WO2012124371A1

WO2012124371A1 - Electric equipment, control method therefor, and control program

Info

Publication number: WO2012124371A1
Application number: PCT/JP2012/050943
Authority: WO
Inventors: 琢也中井; 直輝前田
Original assignee: オムロン株式会社
Priority date: 2011-03-14
Filing date: 2012-01-18
Publication date: 2012-09-20
Also published as: JP2012195991A; JP5699705B2

Abstract

A washing machine (4a) used in a power system, wherein a supply/demand comparison unit (32) acquires the results from a comparison of the amount of supplied power being supplied by a photovoltaic power generation system and the amount of consumed power being consumed by loads including the washing machine (4a), a drive determination unit (35) determines whether to drive a drive unit (14) on the basis of the acquired comparison results, and a drive control unit (36) controls so as to drive the drive unit (14) on the basis of the determination results from the drive determination unit (35).

Description

ELECTRIC DEVICE, ITS CONTROL METHOD, AND CONTROL PROGRAM

The present invention relates to an electric device used in an electric power system in which electric power supplied from a power source is consumed by a load, a control method thereof, and a control program.

Recently, renewable power sources using natural energy, such as solar power generation and wind power generation, have attracted attention as one of the solutions for securing energy to replace fossil fuels and global environmental problems. Is beginning to spread in the home. However, the renewable power source is not stable because the power generation output is affected by natural conditions such as weather and air volume. For this reason, the balance between power supply and power consumption is likely to be lost, and power consumption is likely to be greater than supply power, or supply power is likely to be greater than power consumption.

When the power consumption becomes larger than the supply power, there is a problem that the breaker is activated and the supply power is cut off, and the load device that does not want to stop the operation also stops operating. On the other hand, when the supplied power becomes larger than the consumed power, problems such as an increase in supply voltage, frequency fluctuation, and the like, causing the load device not to operate stably occur. For this reason, power supplied by a commercial power source using a centralized power source and various distributed power sources including a renewable power source, and power consumption by various loads such as household electric appliances (hereinafter abbreviated as “home appliances”) It is important to maintain this balance.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a power supply and demand control device that adjusts the power generation output of a plurality of distributed power sources in a power system to make the difference between the total power generation output of the distributed power source and the load power (power consumption) constant. ing. Further, in Patent Document 2, if there is a power supply request from a home appliance, whether power supply is permitted based on the required power of the home appliance and the power that can be supplied from a power source such as a commercial power source, a power generation device, or a power storage device. An arbitration server for determining whether or not is disclosed.

Japanese Patent Publication “Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2008-271723 (published on Nov. 06, 2008)” Japanese Patent Publication “JP 2010-193562 A (published on Sep. 02, 2010)”

In Patent Documents 1 and 2, the balance between the power supply and the power consumption is maintained by adjusting the power supply of each power source. However, in the case of a renewable power source using natural energy, there is no need to purchase fuel for power generation, so the cost required for power generation is zero. Therefore, it is desirable that a renewable power source using natural energy outputs the maximum power that can be supplied. For this reason, it is desirable that the electrical equipment can cope with unstable supply power and can cope with reduction in power cost.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and an object thereof is to provide an electrical device that can cope with unstable supply power.

An electric device according to the present invention is an electric device used in an electric power system in which electric power supplied from a power source is consumed by a load, and operates with the supplied electric power in order to solve the above problem. Supply-demand comparison that obtains a comparison result between the operating unit and the supply power value supplied by renewable power sources using natural energy and the power consumption value consumed by the load that includes the electrical equipment. Based on the acquisition means, the comparison result acquired by the supply and demand comparison acquisition means, the operation determination means for determining whether to operate the operation part, and the operation part to be operated based on the determination result of the operation determination means It is characterized by comprising an operation control means for controlling.

In addition, a control method for an electrical device according to the present invention is a control method for an electrical device used in a power system in which power supplied from a power source is consumed by a load, and in order to solve the above problem, A supply and demand comparison acquisition step of acquiring a comparison result between a supply power value supplied by a renewable power source using natural energy and a power consumption value consumed by a load including the electrical device among the power sources, Based on the comparison result acquired in the supply and demand comparison acquisition step, an operation determination step for determining whether or not to operate the operation unit operated by the power, and operating the operation unit based on the determination result of the operation determination step And an operation control step for controlling as described above.

