JP4501923B2 - Home energy management system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a home energy management system, a capacity control electrical device, an electric energy measurement control device, and a power management device.

  In a conventional home energy management system, a control device collects and grasps information on power consumption necessary for operation in advance from each electric device in a dwelling unit. When the previous electrical device is about to operate, the current power consumption and the maximum usable power amount of the dwelling unit are compared by the control device to calculate the usable power amount and A device that permits the operation of the electric device by comparing the amount of power consumed by the device in advance with the amount of power that can be used is shown. Furthermore, when the amount of power that can be used is lower than the grasped amount of power consumption, the electric device is given an amount of power that limits the upper limit value that can be consumed, so that the electric device can operate. This suggests suggesting the user to suppress the operation of other electrical devices. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).

JP-A-10-94199

In general, the amount of electric power that can be used in each dwelling unit is limited by an overcurrent cutoff breaker installed in the distribution board by a contract with a power supplier. Therefore, when the capacity is exceeded, it is blocked by the breaker. When it is interrupted by the branch breaker in the distribution board, only the individual circuit is interrupted, and the inconvenience until restoration is limited. However, when the main breaker that limits the power consumption of the entire dwelling unit is cut off due to excess power consumption, the inconvenience until the restoration, such as restoration of the breaker and resetting of the timer device, is significant. In particular, the lighting is turned off at night, etc., and in elderly households, etc., the breaker restoration work in the dark is accompanied by a risk of falling. For this reason, in residential units where the contract capacity cannot be increased, electric devices that consume a large amount of power can not be introduced even if they are safe for elderly people without using fire, such as electromagnetic heating cookers. The inconveniences frequently occur, particularly in elderly households, which is not only inconvenient but also dangerous.

Therefore, as a method to prevent the breaker from shutting down, measure the power consumption of the entire dwelling unit, and if the breaker shuts off by comparison with the usable capacity, the distribution board that emits an alarm sound and the current usage A level display that indicates overuse of electricity, which encourages the suppression of usage, and also a terminal that shuts off the branch circuit of the distribution board according to a predetermined priority order or allows external control such as the HA terminal A system that shuts down only a predetermined device via the Internet has been commercialized.
However, when an electric device that requires a large amount of electric power, such as an electromagnetic heating cooker, is installed, it is always possible to suppress the breaker from being interrupted by a method other than disabling the electric device in these conventional systems. I didn't mean.

On the other hand, as a method for solving the above problem, there is a control device that grasps the current power consumption of the entire dwelling unit and further grasps the power consumption and operation information of each electric device in advance through communication with each device. When an electric device is about to operate, it is inquired whether or not the control device can be operated, and a system is proposed that compares the current power consumption with the capacity that can be used in the dwelling unit to limit the availability. . However, in such a system, it is necessary to add an intelligent function such as each electric device having a communication function, which requires an increase in the cost of each electric device, or a replacement of the electric device in an existing house, etc. There was a problem that it was difficult to introduce.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems. The first object is to break a breaker of a dwelling unit even when an electric device that uses a large amount of electric power is introduced in an existing house. It is possible to obtain a home energy management system, a capacity control electric device, an electric energy measurement control device, and a power management device that can safely and conveniently use electric devices without any problems.

  The home energy management system according to the present invention includes an electric energy measuring means for measuring the electric energy currently used indicating the electric energy currently used in the dwelling unit, and an upper limit indicating the maximum amount of the total electric energy usable in the dwelling unit. An upper limit power amount setting storage unit capable of setting and storing power, a power management unit for sequentially calculating a current allowable power consumption based on the input of the upper limit power amount and the current used power amount, and the current use At least one capability control electrical device that operates by adjusting the capability to limit the power consumption with an allowable power amount as an upper limit, and an allowable power input means that sequentially inputs the current allowable power consumption to the capability control electrical device; , With.

  In the home energy management system of the present invention, even when an electric device that uses a large amount of electric power is introduced, the electric device can be used within the range of usable electric power, so that the breaker of the dwelling unit is cut off. Therefore, it is possible to construct and provide a system that uses electrical equipment safely and conveniently at low cost.

Embodiment 1 FIG.
FIG. 1 shows a home energy management system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
In the figure, an electric device 5 and an electric device 6 used at home are connected to the electric lamp line 1. In particular, the electric device 6 is an electric device whose power consumption can be adjusted by controlling the capacity during operation, which will be described later. The power line 1 is connected to the main breaker 3 in the distribution board 2 by a lead-in line from outside the house, and is further branched into a plurality of circuit lines 1 by one or more branch breakers 4. . The electric energy measurement control device 7 sets the electric power measurement means 8 including the electric energy measurement sensor 9 for measuring the electric energy consumption of the entire dwelling unit and the upper limit value of the maximum electric energy that can be used in the dwelling unit. The amount setting storage means 10, the power measurement means 8, and the power management means 11 to which the upper limit power amount setting storage means 10 is connected are configured. The power management means 11 of the power amount measurement control device 7 is connected to the allowable power input means 13 via the communication medium 12, and the allowable power input means 13 is connected to the capacity control electrical device 6.

