Electrical appliance control system, electrical appliance control method and program

Abstract

To output / display an electricity expense in a time zone for which an electrical appliance is used to / on a user terminal, and enable a user to operate the electrical appliance so as to reduce use of the electrical appliance with reference to the electricity expense, or enable reservation to operate the electrical appliance in a time zone with low electricity expense.SOLUTION: An electrical appliance control system for controlling an electrical appliance includes: acquiring unit price data of power based on market information; displaying electricity expense for each time, on the basis of the unit price data; receiving use or user reservation of the electrical appliance as a control target, in a state in which the electricity expense for each time is displayed; and receiving selection of the electrical appliance as the control target.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a technique that is effective for controlling electrical appliances. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there is known a system that remotely controls or schedules electrical appliances (air conditioners, washing machines, automatic rice cookers, televisions, lighting, recorders, etc.) by irradiating them with infrared rays or the like (see, for example, Non-Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Non-patent literature]

[0003] [Non-Patent Document 1] SwitchBot, "SwitchBot Official Website - Easily Create a Smart Home", [online], [Retrieved December 6, 2023], Internet<URL:https: / / www.switchbot.jp / > Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Many electricity rate plans have fixed electricity rates (daytime and nighttime rates), but some vary at set intervals. For example, there are plans where the electricity rate fluctuates every 30 minutes each day depending on fluctuations in electricity procurement prices. Users who sign up for such electricity rate plans with variable electricity rates can keep their electricity bills low by changing the state of their electrical appliances during low-cost and high-cost times. However, when a user uses an electrical appliance, the user is unable to easily ascertain the electricity charges for the time period for which the appliance is scheduled to be used, which creates a problem of the user using the electrical appliance during a time period when the electricity charges are high.

[0005] The present invention aims to provide an electrical appliance control system, an electrical appliance control method, and a program that outputs and displays the electricity charges for the time periods when electrical appliances are used on a user terminal, and enables the user to reserve electrical appliances according to the electricity charges. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present invention provides an appliance control system for controlling an appliance, comprising: an acquisition unit that acquires electricity unit price data based on market information; a display unit that displays an hourly electricity charge based on the unit price data; Equipped with Furthermore, in a state where the display unit displays the hourly electricity cost, a reception unit that receives a use or reservation for use of the electrical appliance to be controlled; a control target selection unit that accepts a selection of the electrical appliance to be controlled; An appliance control system is provided.

[0007] According to the present invention, the electricity charges for the time periods when electrical appliances are used are output and displayed on the user terminal, and the user can refer to this information to operate the electrical appliances to reduce their use or to schedule the operation of the electrical appliances during times when electricity charges are low.

[0008] Although the present invention is categorized as a system, the same effects and advantages can be obtained even when it is a method or a program. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, the electricity charges for the time periods when electrical appliances are used are output and displayed on the user terminal, and the user can refer to this information to operate the electrical appliances to reduce their use or to schedule the operation of the electrical appliances during times when electricity charges are low. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an overview of an electrical appliance control system 1. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the functional configuration of the electrical appliance control system 1. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a reservation process executed by the user terminal 10. [Figure 4] 2 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of a UI displayed by the user terminal 10. FIG. [Figure 5] 2 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of a UI displayed by the user terminal 10. FIG. [Figure 6] 2 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of a UI displayed by the user terminal 10. FIG. [Figure 7] 2 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of a UI displayed by the user terminal 10. FIG. [Figure 8] 2 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of a UI displayed by the user terminal 10. FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a notification process executed by the user terminal 10. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an adjustment process executed by the user terminal 10. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an operation instruction process executed by the user terminal 10. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention (hereinafter referred to as "embodiments") will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following drawings, the same elements are designated by the same numbers or symbols throughout the description of the embodiments.