According to the above-described configuration and method, it is determined whether to operate the operating unit based on a comparison result between a power supply value from a renewable power source using natural energy and a power consumption value by a load. Based on this, the operating section is operated.

Specifically, when the comparison result indicates that the supply power value is larger than the power consumption value, it is determined that the operation of the operation unit is started. Accordingly, when surplus is generated in the power supplied from the renewable power source, the electric device is operated, and the power consumption due to the load is increased accordingly, so that the surplus can be reduced. Furthermore, when the comparison result indicates that the supply power value is smaller than the power consumption value, it is determined that the operation of the operation unit is temporarily stopped. Thereby, when a shortage occurs in the power supplied from the renewable power source, the electrical device is temporarily stopped, and the power consumption due to the load is reduced accordingly, so that the shortage can be reduced.

Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to start or stop the operation of the operating unit according to the surplus or shortage of the supplied power, and thus it is possible to cope with unstable supplied power. As a result, the renewable power source using natural energy can output the maximum power that can be supplied, and the power cost can be reduced.

As described above, the electrical device according to the present invention determines whether to operate the operating unit based on the comparison result between the power supply value from the renewable power source using natural energy and the power consumption value by the load. Based on the determination result, by operating the operating unit, it is possible to start or stop the operation of the operating unit according to the surplus or shortage of the supplied power. There is an effect that there is.

It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of the washing machine in the electric power system which is one Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of the said electric power system. It is a figure which shows an example of the washing history information memorize | stored in the memory | storage part of the said washing machine in a table form. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the process in the said washing machine. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the process in the said washing machine. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the process in the said washing machine.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 2 shows a schematic configuration of the power system according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 2, the thick line indicates the flow of power, and the thin line indicates the flow of data.

As shown in FIG. 2, the power system 1 supplies power from various power sources 2 to various load devices (electrical devices) 4 through a distribution board 3. In addition, in this embodiment, although the case where the electric power system 1 is installed in a house is assumed, it is not limited to this. For example, the present invention can be applied to a power system installed in an arbitrary building using a plurality of power sources such as an office and a factory, or the present invention can be applied to a power system installed in a specific area including a plurality of buildings. Can also be applied.

The power source 2 supplies power. In the present embodiment, the commercial power source 2a and the distributed power sources of the solar power generation device 2b and the fuel cell device 2c are used as the power source 2, but the present invention is not limited to this. If at least one renewable power source using natural energy such as a solar power generation device, a wind power generation device, or a geothermal power generation device is used, an arbitrary power source such as a commercial power source, a fuel cell device, or a storage battery is used in the power system of this embodiment. 1 can be used. Here, the distributed power source refers to a device that supplies power by distributing and arranging relatively small power generators near a consumption area. Hereinafter, the power sources 2a to 2c are collectively referred to as “power source 2”.

The switchboard 3 distributes the power supplied from the power supply 2 to the load device 4. The load device 4 consumes power. In the example of FIG. 2, a washing machine 4a and a TV (television receiver) 4b are used as the load device 4, but a refrigerator, an air conditioner, a dishwasher, an electric kettle, a notebook PC (Personal Computer), an electric light, etc. Any electrical equipment can be used. Hereinafter, the

load devices

4a and 4b are collectively referred to as “load device 4”.

Furthermore, the power system 1 includes a power information collecting device 5. As shown in FIG. 2, the power information collection device 5 is communicably connected to the switchboard 3, the solar power generation device 2 b, the fuel cell device 2 c, and the load device 4. In addition, it is preferable that the power information collection device 5 and the load device 4 are communicably connected via a communication network. Examples of this communication network include a wired LAN (Local Area Network) by power line communication (PLC: Power Line Communications), a wireless LAN (IEEE 802.11), and the like.

