WO2014049748A1 - Control device for energy-consuming device, control method for energy-consuming device, and control system for energy-consuming device - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided is a device for controlling an electrical device in accordance with an operation pattern that corresponds to an operation mode selected by a user, and for confirming that an electrical device is being reliably controlled. A home server (1) that is connected to an electrical device so as to be capable of communication with said device is provided with: a selected mode identification unit (11) that identifies a selected mode that is selected by a user from among a plurality of operation modes; a storage unit (12) that individually stores, by operation mode, operation patterns that regulate under what conditions and during which time period the electrical device is operated; an operation pattern reading unit (13) that reads an operation pattern corresponding to the selected mode from the storage unit (12); an operation condition identification unit (14) that identifies an operation condition corresponding to the point of time of control of the electrical device from the read operation pattern; a control signal transmission unit (16) that transmits a control signal for controlling the electrical device using the identified operation condition to the electrical device; and a response signal reception unit (17) that receives a response signal transmitted from the electrical device that has received the control signal.

Description

Energy consuming equipment control device, energy consuming equipment control method, and energy consuming equipment control system

The present invention relates to an energy consuming device control apparatus, an energy consuming device control method, and an energy consuming device control system, and more particularly, energy for controlling an energy consuming device according to an operation pattern corresponding to an operation mode set for the energy consuming device. The present invention relates to a consumer device control device, an energy consumer device control method, and an energy consumer device control system.

In recent years, a so-called HEMS (Home Energy Management System) system, which controls home electrical devices by installing a home server in a house and monitors the power consumption in the home, has been attracting attention as a control system for energy consuming devices. ing. In HEMS, a home server outputs a control signal to an electric device or collects information on the amount of electric power used from the electric sensor by communicating with the electric device or the power sensor through a network built in the house. .

On the other hand, in the control system for energy consuming equipment, an operation pattern that prescribes in what operating conditions and under what operating conditions the energy consuming equipment is operated is stored in advance. There exist some which control an energy consumption apparatus according to (for example, refer patent document 1 and 2).

The technique described in Patent Document 1 transmits a control signal to each of a plurality of air conditioners according to a time-series operation pattern stored in an operation schedule database. Furthermore, in the technique described in Patent Document 1, when setting operation schedules of a large number of air conditioners, a typical operation pattern stored in the operation setting database is selected and set as an operation pattern in a predetermined time zone. Is possible. With the above configuration, the operation schedule can be easily set without individually setting the operation schedule for each air conditioner.

The technology described in Patent Document 2 provides a plurality of energy saving schedules having different degrees of energy saving as energy saving schedules provided to a controller that controls an air conditioner. With this configuration, the energy-saving schedule referenced by the controller can be switched according to the situation, and as a result, it is possible to control the operation of an air conditioner that gradually reduces the degree of energy-saving without stopping the energy-saving control of the air-conditioning equipment. Become.

Note that, in general, a plurality of operation patterns are prepared in the control system of the energy consuming device, and the operation pattern adopted therein is determined by the user performing a predetermined selection operation. Moreover, the operation mode corresponding to each operation pattern is set so that the user can easily select the operation pattern. That is, the user selects one mode among a plurality of operation modes set for the energy consuming device, and accepts the user's selection result, so that the energy consuming device according to the operation pattern corresponding to the selected operation mode. The control is executed.

JP 2007-183035 A JP 2011-242045 A

However, in the conventional system, although the control signal is transmitted to the energy consuming device according to the above operation pattern, it may not be known whether the operating state of the energy consuming device is in a state corresponding to the control signal. In such a case, to confirm that the energy consuming device is operating according to the above operation pattern, go to the location where the energy consuming device is installed or where the function of the energy consuming device is used, and visually check the operating state of the device. There is a need to.

In addition, since the type of energy consuming device to be controlled in the system is determined by the user's preference, for example, the communication protocol (communication standard) when communicating with the home server is not uniform among the energy consuming devices. In some cases. It is difficult for the user to recognize such a difference in communication protocol and reflect it in the control of the device. Specifically, creating a program (telegram) for requesting control of an energy consuming device to an energy consuming device control device such as a home server in consideration of the difference in the communication protocol of each device, This is difficult for users, especially those who are not familiar with programming.

Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and the object of the present invention is to control the energy consuming device according to the operation pattern corresponding to the operation mode selected by the user. It is an object of the present invention to provide an energy consuming equipment control device capable of confirming that it is reliably controlled.
Another object of the present invention is to request control of each energy consuming device without being aware of the difference in the communication protocol on the user side when there are devices with different communication protocols among the energy consuming devices to be controlled. It is providing the energy consuming equipment control apparatus which can do.
Furthermore, another object of the present invention is an energy that can confirm that the energy consuming device is reliably controlled as a method of controlling the energy consuming device according to the operation pattern corresponding to the operation mode selected by the user. It is to provide a consumer device control method. Similarly, another object of the present invention is to confirm that the energy consuming device is reliably controlled as a system that controls the energy consuming device according to the operation pattern corresponding to the operation mode selected by the user. It is to provide an energy consuming equipment control system.

According to the energy consuming equipment control device of the present invention, the subject is an energy consuming equipment control device that is communicably connected to the energy consuming equipment, and among the operation modes set for the energy consuming equipment. A selection mode identifying unit that identifies the selection mode selected by the user, and a storage unit that stores, for each operation mode, an operation pattern that defines in what period and under which operation conditions the energy consuming device is operated. The operation pattern reading unit that reads the operation pattern corresponding to the selection mode specified by the selection mode specifying unit among the operation patterns stored in the storage unit, and the operation pattern read by the operation pattern reading unit From the operating conditions for specifying the operating conditions corresponding to the control time of the energy consuming equipment A control unit for transmitting a control signal for controlling the energy consuming device to the energy consuming device under the operation condition specified by the specifying unit, the operation condition specifying unit, and the control signal transmitting unit. This is solved by providing a response signal receiving unit that receives a response signal transmitted from the energy consuming device when the transmitted control signal is received by the energy consuming device.

According to the above-described energy consuming device control apparatus, it is possible to control the operation state of the energy consuming device according to the operation pattern corresponding to the operation mode selected by the user. Furthermore, in the case of the above-described energy consuming device control apparatus, by receiving a response signal transmitted from the energy consuming device that has received the control signal, it is determined whether the control of the energy consuming device has been normally executed. Is possible. In other words, the above-described configuration realizes an energy consuming device control apparatus that can confirm that the energy consuming device is reliably controlled.

In addition, the energy consuming device control apparatus communicates with the plurality of energy consuming devices to control each of the plurality of energy consuming devices, and the storage unit individually controls each of the plurality of energy consuming devices. The set operation pattern is stored for each operation mode, and the operation pattern reading unit corresponds to the selection mode specified by the selection mode specifying unit among the operation patterns stored in the storage unit. The operation pattern is read for each energy consuming device, and the operation condition specifying unit determines, for each energy consuming device, the operation condition corresponding to the control point of the energy consuming device from the operation pattern read by the operation pattern reading unit. Identifying the control signal transmitter for each of the plurality of energy consuming devices, The operation condition specifying unit transmits the control signal for controlling the energy consuming device under the operation condition specified for each energy consuming device, and the response signal receiving unit receives each of the plurality of energy consuming devices. The response signal to be transmitted may be received.
If it is said structure, it will become possible to control a several energy consuming apparatus according to the operation pattern corresponding to the operation mode which the user selected. Furthermore, it becomes possible to confirm whether or not the control of the energy consuming device is normally executed for each energy consuming device.

