Power monitoring device, and power monitoring method

Abstract

To grasp the individual electric energies of two or more apparatuses arranged in a house.SOLUTION: A power monitoring device comprises: an acquisition unit that acquires operation information related to an operation period of two or more apparatuses arranged in a house and consuming power, and power information related to the total electric energies consumed by the two or more apparatuses in the house; and a determination unit that, on the basis of the operation information and the power information, determines the electric energy of each of the two or more apparatuses, in a first period included in the operation period during which the two or more apparatuses operate.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 13

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a power monitoring device and a power monitoring method. [Background technology]

[0002] There have been technologies for supporting users who own devices that consume power to save energy. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology in which the amount of power consumed by a user who owns two or more devices is measured, the measured amount of power is transmitted to a server, and the server identifies devices whose amount of power consumption is expected to be reduced based on the amount of power consumed over a predetermined period, and presents the user with energy-saving action plans associated with the devices. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-176373 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, with conventional technology, a user can identify devices that are expected to reduce their power consumption, but cannot identify the individual power consumption of two or more devices installed in the house. Furthermore, the device that is expected to reduce its power consumption is not necessarily the device with the largest power consumption among the two or more devices installed in the house. Therefore, even if a user reduces the use of devices that are expected to reduce their power consumption in order to achieve the power saving target requested by the power company, the total power consumption of the house is not necessarily reduced significantly, and there are cases where the power saving target cannot be achieved. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] A preferred embodiment of the power monitoring device of the present invention comprises an acquisition unit that acquires operation information relating to a period during which two or more power-consuming devices located in a house were operating, and power information relating to the total amount of power consumed by the two or more devices throughout the house, and a determination unit that determines the amount of power consumed by each of the two or more devices during a first period based on the operation information and the power information.

[0006] In addition, a preferred embodiment of the present invention provides a power monitoring method in which a computer acquires operation information regarding a period during which two or more devices that consume power and are located in a house were operating, and power information regarding the total amount of power consumed by the two or more devices in the house, and determines the amount of power consumed by each of the two or more devices during a first period included in the operation period during which the two or more devices were operating, based on the operation information and the power information. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a power monitoring system SY according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example configuration of a PC10. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a management server 20. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the functions of the power monitoring system SY. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of reference power amount information STI. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a registration process. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a home appliance registration screen HWa. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an estimated operation device registration screen HWb. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an association screen HWc. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a power amount determination process performed by a determination unit 115. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of power monitoring information EB after the processing of step S32 is completed. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining a series of processes from step S36 to step S46. [Figure 13] 11 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of power monitoring information EB after the power amount determination process shown in FIG. 10 has been completed. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing functions of a power monitoring system SYA in a second embodiment. [Figure 15] FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of processing by a determination unit 115A. [Figure 16] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining a series of processes from step S54 to step S56. [Figure 17] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of power monitoring information EBA. [Figure 18] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing functions of a power monitoring system SYB according to the third embodiment. [Figure 19] FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of a power amount determination process performed by a determination unit 115B. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The embodiments described below are preferred examples of the present invention, and therefore various technically preferable limitations are applied, but the scope of the present invention is not limited to these embodiments unless otherwise specified in the following description to the effect that the present invention is limited.

[0009] 1. First embodiment 1-1. Overview of the Power Monitoring System SY FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a power monitoring system SY according to a first embodiment. The power monitoring system SY monitors the amount of power used in one or more houses HS. The power monitoring system SY is managed, for example, by a power company that supplies power to the houses HS. The power monitoring system SY includes two or more devices arranged in one or more houses HS, a power meter EM installed in each of the one or more houses HS, and a management server 20.

[0010] In this embodiment, the house HS is a building in which two or more devices are arranged. Typically, the house HS is a detached house in which one or more households consisting of one or more people can live. However, in this embodiment, the house HS may be part or all of a multi-family dwelling such as an apartment or condominium in which multiple households can live. A part of a multi-family dwelling is a part of the multi-family dwelling that is separated from other parts by a partition wall and / or floors. In the following, for simplicity of explanation, the house HS will be described as a detached house in which one household lives. Furthermore, in the following, the people living in the house HS may be referred to as residents.

[0011] In the example of Figure 1, the power monitoring system SY monitors the amount of power used in houses HS1, HS2, and HS3. In the following description, houses HS1, HS2, and HS3 may be collectively referred to as houses HS without distinction. The number of houses HS monitored by the power monitoring system SY is not limited to three, but may be one or a number other than three.

[0012] In this embodiment, a device is a device or tool that consumes power. The device receives power measured by a power meter EM. A device being located in a house HS includes both being located inside the house HS and being located outside the house HS. In other words, any device that receives power supplied for the house HS is considered to be located in the house HS. Furthermore, being located in a house HS includes being fixed to a wall, floor, or ceiling of the house HS, as well as being unfixed inside or outside the house HS and movable by the resident. A device is typically a household appliance. For simplicity, the following description will be given assuming that the device in this embodiment is a household appliance. Furthermore, hereinafter, household appliances will be referred to as "home appliances." Examples of home appliances include household appliances such as air conditioners, refrigerators, and washing machines, as well as audio-visual appliances such as televisions and recorders. Home appliances may also include information appliances such as computers and printers.

[0013] In the example of FIG. 1 , a house HS1 has two floors and is occupied by a resident U1. In the following description, devices disposed in the house HS whose power consumption is monitored by the power monitoring system SY may be collectively referred to as home appliances HA. Furthermore, the number of home appliances HA disposed in the house HS1 is described as N, where N is an integer equal to or greater than 2. As examples of home appliances HA, a television HA1, a light HA2, and an air conditioner HA3 are disposed on the first floor of the house HS1, and a light HA4, an air conditioner HA5, and a personal computer (PC) 10 are disposed on the second floor. The PC 10 is operated by the resident U1. The PC 10 is a desktop or notebook computer, for example. The PC 10 is an example of a power monitoring device according to this embodiment. In this way, the home appliances HA may or may not include a power monitoring device. The PC 10 is communicably connected to a management server 20 via a network NW, such as a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), or the Internet.

[0014] Furthermore, an operation estimation device that outputs operation estimation information capable of estimating the period during which the home appliance HA has been operating is disposed in the house HS. Hereinafter, the period during which the home appliance HA has been operating will be referred to as the "operation period." Being able to estimate the operation period includes estimating the operation period by instructing the home appliance HA to start and stop operation, and being able to estimate the operation period based on information about the home appliance HA. The information about the home appliance HA is at least one of information showing an image of the home appliance HA, information showing a sound emitted by the home appliance HA, and information about the resident who uses the home appliance HA. The information about the resident includes, for example, the resident's body temperature, the resident's heart rate, and whether the resident has moved.

[0015] The operation estimated device is at least one of a remote control, a sensor, and a wearable device.

[0016] The remote control can notify the home appliance HA of an instruction to start operation and an instruction to stop operation. For example, the remote control notifies the home appliance HA of the instruction using short-range wireless communication. Examples of short-range wireless communication include infrared communication, Bluetooth (registered trademark), ZigBee (registered trademark), and Wi-Fi (registered trademark). The remote control is an example of a "controller."

[0017] The sensor detects the status of the house HS. Specifically, the sensor acquires one or both of sounds generated in the house HS and images captured of the house HS. One or both of the sounds generated in the house HS and images captured of the house HS represent the status of the house HS. The sounds generated in the house HS may be sounds generated inside a room inside the house HS, or may be sounds generated near the outside of the house HS. Similarly, the images captured of the house HS may be images captured inside the house HS or images captured of the exterior walls of the house HS. In this embodiment, the sensor is described as a network camera that picks up sounds generated inside the house HS and captures images of the inside of the house HS.

[0018] The wearable device is worn by a resident. The wearable device is, for example, a smart watch worn on the resident's wrist or smart glasses worn on the resident's head. In this embodiment, the wearable device is described as a smart watch.

[0019] The estimated operating devices may be supplied with power from the electric power company that manages the power monitoring system SY, or may be supplied with power from batteries purchased by the resident. In this embodiment, the estimated operating devices are described as a remote control, a network camera, and a smart watch.

[0020] 1, a remote control RM, a network camera CM, and a smartwatch SW are placed in a house HS1. The remote control RM, the network camera CM, and the smartwatch SW are communicably connected to a PC 10 via short-range wireless communication. However, the remote control RM, the network camera CM, and the smartwatch SW are not limited to being communicably connected directly to the PC 10, and may be communicably connected via a wireless router (not shown) placed in the house HS1.

[0021] In the example of Figure 1, a remote control RM commands a television HA1, a light HA2, and an air conditioner HA3 located on the first floor of a house HS1 to start or stop operation. A network camera CM captures images of a light HA4 and an air conditioner HA5 located on the second floor of a house HS2, and also captures the operating sound of the air conditioner HA5. A smartwatch SW acquires information about a resident U1.

[0022] The power meter EM measures the amount of power supplied from a power company to each of one or more houses HS via a power line (not shown). The power meter EM is communicably connected to the management server 20 by at least one of 920 MHz band multi-hop wireless, PLC (Power Line Communication), and wireless communication such as 4G (4th Generation mobile communication system) or LTE (Long Term Evolution).

[0023] In the example of Fig. 1, the power monitoring system SY has a power meter EM1, a power meter EM2, and a power meter EM3 as examples of power meters EM. The power meter EM1 measures the amount of power supplied to N home appliances HA arranged in a house HS1. The power meter EM2 measures the amount of power supplied to two or more home appliances HA arranged in a house HS2. The power meter EM3 measures the amount of power supplied to two or more home appliances HA arranged in the house HS1.