The power information collecting device 5 collects power information related to the power of the power source 2 and the load device 4. The power supply value of the commercial power supply 2a is collected from the switchboard 3. The power information collection device 5 transmits the collected power information to all or part of the load device 4.

Specifically, the power information collection device 5 collects the supply power value supplied by the power supply 2 and the power consumption value consumed by the load device 4. Further, the power information collecting device 5 calculates the sum of the costs of the power supplied from each power source 2 (hereinafter referred to as “power unit price”) from the power supply value from the power source 2 and its unit price (hereinafter referred to as “power unit price”). (Referred to as “total power cost value”). The power information collecting device 5 then adds the power supply value of the solar power generation device 2b, which is a renewable power source using natural energy, and the power consumption value consumed by each load device 4 (hereinafter referred to as “total power consumption value”). And the cost of supplied power supplied from all the power sources 2 are transmitted to the washing machine 4a.

The washing machine 4a is an electrical device for washing items such as clothes that require washing (hereinafter referred to as “laundry”). In the present embodiment, the washing machine 4a automatically starts or temporarily stops operation based on the power information from the power information collecting device 5.

FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration of the washing machine 4a. As illustrated, the washing machine 4 a includes a control unit 10, a storage unit 11, an operation unit 12, a communication unit 13, a drive unit (operation unit) 14, a power sensor 15, and a weight sensor 16.

The control unit 10 controls the operation of various components in the power information collecting apparatus 5 in an integrated manner, and is configured by a computer including a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a memory, for example. And operation control of various composition is performed by making a computer run a control program. The storage unit 11 records information and includes a recording device such as a hard disk or a flash memory. Details of the control unit 10 and the storage unit 11 will be described later.

The operation unit 12 receives various inputs from the user by the user's operation, and includes an input button, a touch panel, and other operation devices. The operation unit 12 converts information operated by the user into operation data and transmits the operation data to the control unit 10.

The communication unit 13 is for data communication with the external power information collecting device 5. The communication unit 13 converts various data received from the control unit 10 into a format suitable for data communication, and then transmits the data to the power information collection device 5. The communication unit 13 converts various data received from the power information collection device 5 into a data format inside the device, and then transmits the data to the control unit 10.

The drive unit 14 is driven by the power supplied from the switchboard 3 to execute washing. The driving of the driving unit 14 is controlled by the control unit 10. As shown in FIG. 2, the drive unit 14 includes a valve 20 for water supply and drainage, a motor 21 for rotating the washing tub, and the like. Most of the electric power supplied to the washing machine 4a is consumed by the drive unit 14. Note that details of the drive unit 14 are well known, and a description thereof will be omitted.

The power sensor 15 measures the power consumption value consumed by the washing machine 4a. The power sensor 15 transmits the measured power consumption value to the control unit 10. Since details of the power sensor 15 are publicly known, description thereof is omitted.

The weight sensor 16 measures the weight of the items stored in the washing tub. The weight sensor 16 transmits the measured value of the weight to the control unit 10. Note that the weight measured by the weight sensor 16 is the weight of the laundry before washing is performed, and during the washing, the weight of water is added or the weight is reduced by dehydration in each step. Further, the details of the weight sensor 16 are well known, so the description thereof is omitted.

Next, details of the control unit 10 and the storage unit 11 will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the control unit 10 includes a power consumption acquisition unit 30, a mode selection unit 31, a demand / supply comparison unit (demand / supply comparison acquisition unit) 32, a power cost acquisition unit (power cost acquisition unit) 33, and a weight acquisition unit 34. The drive determination unit (operation determination unit) 35 and the drive control unit (operation control unit) 36 are provided. In addition, the storage unit 11 is configured to include a washing history storage unit 40.

The washing history storage unit 40 stores washing history information (operation history information) indicating a history of washing performed by the washing machine 4a. FIG. 3 shows an example of the washing history information in a table format. In the illustrated example, the washing start time and end time are stored as the washing history information.

The power consumption acquisition unit 30 acquires the power consumption value of the washing machine 4a from the power sensor 15. The power consumption acquisition unit 30 transmits the acquired power consumption value of the washing machine 4 a to the power information collection device 5 via the communication unit 13.

