WO2018033993A1 - Controller and management system - Google Patents

Abstract

An electric power information acquisition unit (331) sums up electric power consumption patterns indicating the transition of electric power consumption in a day from measured electric power information. A reference electric power setting unit (332) sets a reference electric power pattern determined by living activities that should be regarded as the standard for a user. An electric power contrasting unit (333) contrasts the reference electric power pattern with the electric power consumption pattern and calculates a relevance ratio. An electric power pattern presentation unit (335) presents the reference electric power pattern and the electric power consumption pattern in contrast. An advice notification unit (336) notifies an advice that corresponds to the result of contrasting the reference electric power pattern with the electric power consumption pattern. A benefit granting unit (337) grants a benefit in accordance with the calculated relevance ratio.

Description

Controller and management system

The present invention relates to a controller and a management system that can prompt a user to conduct regular living activities.

In recent years, home systems (for example, HEMS: Home Energy Management System) have become widespread in ordinary households. In this home system, when managing the energy of a house, it is demanded to accurately grasp power consumption (as an example, transition of power consumption per day). For example, the home system appropriately shifts the operation timing of the device or appropriately changes the energy control of the operating device according to the predicted transition of power consumption. Therefore, the higher the power consumption prediction accuracy, the better the energy efficiency (energy saving) and the more comfortable control for the user.

In a home system, power consumption prediction is generally based on past performance (for example, past power consumption measured under the same conditions). Therefore, if the user's lifestyle is established and regular living behavior is performed, the power consumption prediction accuracy is improved. On the other hand, if the user's living behavior varies, the power consumption prediction accuracy decreases, and the home system cannot appropriately perform energy control.

Note that Patent Literature 1 discloses an invention of a life change detection system that detects a user's life change based on power consumption.

JP 2011-081673 A

However, the invention of Patent Document 1 described above is characterized by detecting a change in the life of the user, and is not very useful in terms of managing the energy of the house. That is, even if the invention of Patent Document 1 is applied to a home system, it has not been able to contribute at all to improve the power consumption prediction accuracy or to optimize energy control.

Therefore, there has been a demand for a technology that can contribute to the improvement of power consumption prediction accuracy and the optimization of energy control by encouraging users to conduct regular living activities.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a controller and a management system that can prompt a user to conduct a regular living behavior.

In order to achieve the above object, a controller according to the present invention provides:
A controller for managing power consumption in a house,
A power pattern presenting means for comparing and presenting a reference power pattern determined from a living behavior to be a reference and a power consumption pattern measured in accordance with a user's living behavior;
Advice notifying means for notifying advice according to a comparison result between the reference power pattern and the power consumption pattern;
Is provided.

According to the present invention, the reference power pattern serving as a reference and the power consumption pattern of the user are presented in comparison with each other, and advice according to the comparison result is notified. As a result, it is possible to prompt the user to conduct regular living activities. In connection with this, it can contribute to improving the prediction accuracy of power consumption or optimizing energy control.

The block diagram which shows an example of the whole structure of the home system which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. The block diagram which shows an example of a structure of the controller which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. Schematic diagram showing an example of a contrast image Schematic diagram showing an example of an advice image Flow chart showing an example of power contrast processing The block diagram which shows an example of a structure of the controller which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention. Schematic diagram showing an example of a judgment table Schematic diagram showing an example of another contrast image Schematic diagram showing an example of another advice image Schematic diagram for explaining how the user's lifestyle approaches the standard lifestyle The flowchart which shows an example of life style judgment processing The block diagram which shows an example of a structure of the controller which concerns on Embodiment 3 of this invention. Flow chart showing an example of the reflection rate calculation process Flow chart showing an example of power prediction processing The block diagram which shows an example of the whole structure of the management system which concerns on Embodiment 4 of this invention. The block diagram which shows an example of a structure of the server which concerns on Embodiment 4 of this invention. Flow chart showing an example of shared information notification processing Flow chart showing an example of advice request processing The block diagram which shows an example of the whole structure of the management system which concerns on Embodiment 5 of this invention. The block diagram which shows an example of a structure of the server which concerns on Embodiment 5 of this invention. The block diagram which shows an example of a structure of the external server which concerns on Embodiment 5 of this invention. Flow chart showing an example of privilege distribution processing

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals. Hereinafter, as a specific example, a case where the present invention is applied to a home system will be described. However, as described later, the present invention can be similarly applied to a building system. That is, the embodiment described below is for explanation, and does not limit the scope of the present invention. Therefore, those skilled in the art can employ embodiments in which each or all of these elements are replaced with equivalent ones, and these embodiments are also included in the scope of the present invention.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of a home system 1 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. As illustrated, the home system 1 includes a device 10 that consumes power in a house H, a power measuring device 20 that measures the power consumed by the device 10, and a controller 30 that controls the entire home system 1. Yes.

The thick line in FIG. 1 indicates the power line PL. That is, electric power can be supplied into the house H from the commercial power source PS via the power line PL. A current transformer CT for measuring power is appropriately arranged on the power line PL.

Further, the dotted line in FIG. 1 indicates the communication line CL. That is, the device 10, the power measuring device 20, and the controller 30 are connected to the home network N1 through the communication line CL. The communication line CL (home network N1) is, for example, a wired LAN (Local Area Network) or a wireless LAN.