[0012] [Overview of Electrical Appliance Control System 1] 1 is a schematic diagram for explaining an overview of an electrical appliance control system 1. Components of the electrical appliance control system 1 will be described based on FIG. The electrical appliance control system 1 is a system that controls an electrical appliance 2 and includes at least a user terminal 10 used by a user. In this embodiment, the electrical appliance control system 1 includes the user terminal 10, an electrical appliance 2, a smart remote control 3, and a computer 4. The electrical appliance 2 is linked to the smart remote control 3 in advance and performs its operation in response to infrared light emitted from the smart remote control 3. The smart remote control 3 is connected to the user terminal 10 so as to be able to communicate data with the electrical appliance 2 and is linked to the electrical appliance 2. Based on instructions from the user terminal 10, the smart remote control 3 emits infrared light to the electrical appliance 2 and controls the operation of the electrical appliance 2. The computer 4 has a server function and may be realized, for example, by a single computer or by multiple computers, such as a cloud computer. The cloud computer in this specification may refer to either a computer that uses any computer in a scalable manner to perform a specific function or a computer that includes multiple functional modules to realize a system and uses the functions in any combination. The user terminal 10 is a terminal device used by a user, and is, for example, a mobile terminal such as a mobile phone, a smartphone, or a tablet terminal, or a wearable terminal such as a smart watch, smart glasses, or an HMD (Head Mounted Display). The electrical appliance 2 is a household electrical (electronic) device such as an air conditioner, washing machine, automatic rice cooker, television, lighting, recorder, etc. The electrical appliance 2 is linked to the smart remote control 3 in advance, is connected to the smart remote control 3 in a single direction (only from the smart remote control 3 to the electrical appliance 2), and performs a corresponding operation based on the infrared rays emitted by the smart remote control 3. In this specification, an air conditioner will be used as an example of the electrical appliance 2. It goes without saying that the present invention is also applicable to electrical appliances 2 other than air conditioners. The smart remote control 3 is an electronic device that functions as a relay for operational instructions sent from the user terminal 10 to the electrical appliance 2. Examples of the smart remote control 3 include the SwitchBot Hub 2, NATURE's "Nature Remo mini 2" REMO-2W2, Link Japan's "eRemote RJ-3," and the Ratoc Systems smalia Smart Remote Control RS-WBRCH1. The smart remote control 3 may be connected to these devices to function. The smart remote control 3 is linked to the user terminal 10 and the electrical appliance 2 in advance. The smart remote control 3 is connected to the user terminal 10 in a unidirectional manner (only from the user terminal 10 to the smart remote control 3) so that data can be communicated. As described above, the smart remote control 3 is also connected to the electrical appliance 2 in a unidirectional manner (only from the smart remote control 3 to the electrical appliance 2). The smart remote control 3 functions as a relay for operational instructions by irradiating the target electrical appliance 2 with infrared light based on the operational instructions sent from the user terminal 10 via a predetermined API (Application Programming Interface). The number of smart remote controls 3 is not particularly limited and can be designed appropriately as long as it corresponds to the number of target electrical appliances 2, installation locations, etc. When there are multiple smart remote controls 3, it is sufficient to register the electrical appliances 2 corresponding to each smart remote control 3 in advance. The computer 4 is an information processing device that has a server function and is connected to the user terminal 10 and a computer that manages an external database in which market information is registered, etc., so that data communication is possible. The computer 4 acquires market information through API (Application Programming Interface) linkage, etc., and transmits the acquired market information to the user terminal 10. In addition to the electrical appliances 2, smart remote control 3, computer 4, and user terminal 10 described above, the electrical appliance control system 1 may also include other terminals and devices such as a computer that manages an external database in which market information is registered, and the number, types, and functions thereof are not particularly limited and can be designed as appropriate.

[0013] An outline of the processing steps when the electric appliance control system 1 controls the electric appliance 2 will be described.

[0014] The user terminal 10 acquires electricity unit price data based on market information (step S1). The user terminal 10 obtains, via computer 4, market information summarizing the unit prices (yen / kWh) of electricity by day and time period for each electric utility company, and obtains unit price data for electricity based on market information in the area where the electrical appliance is installed (the area where electrical appliance 2 is installed) from a computer or the like that manages an external database (hereinafter, the database will also be simply referred to as DB) in which this market information is registered.

[0015] The user terminal 10 displays the electricity bill for each hour based on the unit price data (step S2). The user terminal 10 generates a graph summarizing the electricity charges for each hour based on the acquired unit price data, and displays the generated graph on a predetermined UI (User Interface).

[0016] The user terminal 10 accepts the use or reservation of use of the electrical appliance to be controlled, while displaying the hourly electricity charge (step S3). The user terminal 10 accepts the use or reservation of the electrical appliance to be controlled by accepting a specified input from the user (such as swiping on a slider displayed near the graph, tapping on the graph, or direct input into a specified input form) while displaying a graph on the UI.

[0017] The user terminal 10 accepts the selection of an electrical appliance to be controlled while displaying the hourly electricity charge (step S4). The user terminal 10 accepts the selection of the electrical appliance 2 to be controlled by accepting a predetermined input from the user (such as a tap on the desired electrical appliance 2 by the user, or direct input into a predetermined input form) while displaying a graph on the UI.

[0018] The user terminal 10, with the hourly electricity charges displayed, accepts settings for the usage status of the electrical appliance 2 (power ON / OFF, temperature setting, etc.) (step S5). The user terminal 10 accepts settings for the usage status of the electrical appliance 2 by accepting a predetermined input from the user (such as tapping on the usage status desired by the user, or direct input into a predetermined input form) while displaying a graph on the UI.

[0019] The user terminal 10 stores the accepted use or reservation for use of the electric appliance 2 to be controlled, the selection result of the electric appliance 2 to be controlled, and the setting of the usage state of the electric appliance 2 as reservation data (step S6). With the graph displayed on the UI, the user terminal 10 stores the reservation data for the electrical appliance 2 when it receives a predetermined input from the user (such as tapping on an icon for saving settings).

[0020] Based on the use or reservation of use of the electrical appliance 2, the user terminal 10 outputs to the smart remote controller 3 an instruction to operate the electrical appliance 2 according to the reservation data (step S7). In response to this operation instruction, the smart remote control 3 emits infrared rays and outputs an operation instruction according to the setting of the usage state to the selected electrical appliance 2 to be controlled. In response to this infrared light, the electrical appliance 2 performs an operation based on the reservation data.

[0021] The above is an overview of the electrical appliance control system 1. According to this electrical appliance control system 1, the electricity cost for the time period when the electrical appliance 2 is used is output and displayed on the user terminal, and the user can refer to this and operate the electrical appliance 2 to reduce its use or schedule the electrical appliance 2 to operate during a time period when the electricity cost is low.