The mode selection unit 31 selects either a manual start mode for manually starting washing or an automatic start mode for automatically starting washing based on an instruction from the user via the operation unit 12. is there. The mode selection unit 31 notifies each of the blocks 32 to 36 of the selected mode.

The supply and demand comparison unit 32 compares the supply power value of the solar power generation device 2b using natural energy with the total power consumption value in the automatic start mode. The power supply value of the solar power generation device 2 b and the power consumption value of each load device 4 are acquired from the power information collection device 5 via the communication unit 13. The supply and demand comparison unit 32 notifies the drive determination unit 35 of the comparison result.

The power cost acquisition unit 33 acquires the total power cost value from the power information collection device 5 via the communication unit 13 in the automatic start mode. The power cost total value is calculated by multiplying the power supply value from each power supply 2 by the power unit price of each power supply 2 stored in advance in the power information collecting device 5 to calculate the power supply cost of each power supply 2. It can be obtained by calculating the sum. The power cost acquisition unit 33 sends the acquired power cost total value to the drive determination unit 35.

The power cost acquisition unit 33 may calculate and acquire the above power cost total value. The power unit price of each power source 2 is stored in advance in the storage unit 11 of the washing machine 4a, and the power cost acquisition unit 33 determines the power supply value from each power source 2 from the power information collection device 5 via the communication unit 13. If acquired, the total power cost value can be calculated.

The weight acquisition unit 34 acquires a measured value of the weight of the laundry tub contents from the weight sensor 16. In the case of the automatic start mode, the weight acquisition unit 34 sends the acquired weight measurement value to the drive determination unit 35.

In the automatic start mode, the drive determination unit 35 compares the comparison result from the supply / demand comparison unit 32, the total power cost value from the power cost acquisition unit 33, the measured weight value from the weight acquisition unit 34, and the washing history. Based on the washing history information from the storage unit 40, it is determined whether or not the drive unit 14 is to be driven. The drive determination unit 35 notifies the drive control unit 36 of the determination result. The details of the determination process executed by the drive determination unit 35 will be described later.

The drive control unit 36 controls the drive unit 14. Specifically, in the manual start mode, the drive control unit 36 performs control so that the drive unit 14 starts driving immediately or at a time desired by the user based on an instruction from the user via the operation unit 12. To do. On the other hand, in the automatic start mode, the drive control unit 36 controls the drive unit 14 to start or temporarily stop driving according to the determination result from the drive determination unit 35.

Moreover, the drive control part 36 will complete | finish the drive of the drive part 14, if washing is completed. Then, the drive control unit 36 adds the drive start and drive end dates and times of the drive unit 14 to the washing history information in the washing history storage unit 40 as the start date and time and end date and time of washing. Although not shown, it goes without saying that the drive control unit 36 controls the drive unit 14 based on the weight of the laundry tub contents acquired by the weight acquisition unit 34, as in a known washing machine. .

Next, the processing operation in the washing machine 4a configured as described above will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6 show the flow of processing in the control unit 10 when the automatic start mode is selected.

When the mode selection unit 31 selects the manual start mode according to an instruction from the user via the operation unit 12, the drive control unit 36 drives the drive unit 14 at a time based on an instruction from the user via the operation unit 12. Let it begin. This starts washing. When the washing is completed, the drive control unit 36 finishes driving the drive unit 14 and updates the washing history information in the washing history storage unit 40. Thereafter, the process ends.

On the other hand, when the mode selection unit 31 selects the automatic start mode according to an instruction from the user via the operation unit 12, the processes shown in FIGS. 4 to 6 are performed. The automatic start mode includes a start mode shown in FIG. 4, a drive mode shown in FIG. 5, and a pause mode shown in FIG. In the automatic start mode, first, the start mode is executed.

In the start mode, as shown in FIG. 4, the drive determination unit 35 refers to the washing history information in the washing history storage unit 40 and determines whether or not the current time is a washable time (S10). For example, when the current time is included in a time zone in which washing was performed in the past, it is determined that the current time is a washable time. If it is a washable time, the process proceeds to step S11. If not, the process proceeds to step S15.