The device 10 is a home appliance or facility device arranged in the house H. As an example, an IH cooker, a microwave oven, an air conditioner, lighting, a refrigerator, a water heater, an electric vehicle, and a television are included. In addition to these, the device 10 may include various sensor devices such as a human sensor, for example. Further, FIG. 1 shows a state in which two devices 10 are arranged in the house H, but this is for ease of explanation, and the number of the devices 10 can be appropriately changed according to the actual situation of the user. It is.

The power measuring device 20 includes, for example, a power detection unit 21 and a communication unit 22. The power detection unit 21 detects the power (power consumption) consumed by the device 10 using the above-described current transformer CT. For example, the communication unit 22 transmits information on the power detected by the power detection unit 21 (that is, power information about power consumption) to the controller 30.

The controller 30 is, for example, a HEMS (Home Energy Management System) controller. For example, the controller 30 communicates with the power measurement device 20 via the communication line CL, and acquires power information about power consumption measured by the power measurement device 20. And the controller 30 controls the apparatus 10 suitably via the communication line CL.

An example of the configuration of the controller 30 will be described below with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the controller 30 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As illustrated, the controller 30 includes a communication unit 31, a data storage unit 32, a control unit 33, and a display unit 34.

The communication unit 31 is a communication unit for connecting to the home network N1 through the communication line CL, for example. The communication unit 31 communicates with the device 10 and the power measurement device 20 under the control of the control unit 33. For example, the communication unit 31 receives power information (power information about power consumption) sent from the power measurement device 20. Note that the communication unit 31 can also perform communication via an external network (external network N2 described later).

The data storage unit 32 is composed of, for example, a non-volatile semiconductor memory, and stores the power information received from the power measuring device 20. From this power information, for example, power consumption patterns indicating transitions of power consumption for one day in the house H are tabulated.

In addition, the data storage unit 32 stores in advance living behavior information that defines the living behavior (regular daily living behavior) that the user should be based on. For example, the daily activity details such as getting up, eating, going out, returning home, bathing, and going to bed and the time to perform them are defined in the living behavior information. Since the living behavior that should be used as a reference varies depending on the user environment (user's actual situation), a plurality of types of living behavior information are prepared in advance. For example, when the user is a company employee, there are not only a user who works in a general working time zone, but also a user who works in a time zone shifted early in the morning and a user who works in a time zone shifted in the middle of the night. Therefore, a plurality of types of living behavior information are prepared, and as will be described later, living behavior information appropriate for the user is selected. When a reference power pattern (reference power consumption pattern) is set based on the selected living behavior information, the data storage unit 32 also stores the reference power pattern.

In addition, the data storage unit 32 includes device information (for example, the type and electrical characteristics of the device 10), user information (for example, the number of users and the family structure), and calendar information (for example, the season , Weekdays, holidays, etc., including user schedules).

The control unit 33 includes, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), and a RAM (Random Access Memory), and controls the controller 30 as a whole. Functionally, the control unit 33 includes a power information acquisition unit 331, a reference power setting unit 332, a power comparison unit 333, an image generation unit 334 (power pattern presentation unit 335, advice notification unit 336), and privilege provision. Part 337. These functions are realized when the CPU uses the RAM as a work memory and appropriately executes, for example, various programs stored in the ROM (for example, a power comparison processing program described later).

The power information acquisition unit 331 acquires power information from the power measurement device 20. And the power consumption pattern which shows transition of the power consumption of the day in the house H is totaled from the acquired power information. In other words, the power information acquisition unit 331 adds up the power consumption patterns measured along with the user's daily activities.

The reference power setting unit 332 sets a reference power pattern as a reference. For example, the reference power setting unit 332 selects a living behavior (living behavior information) to be used as a reference by the user from the data storage unit 32, and sets a reference power pattern determined by the selected living behavior. More specifically, the reference power setting unit 332 refers to the device information, user information, and calendar information stored in the data storage unit 32, and takes into account human factors and device environment factors in the house H, Set the power pattern. As a result, the standard power pattern to be set includes, for example, time (season, weekday, holiday, etc.), family structure (single life, couple, 2 households, etc.), working hours (early morning work, normal work, late-night work, etc.), In addition, taking into account the device configuration (the type and electrical characteristics of the device 10), it represents the transition of power consumption consumed when the user of the house H performs regular living activities.

The power comparison unit 333 compares (compares) the set reference power pattern with the measured power consumption pattern. For example, the power comparison unit 333 compares the reference power and the actual power consumption for each unit time, and calculates the degree of matching (matching rate) between the reference power pattern and the power consumption pattern. In calculating the accuracy rate, it is usually required that the reference power and the power consumption match not only the time at which the power peaks occur but also the height of the peaks. Still, the power comparison unit 333 makes the evaluation sweet and high when the time when the power peaks occur coincides and the height of the peaks is lower than the reference power (the power is small). A precision ratio is obtained. That is, if the user performs regular living activities and the power is kept low, the power comparison unit 333 highly evaluates and calculates a high matching rate.

The image generation unit 334 includes, for example, a power pattern presentation unit 335 and an advice notification unit 336, and generates various images to be displayed on the display unit 34.

The power pattern presentation unit 335 presents a reference power pattern as a reference and a user power consumption pattern in comparison. Specifically, the power pattern presentation unit 335 generates a comparison image C1 as shown in FIG. In FIG. 3, the reference power pattern (reference power consumption indicated by a dotted line) and the power consumption pattern (today's power consumption indicated by a solid line) are represented by line graphs, but these are examples. You may express with another graph.