In addition, when the energy consuming device that communicates with each other using a different communication protocol exists among the plurality of energy consuming devices, the control signal transmission unit transmits the control signal to the energy consuming device. It is good also as switching the communication protocol used for according to the communication protocol which the said energy consuming apparatus of a transmission destination uses.
With the above configuration, the energy consuming device control device switches the communication protocol according to the communication partner, so that the user side does not have to be aware of the difference in the communication protocol and the energy consuming device control device Control can be requested.

The selection mode specifying unit communicates with a user terminal that receives a selection operation of the operation mode by a user, receives selection result data indicating a selection result in the selection operation from the user terminal, and the selection result data The selection mode may be specified based on, and the selection result data may be an HTTP request.
With the above configuration, when data indicating the operation mode selected by the user is transmitted from the user terminal to the energy consuming device control apparatus, the data is transmitted in the form of an HTTP request. You don't have to be conscious.

Further, as a control type when the energy consuming device control device controls the energy consuming device, a schedule control type for controlling the energy consuming device under the operation condition specified by the operation condition specifying unit from the operation pattern, In addition, an individual control type for individually controlling the energy consuming device can be selected under the instruction condition instructed from the user terminal, and when the individual control type is selected, data indicating the instruction condition is controlled. It is good also as receiving from the said user terminal in the format according to the communication protocol which the said energy consuming apparatus uses.
With the above configuration, the schedule control type as control that does not require the user to be aware of the communication protocol of the control target device, and individual control as control that is performed after grasping the communication protocol of the control target device on the user side The type can be selected. When the individual control type is selected, data indicating the instruction condition that is the control condition is transmitted from the user terminal in a format corresponding to the communication protocol of the control target device. As a result, it is not necessary to convert the communication protocol on the energy consuming equipment control device side, and the processing can be simplified.

In addition, an update unit that updates the driving pattern stored in the storage unit is provided, and the update unit communicates with a user terminal that receives a user's correction operation for the driving pattern stored in the storage unit, Correction result data indicating a correction result in the correction operation may be received from the user terminal, and the driving pattern stored in the storage unit may be updated based on the correction result data.
If it is said structure, since it becomes possible to correct a driving | running pattern according to a user's request, it becomes possible to implement | achieve more effective control of an energy consumption apparatus.

Further, the energy consuming device control device controls the energy consuming device used in a building, and the storage unit includes installation location information indicating an installation location of the energy consuming device in the building and the operation pattern. It is good also as memorize | storing in the state linked | related with each other.
With the above configuration, the installation location of the energy consuming device is managed on the energy consuming device control device side, and the installation location and the operation pattern are associated with each other. It becomes possible to appropriately control the energy consuming device after grasping whether to control by the pattern.

In addition, according to the energy consuming device control method of the present invention, the above-described problem is an energy consuming device control method for controlling an energy consuming device by communicating with the energy consuming device, wherein a plurality of the energy consuming device Among the set operation modes, the operation mode that specifies the selection mode selected by the user and which operation condition is used for operating the energy consuming device in which period is stored for each operation mode. Reading the operation pattern corresponding to the specified selection mode from the storage unit, specifying the operation condition corresponding to the control time of the energy consuming device from the read operation pattern, and specifying the specified A control signal for controlling the energy consuming device under operating conditions is transmitted to the energy consuming device. And transmitting toward the control signal transmitted is solved by providing, receiving a response signal transmitted from the energy consuming device when received in the energy consuming device.
By using the above method, it becomes possible to control the energy consuming device according to the operation pattern corresponding to the operation mode selected by the user, and it is possible to confirm whether the control of the energy consuming device has been normally executed. It becomes possible.

Furthermore, according to the energy consuming equipment control system of the present invention, the above-described problem is an energy consuming equipment control system having an energy consuming equipment and an energy consuming equipment control device that are communicably connected to each other. The control device is configured to select a selection mode selected by a user from among a plurality of operation modes set for the energy consuming device, and to operate the energy consuming device at any operating condition in any period. A storage unit that stores the operation pattern that defines whether to perform each operation mode, and the operation pattern corresponding to the selection mode specified by the selection mode specifying unit among the operation patterns stored in the storage unit The operation pattern readout unit that reads out and the operation pattern readout unit read out From the operation pattern, an operation condition specifying unit that specifies the operation condition corresponding to the control time of the energy consuming device, and a control for controlling the energy consuming device under the operation condition specified by the operation condition specifying unit A control signal transmitting unit that transmits a signal to the energy consuming device, and a response signal transmitted from the energy consuming device when the control signal transmitted from the control signal transmitting unit is received by the energy consuming device. This is solved by providing a response signal receiving unit that receives the signal.
In the above system, it is possible to control the energy consuming device according to the operation pattern corresponding to the operation mode selected by the user, and it is possible to check whether the control of the energy consuming device has been normally executed. .

According to the energy consuming equipment control device, the energy consuming equipment control method, and the energy consuming equipment control system of the present invention, it is possible to control the energy consuming equipment according to the operation pattern corresponding to the operation mode selected by the user. It becomes possible to confirm whether the control of the consumer device has been executed normally.

It is a figure which shows the schematic structural example of the energy consumption apparatus control system which concerns on this invention. It is a figure which shows the hardware constitutions of the energy consumption apparatus control apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is explanatory drawing of the memory which the energy consumption apparatus control apparatus which concerns on this invention has. It is a figure which shows the software structure of the energy consuming equipment control apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is explanatory drawing about the data transmission between apparatuses in the energy consuming apparatus control system which concerns on this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the driving | running pattern set with respect to the energy consumption apparatus. It is a figure which shows the correspondence of the installation place of an energy consumption apparatus, and an operation pattern. It is a figure which shows the preset pattern of an operation mode. It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of each part of the energy consuming equipment control system which concerns on this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of a procedure of the energy consumption apparatus control method which concerns on this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of a procedure of a schedule control step. It is a figure which shows an example of the operation mode selection screen. It is a figure which shows an example of an operation pattern correction screen. It is a figure which shows an example of the confirmation screen of a control condition.

Hereinafter, an example of the energy consuming equipment control device, the energy consuming equipment control method, and the energy consuming equipment control system according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

Hereinafter, a house H is given as an example of a building in which energy consuming equipment is used, and a control device, a control method, and a control system that control electric equipment used in the house H will be described. However, the present invention is also applicable to controlling energy consuming devices other than electric devices, for example, devices that consume gas or water. Similarly, the house H is merely an example of a building in which energy consuming equipment is used, and the present invention is an energy consuming equipment used in a building other than the house H, for example, a commercial building, a building in a factory, a store, or the like. It can also be applied to control. In addition, the house H is a concept including one room in an apartment house such as a condominium as well as a detached house.