Next, the operation will be described.
Power from outside the house is divided into a plurality of circuits in the house via the power line 1, via the main breaker 3 in the distribution board 2, and further via the branch breaker 4 on the opposite side of the main breaker 3. Supply. The household electrical device 5 and the electrical device 6 are connected to the power line 1 of the branch circuit, respectively, and operate by receiving power supply. Although not shown, the electric wire 1 is connected to many other electric devices.
The electric device 6 will be described as an example that consumes a large amount of power such as an electromagnetic heating cooker. The electromagnetic heating cooker usually consumes a large amount of power such as about 4 kW to 5.8 kW. This capacity generally occupies most of the upper limit of household power usage, and measures to increase the upper limit of power usage when these devices are newly introduced due to problems such as power receiving facilities. If it can't be removed, the rate is even higher.
For example, in a state where several electric devices are operating and the electric device 5 is operating, when the electric power that can be used by the dwelling unit is close to the upper limit value, for example, when the electric device 6 is further operated, When the upper limit value of the dwelling unit is exceeded, the main breaker 3 is activated and the power supply to the entire dwelling unit is interrupted.

On the other hand, in the home energy management system of the present invention, the electric energy measurement control device 7 sets and stores the maximum electric energy that can be used in the dwelling unit in the upper limit electric energy setting storage means 10 in advance. For example, if the upper limit electric energy of the dwelling unit is 6 kW, 6 kW is set by the switch means or the like.
The electric energy measuring means 8 measures the current electric current and voltage of the dwelling unit by the electric energy measuring sensor 9, and obtains the current electric energy consumption. The power management unit 11 is connected to the power amount measuring unit 8 and the upper limit power amount setting storage unit 10, and is input from the currently used power amount input from the power amount measuring unit 8 and the upper limit power amount setting storage unit 10. Sequentially compare the maximum power consumption of the dwelling unit. For example, in the case where the upper limit value is 6 kW and the current usage amount is 4 kW, the power management unit 11 calculates 2 kW as the difference that is currently allowed in the dwelling unit (hereinafter referred to as the allowable power amount). To do. An embodiment for calculating the allowable power will be described later. The calculated allowable power amount is not limited to any communication means such as a wireless communication means, a dedicated wired communication means, or a power line communication utilizing the power line 1, although not shown, via the communication medium 12. Notification and input to the allowable power input means.
The allowable power input means 13 is connected to the capacity control electrical device 6.
As in the above example, it is assumed that the amount of power consumed by the electrical device 5 is 4 kW and the upper limit value of the entire dwelling unit is 6 kW. That is, the allowable power amount is 2 kW or less. In this state, when the capacity control electric device 6 is operated, for example, an electromagnetic heating cooker, if the resident starts cooking using a thermal power that requires 2 kW or more, the main breaker 3 is The power supply to the entire dwelling unit is shut off. In the present invention, the allowable power input means 13 is notified from the power management means 11 that the current allowable power is 2 kW, and the allowable power input means 13 can use this allowable power for the capacity control electrical device 6. Enter as the correct amount of power. In the case of an electromagnetic heating cooker, for example, the capacity control electric device 6 suppresses the power consumption to 2 kW by suppressing the maximum thermal power that can be used by a resident. Thereby, the electric power consumption of the whole dwelling unit is suppressed to 6 kW or less, and the electric power interruption by the main breaker 3 does not generate | occur | produce.

Now, an example of calculation of allowable power in the power management means 11 described above will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3 are graphs showing an example of the operation of the power management means 11 in the example of the present embodiment. In FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the same number is attached | subjected to the same thing. 2 and 3, the horizontal axis represents time and the vertical axis represents electric energy. In the figure, 20 indicates a change in the amount of power used in the dwelling unit. 21 shows the upper limit of the electric energy which can be used in the said dwelling unit. 22a and 22b are graphs showing the allowable power amount calculated by the power management means 11 with the current power usage amount 20 and the upper limit value 21 as inputs. In 22a in FIG. 2, for example, the allowable power is calculated in a form that substantially follows the change with respect to the current power amount that changes every moment as indicated by arrows a to f. On the other hand, in FIG. 3, 22b does not change the allowable power with respect to the current power amount that changes every moment, but changes as shown by arrows a to d or arrows e to f, as indicated by arrows d to e. It is an example of the algorithm which changes allowable power with a fixed variation | change_quantity. In order to make maximum use of the amount of power that can be used in the dwelling unit, the allowable power is calculated using an algorithm as shown in FIG. On the other hand, even if the allowable power changes with a short time constant as shown in FIG. 4, if the capacity control time constant of the capacity control electric device 6, for example, the capacity control electric device 6 is an electromagnetic heating cooker, the resident When the period of adjusting the heating power is sufficiently longer than this, an algorithm for calculating the allowable power amount with a constant change amount with respect to the change of the current power amount as shown in FIG. 5 is suitable. Further, the algorithm shown in FIG. 4 and the algorithm shown in FIG. 5 are greatly different in communication frequency when communication is performed between the power management unit 11 and the allowable power input unit 13. Thereby, the performance required for the communication means included in the communication medium 12, the power management means 11, and the allowable power input means 13 is different, and when the frequency of communication is high, high-throughput communication is required. Is low, communication means with low throughput may be used. In general, the latter is less expensive than the former.
Furthermore, when the allowable power is determined by the algorithm as shown in FIG. 4 and inputted to the capacity control electrical device 6, the capacity control electrical device 6 may correct the time constant of the change by the algorithm as shown in FIG. Yes.

