JP6681282B2 - Power demand remote management system, demand controller, demand controller master, and power demand remote management method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a power demand remote management system, a demand controller, a master unit of a demand controller, and a power demand remote management method. More specifically, the present invention relates to a device that allows a user to remotely monitor, through the Internet, the operating status of a power demand controller which is installed in a remote place and is under automatic control.

  2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, an increasing number of companies are introducing a power demand management system for the purpose of reducing energy costs of equipment and machinery used for facility operation, or coping with power usage restrictions and supply power shortages. As an example of such a power demand management system, there is a power demand management system described in Patent Document 1 proposed by the present inventor, and the configuration of this power demand management system is shown in FIG.

  The power demand management system 9 shown in FIG. 19 includes a master 91, a plurality of control slaves 92, a relay slave 93 that relays signals between the master 91 and the first slave 92, and a cubicle. An electric power demand monitoring device 94 connected to 95 is provided.

  Each control child device 92 is controllably connected to a terminal device 96 such as an outdoor unit of the air conditioning room, and is capable of receiving a control signal of the terminal device 96 generated outside the device.

  The base unit 91 has a function of receiving an alert from the power demand monitoring device 94 that is issued when the maximum demand power reaches or reaches the set value within the unit time, and the maximum within the unit time depending on the content of the received alert. It has a function of generating a control signal to the terminal device 96 for switching the operation so that the power demand does not exceed the set value, and a function of transmitting the control signal to the control child device 92.

  The power demand management system 9 sets a maximum demand power setting value in which the power consumption of the terminal device 96 connected to the control child device 92 is within a unit time according to the content of the alert received from the power demand monitoring device 94. That is, it is possible to execute the operation so as not to exceed.

JP, 2015-213410, A

  By the way, in the power demand management system 9 described above, due to an external factor such as a lightning strike to the area where the power demand management system 9 is installed, a failure or an operation abnormality (hereinafter, referred to as a “failure etc.”) occurs in a device constituting the system such as the control subunit 92. It can happen. Originally, such a failure should be discovered by the company that is the facility manager by performing a regular check or a temporary check, and then attempting to reset it while referring to the manual, etc. The manufacturer should be asked to repair it.

  However, when the user of the power demand management system 9 described above is a small or medium-sized enterprise, there is often no dedicated system administrator, and even if there is a system administrator, there is a case in which he / she also serves as normal business. In many cases, there is a possibility that a failure of the management system will not be noticed during normal work. When the installation company does not notice the occurrence of a failure at all or does not notice it for a long time, not only the power consumption of the installed terminal device 96 exceeds the set value of the maximum demand power per unit time, but also the operation of the installation company. There is also the possibility that significant damage may occur.

  On the other hand, a service person such as a store that installed the power demand management system 9 may frequently inspect the facility where the power demand management system 9 is installed, but this is not realistic because it requires too much labor.

  The present invention was devised in view of the above points, and the operating status of a power demand controller (corresponding to the power demand management system 9 described above) that is being automatically controlled by a user and that is being automatically controlled. It is an object of the present invention to provide a power demand remote management system, a demand controller, a master unit of the demand controller, and a power demand remote management method capable of remotely monitoring the power demand.

  In order to achieve the above object, a power demand remote management system of the present invention is a control in which an information communication terminal and a terminal device are controllably connected, and a control signal for receiving the control signal of the terminal device generated outside the machine is received. A slave unit having a signal reception unit and a management signal transmission unit that generates and transmits a management signal that conveys the operating status of the terminal device, a management signal reception unit that receives the management signal, and a power demand monitoring device outside the device. Connected to the power demand monitoring device, the alert receiving unit for receiving an alert indicating that the maximum demand power has imminently reached or reached the set value within the unit time, and the unit time depending on the content of the received alert. Control signal transmitting unit for generating the control signal for switching to the operation in which the maximum demand power in the unit does not exceed the set value and transmitting the control signal to the slave unit, and the received management signal connected to the Internet line Transmits either or both of the alert to the information communication terminal, and a base unit and a Internet communication unit for receiving a signal from the information communication terminal.

  Here, the information communication terminal can receive one or both of the management signal and the alert transmitted by the master unit via the Internet line. As a result, the operating status of the terminal device or the power demand value based on either or both of the management signal and the alert is displayed on the web browser of the information communication terminal or the web browser displayed on the monitor connected to the information communication terminal. Can be displayed.

  The term "alert" is used to mean an alarm or a warning, and is used in the same meaning below. Further, the “management signal” is used to mean a signal that informs the master unit of the operating status of the connected terminal device at all times or at predetermined intervals, and is also used in the same meaning below.

  By having the control signal receiving unit, the slave unit can control the connected terminal device based on the control signal received from the master unit, and the management signal transmitting unit controls the operating status of the terminal device. A management signal to be transmitted can be generated and transmitted to the base unit.

  The master unit can receive the management signal from the slave unit by including the management signal receiving unit, and can receive the alert from the power demand monitoring device by including the alert receiving unit.

  Then, the master unit can generate a control signal to the terminal device according to the content of the received alert and transmit the control signal to the slave unit by including the control signal transmitting unit, and thus the master unit can be transmitted to the slave unit. It is possible to prevent the connected terminal device from operating in a state in which the maximum demand power per unit time exceeds the set value.

  Furthermore, since the master unit has the Internet communication unit, it is possible to transmit either or both of the received management signal and alert to the information communication terminal via the Internet line. Can remotely monitor the operating status of a power demand controller installed at a remote location through the Internet. Then, the Internet communication unit can receive a signal from the information communication terminal. Here, the "signal from the information communication terminal" is used in a meaning including various signals such as an information transmission request to the master unit and an operation command to the master unit, and the same meaning hereinafter. .

  According to this power demand remote management system, the manufacturing cost can be suppressed by concentrating the function of generating a control signal according to an alert in the master unit and simplifying the slave unit, and by extension, the installation. It is also possible to reduce the introduction cost due to the expansion of slave units that accompanies the increase in the number of terminal devices that are used.