In step S <b> 11, the drive determination unit 35 determines whether or not the weight of the laundry tub contents acquired by the weight acquisition unit 34 before washing, that is, the weight of the laundry is equal to or greater than a set value (for example, 1 kg). . If it is equal to or greater than the set value, it is determined that the weight is washable (the operation condition is satisfied), and the process proceeds to step S12. On the other hand, when it is less than the set value, it is determined that the weight is not washable (the operation condition is not satisfied) and the process proceeds to step S15.

If the supply power value of the photovoltaic power generation apparatus 2b is greater than the total power consumption value based on the comparison result from the supply / demand comparison unit 32 in step S12 (supply / demand comparison acquisition step), When the total power cost value acquired by the cost acquisition unit 33 is equal to or less than the set value, the drive determination unit 35 determines to start driving the drive unit 14, and the drive control unit 36 starts driving the drive unit 14. (S14, operation determination step / operation control step), the process proceeds to the drive mode. On the other hand, in other cases, the drive determination unit 35 determines that the drive of the drive unit 14 is not started, and proceeds to step S15.

In step S15, the process waits until a predetermined period elapses, and then returns to step S10 to repeat the above processing operation.

In the drive mode, as shown in FIG. 5, the supply power value of the photovoltaic power generation apparatus 2b is smaller than the total power consumption value based on the comparison result from the supply and demand comparison unit 32 (S20), and the power cost acquisition unit 33 When the acquired total power cost value is larger than the set value (S21) and the driving can be temporarily stopped (S22), the driving determination unit 35 determines that the driving of the driving unit 14 is temporarily stopped, The drive control unit 36 temporarily stops driving of the drive unit 14 (S23), and proceeds to the temporary stop mode. On the other hand, in other cases, the drive determination unit 35 determines to continue driving the drive unit 14 and proceeds to step S24. In the pause mode shown in FIG. 6, steps S10 and S11 are omitted compared to the start mode shown in FIG.

In step S24, the drive determination unit 35 determines whether or not the washing is completed. If not completed, the process waits until a predetermined period elapses (S25), and then returns to step S20 to repeat the above processing operation.

On the other hand, when it is completed, it is determined that the drive of the drive unit 14 is finished, and the drive control unit 36 finishes the drive of the drive unit 14 (S26). At this time, the drive control unit 36 adds the start date / time and end date / time of the current wash to the washing history information in the washing history storage unit 40. Thereafter, the processing operation is terminated.

Therefore, the washing machine 4a of the present embodiment starts driving the drive unit 14 when the power supply value of the solar power generation device 2b is larger than the total power consumption value. Thereby, when surplus occurs in the power supplied from the solar power generation device 2b, the washing machine 4a operates, and the power consumption increases accordingly, so that the surplus can be reduced. Furthermore, when the power supply value of the solar power generation device 2b is smaller than the power consumption total value, the drive of the drive unit 14 is temporarily stopped. Thereby, when the shortage occurs in the power supplied from the solar power generation device 2b, the washing machine 4a is temporarily stopped, and the power consumption is reduced accordingly, so that the shortage can be reduced.

Therefore, the washing machine 4a according to the present embodiment can start or temporarily stop driving of the drive unit 14 according to surplus or shortage of the supply power of the solar power generation device 2b, so that it can handle unstable supply power. Is possible. As a result, the renewable power source using natural energy can output the maximum power that can be supplied, and the power cost can be reduced.

Furthermore, even if there is no surplus of power supplied from the solar power generation device 2b, when the cost of power supplied from the various power sources 2 is low, driving of the drive unit 14 is started. In addition, even if a shortage of power supplied from the solar power generation device 2b occurs, if the cost of power supplied from the various power sources 2 is low, the drive of the drive unit 14 is continued without being temporarily stopped. As a result, since the washing machine 4a can be operated when the cost of the supplied power is low, the cost for the amount of power supplied from the various power sources 2 can be reduced.