As described above, in the home energy management system of the present invention, the allowable power amount that can be currently used is sequentially notified to the capacity control electrical device. Since there is no power outage for the entire dwelling unit due to the breaker being cut off, there is no inconvenience or danger due to the whole dwelling unit outage, and it is possible to use the electrical equipment safely and comfortably even in elderly households.
In the description of the embodiments of the present invention, the communication medium is described as connecting a pair of power management means and allowable power input means, but any network that can connect one or more devices may be used. In addition, although only one electric device 5 is illustrated, there are naturally a plurality of electric devices in the dwelling unit.
Further, although the allowable power input means 13 is described separately from the capacity control electrical device 6, the capacity control electrical device 6 may be provided inside as shown in FIG. In addition, when the power management means knows the amount of power consumed by the operation mode and operation capacity of the capacity control electrical device that is the notification destination, it is used instead of notifying the allowable power, and the upper limit of the operation mode and operation capacity. A realization method of notifying is also possible. For example, when the notification destination capacity control electric device is an electromagnetic heating cooker, the maximum heat power that can be used is instructed.

Embodiment 2. FIG.
FIG. 5 shows a capacity control electrical device in a home energy management system according to another embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 5, the same or corresponding parts as those in FIG. The currently used power input unit 14 is connected to the power measuring unit 8 via the communication medium 12 and inputs the currently used power amount to the power management unit 11. The capacity control electrical device 15 with an upper limit control function is the same as the capacity control electrical device 6 provided with a currently used power input means 14, a power management means 11, and an upper limit power amount setting storage means 10.

Next, the operation will be described. In FIG. 5, the main breaker 3 operates when electric power from outside the house is supplied via the power line 1 and supplied to the electric device 5 and the amount of electric power used exceeds the upper limit of the dwelling unit. As with the first embodiment, the power supply to the whole dwelling unit is interrupted, and the problem of causing significant inconvenience and danger is the same as in the first embodiment.
In the second embodiment, in the capacity control electrical device 15 with the upper limit control function, the power management unit 11 stores the upper limit power amount setting storage by using the current power consumption input to the current power consumption input unit 14 by communication. The power consumption amount of the dwelling unit input by means 10 is compared with the upper limit value, the current allowable power consumption amount is calculated, and input to the capacity control electrical device unit 6 as the allowable power amount.
Hereinafter, as in the first embodiment, an example in which the amount of power consumed by the electrical device 5 or the like is 4 kW and the upper limit value of the entire dwelling unit is 6 kW will be described with details omitted.
In this example, 2 kW is similarly calculated as the allowable power amount. In this state, for example, when the electromagnetic heating cooker is operated as the capacity control electric device 15 with the upper limit control function as in the first embodiment, the occupant has started cooking using the thermal power that requires 2 kW or more. In this case, the main breaker 3 is activated and the supply of power to the entire dwelling unit is interrupted. In the present embodiment, it is notified from the power management means 11 to the capacity control electric equipment section 6 that the current allowable power is 2 kW, and the capacity control electric equipment section 6 is, for example, an electromagnetic heating cooker. By suppressing the maximum thermal power that the resident can use, the power consumption is suppressed to 2 kW. Thereby, like Embodiment 1, the electric power consumption of the whole dwelling unit is suppressed to 6 kW or less, and the electric power interruption by the main breaker 3 does not generate | occur | produce.

In recent years, electric devices are generally equipped with a microcomputer, and a control algorithm of the electric device is realized by software of the microcomputer.
The realization of the arithmetic processing for calculating the allowable power as described above in the power management means 11 of the present embodiment is the same as in the first embodiment, but is realized as software of such a microcomputer. In the case of the second embodiment, since the power management means 11 and the capacity control electrical equipment unit 6 are configured identically as the capacity control electrical equipment 15 with the upper limit control function, the capacity control electrical equipment is inherent to the electrical equipment. It is possible to execute software for realizing the power management means 11 by using the same microcomputer as that provided for the control. As a result, a home energy management system that achieves the object of the present invention can be configured at a low cost, and thereby can be widely spread, and a resident can use an electrical device safely and comfortably.

Embodiment 3 FIG.
FIG. 6 shows a power management apparatus in a home energy management system according to another embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 6, the same or corresponding parts as those in FIG. 1 or FIG. In the figure, the currently used power input means 14 is connected to the power measuring means 8 and the power management means 11. Further, the power management device 7 includes at least the currently used power input means 14 in addition to the power management means 11 and the upper limit power amount setting storage means 10.

Next, the operation will be described. In FIG. 6, the main breaker 3 operates when electric power from outside the house is supplied via the power line 1 and supplied to the electric device 5 and the amount of electric power used exceeds the upper limit of the dwelling unit. As with the first embodiment, the power supply to the entire dwelling unit is interrupted, and the problem of causing significant inconvenience and danger is the same as in the first embodiment.
In the third embodiment, the power management unit 11 receives the current power consumption input to the current power consumption input unit 14 through communication in the power management apparatus 7 and the power management unit 11 is input by the upper limit power amount setting storage unit 10. The current allowable power consumption is calculated by comparing with the upper limit value of the power consumption of the dwelling unit, and the allowable power input means 13 included in the capacity control electrical device unit 6 is notified and input as the allowable power consumption.
Hereinafter, as in the first embodiment, an example in which the amount of power consumed by the electrical device 5 or the like is 4 kW and the upper limit value of the entire dwelling unit is 6 kW will be described with details omitted.
In this example, 2 kW is similarly calculated as the allowable power amount. In this state, for example, when the electromagnetic heating cooker is operated as the capacity control electric device 6 as in the first embodiment, if the resident starts cooking using a thermal power that requires 2 kW or more, The main breaker 3 is activated and the supply of power to the entire dwelling unit is interrupted. In the present embodiment, it is notified from the power management means 11 to the capacity control electric equipment section 6 that the current allowable power is 2 kW, and the capacity control electric equipment section 6 is, for example, an electromagnetic heating cooker. By suppressing the maximum thermal power that the resident can use, the power consumption is suppressed to 2 kW. Thereby, like Embodiment 1, the electric power consumption of the whole dwelling unit is suppressed to 6 kW or less, and the electric power interruption by the main breaker 3 does not generate | occur | produce.

