Control system, control device, and control method

Abstract

To provide a control system, a control device, and a control method for obtaining information for performing demand control even in the case where wiring itself is difficult while reducing a cost for wiring between the control device and power receiving equipment.SOLUTION: A control system includes an edge device 10-1, which is a first control device that communicates with power receiving equipment 9 in a wired manner, and an edge device 10-2, which is one or more second control devices connected to a device 30 that consumes a power. The first control device includes a first control part, the first control part acquires power consumption information of the device from the power receiving equipment, and the first control part transmits the power consumption information or information based on the power consumption information to the second control device.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a control system, a control device, and a control method. [Background technology]

[0002] Demand control is known, which monitors the amount of power consumed by business facilities such as factories and reduces power consumption when an increase in power consumption is predicted. The demand control device periodically calculates the amount of power consumption and suppresses the power consumption of the equipment so that it does not exceed a set target power consumption.

[0003] There is known a technology for controlling the demand for power consumption at multiple bases using one server (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Patent Document 1 discloses a management server that monitors the received power at an integrated power receiving point, determines the amount of output adjustment for multiple bases so that the received power is reduced from the baseline power by the requested reduction power, and distributes the amount of output adjustment to each base. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-156132 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, for example, when the power receiving equipment is on a utility pole, the power receiving equipment and each control device are far away, and underground wiring may be necessary, which increases the installation cost. Also, for example, when the power receiving equipment is shared between service areas on both the inbound and outbound sides of a highway, it may be impossible to lay the wiring because it would require crossing an elevated road.

[0006] The present disclosure provides a technique for reducing the cost of wiring a control device and a power receiving facility, and for the control device to acquire information for demand control even when the wiring itself is difficult. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A first aspect of the present disclosure is A control system including a first control device that communicates with a power receiving facility via a wired connection and one or more second control devices that are connected to power consuming devices, the first control device has a first control unit, the first control unit acquires power consumption information of the device from the power receiving facility; The first control unit transmits the power consumption information or information based on the power consumption information to the second control device.

[0008] According to the first aspect of the present disclosure, it is possible to reduce the cost of wiring the control device and the power receiving equipment, and also to obtain information for demand control even when the wiring itself is difficult.

[0009] A second aspect of the present disclosure is the control system according to the first aspect, The first control unit determines a demand level, a difference between demand levels, or a margin for a target power consumption amount based on the power consumption information; The demand level, the difference between the demand levels, or the margin for the target power consumption amount is transmitted to the second control device.

[0010] A third aspect of the present disclosure is the control system according to the first aspect, the first control unit transmits the power consumption information to the second control device; the second control device has a second control unit, The second control unit determines its own demand level, a difference between demand levels, or a margin for a target power consumption amount based on the power consumption information.

[0011] A fourth aspect of the present disclosure is a control system according to the first or second aspect, the second control device has a second control unit, When communication with the first control device is interrupted, the second control unit Based on information acquired before the disruption or information that can be acquired after the disruption, the demand level, the difference in the demand level, or the margin for the target power consumption amount is determined.

[0012] A fifth aspect of the present disclosure is the control system according to the first aspect, the control system includes a server device; The first control unit transmits the power consumption information or information based on the power consumption information to the second control device via the server device.

[0013] A sixth aspect of the present disclosure is a control system according to the fifth aspect, the third control unit determines the second control device in the same control group as the first control device that transmitted the power consumption information or information based on the power consumption information, based on information about the control device pre-registered in the server device; The power consumption information or information based on the power consumption information is transmitted to the second control device in the same control group as the first control device.

[0014] A seventh aspect of the present disclosure is a control system according to the fifth aspect, the first control unit determines the second control device in the same control group as the first control device based on information about the control device pre-registered in the first control device; When transmitting the power consumption information or information based on the power consumption information to the server device, the first control unit instructs the server device to select the second control device in the same control group as the first control device as the destination of the power consumption information or information based on the power consumption information.

[0015] An eighth aspect of the present disclosure is a control system according to any one of the fifth to seventh aspects, When communication with the server device is interrupted, the second control unit Based on information acquired before the communication is interrupted or information that can be acquired after the communication is interrupted, the device determines its own demand level, the difference in demand level, or the margin for the target power consumption amount.

[0016] A ninth aspect of the present disclosure is a control system according to the eighth aspect, When the second control unit determines that communication with the server device has been interrupted, the second control unit determines whether or not demand control is necessary based on information acquired before the communication was interrupted or information that can be acquired after the communication was interrupted; When it is determined that demand control is necessary, the device determines its own demand level, the difference in demand level, or the margin for the target power consumption amount based on information obtained before the communication is interrupted or information that can be obtained after the communication is interrupted.

[0017] A tenth aspect of the present disclosure is a control system according to any one of the fifth to seventh aspects, the second control device has a second control unit, When the second control unit determines that communication with the server device has been cut off, it performs demand control at a maximum demand level.