  Also, in cooperation with the Internet communication unit, one or both of the management signal transmitted and received by the parent device and the alert received by the parent device are converted into a signal based on an MQTT (Message Queueing Telemetry Transport) communication protocol. Then, while including the MQTT conversion unit for transmitting to the information communication terminal and converting the signal based on the MQTT communication protocol received from the information communication terminal into a signal that can be processed in the parent device, by the MQTT conversion unit, The data used for transmitting and receiving signals has a smaller protocol header and can be made lighter in weight as compared with data adopting a conventional communication protocol such as HTTP. Therefore, transfer amount, CPU load, power consumption amount, etc. Since it can be suppressed to about one-half and the processing speed is fast, real-time display is possible.

  Since not only one-way or one-to-one communication but also two-way or one-to-many communication is possible, one administrator can centrally manage a large number of installed machines. In addition, by adopting the MQTT, it is possible to know the communication disconnection with the slave unit or the master unit by the function "Will" peculiar to the MQTT.

  Further, in cooperation with the Internet communication unit, one or both of the management signal transmitted and received by the master device and the alert received by the master device are converted into a signal based on an MQTT communication protocol to convert the information communication terminal. And an MQTT conversion unit that converts a signal based on the MQTT communication protocol received from the information communication terminal into a signal that can be processed in the master unit, and the Internet communication unit and the MQTT conversion unit in cooperation with MQTT communication. When a WebSocket communication unit that performs communication path connection by the WebSocket communication protocol is provided as a path capable of transmitting and receiving a signal based on the protocol, by adopting the WebSocket method for connection of the communication path together with the operation effect of the MQTT described above, Browse web pages with a web browser Simply connect the master unit to kill the network, it can be installed available.

  More specifically, the default communication port of MQTT is 1883, and it is necessary to open this port in the network environment in which the base unit is installed, but there are cases where the port cannot be opened due to Internet security measures at the installation site. Therefore, in the present invention, the communication path of the WebSocket method is adopted, and the communication port used by the master unit is 80 port or 443 port (a port used when browsing a Web page with a Web browser, It is open even under security).

  In other words, by combining WebSocket and MQTT, when connecting the parent device to the Internet line, simply connecting the parent device to a network environment such as a LAN (Local Area Network) without making settings such as port opening. Since it is completed, the labor for installation is small.

  Furthermore, by combining WebSocket, which is a communication path that enables real-time two-way communication, and MQTT, which has a light data weight, the response speed between the information communication terminal and the base unit is higher than that when a conventional communication protocol is adopted. It is possible to realize real-time display of operation information of the child device or the like, or improvement in speed of reflecting operation commands to the parent device.

  Further, when the server has a Web server unit, an MQTT server unit, and a database unit and is connectable to an Internet line, each unit cooperates to provide one or more parent devices and an information communication terminal. The data can be relayed between the two and the data can be recorded, and access can be made not only from a specific information communication terminal but also from a plurality of information communication terminals.

  Furthermore, since the communication protocol is MQTT, the transfer amount, the CPU load, the power consumption amount, etc. can be suppressed to about 1/10 of the conventional one, and the processing speed is fast, so that real-time display is possible.

  Further, in the case where the server has a Web server unit, an MQTT server unit, a WebSocket communication unit, and a database unit and is provided with a server connectable to the Internet line, each unit works in cooperation with one or more parent servers. Data can be recorded by relaying between the machine and the information communication terminal, and access can be made not only from a specific information communication terminal but also from a plurality of information communication terminals.

  Furthermore, since the communication protocol is MQTT, the transfer amount, the CPU load, the power consumption amount, etc. can be suppressed to about 1/10 of the conventional one, and the processing speed is fast, so that real-time display is possible. In addition, by adopting WebSocket as a communication protocol, a communication path capable of real-time bidirectional communication is secured, and data can be transmitted and received by MQTT without releasing the default communication port of MQTT. .

  In other words, by combining WebSocket and MQTT, it is only necessary to connect the server to a network environment such as a LAN (Local Area Network) when connecting the server to the Internet line without making settings such as opening ports. , It is easy to set up.

  Furthermore, by combining WebSocket, which is a communication path that enables real-time bidirectional communication, and MQTT, which has a light data weight, the response speed from the server to the information communication terminal or the base unit is faster than when a conventional communication protocol is adopted. It is possible to realize real-time display of operation information of the child device or the like, or improvement in speed of reflecting operation commands to the parent device.

  Further, when a relay slave unit that relays the management signal is provided between the master unit and the slave unit, a vast facility in which the distance between the master unit and the slave unit is large, or a signal is hard to reach Even a facility can send a signal appropriately.

  When the slave unit has a relay communication unit that relays one or both of the management signal and the control signal, the slave unit itself may use one or both of the management signal and the control signal without using the relay slave unit. Can be relayed. For example, if there are multiple cordless handsets, it is possible to relay management signals from a cordless handset near the cordless handset to a cordless handset that is far away, and if part of the cordless handset fails, the signal will be cut off there. It is also possible to identify the faulty child device.

  In order to achieve the above object, the demand controller of the present invention includes a control signal receiving unit that is connected to a terminal device in a controllable manner and that receives a control signal of the terminal device generated outside the device, and the terminal device. Connected to an external power demand monitoring device and a management signal receiving unit for receiving the management signal, the slave unit having a management signal transmitting unit for generating and transmitting a management signal for transmitting the operation demand of the power demand monitoring device. An alert receiver that receives an alert issued by the device indicating that the maximum power demand is approaching or reaching the set value within the unit time, and the maximum power demand within the unit time is the set value according to the content of the received alert. A control signal transmitting unit for generating the control signal for switching to the operation not exceeding the limit and transmitting the control signal to the slave unit, and one of the received management signal and the alert connected to the Internet line. The square or both and transmits to the information communication terminal, and a base unit and a Internet communication unit for receiving a signal from the information communication terminal.

  Here, since the slave unit has the control signal receiving unit, it can control the connected terminal device based on the control signal received from the master unit, and the management signal transmitting unit controls the operation of the terminal device. It is possible to generate a management signal that conveys the situation and send it to the master unit.

  The master unit can receive the management signal from the slave unit by including the management signal receiving unit, and can receive the alert from the power demand monitoring device by including the alert receiving unit. Then, the master unit can generate a control signal to the terminal device according to the content of the received alert and transmit the control signal to the slave unit by including the control signal transmitting unit, and thus the master unit can be transmitted to the slave unit. It is possible to prevent the connected terminal device from operating in a state in which the maximum demand power per unit time exceeds the set value.