[0024] The management server 20 is a computer managed by the electric power company that manages the power monitoring system SY. The management server 20 determines the amount of electricity charges to be charged to the households residing in the house HS according to the amount of power used by the house HS. The management server 20 is a so-called cloud server realized by a cloud service provided by a business operator other than the electric power company. However, the management server 20 may also be an on-premise server managed by the electric power company itself.

[0025] 2 is a block diagram showing an example configuration of a PC 10. The PC 10 includes a processing device 11, a storage device 12, a communication device 13, a display device 15, and an input device 16. The elements included in the PC 10 are interconnected by a bus 19 for communicating information. The bus 19 may be configured using a single bus, or may be configured using different buses between each device.

[0026] In the following description, the term "device" can be interpreted as a circuit, a device, a unit, etc. The hardware configuration of the PC 10 and the management server 20 described later may be configured to include one or more of the devices shown in the figure, or may be configured to exclude some of the devices.

[0027] The processing device 11 is a processor that controls the entire PC 10, and is configured using, for example, one or more chips. The processing device 11 is configured using, for example, a central processing unit (CPU) including an interface with peripheral devices, an arithmetic unit, a register, etc. Note that some or all of the functions of the processing device 11 may be realized by hardware such as a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic device (PLD), or a field programmable gate array (FPGA). For example, the processing device 11 may be implemented using at least one of these hardware devices. The processing device 11 executes various processes in parallel or sequentially.

[0028] The storage device 12 is a recording medium that can be read and written by the processing device 11. The storage device 12 includes, for example, a nonvolatile memory and a volatile memory. The nonvolatile memory is, for example, a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), and an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM). The volatile memory is, for example, a random access memory (RAM).

[0029] The storage device 12 stores a control program PR1 to be executed by the processing device 11, and a plurality of programs including a power monitoring program PR2 according to this embodiment. The storage device 12 also functions as a work area for the processing device 11. The control program PR1 is a program that controls the entire processing device 11. The power monitoring program PR2 is a program that executes the power monitoring process according to this embodiment. The power monitoring program PR2 is obtained, for example, from the management server 20. In other words, the PC 10 is a computer that executes the power monitoring method according to this embodiment. In the first embodiment, the PC 10 is an example of a "power monitoring device."

[0030] The communication device 13 is hardware serving as a transmitting / receiving device for communicating with other devices such as the management server 20. The communication device 13 is also called, for example, a network device, a network controller, a network card, a communication module, etc. The communication device 13 may include a connector for wired connection and an interface circuit corresponding to the connector. The communication device 13 may also include a wireless communication interface. Examples of the connector and interface circuit for wired connection include products that comply with wired LAN, IEEE1394, and USB. Examples of the wireless communication interface include products that comply with wireless LAN, Bluetooth, short-range wireless communication, etc.

[0031] The short-range wireless communication device 14 is hardware as a transmitting / receiving device for communicating with the operation estimation device. The short-range wireless communication device 14 is a product that complies with short-range wireless communication such as the infrared communication described above. Note that in the first embodiment, the communication device 13 that communicates with the management server 20 and the short-range wireless communication device 14 that communicates with the movement estimation device are different from each other, but they may be the same communication device.

[0032] The display device 15 is a device that displays images and text information. The display device 15 displays various images and text information under the control of the processing device 11. For example, various display panels such as a liquid crystal panel and an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) panel are suitably used as the display device 15.

[0033] The input device 16 receives operations from the resident U1. For example, the input device 16 is a keyboard and a mouse. The input device 16 and the display device 15 may be integrated into one unit (for example, a touch panel).

[0034] 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the management server 20. The management server 20 includes a processing device 21, a storage device 22, and a communication device 23. The elements included in the management server 20 are connected to each other by a bus 29 for communicating information. The bus 29 may be configured using a single bus, or may be configured using different buses between each device.

[0035] The processing device 21 is a processor that controls the entire management server 20, and is configured using, for example, one or more chips. The processing device 21 is configured using, for example, a central processing unit including an interface with peripheral devices, an arithmetic unit, a register, etc. Some or all of the functions of the processing device 21 may be realized by hardware such as a DSP, an ASIC, a PLD, or an FPGA. For example, the processing device 21 may be implemented using at least one of these pieces of hardware. The processing device 21 executes various processes in parallel or sequentially.

[0036] The storage device 22 is a recording medium that can be read and written by the processing device 21. The storage device 22 includes, for example, a nonvolatile memory and a volatile memory. The nonvolatile memory is, for example, a ROM, an EPROM, and an EEPROM. The volatile memory is, for example, a RAM.

[0037] The storage device 22 stores a plurality of programs including a control program PR3 to be executed by the processing device 21. The storage device 22 also functions as a work area for the processing device 21. The control program PR3 is a program that controls the entire processing device 21.

[0038] The communication device 23 is hardware that serves as a transmitting / receiving device for communicating with other devices such as the PC 10. The communication device 23 is also called, for example, a network device, a network controller, a network card, a communication module, etc. The communication device 23 may include a connector for wired connection and an interface circuit corresponding to the connector. The communication device 23 may also include a wireless communication interface.

[0039] 1-2. Demand for power conservation In recent years, demand for energy conservation has been increasing due to growing geopolitical risks and the tight power supply-demand balance. A power utility may set a power-saving target for a consumer, resident U1. A possible technology for supporting energy conservation for resident U1 involves a server identifying home appliances HA that are expected to reduce energy consumption based on the resident U1's energy consumption over a specified period and presenting energy-saving action plans associated with the home appliances HA to the resident U1. In this technology, the server preclassifies N home appliances HA as appliances that contribute to the total amount of one of the following ranges: a peak range that includes peak energy consumption, a base range in which energy consumption is maintained constant, or a regular range between the peak and base ranges. The server then divides a specified period into a peak range, a base range, and a regular range based on the resident U1's energy consumption over the specified period. Next, the server identifies the home appliances HA that contribute to the range of excessive power consumption identified based on the proportion of the total amount of power in each range to the total amount of power in a specified period as home appliances HA that are expected to reduce their power consumption.

[0040] However, with the above-described technology, the resident U1 can identify the home appliances HA that are expected to reduce their power consumption, but cannot identify the individual power consumption of the N home appliances HA. Furthermore, the home appliances HA that are expected to reduce their power consumption are not necessarily the home appliances HA with the largest power consumption among the N home appliances HA. Therefore, even if the resident U1 replaces the home appliances HA that are expected to reduce their power consumption or limits their use in order to achieve their power-saving goal, the total power consumption in the house HS1 may not be significantly reduced, and the power-saving goal may not be achieved. For example, even if a television is identified as a device that is expected to reduce its power consumption, if the home appliance HA with the largest power consumption among the N home appliances HA is not a television, the total power consumption in the house HS1 may not be significantly reduced, and the power-saving goal may not be achieved.

[0041] Therefore, the power monitoring system SY according to this embodiment provides the resident U1 with a mode in which the resident U1 can grasp the amount of power consumed by each of the N home appliances HA. The functions of the power monitoring system SY will be described with reference to Fig. 4 .

[0042] 1-3. Functions of the power monitoring system SY Fig. 4 is a diagram showing the functions of the power monitoring system SY. The processing device 11 reads out the power monitoring program PR2 and executes the read out power monitoring program PR2, thereby functioning as a registration unit 110, an estimation unit 111, an acquisition unit 113, a determination unit 115, and a display control unit 117. Furthermore, by executing the power monitoring program PR2, the processing device 11 stores the reference power amount information STI and power monitoring information EB, which records the power amounts of the home appliances HA, in the storage device 12. Furthermore, the processing device 11 updates the power monitoring information EB by continuing to execute the power monitoring program PR2. The reference power amount information STI will be described using Fig. 5.

[0043] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of the reference power amount information STI. The reference power amount information STI is information about a reference power amount per unit period according to the type of home appliance HA. The information about the reference power amount per unit period may be the reference power amount per unit period itself, or may be a reference power amount per period different from the unit period. The unit period may be any length of time, but preferably matches the unit period for measuring the amount of power by the power meter EM. Since a typical power meter measures the amount of power every 30 minutes, in this embodiment, the unit period is 30 minutes, and the reference power amount information STI indicates the reference power amount per hour, which is twice 30 minutes.

[0044] The reference power amount is the amount of power consumed when the home appliance HA is used in accordance with a mode predetermined by the manufacturer of the home appliance HA. If the home appliance HA is an air conditioner, the mode predetermined by the manufacturer of the home appliance HA is, for example, to use the cooling function when the outside temperature is 30 degrees and the set temperature is 27 degrees for a specified room size. The reference power amount is a value obtained by the manufacturer through experiments or experience.

[0045] Records STIR-1 to STIR-10 are registered in the reference power amount information STI shown in Fig. 5. In the following description, records STIR-1 to STIR-10 of the reference power amount information STI may be referred to as records STIR without distinction.

[0046] For example, in the example in Figure 5, record STIR-1 indicates that the standard power consumption of the air conditioner is 1.5 [kWh]. [kWh] means the amount of power consumed when 1 [kW] of power is used for one hour.

[0047] The description will return to FIG. 4. The registration unit 110 executes a registration process to register the home appliances HA placed in the house HS1 and further register an estimated operation device that can estimate the operation period of the registered home appliance HA. The registration process is executed, for example, when the power monitoring program PR2 is executed for the first time. The registration process may also be executed by the operation of the resident U1 when a new home appliance HA is placed in the house HS1. The registration process will be described with reference to FIG. 6.

[0048] 6 is a flowchart showing the registration process. The processing device 11 displays a home appliance registration screen HWa on the display device 15 (step S2). The home appliance registration screen HWa will be described with reference to FIG.

[0049] Fig. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a home appliance registration screen HWa. The home appliance registration screen HWa shown in Fig. 7 has a selection area SR1, a selection area SR2, a selection area SR3, an add button BTa1, and a next button BTa2.

