of the power supply based on the latest power consumption data obtained each time the data is obtained. Whether the current state is the power ON state or the power OFF state can be determined by the threshold determination of the amount of used power. The electric device that receives the remote control operation consumes a certain amount of power called standby power even when the power is turned off. The determination of the current state of the power supply of each electrical device can be performed using a specific value larger than the assumed maximum value of the standby power and smaller than the minimum power consumption at the time of power on as a threshold. The current state of the power source determined in this manner is reflected in the “power source state” of the user device / outlet correspondence table 351. There are a method of using a fixed value determined in advance and a method of individually determining according to the device type and manufacturer as the threshold used in the power supply state determination in the present embodiment regardless of the device type and manufacturer of the electric device. sell.

  Note that if the user ID, tap ID and outlet number # are known, it is determined by referring to the user-specific device / outlet correspondence table 351 shown in FIG. 10 which electric device is connected thereto. For convenience, the power consumption database (DB) 355 may hold data such as the device type.

  An example of the device registration screen 500 displayed on the information terminal 100 is shown in FIG. The device registration screen 500 is acquired as, for example, WEB data by accessing the service server 300 from the information terminal 100, and is displayed on the display unit. The user selects a station to be used (station ID) 501, selects a target device (type) 503, selects a maker 503, selects a tap (tap ID) 504, and the electric device that he / she wants to remotely control. The outlet number 505 of the tap is selected or input from the options, respectively. When the registration button 506 is instructed after setting of each item, the content of the device registration screen is registered in the user-specific device-outlet correspondence table 351 of the service server 300. The cancel button 507 is a button for instructing to cancel the device registration halfway.

  Next, the flow of control and data (signal) between each part in the remote control system according to the present embodiment will be described with a sequence diagram.

  FIG. 14 is a sequence diagram schematically showing an operation example of the remote control system in the present embodiment. This operation example corresponds to the mode of connection via stations shown in FIG.

  The tap periodically measures the power consumption of the electrical device connected to itself, and transmits it to the station as power usage information each time or collectively for a predetermined number of times (S41, S42, S43). The station relays and transfers the received power usage information as it is to the service server (S31, S32, S34). The service server receives the power usage information, and the device power consumption management unit 345 stores it in the user-specific power consumption DB 355.

  The information terminal activates the remote control mode according to the user's operation (S11). At this time, although not shown, the user authenticates that the service server 300 is a valid user using a user ID, a password, and the like.

  When the remote control mode is activated, the information terminal accesses the service server via the communication network as an initial operation, and transmits a current status request inquiring the current power status of the registered electric device to the service server (S12). In response to the current state request, the service server 300 returns the latest power state information of the electric device registered by the user to the information terminal as a current state report from the power consumption amount database 355 for each user (S21) . The “power state information” can be generated based on the “power state” of the user-specific device / outlet correspondence table 351 described above. Based on the power supply status information, the information terminal displays a remote control operation screen on which the current power supply status of the electric device is reflected (S13). As described above, the power supply state information may be part or all of the operation screen information, or may be information for reflecting a change in the power supply state in the operation screen information. Note that such initial processing (S11, S12, S13) inquiring the current power state of the electric device at the start of the remote control mode is not essential processing in the present invention. As will be described later, if there is a spontaneous power state inquiry function by the user, it is possible to use that function when the remote control mode is activated.

  Thereafter, the user recognizes the current power supply state of the electric device on the remote control operation screen, and instructs the operation of the electric device by operating the operation button or the like as necessary (S14). This operation instruction (command) is sent to the service server 300 together with the information for identifying the electric device (S15). The service server 300 having received this operation instruction transmits the operation instruction to the station as the corresponding infrared signal pattern data of the electric device (S22). The station generates an infrared (iR) signal based on the received infrared signal pattern data (S33). The electric device receiving this infrared signal operates in response to the command (S51). For example, if the command is a power control command, the power of the electrical device is controlled according to the corresponding infrared signal.