  Furthermore, since the master unit has the Internet communication unit, it is possible to transmit either or both of the received management signal and alert to the information communication terminal via the Internet line. Can remotely monitor the operating status of a power demand controller installed at a remote location through the Internet. Then, the Internet communication unit can receive a signal from the information communication terminal.

  According to this demand controller, it is possible to reduce the manufacturing cost by concentrating the function of generating a control signal according to the alert in the master unit and simplifying the slave unit, and by extension, the terminal device to be installed. It is also possible to suppress the introduction cost due to the expansion of slave units due to the increase in

  In order to achieve the above object, the master unit of the demand controller of the present invention is a management signal that receives a management signal that is generated and transmitted by a child device outside the machine and that conveys the operating status of a terminal device connected to the child device. A receiving unit, an alert receiving unit that receives an alert that the maximum power demand has imminently reached or reached within a unit time, issued by the connected power demand monitoring device, and the content of the received alert According to the control signal transmitting unit for generating a control signal for switching to an operation in which the maximum power demand within a unit time does not exceed a set value and transmitting the control signal to the slave unit, connected to an Internet line, and receiving the management signal and the An internet communication unit that transmits one or both of the alerts to the information communication terminal and receives a signal from the information communication terminal.

  Here, the master unit can receive the management signal from the slave unit by including the management signal receiving unit, and can also receive the alert from the power demand monitoring device by including the alert receiving unit. it can. Then, the master unit can generate a control signal to the terminal device according to the content of the received alert and transmit the control signal to the slave unit by including the control signal transmitting unit, and thus the master unit can be transmitted to the slave unit. It is possible to prevent the connected terminal device from operating in a state in which the maximum demand power per unit time exceeds the set value.

  Furthermore, since the master unit has the Internet communication unit, it is possible to transmit either or both of the received management signal and alert to the information communication terminal via the Internet line. Can remotely monitor the operating status of a power demand controller installed at a remote location through the Internet. Then, the Internet communication unit can receive a signal from the information communication terminal.

  According to the master unit of this demand controller, the function of generating the control signal according to the alert is concentrated in the master unit, and the manufacturing cost can be suppressed by simplifying the slave unit. It is also possible to reduce the introduction cost due to the expansion of slave units that accompanies the increase in the number of terminal devices that are used.

  Furthermore, in a facility that employs the power demand management system described in Patent Document 1, by replacing the existing master unit with the master unit of the demand controller of the present invention, the power demand remote management system or demand controller of the present invention described above. In addition to being able to upgrade the existing slave unit, the existing slave unit can be used as it is, so the cost for introducing the system can be suppressed and the labor for installing a new slave unit can be saved.

  In order to achieve the above object, the power demand remote management method according to the first aspect of the present invention is a first method in which a child device to which a terminal device is controllably connected generates and transmits a management signal that conveys the operating status of the terminal device. A second step in which the power demand monitoring device connected to the cubicle sends an alert to be issued when the maximum demand power reaches or reaches a set value within a unit time; A third step of receiving the alert and transmitting one or both of the received management signal and alert to the information communication terminal via the Internet line.

  Here, the power demand remote management method is that the master unit transmits the management signal received from the slave unit or the alert received from the power demand monitoring device to the information communication terminal via the Internet line, thereby An administrator or the like can remotely monitor the operating status of a power demand controller installed at a remote location through the Internet.

According to the power demand remote management system of the present invention, the user can remotely monitor the operating status of the power demand controller under automatic control installed at a remote location through the Internet.
Further, by using the demand controller of the present invention, it is possible for a user to remotely monitor the operating status of the demand controller for electric power, which is installed at a remote place and is under automatic control, through the Internet.
Furthermore, by using the master unit of the demand controller of the present invention, the user can remotely monitor the operating status of the demand controller for electric power, which is installed at a remote place and is under automatic control, through the Internet.
Furthermore, by using the power demand remote management method of the present invention, the user can remotely monitor the operating status of the power demand controller under automatic control installed at a remote location through the Internet.

It is explanatory drawing which shows the outline of the electric power demand remote management system which concerns on this Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows the installation example of the demand controller in the electric power demand remote management system shown in FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the external appearance of the main | base station of the demand controller shown in FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the outline of an internal structure of the main | base station shown in FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the outline of a structure of the server in the power demand remote management system shown in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the network connection procedure of a main | base station. It is the schematic which shows the outline of the network connection state between a main | base station and a server. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the interface which shows the state of the child machine displayed on the display screen part of a parent machine. It is explanatory drawing which shows the login screen displayed on the screen of an information communication terminal. It is explanatory drawing which shows the user registration screen displayed on the screen of an information communication terminal. It is explanatory drawing which shows the setting and change screen displayed on the screen of an information communication terminal. It is explanatory drawing which shows the real-time trend screen displayed on the screen of an information communication terminal. It is explanatory drawing which shows the screen which shows the handset monitor screen, wireless sensitivity, etc. which are displayed on the screen of an information communication terminal. It is explanatory drawing of the screen which shows the subunit | mobile_unit individual display state displayed on the screen of an information communication terminal. It is explanatory drawing which shows the data browsing and download screen displayed on the screen of an information communication terminal. It is explanatory drawing which shows the event information screen displayed on the screen of an information communication terminal. It is explanatory drawing which shows the 1st administrator screen displayed on the screen of an information communication terminal. It is explanatory drawing which shows the 2nd administrator screen displayed on the screen of an information communication terminal. It is explanatory drawing which showed the management system of the power demand of patent document 1.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. It should be noted that the reference numerals in each drawing are attached within a range that reduces complexity and facilitates understanding, and in the case of a plurality of equivalent objects to which the same reference numerals are attached, only some of them may be attached with reference numerals. is there.

  Please refer to FIG. The power demand remote management system 1 in FIG. 1 includes demand controllers 2a and 2b, a server 4, and information communication terminals 51, 52, and 53 (hereinafter collectively referred to as "information communication terminals 51 to 53"). Has been done. Note that FIG. 1 illustrates a mode in which the demand controllers 2a and 2b installed in different facilities are managed for the sake of convenience, but the invention is not limited to this. For example, one demand controller may be managed. However, the number may be three or more. Hereinafter, each part will be described mainly with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4.