[0050] The selection area SR1 is an area in which the resident U1 can select the type of home appliance HA through an operation. Specifically, the selection area SR1 has one or more drop-down lists DDL1. In the example of FIG. 7, the selection area SR1 has seven drop-down lists DDL1. In FIG. 7, to avoid cluttering the drawing, only the first drop-down list DDL1 among the seven drop-down lists DDL1 is labeled with a reference symbol. When the drop-down list DDL1 is clicked through an operation by the resident U1, the processing device 11 displays a list of character strings indicating the type of home appliance HA on the display device 15. Examples of the list of character strings indicating the type of home appliance HA include air conditioner, television, and heater. The resident U1 selects a character string indicating the type of home appliance HA installed in the house HS1 from this list.

[0051] Selection area SR2 is an area in which the number of types of home appliances HA selected in selection area SR1 can be selected. Specifically, selection area SR2 has the same number of drop-down lists DDL2 as the drop-down list DDL1 in selection area SR1. In FIG. 7, to avoid cluttering the drawing, only the first drop-down list DDL2 of the seven drop-down lists DDL2 is labeled. When resident U1 clicks on drop-down list DDL2, processing device 11 displays a list of integers equal to or greater than 1 on display device 15. From this list, resident U1 selects an integer corresponding to the number of home appliances HA selected in drop-down list DDL1 located at the same height as the clicked drop-down list DDL2.

[0052] Selection area SR3 is an area where the user can select how to use the home appliance HA selected in selection area SR1. Specifically, selection area SR3 has the same number of drop-down lists DDL3 as the drop-down list DDL1 in selection area SR1. In FIG. 7, to avoid cluttering the drawing, only the first drop-down list DDL3 among the seven drop-down lists DDL3 is labeled. When drop-down list DDL2 is clicked by resident U1, processing device 11 displays a list of character strings indicating how to use the home appliance HA on display device 15. FIG. 7 shows a state in which cursor CR is moved by resident U1's operation and the seventh drop-down list DDL3 is clicked. The character strings indicating how to use the home appliance HA are, for example, "Always in summer," "Always in winter," "During mealtimes," and "Only when at home." From the list of character strings indicating how to use the home appliance HA, resident U1 selects a character string indicating how to use the home appliance HA selected in drop-down list DDL1, which is located at the same height as the clicked drop-down list DDL3.

[0053] The add button BTa1 is a button that, when clicked by the resident U1, adds a drop-down list DDL1 to the selection area SR1, a drop-down list DDL2 to the selection area SR2, and a drop-down list DDL3 to the selection area SR3.

[0054] The next button BTa2 is a button that, when clicked by the resident U1, causes the home appliance registration screen HWa displayed on the display device 15 to transition to the next screen.

[0055] Returning to FIG. 6 for the explanation, after the processing of step S2 is completed, the processing device 11 accepts an operation from the resident U1 (step S4). The processing device 11 determines whether the accepted operation is an operation of clicking the Next button BTa2 (step S6). If the determination result of step S6 is negative (step S6: No), the processing device 11 executes processing according to the operation (step S8) and executes the processing of step S4 again. In step S8, the processing according to the operation is, for example, processing of displaying a list of character strings indicating the types of home appliances HA when the drop-down list DDL1 is clicked.

[0056] If the determination result in step S4 is positive (step S6: Yes), the processing device 11 displays an estimated operating device registration screen HWb on the display device 15 (step S10). The estimated operating device registration screen HWb will be described with reference to FIG.

[0057] Fig. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the estimated operating device registration screen HWb. The estimated operating device registration screen HWb shown in Fig. 8 has a display area DR1, an add button BTb1, and a next button BTb2.

[0058] The display area DR1 is an area showing a list of registered operating specific devices. In the example of Fig. 8, the display area DR1 shows a remote control, a network camera, and a smart watch. This means that the registered operating specific devices are the remote control RM, the network camera CM, and the smart watch SW.

[0059] The Add button BTb1 is a button for adding an estimated operating device. When the Add button BTb1 is clicked, a list of devices that can communicate with the PC 10 via short-range wireless communication is displayed. The resident U1 selects a device from this list to register as a specific operating device.

[0060] The next button BTa2 is a button that, when clicked by the resident U1, causes the estimated operating appliance registration screen HWb displayed on the display device 15 to transition to the next screen.

[0061] Returning to FIG. 6 for the explanation, after the processing of step S10 is completed, the processing device 11 accepts an operation from the resident U1 (step S12). The processing device 11 determines whether the accepted operation is an operation of clicking the Next button BTa2 (step S14). If the determination result of step S14 is negative (step S4: No), the processing device 11 executes processing according to the operation (step S16), and executes the processing of step S12. In step S16, the processing according to the operation is, for example, processing when the Add button BTb1 is clicked.

[0062] If the determination result in step S14 is positive (step S14: Yes), the processing device 11 displays the association screen HWc on the display device 15 (step S18). The association screen HWc will be described with reference to FIG.

[0063] Fig. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the association screen HWc. The association screen HWc shown in Fig. 9 has an input area IT1, a selection area ST4, and a registration completion button BTc1.

[0064] The input area IT1 has one or more text boxes TB in which the names of the home appliances HA corresponding to the types of home appliances HA registered on the home appliance registration screen HWa are pre-entered. The names of the home appliances HA corresponding to the types of home appliances HA are assigned symbols so that they can be distinguished from one another. For example, if two air conditioners are registered on the home appliance registration screen HWa, the input area IT1 has a text box TB in which "Air Conditioner 1" is entered as the name of the home appliance, and a text box TB in which "Air Conditioner 2" is entered as the name of the home appliance. The processing device 11 may change the character string in the text box TB in response to an operation by the resident U1 so that the resident U1 can easily identify the name. For example, the example in FIG. 8 shows a state in which the processing device 11 has changed the name of the home appliance from "Air Conditioner 1" to "Air Conditioner (First Floor)" in response to an operation by the resident U1.

[0065] The selection area ST4 is an area for associating the home appliances HA identified in one or more text boxes TB with the estimated operating appliances registered on the estimated operating appliance registration screen HWb. The resident U1 selects an estimated operating appliance that can estimate the operating period of the home appliance HA identified in one text box TB from among the one or more estimated operating appliances registered on the estimated operating appliance registration screen HWb.

[0066] In the example of FIG. 9, the remote control RM is selected as the operation estimation device capable of estimating the operation period of the air conditioner HA3, whose home appliance HA name is "air conditioner (first floor)."

[0067] The registration completion button BTc1 is a button that ends the series of processes shown in FIG. 6 when clicked by the resident U1.

[0068] Returning to FIG. 6 for the explanation, after the process of step S14 is completed, the processing device 11 accepts an operation from the resident U1 (step S20). The processing device 11 determines whether the accepted operation is an operation of clicking the Next button BTa2 (step S22). If the determination result of step S22 is negative (step S22: No), the processing device 11 executes processing according to the operation (step S24) and executes the process of step S20 again.

[0069] If the determination result in step S22 is positive (step S22: Yes), the processing device 11 reflects the contents of the association screen HWc in the power monitoring information EB (step S26). After completing the process of step S26, the processing device 11 ends the series of processes shown in FIG.

[0070] Returning to FIG. 4 for the explanation, the estimation unit 111 generates operation information WI based on the operation estimation information output from the operation estimation appliance. That is, the operation information WI is information based on the operation estimation information. The operation information WI is information related to the operation period of the home appliance HA. The information related to the operation period may be, for example, information indicating the start time and end time of the operation period, or information indicating the length of the operation period within a unit period.

[0071] 4, the remote control RM transmits remote control output information RI to the PC 10, the network camera CM transmits video information CI to the PC 10, and the smart watch SW transmits resident information SI to the PC 10. In other words, the remote control output information RI, the video information CI, and the resident information SI are examples of operation estimation information.

[0072] The remote control output information RI is information that can identify the time when a start instruction to start operation and a stop instruction to stop operation are transmitted to one of the N home appliances HA. The information that can identify the time when the start instruction and the stop instruction are transmitted to one of the home appliances HA may be, for example, information indicating the time when the start instruction and the stop instruction are transmitted to one of the home appliances HA, or information indicating that the remote controller RM transmitted a start instruction or a stop instruction to one of the home appliances HA. When the remote control output information RI is information indicating that a start instruction or a stop instruction has been transmitted, the remote controller RM transmits the remote control output information RI to the PC10 immediately after transmitting the start instruction or the stop instruction to the home appliance HA. The PC10 estimates that the time when the PC10 received the remote control output information RI is the time when the remote controller RM transmitted the start instruction or the stop instruction to the home appliance HA.

[0073] The video information CI is information indicating a sound generated in a room of the house HS1 and a video showing the room of the house HS1. For example, the estimation unit 111 identifies a period during which the power light of the home appliance HA remained lit based on the video indicated by the video information CI, and estimates the identified period as the operating period of the home appliance HA. Alternatively, the estimation unit 111 identifies an operating sound of the home appliance HA based on the sound indicated by the video information CI, and estimates the period during which the operating sound continued to be generated as the operating period of the home appliance HA.

[0074] The resident information SI is information about the resident U1. The estimation unit 111 estimates the operating period of the home appliance HA based on the information about the resident U1 indicated by the resident information SI. As an estimation of the operating period based on the information about the resident U1, for example, if the body temperature and heart rate of the resident U1 are lower than usual and the resident U1 is not moving, it can be estimated that the resident U1 is sleeping. If the estimation unit 111 estimates that the resident U1 is sleeping, it estimates that the lights HA2 and HA4 located in the house HS1 where the resident U1 resides are turned off and that the television HA1 is not operating.