  When the user issues a status confirmation instruction (S16) using a status confirmation button or the like after the power supply operation instruction, the information terminal transmits a current status request to the service server (S17). The request also includes information (for example, information indicating a type or a tap) for identifying the electric device. The service server relays (transfers) the received current status request to the user's station (S23). In this embodiment, the station connects to the service server by itself when it starts up, and then basically maintains a state of connecting sessions. This makes it possible to transmit data bi-directionally between the server and the station at any time. The station sends this current status request to the tap (S35). In response to this request, the tap measures the power consumption of the electrical device and transmits it to the station as power usage information (S44). Such measurement and transmission of power usage is performed on demand on a non-periodic basis based on the user's request. The station relays the received power usage information to the service server (S36). The service server determines the current power state of the electric device based on the received power usage information, and returns the latest power state information of the electric device to the information terminal as a current state report (S24). The portable terminal displays a remote control operation screen on which the current power supply state is reflected based on the power supply state information (S18).

  Regarding the "present status request" in step S17 based on the status confirmation instruction (S16), the service server determines that the measurement time of the power usage information that is the basis for determining the latest stored "power status" of the electric device is currently If it is within a relatively short time (for example, about 30 seconds) in the past, the current state request step S23 may be omitted, and the stored "power state" may be used.

  Note that the tap monitors changes in the power supply of the electric device connected to the connection port (ie, changes from OFF to ON and changes from ON to OFF), and at that point of time, that fact (immediately Alternatively, the power consumption data after change may be transmitted to the service server via the station. In this case, when the information terminal is in the remote control mode, the service server is accessed at predetermined time intervals regardless of the presence or absence of the instruction of the instruction means for confirming the latest power state of the electric device. By performing an operation (polling) to inquire the current state, it is possible to immediately reflect the current state on the remote control operation screen. In this case, the state confirmation button 609 may not be necessary.

  FIG. 15 is a sequence diagram schematically showing a second operation example of the remote control system in the present embodiment. This operation example corresponds to the form of via connection shown in FIG. 6 (b). In FIG. 15, the same elements as the elements shown in FIG. 14 are denoted by the same reference numerals and redundant description will be omitted.

  In FIG. 14, the power use information obtained by tapping periodically or non-periodically is transmitted to the service server via the station, but in FIG. 15, the tap is directly transmitted to the service server (S41, S42, S43, S44) ). In addition, the tap directly receives the operation instruction (S22) relayed from the service server according to the operation instruction (command) from the information terminal, and the tap transmits the operation instruction to the station (S42a).

  FIG. 16 is a sequence diagram schematically showing a third operation example of the remote control system in the present embodiment. This operation example corresponds to the form of parallel connection shown in FIG. In FIG. 16, the same elements as the elements shown in FIG. 14 and FIG.

  In FIG. 16, the power use information obtained by tapping periodically or nonperiodically is transmitted to the service server via the PC (gateway) (S41, S42, S43, S44, S61, S62, S64, S66). The PC (gateway) mediates the operation instruction (S22) relayed from the service server according to the operation instruction (command) from the information terminal, and transmits it to the station (S63). The PC transmits the current status request (S23) relayed from the service server to the tap (S65).

  Here, a process related to power supply switching control of the electric device by the service server in the present embodiment will be described.

  The relationship between the power control command generated from the information terminal 100, the control signal output from the service server 300, and the infrared signal output from the station 410 will be described with reference to FIG. In this example, power control of the electric device to be controlled is performed by a power switching infrared signal.

  FIG. 17A corresponds to a mode in which the power supply switching button 601 is used on the remote control operation screen. When the power supply switching button 601 is operated in the information terminal 100, a power supply switching command is generated. The service server 300 that has received this power supply switching command transmits a power supply switching control signal corresponding to this command to the station 410. The station 410 converts this power switching control signal into a power switching infrared signal and outputs it. The service server 300 recognizes which electric device (device type and manufacturer) is currently to be controlled, in accordance with the switching operation of the electric device to be controlled on the remote control operation screen of the user's information terminal 100. be able to. The station 410 to be controlled is determined based on the user-specific device / outlet correspondence table 351 of the user, and further, based on the command / signal pattern correspondence table 353, a power switching infrared signal corresponding to the electric device and command. The infrared signal pattern data as is determined.

  FIG. 17B corresponds to a mode in which the power ON button 601 a and the power OFF button 601 b are used on the remote control operation screen. When the power ON button 601a or the power OFF button 601b is operated in the information terminal 100, a power ON command or a power OFF command is generated. Upon receiving the power control command (power ON command or power OFF command), the service server 300 checks the current power status of the electric device, and transmits a power switching control signal to the station 410 according to the check result. That is, when it is confirmed that the current power supply state is OFF for the power supply ON command, a power supply switching control signal is generated. In response to the power off command, when it is confirmed that the current power state is on, a power switching control signal is generated. The station 410 outputs a power switching infrared signal according to the power switching control signal. In addition, the service server 300 recognizes the tap ID and the outlet number based on the user-specific device / outlet correspondence table 351 corresponding to the electric device to be controlled, and measures the power consumption of the electric device. By doing this, the power supply status can be confirmed.