[0018] An eleventh aspect of the present disclosure is A control device that communicates with power receiving equipment via a wire, A first control unit is provided. the first control unit is capable of communicating with one or more second control devices connected to power consuming devices; the first control unit acquires power consumption information of the device from the power receiving facility; The first control unit transmits the power consumption information or information based on the power consumption information to the second control device.

[0019] According to the eleventh aspect of the present disclosure, the cost for wiring the control device and the power receiving facility can be reduced, and information for demand control can be acquired even when the wiring itself is difficult.

[0020] A twelfth aspect of the present disclosure is a first control device that communicates with the power receiving equipment via a wire; A control method performed by a control system including one or more second control devices connected to a power consuming device, the method comprising: A process in which a first control unit included in the first control device acquires power consumption information of the device from the power receiving facility; The first control unit performs a process of transmitting the power consumption information or information based on the power consumption information to the second control device.

[0021] According to the twelfth aspect of the present disclosure, the cost for wiring the control device and the power receiving facility can be reduced, and information for demand control can be obtained even when the wiring itself is difficult. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0022] [Figure 1] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a comparative example of a configuration in which power consumption information is shared between edge devices 10-1 and 10-2. [Figure 2A] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a control system. [Figure 2B] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a control system. [Figure 3] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a system configuration of a control system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a hardware configuration of an edge device. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a hardware configuration of a cloud server. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is an example of a functional block diagram illustrating functions of an edge device 10-1, an edge device 10-2, and a cloud server in a control system, with the functions divided into blocks. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a destination determination table stored in a storage unit. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is an example of a functional block diagram illustrating in detail the function of a demand control unit. [Figure 9] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating an example of a target power consumption amount management table and a demand level table. [Figure 10] 10A and 10B are diagrams for schematically explaining a process for determining whether power consumption information is likely to exceed a target power consumption amount. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a method for determining a demand level. [Figure 12] 10 is an example of a sequence diagram illustrating a process in which the edge device 10-1 transmits a demand level to the edge devices 10-2 and 10-3 via a cloud server. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is an example of a flowchart illustrating a process in which an edge device estimates a demand level. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a demand level estimation model. [Figure 15] 10 is an example of a sequence diagram illustrating a process in which edge device 10-1 transmits power consumption information to a cloud server, and the cloud server transmits a demand level to edge devices 10-1 to 10-3. [Figure 16] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a modified example of the system configuration of the control system. [Figure 17] 1 is an example of a functional block diagram illustrating functions of an edge device 10-1 and an edge device 10-2 in a control system, divided into blocks. [Figure 18] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of an edge device management table pre-registered in a storage unit. [Figure 19] 10 is an example of a sequence diagram illustrating a process in which an edge device 10-1 transmits a demand level to edge devices 10-2 and 10-3 without going through a cloud server. [Figure 20] FIG. 10 is an example of a sequence diagram illustrating a process in which each edge device determines a demand level. [Figure 21] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a control system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0023] A control system and a control method performed by the control system will be described below as an example of an embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] <Comparative Example of Configuration in Which Edge Device 10-1 and Edge Device 10-2 Share Power Consumption Information> FIG. 1 shows a comparative example of a configuration in which edge device 10-1 and edge device 10-2 share power consumption information. The comparative example is an example for understanding the features of this embodiment and is not necessarily a prior art. Edge device 10-1 and edge device 10-2 are connected to power receiving equipment 9 via wires 35 and 36. Power receiving equipment 9 transmits information about power consumption consumed in the facility to edge devices 10-1 and 10-2. One or more air conditioners 33 are connected to edge devices 10-1 and 10-2, respectively, and edge devices 10-1 and 10-2 perform demand control of air conditioners 33 according to the power consumption information. Demand control refers to control to reduce power consumption.

[0025] In this way, when there are multiple edge devices 10-1, 10-2, the power receiving equipment 9 transmits power consumption information to each of the edge devices 10-1, 10-2. For this reason, wiring is required to connect each of the edge devices 10-1, 10-2 to the power receiving equipment 9.

[0026] Because wiring is required between each edge device and the power receiving equipment 9, the wiring cost increases depending on the length of the wiring, and furthermore, installation work for laying the wiring is required when installing the air conditioner 33. Also, because the edge devices 10-1 and 10-2 receive power consumption information, each edge device 10-1 and 10-2 performs demand control according to the power consumption information.

[0027] <System configuration example of embodiment> Therefore, in the following embodiment, only the edge device 10-1 is connected to the power receiving facility 9 by wire, and the edge device 10-1 transmits power consumption information or information based on the power consumption information to one or more other edge devices 10-2. The information based on the power consumption information is at least one of the demand level, the difference between the demand levels, or the margin for the target power consumption. These will be described in detail later.

