WO2011089514A2 - Power-saving diagnostic system - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed is a power-saving diagnostic system provided with: an electric power sensor which measures the amount of electric power consumed by an electrical appliance; an equipment controller which receives measurement results from the electric power sensor and transmits the electric power information and appliance information from the appliance to a central server; and the central server which is configured so as to be able to communicate with the equipment controller via a network. The central server has a server-side communication unit which can communicate with the equipment controller, and a simulation unit. The simulation unit: selects a different electrical appliance of the same type as the aforementioned electrical appliance as a candidate appliance from an appliance information database which stores appliance related information including types associated with a plurality of electrical appliances, said selection being made on the basis of the appliance information from the aforementioned electrical appliance received from the equipment controller; receives electrical power information and appliance information for the aforementioned electrical appliance from the equipment controller; requests the operating status of the aforementioned electrical appliance on the basis of the electric power information of the appliance; and simulates the amount of electric power consumed if the operating status would be applied to the candidate appliance.

Description

 Specification

 Energy-saving diagnostic system

 The present invention relates to an energy saving diagnosis system for obtaining a power saving effect when an electric device currently in use is replaced with another electric device of the same type. Background art

 In recent years, interest in energy conservation has increased, and awareness of energy conservation has increased in ordinary households, such as selecting and purchasing electrical devices with low power consumption. Here, when the electrical equipment currently used in a house is replaced with another electrical equipment of the same type and the latest type (replacement), how much power consumption is reduced (power saving) Whether an effect is obtained is judged based on values such as annual power consumption described in catalogs.

 However, there are various types of electrical equipment such as lighting fixtures, air conditioners (air conditioners), and refrigerators in a house, and these various other types of electrical equipment are released from time to time. As for equipment, it takes a lot of labor to determine whether a power-saving effect can be obtained based on the values in the catalog each time a new type of electrical equipment is released. In addition, the catalog value is only the value when using electrical equipment under certain specific conditions, and depending on the user, the results may differ from the catalog value by using electrical equipment under conditions that are far from this. There is a case. For this reason, there may be a discrepancy between the power saving effect obtained based on the catalog value and the power saving effect when the user actually uses the electrical equipment.

 In order to solve this problem, by inputting the specifications and operating hours of the currently used electrical equipment (current equipment), the electrical equipment (energy saving equipment) corresponding to the electrical equipment specifications can be entered from the database. There has been proposed an energy saving diagnosis system that calculates a power saving effect (reduction in electricity charges) when an electrical device is selected and replaced (see Patent Document 1, for example). In the invention described in Patent Document 1, the specifications (name, model, power consumption, etc.) and operation time of the current electrical equipment are input by the user from the user terminal. Here, for example, in the case of an air conditioner, the usage time of air conditioning per day is input as the operating time.

 [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2 0 0 2-4 9 7 2 3

However, in the energy-saving diagnosis system described above, the operating time of the electrical equipment is input by the user, and there is often a deviation from the actual operating time of the electrical equipment. For example, air conditioning In the case of equipment, it is usually not possible that the operating time per day is the same throughout the year, and the user enters a rough value as the operating time, so of course, there is a deviation from the actual operating time of the electrical equipment. Arise. In other words, the power saving effect calculated in the energy-saving diagnosis system does not reflect the actual operating status of the electrical equipment that varies from user to user. There may be a discrepancy with the power-saving effect when using this, which raises the problem of reliability. Summary of the Invention

 The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned reasons, and can reflect the actual operation status of the electrical equipment, and can accurately obtain the power saving effect obtained by replacing the electrical equipment. Provide a system.

 According to the first aspect of the present invention, a power sensor that measures the power consumption of an electrical device, and a facility sensor that receives a measurement result from the power sensor and transmits power information and device information of the electrical device to a central server. And a central server configured to be able to communicate with the facility controller via a network, the central server being capable of communicating with the facility controller, and the facility controller Based on the device information of the electrical device received from the device, the device information database stores device-related information including a type in which another electrical device of the same type as the electrical device is associated with a plurality of electrical devices. As a candidate device, receiving power information and device information of the electric device from the equipment controller, and power information of the electric device. The determined operating status of electrical equipment, energy saving diagnostic system having a, a simulation unit for simulators one Chillon power consumption in the case of applying the operating status in the candidate device is provided based on.

