JPWO2020017035A1 - Control devices, control systems, control methods and programs - Google Patents

Abstract

The control device (1) has a power prediction unit (115) that predicts the transition of surplus power in the daytime based on the past generated power and the past power consumption of the house, and the control device (1) based on the predicted transition of surplus power. Then, the period determination unit (116) that determines the boiling period in which the water supply machine (4) can boil water only with surplus electricity in the daytime, and the water supply machine (4) based on the boiling period. A schedule generation unit (119) that generates an operation schedule for boiling water, a determination unit (123) that determines whether or not there is a daytime boiling period when a preset reference time arrives, and a determination unit (determination unit). When it is determined by 123) that there is a daytime boiling period, a notification unit (124) that generates an image that notifies the user of message information regarding the amount of nighttime boiling water that is boiled by the water heater (4) at night is used. Be prepared.

Description

The present invention relates to control devices, control systems, control methods and programs.

A hot water storage type hot water supply device that can reduce the power supplied from the grid power supply at night of the next day by generating hot water to be used by the user the next day using the power generated by sunlight in the daytime of the next day is proposed. (See, for example, Patent Document 1). According to the hot water storage type hot water supply device described in Patent Document 1, it is possible to reduce the electric power to be purchased from a commercial system power source in order to boil hot water.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2008-002703

By the way, in the hot water storage type hot water supply device described in Patent Document 1, since the electric power generated by sunlight is preferentially used to boil the hot water, the amount of hot water to be boiled by the electric power supplied from the system power supply at night is reduced. To do. Therefore, for example, when a large amount of hot water is used in the morning, there is a risk of running out of hot water. Therefore, with respect to a hot water supply device such as the hot water storage type hot water supply device described in Patent Document 1, which preferentially uses the electric power generated by sunlight to boil water, the hot water runs out regardless of the amount of hot water used in the morning. It is required to prevent the above.

The present invention has been made in view of the above reasons, and an object of the present invention is to provide a control device, a control system, a control method, and a program capable of suppressing the occurrence of running out of hot water.

In order to achieve the above object, the control device according to the present invention is
According to the operation schedule, hot water is boiled by the electric power generated by the power generation facility in the first period of the target day, and the hot water is supplied from the grid power supply in the second period different from the first period on the target day. It is a control device that controls a water heater that generates hot water to be used on the target day by boiling the water.
A power prediction unit that predicts the transition of surplus power in the first period based on the power generated by the power generation facility in the past and the power consumption in the power consumption area in the past.
Based on the transition of the surplus power predicted by the power prediction unit, the period determination unit determines the boiling period in which the water heater in the first period can boil water only by the surplus power. ,
A schedule generator that generates the operation schedule based on the boiling period,
When the preset reference time arrives, a determination unit for determining whether or not the operation schedule includes a first period boiling period for boiling water in the first period, and a determination unit.
When the determination unit determines that the operation schedule includes the first period boiling period, the second period boiling water amount information regarding the second period boiling water amount boiled by the water heater in the second period. Is provided with a notification unit for notifying the user.

According to the present invention, when the notification unit determines that the operation schedule includes the first period boiling period, the second period relating to the second period boiling water amount to be boiled by the water heater in the second period. Notify the user of the information on the amount of boiling water during the period. As a result, for example, when the user uses hot water immediately after the lapse of the second period, the hot water can be used while grasping the amount of hot water boiled by the water heater during the second period. Occurrence is suppressed.

Schematic block diagram of the water heater system according to the embodiment of the present invention The figure which shows an example of the transition of the power generation amount and the power consumption amount which concerns on embodiment Schematic configuration diagram of the water heater according to the embodiment Block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the terminal device according to the embodiment A block diagram showing a hardware configuration of a control device according to an embodiment. Functional configuration diagram of the control device according to the embodiment The figure which shows an example of the weather forecast information stored in the weather forecast storage part which concerns on embodiment. The figure which shows an example of the meteorological record information stored in the meteorological record memory part which concerns on embodiment. The figure which shows an example of the power generation amount history information stored in the power generation amount storage part which concerns on embodiment. The figure which shows an example of the power consumption history information stored in the power consumption storage part which concerns on embodiment. The figure which shows an example of the predicted surplus power information stored in the predicted surplus power storage part which concerns on embodiment. The figure which shows an example of the used hot water amount information stored in the used hot water amount storage part which concerns on embodiment. The figure which shows an example of the transition of the hot water storage amount of the water heater which concerns on embodiment A sequence diagram showing the operation of the control device and the terminal device according to the embodiment. The figure which shows an example of the operation screen image of the terminal apparatus which concerns on embodiment. The figure which shows an example of the operation screen image of the terminal apparatus which concerns on embodiment. A flowchart showing an example of the flow of the hot water supply control process executed by the control device according to the embodiment. A flowchart showing an example of the flow of the hot water supply control process executed by the control device according to the embodiment. Functional configuration diagram of the control device according to the modified example A flowchart showing an example of the flow of hot water supply control processing executed by the control device according to the modified example. The figure which shows an example of the operation screen image of the terminal device which concerns on a modification Functional configuration diagram of the control device according to the modified example A flowchart showing an example of the flow of hot water supply control processing executed by the control device according to the modified example. The figure which shows an example of the operation screen image of the terminal device which concerns on a modification The figure which shows an example of the operation screen image of the terminal device which concerns on a modification Functional configuration diagram of the control device according to the modified example A flowchart showing an example of the flow of hot water supply control processing executed by the control device according to the modified example. The figure which shows an example of the display screen of the terminal device which concerns on a modification Functional configuration diagram of the control device according to the modified example A flowchart showing an example of the flow of hot water supply control processing executed by the control device according to the modified example. The figure which shows an example of the operation screen image of the terminal device which concerns on a modification The figure which shows an example of the operation screen image of the terminal device which concerns on a modification The figure which shows an example of the operation screen image of the terminal device which concerns on a modification The figure which shows an example of the operation screen image of the terminal device which concerns on a modification

Hereinafter, the control device and the control system according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The control device according to the present embodiment boil water by the electric power generated by the power generation facility in the first period of the target day according to the operation schedule, and is a system in the second period different from the first period on the target day. The water heater that produces the hot water used on the target day is controlled by boiling the hot water with the electric power supplied from the power source. The water heater boil water and supply it to the house where the user lives. The user can control the water heater by operating the terminal device. Here, "boiling hot water" means heating water and changing it to hot water having a preset temperature higher than the temperature of the water. Further, the control device includes a power prediction unit, a period determination unit, a schedule generation unit, a determination unit, and a notification unit. The power prediction unit predicts the transition of surplus power in the first period based on the past generated power and the power consumed in the past power consumption areas. The schedule generation unit determines a boiling period in which the water heater in the first period can boil water only by the surplus power, based on the transition of the surplus power predicted by the power prediction unit. The schedule generation unit generates an operation schedule of the water heater including the boiling period in which the hot water is boiled by the water heater based on the boiling period. When the preset reference time arrives, the determination unit determines whether or not the length of the boiling period is equal to or longer than the preset reference period. When the determination unit determines that the length of the boiling period is longer than the reference period, the notification unit provides information on the amount of boiling water in the second period regarding the amount of boiling water in the second period that is boiled by the water heater in the second period. Notify the user.

The hot water supply system according to the present embodiment is, for example, as shown in FIG. 1, a water heater 4 for boiling water, a terminal device 7 operated by a user, and a water heater according to the operation content received by the terminal device 7. A control device 1 for controlling 4 and a power measuring device 3 are provided. The water heater 4, the terminal device 7, and the control device 1 are installed in the user's house H, which is a power consuming area. Further, in the house H, a power generation facility 2, a plurality of electric devices 5 (only one is shown in FIG. 1) in which the power supplied from the power generation facility 2 and the grid power source 10 is arranged in the house H, and A distribution board 11 for supplying to the water heater 4 is provided. The grid power supply 10 is provided by the electric power company. The distribution board 11 is connected to the system power supply 10 via the power line D1, is connected to the power generation facility 2 via the power line D2, and is connected to the water heater 4 via the power line D3. The control device 1, the power measuring device 3, the water heater 4, and the terminal device 7 can communicate with each other via the home network NT1. The home network NT1 conforms to communication standards such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark), Wi-SUN (registered trademark), and wired LAN (Local Area Network). Further, the control device 1 can communicate with the weather server 8 and the time server 9 via the out-of-home network NT2. The out-of-home network NT2 is, for example, the Internet or a telephone line. The weather server 8 and the time server 9 are installed in, for example, a management company contracted with a user of the house H. Here, a control system for controlling a water heater that generates hot water to be used on a target day is realized from the control device 1 and the terminal device 7.

The power generation facility 2 generates electricity using, for example, sunlight, which is natural energy. The power measuring device 3 has current transformers CT1, CT2, and CT3 provided on the power lines D1, D2, and D3, respectively. Then, the electric power measuring device 3 has the electric power P1 supplied from the system power supply 10 to the distribution board 11, the electric power P2 supplied from the power generation facility 2 to the distribution board 11 and The electric power P3 supplied from the distribution board 11 to the water supply machine 4 is measured. Here, the electric power P1 corresponds to the electric power purchased from the electric power company by the user of the house H. The electric power P2 corresponds to the electric power generated by the power generation facility 2. The electric power P3 corresponds to the electric power consumed by the water heater 4. The total power consumption Pt consumed by the water heater 4 and the electric device 5 corresponds to the sum of the power P1 and the power P2.

Here, the electric power P2 generated by the power generation facility 2 and the total power consumption Pt in the house H change as shown in FIG. 2, for example. Here, the electric power P2 increases in the daytime when the amount of solar radiation increases, and the total power consumption Pt increases from the afternoon to the evening, which corresponds to, for example, the home time zone of the user of the house H. During the period Tp in which the electric power P2 is smaller than the total power consumption Pt, the electric power generated by the power generation facility 2 alone cannot cover the electric power consumed by the house H, so that the electric power is supplied from the grid power source 10. Therefore, during this period Tp, the value of the power P1 supplied from the system power supply 10 to the distribution board 11 becomes a positive value. On the other hand, during the period Ts in which the power P2 is equal to or greater than the total power consumption Pt, surplus power is supplied to the grid power source 10. That is, the value of the electric power P1 becomes negative during the period Ts in which the reverse power flow from the house H to the system power source 10 is generated.