[0028] FIG. 2A shows a schematic configuration diagram of a control system 100 according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2A, a power receiving facility 9 and an edge device 10-1 (an example of a first control device) are connected by a wire 35, but an edge device 10-2 (an example of a second control device) and the power receiving facility 9 are not connected by a wire. Meanwhile, the control system 100 newly includes a cloud server 50. The cloud server 50 and the edge device 10-1 can communicate via a network (wired or wireless). In the configuration of FIG. 2A, the edge devices 10-1 and 10-2 can share power consumption information or information based on the power consumption information as follows. (1) The edge device 10-1 transmits the power consumption information or information based on the power consumption information received from the power receiving facility 9 to the cloud server 50, and the cloud server 50 transmits the power consumption information or information based on the power consumption information to the edge device 10-2.

[0029] 2B is a schematic diagram of the control system 100 according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 2B, the control system 100 does not include a cloud server 50, but the edge devices 10-1 and 10-2 can communicate wirelessly. In the configuration of FIG. 2B, the edge devices 10-1 and 10-2 can share power consumption information or information based on the power consumption information as follows. (2) The edge device 10-1 transmits the power consumption information or information based on the power consumption information received from the power receiving equipment 9 to the edge device 10-2 by wireless communication without going through the cloud server 50.

[0030] In both cases of FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B, when the edge device 10-1 transmits the power consumption information itself to the edge device 10-2, the edge device 10-2 determines the demand level according to the power consumption information and performs demand control.

[0031] In this way, since the edge device 10-1 of this embodiment is connected to the power receiving facility 9 by wire, there is a low possibility of communication being interrupted. Also, if the edge device 10-1 transmits the demand level or the difference in the demand levels to one or more other edge devices 10-2, etc., the edge device 10-2 does not need to determine the demand level. In this way, the edge device 10-1 can make the edge device 10-2 share the same demand level. Alternatively, the edge device 10-1 can make the edge device 10-2 share different demand levels.

[0032] Hereinafter, the system configuration in FIG. 2A will be described in detail as a first embodiment, and the system configuration in FIG. 2B will be described in detail as a second embodiment.

[0033] <Terminology> The information based on the power consumption information may be any information that allows the edge devices 10-1 and 10-2 to control demand. In this embodiment, the information based on the power consumption information is at least one of the demand level, the difference in demand level, and the margin for the target power consumption. The demand level is the shut-off level when shutting off the capacity of an air conditioner or the like so as not to exceed the target power consumption (upper limit). The higher the demand level, the higher the shut-off level, and the greater the reduction in power consumption. The difference in demand level is the difference between the current demand level and the newly determined demand level, and is the amount of change in the demand level. The margin for the target power consumption is, for example, "(target power consumption - current power consumption) / target power consumption," and indicates how much margin there is for the target power consumption.

[0034] The first control device is a device that communicates with the power receiving equipment 9 via a wired connection, and the second control device is a control device that is connected to the air conditioner 33 or the like that consumes power. The first control device may or may not be connected to the air conditioner 33 or the like. There may be multiple second control devices. Control by the control device refers to demand control and control of the air conditioner 33 or the like.

[0035] [First embodiment] In this embodiment, a control system 100 in which edge devices 10-1 and 10-2 communicate with each other via a cloud server 50 will be described.

[0036] <Control system configuration> The system configuration of the control system 100 will be described with reference to Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a system configuration diagram of the control system 100 in this embodiment.

[0037] The control system 100 provides a variety of IoT-based services to administrators and general users by allowing various devices 30, such as air conditioners and lighting devices, to communicate with a cloud server 50 via edge devices 10-1 to 10-n. As an example, the edge devices 10-1 to 10-n, devices 30-1 to 30-n, sensor switches 31-1 to 31-n, and user terminals 7 are located on the customer side, and the cloud server 50 is located in a cloud such as a data center or the Internet. Note that, hereinafter, any of the edge devices 10-1 to 10-n will be referred to as an "edge device 10," any of the devices 30-1 to 30-n will be referred to as a "device 30," and any of the sensor switches 31-1 to 31-n will be referred to as a "sensor switch 31."

[0038] The devices 30 refer to all devices that consume power, such as air conditioners 33, security equipment, heat source equipment, fire alarms, AHUs (air handling units), watt-hour meters, and lighting. The sensor switches 31 include various sensors, lamps, relays, and the like. The devices 30 and the sensor switches 31 are communicably connected to the edge device 10 via a dedicated cable or a network such as a LAN. The devices 30 and the sensor switches 31 may also be communicably connected to the edge device 10 via wireless communication.

[0039] The device 30 and the sensor switches 31 are controlled by the edge device 10. In other words, the edge device 10 applies required operations to the device 30 and the sensor switches 31 so as to suit the purposes of the device 30 and the sensor switches 31. The content of the control varies depending on the type of the device 30 and the sensor switches 31, but for example, if the device 30 is an air conditioner 33, it may include all control related to the functions of the air conditioner 33, such as cooling / heating mode, set temperature, air volume, humidity, air direction, etc., which can generally be set on the air conditioner 33. The control also includes demand control, which suppresses power consumption so as not to exceed a target power consumption.