  Please refer to FIG. FIG. 2 shows an example of the demand controller 2a and peripheral devices connected to the demand controller 2a. The demand controller 2a according to the present embodiment is a portion surrounded by a broken line. Since the demand controllers 2a and 2b have the same configuration, the description of the demand controller 2b will be omitted. Further, the terminal devices 301, 302, 303 (hereinafter, collectively referred to as “terminal devices 301 to 303”) are outdoor units of an air conditioner and are examples of the terminal devices.

(Power demand monitoring device)
The cubicle 31 shown outside the broken line in FIG. 2 is a facility that receives high-voltage power transmission from outside the facility, and the power demand monitoring device 32 is connected to the inside thereof. Note that, in FIG. 2, the power demand monitoring device 32 is shown outside the cubicle 31 for convenience of description. The power demand monitoring device 32 is connected to the master device 21 by wire or wirelessly and issues an alert when the maximum demand power approaches or reaches the set value within a unit time.

  The power demand monitoring device is used, for example, in combination with an existing demand monitoring device (without a communication function to the base device 21), and has a function of connecting to the base device 21 by wire or wirelessly. A device (a kind of relay slave device) that can transmit an alert issued by the demand monitoring device to the master device 21 may be adopted. In this case, the existing demand monitoring device can be continuously used, and advantages such as installation cost reduction and introduction period reduction can be expected.

(Demand controller)
The demand controller 2a includes one master device 21, a plurality of slave devices 25 (three in the present embodiment), and a relay slave device 26 (one in the present embodiment). Note that, in FIG. 2, for convenience of description, the master device 21 is shown outside the cubicle 31, but the master device 21 is connected to the power demand monitoring device 32 by wire, for example, and accommodated inside the cubicle 31, or Alternatively, the power demand monitoring device 32 may be connected to the power demand monitoring device 32 in a wired or wireless manner and installed in the management building of the facility.

<Parent unit>
Please refer to FIG. The main | base station 21 equips the inside with the electronic calculator, and the display screen part 211 of the information output via the electronic calculator is provided in the front of the housing | casing 210. An antenna 212 for transmitting and receiving signals is provided on one side surface of the housing 210. On the side surface of the housing 210 opposite to the side where the antenna 212 is provided, a switch 213 for the main body power supply, a ventilation hole 214 communicating with the inside of the housing 210, and a computer can be connected to input and output data. A USB port 215 and an AC inlet hole 216 for power supply are provided. The display screen unit 211 also serves as an operation unit and is a touch panel type screen.

  Please refer to FIG. The main unit 21 has a built-in communication device (not shown), and an electronic computer including a communication unit 22, an arithmetic processing unit 23, and a storage unit 24.

  The communication unit 22 includes an Internet communication unit 221, a wireless signal transmission / reception unit 224, and an alert reception unit 225.

  The internet communication unit 221 includes an MQTT conversion unit 222 and a Websocket communication unit 223. The MQTT conversion unit 222 converts a received management signal or alert into a message in the communication protocol “MQTT” system (generates a message) and transmits the message, and an MQTT format message received from the information communication terminals 51 to 53 (operation). Command, etc.) to another data format. The Websocket communication unit 223 has a function of connecting to the server 4 or the information communication terminals 51 to 53 via the WebSocket communication path.

  The wireless signal transmission / reception unit 224 has a function of receiving a management signal transmitted from each slave 25 (via the relay slave 26 in FIG. 4) and transmitting a control signal generated by the arithmetic processing unit 23. The alert receiving unit 225 has a function of receiving the alert received from the power demand monitoring device 32. The wireless communication used here adopts the ZigBee standard.

  The arithmetic processing unit 23 includes a management signal analysis unit 231, an alert information analysis unit 232, an input information analysis unit 233, a control signal generation unit 234, an image information generation unit 235, and a setting unit 236.

  The management signal analysis unit 231 has a function of analyzing the management signal received from each slave 25, converting it to data, and recording the data in the storage unit 24. The alert information analysis unit 232 has a function of analyzing the alert received from the power demand monitoring device 32, converting the alert into data, and recording the data in the storage unit 24. The input information analysis unit 233 has a function of analyzing an operation command or the like transmitted through the display screen unit 211 or the information communication terminals 51 to 53, converting it into data, and recording it in the storage unit 24.

  The control signal generation unit 234 has a function of reading data of an alert or an operation command recorded in the storage unit 24, generating a control signal, and transmitting the control signal to each slave unit 25 through the wireless signal transmission / reception unit 224. The image information generation unit 235 has a function of reading the management signal and alert data recorded in the storage unit 24 to generate image information and displaying the image on the display screen unit 211 of the parent device 21. Further, the image information generation unit 235 has a function of recording the image in the storage unit 24 and transmitting the image to the information communication terminals 51 to 53 through the Internet communication unit 221 in response to a request from the information communication terminals 51 to 53. Have.

  The setting unit 236 reads the information of the child device 25 or the relay child device 26 or the information of the server 4 to be connected from the storage unit 24 or directly holds the information, and an operation directly performed by the parent device 21 through the display screen unit 211. Alternatively, it has a function of changing the setting by an operation performed on the parent device 21 online through the information communication terminals 51 to 53.

<Handset>
The slave 25 has a wireless communication device and an electronic computer (both not shown) incorporated therein, and each has the same structure. The child device 25 has a function of receiving a control signal generated by the parent device 21 (the above-mentioned control signal receiving unit) and a function of generating a management signal and transmitting the management signal to the parent device 21 by a program installed in the electronic computer. (The above-mentioned management signal transmission unit) is added. It should be noted that the management signal is a signal of data relating to the operating status of each of the connection-destination terminal devices 301 to 303. As the data relating to the operating status, quantifiable information obtained from each terminal device 301 or the like, For example, a current value, a pressure value, a noise value, an abnormal value, etc. may be mentioned.

<Relay unit>
The relay slave device 26 has a function of relaying a management signal between the master device 21 and each slave device 25, and is a vast facility in which the master device 21 and each slave device 25 are separated from each other. Even in a facility where signals are hard to reach, signals can be sent appropriately.