The water heater 4 is a hot water storage type water heater, and has a heat pump unit 400 and a tank unit 410 as shown in FIG. The heat pump unit 400 and the tank unit 410 are connected via a water pipe PL1 through which hot water flows. The water heater 4 operates by the electric power supplied from the system power source 10 or the electric power generated by the power generation facility 2 via the electric power line D3 branched by the distribution board 11 to boil the hot water. When boiling water at night, the water heater 4 uses the electric power supplied from the system power supply 10 to boil the hot water. On the other hand, when the water heater 4 is used to boil water in the daytime, the water heater 4 uses the electric power generated by the power generation facility 2 to boil the water. Here, "daytime" is a preset first period, and "nighttime" is a second period different from the preset nighttime. The water heater 4 generates hot water to be used on the target day by boiling water at night and in the daytime on the target day according to the operation schedule of the target day.

The heat pump unit 400 is a heat pump type heat source device that uses CO2 (carbon dioxide) or HFC (hydrofluorocarbon) as a refrigerant. The heat pump unit 400 includes a refrigerant pipe PL3 through which a refrigerant flows, a compressor 401 that compresses the refrigerant, a first heat exchanger 402 that exchanges heat between the refrigerant and water, an expansion valve 403 that expands the refrigerant, and the like. It has a blower 405 that takes in outside air. Further, the heat pump unit 400 includes a second heat exchanger 404 that exchanges heat between the outside air and the refrigerant, a circulation pump 407 that supplies water, and a control board 406 that controls the heat pump unit 400. The tank unit 410 includes a hot water storage tank 411, a hot water supply controller 412, and a mixing valve 413. The hot water storage tank 411, the hot water supply controller 412, and the mixing valve 413 are housed in a metal outer case (not shown).

The compressor 401, the first heat exchanger 402, the expansion valve 403, and the second heat exchanger 404 are connected in an annular shape by the refrigerant pipe PL3. As a result, a refrigerant circuit in which the refrigerant circulates is formed. Refrigerant circuits are also referred to as heat pumps or refrigeration cycles. The water pipe PL1 starts from the lower part of the hot water storage tank 411 of the tank unit 410, passes through the circulation pump 407 and the first heat exchanger 402, and returns to the upper part of the hot water storage tank 411.

The compressor 401 compresses the refrigerant to raise the temperature and pressure. The compressor 401 includes an inverter circuit capable of changing the capacitance, which is the amount of delivery per unit, according to the drive frequency. The compressor 401 changes the above capacitance according to the instruction from the control board 406. The first heat exchanger 402 is a heating source that heats the supplied water to a preset target hot water storage temperature. The first heat exchanger 402 is a plate type, double pipe type or the like heat exchanger, and exchanges heat between the refrigerant circulating in the refrigerant pipe PL3 and the water sent from the tank unit 410. Due to the heat exchange in the first heat exchanger 402, the refrigerant dissipates heat and the temperature drops, and the water absorbs heat and the temperature rises. The expansion valve 403 expands the refrigerant to lower the temperature and pressure. The valve opening degree of the expansion valve 403 is controlled by the control board 406. The second heat exchanger 404 exchanges heat between the outside air sent by the blower 405 and the refrigerant. Due to the heat exchange in the second heat exchanger 404, the refrigerant absorbs heat and the temperature rises, and the outside air dissipates heat and the temperature drops.

The circulation pump 407 sends water supplied from the lower part of the hot water storage tank 411 of the tank unit 410 to the first heat exchanger 402. The circulation pump 407 includes an inverter circuit, and when the drive rotation speed is changed by the control board 406, the flow rate of water sent to the first heat exchanger 402 is changed accordingly. The control board 406 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a communication interface, and a readable and writable non-volatile memory. The control board 406 is connected to each of the compressor 401, the expansion valve 403, the blower 405, and the circulation pump 407 via a communication line (not shown) to control their operations.

The hot water storage tank 411 is made of a metal such as stainless steel or a synthetic resin. A heat insulating material is arranged on the outside of the hot water storage tank 411. As a result, the temperature of the hot water stored in the hot water storage tank 411 can be maintained constant for a long period of time. Further, a hot water amount measuring unit (not shown) for measuring the amount of hot water used, which is the amount of hot water discharged from the hot water storage tank 411 per unit time, is provided at the hot water outlet of the hot water storage tank 411. This amount of hot water used corresponds to the amount of hot water used in the house H. The hot water consumption measuring unit is connected to the hot water supply controller 412 via a communication line (not shown), and transmits information indicating the amount of hot water discharged per unit time measured to the hot water supply controller 412. Further, the hot water storage tank 411 is provided with a hot water storage amount measuring unit (not shown) for measuring the amount of hot water stored in the hot water storage tank 411. The hot water storage amount measuring unit is also connected to the hot water supply controller 412 via a communication line (not shown), and periodically transmits information indicating the hot water storage amount to the hot water supply controller 412.

The hot water supply controller 412 includes a CPU, ROM, RAM, a communication interface, and a readable and writable non-volatile memory, and controls the water heater 4. The hot water supply controller 412 is connected to the control board 406 of the heat pump unit 400 via a communication line. Further, the hot water supply controller 412 is connected to the remote control device 44 via the communication line SL1. Here, the remote control device 44 includes a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, a readable and writable non-volatile memory, a push button switch, an input device such as a touch panel, a display device such as a liquid crystal display, and a communication interface. The remote control device 44 has a function of displaying the operating state and the hot water storage state of the water heater 4 on the display device. Further, the remote control device 44 is installed in the bathroom of the house H, for example, and receives an operation related to boiling or hot water supply by the user via the input device.

Further, the hot water supply controller 412 is communicably connected to the control device 1 via the home network NT1. Then, the hot water supply controller 412 drives the heat pump unit 400 by outputting a control signal to the control board 406 based on the schedule information indicating the operation schedule transmitted from the control device 1. Further, the hot water supply controller 412 acquires the information indicating the amount of hot water discharged from the hot water storage tank 411 from the hot water storage tank 411 from the hot water storage amount measurement unit to generate the hot water consumption amount information, and the hot water storage amount of the hot water storage tank 411 is calculated from the hot water storage amount measurement unit. The information shown is acquired to generate hot water storage amount information. Then, the hot water supply controller 412 controls the generated hot water used amount information and hot water storage amount information, and the unique identification information given to the water heater 4 and the measurement time information indicating the time when the used hot water amount and the hot water storage amount are measured. Send to 1.

Here, the basic operation of the water heater 4 will be described. At the start of the boiling operation of the water heater 4, the hot water in the hot water storage tank 411 is consumed, and low-temperature water is stored in the lower part of the hot water storage tank 411. Then, when the circulation pump 407 operates, the water stored in the lower part of the hot water storage tank 411 is sent to the first heat exchanger 402 of the heat pump unit 400. Then, the water sent to the first heat exchanger 402 is heated to the hot water storage temperature by heat exchange with the refrigerant. The water at this hot water storage temperature is returned to the upper part of the hot water storage tank 411. At this time, hot water having a hot water storage temperature exists in the upper part of the hot water storage tank 411, low-temperature water stays in the lower part of the hot water storage tank 411, and a temperature boundary layer is formed between them. Then, when the amount of hot water at the hot water storage temperature in the hot water storage tank 411 increases and the ratio of water at the hot water storage temperature increases, the position of the temperature boundary layer approaches the lower part of the hot water storage tank 411, and accordingly, the first heat exchanger 402 The temperature of the water sent to rises. Further, the hot water having a hot water storage temperature flowing out from the hot water outlet pipe provided in the upper part of the hot water storage tank 411 is mixed with the low temperature water by the mixing valve 413. As a result, hot water at a temperature desired by the user (for example, 40 ° C.) is supplied to, for example, a shower 45 or a faucet 46 arranged in a bathroom. The faucet 46 is for supplying hot water to, for example, a bathtub (not shown) in a bathroom. At this time, low-temperature water is supplied into the hot water storage tank 411 from the water supply pipe (not shown) connected to the lower part by the volume integral of the hot water of the hot water storage temperature flowing out from the upper part of the hot water storage tank 411. At this time, the temperature boundary layer moves upward in the hot water storage tank 411. Then, when the amount of hot water at the hot water storage temperature becomes small, the water heater 4 executes an additional boiling operation.

Returning to FIG. 1, the electric device 5 is, for example, an air conditioner, a lighting device, a floor heating system, a refrigerator, an IH (Induction Heating) cooker, a television, or the like. The electric device 5 is installed in the house H or its premises, and receives power from the system power source 10 or the power generation facility 2 via the distribution board 11 and the power line D4. Further, the electric device 5 is provided with a communication interface and communicates with the control device 1 via the home network NT1. The electric device 5 may be specified to be connected to the home network NT1 via an external communication adapter (not shown). In response to a request from the control device 1, the electric device 5 provides information including device identification information unique to the electric device 5, time information indicating the current time, and state information indicating the current operating state to the home network NT1. Is transmitted to the control device 1 via.

The terminal device 7 receives input of various instructions according to an operation by the user. The terminal device 7 transmits data representing the received instruction to the control device 1. Examples of the terminal device 7 include user interface devices such as smartphones, tablet terminals, mobile phones, personal computers, and televisions. As shown in FIG. 4A, the terminal device 7 includes a CPU 701, a main storage unit 702, an auxiliary storage unit 703, a home communication unit 704, a display unit 705, an input unit 706, and a bus 709 connecting each unit. , Equipped with. The input unit 706 is, for example, a push button switch, a touch panel arranged on the display unit 705, a touch pad, or the like. The input unit 706 receives various operation information according to the user's operation and outputs the received operation information to the CPU 701. The display unit 705 is a liquid crystal display, an organic EL (Electroluminescence) display, or the like. The display unit 705 outputs various information input from the CPU 701. The auxiliary storage unit 703 is a non-volatile memory and stores various programs executed by the CPU 701. The CPU 701 controls the terminal device 7 by executing a program read from the auxiliary storage unit 703 to the main storage unit 702. The home communication unit 704 has an interface for connecting to the home network NT1.

Returning to FIG. 1, the time server 9 is, for example, an NTP server, clocks the time using GPS, an atomic clock, or the like, and transmits time information indicating the time measured via the out-of-home network NT2. The time server 9 transmits the time information to the control device 1 via the out-of-home network NT2.