[0040] The device 30 collects operating data appropriate for the device 30 and periodically transmits it to the edge device 10. Periodically means, for example, once per minute, once per 10 minutes, or once per 60 minutes, but this can be set by the user terminal 7 or the cloud server 50. Furthermore, the device 30 can transmit operating data to the edge device 10 in response to a request from the edge device 10 or the user terminal 7. The operating data varies depending on the device 30, but in the case of an air conditioner 33, for example, the operating data may include the high pressure and low pressure of the refrigerant, the refrigerant temperature, the fan rotation speed, and the CPU temperature of the microcomputer.

[0041] Furthermore, if the device 30 detects an abnormality, it transmits an abnormality code to the edge device 10. The device 30 that detects an abnormality stops operation. The edge device 10 transmits the abnormality code to the cloud server 50. The edge device 10 may perform the same processing with respect to the sensor switches 31. The sensor switches 31 mainly periodically transmit information about themselves and transmit abnormality codes to the edge device 10.

[0042] The edge device 10 is a controller that controls the device 30 and the sensor switches 31. The edge device 10 has functions as a control device (one of the controls is demand control) that controls the device 30 and the sensor switches 31, an information processing device that processes operation data, etc., and a communication device that communicates with the cloud server 50. The edge device 10 transmits, for example, operation data and abnormality codes received from the device 30 to the cloud server 50, and receives instructions corresponding to the data and abnormality codes from the cloud server 50. Alternatively, the edge device 10 may receive instructions from the cloud server 50 without transmitting any information to the cloud server 50 (for example, when an instruction is sent from the user terminal 7 to the cloud server 50). The edge device 10 converts the instructions into appropriate instructions depending on the models of the device 30 and the sensor switches 31, and transmits the converted instructions to the device 30 and the sensor switches 31.

[0043] The cloud server 50 is one or more information processing devices. Although one cloud server 50 is shown in FIG. 3, the cloud server 50 may be divided into several servers each with a different function. The cloud server 50 may also have its functions consolidated into a single information processing device. Alternatively, multiple cloud servers 50 with the same functions may be provided, and the multiple cloud servers 50 may communicate with each other like a server cluster to perform processing.

[0044] The cloud server 50 of this embodiment receives from the edge device 10-1 power consumption information or information based on the power consumption information that the edge device 10-1 has received from the power receiving facility 9, and shares this information with the edge devices 10-2 to 10-n. In addition, the cloud server 50 receives operation data, error codes, and the like transmitted from the edge device 10 via the network N, and generates necessary instructions. For example, in response to an error code, the cloud server 50 instructs the edge device 10 to perform emergency operation regardless of the model of the device 30. The cloud server 50 can also transmit instructions to the edge device 10 for the device 30 in accordance with a schedule or operation set by the user terminal 7.

[0045] Cloud server 50 may have the functionality of a web server. In response to requests from client software (web clients) such as a web browser operated by a user, the web server provides the clients with screen information written in HTML files, XML, CSS files, JavaScript (registered trademark), etc. Applications that use web mechanisms in this way are called web apps.

[0046] The term "cloud" in cloud server 50 is derived from cloud computing and refers to a usage pattern in which resources on a network are used without being aware of specific hardware resources. However, cloud server 50 in this embodiment may be a conventional standalone server device or a server device that is located on-premise.

[0047] The user terminal 7 is a client terminal that displays various screens provided by the cloud server 50. The user terminal 7 may be used by an administrator or a general user. There are administrators on the customer side and administrators on the control system side, but this disclosure does not distinguish between them. In addition, an administrator is a person who performs maintenance and management that are not performed by general users who use the device 30 on a daily basis.

[0048] The screens displayed by the user terminal 7 are diverse, but examples include a list screen of the equipment 30 and sensor switches 31 connected to the edge device 10 on the customer side, an in-house map showing the locations of the equipment 30 and sensor switches 31, and an operation screen for operating the equipment 30 and sensors.

[0049] The user terminal 7 may be, for example, a PC (Personal Computer), a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), or a wearable PC (such as a sunglasses type or a wristwatch type). However, it is sufficient that the user terminal 7 has a communication function and can run a web browser. Furthermore, instead of a web browser, the user terminal 7 may run a native app dedicated to the control system 100.

[0050] The power receiving equipment 9 is installed in facilities that require a relatively large amount of power, and adjusts the voltage to supply electricity suitable for the building or factory that will be used within the facility. The power receiving equipment 9 has an existing configuration. The power receiving equipment 9 may be called, for example, a cubicle or an electrical room. The power receiving equipment 9 transforms the 6600V electricity sent from the power plant into 100V or 200V electricity that can be used within the facility. Therefore, the power receiving equipment 9 also functions as a transformer.