<< Entire configuration of energy consuming equipment control system >>
First, an overall configuration of an energy consuming equipment control system (hereinafter, this system) S according to an embodiment of the present invention will be outlined with reference to FIG.
This system S is a system in which the home server 1 installed in the house H communicates with the electric equipment in the house H to control the electric equipment, so-called HEMS. That is, in the house H in which the present system S is installed, the home server 1 as an energy consuming equipment control device is arranged, and the home server 1 communicates with each electrical device in the house H via the home network 5. To do. Further, the home server 1 is connected to the power data logger 7 via the home network 5 so as to be communicable.

With the configuration as described above, a resident (hereinafter referred to as a user) of the house H can remotely control the electric device through the home server 1 or visually recognize the power consumption of the house H based on the data collected from the power data logger 7. It becomes possible to do.

Note that the user uses the user terminal 3 as an interface when using the function of the home server 1 described above. More specifically, the user can request the home server 1 to transmit data or control the electrical device by performing a predetermined input operation on the user terminal 3. Here, the user terminal 3 is a communication terminal including a PDA, a smartphone, a PC, an operation panel, and the like, and receives a user input operation and executes a predetermined process.

In the following description, a case where the user terminal 3 is composed of a PDA used in the house H will be described. More specifically, the user terminal 3 that communicates with the home server 1 via a router (not shown) will be described below. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the user terminal 3 may communicate with the home server 1 via an external network such as the Internet.

In this system S, the home server 1 can individually control each electrical device in the house H in response to a control request made by the user through the user terminal 3. Further, in the present system S, the home server 1 can execute schedule control for controlling a plurality of electric devices of the same type installed in the house H, for example, each of a plurality of air conditioners according to a preset schedule. is there. That is, in schedule control, the home server 1 communicates with a plurality of air conditioners simultaneously to control each of the plurality of air conditioners.

Outlined about schedule control, for each of the air conditioners installed in the house H, it stipulates in which operating period (more specifically, in what time zone during the day) and under what operating conditions The driving pattern is set in advance and stored in the home server 1. When the user requests execution of the schedule control, the home server 1 reads the operation pattern set for each air conditioner, and specifies the operation condition corresponding to the execution time of the schedule control for each air conditioner from the operation pattern. Thereafter, the home server 1 controls the corresponding air conditioner under the operation condition specified for each air conditioner.

The operation pattern will be explained in detail in the following section, but the content of “Which operating condition should be used for which operating condition” should be specified in the operating pattern. Is included.
1 shows an example in which four air conditioners are installed, the number of air conditioners is not particularly limited and can be set to an arbitrary number. Moreover, in this system S, although the four air conditioners installed in the house H are the targets of schedule control, the present invention is not limited to this, and other electric devices installed in the house H, for example, It is good also considering making lighting equipment into the object of schedule control.

<< Home server configuration >>
Next, the configuration of the home server 1 will be described with reference to FIGS.
As described above, the home server 1 corresponds to the energy consuming equipment control device of the present invention, and is connected to be able to communicate with the electrical equipment in the house H. In this system S, the home server 1 is constituted by a so-called home gateway, and includes a CPU 1a, a memory 1b, and a communication interface 1c as shown in FIG. Further, in the memory 1b of the home server 1, the above-described operation pattern is stored for each air conditioner in the operation pattern storage area 1s illustrated in FIG.

Further, in the memory 1b, the installation location information indicating the installation location in the house H of the electrical equipment used in the house H including the air conditioner is stored in the installation location storage area 1t illustrated in FIG. The installation location information is written in the memory 1b through a predetermined input device by the inspector when the connection state between the home server 1 and each electrical device is inspected at the construction stage of the house H. However, the method for obtaining the installation location information is not limited to the above case. For example, the installation location information is obtained by determining the installation location of each electrical device from the data indicating the construction drawing of the house H. Also good.

Furthermore, the bundle storage area 1u shown in FIG. 3 stores an application program (hereinafter referred to as a bundle) that is executed by the CPU 1a in order for the home server 1 to exhibit its functions. The bundles stored in the bundle storage area 1u include communication bundles that are executed when the home server 1 communicates with each electrical device.

By the way, generally, it is recommended to use an electric device that adopts a common communication protocol (synonymous with a communication method and a communication standard) in a house H in which HEMS is mounted. For example, the ECHONET Consortium proposes It is desired that the devices adopt a communication protocol to be unified. On the other hand, as protocols proposed by the ECHONET consortium, ECHONET (registered trademark) and its successor standard, ECHONET Lite (registered trademark), are available. In addition, electric devices purchased by the user may include devices other than communication protocols other than ECHONET and ECHONETLite.

In the system S, more specifically, among a plurality of electric devices used in the house H, there are air conditioners that communicate with each other using different communication protocols among the four air conditioners. For this reason, in the bundle storage area 1u of the memory 1b, communication bundles for the home server 1 to communicate with the communication partner of the house H are stored for each communication protocol. That is, in the present system S, the communication bundles are stored in the memory 1b by the number of types of communication protocols adopted by the electric devices in the house H.

Specifically, in the bundle storage area 1u, a bundle for communicating with the first communication protocol (for example, ECHONET), a bundle for communicating with the second communication protocol (for example, ECHONET Lite), and the first Three communication protocols (for example, communication protocols other than ECHONET and ECHONET Lite) are stored.

And in this system S, the communication bundle read out and executed among the communication bundles memorize | stored in the bundle memory | storage area | region 1u switches according to a communicating party. Thereby, the home server 1 can switch the communication protocol adopted when communicating with the air conditioner according to the communication protocol adopted by the air conditioner of the communication partner. Switching the communication protocol is synonymous with rewriting a message (command) transmitted by a certain communication protocol together with the other communication protocol when transmitting a message to a communication device using the other communication protocol.

Here, the program execution environment in the home server 1 will be described. As shown in FIG. 4, the home server 1 includes an OS 101, a JAVA (registered trademark) virtual machine (hereinafter referred to as JVM) 102, and an OSGi (OpenＯServices Gatewayｗinitiative). ) The framework 103 and various bundles operating on the OSGi framework 103 are provided.

The OSGi framework 103 is built on the JVM 102 and manages the life cycle such as downloading, installing, starting and stopping of bundles operating on the OSGi framework 103. The bundles operating on the OSGi framework 103 can be dynamically replaced, and a plurality of bundles can be executed in parallel.

Here, some bundles operating on the OSGi framework 103 communicate with the bundle (hereinafter referred to as the first communication bundle) 104 for communication using the first communication protocol described above and the second communication protocol. Bundle (hereinafter referred to as second communication bundle) 105 and a bundle (hereinafter referred to as third communication bundle) 106 for communication using the third communication protocol are included.

Of the functions of the OSGi framework 103, the function of dynamically exchanging bundles replaces the communication bundle to be executed according to the communication protocol of the electrical device that is the communication partner when the home server 1 communicates. It becomes like this. By such communication bundle replacement, the communication protocol employed by the home server 1 is switched. As a result, the home server 1 can communicate with the electrical devices in the house H regardless of the communication protocol.