(server)
The configuration of the server 4 will be described with reference to FIG. The server 4 includes a Web server unit 41, an MQTT server unit 42, a WebSocket communication unit 43, an application unit 44, and a database unit 45.

  The Web server unit 41 is connected to the Internet line 8 and transmits / receives data to / from the parent device 21 and the information communication terminals 51 to 53. The MQTT server unit 42 performs processing according to the MQTT protocol and relays or generates data in the MQTT format. In the present embodiment, Mosquitto is installed in the MQTT server unit 42 as software on the server (broker) side, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, an MQTT broker such as RabbitMQ (registered trademark) is used. Other software that meets the requirements such as functions may be used.

  The Websocket communication unit 43 includes a version upgrade file 431 and a setting file 432, and secures a communication path with the base unit 21 and the information communication terminals 51 to 53 by the Websocket method. Although this communication is performed through the communication port 443 for HTTPS, the communication is not limited to this, and may be performed through the communication port 80 for HTTP, for example.

  The application unit 44 cooperates with the MQTT server unit 42 and the Websocket communication unit 43 to perform MQTT communication on the Websocket. The database unit 45 stores various programs, applications, or data. Although the server 4 has the WebSocket communication unit 43, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, when the port 4883, which is the default communication port of MQTT, is open in the network environment, the WebSocket may be used. The communication unit 43 may be omitted.

(Information communication terminals 51, 52, 53)
The information communication terminal 51 is a personal computer (hereinafter referred to as “PC”), and the user U1 is a person who has the authority to centrally manage the demand controllers 2a and 2b. By logging in with the administrator ID and password, the user U1 displays the operation information of the demand controllers 2a and 2b as an image on the monitor of the PC which is the information communication terminal 51, and manages it even from a distance from the parent device 21. It will be possible.

  The information communication terminal 52 is a tablet terminal, and the user U2 is an administrator in the facility where the demand controller 2a is installed. By logging in with the ID and password assigned to the demand controller 2a, the user U2 displays the operation information of the demand controller 2a managed by himself / herself on the information communication terminal 52, and manages it even from a distance from the master device 21. It will be possible.

  The information communication terminal 53 is a smartphone, and the user U3 is an administrator in the facility where the demand controller 2b is installed. By logging in with the ID and password assigned to the demand controller 2b, the user U3 displays the operation information of the demand controller 2b that he / she manages on the information communication terminal 53, and manages it even from a distance from the master device 21. It will be possible. The information communication terminal may be a mobile phone, PHS, etc., in addition to the above-mentioned PC, etc.

  In the present embodiment, the communication between the master device 21, the slave device 25, or the relay slave device 26 of the demand controller 2a is a wireless system according to the ZigBee standard, but the communication is not limited to this, and for example, wireless communication is possible. Wired connection is useful in an environment where it is not available or hard to reach, and a mode may be adopted in which wired connection is made to important terminal equipment that requires reliable operation. It should be noted that in the case of wired connection, the relay slave unit 26 does not have to be placed, and when the radio wave condition between each slave unit 25 and the master unit 21 is good, the relay slave unit 26 may not be placed. Furthermore, the wireless communication standard is not limited to ZigBee, and for example, a communication method based on a wireless LAN, Bluetooth (registered trademark) or another communication standard may be adopted.

  In the present embodiment, the slave 25 may have a function of observing not only the operating status of the terminal devices 301 to 303 but also the surrounding environment. In the case of having a peripheral environment observation function, for example, information on the peripheral environment near the terminal device (for example, observation data such as temperature and noise around the terminal device) can be transmitted to the master unit, and when the control signal is generated, It can be used as a criterion. The "peripheral environment" is meant to include information that can be quantified in the peripheral environment such as a terminal device, for example, temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, volume, and the like.

  The slave 25 may have a relay communication unit that relays one or both of the management signal and the control signal. In this case, even without using the relay slave unit 26, the slave unit 25 itself can relay one or both of the management signal and the control signal. When there are a plurality of slaves 25, a management signal or the like can be relayed from a slave near the master 21 to a remote slave, and if a part of the slave fails, the signal is cut off there. Therefore, it is possible to identify the faulty child device.

  Even if a part of the slave unit breaks down and the signal is interrupted, the master unit 21 automatically switches the connection route of the inter-slave communication (for example, when the master unit detects the signal disruption, By changing the setting so that a counterclockwise communication path is added to the counterclockwise communication path when viewed from the normal master machine, etc.), communication with slave machines other than the failed slave machine continues. can do. Further, as will be described later, the information regarding the failed slave unit is notified from the master unit 25 to the information communication terminal 51 of the user U1 and can be confirmed on the display screen of FIG.

  Further, the demand controller 2a may include not only the slave 25 connected so as to control the terminal devices 301 to 303 but also an observation slave (not shown) used only for observation purposes. When equipped with an observation child device, information on the surrounding environment away from the terminal device (for example, observation data such as temperature and noise at a place distant from the terminal device by a predetermined distance) can be transmitted to the parent device, and control signal generation can be performed. It can be used as a criterion for making decisions.

In the present embodiment, a power demand management program is installed in the electronic computer of the parent device 21, and this program is
(A) A function of receiving a management signal that is generated and transmitted by the child device 25 and that reports the operating status of the terminal devices 301 to 303,
(B) A function of receiving an alert issued by the power demand monitoring device 32 when the maximum demand power approaches or reaches a set value within a unit time (for example, every 30 minutes),
(C) Generates a control signal to the terminal devices 301 to 303 for switching to the operation in which the maximum power demand within the unit time does not exceed the set value according to the content of the above-mentioned alert received, and transmits it to each slave unit 25. function,
(D) The received contents of one or both of the management signal and the alert are converted into a message in the MQTT format, and also via the Internet line 8 to the server 4 or the information communication terminals 51 to 53 through the WebSocket communication path. Function to send by
(E) A function of receiving an MQTT format message (operation command or the like) from the server 4 or the information communication terminals 51 to 53 via the Internet line 8 and converting the message into another data format.
Is added to the base unit 21.

  According to this program, according to the content of the received alert, the operation is performed so that the power consumption of each terminal device 301 to 303 connected to each child device 25 does not exceed the set value of the maximum demand power per unit time. Is generated and transmitted, and the terminal devices 301 to 303 are operated based on the control signal, thereby preventing an operating situation exceeding the set value of the power demand from occurring. That is, by cooperating the parent device 21 and each child device 25, the terminal devices 301 to 303 can be automatically controlled so as not to exceed the set value of the power demand.