  FIG. 17C corresponds to a mode in which the power ON button 601a and the power OFF button 601b are used on the remote control operation screen, as in the case of FIG. 17B. However, the service server 300 receiving the power ON command or the power OFF command does not check the current power state of the electric device, and the extended control signal (power ON control signal corresponding to the power ON command or the power OFF command) Alternatively, the power OFF control signal is transmitted to the station 410. The station 410 that has received the power control signal checks the current power state of the electric device, and generates a power switching infrared signal according to the check result. That is, for the power ON control signal, when it is confirmed that the current power state is OFF, a power switching infrared signal is generated. For the power-off control signal, when it is confirmed that the current power-supply state is ON, a power-supply switching infrared signal is generated.

The power on control signal has, for example, a format including the following data items.
"Power ON + tap ID + outlet number + infrared signal data + other"
In this case, the service server 300 creates this extended control signal based on the information as shown in the tables shown in FIG. 10 and FIG. Although the data item “other” is not particularly limited, for example, in order to perform fine determination processing on the station side, a threshold for power state determination, model type, maker information, and the like can be used.

  When the station receives such an extended control signal, it checks the amount of used power of the specified number of designated outlets of the specified tap, and measures the amount of used power and the specified device type threshold. The comparison determines the current power state of the electrical device. If the condition of "power on" is met, the designated infrared signal data is transmitted. The threshold for determining the power supply status can be held on the station side, but especially when the threshold is different depending on the device type or manufacturer, as described above, on the service server side, the TV of It is also possible to send each time including the threshold value together with the information of the device type such as air conditioner and the like.

Similarly, the power off control signal may have a format including the following data items.
"Power off + tap ID + outlet number + infrared signal data + other"
The power off control signal is the same as the power on control signal except that the command is “power off”.

  Thus, in the form of FIGS. 17 (a) and 17 (b), the service server 300 converts the command received from the information terminal 100 into a control signal as infrared signal pattern data, and transmits it to the station. The infrared signal is output based on the infrared signal pattern data. On the other hand, in the form of FIG. 17 (c), the service server 200 converts the received command into the corresponding extended control signal and transfers it to the station 410, and after the station 410 confirms the power state, it is instructed An infrared switching signal to the electric device is generated. Instead of such a configuration as shown in FIG. 17C, the command received by the service server 200 can be transferred to the station 410, and the station 410 can convert the command into infrared signal pattern data. In this case, the command / signal pattern correspondence table 353 is provided in the station. In addition, it is desirable to store the power supply status of the power supply device in the station. The process of converting the command that the station 410 takes charge of to infrared signal pattern data may be limited to the power control command.

  FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing a schematic process of the service server corresponding to the mode shown in FIG. 17A using the power supply switching button 601 on the remote control operation screen. Also in this example, power control of the electric device to be controlled is performed by the power switching infrared signal.

  When the service server receives an instruction from the information terminal (S101, Yes), the service server checks whether the instruction is a "power supply switching instruction" (S102). If the "power supply switching instruction" (S102, Yes), the station is instructed to output a power switching infrared signal to the electric device (S103). Otherwise, after moving to another processing step, return to the first step.

  FIG. 19 is a flow chart showing a schematic process of the service server corresponding to the mode shown in FIG. 17B using the power ON button and the power OFF button on the remote control operation screen.

  When the service server receives an instruction from the information terminal (S111, Yes), the service server checks whether the instruction is a "power on" instruction (S112). If the "power ON instruction" (S112, Yes), it is checked whether the power of the electrical device is currently OFF (S113). Prior to this check, it is desirable to carry out processing to confirm the current power supply state of the electric device from the tap, similar to that described in step S16 of FIG. Thereby, even when the update interval of the power supply state of each electric device in the service server is not sufficiently short, desired power supply switching can be reliably performed. If the power is off, the station is instructed to output a power switching infrared signal to the electric device (S114). If not, return to the first step.