Further, when each communication bundle 104, 105, 106 is registered in the OSGi framework 103, an interface for using the function of each communication bundle 104, 105, 106 is registered in the service registry. The OSGi framework 103 provides a combination of these interfaces as an API (Application | Program | Interface | Interface). By using this API, the user does not need to be aware of the difference in communication bundle, that is, the difference in communication protocol between electrical devices. Thus, when developing a program that requires the home server 1 to control the electric device, the developer only needs to know the object rules for each electric device and develop a general Web communication program. The method can be applied.

If it explains clearly, if it uses said API when request | requiring communication with the electric equipment in the house H with respect to the home server 1, it is not necessary to arrange the request message | telegram into the format according to a communication protocol, and relatively A simple telegram.

More specifically, when the user requests control of the air conditioner from the home server 1, as shown in FIG. 5, an HTTP request from the user terminal 3, specifically, selection result data described later is sent to the home server 1. Sent. On the other hand, when receiving the HTTP request from the user terminal 3, the home server 1 communicates with the air conditioner and transmits a control signal to the air conditioner. As a result, the home server 1 comes to control the air conditioner that is a control target in accordance with the control rule specified in the HTTP request. Here, the communication protocol adopted when the home server 1 transmits the control signal is set to the communication protocol adopted by the air conditioner that is the transmission destination of the control signal.

The home server 1 further communicates with the air conditioner that has received the control signal, and receives a response signal from the air conditioner. At this time, the communication protocol adopted by the home server 1 is set to the communication protocol adopted by the air conditioner that is the source of the response signal.
Then, when the control process requested by the user is completed, the home server 1 stores data for drawing a screen for confirming the control status of each air conditioner (hereinafter referred to as confirmation screen data) in the XML format in the user terminal 3. Send. On the user terminal 3 side, the confirmation screen data is expanded so that the confirmation screen illustrated in FIG. 14 is displayed on the display of the user terminal 3. By viewing the confirmation screen, the user can visually recognize that the control for each air conditioner is normally executed. The confirmation screen will be described in detail later.

As described above, in the present system S, data exchange between the user terminal 3 and the home server 1 is performed using a highly versatile communication protocol, while communication between the home server 1 and the air conditioner is as follows. The communication protocol is adapted to the communication protocol adopted by the air conditioner. Accordingly, the user can request the home server 1 to control each air conditioner without being aware of the difference in the communication protocol between the air conditioners.

In this system, the control signal and the response signal are data signals and are transmitted and received through the home network 5. On the other hand, the home network 5 may be a wired communication network or a wireless communication network. Here, the communication network means a network capable of bidirectional communication as communication between the home server 1 and the communication target device, and supports only one-way communication from the home server 1 to the communication target device. The network is excluded.

<< Control specifications of air conditioner >>
Next, the control specifications of the air conditioner in the present system S will be described. In the following, of the four air conditioners installed in the house H, the first air conditioner (hereinafter referred to as air conditioner A) is located in the tea room on the second floor, and the second air conditioner (hereinafter referred to as air conditioner B) is located on the second floor. A case will be described in which a third air conditioner (hereinafter referred to as air conditioner C) is installed in the living room on the first floor and a fourth air conditioner (hereinafter referred to as air conditioner D) is installed in the bedroom on the first floor in the child room.

In this system S, the user can select the control type of the air conditioner through the user terminal 3. Control types that can be selected in the system S are an individual control type, a collective control type, and a schedule control type. Note that these control types are merely examples, and control types other than those described above may be included.

The individual control type is a type that individually controls the air conditioner in the house H under the instruction conditions instructed from the user terminal 3. Here, the instruction condition is a control condition when the individual control type is selected, and is instructed by the user. More specifically, when the individual control type is selected, the user instructs an operation mode such as on / off of the air conditioner, cooling / heating / dehumidification, and operation management values such as temperature and humidity through the user terminal 3. The home server 1 that has received the instruction specifies the air conditioner to be controlled, and controls the air conditioner in accordance with the instruction condition.

When the individual control type is selected, the user terminal 3 transmits data indicating the instruction condition to the home server 1 in a format corresponding to the communication protocol used by the air conditioner that is the target of individual control. Specifically, when the communication protocol used by the air conditioner to be individually controlled is ECHONET, the user terminal 3 transmits a command defined by the ECHONET device object as data indicating the instruction condition. With such a configuration, when the individual control type is selected, the data indicating the instruction condition is transmitted from the user terminal 3 in a format corresponding to the communication protocol of the air conditioner to be subjected to the individual control. As a result, it is not necessary to perform communication protocol conversion or the like on the home server 1 side, so that the processing related to control is simplified.

The batch control type is a type that controls the air conditioners in the house H in a batch. When the user selects the batch control type, the home server 1 executes control to turn off all the air conditioners in the house H.

The schedule control type is a type that controls the daily operation of each air conditioner in the house H according to an operation pattern preset for each air conditioner. Here, the operation pattern defines in what period and under what operating condition the air conditioner is operated, and is a time schedule relating to the air conditioner operation control shown in FIG. More specifically, the driving pattern defines which time zone of the day is the start period or the stop period. Further, the operation pattern defines what load is operated during the start-up period, specifically, what set temperature is operated.

Furthermore, in this system S, when the user selects the schedule control type, the operation mode is further requested to be selected. The operation mode corresponds to a control policy in the schedule control, and a plurality of operation modes are set for the air conditioner in the house H. The operation modes that can be selected in the system S are mode X, mode Y, and mode Z. These modes are merely examples of operation modes, and modes other than those described above may be included.

Mode X is a mode in which operation control is performed only for an air conditioner installed in a frequently used room according to the user's lifestyle. Mode Y is a mode in which the air conditioner to be controlled is changed according to the time zone according to the life rhythm of the user. Mode Z is a mode in which all the air conditioners installed in the house H are operated continuously for 24 hours and the set temperature of each air conditioner is controlled according to the life rhythm of the user.

And for each operation mode, an operation pattern is set for each air conditioner. Therefore, when schedule control is performed in a certain operation mode, the home server 1 specifies an operation pattern corresponding to the certain operation mode for each air conditioner, and controls the corresponding air conditioner according to the operation pattern specified for each air conditioner.

Specifically, referring to FIG. 7, when the user selects mode X from among the three operation modes, the home server 1 specifies an operation pattern corresponding to mode X for each air conditioner. Here, the operation pattern applied to the air conditioner A when the mode X is selected is the pattern A as shown in FIG. Similarly, the operation pattern applied to the air conditioner B when the mode X is selected is the pattern B, the operation pattern applied to the air conditioner C is the pattern C, and the operation pattern applied to the air conditioner D is , Pattern D. Based on this correspondence, the home server 1 specifies the driving pattern corresponding to the mode X for each air conditioner.

In the present system S, as shown in FIG. 7, the operation mode applied in each operation mode is associated with the device ID that is the identification information of the air conditioner, and also associated with the installation location of the air conditioner and the type of the installation location. It has been. In other words, the operation mode applied in each operation mode is stored in the memory 1b of the home server 1 in a state associated with the device ID of the corresponding air conditioner, the installation location, and the type of the installation location. This is because the operation pattern (hereinafter referred to as a preset pattern) initially stored in the memory 1b of the home server 1 is determined according to the operation mode and the type of installation location of the air conditioner.