Further, when the user selects the manual start mode, the operation of the drive unit 14 can be started at a time based on an instruction from the user, so that the washing machine 4a can be operated at a timing desired by the user, which is convenient for the user. Improves. Moreover, since the drive part 14 is not driven when the weight of the laundry which the weight sensor 16 measured is small, the deterioration of the operating efficiency of the washing machine 4a can be prevented. Further, when the operation of the washing machine 4a is unnecessary or undesirable based on the washing history information in the washing history storage unit 40, the driving unit 14 is not driven, so that convenience for the user is improved.

Note that when only a renewable power source using natural energy such as the solar power generation device 2b is used, it is not necessary to consider the total power cost. Therefore, the configuration and processing relating to the power cost can be omitted. In addition, the above setting value can be set by the user.

As described above, the washing machine 4a of the present embodiment is used in an electric power system in which electric power supplied from a power source is consumed by a load, and the driving unit 14 that is driven by the supplied electric power; Supply / demand comparison unit 32 that obtains a comparison result between the power supply value supplied by the photovoltaic power generation apparatus and the power consumption value consumed by the load including the washing machine 4a, and the obtained comparison result. The drive determination unit 35 determines whether the drive unit 14 is to be driven based on the drive determination unit 35 and the drive control unit 36 is configured to control the drive unit 14 to be driven based on the determination result of the drive determination unit 35. Thereby, the electric equipment (washing machine 4a) which can respond to unstable supply electric power can be provided.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made within the scope indicated in the claims. That is, embodiments obtained by combining technical means appropriately modified within the scope of the claims are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

For example, in the above embodiment, the washing machine 4a is used, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, chargers for electric devices that operate with built-in secondary batteries such as portable devices and automatic vacuum cleaners, electric pots, rice cookers, outdoor lights, etc. Electric equipment can be used. Moreover, even if it does not have drive parts, such as a motor, the electric equipment which has the operation part which consumes electric power can be utilized.

In the above embodiment, the solar power generation device 2b is used, but any renewable power source using natural energy, such as a wind power generation device or a geothermal power generation device, can be used.

Finally, each block of the washing machine 4a, in particular, the control unit 10 may be configured by hardware logic, or may be realized by software using a CPU as follows.

That is, the washing machine 4a includes a CPU that executes instructions of a control program that realizes each function, a ROM (read only memory) that stores the program, a RAM (random access memory) that develops the program, the program, and various data A storage device (recording medium) such as a memory for storing the. An object of the present invention is a recording medium on which a program code (execution format program, intermediate code program, source program) of a control program of the washing machine 4a, which is software that realizes the above-described functions, is recorded so as to be readable by a computer. This can also be achieved by supplying the washing machine 4a and reading and executing the program code recorded on the recording medium by the computer (or CPU or MPU).

Examples of the recording medium include tapes such as magnetic tapes and cassette tapes, magnetic disks such as floppy (registered trademark) disks / hard disks, and disks including optical disks such as CD-ROM / MO / MD / DVD / CD-R. Card system such as IC card, IC card (including memory card) / optical card, or semiconductor memory system such as mask ROM / EPROM / EEPROM / flash ROM.

Further, the washing machine 4a may be configured to be connectable to a communication network, and the program code may be supplied via the communication network. The communication network is not particularly limited. For example, the Internet, intranet, extranet, LAN, ISDN, VAN, CATV communication network, virtual private network, telephone line network, mobile communication network, satellite communication. A net or the like is available. Further, the transmission medium constituting the communication network is not particularly limited. For example, even in the case of wired such as IEEE 1394, USB, power line carrier, cable TV line, telephone line, ADSL line, etc., infrared rays such as IrDA and remote control, Bluetooth ( (Registered trademark), 802.11 wireless, HDR, mobile phone network, satellite line, terrestrial digital network, and the like can also be used. The present invention can also be realized in the form of a computer data signal embedded in a carrier wave in which the program code is embodied by electronic transmission.