[0051] The power receiving facility 9 has a meter for custody 9a, which receives the voltage and current transformed by a VCT (voltage transformer) and detects the power used at the facility. The meter for custody 9a is mainly installed by electric power companies at consumers' homes.

[0052] The pulse detector 9b outputs a pulse corresponding to the power detected by the meter of purchase 9a. The pulse detector 9b outputs one pulse when a certain amount of power is consumed, for example, one pulse per 1 kW-hour. The power receiving equipment 9 transmits this pulse to the edge device 10-1. The edge device 10-1 generates power consumption information by counting the number of pulses for a time shorter than the demand time (for example, 30 minutes) (for example, 30 seconds to 1 minute). The power receiving equipment 9 may also transmit the number of pulses or power consumption information accumulated for a time shorter than the demand time to the edge device 10-1.

[0053] <Hardware configuration of edge devices and server devices> Next, the hardware configuration of the edge device 10 will be described with reference to Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the edge device 10. As shown in Fig. 4, the edge device 10 has a processor 201, a memory 202, an auxiliary storage device 203, an I / F (Interface) device 204, a communication device 205, and a drive device 206. Note that the respective hardware components of the edge device 10 are connected to each other via a bus 207.

[0054] The processor 201 has various arithmetic devices such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The processor 201 reads and executes various programs on the memory 202. The processor 201 corresponds to the control unit 110 (an example of a first control unit or a second control unit) that controls the entire edge device 10.

[0055] The memory 202 has a main storage device such as a read only memory (ROM) and a random access memory (RAM). The processor 201 and the memory 202 form a so-called computer, and the processor 201 executes various programs read onto the memory 202.

[0056] The auxiliary storage device 203 stores various programs and various data used when the processor 201 executes the various programs.

[0057] The I / F device 204 is a connection device that connects the edge device 10 with the equipment 30 and sensor switches 31, which are examples of external devices.

[0058] The communication device 205 is a communication device for communicating with the cloud server 50 via the network N.

[0059] The drive device 206 is a device for loading a recording medium 210. The recording medium 210 here includes media that record information optically, electrically, or magnetically, such as a CD-ROM, a flexible disk, a magneto-optical disk, etc. The recording medium 210 may also include semiconductor memory that records information electrically, such as a ROM, a flash memory, etc.

[0060] The various programs to be installed in the auxiliary storage device 203 are installed, for example, by setting the distributed recording medium 210 in the drive device 206 and reading the various programs recorded on the recording medium 210 by the drive device 206. Alternatively, the various programs to be installed in the auxiliary storage device 203 may be installed by being downloaded from the network N via the communication device 205.

[0061] <<Cloud Server>> 5 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the cloud server 50. Note that the hardware configuration of the cloud server 50 is generally the same as the hardware configuration of the edge device 10, and therefore, the following description will focus on the differences from the hardware configuration of the edge device 10.

[0062] The processor 221 reads out and executes various programs onto the memory 222. The processor 221 corresponds to the control unit 220 (an example of a third control unit) that controls the entire cloud server 50. The I / F device 224 is a connection device that connects the display device 230 and the operation device 240, which are examples of external devices, to the cloud server 50. The display device 230 displays the internal state of the cloud server 50. The operation device 240 is used when the administrator of the cloud server 50 inputs various instructions to the cloud server 50. The communication device 225 is a communication device for communicating with the edge device 10 and the user terminal 7 via the network N.

[0063] <About the function> Next, the functional configuration of each device included in the control system 100 will be described in detail with reference to Fig. 6. Fig. 6 is an example of a functional block diagram that explains the functions of the edge device 10-1, the edge device 10-2, and the cloud server 50 in the control system 100 by dividing them into blocks.

[0064] <<Edge device 10-1>> The edge device 10-1 has a power consumption receiving unit 11, a demand control unit 12, an equipment control unit 13, and a communication unit 14. Each of these units of the edge device 10-1 is a function or means realized by the processor 201 of the edge device 10-1 executing program instructions.

[0065] The power consumption receiving unit 11 receives pulses from the power receiving equipment 9. The power consumption receiving unit 11 may receive an integrated value of pulses instead of pulses, or may receive power consumption information converted from the integrated value of pulses. For example, the power consumption receiving unit 11 integrates the received pulses. The power consumption receiving unit 11 creates power consumption information by integrating the number of pulses periodically (for example, every 30 seconds or 1 minute, which is shorter than the demand time). The power consumption information may also be created irregularly (for example, every time a pulse is received).

[0066] The demand control unit 12 performs demand control based on the power consumption information and the target power consumption amount. In this embodiment, the demand levels of all edge devices 10 in the same control group (details will be described later) are determined by the demand control. Therefore, the demand levels of all edge devices 10 in the same control group are the same. Details of the demand control will be described with reference to FIG. 10.

[0067] The device control unit 13 controls the operation of each air conditioner 33 connected to the edge device 10-1 at the demand level determined by the demand control unit 12. In addition to demand control, the device control unit 13 also controls the cooling / heating mode, set temperature, air volume, humidity, air direction, etc. of the device 30, as well as resetting the device 30.