  In step S115, it is checked whether the received instruction is a "power off" instruction. If not, move on to the subsequent step. If so, it is checked whether the electric device is currently powered on (S116). Prior to this check, it is desirable to carry out processing to confirm the current power supply state of the electric device from the tap, similar to that described in step S16 of FIG. Thereby, even when the update interval of the power supply state of each electric device in the service server is not sufficiently short, desired power supply switching can be reliably performed. If the power is on, the station is instructed to output a power switching infrared signal to the electric device (S117). If not, return to the first step. After execution of step S117, the process returns to the first step.

  Although the process of FIG. 19 has been described as the process executed by the service server 300, the station 410 and the tap 430 are connected to each other as in the via-station connection and the via-tap connection illustrated in FIGS. 6 (a) and 6 (b). Alternatively, the station 410 may perform the same process on behalf of the service server 300.

  FIG. 20 shows a flowchart showing the outline processing of such a station. This corresponds to the form of FIG. 17 (c).

  When the station receives some control signal from the server (S121, Yes), it checks whether the instruction is the power ON control signal (S122). If it is a power ON control signal (S122, Yes), it is checked whether the power of the electric device is currently OFF (S123). In this check, the current power supply state of the electric device is confirmed from the tap. If the power is off, a power switching infrared signal is output to the electric device (S124). If not, return to the first step.

  In step S125, it is checked whether the received instruction is a power OFF control signal. If not, move on to the subsequent step. If so, it is checked whether the electric device is currently powered on (S126). In this check, the current power supply state of the electric device is confirmed from the tap. As a result, if the power is on, the power switching infrared signal is output to the electric device (S127). If not, return to the first step. After execution of step S127, the process returns to the first step.

  The present invention can be realized even when, for example, the remote control operation screen information virtually exists only for the other device 100d described above and the user can not necessarily view the information as visual information. When the power state of the electric device in such a case is reflected in the remote control operation screen information, the power state can be transmitted to the user by a voice message (for example, "currently power is off"). In addition, the user can instruct the state confirmation button 609 by voice input (for example, "TV power source confirmed").

  Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described.

  FIG. 21 is a diagram showing an entire configuration of a remote control system in the second embodiment. The same elements as the elements shown in FIG. 1 are assigned the same reference numerals and redundant explanations are omitted.

  In the first embodiment, the remote control has been described as being performed individually by the user. However, the remote control system of the present invention may have other applications besides personal remote control of an electric device at home. Here, it is assumed that the service server 300a transmits a common command to a plurality of users at the same time as needed to remotely control a predetermined electric device. For example, in an emergency such as when an earthquake or disaster of a predetermined size or more occurs, the power of a predetermined electric device such as a television is turned on and a predetermined channel is selected, and the volume is increased by a predetermined amount. And so on. As described in the first embodiment, the procedure for generating a power switching infrared signal is applied to the power on command of the television as described in the first embodiment only when the current power state of the television is off. In addition to this, a control to turn on the luminaire may be added. Also in this case, the procedure of generating the power switching infrared signal is applied only when the current power state of the lighting apparatus is OFF.

  For example, when an earthquake occurs while the user is at home, such control is automatically executed when viewed from the user, so that the user who is not aware of the occurrence of the earthquake can be alerted. In addition, even for the user who is aware, it is possible to provide the emergency alert without requiring a complicated operation such as a television.

  FIG. 22 shows a configuration example of the service server 300a in the second embodiment. In this example, the simultaneous remote control unit 348 is added to the data processing unit 340, and the simultaneous remote control command table 358 and the simultaneous remote control target user table 359 are added to the storage unit 350.

  As illustrated in FIG. 21, the simultaneous remote control command table 358 stores in advance a command group including a power ON instruction of the specified electric device. A plurality of simultaneous command groups can be prepared, and any one can be selected and used.

The following can be considered as an example of the simultaneous remote control command group.
TV1 ON, CH1, VOL +, VOL +, VOL +, Light1 ON
This represents a series of commands (commands) to turn on the power of the TV, set the channel to CH1, turn up the volume three times the unit amount, and turn on the lighting device.

  Further, the user ID of the desired user may be registered in advance in the simultaneous remote control target user table 359 for each simultaneous command group, and the user ID of the desired user may be executed only for the desired user.

  At a predetermined time, the simultaneous remote control unit 348 executes the command group stored in the simultaneous remote control command table 358 with respect to the electric device of the user registered in the simultaneous remote control target user table 359.

  After the time elapsed command is added to the simultaneous remote control command group and the power ON instruction is output, the power OFF instruction may be output after a predetermined time elapses.