  Further, according to this program, one or both of the management signal and the alert received by the base device 21 can be transmitted to the information communication terminals 51 to 53 via the Internet line 8, so that the power demand manager U1 to U3 can remotely monitor the operating status of the power demand controllers 2a and 2b installed at remote locations.

  Furthermore, according to this program, one or both of the management signal and the alert from the base device 21 are transmitted to the message in the MQTT format via the WebSocket communication path, and the operation command from the information communication terminals 51 to 53 is transmitted. Can be received. Furthermore, according to this program, since the connection to the Internet line 8 is made through the WebSocket communication path, the main unit 21 can be connected to a network environment such as a LAN without making settings such as opening a port. Can be connected to.

  Note that this program is installed not only in the computer installed in the master device 21 but also in an electronic computer externally connected to the master device 21, and the control signal generated via the master device 21 is transmitted. It does not exclude aspects such as transmission.

(Work)
The operation of the power demand remote management system 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. Note that, first, the operation of the demand controller 2a (monitoring and control of power demand) in the installed facility will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4 and FIG. 8, and then the master device 21 and the server 4 will be described. Connection, and remote management in the power demand remote management system 1 will be described in this order.

[Operation of the demand controller 2a in the facility (monitoring and control of power demand)]
(1) The power demand monitoring device 32 connected to the cubicle 31 issues an alert when the maximum demand power approaches or reaches the set value within a unit time.

  (2) Each child device 25 transmits, as a management signal, the operating status (operating status or abnormality at the time of failure) of the connected terminal devices 301 to 303. At this time, the relay slave unit 26 relays a signal between a place where radio waves are hard to reach or a remote master unit.

  (3) The base unit 21 receives the alert and the management signal, performs the calculation based on the content of the received alert and the management signal by the built-in electronic computer, and the terminal devices 301 to 303 connected to the respective handset 25. Generates a control signal for achieving a suitable operating environment, and transmits the control signal to each child device 25. This control signal achieves a suitable operation according to the installed terminal device, such as distributing the power resource to the terminal device having a high operation priority within a range not exceeding the set value related to the power demand.

  (4) The operating statuses of the terminal devices 301 to 303 are displayed on the display screen unit 211 of the parent device 21 by the user interface generated by the image information generation unit 235. In addition, the master device 21 can switch to various display screens such as the operating status of each slave device 25 or the power consumption of the entire installation facility in accordance with an input from the display screen unit 211 which is a touch panel type, and can be individually switched. It is possible to perform operations such as changing the setting values of the child device or the whole. It should be noted that operations such as changing the setting values of the individual child devices or the whole can be performed using a recording medium such as a USB connected from the USB port 215.

  As an example of the above-mentioned user interface, FIG. 8 shows a display example of the operation status of the terminal equipment connected to the child device. Specifically, the situation is shown in which the slave unit is operating at 40% output. By touching a switch (icon) of a GUI (Graphical User Interface) displayed on this screen, the operation output can be manually adjusted through a program.

[Connection between Base Unit 21 and Server 4 in Power Demand Remote Management System 1]
(5) The network connection procedure of the master device 21 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.
(A) Connection step S1
The base unit 21 is activated. After starting, the connection information setting file set in the master device 21 is read. The connection information is, for example, a connection destination server URL, a connection user name, a connection password, a file upload URL, a file upload user name, a file upload password, etc., and these pieces of information are encrypted after being set in the master device 21. .

(A) Connection step S2
After connecting to TCP (HTTPS port 443), upgrade to WebSocket. The base device 21 sends a handshake request to the server 4 in order to establish a WebSocket connection. The server 4 side interprets it as an HTTPS request, and then switches to Websocket. If the Websocket connection is successful, the process returns to the connection step S3, and if unsuccessful, the process returns to the connection step S1 and the connection information setting is retried.

(C) Connection step S3
The MQTT is connected on the connected Web socket. Connection is performed using the device ID of the master device 21 as the MQTT client ID. If the MQTT connection is successful, the procedure goes to the connection step 4, otherwise, the MQTT connection is retried.

(D) Connection step S4
After the MQTT connection is completed, the setting file of the master device 21 is uploaded to the server 4 in order to synchronize the setting information of the master device 21 and the server 4.

(E) Connection step S5
Various information collected by the master device 21 is Publish (issued) in the data message Topic of the device ID, and the application of the server 4 and the Web client register the Publish information in the database by subscribing (subscribing). The latest information is displayed.

  In addition, the parent device 21 subscribes the notification message Topic of the device ID, and receives the notification message information from this Topic. As a result, the switch operation or the like from the Web browser performed by the user U1 or the like who is the administrator is immediately reflected in each child device 25, which enables the real-time operation from the parent device 21 to each child device 25.

  FIG. 7 is an outline of a network connection state between the parent device 21 and the server 4 in the power demand remote management system 1. As described above, the communication between the base device 21 and the server 4 is performed in a mode in which the message 86 (data) according to the MQTT protocol is transmitted and received through the communication path 85 called Websocket. At this time, the communication port of the Web server unit 41 is 433. The MQTT server unit 42 relays the message, and the Websocket communication unit 43 establishes the connection as described above.

[Remote management in the power demand remote management system 1]
(6) Mainly with reference to FIGS. 9 to 17, regarding the information displayed on the information communication terminal on the user side (in particular, the information displayed on the information communication terminal 51 of the user U1) in the power demand remote management system 1. explain. Note that the user U1 is a person who is entrusted with management by a plurality of customers who have installed the demand controller, and uses an ID and password of special authority that can access the demand controller of each customer. On the other hand, customers such as users U2 and U3 use IDs and passwords of general authority that can access only the demand controller managed by themselves, and browse and manage information only for the demand controller managed by themselves. be able to.

  As shown in FIG. 9, on the web browser screens of the information communication terminals 51 to 53, a login screen for the power demand remote management system 1 is displayed. Enter the administrator's ID and password in the input boxes on this screen to log in to the system. As shown in FIG. 10, a user registration screen is displayed on the web browser screen of the information communication terminals 51 to 53 after login. Information such as a registered user name and a person in charge is displayed in each input frame on this screen, and the information and login password can be changed on the screen.