In general, in the home energy management system, in addition to the control function that does not cause the breaker to shut down as in this embodiment, the current power usage data of the entire dwelling unit is used to display the data in a graph and the status of power usage to the residents It is conceivable to provide services that encourage energy-saving actions to conserve energy by clearly indicating and understanding. There may be cases where the current power consumption data of the entire dwelling unit is not used for a single purpose but for other purposes, which will increase the value of the home energy management system and make the system introduction cost relative. Effect to lower.

Embodiment 4 FIG.
FIG. 7 shows a home energy management system and an electric energy measurement control apparatus showing another embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 7, the same or corresponding parts as those in FIG. The individual power management device 16 is connected to the allowable power input means 13 included in the capacity control electrical device 6 and the power management means 11 of the power measurement control device 7 via a communication medium 12 such as a home network.

Next, the operation will be described.
In FIG. 7, the power management means 11 of the power measurement control device 7 calculates the allowable power of the entire dwelling unit. On the other hand, when there are a plurality of individual power management devices 16 such as the capacity control electrical devices 6a and 6b, the individual power management devices 16a and 6b are configured with their power based on the allowable power of the entire dwelling unit. Individual allowable power is calculated on the basis of predetermined conditions such as consumption, usage priority, usage frequency, etc., and input via the allowable power input means 13a and 13b. Thereby, the resident can effectively use the capacity control electric devices 6a and 6b within the allowable range within the limit of the power consumption of the entire dwelling unit. For example, when the capacity control electric device 6a is an air conditioner and 6b is an electromagnetic heating cooker, and the current allowable power amount of the entire dwelling unit is large, the priority of use is high for the electromagnetic heating cooker related to cooking. By doing so, it is possible to allow the electromagnetic heating cooker to use much electric power and not cause inconvenience to the resident. On the other hand, if the current allowable power consumption of the entire dwelling unit is small, priority can be given to the use of air conditioners when power suitable for electromagnetic heating cooking cannot be secured, and it is possible to allow a large amount of power to be used for air conditioners. is there.

Generally, it is assumed that the individual power management means 16 is provided in a device generally called a home server 17, a home gateway, or a home controller. In addition to the power management function, the home server 17 is equipped with home appliances, sensors, and other devices such as a security function for controlling the comfort in a dwelling unit and monitoring an intruder, or a disaster prevention function such as monitoring a fire occurrence. Centralized management and control. Distributing the optimum allowable power amount for each capacity control electric device according to the priority order based on the management of the whole dwelling unit by linking with other service functions by arranging the individual power management means 16 on the home server 17 There is an effect that can be implemented.

Embodiment 5 FIG.
FIGS. 8 and 9 illustrate a home energy management system, an electric energy measurement control device, and a capacity control electrical device showing another embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 8, the same as FIG. Corresponding items have the same numbers and names. In FIG. 8, the operating electrical device detection unit 40 is in the power amount measurement device 7 and is connected to the power measurement unit 8 and the power management unit 11. The user interface means 41 is connected to the operating equipment input means 42. The operating equipment input means 42 is provided in the allowable power input means 13. FIG. 9 illustrates a communication frame of information notified from the power management unit 11 to the allowable power input unit 13. In FIG. 9, reference numeral 30 denotes a frame configuration in the case where only allowable power is input, and 31 is a frame obtained by adding information on operating devices to this. Each frame includes a transmission destination address 32, a transmission source address 33, and allowable power amount data 34, and the operating electrical device data 35 is further added to the frame 31.

Next, the operation will be described. In FIG. 8, the main breaker 3 operates when electric power from outside the house is supplied via the power line 1 and supplied to the electric device 5 and the amount of power used exceeds the upper limit value of the dwelling unit. As with the first embodiment, the power supply to the whole dwelling unit is interrupted, and the problem of causing significant inconvenience and danger is the same as in the first embodiment.
Further, the power consumption measuring means 8 measures the current power consumption, and the power management means 11 calculates the allowable power based on the upper limit value of the dwelling unit set and stored in the upper limit power amount setting storage means 10. In addition, the capability control is performed by notifying this to the capability control electrical device 6 via the allowable power input means 13, and the operation is performed so that the power consumption amount of the entire dwelling unit does not exceed the upper limit value. This is the same, and the explanation of the operation is omitted.