[0075] The estimation unit 111 estimates the operation period estimated based on the operation estimation information as the operation period of the home appliance HA associated with the estimated operation appliance that output the corresponding operation estimation information. For example, using the example of Fig. 9, the estimation unit 111 estimates the operation period estimated based on the remote control output information RI output from the remote control RM as the operation period of the air conditioner HA3.

[0076] Furthermore, the estimation unit 111 may generate the operation information WI based on two or more pieces of operation estimation information. By generating the operation information WI based on two or more pieces of operation estimation information, the estimation accuracy of the operation period can be improved compared to the case where the operation information WI is generated based on one piece of operation estimation information.

[0077] The acquisition unit 113 acquires operation information WI, power information EI, and reference power amount information STI. Specifically, the acquisition unit 113 acquires the operation information WI from the estimation unit 111, and acquires the power information EI and reference power amount information STI from the management server 20. For example, the acquisition unit 113 acquires one day's worth of power information EI from the management server 20 on the next day. However, the source from which the power information EI is acquired is not limited to the management server 20. For example, the acquisition unit 113 may acquire the power information EI from a power meter EM. In an aspect in which the power information EI is acquired from the power meter EM, for example, the acquisition unit 113 acquires the power information EI every three seconds.

[0078] The power information EI is information about the total amount of power consumed by N home appliances HA in the entire house HS1. The total amount of power consumed by N home appliances HA may be referred to as the "actual power amount" below. Information about the actual power amount is information that indicates the actual power amount for each unit period. In the following explanation, it is assumed that the power information EI includes 48 pieces of actual power amounts for each 30-minute unit period, which is one day's worth.

[0079] The determination unit 115 determines the amount of power consumed by each of the N home appliances HA for a specific period based on the operation information WI, the power information EI, and the reference power information STI. The specific period may be any period, such as one day, one week, one month, or one year. If the specific period is one year, it is possible to absorb fluctuations in power consumption due to seasonal variations. The specific period is an example of a "first period." For simplicity of explanation, in this embodiment, it is assumed that the specific period is a value set by the developer of the power monitoring program, but this is not limiting, and the resident U1 may be able to set the specific period. The specific processing performed by the determination unit 115 will be described with reference to FIG. 10.

[0080] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the power amount determination process performed by the determination unit 115. Based on the reference power amount information STI, the determination unit 115 sets the reference power amounts of N home appliances HA arranged in the house HS1 to unit power amounts per unit period (step S32). Specifically, the determination unit 115 sets the reference power amount per 30 minutes, which is the unit period, for each home appliance HA based on the reference power amount per hour corresponding to the type of home appliance HA in the reference power amount information STI. In the example of FIG. 5, the reference power amount information STI indicates the reference power amount per hour, so the determination unit 115 sets half the value of the reference power amount indicated by the reference power amount information STI shown in FIG. 5 as the reference power amount per 30 minutes for each home appliance HA. A more specific setting example will be described with reference to FIG. 11.

[0081] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of the power monitoring information EB after the processing of step S32 is completed. In FIG. 11, the display of how the home appliances are used is omitted to avoid cluttering the drawing. In the example shown in FIG. 11, the home appliances HA placed in the house HS1 and the estimated operating devices associated with these home appliances HA are registered by the processing of step S26, and further, the unit power consumption per unit period of the registered home appliances HA is set by the processing of step S32. Furthermore, FIG. 11 shows the ratio of the unit power consumption of each home appliance HA to the unit power consumption of the entire house HS1.

[0082] Specifically, in Fig. 11, six home appliances HA arranged in the house HS are registered, and furthermore, the unit power consumption per unit period of each of the six home appliances HA is registered. As an example of the six home appliances HA, the power monitoring information EB shown in Fig. 11 registers an air conditioner HA3, with the name of the home appliance set to "air conditioner (first floor)." Furthermore, the power monitoring information EB shown in Fig. 11 records that the remote control RM is the estimated operating device associated with the air conditioner HA3, and that the unit power consumption per unit period of the air conditioner HA3 is 0.75 [kWh]. Furthermore, the power monitoring information EB shown in Fig. 11 records that the ratio of the unit power consumption of the air conditioner HA3 to the unit power consumption of the entire house HS1 is 30 [%].

[0083] In step S32, for each home appliance HA registered in the power monitoring information EB, the determination unit 115 searches the reference power amount information STI for a record STIR having the same character string as the home appliance name of each home appliance HA. Then, the determination unit 115 registers half the reference power amount of the found record STIR as the unit power amount per unit period of each home appliance HA in the power monitoring information EB.

[0084] For example, for air conditioner HA3, the determination unit 115 searches the reference power amount information STI for a record STIR that has the same character string as "air conditioner." Then, the determination unit 115 registers 0.75 [kWh], which is half the reference power amount of the found record STIR-1, as the unit power amount per unit period for air conditioner HA3 in the power monitoring information EB.

[0085] Returning to Fig. 10 for explanation, the determination unit 115 selects the first unit period from among the 48 unit periods indicated in the power information EI (step S34). The selected unit period is an example of "one unit period."

[0086] After completing the process of step S34, the determination unit 115 executes an estimation process to estimate an estimated amount of power, which is the amount of power used by the entire house HS1, during the selected unit period, based on the unit amount of power per unit period and the operation period of each home appliance HA indicated by the operation information WI (step S36). Next, the determination unit 115 executes a comparison process to compare the estimated amount of power with the actual amount of power indicated by the power information EI during the selected unit period (step S38). Then, the determination unit 115 executes an update process to execute either a reduction process or an increase process (step S40). The reduction process is a process to reduce the unit amount of power per unit period corresponding to the home appliance HA that operated during the selected unit period when the estimated amount of power in the selected unit period is greater than the actual amount of power. The increase process is a process to increase the unit amount of power per unit period corresponding to the appliance that operated during the selected unit period when the estimated amount of power in the selected unit period is less than the actual amount of power. However, if the estimated amount of power and the actual amount of power are the same in the selected unit period, the determining unit 115 does not perform the reduction process or the increase process.

[0087] After the process of step S40 is completed, the determination unit 115 determines whether all unit periods indicated in the power information EI have been processed (step S42). If the determination result of step S42 is negative (step S42: No), the determination unit 115 selects the next unit period (step S44) and executes the process of step S36.

[0088] If the determination result in step S42 is positive (step S42: Yes), the determination unit 115 determines the amount of power of each home appliance HA in the specific period based on the unit amount of power per unit period of each home appliance HA (step S46). If the determination result in step S42 is positive, the unit amount of power per unit period of each home appliance HA is a value obtained by repeatedly executing the estimation process, the comparison process, and the update process in all unit periods. After completing the process in step S46, the determination unit 115 ends the series of processes shown in FIG. 10. The series of processes from step S36 to step S46 will be described in more detail using FIG. 12.

[0089] Fig. 12 is a diagram for explaining a series of processes from step S36 to step S46. Fig. 12 explains a series of processes from step S36 to step S46 using a unit period UP1 from 10:00 to 10:30, a unit period UP2 from 10:30 to 11:00, and a unit period UP3 from 11:00 to 11:30.

[0090] For ease of explanation, in FIG. 12, the N home appliances HA arranged in the house HS1 are assumed to be three appliances: an air conditioner, a heater, and a dryer. Furthermore, FIG. 12 is divided into an upper section, a middle section, and a lower section. The upper section of FIG. 12 shows the operation period of the home appliances HA, the middle section of FIG. 12 shows the unit power amount, and the lower section of FIG. 12 shows the comparison process for comparing the estimated power amount E with the actual power amount Z. In the following description, the estimated power amount E in a certain unit period UP is referred to as the estimated power amount E UP The actual power consumption Z in a certain unit period UP is sometimes written as the actual power consumption Z UP It is sometimes written as follows.

[0091] As shown in the upper part of Figure 12, in the unit period UP1, the air conditioner and dryer are operating for 30 minutes, and the heater is operating for 15 minutes. The unit power consumption of each home appliance in the unit period UP1 is the unit power consumption UY of the air conditioner. UP1 and heater unit power UX1 UP1 and the dryer's unit power consumption UX2 UP1 As can be understood from the above, in the following description, the unit power amount of the air conditioner is set to the unit power amount UY UP The unit power consumption of the heater is sometimes written as UX1. UP The unit power consumption of the dryer is sometimes written as UX2. UP It is sometimes written as follows.

[0092] In step S36, the determination unit 115 calculates the estimated amount of power E in one unit period using the following equation (1).

[0093]

number

[0094] Estimated energy E for unit period UP1 in Figure 12 UP1 is the estimated power consumption of the air conditioner EY UP1 and the estimated power consumption of the heater EX1 UP1 and the estimated power consumption of the dryer EX2 UP1 It is the sum of.

[0095] In step S38, the determination unit 115 determines the estimated energy E UP1 and the actual power consumption Z for unit period UP1 UP1 As shown in Figure 12, the actual power consumption Z UP1 is the estimated power consumption E UP1 More difference d UP1 big.

[0096] Estimated power consumption E UP1 is the actual power consumption Z UP1 Since it is less than the unit power amount of the i-th home appliance HA, the decision unit 115 executes an increase process in step S40. i Determine.

[0097]

number

[0098] However, the increase or decrease ΔUi may not be determined by equation (2). For example, the determination unit 115 may simply determine the estimated power amount E UP1 is the actual power consumption Z UP1 If it is less than ΔU i is a fixed positive value, and the estimated energy E UP1 is the actual power consumption Z UP1 If it is larger, the increase or decrease amount ΔU i may be set to a fixed negative value.

[0099] The updated unit power amount U will be described in the process of step S44 in the unit period UP2, which is the unit period next to the unit period UP1.