[0022] [Device configuration] 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the electrical appliance control system 1. The device configuration of the electrical appliance control system 1 will be described with reference to FIG. The electrical appliance control system 1 is a system for controlling an electrical appliance 2, and is configured with at least a user terminal 10. In this embodiment, the electrical appliance control system 1 is configured with the electrical appliance 2, a smart remote control 3, and a computer 4 in addition to the user terminal 10. The electrical appliance control system 1 is a system in which a user terminal 10 is connected to a smart remote control 3 via a network 8 such as a public line network so as to be able to communicate data unidirectionally (only from the user terminal 10 to the smart remote control 3). Furthermore, the electrical appliance control system 1 is a system in which the smart remote control 3 is connected to an electrical appliance 2 unidirectionally (only from the smart remote control 3 to the electrical appliance 2). Furthermore, the electrical appliance control system 1 is a system in which the user terminal 10 is connected to a computer 4 via the network 8 so as to be able to communicate data bidirectionally. In the electrical appliance control system 1, the numbers of electrical appliances 2, smart remote controls 3, computers 4, and user terminals 10 can be designed as appropriate and are not particularly limited. In particular, the smart remote control 3 may be provided for each electrical appliance 2, or may be provided according to the number, type, or location of the electrical appliances 2 present in a predetermined space, or may be provided for each predetermined space. In addition to the electrical appliances 2, smart remote control 3, computer 4, and user terminal 10, the electrical appliance control system 1 may also include other terminals and devices, such as a computer that manages an external database in which market information is registered, and the number, types, and functions of the other terminals and devices can be designed as appropriate.

[0023] The user terminal 10 is a terminal device used by a user, and may be a mobile terminal or a wearable terminal as described above. The user terminal 10 has a terminal control unit including a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), etc., and a communication unit including a device that enables communication with other terminals and devices, etc., and an acquisition unit that acquires electricity unit price data based on market information, etc. The user terminal 10 includes a data storage unit such as a semiconductor memory or a recording medium as a memory unit. The user terminal 10 includes, as input / output units, various devices for accepting predetermined inputs, etc., and for performing input / output of various data, a display unit for displaying the hourly electricity charge based on unit price data, a reception unit for accepting the use or reservation of the electrical appliance 2 to be controlled while the hourly electricity charge is displayed, and a control target selection unit for accepting the selection of the electrical appliance 2 to be controlled while the hourly electricity charge is displayed.

[0024] In the user terminal 10, the control unit reads a predetermined program, and in cooperation with the communication unit, realizes an acquisition module and an operation instruction module. In addition, in the user terminal 10, the control unit reads a predetermined program, thereby realizing a storage module in cooperation with the storage unit. In addition, in the user terminal 10, the control unit reads a specified program and works in cooperation with the input / output unit to realize a display module, a reception module, a selection module, a setting module, a storage module, an electricity bill judgment module, an extraction module, an overlap judgment module, a change module, a notification module, an identification module, an adjustment module, and a time zone judgment module.

[0025] The electrical appliance 2 is a household electrical (electronic) device as described above. The electrical appliance 2 is linked to the smart remote control 3 in advance. The electrical appliance 2 is connected to the smart remote control 3 in one direction (only from the smart remote control 3 to the electrical appliance 2), and performs a corresponding operation based on the infrared rays emitted by the smart remote control 3. In this specification, a case where the electrical appliance 2 is an air conditioner will be described as an example. It goes without saying that the present invention is also applicable to cases where the electrical appliance 2 is other than an air conditioner.

[0026] The smart remote control 3 is an electronic device as described above. The smart remote control 3 is an electronic device that functions as a relay for operation instructions sent by the user terminal 10 to the electrical appliance 2. The smart remote control 3 is linked in advance with the user terminal 10 and the electrical appliance 2. The smart remote control 3 is connected to the user terminal 10 in a unidirectional manner (only from the user terminal 10 to the smart remote control 3) so that data can be communicated therewith, and further, as described above, is connected in a unidirectional manner with the electrical appliance 2 (only from the smart remote control 3 to the electrical appliance 2). The smart remote control 3 irradiates the target electrical appliance 2 with infrared light based on the operation instructions sent by the user terminal 10 via a predetermined API, thereby functioning as a relay for the operation instructions.

[0027] The computer 4 is an information processing device as described above. The computer 4 acquires electricity unit price data based on market information from a computer or the like that manages an external database in which the market information is registered, by API linkage or the like, and transmits the acquired unit price data to the user terminal 10.

[0028] Below, each process executed by the electrical appliance control system 1 will be explained together with the process executed by each of the modules described above. In this specification, each module may execute its processing content as its own function, or may execute its processing content via a predetermined application.

[0029] [Reservation process executed by the user terminal 10] The reservation process executed by the user terminal 10 will be described with reference to Fig. 3. This figure is a diagram showing a flowchart of the reservation process executed by the user terminal 10. This reservation process includes details of an acquisition process (step S1) for acquiring electricity unit price data based on the above-mentioned market information, a display process (step S2) for displaying the hourly electricity charges based on the unit price data, a reception process (step S3) for accepting use or reservation of use of the electrical appliance 2 to be controlled while the hourly electricity charges are displayed, a selection process (step S4) for accepting selection of the electrical appliance 2 to be controlled while the hourly electricity charges are displayed, a setting process (step S5) for accepting setting of the usage state of the electrical appliance 2 while the hourly electricity charges are displayed, and a storage process (step S6) for storing the accepted use or reservation of use of the electrical appliance 2 to be controlled, the selection result of the electrical appliance 2 to be controlled, and the setting of the usage state of the electrical appliance 2 as reservation data.