The meteorological server 8 is an information server operated by the Japan Meteorological Agency, a meteorological operator, etc., and provides meteorological forecast information indicating the weather forecast in each area and meteorological record information which is the actual weather in each area. Here, the weather forecast information and the meteorological record information indicate the forecast and the record regarding the weather, temperature, amount of solar radiation, sunshine duration, wind direction, etc. in each region. The meteorological server 8 is communicably connected to the control device 1 installed in the house H via the out-of-home network NT2, and the weather forecast information and the weather record information are transmitted to the control device 1 via the out-of-home network NT2. To deliver. Further, the weather server 8 distributes the update notification information to the control device 1 via the out-of-home network NT2 every time the weather forecast information and the weather record information are updated.

The control device 1 is installed at an appropriate place in the house H, and collects information transmitted from the electric device 5, the power measuring device 3, and the terminal device 7 installed in the house H via the home network NT1. The control device 1 is, for example, a HEMS (Home Energy Management System) controller that can integrally control an electric device 5. As shown in FIG. 4B, the control device 1 includes a CPU 101, a main storage unit 102, an auxiliary storage unit 103, an in-home communication unit 104, an out-of-home communication unit 105, and a bus 109 that connects them to each other. Be prepared. The main storage unit 102 is used as a work area of the CPU 101. The auxiliary storage unit 103 is, for example, a non-volatile semiconductor memory such as a flash memory, an EPROM (Erasable Programmable ROM), or an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM), or an HDD (Hard Disk Drive). The auxiliary storage unit 103 stores a program or the like for the CPU 101 to execute various processes.

The home communication unit 104 has a NIC (Network Interface Card controller) for communicating using the home network NT1, and under the control of the CPU 101, the power generation facility 2, the power measuring device 3, the water heater 4, and the electric device 5 Communicate with each via the home network NT1. The home communication unit 104 also has a NIC for communicating with the terminal device 7. The home communication unit 104 communicates with the terminal device 7 by a communication method conforming to the above-mentioned communication standard of the home network NT1. The out-of-home communication unit 105 has a communication interface for connecting to the out-of-home network NT2 via, for example, a broadband router (not shown). The out-of-home communication unit 105 communicates with the time server 9 and the weather server 8 via the out-of-home network NT2 under the control of the CPU 101.

The CPU 101 realizes various functions by reading the program stored in the auxiliary storage unit 103 into the main storage unit 102 and executing the program. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, the CPU 101 includes a weather information acquisition unit 111, a power acquisition unit 112, a hot water amount acquisition unit 113, a power prediction unit 115, a period determination unit 116, a hot water amount determination unit 114, and daytime boiling. It functions as a hot water amount setting unit 117, a night boiling hot water amount calculation unit 118, a schedule generation unit 119, and a transmission unit 120. The CPU 101 also functions as a time information acquisition unit 121, a time acquisition unit 122, a determination unit 123, a notification unit 124, a schedule acquisition unit 125, and a water heater information acquisition unit 126. Further, the auxiliary storage unit 103 includes a weather forecast storage unit 131, a weather record storage unit 132, a power generation amount storage unit 133, a power consumption storage unit 134, a predicted surplus power storage unit 135, a hot water storage amount storage unit 136, and a hot water amount storage unit 137. It has a schedule storage unit 138 and a time storage unit 139. As shown in FIG. 6A, for example, the weather forecast storage unit 131 stores the weather forecast information indicating the weather forecast in the area where the house H exists in each time zone. As shown in FIG. 6B, for example, the meteorological record storage unit 132 stores the meteorological record information which is the record of the weather in the area including the current and past house H. The weather forecast information and the weather record information are used to predict the electric power P2 supplied from the power generation facility 2.

As shown in FIG. 7A, for example, the power generation amount storage unit 133 associates the information indicating the history of the power generation amount in each time zone of the past and present days of the power generation facility 2 with the information indicating the date and time zone. I remember. As shown in FIG. 7B, for example, the power consumption storage unit 134 uses information indicating the history of power consumption in each time zone of the past and present day in the house H as information indicating the date, day of the week, and time zone. I remember it in association with it. As shown in FIG. 8A, for example, the predicted surplus power storage unit 135 stores surplus power information indicating the value of the surplus power Ps predicted for each time zone preset for the target day.

The hot water storage amount storage unit 136 stores hot water storage amount information indicating the hot water storage amount of the hot water storage tank 411 of the water heater 4 at present. As shown in FIG. 8B, for example, the hot water used storage unit 137 stores the hot water used actual information indicating the actual daily hot water used in the past in association with the date. Returning to FIG. 5, the schedule storage unit 138 stores schedule information indicating an operation schedule including a time zone in which the water heater 4 is used for boiling in the daytime and a time zone in which the water heater 4 is used for boiling in the nighttime.

The time storage unit 139 stores the schedule transmission time information indicating the schedule transmission time, which is the reference time for transmitting the schedule information to the water heater 4. Further, the time storage unit 139 stores the notification time information indicating the time when the night boiling water amount information regarding the night boiling water amount to be boiled by the water heater 4 at night is notified to the user. Here, the nighttime boiling water amount information is, for example, the second period boiling water amount information for notifying the user of the possibility of running out of hot water in the hot water storage tank 411. Further, the schedule transmission time indicated by the schedule transmission time information is set at, for example, 6:00 am, and the notification time indicated by the notification time information is set, for example, at 7:00 am. The schedule transmission time information and the notification time information may be stored in advance in the time storage unit 139, or may be set by the user via, for example, the terminal device 7.

The weather information acquisition unit 111 acquires weather forecast information and weather record information from the weather server 8 via the out-of-home network NT2 and the out-of-home communication unit 105. The weather information acquisition unit 111 transmits the weather forecast information and the weather from the weather server 8 by transmitting the weather information transmission request information requesting the transmission of the weather forecast information and the weather record information to the weather server 8 via the out-of-home network NT2. The actual information is acquired and stored in the weather forecast storage unit 131 and the weather actual storage unit 132. Further, the weather information acquisition unit 111 acquires the weather forecast information and the weather record information from the weather server 8 by transmitting the weather information transmission request information to the weather server 8 every time the update notification information is received from the weather server 8. To do.

The power acquisition unit 112 acquires power measurement value information indicating the measurement values of the above-mentioned powers P1, P2, and P3 from the power measurement device 3 via the home network NT1 and the home communication unit 104. The power acquisition unit 112 stores the acquired power measurement value information for a certain period in the auxiliary storage unit 103. Then, the power acquisition unit 112 consumes by subtracting the measured value of the power P3 consumed by the water heater 4 from the measured value of the total power consumption Pt corresponding to the sum of the measured value of the power P1 and the measured value of the power P2. The power Pc is calculated and stored in the power consumption storage unit 134.

The hot water amount acquisition unit 113 acquires the above-mentioned hot water amount information and hot water storage amount information from the water heater 4 via the home network NT1 and the home communication unit 104. The hot water amount acquisition unit 113 stores the used hot water amount information and the hot water storage amount information for a predetermined fixed period in the hot water amount storage unit 137 and the hot water storage amount storage unit 136, respectively.

The electric power prediction unit 115 predicts the transition of the surplus electric power Ps in the daytime of the target day based on the electric power P2 generated in the power generation facility 2 in the past and the electric power consumption Pc in the past. Here, the surplus electric power Ps corresponds to the excess electric power when the electric power P2 generated by the power generation facility 2 exceeds the electric power consumption Pc in the house H. That is, the surplus power Ps corresponds to the difference between the power P2 supplied from the power generation facility 2 and the power consumption Pc in the house H.

The power prediction unit 115 predicts the power P2 generated by the power generation facility 2 on the target day based on the weather record information stored in the weather record storage unit 132 and the power generation amount information stored in the power generation amount storage unit 133. Generate a power generation prediction model for. This power generation prediction model shows the predicted value of the electric power P2 generated by the power generation facility 2 corresponding to each combination of a plurality of time zones (for example, time zones at 1-minute intervals) and the weather on the target day. Specifically, the power prediction unit 115 first measures the power of the power P2 generated by the power generation facility 2 during the past preset model generation period (for example, a period of 2 weeks to 1 month). Values are categorized by a combination of multiple time zones of the day and weather such as sunny, cloudy, rainy, etc. Next, the power prediction unit 115 calculates the average value of the power measurement values of the power P2 corresponding to each combination of the time zone and the weather. Then, the power prediction unit 115 generates the above-mentioned power generation prediction model by associating the average value of the calculated power measurement values of the power P2 with the combination of the time zone and the weather. After generating the power generation prediction model, the power forecasting unit 115 acquires the weather forecast information of the target day (for example, the next day) in the area where the house H stored in the weather forecast storage unit 131 exists. Then, based on the power generation prediction model, the power prediction unit 115 sets the average value of the power measurement values of the power P2 corresponding to the weather forecast of each time zone of the target day in that time zone of the target day. It is used as the predicted power value of the power P2. In this way, the electric power prediction unit 115 predicts the electric power P2 generated by the power generation facility 2 in each time zone of the target day.

Further, the power prediction unit 115 creates a consumption prediction model for predicting the transition of the power consumption Pc in the house H on the target day based on the power consumption information stored in the power consumption storage unit 134. This consumption prediction model shows the predicted value of the power consumption Pc corresponding to each of a plurality of time zones on the target day. First, the power prediction unit 115 classifies the value of the power consumption Pc during the model generation period described above by a plurality of days of the week. Next, the power prediction unit 115 calculates the average value of the power consumption Pc values corresponding to each of the plurality of days of the week. Then, the power prediction unit 115 generates the above-mentioned consumption prediction model by associating the average value of the calculated power consumption Pc values with the day of the week. After generating the consumption prediction model, the power prediction unit 115 sets the average value of the power consumption Pc values of each time zone corresponding to the day of the week of the target day as the predicted value of the power consumption Pc in that time zone of the target day. .. In this way, the power prediction unit 115 predicts the transition of the power consumption Pc in each time zone of the target day.