[0068] The communication unit 14 communicates with the cloud server 50 via the network N, and in this embodiment, the communication unit 14 transmits power consumption information or information based on the power consumption information to the cloud server 50. The communication between the communication unit 14 and the cloud server 50 may be network communication such as the Internet, or may be a line connection provided by a mobile phone carrier. In the case of network communication, the communication unit 14 knows the IP address of the cloud server 50, and in the case of a line connection, the communication unit 14 knows the phone number of the cloud server 50. In the case of a line connection, the communication unit 14 has a SIM card provided by the mobile phone carrier.

[0069] <<Cloud Server>> The cloud server 50 has a receiving unit 51, a destination determining unit 52, a transmitting unit 53, and a storage unit 54. Each of these units of the cloud server 50 is a function or means realized by the processor 211 of the cloud server 50 executing program instructions.

[0070] The receiving unit 51 receives the power consumption information or information based on the power consumption information from the edge device 10-1 via the network N.

[0071] Based on the destination determination table stored in the memory unit 54, the destination determination unit 52 determines that the edge device 10 in the same control group as the edge device 10-1 is the edge device 10 to which power consumption information or information based on the power consumption information is to be transmitted.

[0072] FIG. 7 shows an example of a destination determination table stored in the storage unit 54. The destination determination table is a table used by the cloud server 50 to determine the edge device 10 to which power consumption information or information based on the power consumption information is to be transmitted. Because the cloud server 50 is shared by multiple facilities, when the cloud server 50 receives power consumption information or information based on the power consumption information, it is unclear to which facility the power consumption information or information based on the power consumption information should be transmitted. Therefore, the destination determination table pre-registers edge devices 10 in the same control group. For example, if the building, floor, or space type is the same, the comfort required for the air conditioners 33 is also the same. Therefore, edge devices 10 controlling air conditioners 33 in the same building, floor, or space type are in the same control group. Note that edge devices 10 in the same control group may be demand-controlled with the same target power consumption. In this embodiment, the same control group refers to edge devices 10 in the same facility. Whether the air conditioners 33 belong to the same control group may be determined each time based on the building, floor, or space type in which the air conditioners 33 are installed.

[0073] The destination determination table registers information about the control group and the locations where the air conditioners 33 connected to each edge device 10 condition the air. These are examples of information about the control device. The locations to be air-conditioned are identified by, for example, the building, floor, and space type. The communication information is information that enables the cloud server 50 to communicate with the edge device 10. The communication information may be, for example, the phone number, IP address, authentication information, etc. of the cloud server 50.

[0074] The transmission destination determination unit 52 determines that the power consumption information or the information based on the power consumption information should be transmitted to the edge device 10 in the same control group as the edge device 10-1 that transmitted the power consumption information or the information based on the power consumption information. an edge device 10 connected to an air conditioner 33 that air-conditions the same building as the edge device 10-1 that transmitted the power consumption information or information based on the power consumption information; an edge device 10 connected to an air conditioner 33 that air-conditions the same building and the same floor as the edge device 10-1 that transmitted the power consumption information or information based on the power consumption information; an edge device 10 connected to an air conditioner 33 that conditions the same space type as the edge device 10-1 that transmitted the power consumption information or information based on the power consumption information; In this embodiment, the edge device 10 at the transmission destination is determined to be the edge devices 10-2 to 10-n.

[0075] The transmitter 53 transmits the power consumption information or information based on the power consumption information to the edge devices 10-2 to 10-n to which the destination determiner 52 has determined that the information should be transmitted. When the cloud server 50 and the edge devices 10-2 to 10-n are connected via a line, the cloud server 50 can transmit information to the edge devices 10-2 to 10-n from outside the facility. Furthermore, when the cloud server 50 and the edge devices 10-2 to 10-n communicate over a network, communication may be prevented by a firewall. In this case, the edge devices 10-2 to 10-n may repeatedly perform polling to request communication from the cloud server 50, so that the cloud server 50 can transmit the amount of power used to the edge devices 10-2 to 10-n inside the firewall. In response to the polling, the transmitter 53 transmits the power consumption information or information based on the power consumption information to the edge devices 10-2 to 10-n. The transmitter 53 may also communicate with the edge devices 10-2 to 10-n using bidirectional communication such as WebSocket.

[0076] The transmitting unit 53 checks, for example, whether communication is possible even if it does not receive a demand level from the edge device 10-1 so that the edge device 10-2 can detect a communication interruption.

[0077] <<Edge device 10-2>> The edge device 10-2 has a communication unit 21, a determination unit 15, a demand level estimation unit 16, and an equipment control unit 17. The communication unit 21 and the equipment control unit 17 are similar to those of the edge device 10-1, and will be described as necessary.