[0030] The acquisition module acquires electricity unit price data based on market information (step S10). The market information is a compilation of electricity unit prices (yen / kWh) by day and time period for each electric utility company, and is registered in an external database. Unit price data is data that indicates this unit price of electricity. In the following explanation, the area where the electrical appliance 2 used by the user is installed is referred to as the electrical appliance installation area. The electrical appliance installation area is also the identifier (name, ID, management number, etc.) of the electric utility company that supplies power to this electrical appliance 2. The acquisition module acquires this unit price data via computer 4 from a computer (not shown) that manages an external database in which market information is registered, at a predetermined timing (when the processing of step S11 described below is executed, at a predetermined time or timing, etc.). Computer 4 accesses the computer that manages this external DB, identifies the area in which the electrical appliance is installed in the market information based on the area in which the electrical appliance is installed that has been set in advance by the user, and acquires unit price data for this area. Computer 4 calculates actual unit price data from the acquired unit price data, taking into account discount amounts such as government subsidies. For example, computer 4 transmits the unit price obtained by subtracting the government subsidy from the unit price data to user terminal 10 as actual unit price data. The acquisition module receives the unit price data sent by the computer 4 and acquires the unit price data of electricity based on market information. The user terminal 10 may be configured to store a database in which market information is registered in advance, and to acquire unit price data for the area where the electrical appliance is installed from the stored database using an acquisition module. In this case, the database may be updated periodically or at a predetermined timing. Furthermore, the user terminal 10 may directly access an external DB without going through the computer 4 to acquire electricity unit price data based on market information.

[0031] The display module displays the electricity cost for each hour based on the unit price data (step S11). The display module displays the hourly electricity charges in a graph. The graph shows unit price data and time periods in a predetermined format (line, bar, circle, etc.), for example, a bar graph where the vertical axis represents the unit price data and the horizontal axis represents the time periods (every hour). This graph also shows the unit price data for electricity charges for 24 hours on the current day. The display module receives input from the user regarding the launch of a predetermined application for controlling the electrical appliance 2 (such as tapping on a predetermined icon arranged on the home screen of the user terminal 10), and launches the corresponding application. The display module generates a graph of the electricity cost per hour based on the acquired unit price data via this application, and displays the generated graph on a predetermined UI. As a result, the display module displays the electricity cost per hour in a graph based on the unit price data (see FIG. 4).

[0032] The UI when the display module displays the hourly electricity bill in a graph will be described with reference to Fig. 4. The figure is a diagram schematically showing the UI displayed by the display module. In the figure, UI 20 is shown. The UI 20 shows a graph area 21, a time period setting area 22, an appliance selection area 23, an appliance setting area 24, and a save icon 25. The graph area 21 is an area that displays the hourly electricity bill based on unit price data as a graph. The time period setting area 22 is an area that displays the time period for use or reservation of use of the appliance 2 entered by the user. The appliance selection area 23 is an area that displays the type and identifier of the appliance 2 that accepts reservations for the time period entered by the user. The appliance setting area 24 is an area that displays the settings for the usage status of the appliance 2 entered by the user (power ON / OFF, temperature setting, etc.). The display module displays a bar graph in the graph area 21, with the vertical axis representing the electricity unit price based on the unit price data and the horizontal axis representing the time period. This bar graph is a graph of the electricity unit price for 24 hours on the current day, and shows the unit price for each time period (each hour). By displaying this graph, the display module shows the electricity cost for each hour on the graph. The time period setting area 22, the electrical appliance selection area 23, the electrical appliance setting area 24, and the save icon 25 will be described in detail later.

[0033] Returning to FIG. 3, the rest of the reservation process will be explained. The reception module receives the use or reservation of use of the electrical appliance 2 to be controlled, while displaying the hourly electricity charge (step S12). The reception module accepts input of the time period for using or reserving use of the electrical appliance 2 to be controlled (by tapping on the bar graph of the desired time period, by tapping or swiping on the slider displayed near (below, etc.) the bar graph, by direct input into a designated input form, etc.) while a bar graph is displayed on the UI 20 (see Figure 5).

[0034] 5, the UI when the reception module receives the use or reservation of the electric appliance 2 to be controlled while displaying the hourly electricity charge will be described. This figure shows the UI 20 similar to that shown in FIG. The reception module receives input from the user 30 on a slider 31 below the graph area 21. For example, the user 30 swipes the slider 31 to move the slider 31 below the time slot desired by the user 30. The reception module receives the time slot above the slider 31 as the time slot for reserving or using the electrical appliance 2. The display module displays the time period accepted by the reception module in the time period setting area 22. In this figure, the reception module accepts input of the time period of 13:00, and the display module displays 13:00 in the time period setting area 22. The reception module can be configured to receive input to the slider 31 as well as input to the bar graph (e.g., the user 30 taps the bar graph of the time period they desire) and input to the time period setting area 22 (e.g., the user 30 directly inputs the time period they desire or selects it in a pull-down format). Furthermore, the reception module can be configured to combine input to the slider 31 with other inputs.

[0035] Returning to FIG. 3, the rest of the reservation process will be explained. The selection module receives the selection of the electrical appliance 2 to be controlled while displaying the hourly electricity charge (step S13). The selection module accepts input of the selection of the electrical appliance 2 to be controlled (such as by the user tapping on the desired electrical appliance 2 or directly inputting the identifier of the electrical appliance 2 (such as name, ID, or control number)) while the bar graph is displayed on the UI 20 (see FIG. 6). When the electrical appliance 2 is an air conditioner, the selection module accepts, for example, the selection of the user's desired air conditioner from among multiple air conditioners. Note that even when there is only one air conditioner, the selection module may accept the selection of the user's desired air conditioner, or may set this one air conditioner to a pre-selected state. Furthermore, when there are electrical appliances 2 other than air conditioners, the selection module may accept the selection of the type of electrical appliance 2, etc., and further accept the selection of an electrical appliance 2 according to the accepted type, or may accept the selection of the user's desired electrical appliance 2 from among all electrical appliances 2.