[0100] The decision unit 115 determines that the determination result in step S42 is negative, and selects the unit period UP2 that is next to the unit period UP1 through the process in step S44.

[0101] In FIG. 12, the determination unit 115 executes equation (2) for each of the air conditioner, the heater, and the dryer to determine the unit power amount UY UP2 and unit power UX1 UP2 and unit power UX2 UP2 As can be seen from FIG. 12, the unit power amount UY UP2 is the unit energy UY UP1 Larger unit power consumption UX1 UP2 is the unit of electric energy UX1 UP1 Larger unit power consumption UX2 UP2 is the unit of electric energy UX2 UP1 Greater than.

[0102] In step S36, the determination unit 115 calculates the estimated energy E of the unit period UP2 by using equation (1). UP2 As shown in the upper part of Figure 12, in the unit period UP2, the air conditioner is operating for 30 minutes, the dryer is operating for 20 minutes, and the heater is not operating. UP2 is the estimated power consumption of the air conditioner EY UP2 and the estimated power consumption of the dryer EX2 UP2It is the sum of.

[0103] In step S38, the determination unit 115 determines the estimated energy E UP2 and the actual power consumption Z for unit period UP2 UP2 As shown in Figure 12, the actual power consumption Z UP2 is the estimated power consumption E UP2 More difference d UP2 small.

[0104] Estimated power consumption E UP2 is the actual power consumption Z UP2 Since it is larger than the unit power consumption of the i-th home appliance HA, the decision unit 115 executes the reduction process in step S40. i In equation (2), d UP2 By making it a negative value, the increase or decrease amount ΔU i The updated unit power amount U will be described in the process of step S44 in unit period UP3, which is the unit period next to unit period UP2.

[0105] The decision unit 115 determines that the determination result in step S42 is negative, and selects the unit period UP3 that is next to the unit period UP2 through the process in step S44.

[0106] In FIG. 12, the determination unit 115 executes equation (2) for each of the air conditioner, the heater, and the dryer to determine the unit power amount UY UP3 and unit power UX1 UP3 and unit power UX2 UP3 As can be seen from FIG. 12, the unit power amount UY UP3 is the unit energy UY UP2 Smaller, unit power consumption UX2 UP3 is the unit of electric energy UX2 UP2 In the formula (2) in step S40 for the unit period UP2, the heater operation period is 0, so the unit power amount UX1 UP3 is the unit of electric energy UX1 UP2 is the same as

[0107] In step S36, the determination unit 115 calculates the estimated energy E of the unit period UP3 by using equation (1). UP3 As shown in the upper part of Figure 12, in unit period UP3, the air conditioner and heater are operating for 30 minutes, but the dryer is not operating. UP3 is the estimated power consumption of the air conditioner EY UP3 and the estimated power consumption of the heater EX1 UP1 It is the sum of.

[0108] In step S38, the determination unit 115 determines the estimated energy E UP3 and the actual power consumption Z for unit period UP3 UP3 As shown in Figure 12, the actual power consumption Z UP3 and estimated power consumption E UP3 and are the same size. That is, the difference d UP3 is 0.

[0109] Estimated power consumption E UP3 is the actual power consumption Z UP3 If it is the same as the above, the decision unit 115 executes the process of step S42 without executing the reduction process or the increase process.

[0110] If the determination result in step S42 is positive, the determination unit 115 calculates the power amount F of the i-th home appliance HA in the specific period using the following equation (3): i Determine.

[0111] F i =U i ×FT / UT (3)

[0112] However, U i is the unit power amount of the i-th home appliance HA, and FT indicates the length of the specific period.

[0113] As can be seen from FIG. 12, the power amount determination process performed by the determination unit 115 in the first embodiment is performed by repeating the update process to determine the difference d UP gradually becomes smaller, in other words, the unit power consumption can be refined by repeating the update process.

[0114] Returning to Fig. 4 for the explanation, the display control unit 117 displays the display information DI on the display device 15. The display information DI is information relating to the amount of power consumed by each of the M home appliances HA during the specific period determined by the determination unit 115. The display information DI may be, for example, a character string indicating the amount of power consumed by each home appliance HA, or a character string indicating the ratio of the amount of power consumed by each home appliance HA to the amount of power consumed by the entire house HS1. Alternatively, the display information DI may have the same content as the power monitoring information EB. Alternatively, the display information DI may be a bar graph or pie chart indicating the amount of power consumed by each home appliance HA. A case where the display information DI has the same content as the power monitoring information EB will be described using Fig. 13.

[0115] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of the power monitoring information EB after the power amount determination process shown in FIG. 10 has been completed. In FIG. 13, to avoid cluttering the drawing, the types of home appliances, how to use the home appliances, and estimated operating devices are omitted. Furthermore, in FIG. 13, to facilitate understanding, the unit power amount set in the process of step S32 is displayed as the initial unit power amount, and the unit power amount updated in the process of step S40 is displayed as the refined unit power amount. Furthermore, in FIG. 13, the ratio of the initial unit power amount of each home appliance HA to the initial unit power amount of the entire house HS1 is shown as the initial ratio, and the ratio of the refined unit power amount of each home appliance HA to the refined unit power amount of the entire house HS1 is shown as the refined ratio.

[0116] As in Fig. 11, Fig. 13 registers six home appliances HA arranged in the house HS, and further registers the unit power consumption per unit period for each of the six home appliances HA. As an example of the six home appliances HA, the power monitoring database shown in Fig. 13 registers an air conditioner HA3 as an "air conditioner (first floor)." Furthermore, the power monitoring information EB shown in Fig. 13 indicates that the fine unit power consumption per unit period for the air conditioner HA3 is 0.85 [kWh]. Furthermore, the power monitoring information EB shown in Fig. 13 records that the ratio of the fine unit power consumption of the air conditioner HA3 to the fine unit power consumption of the entire house HS1 is 34 [%].

[0117] 1-4. Summary of the first embodiment According to the above description, the processing device 11 of the PC 10 functions as an acquiring unit 113 and a determining unit 115. The acquiring unit 113 acquires operation information WI, power information EI, and reference power amount information STI. The determining unit 115 sets the reference power amount to a unit power amount per unit period, executes estimation processing, comparison processing, and update processing in a selected unit period (an example of a "unit period"), and determines the power amount of each home appliance HA in a specific period (an example of a "first period") based on the unit power amount per unit period of each home appliance HA (an example of an "appliance") obtained by repeatedly executing the estimation processing, comparison processing, and update processing for the unit period next to the selected unit period. According to the first embodiment, the resident U1 can grasp the power consumption of each home appliance HA during a specific period. Based on the power consumption of each home appliance HA, the resident U1 can easily achieve the power saving target of the power company by, for example, replacing the home appliance HA with the largest power consumption or restricting the use of this home appliance HA.

[0118] The determination unit 115 determines the amount by which to increase or decrease the unit power amount per unit period corresponding to the equipment that operated in the selected unit period, based on the difference between the estimated power amount and the actual power amount (an example of the "total power amount"). When the difference is large, the deviation between the estimated power amount and the actual power amount can be reduced by increasing the amount by which the unit power amount is increased or decreased. Therefore, according to the first embodiment, the estimation accuracy of the power amount of each home appliance HA can be quickly improved.

[0119] The processing device 11 also functions as a display control unit 117 that displays, on the display device 15, information about the amount of power of each home appliance HA during the specific period determined by the determination unit 115. The power consumption of each home appliance HA is displayed on the display device 15, so the resident U1 can know which home appliance HA needs to be power-saving to achieve a significant reduction in the power consumption of the entire house HS1.

[0120] The operation information WI is based on operation estimation information that can estimate the period during which any of the N home appliances HA has been in operation, and the operation estimation information is output from at least one of the following devices: a remote control RM (an example of a "controller"), a network camera CM (an example of a "sensor"), and a smart watch SW (an example of a "wearable device"). By generating the operation information WI based on the operation estimation information, the operation information WI can be generated without requiring the resident U1 to do any work, as compared to a mode in which the operation information WI is generated based on input by the resident U1, for example.

[0121] 2. Second embodiment In the first embodiment, the processing device 11 of the PC 10 functions as the acquisition unit 113 and the determination unit 115, but the processing device 21 of the management server 20 may function as the acquisition unit 113 and the determination unit 115. A second embodiment will be described below.

[0122] 2-1. Functions of the second embodiment 14 is a diagram showing the functions of a power monitoring system SYA in the second embodiment. The power monitoring system SYA differs from the power monitoring system SY in that it has a PC 10A instead of the PC 10 and a management server 20A instead of the management server 20.

[0123] The PC 10A differs from the PC 10 in that it has a processing device 11A instead of the processing device 11 and a storage device 12A instead of the storage device 12. The storage device 12A differs from the storage device 12 in that it has power monitoring information EBA instead of power monitoring information EB. The processing device 11A differs from the processing device 11 in that it functions as a registration unit 110, an estimation unit 111, a transmission unit 112, and a reception unit 118 by executing the power monitoring program PR2 in the second embodiment.

[0124] The management server 20A differs from the management server 20 in that it has a processing device 21A instead of the processing device 21 and a storage device 22A instead of the storage device 22. The storage device 22A differs from the storage device 22 in that it has a power monitoring database DB and a power monitoring program PR4. The processing device 21A reads the power monitoring program PR4 and executes the read power monitoring program PR4 to function as an acquisition unit 113A, a determination unit 115A, and a display control unit 117A. In the second embodiment, the management server 20A is an example of a "power monitoring device."

[0125] The transmitter 112 controls the communication device 13 to transmit the operation information WI to the management server 20. Although not shown in FIG. 14 , the PC placed in the house HS2 also transmits operation information WI related to the operation periods of two or more home appliances HA placed in the house HS2, and the PC placed in the house HS3 also transmits operation information WI related to the operation periods of two or more home appliances HA placed in the house HS3.