 The facility controller includes a power information storage unit that stores time series data of measurement results of the power sensor as the power information as needed, and a device information storage unit that stores device information including the type of the electrical device. And a controller-side communication unit capable of communicating with the central server, and the device information database includes at least power consumption of device information including types for a plurality of electric devices as the device-related information. The simulation unit obtains the operating status of the electrical device including at least one of the power consumption per unit period and the operating time based on the power information received from the facility controller. Simulate the power consumption when applying the operation status to the candidate device and send it back to the equipment controller. Refers even be presented to the presentation unit that is connected to the installation controller comparison results associated with electricity consumption of the electric equipment and the candidate device.

According to this configuration, the power received by the simulation unit of the central server from the equipment controller When another electrical device of the same type as the current electrical device connected to each system is selected as a candidate device from the device information database based on the information and device information, and the current electrical device is replaced with the candidate device Since the power consumption is simulated, the simulation results reflect the actual operating status of the current electrical equipment. In other words, by reflecting the actual operating status of different electric devices for each user, the power saving effect obtained by replacing the electric devices can be accurately obtained.

 The simulation unit may include a change in power consumption with the passage of time obtained from the power information as a variation pattern in the operation status.

 According to this configuration, even when the power consumption changes over time depending on the operating state of the electrical equipment, the current electrical equipment is replaced with a candidate equipment in consideration of the change in power consumption. The power saving effect can be obtained accurately.

 The facility controller includes a power information storage unit that stores time series data of measurement results of the power sensor as power information as needed, a device information storage unit that stores device information including the type of the electrical device, A controller-side communication unit capable of communicating with a central server, wherein the device information database includes at least power consumption and electrical device information including types of a plurality of electrical devices as the device-related information. The simulation unit stores the operation efficiency in the device information database based on the power information and the device information received from the facility controller. Using the electrical equipment as the operating status, the work of the electrical equipment is obtained, and the work of the work is used. The candidate device simulates the power consumption required for the device and returns it to the equipment controller. The comparison result related to the power consumption between the electrical device and the candidate device is connected to the equipment controller. It can also be presented by the presenting means.

According to this configuration, based on the power information and the equipment information received from the simulation unit equipment controller of the central server, other electrical equipment of the same type as the current electrical equipment connected to each system is retrieved from the equipment information database. Since the power consumption when selecting the candidate device and replacing the current electrical device with the candidate device is simulated, the actual operation status of the current electrical device is reflected in the simulation result. Become. In other words, by reflecting the actual operating status of different electric devices for each user, the power saving effect obtained by replacing the electric devices can be accurately obtained. In addition, since the simulation unit simulates power consumption based on workload, the current electrical equipment is considered including the difference in operating efficiency between the current electrical equipment and the candidate equipment. The power saving effect when the auxiliary device is replaced can be obtained with higher accuracy.

 The central server receives at least one detection result of sunrise time, sunset time, sunshine time, temperature, humidity, and weather from the equipment controller as environmental information, and stores an environmental information database that stores the environmental information. The simulation unit may correct the work amount so that the change in the operation efficiency due to the environmental change is reflected in the work amount using the environment information.

 According to this configuration, the workload is corrected using the environmental information, so errors in the simulation result due to the influence of the sunrise time, sunset time, sunshine time, temperature, humidity, weather, and environment are reduced. Thus, more accurate simulation results can be obtained.

 The facility controller has a function of performing monitoring control of the electrical device, and the central server includes a pattern estimation unit that estimates a user behavior pattern from the monitoring control state of the electrical device by the facility controller, and the simulation unit The amount of work may be corrected using the behavior pattern so that the change in operating efficiency due to the user's behavior pattern is reflected in the amount of work. According to this configuration, the amount of work is corrected using the user's behavior pattern, so that errors that occur in the simulation result due to the influence of the usage pattern of the electric device that differs for each user are reduced, and a more accurate simulation result is obtained. Obtainable.

 When a new electric device is connected, the facility controller recognizes that the new electric device is connected based on the communication with the electric device or the measurement result of the power sensor, and communicates with the electric device. In addition, a device information update unit that automatically acquires the device information of the electric device and updates the device information in the device information storage unit may be provided.