The working electrical device detection means 40 in the fifth embodiment acquires time series data of the voltage and current of the electric power of the entire dwelling unit from the electric energy measurement means 8 installed at a point where the entire electric energy of the dwelling unit can be measured. By analyzing this data, the operating state of each home appliance is detected. Detecting the operation status of the electrical devices 5 and 6 connected to the power line 1 without directly acquiring operation information through a so-called network connection, such as adding a communication function to the individual home appliances 5 and 6 It is something that can be done. Such a method is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-330630 “Electrical equipment monitoring system and abnormality warning system using the same”.
Information on the operating electrical equipment in the dwelling unit detected by the operating electrical equipment detection means 40 is sent by the power management means 11 to the allowable power input means 13 included in the capacity control household electrical appliance 6 together with the information on the allowable power amount. The power management means 11 and the allowable power input means 13 of this embodiment notify information in a frame as shown in FIG. In FIG. 9, a transmission destination address 32 is a destination address in the case of sending by communication from the power management means 11 to the allowable power input means 13, that is, an address given to the allowable power input means 13. On the other hand, the transmission source address 33 is an address of a transmission source in the case of sending from the power management unit 11 to the allowable power input unit 13 by communication, that is, an address given to the power management unit 11.
For example, in the first embodiment, only the allowable power data is notified as in a frame 30 shown in FIG. 9, but in this embodiment, in addition to the allowable power data 34 as in the frame 31, the operating electrical equipment data 35 is also configured to be notified.

Next, the allowable power input means 13 notifies the received allowable power data 34 to the capacity control electric device 6 as described in the first embodiment, and the capacity control electric device 6 sets the allowable power data as the upper limit. Operates to adjust driving ability and reduce power consumption.
On the other hand, the operating electrical equipment data 35 is input to the user interface means 41 via the operating equipment input means 42 provided in the allowable power input means 13. At the time when the user interface means 41 is notified this time, the electric equipment as shown in the operating electric equipment data 35 is in operation, and the driving ability of the ability control electric equipment 6 used by the resident is determined by the allowable power amount. Limited. If the resident wants to increase the operating power of the capacity control electric device 6 by increasing the allowable power and using it, the operation of other electric devices 5 is suppressed or stopped, and the power consumption of the entire dwelling unit is reduced. Must be lowered. Therefore, in this embodiment, the user interface means 41 displays and informs the resident of information on the detected operating electrical equipment as candidates for electrical equipment to be suppressed or stopped.

As described above, in the home energy management system of the present invention, when the operation of the capacity control electric device 6 is restricted by the allowable power, the other electric devices 5 in operation can be notified to the resident. Therefore, when the resident wants to increase the driving ability of the capacity control electric device 6, the resident selects an electric device that is not required to operate or an electric device that can be suppressed from operation, and performs operations such as stopping and suppressing operation. It is possible to take.
In this description, only the information on the electric device in operation is displayed. However, when displaying the information, it is possible to give priority to the information displayed by the operating device input means 42 or the like. Needless to say. For example, priority is given by power consumption, such as displaying electrical equipment that consumes a large amount of power and has a large reduction effect when it stops. Residents can use the air conditioner more preferentially by taking into account such things as preferential display of the air conditioner, or excluding equipment that is in operation by automatically managing the process, such as a rice cooker. It is easy to use electrical equipment.

Embodiment 6 FIG.
FIG. 10 illustrates a home energy management system, an electric energy measurement control device, an electric power management device, and an electric energy measurement control device according to another embodiment of the present invention. , Or equivalents are given the same numbers and names.
In FIG. 10, the capacity control electrical device 6 a is the same as that described so far, such as the first or fourth embodiment. The capacity control electrical device 6 b is connected to the power management means 11 through the network of the communication medium 12. The outlet adapter 43 is connected to the network of the power line 1 and the communication medium 12, and is connected to the power management means 11 as in the capacity control electrical device 6b. The electrical device 5 is connected to the outlet adapter 43. FIG. 11 is a communication frame of information notified from the power management means 11 to the outlet adapter 43 or the capacity control electric device 6b in this embodiment, and the frame 36 is an electric device operation control frame for controlling the operation of the electric device. , And includes a transmission destination address 32, a transmission source address 33, and electric equipment operation control data 37.

Next, the operation will be described. In FIG. 10, the main breaker 3 operates when power from outside the house is supplied via the power line 1 and supplied to the electric device 5 and when the amount of power used exceeds the upper limit value of the dwelling unit. As with the first embodiment, the power supply to the whole dwelling unit is interrupted, and the problem of causing significant inconvenience and danger is the same as in the first embodiment. Further, the power consumption measuring means 8 measures the current power consumption, and the power management means 11 calculates the allowable power based on the upper limit value of the dwelling unit set and stored in the upper limit power amount setting storage means 10. In addition, the capability control is performed by notifying this to the capability control electrical device 6 via the allowable power input means 13, and the operation is performed so that the power consumption amount of the entire dwelling unit does not exceed the upper limit value. This is the same, and the explanation of the operation is omitted. The power management means 11 in the power amount measurement control device 7 of the sixth embodiment calculates and notifies the allowable power amount, and has a predetermined priority from other electric devices 5 in the dwelling unit or the capacity control electric device 6b. One or more are selected according to the order, and the operation of the electric device 5 is stopped or the operation capability of the capacity control electric device 6b is controlled. For example, in order to stop the operation of the electrical device 5, the outlet adapter 43 is instructed to stop the operation through the network using the communication medium 12. The instruction data is notified in a communication frame as shown in FIG. The transmission destination address 32 of this frame 36 is the outlet adapter 43, the transmission source address is the power management means 11, and the electric equipment operation control data 37 is set with instruction data for cutting off the power supply at the outlet. Receiving the electric appliance operation control frame 36 as described above, when the outlet adapter 43 recognizes from the transmission destination address 32 that it is an instruction addressed to itself, the outlet adapter 43 executes the energization cutoff indicated by the electric appliance operation control data 37. The power supply to the electric device 5 is cut off, and the electric device 5 is stopped. On the other hand, when the operation of the capacity control electrical device 6b is suppressed, the capacity control electrical device 6b is instructed to stop the operation or suppress the operation capacity through the network using the communication medium 12. The instruction data is notified in the communication frame as shown in FIG. The transmission destination address 32 of the frame 36 is the capacity control electric device 6b, the transmission source address is the power management means 11, and the electric device operation control data 37 is set with instruction data of the operation content of the capacity control electric device 6b. . As an example of the instruction of the operation content, for example, when the capacity electric device 6b is an air conditioner, the operation is stopped, or the operation mode is changed from cooling, heating or the like, or the set temperature is changed (if it is cooling) Instruct to reduce power consumption by raising the set temperature or lowering the set temperature for heating. When the capacity control electric device 6b that has received the electric device operation control frame 36 as described above recognizes the instruction addressed to itself from the transmission destination address 32, the operation content instructed by the electric device operation control data 37 is displayed. Execute the change instruction. By controlling the outlet adapter 43 and the capacity control electrical device 6b as described above, it becomes possible to reduce the power consumption of the entire dwelling unit, and to increase the allowable power amount that can be notified to the capacity control electrical device 6a. It becomes possible.