The preset pattern will be described with reference to FIG. The operation pattern applied to each air conditioner in each operation mode is initially set to a preset pattern. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 8, the preset pattern is prepared for each operation mode and is stored in the memory 1b of the home server 1 in a form corresponding to the type of the air-conditioner installation location. Here, the type of installation location is a concept indicating the style of the room to which the installation location belongs (for example, a Japanese-style room or a Western-style room) or the use of the room (for example, a child's room or a tea room).
As long as the operation pattern is not corrected, the home server 1 controls each air conditioner according to a preset pattern corresponding to the type of the installation location of each air conditioner when executing the schedule control. For example, when the operation mode X is selected, the air conditioner C installed in the living room on the first floor is controlled according to the preset pattern described at the top in FIG.

On the other hand, the operation pattern can be corrected. More specifically, when the user performs a correction operation on the driving pattern through the user terminal 3, the driving pattern designated as the correction target is corrected on the home server 1 side based on the correction result in the correction operation. become. Thus, since this system S can correct about each driving pattern, it is possible to customize each driving pattern according to a user's request.

<< Configuration of each part of the system >>
Next, the structure of each part of this system S is demonstrated from a functional surface, referring FIG. Hereinafter, among the devices included in the system S, the configurations of the air conditioner, the user terminal 3, and the home server 1 will be described.

(Air conditioner)
Each of the four air conditioners includes a control signal receiver 31, a controller 32, and a response signal transmitter 33 as shown in FIG. The control signal receiving unit 31, the control unit 32, and the response signal transmitting unit 33 are configured by a microcomputer and a control circuit built in the air conditioner, and a communication interface. The control signal receiving unit 31 receives a control signal transmitted from the home server 1 via the home network 5. The control unit 32 controls the air conditioner body according to the control signal received by the control signal receiving unit 31.

When the control signal receiving unit 31 receives the control signal and the control unit 32 controls the main body of the air conditioner, the response signal transmitting unit 33 generates a response signal for notifying that and sends the response signal to the home server Send to 1 In particular, the response signal transmission unit 33 provided in the system S transmits a signal indicating the operation state of the air conditioner in a stage controlled based on the control signal to the home server 1 as the response signal.

(User terminal)
As illustrated in FIG. 9, the user terminal 3 includes an operation reception unit 21, a data generation unit 22, a data transmission unit 23, a data reception unit 24, and a display unit 25. The operation receiving unit 21 includes a touch panel provided in the user terminal 3 and receives a user input operation. Here, the operation received by the operation receiving unit 21 includes an operation mode selection operation by the user.

More specifically, when the operation mode is selected, the operation mode selection screen illustrated in FIG. 12 is drawn on the touch panel of the user terminal 3, and the selection buttons Ta1, “Mode X” and “ A selection button Ta2 described as “mode Y” and a selection button Ta3 described as “mode Z” are displayed. In order to select one mode from among the three operation modes, the user presses a button in which the name of the mode to be selected is written among the three selection buttons Ta1, Ta2, and Ta3. The above input operation corresponds to the operation mode selection operation by the user, and the operation reception unit 21 receives the selection operation.

In addition, the operation received by the operation receiving unit 21 includes a user's correction operation for the driving pattern stored in the memory 1b of the home server 1.

More specifically, update buttons Tb1, Tb2, and Tb3 shown in FIG. 12 are displayed on the operation mode selection screen described above. The update buttons Tb1, Tb2, Tb3 are provided in a form corresponding to each operation mode, and are arranged at the right side positions of the selection buttons Ta1, Ta2, Ta3 described above. When the button corresponding to the operation mode to which the operation pattern to be corrected belongs is pressed among the update buttons Tb1, Tb2, and Tb3, the operation pattern correction screen illustrated in FIG. 13 is drawn on the touch panel of the user terminal 3. . The operation pattern to be corrected is displayed on the operation pattern correction screen. Then, when the user performs a predetermined operation on the screen, for example, an operation of touching the displayed driving pattern, a correction panel Tc for correcting the driving pattern is popped up.

In the correction panel Tc, the user inputs the start time and end time of the time zone in the time zone input fields Tc1 and Tc2, and applies the time zone specified by the time input in the input fields Tc1 and Tc2. The operating condition is entered in the operating condition input field Tc3. The above input operation corresponds to the user's correction operation for the driving pattern, and the operation reception unit 21 receives the correction operation.

The data generation unit 22 includes a CPU of the user terminal 3, a memory, and a program installed in the user terminal 3, and generates data (hereinafter referred to as input data) indicating the contents of the user input operation received by the operation reception unit 21. .

The data transmission unit 23 transmits the above input data to the home server 1 through the home network 5, and is configured by the CPU of the user terminal 3, the memory, the communication interface, and a communication program installed in the user terminal 3. Is done.

In addition, in the input data transmitted to the home server 1 by the data transmission unit 23, selection result data indicating the selection result in the operation mode selection operation by the user, or correction by the user correction operation on the operation pattern Correction result data indicating the result is included. In the system S, when the data transmission unit 23 transmits the selection result data and the correction result data to the home server 1, these data are transmitted as an HTTP request. More specifically, the data transmission unit 23 transmits the input data to the home server 1 in accordance with REST (Representational State Transfer).

The data receiving unit 24 receives data from the home server 1 through the home network 5, and includes a CPU of the user terminal 3, a memory, a communication interface, and a communication program installed in the user terminal 3. The data received by the data receiving unit 24 from the home server 1 includes the confirmation screen data described above. In the system S, the confirmation screen data received by the data receiving unit 24 from the home server 1 is XML format data.

The display unit 25 expands the confirmation screen data received by the data receiving unit 24 and draws the confirmation screen illustrated in FIG. 14 on the touch panel of the user terminal 3. The display unit 25 includes a CPU of the user terminal 3, a memory, and a program installed in the user terminal 3. Here, since the confirmation screen data received by the data receiving unit 24 is data in XML format, the display unit 25 renders the confirmation screen in a display format according to the specifications of the user terminal 3. Is possible.

Describing the confirmation screen, as shown in FIG. 14, the operation state of each air conditioner is displayed in correspondence with the installation location of each air conditioner. Here, the operation state of the air conditioner displayed on the confirmation screen is the operation state indicated by the response signal transmitted by the response signal transmission unit 33 of the air conditioner, that is, the control signal transmitted from the home server 1 is received by the air conditioner. An operation state when the control of the air conditioner is executed is shown.

In addition, since the operation status of each air conditioner is displayed in association with the installation location of each air conditioner, the user can clearly see where the air conditioner installed is in what operation state by looking at the confirmation screen. It becomes possible to grasp. Such an effect is achieved by generating the above confirmation screen data so as to display the operation state of each air conditioner in association with the installation location of the air conditioner when generating the confirmation screen data on the home server 1 side. The

Note that the screen illustrated in FIG. 14 is merely an example of a confirmation screen, and the design and layout of the confirmation screen can be arbitrarily set.