 According to this configuration, when a new electrical device is connected to the distribution board, the device information in the device information storage unit is automatically updated, so that the trouble of updating the storage information in the device information storage unit can be saved. There are advantages. Brief Description of Drawings

 The objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of preferred embodiments given in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

 FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram showing a configuration of a first embodiment of the present invention.

 FIG. 2A is a schematic system configuration diagram showing the whole system of the above.

 FIG. 2B is a schematic block diagram of the above-described branch breaker.

 FIG. 3 is a sequence diagram showing an operation example of the above.

 Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the central server.

FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram showing an operation example of the above. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an operation of the second embodiment of the present invention. BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

 Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings forming a part of this specification. Throughout the drawings, the same or similar parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, and duplicate descriptions thereof are omitted. In the following description of the embodiment, an example is described in which an electrical device is provided in a house or in a house, but the present invention is not limited to this. It can also be provided in buildings where power is supplied through. In the following description, a case where a plurality of electrical devices are provided is described as an example. However, the present invention can be applied even when only one electrical device is provided.

 (Embodiment 1)

 As shown in FIG. 2A, the energy saving diagnostic system of the present embodiment is configured to be able to communicate with the equipment controller 1 set in the house H 1 and the equipment controller 1 via the Internet N e 1. A central server 3 and a power sensor 5 3 (see FIG. 2B) for measuring the power consumption of the electrical equipment 4 for each system of the distribution board 5 are provided.

 The distribution board 5 includes a main breaker 51 and a branch breaker 52 provided for each system, and power is supplied to the electrical equipment 4 connected to each system via the branch breaker 52. It is configured to be supplied. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that one electrical device 4 such as a lighting fixture, an air conditioner (air conditioner), or a refrigerator installed in the house is connected to each system.

 The power sensor 53 is incorporated in each branch breaker 52 of the distribution board 5 and measures the instantaneous value of the current flowing through each system with a current transformer (not shown) and between the lines of each system. The instantaneous value of voltage is measured, and the power consumption of each system is measured from these (current and voltage) measurement results.

 As shown in Fig. 1, the equipment controller 1 is connected to the controller main unit 10 connected to the central server 3 via the Internet Ne 1 and to the controller main unit 10 via the home LAN. It consists of the viewer 2 0.

The controller body 10 includes a part of the electrical equipment in the house (for example, lighting equipment and air conditioner) 4 and an interface (home interface) 11 connected to the electrical line L 1 and monitoring of these electrical equipment. It has an arithmetic processing unit 12 that performs control (operation state monitoring, on / off control, etc.), and an interface (LAN interface) 13 that connects to a viewer (home LAN) 20. The monitoring control performed by the controller body 10 is performed according to input from a personal computer or a mobile phone terminal that can communicate with the viewer 20 or the central server 3 via the Internet Ne 1. The controller body 10 is also connected to the power sensor 5 3 via the communication line L 1 in the interface 11, and the measurement result of each power sensor 53 in the arithmetic processing unit 12 (consumption for each system) Power). The controller main body 10 is provided with a power information storage unit 14 for storing measurement results acquired from the power sensor 53. The arithmetic processing unit 1 2 measures the power consumption (integrated value of power consumption) for each system at regular time intervals (for example, every 5 minutes), and the power information storage unit 1 4 uses the time-series data of the measurement results as power information. To remember.

 Furthermore, the controller main body 10 is connected to each of the communication unit (controller side communication unit) 15 and the distribution board 5 that can communicate with the central server 3 via the Internet Ne 1. A device information storage unit 16 for storing device information including the type and product number of the device 4; Here, the types of electrical equipment 4 include lighting equipment, air conditioners, refrigerators, etc., as well as performance (for tatami mats for lighting equipment, capacity, dimensions, etc. for refrigerators), etc. . That is, the controller main body 10 manages what kind of electrical equipment 4 is connected to each system of the distribution board 5 by the equipment information storage section 16. This device information can be input from the viewer 20 by the user.

 Here, the arithmetic processing unit 12 has a function of transmitting device information and power information from the communication unit 15 to the central server 3 for each system of the distribution board 5. The device information and power information are transmitted to the central server 3 when the user performs a predetermined operation in the viewer 20.