[0126] The acquisition unit 113A acquires operation information WI and power information EI for each of a plurality of households. In the example of FIG. 14, the acquisition unit 113A acquires operation information WI from PC10 and power information EI from power meter EM1 for the household residing in house HS1. Furthermore, the acquisition unit 113A acquires operation information WI from a PC installed in house HS2 and power information EI from power meter EM2 for the household residing in house HS2. Furthermore, the acquisition unit 113A acquires operation information WI from a PC installed in house HS3 and power information EI from power meter EM3 for the household residing in house HS3. That is, in the second embodiment, the management server 20 acquires operation information WI and power information EI for each of three households. These three households are an example of "multiple households." In this way, in the second practical form, operation information WI and power information EI are obtained for each of three households, but operation information WI and power information EI may also be obtained for each of two households, or operation information WI and power information EI may also be obtained for each of four or more households.

[0127] Furthermore, the acquiring unit 113A acquires the reference power amount information STI in the same manner as in the first embodiment. The reference power amount information STI is recorded in, for example, the storage device 22A, although not shown in FIG.

[0128] The determination unit 115A determines the amount of power consumed by each home appliance during a specific period for each of multiple houses HS. For example, the determination unit 115A determines the amount of power consumed by each of M home appliances HA arranged in house HS1 during a specific period. Similarly, the determination unit 115A determines the amount of power consumed by each of two or more home appliances arranged in house HS2 during a specific period, and determines the amount of power consumed by each of two or more home appliances arranged in house HS3 during a specific period. The method for determining the amount of power consumed by each home appliance is the same as in the first embodiment, and therefore description thereof will be omitted. The determination unit 115A stores information in which the power monitoring information EB shown in FIG. 13 is managed for each household in a power monitoring database DB.

[0129] Furthermore, the determination unit 115A determines the average amount of power consumed in a specific period for home appliances of the same type as each of the N home appliances HA used in the households residing in the house HS1, among the two or more home appliances used in the multiple households. The processing of the determination unit 115A will be described with reference to FIG.

[0130] FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing of the determination unit 115A. The flowchart shown in FIG. 15 is executed after the flowchart shown in FIG. 10 is executed for each household. The determination unit 115A selects a first type of home appliance from among a plurality of types of home appliances (step S52). The selected type of home appliance is an example of a "first appliance." Next, the determination unit 115A extracts the unit energy of power for the selected type of home appliance from the power monitoring database DB (step S54). Then, the determination unit 115A calculates the average of the extracted unit energy of power (step S56). Next, the determination unit 115A determines the energy of power for the selected type of home appliance for the specific period from the average of the extracted unit energy of power (step S58). Specifically, the determination unit 115A calculates the energy of power F for the selected type of home appliance for the specific period using the following formula (4): dev Determine.

[0131] F dev =U Mean ×FT / UT (4)

[0132] However, U Mean is the average of the unit power amount. After the process of step S58 is completed, the determining unit 115A determines whether or not all types of home appliances have been processed (step S60). If the determination result of step S60 is negative (step S60: No), the determining unit 115A selects the next type of home appliance (step S62) and executes the process of step S54.

[0133] If the determination result in step S60 is positive (step S60: No), the determination unit 115A ends the series of processes shown in Fig. 15. The series of processes from step S54 to step S56 will be described with reference to Fig. 16.

[0134] Fig. 16 is a diagram for explaining a series of processes from step S54 to step S56. As shown in Fig. 16, the power monitoring database DB stores power monitoring information EB1 that records the power amounts of home appliances HA installed in house HS1, power monitoring information EB2 that records the power amounts of home appliances installed in house HS2, and power monitoring information EB3 that records the power amounts of home appliances installed in house HS3. Furthermore, in Fig. 16, for ease of understanding, the unit power amount updated in the processing of step S40 in the first embodiment is displayed as a fine unit power amount. Fig. 16 shows an example in which an air conditioner is selected as the type of the first home appliance in step S52.

[0135] In step S54, the determination unit 115A searches the power monitoring database DB for records in which the home appliance type is air conditioner, and extracts the refined unit power energy from the found records. In the example of FIG. 16, the determination unit 115A extracts the refined unit power energy of two records from power monitoring information EB1, and one record each from power monitoring information EB2 and power monitoring information EB3. Then, in step S56, the determination unit 115A calculates the average of the four extracted refined unit power energies. In the example of FIG. 16, the determination unit 115A calculates the average refined unit power energy of the air conditioner to be 0.7 [kWh].

[0136] Returning to Fig. 14 for the explanation, the display control unit 117A displays, on the display device 15, display information DI relating to the power consumption of each of the M home appliances HA during a specific period and average display information DMI relating to the average power consumption during the specific period. More specifically, the display control unit 117A transmits the display information DI and the average display information DMI to the PC 10A. The receiving unit 118 updates the power monitoring information EBA based on the display information DI and the average display information DMI, and then displays the display information DI and the average display information DMI on the display device 15.

[0137] For example, when the display information DI is a character string indicating the amount of power consumed by each home appliance HA during a specific period, the average display information DMI is a character string indicating the average amount of power consumed by home appliances of the same type as each of the M home appliances HA during the specific period. Alternatively, when the display information DI is a bar graph indicating the amount of power consumed by each home appliance HA, the average display information DMI may be a bar graph indicating the average amount of power consumed during the specific period.

[0138] Furthermore, the display control unit 117A may display, on the display device 15, recommendation information REI indicating whether or not replacing the home appliance HA is recommended, in addition to the display information DI and the average display information DMI. In the second embodiment, the display control unit 117A is described as displaying the recommendation information REI on the display device 15. The display control unit 117A generates the recommendation information REI based on the display information DI and the average display information DMI. For example, when a value obtained by subtracting the average power consumption during the specific period from the power consumption of each home appliance HA during the specific period is equal to or greater than a threshold, the display control unit 117A generates, as the recommendation information REI, a character string recommending replacing the home appliance HA. The display control unit 117A transmits the recommendation information REI to the PC 10A in addition to the display information DI and the average display information DMI. The receiving unit 118 stores the display information DI, the average display information DMI, and the recommendation information REI in power monitoring information EBA, and then displays the power monitoring information EBA. A specific example of the power monitoring information EBA will be described with reference to FIG. 17.

[0139] Fig. 17 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of the power monitoring information EBA. The display control unit 117A displays the power monitoring information EBA shown in Fig. 17 on the display device 15. Fig. 17 shows an example in which the display information DI is a character string indicating the amount of power consumed by each home appliance HA during a specific period, and the average display information DMI is a character string indicating the average amount of power consumed by M home appliances of the same type as each of the home appliances HA during the specific period. Furthermore, if the value obtained by subtracting the average amount of power consumed during the specific period from the amount of power consumed by each home appliance HA during the specific period is 2 [kWh] or more, the character "O" is displayed, which recommends replacing each home appliance HA.

[0140] 17, for example, when air conditioner HA3, which has "Air Conditioner (First Floor)" set as the home appliance name, is the "first device," display device 15 displays "20.4 kWh" as information related to the amount of power consumed by air conditioner HA3 during the specific period, and "16.0 kWh" as information related to the average amount of power consumed during the specific period. Furthermore, because the value obtained by subtracting the average amount of power consumed during the specific period from the amount of power consumed by air conditioner HA3 during the specific period is 2 kWh or more, display device 15 displays the character "◯" to recommend replacing air conditioner HA3.

[0141] 2-2. Summary of the second embodiment The second embodiment will be summarized using an example in which the air conditioner HA3 is the "first device."

[0142] As described above, according to the second embodiment, the acquisition unit 113A acquires operation information WI and power information EI for each of multiple households, including the household residing in the house HS1 (an example of a "first household"). The determination unit 115A determines the amount of power consumed by each home appliance (an example of an "appliance") for each of the multiple households over a specific period, and determines the average amount of power consumed over the specific period for home appliances of the same type as the air conditioner HA3 included in the N home appliances HA used in the households residing in the house HS1, among two or more home appliances used in the multiple households. The display control unit 117A displays information about the amount of power consumed by the air conditioner HA3 over the specific period and information about the average amount of power consumed over the specific period on the display device 15. In the first embodiment, even if the display shows that the power consumption of the air conditioner HA3 during a specific period is high, the resident U1 cannot distinguish whether this is appropriate because the power consumption of the air conditioner HA3 was originally high, or whether the power consumption is high because the performance of the air conditioner HA3 has deteriorated over time. In the second embodiment, by displaying information regarding the average power consumption during a specific period on the display device 15, if the power consumption of the air conditioner HA3 during a specific period is significantly higher than the average power consumption during the specific period, the resident U1 can determine that the performance of the air conditioner HA3 has deteriorated and the power consumption is high. In this way, according to the second embodiment, by displaying the average power consumption, it is possible to visualize the power-saving effect of replacing the home appliance HA, which is difficult for individuals to notice. Furthermore, according to the second embodiment, by visualizing the power-saving effect, it is possible to encourage purchasing home appliances HA.

[0143] 3. Third embodiment In the first embodiment, the determination unit 115 and the determination unit 115A set the reference power amount information STI as the unit power amount and refined the unit power amount, but the method for determining the unit power amount is not limited to this. A third embodiment will be described below.

[0144] 3-1. Functions of the third embodiment 18 is a diagram showing the functions of a power monitoring system SYB in the third embodiment. The power monitoring system SYB differs from the power monitoring system SY in that it has a PC 10B instead of the PC 10.