(Home server)
As shown in FIG. 9, the home server 1 includes a selection mode specifying unit 11, a storage unit 12, an operation pattern reading unit 13, an operation condition specifying unit 14, a control signal transmitting unit 15, and a response signal receiving unit 16. And an operation state specifying unit 17, a communication protocol switching unit 18, an operation pattern updating unit 19, and a confirmation screen data transmission unit 20.

The selection mode specifying unit 11 specifies a selection mode selected by the user from among a plurality of operation modes set for the air conditioner. The CPU 1a, the memory 1b, the communication interface 1c, and the communication mode of the home server 1 are used. Consists of bundles. More specifically, the selection mode specifying unit 11 receives selection result data transmitted from the user terminal 3, and specifies the selection mode by analyzing the selection result data.

The storage unit 12 includes the memory 1b of the home server 1, and stores operation patterns individually set for each of the four air conditioners for each operation mode. Moreover, in this system S, the memory | storage part 12 memorize | stores the installation location information which shows the installation location of the air-conditioner in the house H, and the driving | operation pattern in the state mutually linked | related. In this way, the installation location of the air conditioner and the operation pattern applied to the air conditioner installed at the installation location are associated with each other, so that it is understood where the air conditioner installed is controlled by what operation pattern. Thus, the air conditioner control can be appropriately executed.

The operation pattern reading unit 13 reads out the operation pattern corresponding to the selection mode specified by the selection mode specifying unit 11 among the operation patterns stored in the storage unit 12 for each air conditioner. The operation pattern reading unit 13 includes a CPU 1 a of the home server 1, a memory 1 b, and an air conditioner control bundle installed in the home server 1.

The operation condition specifying unit 14 specifies the operation condition corresponding to the control point of the air conditioner for each air conditioner from the operation pattern for each air conditioner read by the operation pattern reading unit 13. The operating condition specifying unit 14 includes a CPU 1 a of the home server 1, a memory 1 b, and an air conditioner control bundle installed in the home server 1. The operation condition corresponding to the control time of the air conditioner is an operation condition at the time when the home server 1 transmits a control signal to the air conditioner in the operation pattern. For example, the operation condition corresponding to the operation pattern shown in FIG. When controlling, when the time at the time of control is 15:00, the control is performed under an operating condition in which the set temperature is 20 degrees.

The control signal transmission unit 15 generates a control signal for controlling each air conditioner under the operation condition specified by the operation condition specifying unit 14 for each air conditioner, and directs the control signal generated for each air conditioner to each of the plurality of air conditioners. To send. The control signal transmission unit 15 includes a CPU 1 a of the home server 1, a memory 1 b, an air conditioner control bundle installed in the home server 1, and a communication bundle.

In the present system S, the communication protocol used when the control signal transmission unit 15 transmits the control signal can be switched by the communication protocol switching unit 18 realized by the function of the OSGi framework 103 described above. That is, in the present system S, the control signal transmission unit 15 switches the communication protocol used when transmitting the control signal to the air conditioner according to the communication protocol used by the destination air conditioner. As described above, in the present system S, the communication protocol can be switched according to the communication partner, so that the user can request the home server 1 to control each air conditioner without being aware of the difference in the communication protocol. It becomes possible.

The response signal receiving unit 16 receives a response signal transmitted from the air conditioner when the control signal transmitted from the control signal transmitting unit 15 is received by the air conditioner. In the system S, each of the plurality of air conditioners is received. The response signal transmitted from is received. The response signal receiving unit 16 includes a CPU 1 a of the home server 1, a memory 1 b, an air conditioner control bundle installed in the home server 1, and a communication bundle.

In the system S, the communication protocol used when the response signal receiving unit 16 receives the response signal from the air conditioner can be switched by the communication protocol switching unit 18. Therefore, in the present system S, it is possible to switch the communication protocol according to the transmission source of the response signal. Therefore, the user does not need to be aware of the transmission source of the response signal, that is, the communication protocol of each air conditioner. It becomes possible to grasp the driving state.

The operating state specifying unit 17 analyzes the response signal received from the air conditioner by the response signal receiving unit 16 and specifies the operating state of the air conditioner. The operating state specifying unit 17 includes the CPU 1a, the memory 1b, and the home server 1 of the home server 1. It is comprised by the bundle for air-conditioner control installed in. Here, the operation state of the air conditioner specified by the operation state specifying unit 17 is the operation state of the air conditioner at the stage where the control is received by receiving the control signal, and specifically, in the case of power on / off, power on Indicates management values such as set temperature and set humidity.

The operation pattern update unit 19 corresponds to an update unit that updates the operation pattern stored in the storage unit 12, and includes a CPU 1 a of the home server 1, a memory 1 b, and an air conditioner control bundle installed in the home server 1. ing. The driving pattern update unit 19 communicates with the user terminal 3 and receives the above-described correction result data from the user terminal 3. And the driving pattern update part 19 updates the driving pattern memorize | stored in the memory | storage part 12 based on correction result data.
More specifically, the driving pattern update unit 19 analyzes the correction result data, and specifies the driving pattern to be corrected and the correction content. More specifically, the operation pattern update unit 19 analyzes the correction result data to identify the installation location of the air conditioner to which the operation pattern to be corrected is applied and the operation mode to which the operation pattern belongs. Then, the operation pattern update unit 19 determines an operation pattern corresponding to the specified air-conditioner installation location and operation mode, and sets the operation pattern as a correction target. Thereafter, the operation pattern update unit 19 reads out the operation pattern to be corrected from among the operation patterns stored in the storage unit 12, and updates (corrects) the operation pattern according to the correction content indicated by the correction result data.

The confirmation screen data transmission unit 20 generates confirmation screen data and transmits it to the user terminal 3 in order to draw a confirmation screen indicating the operation state of each air conditioner identified by the operation state identification unit 17 on the user terminal 3. To do. The confirmation screen data transmission unit 20 includes a CPU 1 a of the home server 1, a memory 1 b, an air conditioner control bundle installed in the home server 1, and a communication bundle.

The confirmation screen data transmission unit 20 generates confirmation screen data so that the operation state of each air conditioner is displayed in association with the installation location of the air conditioner on the confirmation screen drawn on the user terminal 3. In executing such processing, the confirmation screen data transmission unit 20 reads the installation location information stored in the installation location storage area 1t in the memory 1b and identifies the installation location of each air conditioner. Then, when the confirmation screen data transmission unit 20 generates the confirmation screen data, the confirmation screen data transmission unit 20 confirms the data indicating each of the operation state and the installation information so that the operation state and the installation location of each air conditioner are displayed in a corresponding form. Include in the data.

In addition, when there is an abnormal air conditioner that does not transmit a response signal even though the control signal is transmitted, the confirmation screen data transmission unit 20 does not respond to the air conditioner corresponding to the abnormal air conditioner on the confirmation screen. Confirmation screen data is generated so that an error is displayed. Accordingly, the user can check the presence of the abnormal air conditioner and the installation location of the abnormal air conditioner by looking at the confirmation screen.