  The "predetermined time" as a trigger for performing simultaneous remote control may be different for each simultaneous remote control command group. For example, the server may automatically respond to the earthquake early Warning to execute a specific broadcast remote control command group. Also, the person in charge may determine the predetermined time and manually instruct the service server to execute a specific simultaneous remote control command group.

  In this example, it is assumed that a plurality of simultaneous command groups are prepared on the service server side, and each user is allowed to select a desired simultaneous command group. Alternatively, any combination of commands may be registered as each user's desired simultaneous command group. The target user of the target user group in that case is one.

  Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, various modifications and changes can be made in addition to those mentioned above. For example, although the present invention is suitably applied to an electric device using a remote control provided with a toggle type power button, the application to other electric devices is not excluded at the same time. Further, as described above, the wireless signal is not limited to the infrared signal.

  The present invention also includes a computer program for realizing the functions described in the above embodiments by a computer and a recording medium in which the program is stored in a computer readable manner. As the "recording medium" for supplying the program, for example, a magnetic storage medium (flexible disk, hard disk, magnetic tape, etc.), an optical disk (magneto-optical disk such as MO or PD, CD, DVD, etc.), semiconductor storage, etc. It can be mentioned.

100 ... information terminal, 100 a ... smartphone (tablet), 100 b ... mobile phone terminal, 100 c ... PC, 101 ... control unit, 102 ... storage unit, 104 ... input unit, 105 ... display unit, 106 ... communication unit, 107 ... voice Processing unit 200 Communication network 300, 300a Service server 310 Communication unit 320 Display unit 330 Input unit 340 Data processing unit 341 Per-user device / outlet correspondence table management unit 343 User operation confirmation / response / instruction generation unit 345: power consumption management unit for device use 346: remote control screen data management unit 347: user management unit 348: simultaneous remote control unit 350: storage unit 351: device for each user・ Outlet correspondence table, 353 ... Command ・ Signal pattern correspondence table, 356 ... Remote control picture by control object Data storage unit 357: registered user DB, 358: simultaneous remote control command table, 359: simultaneous remote control target user table, 400: electric device, 400a: television, 400b: air conditioner, 400c: lighting fixture, 410: station, 411 ... control unit 412 storage unit 413 infrared control unit 414 wireless communication unit 415 display unit 416 communication unit 430 tap (power supply tap) 431 control unit 432 storage unit 433 ... power supply unit, 433a ... plug, 433b ... connection port (outlet), 434 ... power monitor unit, 435 ... display unit, 436 ... communication unit, 437 ... wireless communication unit, 600, 600a, 600b ... remote control operation screen, 601 ... Power switch button, 601a ... button, 601b ... button, 602 ... voice increase button, 603 ... voice reduction Tan, 604 ... mute button, 605 ... input switching button, 606 ... screen display button, 609 ... state confirmation button, 610a, 610b ... tab, 619 ... power status display

Claims (16)