Returning to FIG. 2, the advice notification unit 336 notifies the advice according to the comparison result between the reference power pattern and the power consumption pattern. Specifically, the power pattern presentation unit 335 generates an advice image A1 as shown in FIG. Note that the content of the advice in FIG. 4 is an example, and other content may be used.

Returning to FIG. 2, the privilege granting unit 337 grants a privilege according to the conformity rate of the power consumption pattern with respect to the reference power pattern. Specifically, the privilege granting unit 337 grants a coupon or point to the user if the matching rate calculated by the power comparison unit 333 is 0.8 (80%) or more. In addition to this, a coupon or points may be given to the user when a state with a high relevance rate is continued for one week. The information on the given coupons and points may be managed (stored) in the data storage unit 32, or may be transmitted to an external privilege management server (not shown) and managed on the privilege management server side.

The display unit 34 is, for example, a liquid crystal display device, and displays various information under the control of the control unit 33. Specifically, the display unit 34 displays the comparison image C1 of FIG. 3 generated by the power pattern presentation unit 335 and the advice image A1 of FIG. 4 generated by the advice notification unit 336 on one screen. To do. Note that the display unit 34 may display the comparison image C1 and the advice image A1 separately on separate screens.

Hereinafter, the operation of the controller 30 (control unit 33) according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the power comparison process executed by the control unit 33. This power comparison process is executed, for example, once a day (for example, at a predetermined time at night).

First, the control unit 33 counts today's power consumption (step S101). That is, the power information acquisition unit 331 adds up the power consumption patterns indicating the daily power consumption transition in the house H based on the power information acquired from the power measurement device 20.

The control unit 33 compares the reference power pattern with the power consumption pattern (step S102). That is, the power comparison unit 333 compares the reference power and the actual power consumption for each unit time, and calculates the degree of matching (matching rate) between the reference power pattern and the power consumption pattern.

The control unit 33 determines whether or not the matching rate is high (step S103). For example, the control unit 33 determines whether the matching rate between the reference power pattern and the power consumption pattern is 80% or more. If the control unit 33 determines that the relevance rate is not high (as an example, it is less than 80%) (step S103; No), the control unit 33 proceeds to step S105 described later.

On the other hand, when it is determined that the relevance rate is high (for example, 80% or more) (step S103; Yes), the control unit 33 gives a privilege (step S104). For example, the privilege granting unit 337 grants coupons or points to the user.

The control unit 33 presents the power pattern and notifies the advice (step S105). For example, as shown in the comparison image C1 of FIG. 3 described above, the power pattern presentation unit 335 presents the reference power pattern and the power consumption pattern in comparison, and the power pattern presentation unit 335 displays the above-described FIG. As shown in the advice image A1, advice according to the comparison result is notified.

The control unit 33 sets a reference power pattern for the next day (step S106). For example, the reference power setting unit 332 selects a living behavior (living behavior information) to be used as a reference from the data storage unit 32, and sets a reference power pattern determined by the selected living behavior. More specifically, the reference power setting unit 332 refers to the device information, user information, and calendar information stored in the data storage unit 32, and takes into account human factors and device environment factors in the house H, Set the power pattern.

The control unit 33 predicts the power consumption of the next day (step S107). For example, the control unit 33 predicts the power consumption pattern of the next day based on the past performance (for example, the past power consumption measured under the same conditions).

In such a power comparison process, a reference power pattern serving as a reference is compared with a user power consumption pattern, and advice according to the comparison result is notified. As a result, it is possible to prompt the user to conduct regular living activities. In connection with this, it can contribute to improving the prediction accuracy of power consumption or optimizing energy control. Moreover, since the privilege is provided to the user when the matching rate between the reference power pattern and the power consumption pattern is high, the user's motivation is increased and regular living behavior is easily maintained.

(Embodiment 2)
In the first embodiment, the case where the reference power pattern is compared with the power consumption pattern and the advice according to the comparison result is notified has been described. However, the lifestyle of the user is further determined, and the determined lifestyle is improved. You may make it alert | report the advice for. Hereinafter, Embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described. Also in the second embodiment, the overall configuration is the same as in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the controller 30 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. As illustrated, the controller 30 includes a communication unit 31, a data storage unit 32, a control unit 43, and a display unit 34. The configurations of the communication unit 31, the data storage unit 32, and the display unit 34 are the same as those in the first embodiment described above. The data storage unit 32 stores a determination table 321 as shown in FIG.

The determination table 321 is a table that defines the relationship between the information source and content, and the user's life behavior to be determined. For example, from this determination table 321, when the water heater (apparatus 10) fills up, the user's bathing is determined. Further, when shopping is scheduled in the schedule, it is determined whether the user is out (shopping, absent). As described above, the schedule may be stored in the data storage unit 32 as calendar information, or may be acquired from an external schedule management server (not shown). In addition to this, when the human sensor (device 10) detects a person, the user's home (in-room) is determined.

Returning to FIG. 6, the control unit 43 functionally includes a power information acquisition unit 331, a reference power setting unit 332, a power comparison unit 333, and an image generation unit 334 (power pattern presentation unit 335, advice notification unit). 336), a privilege grant unit 337, an operation information acquisition unit 431, and a lifestyle-style determination unit 432. That is, in the control unit 43 of the second embodiment, the motion information acquisition unit 431 and the lifestyle determination unit 432 are added to the configuration of the control unit 33 in the first embodiment.