 The viewer 20 has an interface 21 for connecting to the controller unit body 10 and a display unit (here, a liquid crystal display) as a presentation means for presenting (displaying) various information to the user 2 2 and an input unit (here, referred to as a touch panel) for receiving an operation input from the user 2 3. The viewer 20 is installed at a position that is easy for the user to visually recognize, such as a wall of a room (for example, a living room). The power information and device information managed by the controller main unit 10 should be displayed on the display unit of the home viewer 20 by being transmitted from the controller main unit 10 to the viewer 20 via the home LAN. Can do. In the viewer 20, not only the monitoring result of the electric device 4 performed by the controller body 10, but also the power information received from the controller body 10 is displayed on the screen of the display unit 22 for each distribution board 5 system. By displaying, time-series data of the amount of power consumed in each system (that is, the amount of power consumed by the electrical equipment 4 connected to each system) is presented to the user.

In addition, the viewer 20 has a function of requesting the controller main body 10 to transmit power information 'device information' by performing a predetermined operation. Here, it is assumed that the user selects any one system (one electric device 4) and makes a transmission request for power information / device information. In the controller body 10 that has received the request, it is stored in the power information storage unit 14 and the device information storage unit 16 respectively. Out of the power information and device information that are requested, only information related to one system requested by the viewer 20 is transmitted to the central server 3.

 —On the other hand, the central server 3 includes a communication section (server-side communication section) 3 1 that can communicate with the equipment controller 1 via the Internet N e 1, and types and product numbers for a plurality of electrical devices. It has a device information database 32 that stores device information in association with at least power consumption (rated value). In the equipment information database 3 2, information on electrical equipment for home use is stored in a wide range, from old-style electrical equipment that was released several years ago to the latest electrical equipment, and this information is updated as needed. Shall be. Here, the device information database 3 2 is provided integrally with the main body of the central server 3, but a device information database 3 2 is provided separately from the main body of the central server 3, and the device information database 3 2 and the central server 3 It is good also as a structure which can communicate between main bodies.

 Furthermore, the central server 3 simulates the power consumption when the current electrical equipment 4 connected to each system of the distribution board 5 is replaced with another electrical equipment of the same type, And a content generation unit 34 that generates content data for displaying the simulation result on the viewer 20.

 When the central server 3 receives device information and power information from the equipment controller 1 in the communication unit 31, the simulation unit 33 uses other electric devices of the same type as candidate devices based on the received device information. Select from the electrical equipment registered in the equipment information database 3 2. In other words, the candidate device is selected from the same type of electrical equipment as the current electrical equipment 4, and the lighting equipment, air conditioning equipment, refrigerator, etc., of course match. The number of tatami mats used for appliances and the capacity (size, etc. for refrigerators) can be used in place of the existing electrical equipment 4. In the present embodiment, at least the energy saving performance exceeds that of the current electric device 4, and one electric device is provided for one electric device according to a predetermined rule so that the current electric device 4 can be substituted. Make sure that the candidate device is selected. When multiple candidate devices are considered, only one with the highest priority is selected as the candidate device.

 Further, a plurality of candidate devices may be selected. In this case, it is conceivable that not only the performance equivalent to that of the current electrical device 4 but also the electrical device having higher or lower performance than the current electrical device 4 is selected as the candidate device.

The simulation unit 33 reads the device information of the electrical device that is the candidate device selected in this way and the power consumption corresponding thereto from the device information database 32. Furthermore, the simulation unit 3 3 uses the power information received together with the device information to determine the operation time (operation status) of the current electric device 4. And the power consumption when the other electric device (candidate device) is used over the same operating time is simulated. In other words, since the power information is time-series data of power consumption for each system, it is possible to estimate the on / off state of the current electrical equipment 4 connected to that system from the power information. It is possible to obtain the operating time when the electrical equipment 4 is actually operating (consuming power).