A remote control system for remotely controlling an electric device operated by a wireless signal by a remote control from an information terminal via a communication network,
A server connected to the communication network;
Power measurement means for measuring the power consumption of the electrical device and generating power usage information;
A device operation signal generator connected to the communication network;
The server is
And a means for reporting the current power supply status of the electric device confirmed based on the latest power usage information obtained by the power measurement unit to the information terminal as power supply status information;
Instruction generation means for transmitting a control signal for controlling the power supply of the electric device to the device operation signal generation device in accordance with an instruction from the information terminal;
The server further includes a data table in which control commands for each electric device and signal patterns of the wireless signal are stored in association with each other, and the data table is referred to based on the control command included in the instruction from the information terminal. The control signal output to the device operation signal generator includes signal pattern data corresponding to the control command ;
The information terminal has means for transmitting to the user operation screen information for operating the electric device, and the power state is determined based on the latest power state information of the electric device obtained by the power measuring means. Communicate the reflected operation screen information to the user,
When the device operation signal generation device receives the control signal based on an instruction from the information terminal from the server, the device operation signal generation device controls the electric device with a wireless signal according to the device type of the electric device according to the control signal. A remote control system having means for generating a wireless signal to the electrical device . A remote control system for remotely controlling an electric device operated by a wireless signal by a remote control from an information terminal via a communication network,
A server connected to the communication network;
Power measurement means for measuring the power consumption of the electrical device and generating power usage information;
A device operation signal generator connected to the communication network;
The server is
And a means for reporting the current power supply status of the electric device confirmed based on the latest power usage information obtained by the power measurement unit to the information terminal as power supply status information;
Instruction generation means for transmitting a control signal for controlling the power supply of the electric device to the device operation signal generation device in accordance with an instruction from the information terminal;
The information terminal has means for transmitting to the user operation screen information for operating the electric device, and the power state is determined based on the latest power state information of the electric device obtained by the power measuring means. Communicate the reflected operation screen information to the user,
When the device operation signal generation device receives the control signal based on an instruction from the information terminal from the server, the device operation signal generation device controls the electric device with a wireless signal according to the device type of the electric device according to the control signal. Wireless signal generation means for generating a wireless signal to the electric device,
The device operation signal generation device further includes a data table in which control commands for each electric device and the signal pattern of the wireless signal are stored in association with each other, and the wireless signal generation unit is included in the control signal from the server. the reference to the data table, <br/> remote control system that generates the radio signal based on a signal pattern data corresponding to the control command based on the control commands. The remote control system according to the power measuring means according to claim 1 or 2 incorporated into a power strip. The power tap has a plurality of connection ports for connecting a plurality of electric devices, and the power measurement unit is provided for each of the connection ports.
The remote control system according to claim 3 , wherein the server comprises management means for managing which electrical device is connected to which connection port. The management means associates the device operation signal generating device, the power tap, and the type information of the electric device connected to the connection port of the power tap based on the user's input operation from the information terminal. 5. A remote control system according to claim 4 , further comprising means for registering. The server according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , wherein the server holds operation screen information for operating the electric device, and supplies the operation screen information to the information terminal in response to a request from the information terminal. Remote control system. The remote control system according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , wherein the information terminal holds operation screen information for operating the electric device in advance. The remote control system according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the information terminal indicates the power state of the electric device on the operation screen as text, a symbol or a figure. The information terminal displays a power ON button and a power OFF button for instructing power ON and power OFF on the operation screen, and indicates a power state by a change in display attribute of the power ON button and / or the power OFF button. A remote control system according to claim 6 or 7 . 10. The information terminal according to any one of claims 1 to 9 , wherein the information terminal has an instruction unit including a specific button or menu displayed on the operation screen for generating an instruction to confirm the latest power state of the electric device. Remote control system described in. The remote control system according to any one of claims 1 to 10 , wherein the information terminal periodically outputs an instruction for confirming a current power supply state. Said instruction generating means of the server, a power ON and power OFF by receiving a power supply switching signal to the electric device having a function of switching alternately, when receiving a power ON instruction from the information terminal, of the electrical device based on the latest power consumption information to generate the power source switching signal as the control signal to the device operation signal generator when the current power state of the electrical device is confirmed to be OFF, the power OFF from the information terminal when receiving the instruction, the power source switching signal as the control signal to the device operation signal generator when the current power state of the electrical device based on the latest power consumption information of the electric device is confirmed to be oN The remote control system according to any one of claims 1 to 11 . The device operating signal generating device, when the power ON and power OFF by receiving a power supply switching signal to the electric device having a function of switching alternately receiving the power ON instruction as the control signal from the server, the electro when the current power state of the electrical device is confirmed to be OFF based on the latest power consumption information of the device, generates a radio signal as the power source switching signal by the radio signal generating means, from said server when receiving the power OFF instruction as the control signal, when the current power state of the electrical device based on the latest power consumption information of the electric device is confirmed to be oN, the said power supply switching by the radio signal generating means The remote control system according to any one of claims 1 to 11 , which generates a wireless signal as the signal. Said server further
A simultaneous remote control command table in which a command group consisting of a plurality of commands including a power ON instruction of a designated electric device and an instruction other than the power supply is stored in advance;
A simultaneous remote control target user table for registering users who are targets of remote control for each command group;
The simultaneous remote control unit for executing the command group stored in the simultaneous remote control command table at a predetermined time on the electric device of the user registered in the simultaneous remote control target user table. The remote control system according to any one of 13 . The remote control system according to any one of claims 1 to 14 , wherein the server has use power information storage means for receiving and storing use power information periodically reported from the power measurement means. In response to a request from the information terminal, the server confirms the current power supply state of the electric device based on the latest used power information obtained by the power measurement unit, and sends the power supply state information to the information terminal. The remote control system according to any one of claims 1 to 15 , further comprising response means for responding.