In the description of this embodiment, it has been described that the operation is stopped or suppressed to reduce the amount of power used. However, the electric appliance operation control frame 36 instructs the outlet adapter 43 to be energized, or the capacity control electric device 6b is instructed. When the use of the capacity control electric device 6a is finished by notifying the instruction to release the suppression of driving and the use of electric power becomes possible, the resident again operates the power control device 6b and operates the outlet. By automatically recovering the adapter without performing the return operation, the resident can use the electrical device more conveniently.

Embodiment 7 FIG.
FIG. 12 illustrates a home energy management system according to another embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, the same or corresponding parts as those in FIG. 1 and FIG. 8 are given the same numbers and names. In the figure, electric devices 5a and 5b and capacity control electric devices 6a and 6c indicate a plurality of similar electric devices in this embodiment. Moreover, the electric lamp line 1a is an electric lamp line to which the capacity control electric device 6c is connected, and is equivalent to the electric lamp line 1 shown elsewhere.
FIG. 13 shows the configuration of the power management means in the seventh embodiment, and includes an electrical equipment operation process data storage means 44 and an allowable power amount determination means 45.

Next, the operation will be described. As in the past, in FIG. 12, when the power from outside the house is supplied via the power line 1 and supplied to the electric device 5, and the power consumption exceeds the upper limit value of the dwelling unit, the main breaker 3 As the first embodiment operates, the power supply to the entire dwelling unit is interrupted, and the problem of causing significant inconvenience and danger is the same as in the first embodiment. Further, the power consumption measuring means 8 measures the current power consumption, and the power management means 11 calculates the allowable power based on the upper limit value of the dwelling unit set and stored in the upper limit power amount setting storage means 10. In addition, the capability control is performed by notifying this to the capability control electrical device 6 via the allowable power input means 13, and the operation is performed so that the power consumption amount of the entire dwelling unit does not exceed the upper limit value. This is the same, and the explanation of the operation is omitted. In the seventh embodiment, the power management unit 11 further includes an electric equipment operation process data storage unit 44 and an allowable power amount determination unit 45.
In addition, information on the electric device in operation is acquired from the operating electric device detection means 40. The method for detecting an operating electrical device in the operating electrical device detection means 40 is the same as in the fifth embodiment, and the description thereof is omitted. The power management means 11 of the seventh embodiment stores the operation process data of the electric equipment in the dwelling unit in the electric equipment operation process data storage means 44. The operation process data is shown in FIG. 14 as an example of an electric automatic rice cooker (hereinafter referred to as rice cooker). In the rice cooker, heating control is performed in several rice cooking processes as shown in FIG. In FIG. 14, 50 to 53 indicate pre-cooking 50, cooking 51, steaming 52, and heat retention 53, respectively. Due to such process changes, the power consumption of the rice cooker changes at each change point. 54 is the power consumption at the start of rice cooking, and the power consumption 54 is maintained during the 50 steps of pre-cooking. 55 is the power consumption when transitioning to the cooking 51 process, and 56 is the power consumption when completing the cooking and transitioning to the steaming 52 process. Furthermore, 57 is the amount of power consumption when the steaming is completed and the process proceeds to the heat insulation 53 process.
When the allowable electric energy determining means 45 detects the operation of the rice cooker from the operating electric equipment detecting means 40, it refers to the operation process data of the rice cooker stored in the electric equipment operating process data storage means 44. If the example of Embodiment 1 is taken, for example, the upper limit value of the electric power consumption of this dwelling unit is 6 kW, and the electric power consumption of the whole dwelling unit when the rice cooker operates, that is, when the transition to the process 50 is 4 kW. In this case, the current allowable power amount is simply 2 kW which is the difference. However, the allowable power amount determination means 45 provided in the power management means 11 of the seventh embodiment detects the operation of the rice cooker, and grasps the operation process of the rice cooker from the electric equipment operation process data storage means 44. The power consumption of the whole dwelling unit is the difference between 55 and 54 in FIG. 14 when the process of the rice cooker transitions to 51. For example, if this is 1 kW, the power consumption of the whole dwelling unit may further increase to 5 kW. Since it is expected, the allowable power amount is set to 1 kW instead of 2 kW.