 Here, for example, in an electric device 4 such as an air conditioner, even if it is in operation, its operating state (strength) varies depending on the room temperature, set temperature, etc., and accordingly, the power consumption in each time zone also varies. It changes from time to time. Therefore, for systems that are connected to electrical equipment 4 whose operating state varies during operation, the operating time is not simply calculated from the power information, but the operating state changes with time, i.e. Assume that the change in power consumption is estimated as a variation pattern. The simulation unit 33 simulates the power consumption that is assumed when the estimated variation pattern is applied to the other electric devices. Specifically, the simulation unit 33 calculates the power consumption by multiplying the rated value of the power consumption of the other electric device by a ratio corresponding to the variation pattern for each time zone. The total power consumption is taken as the simulation result. As described above, the operation status of the electric device 4 that cannot be normally recognized by the user because it is automatically controlled by estimating the operating state (strongness, etc.) of the electric device 4 from the fluctuation pattern of the power consumption. Can also be estimated.

 The result of the simulation performed by the simulation unit 33 is returned from the communication unit 31 to the equipment controller 1 that is the transmission source of the device information and the power information. The equipment controller 1 that has received the simulation result displays, for example, the power consumption when it is replaced with a candidate device in the viewer 20 in a format that can be compared with the power consumption of the current electric device 4. Furthermore, calculate the ratio of the power consumption of the current electrical device 4 to the power consumption when the candidate device is replaced, and how much the power consumption is improved by replacing the electrical device 4 ) You may be made to display specifically whether you can do it. In addition to this, it is also possible to display the power consumption converted into electricity charges.

 The simulation result is not limited to the one displayed on the viewer 20, but may be displayed on a terminal device that is separate from the viewer 20 and can communicate with the viewer 20, for example. In this case, the terminal device constitutes the equipment controller 1 together with the viewer 20 and the controller body 10.

The operation of the energy saving diagnostic system having the above configuration will be described below with reference to the sequence diagram of FIG. The power sensor 53 provided for each system of the distribution board 5 periodically transmits each measurement result (power consumption) to the controller body 10. The controller body 10 that receives the measurement result from the power sensor 53 stores the time-series data of the measurement result in the power information storage unit 14 as power information as needed. Here, when the user performs a predetermined operation on the viewer 20, the viewer 20 sends a request for transmission of power information and device information to the controller body 10, and the controller body 10 that receives the request Power information storage unit 1 4 ■ Power information in device information storage unit 1 6 ■ Device information is transmitted to the central server 3. At this time, the power information is transmitted in association with the information of the electrical equipment 4 connected to each system in the controller body 10, so that the central server 3 determines the power consumption of each electrical equipment 4. It can be grasped.

 When the central server 3 receives the data (power information / device information) of the electric device 4 from the controller main body 10, the central server 3 starts a simulation of the power consumption in the simulation unit 33. That is, as shown in FIG. 4, the central server 3 receives the data (S 1), and then estimates the operating state (operating state) of the electrical device 4 from the received power information (S 2). Here, the operating status includes not only the on / off state of the electrical equipment 4, but also fluctuation patterns such as strength.

 Further, based on the received device information, the simulation unit 33 acquires device information of other electric devices of the same type (comparison target device) and power consumption corresponding to the device information from the device information database 32 (S 3 ). Then, the simulation unit 33 estimates the power consumption when the operation status estimated in step S2 is applied to the other electrical equipment (S4), and returns the simulation result to the equipment controller 1 ( S 5). The simulation result in the central server 3 is downloaded as content data from the central server 3 to the viewer 20 via the internet Ne 1 and displayed on the viewer 20 screen.

According to the energy saving diagnosis system having the configuration described above, the current electrical device 4 is replaced with another new electrical device based on the power consumption when the user actually uses the current electrical device 4. In this case, it is possible to present the power consumption (energy saving) that can be improved. In other words, rather than making comparisons based only on the rated values in catalogs, etc., the power saving effect when the user actually uses the electric device is obtained by reflecting the actual operating status of the electric device that is different for each user. Deviation from is reduced. As a result, the power saving effect obtained by replacing the electric device 4 can be obtained more accurately than in the past. In addition, the central server 3 simulates the power saving effect when the electrical device 4 is replaced in consideration of the change in the operating state of the electrical device 4 (variation pattern). Compared to the case of The reliability of the results is even higher.

 In addition, the operation status of the current electrical device 4 that the simulation unit 33 obtains based on the power information is not limited to the operation time, but may be the power consumption per unit period (for example, one day). In this case, the simulation unit 33 simulates the power consumption when the power consumption per unit period of the current electrical equipment 4 obtained as the operating status is applied to the other electrical equipment (candidate equipment). To do. Specifically, the simulation unit 3 3 simply replaces the electrical device 4 when the electrical device 4 is replaced by multiplying the ratio of the rated power consumption between the current electrical device 4 and the other electrical device to the operating status. Simulate power consumption per unit period.