The operation information acquisition unit 431 acquires operation information of the device 10 arranged in the house H. As described above, the device 10 includes a sensor device such as a human sensor. That is, as one of the devices 10, when a human sensor is arranged in the house H, the motion information acquisition unit 431 acquires, for example, motion information such as human detection or no human detection from the human sensor. .

The life style determination unit 432 estimates a user's life behavior and determines a life style into which the estimated life behavior is classified. That is, the life style determination unit 432 estimates the user's life behavior based on the determination table 321 of FIG. 7 described above and the operation information acquired by the operation information acquisition unit 431 and the schedule read from the data storage unit 32. . Then, the lifestyle determining unit 432 determines a lifestyle in which the estimated lifestyle behavior is classified. For example, in the estimated lifestyle behavior, when the bedtime is later than the reference time (a certain range of time), the lifestyle-style determination unit 432 determines that the lifestyle is “night stay”. Further, in the estimated lifestyle behavior, when the wake-up time is later than the reference time, the lifestyle-style determination unit 432 determines that the lifestyle is “morning sleep”. In addition, in the estimated lifestyle behavior, when eating out is more than the reference number, the lifestyle determining unit 432 determines that the lifestyle is “excessive eating out”.

Also, the power pattern presentation unit 335 generates and presents a comparison image C2 as shown in FIG. In the contrast image C2, the reference living behavior LA1 is compared with the current living behavior LA2. The living behavior LA1 indicates a regular living behavior that should be used as a reference, while the living behavior LA2 indicates the user's living behavior estimated by the living style determination unit 432. In addition, the lifestyle-style determination unit 432 determines that the user's lifestyle is “morning sleep” from the lifestyle behavior LA2.

Furthermore, the advice notification unit 336 generates an advice image A2 as shown in FIG. 9 and notifies the advice. That is, the advice notification unit 336 notifies improvement advice for improving the user's lifestyle. For example, as shown in FIG. 10, the advice notification unit 336 should be used as a reference when the user's lifestyle is determined to be one of “night staying”, “morning sleep”, and “excessive eating out”. In order to make it closer to the lifestyle, the improvement advice according to each is notified. At that time, the advice notification unit 336 notifies improvement advice for gradually approaching the lifestyle to be a reference. For example, when the user who has been determined to have a lifestyle of “Morning Sleep” has a wake-up time of 11:00 am and the wake-up time of the lifestyle to be used as a reference is 7:00 am, the advice notification unit 336 suddenly Instead of advising the improvement to the hour wake up, the first step is to advise the improvement to the 10 hour wake up. Thereafter, when the user's wake-up time is improved to 10:00 am, as a second stage, the advice notification unit 336 gradually increases toward the lifestyle to be used as a reference, such as advising improvement to 9:00 wake-up. Notification of improvement advice for getting closer to (stepwise).

Hereinafter, the operation of the controller 30 (control unit 43) according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a lifestyle-style determination process executed by the control unit 43. This lifestyle determination process is executed, for example, once a day (for example, at a predetermined time at night).

First, the control unit 43 aggregates the operation information and the schedule along a time series (step S201). That is, the control unit 43 aggregates the operation information of the device 10 acquired by the operation information acquisition unit 431 and the schedule read from the data storage unit 32 in time series.

The control unit 43 estimates the living behavior and determines the lifestyle (step S202). That is, the life style determination unit 432 estimates the user's life behavior based on the above-described determination table 321 in FIG. 7 and the operation information and schedule that are tabulated along the time series. Then, the lifestyle determining unit 432 determines a lifestyle in which the estimated lifestyle behavior is classified. For example, in the estimated lifestyle behavior, when the bedtime is later than the reference time, the lifestyle-style determination unit 432 determines that the lifestyle is “night stay”. Further, in the estimated lifestyle behavior, when the wake-up time is later than the reference time, the lifestyle-style determination unit 432 determines that the lifestyle is “morning sleep”. In addition, in the estimated lifestyle behavior, when eating out is more than the standard number of times, the lifestyle determining unit 432 determines that the lifestyle is “excessive eating out”.

The control unit 43 notifies the improvement advice according to the user's lifestyle (step S203). For example, the advice notification unit 336 generates the advice image A2 as illustrated in FIG. 9 and notifies the improvement advice. That is, the advice notification unit 336 notifies improvement advice for improving the user's lifestyle. For example, when the user's lifestyle is determined as one of “night stay”, “morning over”, and “excessive eating out” as in FIG. 10 described above, the advice notification unit 336 should be the reference. In order to make it closer to the lifestyle, the improvement advice according to each is notified. At that time, the advice notification unit 336 notifies improvement advice for gradually approaching the lifestyle to be a reference.

In such a life style determination process, the life style is determined after the user's life behavior is estimated with high accuracy using the operation information and schedule of the device 10. Therefore, the determined lifestyle is in line with the actual situation of the user, and the user can be effectively encouraged to perform regular lifestyle behavior by notifying improvement advice for improving the lifestyle.

(Embodiment 3)
In Embodiment 2 described above, the user's lifestyle is determined and the improvement advice for improving the determined lifestyle is notified. However, the degree to which such improvement advice is reflected in the user's lifestyle behavior May be used for prediction of power consumption. Hereinafter, Embodiment 3 of the present invention will be described. Also in the third embodiment, the overall configuration is the same as in FIG.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the controller 30 according to the third embodiment of the present invention. As illustrated, the controller 30 includes a communication unit 31, a data storage unit 32, a control unit 53, and a display unit 34. The configurations of the communication unit 31, the data storage unit 32, and the display unit 34 are the same as those in the first and second embodiments.