Then, the electric power prediction unit 115 predicts the transition of the surplus electric power Ps on the target day from the transition of the electric power P2 generated by the power generation facility 2 and the transition of the power consumption Pc on the predicted target day. Here, the power prediction unit 115 subtracts the predicted value of the power consumption Pc from the predicted value of the power P2 generated by the power generation facility 2 for each time zone of the target day to obtain the predicted value of the surplus power Ps in that time zone. calculate. The power prediction unit 115 stores the calculated predicted value of the surplus power Ps in the predicted surplus power storage unit 135 in association with the information indicating each time zone on the target day.

The hot water used determination unit 114 determines the target day boiling hot water amount Wday, which is a predicted value of the hot water amount that needs to be boiled by the water heater 4 on the target day. The amount of boiling water Wday on the target day corresponds to the predicted value of the amount of hot water used on the target day in the house H. The hot water used determination unit 114 calculates the average value of the hot water used per day for the past two weeks indicated by the hot water amount information stored in the hot water storage unit 137, and uses the calculated average value of the hot water used as the target daily boiling water amount Wday. decide.

The period determination unit 116 determines the daytime boiling period. The daytime boiling period is the first period boiling period in which the water heater 4 is operated by using only the electric power Ps and the water heater 4 is made to boil water in the daytime when the surplus electric power Ps is generated. .. The period determination unit 116 eliminates the daytime boiling period, for example, when the target day is rainy or cloudy all day and the surplus power Ps is low or not generated. In this case, as shown by the solid line L1 in FIG. 9, the water heater 4 boils the hot water of the target day boiling water amount Wday at night, that is, between 3:00 am and 7:00 am. On the other hand, when the target day is sunny all day and a large amount of surplus power Ps is generated, the period determination unit 116 determines the daytime boiling period. In this case, as shown by the broken line L2 in FIG. 9, the water heater 4 uses the surplus power Ps of the daytime boiling water amount Wnoon of the target day boiling water amount Wday during the daytime, that is, between 11:00 am and 13:00 pm. Boil with. In this case, since the amount of hot water to be boiled at night is reduced by the amount of hot water to be boiled during the day, the amount of electric power supplied from the system power source 10 to the water heater 4 for boiling the hot water at night is reduced.

Returning to FIG. 5, the period determination unit 116 determines the daytime boiling period based on the information indicating the predicted value of the surplus power Ps stored in the predicted surplus power storage unit 135. The period determination unit 116 determines a period in which the predicted value of the surplus power Ps is larger than the water heater power consumption Pw consumed by the water heater 4 as the daytime boiling period. Here, the water heater power consumption Pw corresponds to the power consumption when the water heater 4 is executing the boiling operation. The period determination unit 116 acquires information indicating the water heater power consumption Pw from the water heater 4 via the home network NT1 and the home communication unit 104. The period determination unit 116 determines the magnitude relationship between the predicted value of the surplus power Ps and the water heater power consumption Pw in each time zone in which the surplus power Ps is generated. Then, when there are a plurality of periods in which the predicted value of the surplus power Ps is larger than the water heater power consumption Pw, the period determination unit 116 determines the longest period among the plurality of periods as the daytime boiling period. As a result, the number of times the water heater 4 starts and stops can be reduced, so that the operating efficiency of the water heater 4 can be improved. In addition, the period determination unit 116 calculates the boiling possible time Tmax corresponding to the length of the determined daytime boiling period. The boiling time Tmax corresponds to the maximum time during which the water heater 4 can boil water using the surplus electric power Ps.

The daytime boiling water amount setting unit 117 sets the value obtained by subtracting the starting hot water storage amount Won, which is the preset amount of hot water to prevent running out, from the target day boiling water amount Wday determined by the used hot water amount determining unit 114. Set as Wnoon. Here, the starting hot water storage amount Won is set to, for example, 100 L. The night-time boiling water amount calculation unit 118 calculates the night-time boiling water amount Wight, which is the amount of hot water that the water heater 4 boiled using only the electric power supplied from the system power supply 10 at night. Further, the night-time boiling hot water amount calculation unit 118 calculates the boiling hot water amount Wmax by multiplying the boiling possible time Tmax calculated by the period determination unit 116 by the boiling capacity of the water heater 4. Here, the boiling capacity of the water heater 4 corresponds to the amount of hot water that the water heater 4 can boil per unit time. Further, the night-time boiling water amount calculation unit 118 calculates the required boiling time Tnon by dividing the daytime boiling water amount Wnoon set by the daytime boiling water amount setting unit 117 by the boiling capacity of the water heater 4.

Further, the daytime boiling water amount setting unit 117 obtains the amount of hot water obtained by subtracting the nighttime boiling water amount Wnight calculated by the nighttime boiling water amount calculation unit 118 from the target day boiling water amount Wday determined by the used hot water amount determining unit 114. Set as a new daytime boiling water amount Wnoon. As a result, the daytime boiling water amount setting unit 117 sets the daytime boiling water amount Wnoon according to the operation mode selected by the user among the plurality of types of operation modes of the water heater 4.

The schedule generation unit 119 generates an operation schedule of the water heater 4 including the above-mentioned start time and end time of the daytime boiling period, the above-mentioned nighttime boiling water amount Wnight, and the above-mentioned daytime boiling water amount Wnoon. The schedule generation unit 119 stores the schedule information indicating the generated operation schedule in the schedule storage unit 138. The transmission unit 120 causes the water heater 4 to operate according to the operation schedule by transmitting the schedule information stored in the schedule storage unit 138 to the water heater 4 via the home communication unit 104 and the home network NT1.

Here, after receiving the schedule information from the control device 1, the water heater 4 starts the operation using only the electric power supplied from the system power supply 10 when the nighttime operation start time indicated by the schedule information arrives. Then, the water heater 4 uses only the electric power supplied from the system power supply 10 to boil the hot water of the night boiling water amount Wnight indicated by the schedule information at night. Here, the water heater 4 monitors the hot water storage amount of the hot water storage tank 411 by acquiring hot water storage amount information from the water heater 4 periodically (for example, every 30 seconds) after the start of operation. Then, the water heater 4 stops the operation when it is determined that the increment reaches the nighttime boiling water amount Wight from the amount of hot water stored in the hot water storage tank 411 at the nighttime operation start time. After that, the water heater 4 maintains the standby state until the start time of the daytime boiling period indicated by the schedule information arrives.

Further, when the start time of the daytime boiling period indicated by the schedule information arrives, the water heater 4 starts operation using only the surplus electric power Ps. Here, the water heater 4 monitors the hot water storage amount of the hot water storage tank 411 by acquiring hot water storage amount information from the water heater 4 periodically (for example, every 30 seconds) after the start of operation. Then, the water heater 4 stops the operation when it is determined that the increment from the hot water storage amount of the hot water storage tank 411 at the start time of the daytime boiling period has reached the daytime boiling water amount Wnoon. Further, when the end time of the daytime boiling period indicated by the schedule information arrives, the water heater 4 reaches the daytime boiling water amount Wnoon in an increment from the hot water storage amount of the hot water storage tank 411 at the start time of the daytime boiling period at that time. Stop operation regardless of whether it is running or not.

The time information acquisition unit 121 acquires the above-mentioned notification time information from the time storage unit 139. The timing information acquisition unit 121 outputs the acquired notification timing information to the determination unit 123. The time acquisition unit 122 acquires time information indicating the current time from the time server 9 via the out-of-home network NT2 and the out-of-home communication unit 105. The time acquisition unit 122 outputs the acquired time information to the determination unit 123. The time acquisition unit 122 periodically acquires time information, for example, at 1-minute intervals. The interval at which the time acquisition unit 122 acquires time information is not limited to the one-minute interval. The time acquisition unit 122 outputs the acquired time information to the determination unit 123.

The schedule acquisition unit 125 acquires schedule information from the schedule storage unit 138, and outputs the acquired schedule information to the determination unit 123 and the notification unit 124. The water heater information acquisition unit 126 acquires the operation status information and the hot water storage amount information of the water heater 4 from the water heater 4, and outputs the acquired hot water storage amount information and the operation status information to the notification unit 124.

The determination unit 123 compares the schedule transmission time indicated by the schedule transmission time information input from the time information acquisition unit 121 with the current time, and determines whether or not the schedule transmission time has arrived. Further, the determination unit 123 compares the notification time indicated by the notification time information input from the time information acquisition unit 121 with the current time, and determines whether or not the notification time has arrived. Further, the determination unit 123 has a daytime boiling period in which the water heater 4 executes boiling water in the daytime in the operation schedule of the water heater 4 based on the schedule information input from the schedule acquisition unit 125. Judge whether or not.

When the determination unit 123 determines that the notification time has arrived and the daytime boiling period exists, the notification unit 124 notifies the user of the possibility of running out of hot water in the hot water storage tank 411, for example, nighttime boiling water amount information and schedule information. Image information including the above is generated and transmitted to the terminal device 7 via the home communication unit 104 and the home network NT1. Further, the notification unit 124 transmits the image information including the above-mentioned nighttime boiling water amount information and schedule information to the terminal device 7, and then requests the terminal device 7 to confirm the operation status of the water heater 4. Is received, image information including the operation status information of the water heater 4 and the hot water storage amount information is generated and transmitted to the terminal device 7.

Next, the operations of the control device 1 and the terminal device 7 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. Here, a series of processes from the time when the control device 1 generates the schedule information indicating the operation schedule and transmits it to the water heater 4 to the generation of the schedule information and the transmission to the water heater 4 will be described. Is omitted. A description of these series of processes will be described later. First, the control device 1 acquires the notification timing information indicating the notification timing for notifying the night-time boiling water amount information from the time storage unit 139 (step S1). Next, the control device 1 compares the current time with the notification time indicated by the notification time information, and when it is determined that the notification time has arrived (step S2), the control device 1 acquires schedule information from the schedule storage unit 138 (step S3). ). Subsequently, it is assumed that the control device 1 determines that the operation schedule of the water heater 4 has a daytime boiling period based on the schedule information (step S4). In this case, the control device 1 generates image information including nighttime boiling water amount information and schedule information (step S5). After that, the image information generated by the control device 1 is transmitted from the control device 1 to the terminal device 7 (step S6).