 By the way, in this embodiment, when an electrical device connected to the distribution board 5 is added, the equipment controller 1 can automatically recognize the equipment information of the added electrical equipment so that the equipment controller 1 can automatically recognize the equipment information. A device information update unit 24 that recognizes the addition is provided in the viewer 20 of the equipment controller 1.

 Specifically, as shown in the sequence diagram of FIG. 5, when an electrical device is connected to any system of the distribution board 5 and energization starts, a connection notification is sent from the electrical device to the viewer 20 along with the device information. For example, it is transmitted by power line communication. Upon receiving the connection notification, the device information update unit 2 4 of the viewer 20 recognizes the controller main unit 10 in order to identify which system of the distribution board 5 the electrical device that is the source of the connection notification is connected to. Request power information for each system.

 When the device information update unit 24 of the viewer 20 receives the power information for each system as a response from the controller body 10, the device information update unit 24 searches for a system with increased power consumption using the power information, and the power consumption is reduced. Judged that electrical equipment was added to the increased system. When the system to which the electric device is added is identified, the device information update unit 24 of the viewer 20 transmits the system and the device information in association with each other to the controller body 10, and in the device information storage unit 16. The device information corresponding to the system is updated.

 The recognition that the electrical equipment has been added is that the equipment controller 1 searches for electrical equipment having equipment information that does not exist in the equipment information storage section 16 when the viewer 20 performs a predetermined operation. This may be done by doing so. In addition, the identification of systems to which electrical equipment has been added is not limited to the indirect method using the power consumption measurement results for each system as described above, but a direct method using communication such as power line communication is adopted. May be.

 (Embodiment 2)

In the energy saving diagnosis system of this embodiment, the simulation unit 33 of the central server 3 simulates the power consumption when the electric device 4 is replaced. The energy saving diagnosis system of the first embodiment is obtained by obtaining the work amount of the air device 4 and obtaining the power consumption necessary for the candidate device to perform the work of the same amount of work as the current electric device 4. Is different.

 Here, the information stored in the device information database 3 2 in the central server 3 in association with the device information is not only the rated value of power consumption, but also the operating state of the electric device 4 (for example, strength for an air conditioner) It also includes operational efficiency that represents the correspondence between the amount of power consumed and the amount of work. The amount of work here means the amount of work that the electric equipment 4 performs by consuming electric energy. For example, how much room is cooled by an air conditioner. Corresponds to the workload. The operating efficiency means the relationship between how much work is done with respect to the electric energy consumed by the electrical equipment 4 (power consumption). In the case of an air conditioner, the cooling capacity (kca I) is the operating efficiency. It corresponds to. If the operating state is a continuous value, the power consumption and the amount of work shall be represented by values at each stage when the operating state is divided into multiple stages, or approximate expressions.

 The central server 3 converts the power information sent from the equipment controller 1 into a work amount using the operation efficiency stored in the equipment information database 3 2 in the simulation unit 3 3, and the work amount within a certain period of time. The amount of work done by electrical equipment 4 is estimated by taking the sum of Here, in the simulation part 33, based on the data converted into the work amount, other electric devices of the same type (candidate devices) are made to work with the same work amount using the operation efficiency. Calculate the power consumption required for the operation and send the calculation result back to the equipment controller 1 as a simulation result. Note that the simulation unit 33 may also calculate the operation time required for the candidate device to perform the above work.

 In this embodiment, the environment information database for receiving and storing from the equipment controller 1 at least one of detection results such as sunrise time, sunset time, sunshine time, temperature, humidity, weather, etc. of each place as environment information. 3 5 is added to the central server 3. Environmental information is detected by an illumination sensor or temperature sensor installed in the house, and the detection result is acquired by the equipment controller 1. By setting up the environmental information database in the central server 3, the simulation unit 3 3 takes into account changes in the operating efficiency of the electrical equipment 4 due to environmental factors such as temperature (for example, cooling becomes worse at higher temperatures). Thus, the amount of work can be corrected. In this way, by correcting the work amount, the accuracy of the simulation of the power consumption in the simulation unit 33 can be further improved.