[0078] The determination unit 15 makes various determinations. The determination unit 15 determines whether communication between the communication unit 21 and the cloud server 50 has been interrupted. For example, if the demand control cycle is one minute, the determination unit 15 determines that communication has been interrupted if the communication unit 21 does not receive power consumption information or information based on the power consumption information from the cloud server 50 for more than one minute. Alternatively, the determination unit 15 may detect a communication interruption when the communication unit 21 periodically initiates communication with the cloud server 50 and there is no response. Furthermore, when communication is interrupted, the determination unit 15 determines whether suppression of power consumption (demand control is necessary) is necessary in the edge device 10-2.

[0079] When communication is interrupted and it is determined that power consumption needs to be reduced, the demand level estimation unit 16 estimates the demand level required for the device 30 connected to the edge device 10-2. That is, since the edge device 10-2 cannot receive power consumption information or information based on the power consumption information from the cloud server 50, the edge device 10-2 estimates an appropriate demand level.

[0080] The functional block diagram of the edge devices 10-3 to 10-n is assumed to be similar to that of the edge device 10-2.

[0081] <<Demand control unit>> 8 is a functional block diagram for explaining in detail the functions of the demand control unit 12. The demand control unit 12 has a demand determination unit 121, a level determination unit 122, and a storage unit 123. First, various tables stored in the storage unit 123 will be described.

[0082] FIG. 9(a) is an example of a target power consumption management table stored in the storage unit 123. The target power consumption management table defines the target power consumption for the control group. A target power consumption may be set for each control group, or a target power saving may be defined for one facility, and multiple control groups may set demand levels for the target power saving defined for that facility. It is not necessary to have a target power consumption management table for each control group. Since there is only one target power consumption for one control group, each edge device 10 is controlled to the same demand level regardless of the power consumption of the devices 30 connected to the edge device 10.

[0083] FIG. 9(b) is an example of a demand level table stored in the memory unit 123. Because the comfort level required of the air conditioner 33 varies depending on the space, the demand level is determined according to the space to be air-conditioned. For example, demand level 4 in a changing room is a 1°C shift in the set temperature (increasing by 1°C for cooling and decreasing by 1°C for heating), while demand level 4 in an office is a reduction in the capacity of the outdoor unit to 70%. The equipment control unit 13 suppresses the capacity of the air conditioner 33 based on the demand level notified by the level determination unit 122 and the space to be air-conditioned by the air conditioner 33.

[0084] In FIG. 9(b), the demand level of the air conditioner 33 is set, but in the case of lighting, for example, the demand level may also be set according to the space to be air-conditioned.

[0085] Returning to FIG. 8, the demand determining unit 121 determines whether to adjust the demand level based on the target power consumption management table. The demand determining unit 121 determines whether the power consumption information is likely to exceed the target power consumption. An example of this determination will be described with reference to FIG. 10. FIG. 10 is a diagram schematically illustrating the process of determining whether the power consumption information is likely to exceed the target power consumption. In FIG. 10, the target power consumption is assumed to be 200 kW. Therefore, a line 301 that starts at 0 kW at the start of the demand time and reaches 200 kW 30 minutes later indicates the target power consumption at each time. Therefore, the demand determining unit 121 compares the target power consumption at that time for each time shorter than the demand time (for example, 30 seconds or 1 minute), and if the power consumption information is greater than the target power consumption, determines to increase the demand level by one.

[0086] Since it is preferable to increase the demand level before the state where "power consumption information > target power consumption" actually occurs, the demand determining unit 121 predicts power consumption information after a certain time period using the power consumption information. Simply put, if the same power consumption information continues after a certain time period, it is only necessary to determine whether "power consumption information > target power consumption" will occur. Therefore, the level determining unit 122 determines to increase the demand level by one if "predicted power consumption information > target power consumption" will occur after a certain time period. Other methods for predicting power consumption information may be used. For example, the demand determining unit 121 may use a model in which some recent power consumption information, the set temperature, the room temperature, the time, the outdoor temperature, etc. are used as explanatory variables and the power consumption information after a certain time period is used as a target variable, and predicts power consumption information after a certain time period using this model.

[0087] FIG. 11 is an example of a flowchart illustrating a method for determining a demand level.

[0088] First, the power consumption receiving unit 11 receives power consumption information from the power receiving equipment 9 (S201).

[0089] The demand determining unit 121 predicts power consumption information after a certain time period using, for example, a model (S202).

[0090] The demand determining unit 121 determines whether or not the relationship "predicted power consumption information>target power consumption amount" holds true (S203).

[0091] If the determination in step S203 is Yes, the process proceeds to step S204, and if No, the process in FIG. 11 ends.

[0092] In step S204, the level determination unit 122 increases the current demand level by one (S204).

[0093] In the example of Fig. 10, it is determined that "predicted power consumption information > target power consumption" at times t1, t2, and t3. The demand control unit 12 increases the demand level, and the power consumption information falls within the target power consumption after 30 minutes have passed. Note that if the determination in step S203 of Fig. 11 is No, that is, "power consumption information ≦ target power consumption," the level determination unit 122 may lower the demand level according to the margin for the target power consumption.