  The screen shown in FIG. 11 is a setting and change screen. On this screen, a list of registered slaves 25 and the system setting state are displayed, and various setting contents such as sampling intervals and data collection intervals can be changed. It can be carried out. The screen shown in FIG. 12 is a real-time trend screen, and the transition of power consumption can be confirmed in a graph. The screen shown in FIG. 13 is a monitor screen of each slave 25, and information such as wireless sensitivity can be confirmed.

  The screen shown in FIG. 14 is a slave unit individual display screen, in which the current power consumption of each slave unit can be confirmed, and the operation contents can be switched individually for each slave unit by the operation changeover switch displayed on the GUI. . The screen shown in FIG. 15 is a data browsing and download screen, and the collected data can be confirmed in a list format and the data can be downloaded in the CSV format.

  The screen shown in FIG. 16 is an event information screen, and in addition to confirming event information (switch OFF, connection start, connection disconnection) that occurred in each child device and date and time data when the event occurred in a list format, Data can be downloaded in CSV format.

  The screen shown in FIG. 17 is an administrator screen (customer screen), and more specifically, an administrator screen for centrally managing a plurality of facilities in which the power demand remote management system 1 is installed. On this screen, the customer ID and the customer name for each business operator, and the management icon (GUI) for each customer are displayed in a list form, and the items to be emphasized (for example, "Disconnecting to higher order", "(Demand Customers (facility) who have troubles such as "Alarm occurrence (in excess)" can be set in the upper column.

  The screen shown in FIG. 18 is an administrator screen (status display screen of each parent device), and more specifically, an administrator screen for centrally managing a plurality of facilities in which the power demand remote management system 1 is installed. On this screen, the customer ID and customer name for each business operator, the alarm occurrence status of the parent device for each customer, the radio wave intensity status, the presence or absence of an alarm, and the date and time thereof are displayed in a list form. It is possible to set the customer (facility) in which "a trouble occurs such as" disconnecting to upper rank "and" (alarm demand over) alarm occurrence to upper rank ") to the upper rank column.

  As described above, according to the power demand remote management system 1, each slave device 25 does not exceed the set demand value for the terminal devices 301 to 303 based on the control signal generated by the master device 21 such as the demand controller 2a. In addition to performing necessary and detailed control automatically, the user U1 and the like can remotely monitor the operating status of the power demand controller 2a and the like installed at a remote place through the Internet.

Further, by transmitting and receiving data between the base device 21 and the server 4, and between the server 4 and the browsers of the information communication terminals 51 to 53, the message of the MQTT method is made through the communication path of the WebSocket format.
(A) Since the data is lighter in weight than the conventional communication by HTTP or the like, the transfer amount, the CPU load, the power consumption amount, etc. can be suppressed to about 1/10 of the conventional one.
(B) By combining WebSocket, which is a communication path capable of real-time two-way communication, and MQTT, which has a light data weight, the information communication terminals 51 to 53 and the base unit 21 can be used as compared with the case where the conventional communication method is adopted. Since the response speed between the device and the device is improved, real-time display of operation information of the child device 25 or the like or improvement of the speed of reflecting the operation command to the parent device 21 can be realized.
(C) Since one-to-many communication is possible, one administrator can centrally manage a large number of installed units,
(D) By combining WebSocket and MQTT, when installing the master device 21, it is possible to connect the master device 21 to a network environment such as a LAN of the installation facility without making any special settings such as opening ports. Since it can be connected to, there is little effort at the time of installation,
(E) By the function "Will" peculiar to MQTT, it is possible to know the communication disconnection with the slave unit or the master unit.
This has the effect.

  When the power demand management system 9 of Patent Document 1 is already installed, the existing master device 91 is simply replaced with the master device 21 in the present embodiment to upgrade to the power demand remote management system 1. can do. In other words, only the replacement with the base unit 21 is required (replacement of all devices is not required), so that the installation cost and the construction period can be shortened.

  In the present embodiment, the alert is, for example, an alarm issued when the set value is reached, a warning issued when the remaining power value up to the set value falls below 25%, and a remaining power value up to the set value is 15%. It can be set to various signals such as an alarm issued when the power is turned off and a limit that is output when the remaining power value up to the set value is less than 5%. These numerical values and alert types can be set according to the user's needs. It can be set as appropriate.

  That is, the demand controller 2a and the like according to the present embodiment are more convenient for the user and energy saving, unlike the conventional demand management device that uniformly limits the output so as not to exceed the demand value. Is also an improvement. By operating the demand controller 2a, etc., it is possible to prevent the demand upper limit value from being exceeded, so that an increase in running costs due to the revision of the electric power contract is suppressed, and the energy-saving activities that are being reviewed due to the recent decrease in the power supply amount are realized. Also leads to.

  In addition, when the number of child devices is increased when the number of terminal devices is increased, it is only necessary to change the program settings of the parent device 21, so that it is not necessary to replace all new devices, and it is possible to reduce the installation cost and the construction period. . The demand controller 2a concentrates the function of generating a control signal and the Internet communication function in the master device 21, and simplifies each slave device 25 to suppress the manufacturing cost, and thus the terminal device 301 and the like. It is also possible to suppress the introduction cost due to the expansion of the child device 25 due to the increase in

  The terms and expressions used in the specification and the claims are merely for descriptive purposes, and are not limiting in any way, and the characteristics and the features described in the specification and the claims are not limited. There is no intention to exclude terms or expressions equivalent to some. It goes without saying that various modifications are possible within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention.