Furthermore, the equipment controller 1 recognizes the operating state of the electrical equipment 4 to be controlled, such as lighting equipment, air conditioners, floor heating, blinds, and electric locks (that is, the equipment controller 1 monitors the electrical equipment 4). It has a function to control). Here, the electric machine recognized by the equipment controller 1 The operation history of the device 4 is stored in the history storage unit 18 provided in the equipment controller 1.

 The facility controller 1 transmits the history of the operation status of the recognized electrical equipment (operation history) to the central server 3 simultaneously with the transmission of the power information. The pattern estimation unit 36 of the central server 3 uses the received operation history for power information analysis. That is, as an example, the equipment controller 1 provides a security function (operation of a security camera and notification operation when an electric lock is unlocked and unlocked) in a network system constructed with the electrical equipment 4 for security. The security function is set when the user goes to bed or goes out. Therefore, it is possible to estimate the user's bedtime, home time, etc. from the operation history of the electrical device 4 for crime prevention, and use of air conditioning at the time of the user's sleep from the relationship with the operation history of the other electrical device 4 The user's behavior pattern can be estimated.

 Therefore, the simulation unit 33 considers the user's behavior pattern estimated by the pattern estimation unit 36, and corrects the workload so that the change in the operation efficiency of the electrical equipment due to the behavior pattern is reflected in the workload. As a result, the effect of power saving by replacing the electrical equipment 4 can be estimated more accurately. For example, if a user turns on a light fixture for crime prevention and goes out, replacing it with a light fixture with a brightness sensor can reduce unnecessary power consumption during the day. Therefore, more accurate simulation becomes possible by simulating the effect of power saving. In addition, because the user's behavior pattern can also estimate the time period during which the user uses each electrical device 4, even if the unit price of electricity charges varies between day and night, the electricity charges can be reduced considering the difference in unit prices. Can also be presented.

 It is also possible to improve the accuracy of the simulation by considering the relationship between the environmental information and the user's behavior pattern. For example, with regard to electrical equipment 4 made up of lighting equipment, the user tends to turn on / off electrical equipment 4 based on the sunrise time, sunset time, sunshine duration, weather, and on / off history of electrical equipment 4. This makes it possible to predict, for example, annual operating hours. In addition, with regard to the electrical equipment 4 consisting of an air conditioner, the user tends to turn on the air by feeling uncomfortable, for example, at what temperature and humidity, based on the relationship between the temperature and the operating status of the electrical equipment 4 Can be estimated. As a result, more accurate power consumption predictions can be made for individual users.

 Hereinafter, the operation of the central server 3 in the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

The central server 3 receives the data (power information 'device information) of the electrical device 4 from the controller body 10 (S 1 1), and then determines the operation time (operation status) of the electrical device 4 from the received power information. Estimate (S 1 2). Here, the operating status includes not only the on / off state of the electrical equipment 4, but also fluctuation patterns such as strength.

 Next, the simulation unit 33 obtains the operating efficiency (relationship between power consumption and work amount) of the current electrical equipment 4 from the equipment information database 32 (S 1 3), and based on the obtained information. Based on the power information, the work amount (operation status) of the work performed by the electrical device 4 is calculated (S 14). Here, the simulation unit 33 obtains environmental information (meteorological data) from the environmental information database 35 (S 15), and performs a correction calculation of work according to the environmental information (S 16).

 On the other hand, based on the received device information, the simulation unit 33 obtains device information of other electric devices of the same type (comparison target device) and corresponding power consumption from the device information database 32 (S 1 7). Here, the simulation unit 33 selects an electrical device that can operate in accordance with the user's behavior pattern (S 1 8), and when replaced with the electrical device, the simulation unit 3 3 has the same amount of work as the current electrical device 4. Estimate the power consumption required to get the job done (S 1 9). At this time, the simulation unit 33 calculates the power consumption when the electric device is operated in accordance with the user's behavior pattern (S 2 0), and returns the simulation result to the equipment controller 1 ( S 2 1).