As described above, the electrical device according to the present invention is an electrical device used in a power system in which power supplied from a power source is consumed by a load, and is supplied to solve the above problem. Comparison result between the operating part that operates with the power and the supply power value that is supplied by the renewable power source using natural energy among the above power sources and the power consumption value that is consumed by the load including the electrical equipment Supply / demand comparison / acquisition means for acquiring, operation determination means for determining whether to operate the operation part based on the comparison result acquired by the supply / demand comparison acquisition means, and operation part based on the determination result of the operation determination means It is characterized by comprising an operation control means for controlling to operate.

The comparison result may be acquired from an external power information collection device that collects the supply power value and the power consumption value. Or you may acquire by acquiring the said supply power value and the said power consumption value from this power information collection apparatus, and comparing the acquired said supply power value and the said power consumption value.

The electrical apparatus according to the present invention further includes a power cost acquisition unit that acquires a cost of power supplied from the power source, and the operation determination unit includes the comparison result acquired by the supply-demand comparison acquisition unit, and the power Whether the operating unit is to be operated may be determined based on the power cost acquired by the cost acquiring unit.

In this case, in addition to surplus or shortage of power supplied from a renewable power source using natural energy, the operation unit can be started or stopped according to the cost of power supplied from various power sources. For example, even if there is no surplus of power supplied from the renewable power source, operation of the operating unit can be started when the cost of power supplied from various power sources is low. Further, even if a shortage of power supplied from the renewable power source occurs, if the cost of power supplied from various power sources is low, the operation of the operating unit can be continued without being temporarily stopped. As a result, since the electric device can be operated when the cost of supplied power is low, the cost for the amount of power supplied from various power sources can be reduced.

Note that the cost of the power supplied from the power source can be obtained by multiplying the power supplied from each power source by the unit price and calculating the sum of all the power sources. The cost of the power may be acquired from the external power information collection device. Alternatively, the unit price of power supplied from each power source may be stored in advance, the power value supplied from each power source may be acquired from the power information collection device, and the cost of power supplied from the power source may be calculated. .

Incidentally, there are cases where the user wants to operate the electrical device immediately or at a desired time. Therefore, the electrical apparatus according to the present invention further includes an operation unit operated by a user, and the operation control unit receives a start instruction from the user via the operation unit, and determines the determination result of the operation determination unit. Regardless, it is preferable to perform control so that the operation unit starts to operate at a time based on an instruction from the user via the operation unit. In this case, the user can operate the electric device at a timing desired by the user by operating the operation unit, and the convenience for the user is improved.

By the way, in the case of a washing machine, for example, if there are few objects to be washed such as clothes, the number of washings will increase unnecessarily, and the operating efficiency will deteriorate. The same applies to the dishwasher. Therefore, the electrical apparatus according to the present invention further includes a sensor that detects the state of the operating unit, and the operation determining unit includes the comparison result acquired by the supply-demand comparison acquiring unit and the operation detected by the sensor. Whether or not to operate the operating unit may be determined based on whether the state of the unit satisfies the operating condition. In this case, the operation of the operation unit can be controlled based on the state of the operation unit, and deterioration of the operation efficiency can be prevented.

By the way, in the case of a dishwasher, if it is about one hour after the dishwasher completes the dishwashing, it is unlikely that the tableware used for the next meal is in the dishwasher. In this case, the dishwasher does not need to perform dish washing. Also, it is not desirable to operate the washing machine at night in an apartment house or the like.

Therefore, the electrical apparatus according to the present invention further includes a storage unit that stores information on the operation history of the operation unit, and the operation determination unit includes the comparison result acquired by the supply / demand comparison acquisition unit and the storage unit. It may be determined whether the operating unit is to be operated based on the information of the operation history stored in. In this case, it is possible to control the operation unit not to operate when the operation is unnecessary or undesirable with reference to the operation history information. As a result, user convenience is improved.

In addition, as long as operation | movement of the said electric equipment is completed within the set period, it should just control operation according to the surplus or deficiency of the said supply electric power within the said set period, and is suitable. is there.

Further, the power system is such that the power supplied from the power source is consumed by the load, wherein the power source includes a renewable power source using natural energy, and the load includes an electric device having the above-described configuration. If it is the electric power system characterized by this, there can exist an effect similar to the above-mentioned.