[0145] The PC 10B differs from the PC 10 in that it has a processing device 11B instead of the processing device 11 and a storage device 12B instead of the storage device 12. The processing device 11B differs from the processing device 11 in that it executes the power monitoring program PR2 in the third embodiment to function as an acquisition unit 113B, a determination unit 115B, and a display control unit 117. The storage device 12B differs from the storage device 12 in that it does not store reference power amount information STI.

[0146] The acquiring unit 113B differs from the acquiring unit 113 in that it does not acquire reference power amount information STI. In the third embodiment, the power information EI acquired by the acquiring unit 113B indicates the total amount of power consumed by N home appliances HA per unit period. The operation information WI will be described as indicating the start time when each home appliance HA started operating and the end time when each home appliance HA ended operating.

[0147] The determination unit 115B determines the amount of power consumed by each of the N home appliances HA in a specific period based on N or more relationships between the amount of power consumed per unit period indicated by the power information EI and the start time and end time of each home appliance HA indicated by the operation information WI. Specific processing performed by the determination unit 115B will be described with reference to FIG. 19.

[0148] 19 is a flowchart showing an example of the power amount determination process performed by the determination unit 115B. The determination unit 115A identifies the operation period of each home appliance HA for each unit period from the operation information WI (step S72). In the third embodiment, the determination unit 115A identifies the operation period of each home appliance HA for each of 48 unit periods from the operation information WI for one day. Next, the determination unit 115A executes the least squares method to identify the unit power amount of each home appliance HA from N or more relationships between the power amount for each unit period and the operation period of each home appliance HA for each unit period (step S74).

[0149] The processing of step S74 will be described. To simplify the explanation, it will be assumed that the two or more home appliances HA arranged in the house HS1 are an air conditioner and a heater. The least squares method is a method of finding the condition that minimizes the residual sum of squares RSS, which is the sum of the squares of the residuals, for each of two or more combinations of actual values ​​and predicted values. If the unit power consumption of the air conditioner in a unit period is UY and the unit power consumption of the heater in a unit period is UX, 48 combinations of (actual value, predicted value) can be generated as shown below.

[0150] (Z1,UY×B1+UX×A1) (Z2, UY x B2 + UX x A2) … (Z48 ,UY×B 48 +UX×A 48 )

[0151] However, Z k is the actual energy consumption in the kth unit period. k is an integer between 1 and 48. B k is the operating period of the air conditioner in the kth unit period, and A UP is the operating period of the heater in a certain unit period UP. Since the number of combinations is 48, it is greater than or equal to 2, which is the number N of home appliances HA.

[0152] In step S74, the determination unit 115B specifies the unit power amount UY and the unit power amount UX that minimize the residual sum of squares RSS of the following equation (5).

[0153]

number

[0154] 3-2. Summary of the third embodiment As described above, in the third embodiment, the power information EI indicates the actual amount of power consumed by N home appliances HA for each unit period (an example of "total amount of power"), the operation information WI indicates the start time when each home appliance started operating and the end time when each appliance stopped operating, and the number of home appliances HA is two or more is N (N is an integer equal to or greater than two). The determination unit 115B estimates the unit amount of power per unit period of each home appliance based on N or more relationships between the amount of power per unit period indicated by the power information EI and the start time and end time of each home appliance HA indicated by the operation information WI. Then, the determination unit 115B determines the amount of power of each home appliance HA for a specific period based on the estimated unit amount of power per unit period of each appliance. According to the third embodiment, similarly to the first embodiment, the resident U1 can grasp the amount of power consumed by each home appliance HA during a specific period.

[0155] Furthermore, the power amount determination method in the third embodiment can determine the power amount of each home appliance HA without using the reference power amount information STI, as compared with the power amount determination method in the first embodiment. On the other hand, the power amount determination method in the first embodiment can simplify the configuration by not using the least squares method, as compared with the power amount determination method in the third embodiment.

[0156] The estimation of the unit power consumption per unit period of each home appliance HA performed by the determination unit 115 satisfies the condition that the sum of squared residuals between the power consumption for the unit period indicated by the power information EI and the total power consumption of each home appliance HA for the unit period is minimum. According to the third embodiment, the accuracy of the amount of power of each home appliance HA can be improved by using the least squares method.

[0157] Furthermore, when the first and third embodiments are included, the processing device 11 functions as an acquisition unit 113 and a determination unit 115. The acquisition unit 113 acquires operation information WI related to the operation periods of N home appliances HA that are placed in the house HS and consume power, and power information EI related to the total amount of power consumed by the N appliances throughout the house HS. The determination unit 115 determines the amount of power consumed by each of the N home appliances HA for a specific period, based on the operation information WI and the power information EI. According to the first and third embodiments, the resident U1 can grasp the amount of power consumed by each home appliance HA for a specific period.

[0158] The first and third embodiments are also specified as power monitoring methods.

[0159] In addition, the third embodiment is an embodiment in which the aspect of determining the unit power amount by the least squares method is applied to the first embodiment, but it is also possible to apply the aspect of determining the unit power amount by the least squares method to the second embodiment.

[0160] 4. Variations The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described exemplary embodiments. Specific modified embodiments are exemplified below. Two or more embodiments selected from the following examples may be combined. Furthermore, the above-described exemplary embodiments and the following modified embodiments may be combined in any combination as long as they are not mutually inconsistent.

[0161] 4-1. Variation 1 In each of the above-described aspects, the processing device 11 functions as the estimation unit 111, but the processing device 21 of the management server 20 may function as the estimation unit 111. The processing device 11 may transmit operation estimation information to the management server 20, and the processing device 21 may generate operation information WI.

[0162] 4-2. Variation 2 In each of the above-described embodiments, it has been described that the estimated operating devices are installed in the house HS, but the estimated operating devices do not have to be installed. For example, the PC 10 may generate the operating information WI through an input operation by the resident U1.

[0163] 4-3. Variation 3 In the first and third embodiments, and the modified examples of the first and third embodiments, if the PC 10 can obtain the power information EI directly from the power meter EM, the power monitoring system SY does not need to have the management server 20.

[0164] 4-4.Other (1) Note that the block diagrams used in the description of each of the above-described embodiments show functional blocks. These functional blocks (components) are realized by any combination of at least one of hardware and software. Furthermore, the method of realizing each functional block is not particularly limited. That is, each functional block may be realized using a single device that is physically or logically coupled, or may be realized using two or more physically or logically separated devices that are connected directly or indirectly (for example, by wire, wirelessly, etc.) and these multiple devices. The functional block may also be realized by combining the single device or multiple devices with software.

[0165] (2) Functions include, but are not limited to, judgment, determination, assessment, calculation, computation, processing, derivation, investigation, search, confirmation, reception, transmission, output, access, resolution, selection, selection, establishment, comparison, assumption, expectation, consideration, broadcasting, notifying, communicating, forwarding, configuring, reconfiguring, allocation, mapping, and assignment. For example, a functional block (component) that performs transmission is called a transmitting unit or transmitter. As mentioned above, there are no particular limitations on how these functions are implemented.

[0166] (3) The power monitoring program PR2 described above is a program that causes a computer to execute at least some of the operations described in the above-described embodiments and modifications. While the various processes described above have been described as being executed by one processing device 11, one processing device 11A, one processing device 11B, or one processing device 21, they may alternatively be executed simultaneously or sequentially by two processing devices 11B. The two processing devices 11, the two processing devices 11A, and the two processing devices 11B may be implemented by one or more chips. The power monitoring program PR2 may be transmitted via a network NW.

[0167] (4) Similarly, the power monitoring program PR4 described above is a program that causes a computer to execute at least some of the operations described in the above-described embodiments and modifications. While the various processes described above have been described as being executed by one processing device 21A, they may alternatively be executed simultaneously or sequentially by two processing devices 21A. The two processing devices 21A may be implemented by one or more chips. The power monitoring program PR4 may also be transmitted via a network NW.

[0168] (5) In the above-described embodiment, storage device 12, storage device 12A, storage device 12B, storage device 22, and storage device 22A are exemplified by ROM and RAM, but they may also be flexible disks, magneto-optical disks (e.g., compact disks, digital versatile disks, Blu-ray (registered trademark) discs), smart cards, flash memory devices (e.g., cards, sticks, key drives), CD-ROMs (Compact Disc-ROMs), registers, removable disks, hard disks, floppy (registered trademark) disks, magnetic strips, databases, servers, or other suitable storage media. The programs may also be transmitted via a network NW.

[0169] (6) Each embodiment and each modification example described in the present disclosure may be applied to at least one of systems using LTE, LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), SUPER 3G, IMT-Advanced, 4G, 5G (5th generation mobile communication system), FRA (Future Radio Access), NR (New Radio), W-CDMA (registered trademark), GSM (registered trademark), CDMA2000, UMB (Ultra Mobile Broadband), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX (registered trademark), IEEE 802.20, UWB (Ultra-Wideband), Bluetooth, and other appropriate systems, and next-generation systems extended based on these. Furthermore, a combination of multiple systems (e.g., a combination of at least one of LTE and LTE-A with 5G) may also be applied.

[0170] (7) The order of the procedures, sequences, flowcharts, etc. of the embodiments and variations described in this disclosure may be changed as long as it is consistent. For example, the methods described in this disclosure present elements of various steps using an example order, and are not limited to the specific order presented.

[0171] (8) Input and output information may be stored in a specific location (e.g., memory) or managed using a management table. Input and output information may be overwritten, updated, or added to. Output information may be deleted. Input information may be sent to another device.

[0172] (9) The determination may be made based on a value represented by one bit (0 or 1), a Boolean (true or false), or a numerical comparison (e.g., comparison with a predetermined value).