[0036] 6, a UI when the selection module accepts the selection of the electrical appliance 2 to be controlled while displaying the hourly electricity charge will be described. This figure shows the UI 20 similar to that in FIG. The selection module accepts input from the user 30 to the electrical appliance selection area 23. For example, the user 30 taps on a desired electrical appliance 2 from among the multiple electrical appliances 2 displayed in the electrical appliance selection area 23 to select the electrical appliance 2 to be controlled. The selection module accepts the electrical appliance 2 for which the input has been accepted as the selected electrical appliance 2 to be controlled. The display module displays the electrical appliance 2 for which the selection module has accepted the selection in the electrical appliance selection area 23. In this figure, to indicate that the selection of living room air conditioner B has been accepted, a mark indicating that the selection has been accepted is displayed on the radio button 40 for "Living room air conditioner B." The selection module can also be configured to accept a selection of the type of electrical appliance 2 (air conditioner, washing machine, automatic rice cooker, television, lighting, recorder, etc.) in the electrical appliance selection area 23, and further accept a selection of an electrical appliance 2 corresponding to the accepted type. In this case, the display module displays a pull-down list in the electrical appliance selection area 23 from which the type of electrical appliance 2 can be selected, or a predetermined input form in which the type of electrical appliance 2 can be directly input, and the selection module accepts the selection of the type of electrical appliance 2. Next, the display module displays the electrical appliance 2 corresponding to the type of electrical appliance 2 for which the selection was accepted, and the selection module accepts the selection for this electrical appliance 2 as described above.

[0037] Returning to FIG. 3, the rest of the reservation process will be explained. The setting module receives settings for the usage state of the electrical appliance 2 to be controlled, while displaying the hourly electricity charge (step S14). The setting module accepts input of settings for the usage status (power ON / OFF, temperature setting, etc.) of the electrical appliance 2 to be controlled (such as when the user taps on the desired setting for the usage status of the electrical appliance 2 or directly inputs the setting for the usage status) while a bar graph is displayed on the UI 20 (see FIG. 7). If the electrical appliance 2 is an air conditioner, the setting module accepts, for example, power ON / OFF and temperature settings, such as the temperature setting for the electrical appliance itself and the temperature setting for a specific space (such as a living room) in which the air conditioner is installed.

[0038] 7, the UI when the setting module accepts settings for the usage state of the electrical appliance 2 to be controlled while displaying the hourly electricity charge will be described. This figure shows the UI 20 similar to that in FIG. The setting module accepts input from the user 30 to the appliance setting area 24. For example, the user 30 taps a desired usage state from among the usage states displayed in the appliance setting area 24 to set the usage state of the appliance 2. The setting module accepts the inputted usage state setting as the usage state setting of the appliance 2. The display module displays the usage status that the setting module has accepted in the appliance setting area 24. In this figure, to indicate that the selection to turn on the air conditioner in cooling mode during the time period has been accepted, a mark indicating that the selection has been accepted is displayed on the "Turn ON" radio button 50, and the cooling icon 51 is hatched. Furthermore, if the display module has accepted an input for the temperature setting, it may display that temperature in the appliance setting area 24. The contents of the electrical appliance setting area 24 can be designed as appropriate according to the type of electrical appliance 2. In other words, in this figure, the display module only displays contents related to power ON / OFF, automatic / cooling / heating, and temperature change in the electrical appliance setting area 24 because the electrical appliance 2 is an air conditioner, but if the electrical appliance 2 is any other type, the display module will display contents according to the type of electrical appliance 2 whose selection has been accepted in the electrical appliance setting area 24.

[0039] Returning to FIG. 3, the rest of the reservation process will be explained. The storage module stores the received use or reservation for use of the electric appliance 2 to be controlled, the selection result of the electric appliance 2 to be controlled, and the setting of the usage state as reservation data (step S15). After receiving the time period for using or reserving use of the electrical appliance 2, the selection result of the electrical appliance 2, and the settings of the usage status, the memory module links these and stores them as reservation data for the electrical appliance 2 (data regarding the time period for using or reserving use of the electrical appliance 2, the selection result of the electrical appliance 2, and the settings of the usage status). After receiving the input of the reservation data in the UI 20, the save module receives an input to save the reservation data (such as a tap on the save icon 25 by the user) (see FIG. 8). When the save module receives the input, the memory module stores the received reservation data.

[0040] The UI when the save module accepts an input to save the accepted reservation data will be described with reference to Fig. 8. This figure shows the UI 20 similar to Fig. 4. The save module accepts input from the user 30 to the save icon 25. For example, after the user 30 has completed inputting the reservation data, the user 30 taps the save icon 25 to end the input of the reservation data. Upon accepting this input, the storage module associates the accepted reservation data with each other and stores them.

[0041] This completes the reservation process. As a result of the processing of steps S12 to S14 described above, for example, if the user wishes to cool the room by setting the air conditioner to 25 degrees at 5 pm when they get home, the reception module will accept 5 pm as the time slot for reserving air conditioner use, the selection module will accept the selection of the air conditioner installed in the room to be cooled, and the setting module will accept the power on, cooling, and set temperature 25 degrees as the settings for the air conditioner's usage state. The storage module will store these accepted data as reservation data. The user terminal 10 may be configured to execute the processes in steps S12 to S14 in a different order as needed. In this case, the user terminal 10 may change the content displayed on the UI as needed to match the order.

[0042] [Notification process executed by the user terminal 10] The notification process executed by the user terminal 10 will be described with reference to Fig. 9. The figure shows a flowchart of the notification process executed by the user terminal 10.