Functionally, the control unit 53 includes a power information acquisition unit 331, a reference power setting unit 332, a power comparison unit 333, an image generation unit 334 (power pattern presentation unit 335, advice notification unit 336), and privilege granting. A unit 337, an operation information acquisition unit 431, a lifestyle-style determination unit 432, a reflection rate calculation unit 531, and a power prediction unit 532. That is, in the control unit 53 of the third embodiment, a reflection rate calculation unit 531 and a power prediction unit 532 are added to the configuration of the control unit 43 in the second embodiment.

The reflection rate calculation unit 531 calculates a reflection rate indicating the degree to which the improvement advice is reflected in the user's daily behavior after the improvement advice is notified. For example, the reflection rate calculation unit 531 calculates the reflection rate as follows.

First, the reflection rate calculation unit 531 collects the previous and current living behaviors estimated by the life style determination unit 432 and the improvement advice notified by the advice notification unit 336 last time. Next, the reflection rate calculation unit 531 extracts information related to improvement advice from the collected previous and current living activities. For example, if the improvement advice is an improvement advice for improving “Morning Sleep” (as an example, wake up at 7:00 am), information on wake-up from the previous living behavior and this living behavior (as an example, the previous time (Waking up at 8 am and waking up at 7:30 am this time) are extracted. Then, the reflection rate calculation unit 531 calculates the reflection rate according to the extracted information. For example, when information about wake-up is extracted (the previous wake-up is 8 am, advises wake-up at 7:00 am and wakes up at 7:30 am this time), the reflection rate calculation unit 531 sets the reflection rate to 0. 0. Calculated as 5 (50%).

The power prediction unit 532 weights the calculated reflection rate and predicts power consumption. For example, the power prediction unit 532 predicts power consumption as follows.

First, the power prediction unit 532 selects power consumption measured in the past under the same conditions. Next, the power prediction unit 532 estimates the power consumption when the user behaves according to the improvement advice that the advice notification unit 336 notifies this time. Then, the power prediction unit 532 predicts the power consumption by combining the selected power consumption and the estimated power consumption with the reflection rate calculated by the reflection rate calculation unit 531 and combining them.

Specifically, the power prediction unit 532 predicts power consumption using the following formula 1 (when the reflection rate is calculated by a numerical value in the range of 0 to 1 by the reflection rate calculation unit 531).

Predicted power consumption = Reflection rate x Estimated power consumption + (1-Reflection rate) x Selected power consumption (Equation 1)

Hereinafter, the operation of the controller 30 (control unit 53) according to the third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the reflection rate calculation process executed by the control unit 53. FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the power prediction process executed by the control unit 53. These reflection rate calculation processing and power prediction processing are executed, for example, once a day (for example, at a determined time at night). First, the reflection rate calculation process in FIG. 13 will be described.

First, the control unit 53 collects the previous living behavior, the current living behavior, and the previous improvement advice (step S301). That is, the reflection rate calculation unit 531 collects the previous and current living behaviors estimated by the lifestyle determining unit 432 and the improvement advice notified by the advice notification unit 336 last time.

The control unit 53 extracts information related to the previous improvement advice from the previous living behavior and the current living behavior (step S302). For example, if the previous improvement advice is an improvement advice for improving “Morning Sleep” (as an example, wake up at 7:00 am), the reflection rate calculation unit 531 calculates from the previous life behavior and the current life behavior. , Information about wakeup (as an example, wakeup at 8:00 am last time and wakeup at 7:30 am this time) is extracted.

The control unit 53 calculates a reflection rate according to the extracted information (step S303). For example, when information about wake-up is extracted (the previous wake-up is 8 am, advises wake-up at 7:00 am and wakes up at 7:30 am this time), the reflection rate calculation unit 531 sets the reflection rate to 0. 0. Calculated as 5 (50%).

Subsequently, the power prediction process of FIG. 14 will be described. This power prediction process is executed after the reflection rate calculation process described above.

First, the control unit 53 selects power consumption measured in the past under the same conditions (step S401). For example, the power prediction unit 532 selects a new date from the power consumption (power consumption pattern) measured under the same conditions such as weekdays, holidays, and seasons. In addition, you may obtain | require an average from several power consumption measured on the same conditions.

The control unit 53 estimates the power consumption when the user acts according to the improvement advice notified this time (step S402). For example, if the improvement advice to be notified this time is 7:00 am, the power prediction unit 532 estimates power consumption in accordance with daily activities including that the user wakes up at 7:00 am.

The control unit 53 predicts the power consumption by weighting and combining the power consumption selected in step S401 and the power consumption estimated in step S402 with the reflection rate calculated in the reflection rate calculation process ( Step S403). For example, when the reflection rate is calculated as a numerical value in the range of 0 to 1, the power prediction unit 532 predicts power consumption using the above-described equation 1.

In this way, in the power prediction process, the power consumption is predicted by weighting the reflection rate calculated in the reflection rate calculation process. For this reason, the prediction accuracy of power consumption can be appropriately improved using the reflection rate according to the user.