 According to the energy saving diagnosis system of the present embodiment described above, when the candidate device is replaced, the amount of power consumption required to perform work equivalent to that of the current electrical device 4 is obtained. It is possible to accurately estimate the power saving effect when 4 is replaced. In other words, the simulation unit 3 3 simulates the power consumption on a work basis, so even if there is a difference in operating efficiency between the current electrical device 4 and the candidate device, this difference is taken into account. This makes it possible to accurately estimate the power saving effect when the current electrical device 4 is replaced with a candidate device. Also, by taking into account environmental information, user behavior patterns, etc., the deviation from the power saving effect when the user actually uses the electrical device can be further reduced.

 Other configurations and functions are the same as those in the first embodiment.

 The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, but the present invention is not limited to these specific embodiments, and various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the claims. It belongs to the category of the present invention.

Claims

Claim

[Claim 1]

 A power sensor that measures the power consumption of the electrical equipment;

 A facility controller that receives a measurement result from the power sensor and transmits power information and device information of the electrical device to a central server;

 The central server configured to be communicable with the equipment controller via a network,

 The central server is

 A server-side communication unit capable of communicating with the facility controller;

 A device in which device related information including a type in which another electric device of the same type as the electric device is associated with a plurality of electric devices based on the device information of the electric device received from the facility controller is stored. While selecting as a candidate device from the information database,

 Power consumption when the power information and device information of the electric device are received from the facility controller, the operating status of the electrical device is obtained based on the power information of the electrical device, and the operating status is applied to the candidate device A simulation unit for simulating the quantity, and

 Energy saving diagnostic system.

 [Claim 2]

 The facility controller is

 A power information storage unit that stores time series data of measurement results of the power sensor as the power information as needed;

 A device information storage unit for storing device information including the type of the electrical device;

 A controller side communication unit capable of communicating with the central server,

 The device information database stores device information including types for a plurality of electric devices as the device-related information in association with at least power consumption,

 The simulation unit obtains an operating status of the electric device including at least one of power consumption per unit period and operating time based on the power information received from the facility controller, and determines the operating status as the candidate. Simulate the power consumption when applied to equipment and send it back to the equipment controller, and present the comparison result related to the power consumption between the electrical equipment and the candidate equipment connected to the equipment controller. Let the means present

The energy saving diagnostic system according to claim 1.

[Claim 3]

 3. The energy saving diagnosis system according to claim 2, wherein the simulation unit includes a change pattern of a power consumption amount with the passage of time obtained from the power information as a variation pattern.

 [Claim 4]

 The facility controller is

 A power information storage unit that stores time series data of measurement results of the power sensor as power information as needed; a device information storage unit that stores device information including the type of the electrical device;

 A controller side communication unit capable of communicating with the central server,

 The device information database stores, as the device-related information, device information including types for a plurality of electric devices in association with at least the operating efficiency representing the correspondence relationship between the power consumption and the work amount of work performed by the electric device. ,

 The simulation unit uses the operation efficiency in the device information database based on the power information and device information received from the facility controller, and uses the work efficiency of the electric device as the operation status of the electric device. And simulating the power consumption necessary for the candidate device to do the work of the work amount and returning it to the equipment controller, and comparing the result of comparing the power consumption between the electric device and the candidate device. 2. The energy saving diagnosis system according to claim 1, wherein the presentation means connected to the equipment controller is presented.

 [Claim 5]

 The central server receives at least one detection result of sunrise time, sunset time, illumination time, temperature, humidity, and weather as environmental information from the equipment controller, and stores the environmental information in an environmental information database. The energy saving diagnostic diagnosis system according to claim 4, wherein the simulation unit corrects a work amount so that a change in the operation efficiency due to an environmental change is reflected in the work amount using the environment information.

 [Claim 6]

 The facility controller has a function of performing monitoring control of the electrical device, and the central server includes a pattern estimation unit that estimates a user behavior pattern from the monitoring control state of the electrical device by the facility controller, and the simulation unit 6. The energy saving diagnosis system according to claim 3, wherein the work amount is corrected so that a change in the operating efficiency due to a user's behavior pattern is reflected in the work amount using the behavior pattern.

[Claim 7] When a new electric device is connected, the facility controller recognizes that the new electric device is connected based on the communication with the electric device or the measurement result of the power sensor, and communicates with the electric device. The apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 6, further comprising a device information update unit that automatically acquires the device information of the electrical device and updates the device information in the device information storage unit. Energy diagnostic system.