[0173] (10) Each aspect / embodiment described in this disclosure may be used alone, in combination, or switched depending on the implementation. Notification of predetermined information (e.g., notification that "X is true") is not limited to explicit notification, but may be implicit (e.g., not notifying the predetermined information). Although the present disclosure has been described in detail above, it is clear to those skilled in the art that the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described herein. The present disclosure can be implemented in modified and altered forms without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the claims. Therefore, the description of the present disclosure is intended to be illustrative and does not have any limiting meaning on the present disclosure.

[0174] (11) Software shall be construed broadly to mean instructions, instruction sets, code, code segments, program code, programs, subprograms, software modules, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executable files, threads of execution, procedures, functions, etc., whether referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or otherwise. Software, instructions, information, etc. may also be transmitted or received over a transmission medium. For example, if software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using wired technologies (such as coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, Digital Subscriber Line (DSL)), and / or wireless technologies (such as infrared, microwave), then these wired and / or wireless technologies are included within the definition of transmission media.

[0175] (12) As used in this disclosure, the terms "system" and "network" are used interchangeably.

[0176] (13) Furthermore, the information, parameters, etc. described in this disclosure may be expressed using absolute values, relative values ​​from a predetermined value, or other corresponding information.

[0177] (14) At least one of the server and the client may be called a transmitting device, a receiving device, a communication device, etc. At least one of the server and the client may be a device mounted on a mobile object, the mobile object itself, etc. The mobile object may be a vehicle (e.g., a car, an airplane, etc.), an unmanned mobile object (e.g., a drone, an autonomous vehicle, etc.), or a robot (manned or unmanned). At least one of the server and the client may also include devices that do not necessarily move during communication operations. For example, at least one of the base station and the mobile station may be an IoT (Internet of Things) device such as a sensor. Furthermore, the management server 20 in the present disclosure may be interpreted as a client terminal. For example, each aspect / embodiment of the present disclosure may be applied to a configuration in which communication between a server and a client terminal is replaced with communication between multiple user terminals (which may be called, for example, D2D (Device-to-Device) or V2X (Vehicle-to-Everything)). In this case, the client terminal may be configured to have the functions of the above-mentioned management server 20. Similarly, the PC 10 in the present disclosure may be read as a server, in which case the PC 10 may have the functions of the management server 20 described above.

[0178] (15) As used in this disclosure, the terms "determining" and "determining" may encompass a wide variety of actions. "Determining" and "determining" may include, for example, judging, calculating, computing, processing, deriving, investigating, looking up, searching, inquiring (e.g., searching a table, database, or other data structure), ascertaining, and the like. "Determining" and "determining" may also include receiving (e.g., receiving information), transmitting (e.g., sending information), input, output, accessing (e.g., accessing data in memory), and the like. Furthermore, "judgment" and "decision" can include regarding resolving, selecting, choosing, establishing, comparing, etc. as having been "judged" or "decided." In other words, "judgment" and "decision" can include regarding some action as having been "judged" or "decided." Furthermore, "judgment (decision)" can be interpreted as "assuming," "expecting," "considering," etc.

[0179] (16) The terms "connected," "coupled," or any variation thereof, refer to any direct or indirect connection or coupling between two or more elements, and may include the presence of one or more intermediate elements between two elements that are "connected" or "coupled" to each other. The coupling or connection between elements may be physical, logical, or a combination thereof. For example, "connected" may be read as "access." As used in this disclosure, two elements may be considered to be "connected" or "coupled" to each other using at least one of one or more wires, cables, and printed electrical connections, as well as electromagnetic energy having wavelengths in the radio frequency range, microwave range, and optical (both visible and invisible) range, as some non-limiting and non-exhaustive examples.

[0180] (17) As used in this disclosure, the phrase "based on" does not mean "based only on," unless expressly stated otherwise. In other words, the phrase "based on" means both "based only on" and "based at least on."

[0181] (18) As used in this disclosure, any reference to an element using a designation such as "first" does not generally limit the quantity or order of those elements. These designations may be used in this disclosure as a convenient method of distinguishing between two or more elements. Thus, a reference to a first and a second element does not imply that only two elements may be employed or that the first element must in some way precede the second element.

[0182] (19) When used in this disclosure, the terms "include," "including," and variations thereof are intended to be inclusive, similar to the term "comprising." Furthermore, when used in this disclosure, the term "or" is not intended to be an exclusive or.

[0183] (20) In this disclosure, where articles are added by translation, such as a, an, and the in English, this disclosure may include the nouns following these articles being plural. [Explanation of symbols]

[0184] 10, 10A, 10B...PC, 11, 11A, 11B...processing device, 12, 12A, 12B...storage device, 13...communication device, 14...near-field wireless communication device, 15...display device, 16...input device, 19...bus, 20, 20A...management server, 21, 21A...processing device, 22, 22A...storage device, 23...communication device, 29...bus, 110...registration unit, 111...estimation unit, 112...transmission unit, 113, 113A, 113B...acquisition unit, 115 ,115A, 115B...Decision unit, 117, 117A...Display control unit, 118...Receiving unit, BTa1, BTb1...Add button, BTa2, BTb2...Next button, BTc1...Registration completion button, CI...Video information, CM...Network camera, CR...Cursor, DDL1, DDL2, DDL3...Drop-down list, DI...Display information, DMI...Average display information, DR1...Display area, E...Estimated power consumption, EB, EB1, EB2, EB3,EBA...power monitoring information, EI...power information, EM,EM1,EM2,EM3...power meter, HA...home appliance, HA1...television, HA2,HA4...light, HA3,HA5...air conditioner, HS,HS1,HS2,HS3...house, HWa...home appliance registration screen, HWb...estimated operation device registration screen, HWc...association screen, IT1...input area, NW...network, PR1,PR3...control program, PR2,PR4...power monitoring program, REI...recommended information, RI...remote control output information, RM...remote control, SI...resident information, SR1,SR2,SR3...selection area, ST4...selection area, STI...reference power amount information, STIR,STIR-1,STIR-10...record, SW...smart watch, SY,SYA,SYB...power monitoring system, TB...text box, U1...resident, UP,UP1,UP2,UP3...unit period, WI...operation information.

Claims

1. an acquisition unit that acquires operation information relating to a period during which two or more appliances that are installed in a house and consume power are operated, and power information relating to a total amount of power consumed by the two or more appliances in the entire house; a determination unit that determines the amount of power of each of the two or more devices during a first period based on the operation information and the power information; A power monitoring device comprising:

2. the power information indicates a total amount of power consumed by the two or more devices per unit period; the operation information indicates a period during which each of the devices has been operating; The acquisition unit further acquires reference power amount information regarding the reference power amount per unit period according to the types of the two or more devices, The determination unit setting the reference amount of power to the unit amount of power per unit period; executing an estimation process for estimating an estimated amount of power, which is the amount of power used by the entire house in one unit period, based on the unit amount of power per unit period and the period during which each of the devices was operated, which is indicated by the operation information; performing a comparison process for comparing the estimated amount of power with the total amount of power indicated by the power information during the one unit period; executing an update process of performing either a process of reducing a unit amount of power per unit period corresponding to a device that operated in the one unit period when the estimated amount of power in the one unit period is greater than the total amount of power, or a process of increasing a unit amount of power per unit period corresponding to a device that operated in the one unit period when the estimated amount of power in the one unit period is less than the total amount of power; after performing the update process in the one unit period, determining the amount of power of each of the devices in the first period based on the unit amount of power per unit period of each of the devices obtained by repeatedly performing the estimation process, the comparison process, and the update process with a unit period next to the one unit period as the one unit period; The power monitoring device according to claim 1 .

3. The determination unit 3. The power monitoring device according to claim 2, wherein the amount of increase or decrease in the unit power amount per unit period corresponding to the equipment operated in the one unit period is determined according to the difference between the estimated power amount and the total power amount.

4. the power information indicates a total amount of power consumed by the two or more devices per unit period; the operation information indicates a start time when each of the devices starts operation and a finish time when each of the devices finishes operation; The number of the two or more devices is N (N is an integer of two or more), The determination unit estimating a unit power amount per unit period of each of the devices based on N or more relationships between the power amount per unit period indicated by the power information and the start time and end time of each of the devices indicated by the operation information; determining the amount of power of each of the devices in the first period based on the estimated unit amount of power per unit period of each of the devices; The power monitoring device according to claim 1 .

5. the estimation of the unit power amount per unit period of each of the devices performed by the determination unit satisfies a condition that a residual sum of squares between the power amount for the unit period indicated by the power information and a total of the power amounts of each of the devices for the unit period is minimized; The power monitoring device according to claim 4 .

6. The power monitoring device according to claim 1 , further comprising a display control unit that displays, on a display device, information about the amount of power of each of the devices during the first period determined by the determination unit.

7. the acquisition unit acquires the operation information and the power information for each of a plurality of households including a first household residing in the house; The determination unit determining the amount of power of each device in the first period for each of the plurality of households; determining an average amount of power during the first period for a device of the same type as a first device included in the two or more devices used in the first household, among the two or more devices used in the plurality of households; The display control unit displaying, on the display device, information regarding the amount of power consumed by the first device during the first period and information regarding the average amount of power consumed during the first period; The power monitoring device according to claim 6.

8. the operation information is based on operation estimation information that can estimate a period during which any one of the two or more devices has been in operation, The operation estimation information is output from at least one of a controller capable of notifying any one of the two or more devices of a start instruction to start operation and an end instruction to end operation, a sensor that acquires one or both of a sound generated in the house and an image of the house, and a wearable device worn by a person living in the house. The power monitoring device according to claim 1 .

9. The computer acquiring operation information relating to a period during which two or more appliances that are installed in a house and consume power were in operation, and power information relating to a total amount of power consumed by the two or more appliances in the entire house; determining an amount of power for each of the two or more devices during a first period based on the operation information and the power information; Power monitoring method.

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