On the other hand, when the terminal device 7 receives the image information, the terminal device 7 causes the display unit 705 to display the operation screen image 7a including the night boiling hot water amount information and the schedule information based on the received image information (step S7). At this time, on the display unit 705, for example, as shown in FIG. 11A, information on the amount of hot water to be boiled at night such as "The water heater is suppressing the boiling at night" and "The boiling time during the day is from 9:00 to 12:00 The operation screen image 7a including the schedule information "is scheduled." Is displayed. That is, in the operation screen image 7a, the user is urged to pay attention to how to use the hot water by notifying the user that the water heater 4 is suppressing the boiling at night. Further, the operation screen image 7a displays a selection button image BU1 for allowing the user to further select whether or not to request confirmation of the operating status of the water heater 4.

Returning to FIG. 10, here, it is assumed that the terminal device 7 has accepted the operation corresponding to the selection button image BU1 displayed on the display unit 705 described above for the input unit 706 by the user (step S8). In this case, the operation information corresponding to the operation content received by the terminal device 7 is transmitted from the terminal device 7 to the control device 1 (step S9). On the other hand, it is assumed that the control device 1 receives the operation information and determines that the operation content indicated by the received operation information is the content requesting confirmation of the operation status of the water heater 4 (step S10). This is a "yes" selection button image included in the selection button image BU1 by the user via the input unit 706 in a state where the operation screen image 7a as shown in FIG. 11A is displayed on the display unit 705 of the terminal device 7. Corresponds to the case where the operation of selecting is performed. In this case, the control device 1 acquires the operation status information and the hot water storage amount information from the water heater 4 (step S11), and generates image information including the acquired operation status information and the hot water storage amount information (step S12). Next, the image information generated by the control device 1 is transmitted from the control device 1 to the terminal device 7 (step S13).

On the other hand, when the terminal device 7 receives the image information, the terminal device 7 causes the display unit 705 to display the operation screen image 7a including the operation status information of the water heater 4 and the hot water storage amount information based on the received image information (step S14). .. At this time, the display unit 705 displays an operation screen image 7a including the operation status information M1 and the hot water storage amount information M2 as shown in FIG. 11B, for example.

Next, the hot water supply control process executed by the control device 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 12 and 13. This hot water supply control process is started, for example, when the power is turned on to the control device 1. It is assumed that the weather forecast storage unit 131, the weather record storage unit 132, and the hot water storage amount storage unit 136 of the control device 1 store the latest weather forecast information, the weather record information, and the hot water storage amount information, respectively. First, the time acquisition unit 122 acquires time information indicating the current time from the time server 9 (step S101). The time acquisition unit 122 outputs the acquired time information to the determination unit 123. Next, the determination unit 123 acquires schedule transmission time information from the time storage unit 139, and determines whether or not the schedule transmission time has arrived based on the time information input from the time acquisition unit 122 (step S102). ). When the determination unit 123 determines that the schedule transmission time has not yet arrived (step S102: No), the process of step S116, which will be described later, is executed.

On the other hand, when the determination unit 123 determines that the schedule transmission time has arrived (step S102: Yes), the used hot water amount determining unit 114 acquires the used hot water amount information for the past two weeks from the used hot water amount storage unit 137 (step). S103). Next, the hot water used determination unit 114 calculates the average value of the acquired hot water used per day for the past two weeks, and determines the average value of the calculated hot water used as the target day boiling hot water amount Wday (step S104).

Subsequently, the period determination unit 116 determines the daytime boiling period based on the information indicating the predicted value of the surplus power Ps stored in the predicted surplus power storage unit 135 (step S105). Here, the period determination unit 116 determines a period in which the predicted value of the surplus power Ps is larger than the above-mentioned water heater power consumption Pw as the daytime boiling period. Further, when there are a plurality of periods in which the predicted value of the surplus power Ps exceeds the water heater power consumption Pw, the period determination unit 116 determines the longest period among the plurality of periods as the daytime boiling period.

After that, the period determination unit 116 calculates the boiling possible time Tmax corresponding to the length of the determined daytime boiling period (step S106). Next, the night-time boiling hot water amount calculation unit 118 calculates the boiling hot water amount Wmax obtained by multiplying the boiling possible time Tmax calculated by the period determination unit 116 by the boiling capacity of the water heater 4 (step S107). ).

Next, the daytime boiling hot water amount setting unit 117 sets the amount of hot water obtained by subtracting the above-mentioned starting hot water storage amount Won from the target day boiling hot water amount Wday as the daytime boiling hot water amount Wnoon (step S108). Subsequently, the night-time boiling water amount calculation unit 118 calculates the required boiling time Tnon by dividing the set daytime boiling water amount Wnoon by the boiling capacity of the water heater 4 (step S109).

After that, the night-time boiling water amount calculation unit 118 determines whether or not the above-mentioned boiling possible time Tmax is larger than the required boiling time Tnoon (step S110). When the nighttime boiling water amount calculation unit 118 determines that the boiling possible time Tmax is larger than the required boiling time Tnoon (step S110: Yes), the amount of hot water obtained by subtracting the daytime boiling water amount Wnoon from the target day boiling water amount Wday. Is set to the amount of boiling water Wnight at night (step S111). Next, the process of step S114 described later is executed.

On the other hand, when the night-time boiling water amount calculation unit 118 determines that the above-mentioned boiling water amount Tmax is equal to or less than the required boiling time Tnoon (step S110: No), the boiling water amount Wmax is calculated from the target day boiling water amount Wday. The amount of hot water obtained by subtraction is set to the amount of hot water boiled at night (step S112). Subsequently, the daytime boiling water amount setting unit 117 sets the amount of hot water obtained by subtracting the nighttime boiling water amount Wnight from the target day boiling water amount Wday to a new daytime boiling water amount Wnoon (step S113).

After that, as shown in FIG. 13, the schedule generation unit 119 shows the operation schedule of the water heater 4 including the night-time boiling water amount Wnight, the daytime boiling water amount Wnoon, and the start time and end time of the daytime boiling period. Schedule information is generated and stored in the schedule storage unit 138 (step S114). Next, the transmission unit 120 acquires schedule information from the schedule storage unit 138 and transmits the acquired schedule information to the water heater 4 (step S115).

Next, the time information acquisition unit 121 acquires the notification time information from the time storage unit 139 (step S116). The timing information acquisition unit 121 outputs the acquired notification timing information to the determination unit 123. Subsequently, the determination unit 123 compares the notification time indicated by the notification time information input from the time information acquisition unit 121 with the current time, and determines whether or not the notification time has arrived (step S117). When the determination unit 123 determines that the notification time has not yet arrived (step S117: No), the process of step S101 described above is executed again.

On the other hand, when the determination unit 123 determines that the notification time has arrived (step S117: Yes), the schedule acquisition unit 125 acquires schedule information from the schedule storage unit 138 (step S118). The schedule acquisition unit 125 outputs the acquired schedule information to the determination unit 123. After that, the determination unit 123 determines whether or not there is a daytime boiling period in the operation schedule of the water heater 4 based on the schedule information input from the schedule acquisition unit 125 (step S119). Here, when the determination unit 123 determines that there is no daytime boiling period in the operation schedule of the water heater 4 (step S119: No), the process of step S101 described above is executed again.

On the other hand, when the determination unit 123 determines that there is a daytime boiling period in the operation schedule of the water heater 4 (step S119: Yes), the notification unit 124 transfers the above-mentioned nighttime boiling water amount information and schedule information. The included image information is generated and transmitted to the terminal device 7 (step S120). Next, the water heater information acquisition unit 126 transmits the operation information from the terminal device 7 within the preset standby time after the notification unit 124 transmits the image information including the night-time boiling water amount information and the schedule information. It is determined whether or not it has been received (step S121). If the water heater information acquisition unit 126 determines that the operation information is not received from the terminal device 7 within the standby time (step S121: No), the process of step S101 is executed again. On the other hand, when the water heater information acquisition unit 126 determines that the operation information has been received from the terminal device 7 within the standby time (step S121: Yes), the content of the operation information requests confirmation of the operating status of the water heater 4. (Step S122). If the water heater information acquisition unit 126 determines that the content of the operation information does not require confirmation of the operating status of the water heater 4 (step S122: No), the process of step S101 is executed again.

On the other hand, when the water heater information acquisition unit 126 determines that the content of the operation information is the content requesting confirmation of the operation status of the water heater 4 (step S122: Yes), the water heater 4 gives the above-mentioned operation status information. And the hot water storage amount information (step S123). The water heater information acquisition unit 126 outputs the acquired operation status information and hot water storage amount information to the notification unit 124. Subsequently, the notification unit 124 generates image information including the operation status information of the water heater 4 and the hot water storage amount information and transmits the image information to the terminal device 7 (step S124). After that, the process of step S101 is executed again.

As described above, according to the control device 1 according to the present embodiment, when the notification unit 124 determines that the daytime boiling period exists by the determination unit 123, it is heated by the water heater 4 at nighttime. Image information including information on the amount of boiling water at night regarding the amount of boiling water is transmitted to the terminal device 7. In this way, the notification unit 124 notifies the user of the information on the amount of boiling water at night. Then, by confirming the operation screen image 7a displayed on the display unit 705 of the terminal device 7, the user can reduce the amount of boiling water at night of the water heater 4 and the daytime boiling period of the water heater 4. And can be grasped. As a result, for example, when the user uses hot water immediately after the passage of night, the hot water can be used while grasping the amount of hot water boiled by the water heater 4 at night, so that the occurrence of running out of hot water during use is suppressed. To. For example, the user can take measures against running out of hot water, such as reducing the amount of hot water used until the daytime boiling period is reached.

In addition, the notification unit 124 according to the present embodiment transmits image information including information on the amount of boiling water at night to the terminal device 7, and then operates status information indicating the operating status of the water heater 4 and hot water storage according to the user's selection. Image information including quantity information is transmitted to the terminal device 7. As a result, the user can check the operating status of the water heater 4 and the amount of remaining hot water in the hot water storage tank 411 by checking the operation screen image 7a displayed on the display unit 705 of the terminal device 7, so that the amount of hot water that can be used in the future can be determined. It has the advantage of being able to know accurately.