Since it is configured as described above, for example, when the capacity control electrical device 6a is assumed to be an electromagnetic heating cooker, 2 kW is set as an allowable power as in the first embodiment, and the resident uses this to fry cooking, etc. When cooking that requires a high heating power is started, the heating power becomes small during cooking, that is, when the rice cooker transitions to the process of 51, and therefore the capacity must be adjusted to an inappropriate heating power for cooking. It will disappear. However, since the power management means 11 of the seventh embodiment notifies the allowable power amount of 1 kW, the resident should take measures such as starting cooking of simmered food other than fried food on the premise of 1 kW. This makes it possible to perform cooking with an appropriate heating power and to perform efficient cooking work.

Furthermore, in the above-described operation example, the allowable power amount determining unit 45 of the power management unit 11 according to the seventh embodiment, when the allowable power can be secured only 1 kW, is used for capacity control electric power that is an electromagnetic heating cooker, for example. Instead of permitting the device 6a, for example, the capacity control electrical device 6b (for example, a microwave oven) whose maximum power consumption is 500 W is selected and the allowable power is notified. As described above, when the current allowable power is small for the capacity control electric device 6a and cannot be used effectively, the other appropriate capacity control electric device 6b is selected and notified to effectively use the allowable power. It becomes possible.

Moreover, after the transition to the process of the steamer 52 of the rice cooker, for example, as shown in FIG. 14, the allowable power amount determination means 45 of the power management means 11 in the seventh embodiment has the power consumption of the rice cooker becomes 56, For example, when the power consumption of the entire dwelling unit is reduced to 3.5 kW, the allowable power amount is increased to 2.5 kW when the rice cooker transitions to the step 52. That is, after the rice cooker has transitioned to the step 52, it is expected that the electric energy of the entire dwelling unit will not increase due to the rice cooker, and thus the allowable electric energy can be increased.

FIG. 15 is an example of transition of power consumption of another rice cooker. A difference from FIG. 14 is a case where a process of operating with high power consumption 58 is set in the steaming process 52 in order to temporarily remove moisture. Thus, after changing to the process of the rice cooker's steaming 52, the power consumption of the rice cooker becomes 56, for example, the power consumption of the entire dwelling unit is temporarily reduced to 3.5 kW, but the power consumption of the rice cooker is quickly reduced. As shown in FIG. 15, it is expected to increase to 58, for example, to 3.9 kW. Since the allowable electric energy determining means 45 of the seventh embodiment is expected that the electric energy of the entire dwelling unit may increase due to the rice cooker even after the rice cooker transitions to the process of 52. At the stage where the rice cooker transitions to step 52, it is determined not to increase the allowable power amount to 2.5 kW.
By operating as described above, the allowable electric power frequently fluctuates due to the operation of various electric devices 5 operating in the dwelling unit, so that the resident feels inconvenience when using the capacity control electric device 6. For example, when an electromagnetic heating cooker is used, it is possible to prevent the usable fire power from being suddenly limited.

Embodiment 8 FIG.
FIG. 16 explains another embodiment of the power management means in the seventh embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 16, the power management unit 11 includes an electrical equipment operation process data storage unit 44, an allowable power amount determination unit 45, and a power control schedule management unit 46, and the power control schedule management unit 46 further includes a long-term control power management unit 47. Short-term control power management means 48.

Next, the operation will be described. As in the seventh embodiment, the power management unit 11 according to the eighth embodiment includes the current power usage amount input from the power measurement unit 8, the upper limit value input from the upper limit power amount setting storage unit 10, and the operation. The allowable power is calculated from the information on the currently operating electrical device input from the device detection means 40. At this time, the power control schedule management unit 46 determines the future power consumption based on the operation process data of the operating device input from the information on the currently operating electrical device and the electrical device operation process data storage unit 44. Predict and manage changes. For example, the description will be made assuming that the operating electrical equipment is a rice cooker, an air conditioner, and a television. When these three types of electric devices are operating, from a long-term viewpoint, for example, an air conditioner reduces power consumption when the room temperature reaches a set temperature. If a steaming process is complete | finished, a rice cooker will change to a heat retention state, and power consumption will reduce. Since the television depends on the resident's preference, it is difficult to grasp and manage the process. On the other hand, from a short-term perspective, air conditioners repeatedly increase and decrease power consumption to maintain room temperature even after the set temperature reaches room temperature. After the pre-cooking process, the rice cooker transitions to the cooking process and greatly increases the power consumption, but then transitions to the steaming process and decreases, and further transitions to the heat retaining process and decreases. Televisions consume almost constant power during operation. FIG. 17 illustrates such a transition of power consumption. In FIG. 17, the horizontal axis represents time and the vertical axis represents power consumption. Reference numerals 60 to 63 denote power consumption graphs, and reference numerals 64 to 69 denote periods. In FIG. 17, reference numeral 60 indicates a transition of the power consumption of the air conditioner as described above. Similarly, 61 is a rice cooker and 62 is a television. Moreover, 63 is a transition of the power consumption of the whole dwelling unit which totaled these operation | movement. In this example, it is shown that the above three types of electric devices are operating. Among such transitions in power consumption, periods 64 and 65 indicate long-term power transitions in time, and 66 to 76 are power consumption transitions from a short-term viewpoint. While a plurality of electric devices are in operation, a period 64 in which the period until the initial operation of the air conditioner or the cooking process of the rice cooker overlaps and a regular period 65 thereafter capture a large change in power consumption. ing. On the other hand, the change of the power consumption determined mainly by each process of the rice cooker and the operation for maintaining the room temperature of the air conditioner is 66-76. In this way, the period of change in power consumption with a predetermined time as a threshold is large and is regarded as a short-term change and a long-term change, and the long-term control power management means 47 is based on each of the 64 periods and 65 periods. The short-term control power management means 48 calculates and manages the change in the allowable power in each of the periods 66 to 76 with respect to the basic allowable power.