<< Air conditioner control method >>
Next, an air conditioner control method used in the present system S described above will be described with reference to FIGS.
The air conditioner control method used in the system S is an example of the energy consuming equipment control method according to the present invention. More specifically, the air conditioner control method is applied in the air conditioner control process executed in the system S. For this reason, below, the procedure of an air-conditioner control process is demonstrated as description of an air-conditioner control method.

The air conditioner control process starts, for example, when the user performs a predetermined operation and starts the air conditioner control program on the user terminal 3 side. When the air conditioner control program is activated, a control type selection screen (not shown) is drawn on the touch panel of the user terminal 3. The user selects a control type by operating the touch panel of the user terminal 3 while viewing the screen. With this selection operation, data indicating the control type selection result is transmitted from the user terminal 3 to the home server 1.

The subsequent procedure is as shown in FIG. 10. First, the home server 1 receives the above data and specifies the control type selected by the user (S001). Here, when the individual control type is selected as the control type, the home server 1 performs individual control (S002).

In addition, when the home server 1 executes the individual control, the user instructs the air conditioner to be controlled and the control condition by operating the touch panel of the user terminal 3 or the like. Thereafter, data indicating the content designated by the user is transmitted from the user terminal 3 to the home server 1. Finally, the home server 1 individually controls the air conditioner to be controlled based on the instruction conditions based on the data received from the user terminal 3.

If the collective control type is selected as the control type, the home server 1 executes collective control and transmits a power-off control signal to all the air conditioners in the house H (S003).

On the other hand, when the schedule control type is selected as the control type, the operation mode selection screen illustrated in FIG. 12 is drawn on the touch panel of the user terminal 3. The user selects the operation mode by operating the touch panel of the user terminal 3 while viewing the screen. With this selection operation, selection result data indicating the selection result of the operation mode is transmitted from the user terminal 3 to the home server 1. The home server 1 receives the above selection result data, and identifies the selection mode selected by the user from among a plurality of set operation modes (S004).
As described above, the selection result data is an HTTP request. That is, the home server 1 acquires the above selection result data by performing HTTP communication with the user terminal 3.

Thereafter, the home server 1 acquires a device ID that is identification information of the air conditioner to be controlled (S005). More specifically, the device ID is stored as list information in the memory 1b of the home server 1, and the device ID of each air conditioner is acquired by reading the information stored in the memory 1b. When the schedule control type is selected as the control type, all air conditioners in the house H are controlled, and thus device IDs are acquired for all air conditioners in the house H.

After acquiring the device ID, the home server 1 executes schedule control (S006). In this schedule control step S006, the control of the air conditioner is executed for each acquired device ID. In particular, in the present system S, the control is executed in the order in which the device IDs are acquired.

Then, after the control is completed for all the air conditioners in the house H, every time a predetermined time elapses (in S008, except when there is an operation of switching the control type on the user terminal 3 side (No in S007)). Yes), the above schedule control step S006 is repeatedly executed. In the system S, the schedule control step S006 is executed every hour at 0 minutes, 15 minutes, 30 minutes, and 45 minutes. However, the execution interval of the schedule control step S006 is not limited to the above case and can be arbitrarily set.

Next, the flow of the schedule control step S006 will be described with reference to FIG.
In the schedule control step S006, first, the home server 1 reads out the operation pattern corresponding to the selection mode specified in the preceding step S004 from the memory 1b, that is, the storage unit 12, for each air conditioner (S011). Thereafter, the control time of each air conditioner, that is, the operation condition corresponding to the current time is specified for each air conditioner from the read operation pattern for each air conditioner (S012). That is, the home server 1 specifies the current driving condition from the corresponding driving pattern for each of the four air conditioners.

Thereafter, the home server 1 transmits a control signal for controlling under the operating conditions specified for each air conditioner to each of the four air conditioners (S013). At this time, the home server 1 switches the communication protocol as appropriate according to the communication protocol used by each air conditioner. Then, on the air conditioner side that has received the control signal, control based on the control signal is executed, so that the operating state matches the operating condition specified in the previous step S012.

When each air conditioner is controlled, a response signal is sent from each air conditioner. The home server 1 receives a response signal transmitted from each air conditioner (S014). Also at this time, the home server 1 switches the communication protocol as appropriate according to the communication protocol used by each air conditioner. And the home server 1 specifies the driving | running state of each air conditioner based on the received response signal. On the other hand, an air conditioner that has not received a response signal is determined to be an abnormal air conditioner, as described above.

Thereafter, the home server 1 generates confirmation screen data for drawing a confirmation image indicating the operation state of each air conditioner and the presence or absence of an abnormal air conditioner, and transmits the data to the user terminal 3 (S015). When the confirmation screen data is received on the user terminal 3 side, the confirmation screen data is expanded, and the confirmation screen illustrated in FIG. 14 is drawn on the touch panel of the user terminal 3. By viewing this confirmation screen, the user can confirm the operating state of each air conditioner and the presence or absence of an abnormal air conditioner.
As described above, the confirmation screen data is data in the XML format. For this reason, when the user terminal 3 receives the confirmation screen data, the confirmation screen is drawn on the touch panel in a display format according to the specifications of the user terminal 3.

<< Other Embodiments >>
Embodiment described above is only an example regarding the energy consumption apparatus control apparatus of this invention, the energy consumption apparatus control method, and the energy consumption apparatus control system, and is for facilitating the understanding of the present invention, It is not intended to limit the invention. The present invention can be changed and improved without departing from the gist thereof, and the present invention includes the equivalents thereof.

Further, in the above embodiment, the home server 1 is installed in the house H and the electric device used in the house H is controlled. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a cloud server installed outside the house H communicates with an electrical device inside the house H via an outside network such as the Internet, and exhibits the same function as the home server 1 according to the above embodiment. Also good.

In the above embodiment, in the schedule control, a plurality of electric devices, particularly a plurality of air conditioners, are controlled in accordance with each operation pattern. However, it is not limited to this, It is good also as controlling the lighting installed in the house H according to each driving | operation pattern. In the schedule control, a single electric device may be controlled according to its operation pattern. Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the schedule control is executed for the same type of electrical equipment, but the schedule control may be executed for different kinds of electrical equipment. Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the schedule control is performed on the electric device as an example of the energy consuming device. However, the energy consuming device includes a storage battery and a fuel cell. Schedule control may be executed.

In the above embodiment, among the plurality of air conditioners, there is an air conditioner that communicates with a different communication protocol. When the home server 1 transmits a control signal to the air conditioner, the communication protocol is transmitted to the destination. It was decided to switch according to the air conditioner. On the other hand, when the user requests the home server 1 to control each air conditioner through the user terminal 3, an HTTP request as the control execution request is transmitted from the user terminal 3. This makes it possible to request the home server 1 to control each air conditioner without the user being aware of the difference in communication protocol between the air conditioners. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and when the communication protocol is unified between air conditioners, when the control of each air conditioner is requested to the home server 1 through the user terminal 3, the control execution request message is transmitted. May be transmitted to the home server 1 using a common communication protocol between air conditioners.