Further, in the control device 1 according to the present embodiment, the hot water used determination unit 114 determines the hot water used on the target day Wday to be used on the target day based on the amount of hot water used for the past two weeks and the amount of hot water stored in the water heater 4. To do. Further, the night-time boiling water amount calculation unit 118 sets the night-time boiling water amount Wnight based on the target day usage amount Wday and the maximum boiling water amount Wmax that the water heater 4 can boil during the above-mentioned boiling period. calculate. As a result, the amount of boiling water Wnight at night can be appropriately calculated.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. For example, as shown in FIG. 14, the control device 2001 may include a usage frequency calculation unit 2127 that calculates the usage frequency according to a preset usage purpose based on the remaining hot water amount of the water heater 4. .. In FIG. 14, the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 5 are attached to the same configurations as those in the first embodiment. Further, in FIG. 14, the weather information acquisition unit 111, the power acquisition unit 112, the hot water amount acquisition unit 113, the power prediction unit 115, the period determination unit 116, the hot water amount determination unit 114, the daytime boiling water amount setting unit 117, and the nighttime boiling water amount Calculation unit 118, schedule generation unit 119 and transmission unit 120, weather forecast storage unit 131, weather record storage unit 132, power generation amount storage unit 133, power consumption storage unit 134, forecast surplus power storage unit 135, hot water storage amount storage unit 136 and The hot water used storage unit 137 is not shown. Then, after the notification unit 124 notifies the above-mentioned nighttime boiling water amount information, the terminal generates image information including the usage count information indicating the usage count calculated by the usage count calculation unit 2127 according to the user's selection. The usage count information may be notified to the user by transmitting to the device 7.

In the hot water supply control process according to this modification, for example, as shown in FIG. 15, after the water heater information acquisition unit 126 acquires the above-mentioned operation status information and hot water storage amount information from the water heater 4, the number of times of use (step S123). The calculation unit 2127 calculates the number of times of use according to the preset usage purpose based on the remaining hot water amount of the water heater 4 indicated by the acquired hot water storage amount information (step S201). In FIG. 15, the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 13 are attached to the same processes as the hot water supply control process according to the embodiment. Next, the notification unit 124 generates image information including the operation status information of the water heater 4, the hot water storage amount information, and the usage count information indicating the calculated usage count, and transmits the image information to the terminal device 7 (step S202). At this time, when the terminal device 7 receives the image information, the display unit 705 displays the operation screen image 7a including the usage count information M21 as shown in FIG. 16, for example. The number of times of use information M21 indicates the number of times of hot water filling and the number of showers that can be performed by the amount of remaining hot water of the water heater 4. For example, if the remaining amount of hot water in the water heater 4 is 125 L, the amount of hot water used for one shower is 50 L, and the amount of hot water used for one hot water filling is 150 L, the number of hot water filling is "1 time" and the number of showers is "2 times". Is set to. The amount of hot water used for one shower and the amount of hot water used for one hot water filling may be appropriately set according to the season, frequency of use, and usage trend, or can be freely set by the user via the input unit 706 of the terminal device 7. You may be able to do it.

According to this configuration, since the user can grasp the amount of remaining hot water in the water heater 4 according to the number of times of use according to the intended use, there is an advantage that it becomes easy to make a usage plan for the remaining hot water in the water heater 4.

In the embodiment, for example, as shown in FIG. 17, the control device 3001 specifies a preset number of past hot water usage information from the hot water usage storage unit 137 stored in the hot water usage storage unit 137. It may be provided with 3128. In FIG. 17, the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 5 are attached to the same configurations as those in the first embodiment. Further, in FIG. 17, the weather information acquisition unit 111, the electric power acquisition unit 112, the hot water amount acquisition unit 113, the electric power prediction unit 115, the period determination unit 116, the hot water amount determination unit 114, the daytime boiling water amount setting unit 117, and the nighttime boiling water amount Calculation unit 118, schedule generation unit 119 and transmission unit 120, weather forecast storage unit 131, weather record storage unit 132, power generation amount storage unit 133, power consumption storage unit 134, forecast surplus power storage unit 135, hot water storage amount storage unit 136 and The hot water used storage unit 137 is not shown. Then, after the notification unit 124 notifies the above-mentioned nighttime boiling water amount information, it generates image information including the used hot water amount information specified by the used hot water amount specifying unit 3128 according to the user's selection and transmits it to the terminal device 7. By doing so, the information on the amount of hot water used in the past may be notified to the user.

In the hot water supply control process according to this modification, for example, in step S301 of FIG. 18, the notification unit 124 asks, for example, "Do you want to check the amount of remaining hot water?" Image information including the message information "" is generated and transmitted to the terminal device 7. In FIG. 18, the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 13 are attached to the same processes as the hot water supply control process according to the embodiment. Next, the processes after step S121 are executed. Then, after the water heater information acquisition unit 126 acquires the above-mentioned operation status information and hot water storage amount information from the water heater 4 (step S123), the used hot water amount specifying unit 3128 displays the past on the display unit 705 of the terminal device 7. The information on the amount of hot water used is specified (step S302). Next, the notification unit 124 acquires the past used hot water amount information specified by the used hot water amount specifying unit 3128 from the used hot water amount storage unit 137, and acquires the operation status information and the hot water storage amount information of the water heater 4 and the acquired past use. Image information including hot water amount information is generated and transmitted to the terminal device 7 (step S303). At this time, when the terminal device 7 receives the image information, the display unit 705 displays the operation screen image 7a including the past hot water amount information M31 as shown in FIG. 19B, for example. The hot water used information M31 shows the trend of the hot water used by the user in the last 3 days. The hot water used information M31 displays the amount of hot water used three days ago in a vertical direction, but the target period and display method of the hot water used information is not limited to that shown in FIG. 19B.

According to this configuration, since the user can confirm the trend of the amount of hot water used in the past, it becomes easy to grasp the amount of hot water to be boiled by the current water heater 4.

In the embodiment, for example, as shown in FIG. 20, the control device 4001 is a future water heater based on the operation schedule indicated by the schedule information input from the schedule acquisition unit 125 and the current amount of remaining hot water of the water heater 4. It may be provided with the estimation unit 4129 for estimating the amount of residual hot water in 4. In FIG. 20, the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 5 are attached to the same configurations as those in the first embodiment. Further, in FIG. 20, the weather information acquisition unit 111, the electric power acquisition unit 112, the hot water amount acquisition unit 113, the electric power prediction unit 115, the period determination unit 116, the hot water amount determination unit 114, the daytime boiling water amount setting unit 117, and the nighttime boiling water amount. Calculation unit 118, schedule generation unit 119 and transmission unit 120, weather forecast storage unit 131, weather record storage unit 132, power generation amount storage unit 133, power consumption storage unit 134, forecast surplus power storage unit 135, hot water storage amount storage unit 136 and The hot water used storage unit 137 is not shown. Then, after the notification unit 124 notifies the above-mentioned nighttime boiling water amount information, image information including future residual hot water amount information indicating the residual hot water amount of the future water heater 4 estimated by the estimation unit 4129 according to the user's selection. May be notified to the user of the amount of residual hot water in the future by generating and transmitting the information to the terminal device 7.

In the hot water supply control process according to this modification, for example, in step S301 of FIG. 21, the notification unit 124 provides image information including the message information "Do you want to check the amount of remaining hot water?" As shown in FIG. 19A, for example. It is generated and transmitted to the terminal device 7. In FIG. 21, the same reference numerals as those in FIGS. 13 and 18 are attached to the hot water supply control process according to the embodiment and the same process as the hot water supply control process according to the above-described modification. Next, the processes after step S121 are executed. Then, after the water heater information acquisition unit 126 acquires the above-mentioned operation status information and hot water storage amount information from the water heater 4 (step S123), the estimation unit 4129 estimates the remaining hot water amount of the future water heater 4 (step). S401). Next, the notification unit 124 generates image information including future residual hot water amount information indicating the future residual hot water amount of the future water heater 4 estimated by the estimation unit 4129 and transmits it to the terminal device 7 (step S402). At this time, when the terminal device 7 receives the image information, the operation screen including the future remaining hot water amount information M41 indicating the estimated amount of the remaining hot water amount of the water heater 4 from 1 hour to 3 hours later as shown in FIG. 22, for example. The image 7a is displayed on the display unit 705.

According to this configuration, there is an advantage that the user can grasp when the hot water can be used in the future and can easily make a hot water usage plan.

In the embodiment, for example, as shown in FIG. 23, the control device 5001 has a control information generation unit 5152 for generating control information for starting the water heater 4 to start boiling water, and an additional boiling water amount calculation unit 5151. And a transmission unit 120 that transmits control information to the water heater 4. In FIG. 23, the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 5 are attached to the same configurations as those in the first embodiment. Further, in FIG. 23, the weather information acquisition unit 111, the electric power acquisition unit 112, the hot water amount acquisition unit 113, the electric power prediction unit 115, the period determination unit 116, the hot water amount determination unit 114, the daytime boiling water amount setting unit 117, and the nighttime boiling water amount. Calculation unit 118, schedule generation unit 119, weather forecast storage unit 131, weather record storage unit 132, power generation amount storage unit 133, power consumption storage unit 134, predicted surplus power storage unit 135, hot water storage amount storage unit 136, and hot water consumption storage unit 137 is not shown.

In the control device 5001 according to this modification, the notification unit 124 tells the user whether or not to start boiling water by the water heater 4 after transmitting image information including information on the amount of boiling water at night to the terminal device 7. By transmitting the image information including the boiling start selection information for selection to the terminal device 7, the boiling start selection information is notified to the user. On the other hand, when the terminal device 7 receives the image information, the terminal device 7 causes the display unit 705 to display an operation screen image including the boiling start selection information. Then, when the user selects to start boiling the hot water by the water heater 4, the terminal device 7 transmits the boiling start command information for instructing the start of boiling the hot water by the water heater 4 to the control device 1. To do. When the control information generation unit 5152 receives the boiling start command information from the terminal device 7, the control information generation unit 5152 generates the control information for starting the boiling of the hot water. Here, the boiling start command information includes the usage number information indicating the number of times of use in the preset usage purpose, and the additional boiling water amount calculation unit 5151 is based on the usage number information included in the boiling start command information. , Calculate the amount of hot water to be additionally boiled in the water heater 4. Then, the control information generation unit 5152 generates control information including the additional boiling water amount information indicating the amount of hot water calculated by the additional boiling water amount calculation unit 5151. The transmission unit 120 transmits the control information generated by the control information generation unit 5152 to the water heater 4. At this time, when the water heater 4 receives the control information, the water heater 4 starts the operation of boiling the hot water by the amount of the additional boiling water indicated by the additional boiling water amount information included in the control information.