[0043] The electricity price determination module determines whether the electricity price based on the market information exceeds a predetermined threshold (step S20). The electricity bill determination module determines whether or not there is any unit price data exceeding a predetermined threshold among unit price data for the area where the electrical appliance is installed based on market information. In this determination, the electricity bill determination module also determines whether or not there is a time period in which the electricity bill exceeds the predetermined threshold. If the electricity fee determination module determines that the electricity fee based on the market information does not exceed the predetermined threshold (step S20 NO), the user terminal 10 ends this notification process.

[0044] On the other hand, if the electricity price determination module determines that the electricity price based on the market information exceeds the predetermined threshold (YES in step S20), the extraction module extracts the time period in which the price exceeds the threshold (step S21). The extraction module extracts the time periods corresponding to the unit price data that is determined to exceed the threshold as time periods exceeding the threshold. The extraction module may extract all time periods exceeding the threshold, or may extract time periods exceeding the threshold from specific time periods set in advance (such as the time periods that the user usually uses).

[0045] The processes of steps S20 and S21 described above may be performed by a predetermined generation AI (Artificial Intelligence) instead of the user terminal 10, and the user terminal 10 may acquire the processing results of the generation AI.

[0046] The overlap determination module determines whether the extracted time period overlaps with the time period accepted by the processing in step S12 described above (step S22). The overlap determination module determines whether the extracted time period exceeding the threshold overlaps with the time period for use or reservation of the accepted electric appliance 2 (whether the same time period exists). If the overlap determination module determines that the extracted time period does not overlap with the time period accepted by the process of step S12 described above (step S22 NO), the user terminal 10 ends this notification process.

[0047] On the other hand, if the overlap determination module determines that the extracted time period overlaps with the time period accepted by the process of step S12 described above (step S22: YES), the change module changes the accepted reservation data (step S23). The change module changes the usage status setting received by the process of step S14 based on the preset change content. For example, if the electrical appliance 2 is an air conditioner and the preset change content is to turn it off, the change module changes the usage status of the air conditioner during this time period to power off. The change module is not limited to turning the power on and off. For example, if the "comfortable temperature range" is set to ±1°C of the set temperature, the air conditioner may normally operate within this range as an operating mode that allows for power consumption, but during times when the electricity bill exceeds a threshold, the comfortable temperature range may be expanded to ±2°C and the air conditioner may operate in a low-power operating mode. Furthermore, the control target may also be an electrical appliance 2 other than an air conditioner, and the operating state of the electrical appliance 2 may be changed according to the preset change content by switching between a preset normal operating mode and a low-power operating mode. For example, if the electrical appliance 2 is a rice cooker, and the completion of rice cooking is scheduled and the electricity bill for the time period in which the rice cooking will finish exactly at the scheduled completion time exceeds a threshold, the start time of the rice cooking may be set earlier, so that the "cooking" time period, which is an operating mode with high power consumption, is completed during a time period when electricity bills are low, and the "keep warm" operating mode, which is an operating mode with low power consumption, is operated during times when electricity bills are high. As long as the rice cooker is operating so that it is ready by the time the user eats, it can be set to finish cooking when electricity is cheap and keep warm when it is more expensive. This may result in a longer overall operating time and an increase in total power consumption, but it can reduce the electricity bill paid by the user. The same is true for hot water supply to the bath in an electrified home. In this way, by setting and registering the temperature setting, comfortable temperature range, and operating mode, which are the operating conditions of the electrical appliances to be controlled, for each electrical appliance, it is possible to reduce electricity bills without compromising user comfort.

[0048] The processes of steps S22 and S24 described above may be configured such that a predetermined generation AI executes the processes instead of the user terminal 10, and the user terminal 10 acquires the processing results by the generation AI.

[0049] The notification module notifies the user (step S24). The notification module displays a message by push notification or the like indicating that the electricity bill exceeds a threshold during the time period entered by the user, and notifies the user to confirm. Furthermore, the notification module displays a message by push notification or the like indicating that the usage status setting of the electrical appliance 2 has been changed during the time period entered by the user, and notifies the user to confirm. When the display module displays the UI 20 described above after the user has confirmed the notification, it highlights the electricity charges that exceed the threshold. The display module highlights the bar graph that corresponds to the time period of the electricity charge (by coloring the bar graph (using a conspicuous color, etc.), adding an icon (!, high, etc.) etc.).

[0050] The storage module stores the changed reservation data (step S25). The storage module updates the reservation data stored in the process of step S15 described above with the reservation data changed in the process of step S23 described above, and stores the changed reservation data.

[0051] This completes the notification process. In the notification process, the user terminal 10 may omit the process of changing the reservation data by the change module. In this case, when the overlap determination module determines that the extracted time period overlaps with the time period accepted by the processing of step S12 described above, the notification module may be configured to display a message by push notification or the like indicating that the electricity bill exceeds a threshold value for the time period entered by the user, and notify the user to confirm. At this time, the notification module may further include in this message a message indicating whether or not to change the settings of the time period or the usage state. The display module can also be configured to accept input from the user who has viewed this message regarding the launch of a specific application for controlling the electrical appliance 2 (such as tapping on a specific icon located on the home screen of the user terminal 10, swiping to a push notification, etc.), launch the corresponding application, and cause the user terminal 10 to again execute the processing from step S12 onwards described above.

[0052] [Adjustment Process Executed by User Terminal 10] The adjustment process executed by the user terminal 10 will be described with reference to Fig. 10. The figure is a flowchart showing the adjustment process executed by the user terminal 10.