1 Electric Power Demand Remote Management System 2a, 2b Demand Controller 21 Base Unit 210 Housing 211 Display Screen 212 Antenna 231 Switch 214 Vent Hole 215 USB Port 216 AC Inlet Hole 22 Communication Unit 221 Internet Communication Unit 222 MQTT Converter 223 WebSocket Communication Unit 224 Radio signal transmitting / receiving unit 225 Alert receiving unit 23 Arithmetic processing unit 231 Management signal analysis unit 232 Alert information analysis unit 233 Input information analysis unit 234 Control signal generation unit 235 Image information generation unit 236 Setting unit 24 Storage unit 25 Remote unit 26 Repeater Machines 301, 302, 303 Terminal equipment 31 Cubicle 32 Electric power demand monitoring device 4 Server 41 Web server section 42 MQTT server section 43 Websocket communication section 431 Version Up file 432 Setting file 44 Application section 45 Database section 51, 52, 53 Information communication terminal 8 Internet line 85 Communication path 86 Message U1, U2, U3 User S1 connection step S2 connection step S3 connection step S4 connection step S5 connection step 9 Power Demand management system 91 Master unit 92 First slave unit 93 Third slave unit 95 Cubicle 94 Electric power demand monitoring device 95 Cubicle 96 Terminal equipment

Claims (8)

An information communication terminal,
A control signal receiver that is controllably connected to the terminal device and that receives the control signal of the terminal device generated outside the machine, and a management signal transmission that generates and transmits a management signal that conveys the operating status of the terminal device. A slave unit having a section , and
An alert indicating that the maximum demand power is imminent or reached within a unit time, which is connected to a management signal receiving unit for receiving the management signal and an external power demand monitoring device, and issued by the power demand monitoring device. And an alert receiving unit for receiving the alert, and a control signal transmitting unit for generating the control signal for switching to an operation in which the maximum demand power within a unit time does not exceed a set value according to the content of the received alert and transmitting the control signal to the slave unit. When connected to the internet, and transmits the management signal received with the alert in the information communication terminal, the Internet communication unit for receiving a signal from the information communication terminal, in cooperation with the Internet communication unit , The information communication terminal by converting the management signal transmitted / received to / from the slave unit and the received alert into a signal based on an MQTT communication protocol. An MQTT conversion unit that transmits a signal based on the MQTT communication protocol received from the information communication terminal and converts the signal based on the MQTT communication protocol into a signal that can be processed onboard, and cooperates with the Internet communication unit and the MQTT conversion unit, based on the MQTT communication protocol. A master unit including a WebSocket communication unit that establishes a communication path connection by the WebSocket communication protocol as a path capable of transmitting and receiving a signal ;
A server that has a Web server unit, an MQTT server unit, a Websocket communication unit, and a database unit and is connectable to the Internet line;
Equipped with
The control signal and the management signal transmitted / received between the child device and the parent device are wireless communication according to the ZigBee (registered trademark) standard.
Power demand remote management system. A relay slave unit that relays the management signal between the master unit and the slave unit,
The power demand remote management system according to claim 1. The control signal and the management signal transmitted and received between the master unit and the relay slave unit and / or between the slave unit and the relay slave unit are wireless communication according to the ZigBee standard.
The power demand remote management system according to claim 2. The slave unit has a relay communication unit that relays one or both of the management signal and the control signal,
  The power demand remote management system according to claim 1, claim 2, or claim 3. The control signal and the management signal relayed by the relay communication unit are wireless communication according to the ZigBee standard.
The power demand remote management system according to claim 4. A control signal receiver that is controllably connected to the terminal device and that receives the control signal of the terminal device generated outside the machine, and a management signal transmission that generates and transmits a management signal that conveys the operating status of the terminal device. A slave unit having a section,
An alert indicating that the maximum demand power is imminent or reached within a unit time, which is connected to a management signal receiving unit that receives the management signal and an external power demand monitoring device, and is issued by the power demand monitoring device. And an alert receiving unit for receiving the alert, and a control signal transmitting unit for generating the control signal for switching to an operation in which the maximum demand power within a unit time does not exceed a set value according to the content of the received alert and transmitting the control signal to the slave unit. An internet communication unit connected to an internet line for transmitting the received management signal and alert to an information communication terminal outside the machine and receiving a signal from the information communication terminal outside the machine; In cooperation with the slave unit, converts the management signal transmitted / received to / from the slave unit and the received alert into a signal based on the MQTT communication protocol to convert the information. An MQTT conversion unit that transmits a signal based on the MQTT communication protocol received from the information communication terminal to a signal that can be processed onboard the aircraft, and cooperates with the Internet communication unit and the MQTT conversion unit to perform MQTT communication. A base unit having a WebSocket communication unit for connecting a communication path by the WebSocket communication protocol as a path capable of transmitting and receiving a signal based on the protocol;
The control signal and the management signal transmitted and received between the slave and the master are wireless communication according to the ZigBee standard,
Demand controller. A management signal receiving unit that receives a management signal that is generated and transmitted by a child device outside the machine and that reports the operating status of the terminal device connected to the child device,
An alert receiving unit that receives an alert indicating that the maximum demand power is imminent or has reached a set value within a unit time, issued by a connected power demand monitoring device outside the plane,
A control signal transmission unit that generates a control signal for switching to an operation in which the maximum power demand within a unit time does not exceed a set value according to the content of the received alert and transmits the control signal to the slave unit,
An internet communication unit that is connected to an internet line and transmits the received management signal and alert to an information communication terminal outside the machine and receives a signal from the information communication terminal outside the machine,
In cooperation with the Internet communication unit, the management signal transmitted / received to / from the child device and the received alert are converted into a signal based on an MQTT communication protocol and transmitted to the information communication terminal, and the same information communication is performed. An MQTT converter that converts a signal based on the MQTT communication protocol received from the terminal into a signal that can be processed onboard the aircraft,
A WebSocket communication unit that cooperates with the Internet communication unit and the MQTT conversion unit to perform a communication path connection by the WebSocket communication protocol as a path capable of transmitting and receiving a signal based on the MQTT communication protocol;
The control signal and the management signal transmitted / received to / from the slave unit are wireless communication according to the ZigBee standard,
Base unit of demand controller. A first step in which a child device to which the terminal device is controllably connected generates a management signal that conveys the operating status of the terminal device, and transmits the management signal by wireless communication according to the ZigBee standard;
A second step in which the power demand monitoring device connected to the cubicle sends an alert to be issued when the maximum power demand approaches or reaches a set value within a unit time,
A WebSocket as a path through which the parent device receives the management signal or the alert, converts the received management signal and the alert into a signal based on the MQTT communication protocol, and can send and receive a signal based on the MQTT communication protocol. A third step of transmitting to an information communication terminal via an Internet line by connecting a communication path by a communication protocol,
Remote management of power demand.