In the hot water supply control process according to this modification, for example, in step S501 of FIG. 24, the notification unit 124 "uses hot water by then" together with the above-mentioned nighttime boiling water amount information and schedule information as shown in FIG. 25A, for example. The image information including the boiling start selection information "Masu?" Is generated and transmitted to the terminal device 7. In FIG. 24, the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 13 are attached to the same processes as the hot water supply control process according to the embodiment. Next, the control information generation unit 5152 determines whether or not the operation information is received from the terminal device 7 within the preset standby time after the notification unit 124 transmits the above-mentioned image information (step S121). .. Here, when the control information generation unit 5152 determines that the operation information has been received from the terminal device 7 within the standby time (step S121: Yes), the content of the operation information requests the boiling of hot water by the water heater 4. (Step S502). When the control information generation unit 5152 determines that the content of the operation information does not require the water heater 4 to boil water (step S502: No), the process of step S101 is executed again.

On the other hand, it is assumed that the control information generation unit 5152 determines that the content of the operation information is the content requesting the boiling of hot water by the water heater 4 (step S502: Yes). In this case, the notification unit 124 generates image information for requesting the user to specify the number of times of use in a preset usage purpose and transmits it to the terminal device 7 (step S503). At this time, when the terminal device 7 receives the image information, for example, a column B11 for designating the number of times of hot water filling and a column B12 for specifying the number of showers as shown in FIG. 25B, and a boiling start button image. The operation screen image 7a including BU2 is displayed on the display unit 705. Returning to FIG. 24, subsequently, the control information generation unit 5152 determines whether or not the operation information is received from the terminal device 7 within the preset standby time after the notification unit 124 transmits the above-mentioned image information. Determine (step S504). Here, if the control information generation unit 5152 determines that the operation information is not received from the terminal device 7 within the standby time (step S504: No), the process of step S101 is executed again. On the other hand, when the control information generation unit 5152 determines that the operation information has been received from the terminal device 7 within the standby time (step S504: Yes), the control information generation unit 5152 instructs the operation information to start boiling water by the water heater 4. It is determined whether or not the raising start command information is included (step S505). Here, the terminal device 7 performs an operation of selecting the boiling start button image BU2 by the user via the input unit 706 while displaying the operation screen image 7a as shown in FIG. 25B on the display unit 705. Then, the operation information including the boiling start command information is transmitted to the control device 1. The boiling start command information includes usage count information indicating the number of times of hot water filling and the number of showers.

Returning to FIG. 24, when the control information generation unit 5152 determines that the operation information does not include the boiling start command information (step S505: No), the process of step S101 is executed again. On the other hand, when the control information generation unit 5152 determines that the operation information includes the boiling start command information (step S505: Yes), the additional boiling water amount calculation unit 5151 uses the number of times information included in the boiling start command information. Based on the above, the amount of additional boiling water to be additionally boiled by the water heater 4 is calculated (step S506). When the number of times of use information indicates the number of times of hot water filling and the number of showers, the amount of hot water used for one shower and the amount of hot water used for one hot water filling may be appropriately set according to the season, frequency of use, and usage trend. The user may be allowed to freely set via the input unit 706 of the terminal device 7. The additional boiling water amount calculation unit 5151 outputs the additional boiling water amount information indicating the calculated additional boiling water amount to the control information generation unit 5152. After that, the control information generation unit 5152 generates control information including the additional boiling water amount information indicating the amount of hot water calculated by the additional boiling water amount calculation unit 5151, and the transmission unit 120 transmits the generated control information to the water heater 4 (Step S507). Next, the process of step S101 is executed again.

In this modification, an example has been described in which the notification unit 124 generates image information for requesting the user to specify the number of times of use in a preset usage purpose and transmits the image information to the terminal device 7. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the notification unit 124 may generate image information for directly designating the amount of hot water to be boiled by the user and transmit it to the terminal device 7. In this case, the control device does not include the additional boiling water amount calculation unit 5151. Further, when the terminal device 7 receives the image information, the terminal device 7 displays an operation screen image 7a including a column B21 for designating an additional boiling water amount as shown in FIG. 26 and a boiling start button image BU2. It is displayed on the unit 705. When the user performs an operation of selecting the boiling start button image BU2 via the input unit 706 while the operation screen image 7a is displayed on the display unit 705, the terminal device 7 includes the boiling start command information. The operation information is transmitted to the control device 1. The boiling water start command information includes additional boiling water amount information indicating the amount of hot water to be additionally boiled by the water heater 4. Then, the control information generation unit 5152 extracts the additional boiling water amount information from the boiling water start command information, and generates the control information including the extracted additional boiling water amount information.

According to this configuration, when the user uses hot water, the water heater 4 can additionally boil the hot water as needed, so that a fundamental countermeasure against running out of hot water can be taken. The convenience of the user can be improved. Further, according to this configuration, since the amount of hot water boiled by the water heater 4 can be finely set, it is possible to prevent the water heater 4 from unnecessarily boiling hot water.

Alternatively, the notification unit 124 may generate image information indicating a gauge image for causing the user to specify the level of the hot water storage amount of the hot water storage tank 411 and transmit it to the terminal device 7. In this case, when the terminal device 7 receives the image information, for example, as shown in FIG. 27, the boiling start button image BU2 which is the boiling start selection information and the gauge image M51 showing the target hot water storage amount of the water heater 4 are displayed. The operation screen image 7a including the operation screen image 7a is displayed on the display unit 705. Then, when the user selects the boiling start button image BU2 via the input unit 706 while the operation screen image 7a is displayed on the display unit 705, the terminal device 7 is operated by the water heater 4. Operation information including the boiling start command information for instructing the start of boiling is transmitted to the control device 5001. Here, the boiling start command information includes the target hot water storage amount information indicating the target hot water storage amount according to the content of the gauge image M51 showing the target hot water storage amount of the water heater 4. Then, when the additional boiling hot water amount calculation unit 5151 of the control device receives the boiling hot water start command information, the additional boiling water amount indicating the amount of hot water to be additionally boiled by the water heater 4 based on the target hot water storage amount information included in the information. Calculate the amount of boiling water. Further, the control information generation unit 5152 generates control information for boiling the additional boiling water amount calculated by the additional boiling water amount calculation unit 5151.

According to this configuration, the terminal device 7 causes the display unit 705 to display the operation screen image 7a including the gauge image M51 showing the target hot water storage amount of the water heater 4 as shown in FIG. 27, so that the user can display the water heater 4 It is possible to visually grasp the target amount of hot water stored in. Therefore, the user can easily set the target hot water storage amount of the water heater 4, which improves the convenience of the user.

In the embodiment, an example in which the time acquisition unit 122 acquires the time information from the time server 9 has been described, but the time acquisition unit 122 is not necessarily limited to the one acquired from the time server 9. The time acquisition unit 122 may acquire time information indicating the time measured by the RTC (Real Time Clock) built in the control device 1, for example.

In the embodiment, an example in which the power acquisition unit 112 acquires the power measurement values of the powers P1, P2, and P3 from the power measurement device 3 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the electric power measuring device 3 obtains the electric power P1 supplied from the system power source 10, the electric power P2 generated by the power generation facility 2, and the electric power P3 supplied to the water heater 4 by integrating them over a preset unit time. When the electric energy is output, the electric power acquisition unit 112 may acquire the electric energy from the electric energy measuring device 3.

In the embodiment, an example in which the period determination unit 116 acquires information indicating the water heater power consumption Pw from the water heater 4 via the home network NT1 and the home communication unit 104 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the period determination unit 116 may determine the water heater power consumption Pw based on the history of the power measurement value of the power P supplied to the water heater 4. Alternatively, the period determination unit 116 may acquire information indicating the water heater power consumption Pw stored in advance by the user and stored in the auxiliary storage unit 103 from the auxiliary storage unit 103.

In the embodiment, the operation screen image 7a of the terminal device 7 is not limited to the one shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B in the embodiment. For example, the amount of remaining hot water in the hot water storage tank 411 may be displayed at a level of 5 or more.

In the embodiment, an example in which the control device 1 is installed inside the house H has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the control device 1 may be installed outside the house H while being connected to the out-of-house network NT2. It may be built in the terminal device 7 or the water heater 4.

In the embodiment, an example in which the determination unit 123 determines whether or not the operation schedule indicated by the schedule information has a daytime boiling period has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the determination unit 123 may determine whether or not the length of the daytime boiling period included in the operation schedule is equal to or longer than a preset reference period. Here, the reference time may be set to a length of 0 hours or more. Then, when the determination unit 123 determines that the length of the daytime boiling period is equal to or longer than the reference period, the notification unit 124 generates image information including the nighttime boiling water amount information and transmits it to the terminal device 7. Therefore, the information on the amount of boiling water at night may be notified to the user. In this case, when the reference time is set to, for example, 1 hour and the daytime boiling period is 30 minutes, the notification unit 124 provides information on the amount of boiling water at night even if the operation schedule includes the daytime boiling period. The image information including the above is transmitted to the terminal device 7.

In the embodiment, an example has been described in which the notification unit 124 transmits the image information including the nighttime boiling water amount information to the terminal device 7 when the determination unit 123 determines that the daytime boiling period exists. However, the information transmitted by the notification unit 124 is not limited to the image information, and may be, for example, voice information including information on the amount of boiling water at night or other information.

Further, various functions of the control devices 1, 2001, 3001, 4001, 5001 and the terminal device 7 according to the present invention may be realized by software, firmware, or a combination of software and firmware. In this case, the software or firmware is written as a program, and the program can be read by a computer such as a flexible disc, a CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read Only Memory), a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), and an MO (Magneto-Optical Disc). A computer capable of realizing each of the above-mentioned functions may be configured by storing and distributing the program in a recording medium, reading the program into a computer, and installing the program. Then, when each function is realized by sharing the OS (Operating System) and the application, or by cooperating with the OS and the application, only the part other than the OS may be stored in the recording medium.

Further, it is also possible to superimpose each program on the carrier wave and distribute it via the out-of-home network NT2. For example, the program may be posted on a bulletin board system (BBS, Bulletin Board System) on the out-of-home network NT2, and the program may be distributed via the out-of-home network NT2. Then, by starting these programs and executing them in the same manner as other application programs under the control of the OS, the above-mentioned processing may be executed.