[0053] The identification module identifies the electricity fee for the accepted time period (step S30). The specifying module specifies the electricity fee for the time period during which the electrical appliance 2 is used or reserved for use, received in the process of step S12 above, based on unit price data for the area where the electrical appliance is installed, which is based on market information. The specifying module also specifies the electricity charges for a time period prior to the accepted time period. The time period prior to the accepted time period may be a single predetermined time period, such as one hour prior, or one to two hours prior, or may be a plurality of predetermined time periods. The identification module identifies the electricity charges for the time period prior to the time period for use or reservation of use of the electrical appliance 2 accepted by the processing of step S12 described above, based on unit price data for the area where the electrical appliance is installed, which is based on market information.

[0054] The adjustment module refers to the electricity bill and adjusts the set usage state (step S31). If the identified electricity charge is higher than the time period before this time period, the adjustment module changes the time period during which the electrical appliance 2 is used to a time period during which the electricity charge is lower, and adjusts the time period so that the setting of the usage state accepted by the processing of step S14 described above can be realized during the accepted time period. In the example above, we will explain the case where the time slot for reserving air conditioner use is 5:00 p.m. and the air conditioner that has been selected is set to power on, cooling, and a set temperature of 25 degrees. The adjustment module adjusts the room temperature to 25°C at 5 PM, using a time period when the electricity rate is lower than the time accepted by the processing in step S12 described above. The adjustment module changes the time period for reserving air conditioner use from 5 PM to an earlier time period, and then turns the power ON, cools the room, and sets the temperature to 25°C during the changed time period, thereby referring to the electricity rate and adjusting the set usage status. Furthermore, if electricity rates are higher shortly before 5 p.m., the adjustment module will not operate the air conditioner before 5 p.m., but will instead adjust the air conditioner to 24 degrees and high at 3 p.m. if electricity rates are lower at 3 p.m. than at 4 p.m., and adjust it to 25 degrees and low at 4 p.m. The adjustment module changes the time period for which air conditioner use is scheduled from 5 p.m. to 4 p.m., and changes the settings to power on, cooling, and a temperature setting of 25 degrees and high during the new time period. Furthermore, the adjustment module adds 4 p.m. to the time period for which air conditioner use is scheduled, and adds the settings to power on, cooling, and a temperature setting of just under 25 degrees during the new time period. In other words, the adjustment module adjusts from one setting to multiple settings.

[0055] The processes of steps S30 and S31 described above may be configured such that a predetermined generation AI executes the processes instead of the user terminal 10, and the user terminal 10 acquires the processing results by the generation AI.

[0056] The storage module stores the adjusted reservation data (step S32). The storage module changes the reservation data stored in the process of step S15 described above to the reservation data adjusted in the process of step S31 described above, and stores the changed reservation data.

[0057] This completes the adjustment process.

[0058] The user terminal 10 may be configured to display a predetermined UI for confirming the notification process and the adjustment process. For example, the user terminal 10 may display a UI capable of displaying a list of reservation data before and after the change as a result of the notification process, or a UI capable of displaying a list of reservation data before and after the adjustment as a result of the adjustment process.

[0059] [Operation instruction process executed by the user terminal 10] The operation instruction process executed by the user terminal 10 will be described with reference to Fig. 11. This figure shows a flowchart of the operation instruction process executed by the user terminal 10. This operation instruction process is a detailed output process (step S7) that outputs an operation instruction for the electrical appliance 2 according to the reservation data to the smart remote controller 3 when the time period reserved for use of the electrical appliance 2 arrives.

[0060] The time period determination module determines whether the current time is within the time period for using or reserving the use of the electrical appliance 2 in the stored reservation data (step S40). The time zone determination module determines whether the current time is within the time zone for using or reserving the use of the electrical appliance 2 accepted by the reservation process described above. If the time zone for using or reserving the use of the electrical appliance 2 has been changed by the notification process, the module determines whether the current time is within the changed time zone. If the time for using or reserving the use of the electrical appliance 2 has been adjusted by the adjustment process, the module determines whether the current time is within the adjusted time zone. If the time period determination module determines that the current time is not within the time period for using or reserving use of the electrical appliance 2 in the stored reservation data (NO in step S40), the user terminal 10 ends this operation instruction process.

[0061] On the other hand, if the time zone determination module determines that the current time is a time zone for using or reserving use of the electrical appliance 2 in the stored reservation data (step S40 YES), the operation instruction module outputs an operation instruction according to the reservation data to the smart remote control 3 (step S41). The operation instruction module outputs to the smart remote control 3 an operation instruction corresponding to the electrical appliance 2 selected by the above-mentioned reservation process and the accepted setting of the usage state of this electrical appliance 2. If the setting of the usage state of the electrical appliance 2 has been changed by the notification process, the operation instruction module outputs to the smart remote control 3 an operation instruction corresponding to the changed setting of the usage state of the electrical appliance 2. If the setting of the usage state of the electrical appliance 2 has been adjusted by the adjustment process, the operation instruction module outputs to the smart remote control 3 an operation instruction corresponding to the adjusted setting of the usage state of the electrical appliance 2. The smart remote control 3 receives this instruction, and in response to the received instruction, outputs an operation instruction to the selected electrical appliance 2 according to the setting of the usage state by irradiating it with infrared rays. The electrical appliance 2 receives this infrared light and performs an operation according to the setting of the usage state.

[0062] The above is the operation instruction process.