(Embodiment 4)
In the first to third embodiments, the single home system 1 has been described. However, a plurality of home systems 1 (the controllers 30 of each house H) may be appropriately managed. Embodiment 4 of the present invention will be described below. In the fourth embodiment, as an example, a management system in an apartment house represented by an apartment will be described as an example. However, in addition, a management system that manages a plurality of houses in a region (as an example, CEMS: Community Energy Management System). Is also applicable.

FIG. 15 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the overall configuration of the management system 100 according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 15, the management system 100 is configured by connecting a controller 30 (controllers 30a, 30b, 30c,...) And a server 60 via an outside network N2. In FIG. 15, only the controller 30 is illustrated, but the configuration of each house (each house H) is the same as that of the home system 1 described above.

The server 60 is a server that manages an apartment house (each house H). In addition, in this collective housing, for example, there is a contract for a collective power receiving service, and there is a restriction such as a penalty if the peak power in the total power consumption (demand power) exceeds a predetermined threshold And

An example of the configuration of the server 60 will be described below with reference to the block diagram of FIG. As illustrated, the server 60 includes a communication unit 61, a data storage unit 62, and a control unit 63. The communication unit 61 communicates with the controller 30 via the outside network N2. The data storage unit 62 stores various information necessary for managing the housing complex. For example, the data storage unit 62 stores user information related to the users of the apartment house (for example, the number of users and the family structure in each house H, and the relationship between users in different houses H).

The control unit 63 includes a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM, and controls the entire server 60. Functionally, the control unit 63 includes a shared information acquisition unit 631, a shared information notification unit 632, a power aggregation unit 633, a demand power prediction unit 634, and an advice request unit 635. These functions are realized by the CPU appropriately executing various programs stored in the ROM or the data storage unit 62 using the RAM as a work memory.

The shared information acquisition unit 631 acquires shared information shared between users in different houses H. The shared information is, for example, information on events (school events) at the school where the user (child) of A's home attends and the school where the user of C's home attends. In this case, the shared information is to be shared between the users at the home A and the home C. In addition, if it is an event in an apartment house, it will become shared information which should be shared among the users of all the houses H. Hereinafter, although the case where such shared information is acquired from any of the controllers 30 will be described as an example, it may be acquired from an external server or acquired by an administrator.

The shared information notification unit 632 notifies the shared information acquired by the shared information acquisition unit 631 to the controller 30 to be shared. For example, the data storage unit 62 stores, as user information, information indicating a relationship between users in different houses H (for example, information on associating these users if there are users who go to the same school), Based on such user information, the shared information notification unit 632 determines whether the information acquired from the controller 30 is shared information. If the shared information is a shared information, the shared information notification unit 632 transmits the shared information to the controller 30 to be shared. Notify information.

The power totaling unit 633 collects power information from the controller 30. For example, the power totaling unit 633 totals the power consumption measured in each house H.

Demand power prediction unit 634 predicts power consumption (demand power) of the entire apartment based on the aggregated power consumption. For example, the demand power prediction unit 634 predicts demand power for the next day based on past results (for example, past demand power measured and aggregated under the same conditions).

When the peak power in the predicted demand power exceeds a predetermined threshold, the advice request unit 635 requests the controller 30 to notify the advice for prompting the shift of the peak power. For example, the controller 30 is requested to notify the controller 30 of advice that promotes reduction of power consumption or distribution to other time periods during peak power hours. Specifically, if the peak power time period is daytime, participation in an event held at the meeting place during that time period is encouraged to reduce power consumption in each house H. In addition, if the peak power time zone is nighttime, the participation of a light down event is encouraged to reduce the power consumption in each house H.

Hereinafter, the operation of the server 60 (control unit 63) according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 17 is a flowchart illustrating an example of shared information notification processing executed by the control unit 63. FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing an example of advice request processing executed by the control unit 63. These shared information notification processing and advice request processing are executed, for example, once a day (for example, at a predetermined time at night). First, the shared information notification process in FIG. 17 will be described.

First, the control unit 63 acquires information on a schedule and an event from the controller 30 (step S501).

The control unit 63 determines whether or not the acquired information is shared information (step S502). That is, the shared information acquisition unit 631 determines whether or not shared information to be shared between users in different houses H has been acquired. For example, if the school where the user (child) of A home attends and the school where the user of C home attends are the same, the shared information acquisition unit 631 can share information about the event (school event) at that school. Is determined to have been acquired. In addition to this, if it is information on an event in an apartment house, the shared information acquisition unit 631 determines that the shared information has been acquired.

When the control unit 63 determines that the acquired information is not shared information (step S502; No), the shared information notification process is finished as it is.

On the other hand, when it is determined that the acquired information is shared information (step S502; Yes), the control unit 63 notifies the target controller 30 of the acquired shared information (step S503). That is, the shared information notification unit 632 refers to the user information in the data storage unit 62 (information indicating the relationship between users in different houses H), and notifies the shared information to the controller 30 to be shared.

Such shared information notification processing allows information to be shared among target users in an apartment house to be shared. For this reason, schedule omission can be reduced in each house H, and the prediction accuracy of the power consumption in each house H can be improved.

Subsequently, the advice request process of FIG. 18 will be described.

First, the control unit 63 predicts demand power (step S601). That is, the demand power prediction unit 634 predicts the power consumption of the entire apartment house. For example, the demand power prediction unit 634 predicts demand power for the next day based on past results (for example, past demand power measured and aggregated under the same conditions).