In addition, each step in the control method of the electric device can be executed by a computer using a control program. Furthermore, the control program can be executed on any computer by storing the control program in a computer-readable recording medium.

As described above, the electrical device according to the present invention determines whether to operate the operating unit based on the comparison result between the power supply value from the renewable power source using natural energy and the power consumption value by the load. Based on the determination result, by operating the operating unit, it is possible to start or stop the operation of the operating unit according to the surplus or shortage of the supplied power. Therefore, the present invention can be applied to a power system that uses any renewable power source that uses natural energy.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Electric power system 2 Power supply 2a Commercial power supply 2b Solar power generation device 2c Fuel cell apparatus 3 Distribution board 4 Load apparatus (electric equipment)
4a Washing machine 5 Power information collecting device 10 Control unit 11 Storage unit 12 Operation unit 13 Communication unit 14 Drive unit (operation unit)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 15 Power sensor 16 Weight sensor 30 Power consumption acquisition part 31 Mode selection part 32 Supply-demand comparison part (Demand-supply comparison acquisition means)
33 Electric power cost acquisition unit (electric power cost acquisition means)
34 Weight acquisition unit 35 Drive determination unit (operation determination means)
36 Drive control unit (operation control means)
40 Washing history storage

Claims

An electric device used in a power system in which power supplied from a power source is consumed by a load,
An operating unit that operates with the supplied power, and
A supply and demand comparison acquisition means for acquiring a comparison result between a supply power value supplied by a renewable power source using natural energy and a power consumption value consumed by a load including the electrical device among the power sources,
Operation determining means for determining whether to operate the operating section based on the comparison result acquired by the supply and demand comparison acquiring means;
An electric device comprising: an operation control unit that controls the operation unit to operate based on a determination result of the operation determination unit.
It further comprises power cost acquisition means for acquiring the cost of power supplied from the power source,
The operation determining unit determines whether to operate the operating unit based on the comparison result acquired by the supply / demand comparison acquiring unit and the cost of power acquired by the power cost acquiring unit. The electrical apparatus according to 1.
It further includes an operation unit operated by the user,
When the operation control unit receives a start instruction from the user via the operation unit, the operation control unit performs the operation at a time based on an instruction from the user via the operation unit regardless of a determination result of the operation determination unit. The electric device according to claim 1, wherein the electric device is controlled to start operation of the unit.
It further comprises a sensor that detects the state of the operating part,
The operation determination unit operates the operation unit based on the comparison result acquired by the supply-demand comparison acquisition unit and whether the state of the operation unit detected by the sensor satisfies an operation condition. The electrical apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized by:
A storage unit for storing information on the operation history of the operation unit;
The operation determining means determines whether to operate the operating section based on a comparison result acquired by the supply and demand comparison acquiring means and information on an operation history stored in the storage section. 5. The electric device according to any one of 1 to 4.
The electric device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the electric device completes its operation within a set period.
A power system in which power supplied from a power source is consumed by a load,
The above power source has a renewable power source using natural energy,
The said load is provided with the electric equipment of any one of Claim 1-6, The electric power system characterized by the above-mentioned.
A method for controlling an electrical device used in a power system in which power supplied from a power source is consumed by a load,
A supply and demand comparison acquisition step of acquiring a comparison result between a supply power value supplied by a renewable power source using natural energy and a power consumption value consumed by a load including the electrical device among the power sources,
Based on the comparison result acquired in the supply and demand comparison acquisition step, an operation determination step for determining whether to operate the operating unit operated by the power,
An operation control step for controlling the operation unit to operate based on a determination result of the operation determination step.
In a control program for operating an electric device used in a power system in which power supplied from a power source is consumed by a load,
A supply and demand comparison acquisition step of acquiring a comparison result between a supply power value supplied by a renewable power source using natural energy and a power consumption value consumed by a load including the electrical device among the power sources,
Based on the comparison result acquired in the supply and demand comparison acquisition step, an operation determination step for determining whether to operate the operating unit operated by the power,
A control program for causing a computer to execute an operation control step for controlling the operation unit to operate based on a determination result of the operation determination step.