[0063] Although the above-described processes are described as separate processes, the user terminal 10 can be configured to execute a combination of some or all of the above-described processes. Also, the user terminal 10 can be configured to execute each process at a timing other than the timing described above. Furthermore, although the above-described processes are described as processes executed by the user terminal 10, it is also possible to configure the configuration so that some or all of the processes are executed by a computer connected to the user terminal 10 so as to enable data communication. In this case, for example, the configuration may be such that the computer acquires and stores each acceptance result of each process (steps S11 to S15, etc.) executed on the application by the user terminal 10, or the configuration may be such that the computer executes each process in the notification process, adjustment process, and operation instruction process.

[0064] The above-described means and functions are realized by a computer (including a CPU, an information processing device, and various terminals) reading and executing a predetermined program. The program may be provided, for example, from a computer via a network (Software as a Service (SaaS)) or as a cloud service. The program may also be provided in a form recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. In this case, the computer reads the program from the recording medium, transfers it to an internal or external recording device, records it, and executes it. The program may also be pre-recorded on a recording device (recording medium) and provided to the computer from the recording device via a communication line.

[0065] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. Furthermore, the effects described in the embodiments of the present invention are merely a list of the most preferable effects resulting from the present invention, and the effects of the present invention are not limited to those described in the embodiments of the present invention.

[0066] A first aspect disclosed in this embodiment is an electrical appliance control system for controlling an electrical appliance, an acquisition unit that acquires electricity unit price data based on market information; a display unit that displays an hourly electricity charge based on the unit price data; Equipped with Furthermore, in a state where the display unit displays the hourly electricity cost, a reception unit that receives a use or reservation for use of the electrical appliance to be controlled; a control target selection unit that accepts a selection of the electrical appliance to be controlled; An appliance control system is provided.

[0067] A second aspect disclosed in this embodiment includes an extraction unit that, when the hourly electricity cost based on the market information exceeds a predetermined threshold, extracts the time period in which the threshold is exceeded; a notification unit that notifies a user to confirm if the extracted time period overlaps with the time period of the use or reservation accepted by the acceptance unit; The appliance control system according to the first aspect further comprises:

[0068] A third aspect disclosed in the present embodiment provides the electric appliance control system according to the first aspect, further comprising a setting unit that receives settings of a usage state of the electric appliance to be controlled.

[0069] A fourth aspect disclosed in this embodiment provides an electrical appliance control system according to the first aspect, characterized in that when the electricity cost based on the market information exceeds a predetermined threshold, the operating mode of the electrical appliance to be controlled is switched from a normal operating mode to a low-power operating mode.

[0070] A fifth aspect disclosed in this embodiment is a control method for an air conditioner, the setting unit accepts a setting temperature of the selected air conditioner, an adjustment unit that adjusts the temperature of the space to the set temperature during the accepted time period, while referring to the electricity bill; The appliance control system according to a third aspect further comprises:

[0071] A sixth aspect disclosed in this embodiment provides an electrical appliance control system according to the second aspect, which displays the electricity bill for each hour in a graph and highlights any electricity bill that exceeds the threshold. [Explanation of symbols]

[0072] 1. Appliance Control System 2. Electrical appliances 3. Smart Remote Control 4. Computer 8 Network 10 User terminal 20 UI 21 Graph Area 22 Time zone setting area 23 Electrical Appliance Selection Area 24 Appliance Settings Area 25 Save icon 30 users 31 Slider 40 Radio Buttons 50 Radio Buttons 51 Air conditioning icon

Claims

1. An appliance control system for controlling an appliance, comprising: an acquisition unit that acquires electricity unit price data based on market information; a display unit that displays an hourly electricity charge based on the unit price data; Equipped with Furthermore, in a state where the display unit displays the hourly electricity cost, a reception unit that receives a use or reservation for use of the electrical appliance to be controlled; a control target selection unit that accepts a selection of the electrical appliance to be controlled; An appliance control system comprising:

2. an extraction unit that, when the hourly electricity cost based on the market information exceeds a predetermined threshold, extracts the time period in which the threshold is exceeded; a notification unit that notifies a user to confirm if the extracted time period overlaps with the time period of the use or reservation accepted by the acceptance unit; The appliance control system of claim 1 further comprising:

3. The electrical appliance control system according to claim 1 , further comprising a setting unit that accepts settings for a usage state of the electrical appliance to be controlled.

4. The electrical appliance control system of claim 1, characterized in that when the electricity cost per hour based on the market information exceeds a predetermined threshold, the operating mode of the electrical appliance to be controlled is switched from a normal operating mode to a low-power operating mode.

5. The control object is an air conditioner, the setting unit accepts a setting temperature of the selected air conditioner, an adjustment unit that adjusts the temperature of the space to the set temperature during the accepted time period, while referring to the electricity bill; The appliance control system of claim 3 further comprising:

6. The electrical appliance control system according to claim 2 , wherein the hourly electricity charges are displayed in a graph, and electricity charges exceeding the threshold are highlighted.

7. 1. An electrical appliance control method executed by a computer that controls an electrical appliance, comprising: acquiring electricity unit price data based on market information; displaying an hourly electricity charge based on the unit price data; Equipped with Furthermore, with the hourly electricity cost displayed, accepting use or reservation of the electrical appliance to be controlled; receiving a selection of the electrical appliance to be controlled; An electrical appliance control method comprising:

8. The computers that control electrical appliances acquiring electricity unit price data based on market information; displaying an hourly electricity charge based on the unit price data; Execute Furthermore, with the hourly electricity cost displayed, A step of accepting use or reservation for use of the electrical appliance to be controlled; accepting a selection of the electrical appliance to be controlled; A computer-readable program for executing the program.

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