The control unit 63 determines whether or not the peak power in the demand power exceeds the threshold (step S602). When determining that the peak power in the demand power does not exceed the threshold value (step S602; No), the control unit 63 ends the advice request process as it is.

On the other hand, when it is determined that the peak power in the demand power exceeds the threshold (step S602; Yes), the control unit 63 requests the controller 30 to notify the advice for prompting the peak power shift ( Step S603). In other words, the advice request unit 635 requests the controller 30 to notify the advice that promotes the reduction of power consumption or the distribution to another time zone in the peak power time zone. Specifically, if the peak power time period is daytime, participation in an event held at the meeting place during that time period is encouraged to reduce power consumption in each house H. In addition, if the peak power time zone is nighttime, the participation of a light down event is encouraged to reduce the power consumption in each house H.

Such an advice request process can suppress the peak power from exceeding a predetermined threshold value, and, for example, can eliminate the penalty for the collective power receiving service.

(Embodiment 5)
In the above-described fourth embodiment, the case where the controller 30 is requested to notify the advice about the advice from the server 60 that manages the housing complex has been described. However, in response to a request from another server, the controller 30 is requested to notify the advice. May be. Hereinafter, Embodiment 5 of the present invention will be described.

FIG. 19 is a block diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of the management system 100 according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 19, the management system 100 is configured by connecting a controller 30 (controllers 30a, 30b, 30c,...), A server 60, and an external server 80 via an external network N2. ing. In FIG. 19, only the controller 30 is shown, but the configuration of each house (each house H) is the same as that of the home system 1 described above.

An example of the configuration of the server 60 according to the fifth embodiment will be described below with reference to the block diagram of FIG. As illustrated, the server 60 includes a communication unit 61, a data storage unit 62, and a control unit 73. Note that the configurations of the communication unit 61 and the data storage unit 62 are the same as those in the fourth embodiment.

Functionally, the control unit 73 includes a shared information acquisition unit 631, a shared information notification unit 632, a power aggregation unit 633, a demand power prediction unit 634, an advice request unit 635, a power information notification unit 731, A request information acquisition unit 732, a result information acquisition unit 733, and a result information notification unit 734 are provided. That is, in the control unit 73 of the fifth embodiment, the power information notification unit 731 to the result information notification unit 734 are added to the configuration of the control unit 63 of the fourth embodiment.

The power information notification unit 731 notifies the external server 80 of the power information collected from the controller 30. In addition, user information (excluding personal information) may be notified to the external server 80.

The request information acquisition unit 732 acquires request information notified from the external server 80. For example, the request information acquisition unit 732 acquires request information for requesting each house H or each user from the external server 80. The advice request unit 635 requests the controller 30 to notify the advice according to the request information.

The result information acquisition unit 733 requests the controller 30 to notify the advice according to the request information, and then acquires the result (result information) for the advice from the controller 30.

The result information notification unit 734 notifies the acquired result information to the external server 80.

Referring back to FIG. 19, the external server 80 is, for example, a power company server. If the employment company or school manages the lifestyle of employees or students, the external server 80 is a server for the employment company or school. If the large retail store manages the customer's eating habits, the external server 80 is a server of the large retail store.

An example of the configuration of the external server 80 will be described below with reference to the block diagram of FIG. As illustrated, the external server 80 includes a communication unit 81, a data storage unit 82, and a control unit 83. The communication unit 81 communicates with the server 60 via the outside network N2. The data storage unit 82 stores various kinds of information necessary for energy management of apartment houses and regions.

The control unit 83 includes a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM, and controls the entire external server 80. Functionally, the control unit 83 includes a power information collection unit 831, a request information notification unit 832, a result information collection unit 833, and a privilege distribution unit 834. These functions are realized by the CPU appropriately executing various programs stored in the ROM or the data storage unit 62 using the RAM as a work memory.

The power information collection unit 831 collects power information of the controller 30 from the server 60. Note that the power information collection unit 831 may collect user information (excluding personal information) from the server 60.

The request information notification unit 832 notifies the server 60 of request information for requesting each house H or each user. For example, if the external server 80 is a server of an electric power company, the server 60 is notified of request information for requesting power suppression or peak shift.

The result information collection unit 833 collects result information from the server 60. For example, the result information in each house H (each user) with respect to request information for requesting power suppression or peak shift is collected.

The privilege distribution unit 834 distributes the privilege to the user according to the result information. If the user's achievement for the request information for requesting power suppression or peak shift is sufficient, the privilege distribution unit 834 distributes a privilege such as discounting the basic fee to the user.

Hereinafter, the operation of the external server 80 (control unit 83) according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 22 is a flowchart illustrating an example of privilege distribution processing executed by the control unit 83. This privilege distribution process is executed, for example, once a day (for example, at a predetermined time at night).

First, the control unit 83 notifies the request information to the server 60 (step S701). For example, the request information notification unit 832 notifies the server 60 of request information for requesting power suppression or peak shift.

Thereafter, the control unit 83 acquires result information (step S702). For example, the result information collection unit 833 collects result information in each house H (each user) for request information for requesting power suppression or peak shift.

The control unit 83 determines whether or not the result is high (step S703). When determining that the result is not high (step S703; No), the control unit 83 ends the privilege distribution process as it is.

On the other hand, when it is determined that the result is high (step S703; Yes), the control unit 83 distributes a privilege (step S704). For example, the privilege distribution unit 834 distributes a privilege such as discounting the basic fee to the user.