Since it operates as described above, for example, it is possible to calculate the allowable power for an electrical device that requires a certain amount of power over a long period of time and to calculate the allowable power for an electrical device that has a short usage time. There is no problem that necessary power is not secured on the way, and allowable power can be efficiently distributed even in a short-term change in power consumption.

  As an application example of the present invention, as described in the description of the embodiment, it can be used for an energy management system at home. Especially suitable for household energy management systems that use electrical equipment that uses a large amount of electric power, such as an electromagnetic heating cooker, and that requires a certain amount of electric power, and that can control the capability by limiting the thermal power. This makes it possible for residents to use electrical equipment without inconvenience and danger due to the main breaker being cut off, and without being inconvenienced and effective in the range of power usage with an upper limit. Is possible.

It is a home energy management system shown in Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a graph which shows the relationship between the electric power consumption in the dwelling unit in Embodiment 1 of this invention, and allowable electric energy. It is a graph which shows the relationship between the electric power consumption in the dwelling unit in Embodiment 1 of this invention, and allowable electric energy. It is a figure which shows another form of the home energy management system shown in Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the capability control electric equipment with an upper limit control function shown in Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the power management apparatus shown in Embodiment 3 of this invention. It is a figure which shows another form of the home energy management system shown in Embodiment 4 of this invention. It is a figure which shows another form of the home energy management system shown in Embodiment 5 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the format of the communication frame in the communication medium in the home energy management system shown in Embodiment 5 of this invention. It is a figure which shows another form of the home energy management system shown in Embodiment 6 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the format of the communication frame in the communication medium in the home energy management system shown in Embodiment 6 of this invention. It is a figure which shows another form of the home energy management system shown in Embodiment 7 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the electric power management means in the home energy management system shown in Embodiment 7 of this invention. It is an example of the operation | movement process of the electric equipment in the home energy management system shown in Embodiment 7 of this invention. It is an example of the operation | movement process of the electric equipment in the home energy management system shown in Embodiment 7 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the electric power management means in the home energy management system shown in Embodiment 8 of this invention. It is the figure which showed transition of the power consumption in the home energy management system shown in Embodiment 8 of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Power line 2 Distribution board 3 Main breaker 4 Branch breaker 5 Electric equipment 6 Capacity control electric equipment 7 Electric energy measurement control device 8 Electric power measurement means 9 Sensor for electric energy measurement 10 Upper limit electric energy setting storage means 11 Electric power management means 12 Communication Medium 13 Allowable power input means 14 Currently used power input means 15 Capability control electrical equipment with upper limit control function 16 Individual power management means 17 Home server 40 Operating electrical equipment detection means 41 User interface 42 Operating equipment input means 43 Outlet adapter 44 Electrical equipment operation Process data storage means 45 Allowable power amount determination means 46 Power control schedule management means 47 Long-term control power management means 48 Short-term control power management means

Claims (3)

And electric energy measuring means for measuring I combined capacity der all electrical equipment used now, the current consumed electric energy of the power that will be supplied via the power line in dwelling,
An upper limit power amount indicating the maximum amount of the total amount of power that can be used in the dwelling unit, an upper limit power amount setting storage means capable of storing, and
From the upper limit power amount set by the upper limit power amount setting storage means, connected to the upper limit power amount setting storage means and the power amount measurement means , based on the input of the upper limit power amount and the current power consumption amount current use allowable amount of power variation is Ru varied to a large time without changing when the amount of change in power amount is a power amount which the minus the current power usage amount measured by the measuring means and the current power usage is low Power management means for sequentially calculating the amount of change for each elapsed time,
At least one capacity control electrical device that is connected to the power management means and operates by adjusting the capacity to limit power consumption with the current allowable power consumption calculated by the power management means as an upper limit; Prepared,
The allowable allowable power supplied from the power line to the capacity control electrical device is the current allowable electric energy when the current electric energy calculated by the electric energy measuring means exceeds a certain amount of change. Home energy management system, characterized in that said allowable power by changing the. Working electric device detection means for analyzing the data measured by the electric energy measuring means and detecting the operating state of each of the electric devices operating in a dwelling unit,
A message indicating the operating state of each of the electrical devices detected by the operating electrical device detection means using a user interface such as voice, text, image, lamp, etc. is provided, and the power management means is provided to the operating electrical device detection means. And user interface means connected via
When the current allowable power consumption is limited, the message provided by the user interface unit includes the power of other electric devices including the active capacity control electric device detected by the operating electric device detection unit. Prioritize the reduction measures for the use of the other electrical devices including the capacity control electrical devices that are in operation with the information on the power consumption reduction measures with the upper limit of the current allowable power consumption calculated by the management means. The home energy management system according to claim 1, wherein the home energy management system is displayed. And operating electric device detecting means for detecting an electrical device in operation within the dwelling unit analyzes the data measured by the energy measurement means, information of the electric device in operation detected by the operating electric device detecting means Electric device operation process data storage means for storing operation process data of the electric device in the dwelling unit provided in the power management means to obtain ,
The power management means calculates the current allowable electric power using the electric equipment operation process data stored in the electric equipment operation process data storage means when calculating the current allowable electric power consumption. The home energy management system according to claim 1.

Images