Further, in the above embodiment, the installation location information indicating the installation location of each electrical device is stored in the memory 1b of the home server 1. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and there is information indicating an electrical circuit (specifically, a branch circuit in the distribution board) to which each electrical device is connected together with the installation location information or instead of the installation location information. It may be stored.

In the above embodiment, ECHONET and ECHONETLite are exemplified as the communication protocol of the electric device, but naturally, other electric protocols may be adopted by the electric devices in the house H.

Further, in the above embodiment, the operation modes set for a plurality of air conditioners are applied when the air conditioner is scheduled. In other words, in the above embodiment, a plurality of operation modes are set for the schedule control type. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a plurality of operation modes may be selectable for control types other than schedule control.

In the above embodiment, the operation state of the electric device (more specifically, the air conditioner) on which the control is executed is displayed on the confirmation screen drawn on the user terminal 3 based on the received data from the home server 1. It was decided to be done. However, the information to be displayed on the confirmation screen is not limited to this. For example, other information such as the load (power consumption) of each electric device and the currently applied operation mode is displayed. Also good.

S system, H house 1 home server 1a CPU, 1b memory, 1c communication interface 1s operation pattern storage area, 1t installation location storage area 1u bundle storage area 3 user terminal, 5 home network 7 power data logger 11 selection mode specifying unit , 12 Storage unit 13 Operation pattern reading unit, 14 Operation condition identification unit 15 Control signal transmission unit, 16 Response signal reception unit 17 Operation state identification unit, 18 Communication protocol switching unit 19 Operation pattern update unit, 20 Confirmation screen data transmission unit 21 Operation reception unit, 22 data generation unit 23 data transmission unit, 24 data reception unit, 25 display unit 31 control signal reception unit, 32 control unit 33 response signal transmission unit 101 OS, 102 JVM
103 OSGi Framework 104 First Communication Bundle 105 Second Communication Bundle 106 Third Communication Bundle Ta1, Ta2, Ta3 Select Button Tb1, Tb2, Tb3 Update Button Tc Correction Panel Tc1, Tc2, Tc3 Input Field

Claims (9)

1. An energy consuming equipment control device connected to be able to communicate with an energy consuming equipment,
   Among the operation modes set for the energy consuming device, a selection mode identifying unit that identifies a selection mode selected by the user;
   A storage unit that stores operation patterns for each operation mode that define the operation conditions of the energy consuming equipment in what period;
   An operation pattern reading unit that reads the operation pattern corresponding to the selection mode specified by the selection mode specifying unit among the operation patterns stored in the storage unit;
   From the operation pattern read by the operation pattern reading unit, an operation condition specifying unit for specifying the operation condition corresponding to the control time point of the energy consuming device,
   A control signal transmission unit for transmitting a control signal for controlling the energy consuming device under the operation condition specified by the operation condition specifying unit to the energy consuming device;
   A response signal receiving unit configured to receive a response signal transmitted from the energy consuming device when the control signal transmitted from the control signal transmitting unit is received by the energy consuming device. Consumer equipment control device.
2. The energy consuming device control device communicates with the plurality of energy consuming devices to control each of the plurality of energy consuming devices,
   The storage unit stores the operation pattern individually set for each of the plurality of energy consuming devices for each operation mode,
   The operation pattern readout unit reads out the operation pattern corresponding to the selection mode identified by the selection mode identification unit among the operation patterns stored in the storage unit, for each energy consuming device,
   The operation condition specifying unit specifies the operation condition corresponding to the control point of the energy consuming device from the operation pattern read by the operation pattern reading unit, for each energy consuming device,
   The control signal transmission unit, for each of the plurality of energy consuming devices, the control signal for controlling the energy consuming device under the operation conditions specified by the operation condition specifying unit for each energy consuming device. Send
   The energy consumption device control device according to claim 1, wherein the response signal reception unit receives the response signal transmitted from each of the plurality of energy consumption devices.
3. When there are the energy consuming devices that communicate with each other using a different communication protocol among the plurality of energy consuming devices, the control signal transmission unit is used when transmitting the control signal to the energy consuming devices. The energy consuming equipment control device according to claim 2, wherein the communication protocol is switched according to a communication protocol used by the energy consuming equipment as a transmission destination.
4. The selection mode specifying unit communicates with a user terminal that receives a selection operation of the operation mode by a user, receives selection result data indicating a selection result in the selection operation from the user terminal, and based on the selection result data To identify the selection mode,
   4. The energy consuming equipment control apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the selection result data is an HTTP request.
5. As a control type when the energy consuming device control device controls the energy consuming device, a schedule control type for controlling the energy consuming device under the operation condition specified by the operation condition specifying unit from the operation pattern, and An individual control type for individually controlling the energy consuming equipment under the instruction conditions instructed from the user terminal can be selected.
   5. The data according to claim 4, wherein when the individual control type is selected, data indicating the instruction condition is received from the user terminal in a format corresponding to a communication protocol used by the energy consuming device to be controlled. Energy consuming equipment control device.
6. An update unit for updating the operation pattern stored in the storage unit is provided,
   The update unit communicates with a user terminal that accepts a user's correction operation for the driving pattern stored in the storage unit, receives correction result data indicating a correction result in the correction operation from the user terminal, and 6. The energy consuming equipment control device according to claim 1, wherein the operation pattern stored in the storage unit is updated based on correction result data.
7. The energy consuming equipment control device controls the energy consuming equipment used in a building,
   The energy storage device control device according to claim 1, wherein the storage unit stores installation location information indicating an installation location of the energy consumption device in the building and the operation pattern in association with each other.
8. An energy consuming device control method for controlling an energy consuming device by communicating with the energy consuming device,
   Identifying a selection mode selected by the user from among a plurality of operation modes set for the energy consuming device;
   Reading out the operation pattern corresponding to the specified selection mode from the storage unit storing the operation pattern for each operation mode, which defines in what period under which operating conditions the energy consuming device is operated;
   From the read operation pattern, specifying the operation condition corresponding to the control time of the energy consuming equipment,
   Transmitting a control signal for controlling the energy consuming device under the identified operating conditions to the energy consuming device;
   Receiving a response signal transmitted from the energy consuming device when the transmitted control signal is received by the energy consuming device. An energy consuming device control method comprising:
9. An energy consuming equipment control system having an energy consuming equipment and an energy consuming equipment control device that are communicably connected to each other,
   The energy consuming equipment control device comprises:
   Among the operation modes set for the energy consuming device, a selection mode identifying unit that identifies a selection mode selected by the user;
   A storage unit that stores operation patterns for each operation mode that define the operation conditions of the energy consuming equipment in what period;
   An operation pattern reading unit that reads the operation pattern corresponding to the selection mode specified by the selection mode specifying unit among the operation patterns stored in the storage unit;
   From the operation pattern read by the operation pattern reading unit, an operation condition specifying unit for specifying the operation condition corresponding to the control time point of the energy consuming device,
   A control signal transmission unit for transmitting a control signal for controlling the energy consuming device under the operation condition specified by the operation condition specifying unit to the energy consuming device;
   A response signal receiving unit configured to receive a response signal transmitted from the energy consuming device when the control signal transmitted from the control signal transmitting unit is received by the energy consuming device. Consumer equipment control system.

Images