By such privilege distribution processing, even when a supplier (for example, an electric power company) of the external server 80 cannot cooperate with the controller 30, useful information can be collected through the server 60 and appropriately fed back.

(Other embodiments)
In the first to third embodiments, the home system 1 has been described as an example. However, the present invention can be similarly applied to, for example, a building system arranged in a building.

In the first to third embodiments described above, the case where the controller 30 includes the display unit 34 has been described as an example. However, the present invention can be appropriately applied even when the controller 30 does not include the display unit 34. For example, the image generated by the image generation unit 334 (the power pattern presentation unit 335 and the advice notification unit 336) is transmitted to a display device capable of communication (for example, a terminal device used by the user), thereby displaying the display. The above-described comparison images C1 and C2 and advice images A1 and A2 may be displayed on the device. Furthermore, when the controller 30 does not include the display unit 34, such a controller 30 may be disposed outside the house H. For example, the functions of the controller 30 may be realized in a cloud environment, and the comparison images C1 and C2 and the advice images A1 and A2 may be displayed on a display device capable of communication. In these cases as well, the user can be encouraged to conduct regular living activities in the same manner as described above.

In the above embodiment, the case where the dedicated controller 30 or the server 60 is used has been described. However, by applying an operation program that defines the operation of the controller 30 or the server 60 to an existing personal computer, an information terminal device, or the like. The personal computer can also function as the controller 30 or the server 60 according to the present invention.

Further, such a program distribution method is arbitrary. For example, a computer-readable medium such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disk Read-Only Memory), a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk), an MO (Magneto Optical Disk), or a memory card is readable. It may be stored in a recording medium and distributed, or distributed via a communication network such as the Internet.

The present invention is capable of various embodiments and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the broad sense. Further, the above-described embodiment is for explaining the present invention, and does not limit the scope of the present invention. That is, the scope of the present invention is shown not by the embodiments but by the claims. Various modifications within the scope of the claims and within the scope of the equivalent invention are considered to be within the scope of the present invention.

The present invention can be employed in a controller and a management system for prompting a user to conduct regular living activities.

1 home system, 10 devices, 20 power measurement device, 21 power detection unit, 22, 31, 61, 81 communication unit, 30 controller, 32, 62, 82 data storage unit, 33, 43, 53, 63, 73, 83 Control unit, 331 power information acquisition unit, 332 reference power setting unit, 333 power comparison unit, 334 image generation unit, 335 power pattern presentation unit, 336 advice notification unit, 337 privilege grant unit, 431 motion information acquisition unit, 432 lifestyle Determination unit, 531 reflection rate calculation unit, 532 power prediction unit, 34 display unit, 60 server, 631 shared information acquisition unit, 632 shared information notification unit, 633 power aggregation unit, 634 demand power prediction unit, 635 advice request unit, 731 Power information notification unit, 732 Request information acquisition unit, 733 Result information collection Department, 734 achievement information notification unit, 831 power information collecting unit, 832 request information notification unit, 833 achievement information collecting unit, 834 privilege delivery unit, 100 management system, 321 determination table, 80 an external server

Claims (8)

A controller for managing power consumption in a house,
A power pattern presenting means for comparing and presenting a reference power pattern determined from a living behavior to be a reference and a power consumption pattern measured in accordance with a user's living behavior;
Advice notifying means for notifying advice according to a comparison result between the reference power pattern and the power consumption pattern;
Controller with. Further comprising a privilege granting unit for granting a privilege according to a degree to which the power consumption pattern matches the reference power pattern;
The controller according to claim 1. A reflection rate calculating means for calculating a reflection rate indicating a degree to which the advice is reflected in the life behavior of the user after the advice is notified;
A power prediction unit that weights the calculated reflection rate and predicts the power consumption.
The controller according to claim 1. Operation information acquisition means for acquiring operation information about the devices arranged in the house;
A style determination means for estimating a lifestyle of the user based on the acquired motion information and determining a lifestyle in which the estimated lifestyle is classified;
The advice notification means notifies improvement advice for improving the determined lifestyle.
The controller according to claim 1. The advice notifying means notifies the improvement advice for gradually approaching from the determined lifestyle to the lifestyle represented by the lifestyle behavior to be the reference,
The controller according to claim 4. A server that controls the controller according to claim 1, and a management system including a plurality of the controllers,
The server
Electric power totaling means for totalizing the power consumption measured in the house from the controller to be integrated,
Demand power predicting means for predicting the overall power consumption based on the aggregated power consumption,
Advice request means for requesting the controller to notify advice for urging the shift of the peak power when the peak power in the predicted total power consumption exceeds a predetermined threshold value. ,
Management system. A server that controls the controller according to claim 1, and a management system including a plurality of the controllers,
The server
Shared information acquisition means for acquiring shared information to be shared among a plurality of the controllers from any of the controllers;
Shared information notification means for notifying the acquired shared information to the other controllers to be shared,
Management system. A server that controls the controller according to claim 1, and a management system including a plurality of the controllers,
The server
Request information acquisition means for acquiring, from an external server, request information for requesting execution of a specific action for the user, or suppression of power consumption for the house,
Advice request means for requesting the controller to notify the advice according to the acquired request information;
After the advice request means requests notification of advice, result information acquisition means for acquiring result information corresponding to the advice from the controller;
A result information notification means for notifying the acquired result information to the external server;
Management system.

Images