Hereinafter, embodiments and modifications of the present invention (including those described in the description; the same shall apply hereinafter) have been described, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The present invention includes a combination of embodiments and modifications as appropriate, and modifications thereof as appropriate.

The present invention is suitable for a hot water supply system in which a user in a house can appropriately adjust the amount of hot water boiled by a water heater at night or in the daytime.

1,2001,3001,4001,5001 Control device, 2 Power generation equipment, 3 Power measurement device, 4 Water heater, 5 Electrical equipment, 7 Terminal device, 7a Operation screen image, 8 Meteorological server, 9 time server, 10 system power supply, 11 Distribution board, 44 remote control device, 45 shower, 46 faucet, 101,701 CPU, 102,702 main storage unit, 103,703 auxiliary storage unit, 104,704 home communication unit, 105 out-of-home communication unit, 109, 709 Bus, 111 Meteorological information acquisition unit, 112 Power acquisition unit, 113 Hot water amount acquisition unit, 114 Hot water amount determination unit, 115 Power prediction unit, 116 Period determination unit, 117 Daytime boiling water amount setting unit, 118 Nighttime boiling water amount calculation unit 119 Schedule generation unit, 120 transmission unit, 121 time information acquisition unit, 122 time acquisition unit, 123 judgment unit, 124 notification unit, 125 schedule acquisition unit, 126 water heater information acquisition unit, 131 weather forecast storage unit, 132 weather record Storage unit, 133 Power generation storage unit, 134 Power consumption storage unit, 135 Predicted surplus power storage unit, 136 Hot water storage capacity storage unit, 137 Hot water consumption storage unit, 138 Schedule storage unit, 139 Time storage unit, 400 Heat pump unit, 401 compression Machine, 402 1st heat exchanger, 403 expansion valve, 404 2nd heat exchanger, 405 blower, 406 control board, 407 circulation pump, 410 tank unit, 411 hot water storage tank, 412 hot water supply controller, 413 mixing valve, 705 display , 706 Input unit, 2127 Number of uses calculation unit, 3128 Hot water amount identification unit, 4129 estimation unit, 5151 Additional boiling water amount calculation unit, 5152 Control information generation unit, B11, B12, B21 column, BU1 selection button image, BU2 boiling Start button image, CT1, CT2, CT3 converter, D1, D2, D3, D4 power line, H house, M1 operation status information, M2 hot water storage amount information, M31 hot water amount information, M41 remaining hot water amount information, M51 gauge image, NT1 Home network, NT2 Out-of-home network, Pc power consumption, Ps surplus power, Pw water heater power consumption, PL1 water pipe, PL3 refrigerant pipe, SL1 communication line, Tmax boiling time, Tn oon daytime boiling time, Wday target day boiling water amount, Wmax boiling water amount, Night night boiling water amount, Wnoon daytime boiling water amount, Won startup hot water storage amount

Claims (13)

According to the operation schedule, hot water is boiled by the electric power generated by the power generation facility in the first period of the target day, and the hot water is supplied from the grid power supply in the second period different from the first period on the target day. It is a control device that controls a water heater that generates hot water to be used on the target day by boiling the water.
A power prediction unit that predicts the transition of surplus power in the first period based on the power generated by the power generation facility in the past and the power consumption in the power consumption area in the past.
Based on the transition of the surplus power predicted by the power prediction unit, the period determination unit determines the boiling period in which the water heater in the first period can boil water only by the surplus power. ,
A schedule generator that generates the operation schedule based on the boiling period,
When the preset reference time arrives, a determination unit for determining whether or not the operation schedule includes a first period boiling period for boiling water in the first period, and a determination unit.
When the determination unit determines that the operation schedule includes the first period boiling period, the second period boiling water amount information regarding the second period boiling water amount to be boiled by the water heater in the second period. A notification unit that notifies the user of
Control device. After notifying the boiling water amount information in the second period, the notification unit notifies the user of the operation status information indicating the operation status of the water heater according to the selection by the user.
The control device according to claim 1. Further provided with a usage count calculation unit that calculates the usage count according to a preset usage purpose based on the remaining hot water amount of the water heater.
After notifying the information on the amount of boiling water in the second period, the notification unit notifies the user of the number of times of use information indicating the number of times of use calculated by the number of times of use calculation unit according to the selection by the user.
The control device according to claim 1 or 2. A hot water usage storage unit that stores hot water usage information indicating the past hot water usage amount,
It is further provided with a hot water usage specifying unit that specifies a preset number of past hot water usage information from the hot water usage information stored in the hot water usage storage unit.
After notifying the boiling water amount information in the second period, the notification unit notifies the user of the used hot water amount information specified by the used hot water amount specifying unit according to the user's selection.
The control device according to claim 1 or 2. Further provided with an estimation unit for estimating the amount of remaining hot water of the water heater in the future based on the operation schedule and the amount of remaining hot water of the water heater at the present time.
After notifying the boiling water amount information in the second period, the notification unit notifies the user of future residual hot water amount information indicating the future residual hot water amount of the water heater estimated by the estimation unit according to the user's selection. ,
The control device according to claim 1 or 2. The water heater is further provided with a control information generation unit that generates control information for starting boiling water.
After notifying the boiling water amount information in the second period, the notification unit notifies the user of the boiling start selection information for allowing the user to select whether or not to start boiling the hot water by the water heater.
When the control information generation unit notifies the user of the boiling start selection information by the notification unit and then inputs the boiling start command information for instructing the start of boiling water by the water heater, the control information generation unit receives the boiling start command information. Generate the control information,
The control device according to claim 1 or 2. The boiling start command information includes usage count information indicating the usage count in a preset usage purpose.
An additional boiling water amount calculation unit for calculating the amount of hot water to be additionally boiled in the water heater based on the usage frequency information is further provided.
The control information generation unit generates the control information including the additional boiling water amount information indicating the amount of hot water calculated by the additional boiling water amount calculation unit.
The control device according to claim 6. The boiling start command information includes additional boiling hot water amount information indicating the amount of hot water to be additionally boiled by the water heater.
The control information generation unit extracts the additional boiling water amount information from the boiling start command information, and generates the control information including the extracted additional boiling water amount information.
The control device according to claim 6. A hot water amount determination unit that determines the amount of hot water used on the target day based on the amount of hot water used in the past,
The water heater further includes a second period boiling water amount calculation unit that calculates the second period boiling water amount based on the maximum boiling water amount that can be boiled during the boiling period.
The control device according to any one of claims 1 to 8. According to the operation schedule, hot water is boiled by the electric power generated by the power generation facility in the first period of the target day, and the hot water is supplied from the system power supply in the second period different from the first period on the target day. It is a control system that controls a water heater that generates hot water to be used on the target day by boiling the water.
With the terminal device
A power prediction unit that predicts the transition of surplus power in the first period based on the power generated by the power generation facility in the past and the power consumption in the power consumption area in the past.
Based on the transition of the surplus power predicted by the power prediction unit, the period determination unit determines the boiling period in which the water heater in the first period can boil water only by the surplus power. ,
A schedule generator that generates the operation schedule based on the boiling period,
When the preset reference time arrives, a determination unit for determining whether or not the operation schedule includes a first period boiling period for boiling water in the first period, and a determination unit.
When the determination unit determines that the operation schedule includes the first period boiling period, the second period boiling water amount information regarding the second period boiling water amount to be boiled by the water heater in the second period. Is provided on the terminal device to notify the user of the above.
Control system. An additional boiling water amount calculation unit that calculates an additional boiling water amount indicating the amount of hot water to be additionally boiled by the water heater based on the target hot water storage amount information indicating the target hot water storage amount of the water heater.
The water heater is further provided with a control information generation unit that generates control information for starting boiling water.
The notification unit notifies the user of the information on the amount of boiling water for the second period via the terminal device, and then selects whether or not to start boiling water by the water heater. Information is transmitted to the terminal device,
When the terminal device receives the boiling start selection information, the terminal device displays a gauge image showing the target hot water storage amount of the water heater together with the boiling start selection information, and the target according to the gauge image according to the user's selection. The boiling start command information including the hot water storage amount information and instructing the start of boiling water by the water heater is transmitted to the control information generation unit and the additional boiling water amount calculation unit.
Upon receiving the boiling start command information, the additional boiling water amount calculation unit calculates the additional boiling water amount based on the target hot water storage amount information included in the boiling start command information.
Upon receiving the boiling start command information, the control information generation unit generates the control information based on the amount of the additional boiling water.
The control system according to claim 10. According to the operation schedule, hot water is boiled by the electric power generated by the power generation facility in the first period of the target day, and the hot water is supplied from the grid power supply in the second period different from the first period on the target day. It is a control method that controls a water heater that generates hot water to be used on the target day by boiling the water.
A step of predicting the transition of surplus power in the first period based on the power generated by the power generation facility in the past and the power consumption in the past power consumption area, and
Based on the predicted transition of the surplus power, a step of determining a boiling period in which the water heater can boil water only by the surplus power in the first period, and a step of determining a boiling period.
The step of generating the operation schedule based on the boiling period, and
When the preset reference time arrives, the step of determining whether or not the operation schedule includes the first period boiling period for boiling water in the first period, and
When it is determined that the operation schedule includes the first period boiling period, the user is notified of the second period boiling water amount information regarding the second period boiling water amount boiled by the water heater in the second period. Steps to do, including,
Control method. Computer,
Power forecast that predicts the transition of surplus power in the power consumption area where the water heater is installed in the first period of the target day based on the power generated by the power generation facility in the past and the power consumption in the past power consumption area. Department,
A period determination unit that determines a boiling period in which the water heater in the first period can boil water only by the surplus power, based on the transition of the surplus power predicted by the power prediction unit.
A schedule generator that generates an operation schedule for the water heater based on the boiling period.
When the preset reference time arrives, the determination unit determines whether or not the operation schedule includes the first period boiling period for boiling water in the first period.
When the determination unit determines that the operation schedule includes the first period boiling period, the second period regarding the amount of boiling water for the second period to be boiled by the water heater in a second period different from the first period. Notification unit that notifies the user of information on the amount of boiling water for two periods,
A program to function as.

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