[0094] Returning to FIG. 8 , when the level determination unit 122 receives a notification from the demand determination unit 121 that the demand level will be increased by one, it increases the current demand level by one. If a certain time has elapsed since receiving the notification from the demand determination unit 121 that the demand level will be increased by one, the level determination unit 122 may return the demand level to the target level based on the margin for the target power consumption. This certain time is a time to prevent hunting, and is a time during which it may be determined that the demand level may be lowered because there is no notification to increase the demand level by one. For example, if the demand level is determined every minute, the certain time may be approximately three minutes. If the margin for the power consumption is equal to or greater than a threshold, the level determination unit 122 lowers the demand level by one.

[0095] <Action or Processing> Next, a process flow in which a plurality of edge devices 10 share a demand level will be described with reference to Fig. 12. Fig. 12 is a sequence diagram illustrating a process in which the edge device 10-1 transmits a demand level to the edge devices 10-2 and 10-3 via the cloud server 50. Although Fig. 12 illustrates the edge devices 10-1 to 10-3, the demand level is shared by all the edge devices 10-2 to 10-n in the same control group.

[0096] S11: First, the power receiving equipment 9 transmits a pulse to the edge device 10-1.

[0097] S12: The power consumption receiving unit 11 of the edge device 10-1 receives the pulse. The power consumption receiving unit 11 converts the pulse into power consumption information at intervals shorter than the demand time. The demand control unit 12 determines the demand level at intervals shorter than the demand time. That is, the demand determining unit 121 determines whether the "predicted power consumption information>target power consumption." If the "predicted power consumption information>target power consumption," the level determining unit 122 determines a demand level one level higher than the current level. Furthermore, the device control unit 13 controls the device 30 connected to the edge device 10-1 at the instructed demand level.

[0098] S13: The communication unit 14 of the edge device 10-1 transmits the demand level together with the edge device ID of the edge device 10-1 to the cloud server 50. The edge device ID is used by the destination determination unit 52 of the cloud server 50 to determine the edge devices 10 in the same control group.

[0099] The edge device 10-1 may determine the edge devices 10 in the same control group and instruct the cloud server 50. In this case, the edge device 10-1 has a destination determination unit 52 and a destination determination table, and transmits communication information of the edge devices 10 in the same control group to the cloud server 50.

[0100] Furthermore, the communication unit 14 may transmit power consumption information instead of (or together with) the demand level to the cloud server 50. In this case, if the cloud server 50 has the level determination unit 122 and the target power consumption management table, it can determine the demand level in the same way as the edge device 10-1 (the details of this process will be described with reference to FIG. 15).

[0101] Furthermore, the communication unit 14 may transmit a difference from the current demand level, rather than the demand level (or together with the demand level), to the cloud server 50. The difference from the current demand level is not the demand level itself, but information such as increasing or decreasing the demand level by one.

[0102] Furthermore, the communication unit 14 may transmit a margin for the target power consumption amount, instead of (or together with) the demand level, to the cloud server 50. The margin for the target power consumption amount makes it easier for the edge device 10-2 to perform control to lower the demand level.

[0103] S14: The receiving unit 51 of the cloud server 50 receives the edge device ID and the demand level, and the destination determining unit 52 determines the destination edge device 10 based on the destination determination table. The destination determining unit 52 determines the edge device 10 in the same control group as the edge device 10-1. The destination determining unit 52 may determine the edge device 10 that conditions the same building, floor, and space type as the edge device 10-1. Here, the edge devices 10-2 and 10-3 are determined to be the destination edge devices 10.

[0104] S15, S16: The transmitter 53 of the cloud server 50 transmits the demand level received from the edge device 10-1 to the edge devices 10-2 and 10-3.

[0105] S17, S18: The communication units 21 of the edge devices 10-2, 10-3 receive the demand levels, and the device control unit 17 controls the air conditioners 33 connected to the edge devices 10-2, 10-3 at the instructed demand levels. If the communication units 21 of the edge devices 10-2, 10-3 receive a difference in the demand levels, the device control unit 17 changes (raises or lowers) the demand levels by the difference. If the communication units 21 of the edge devices 10-2, 10-3 receive a margin for the target power consumption, the device control unit 17 raises the demand levels if the margin is less than threshold 1, and lowers the demand levels while avoiding hunting if the margin is greater than threshold 2 (> threshold 1).

[0106] Through the above processing, the demand level calculated by the edge device 10-1 is shared by the edge devices 10-2 to 10-n in the same control group via the cloud server 50, and the devices 30 and the like can be controlled at the same demand level.

[0107] <When communication between the edge devices 10-2 to 10-n and the cloud server 50 is interrupted> There may occur a case where one or more of the edge devices 10-2 to 10-n loses communication with the cloud server 50. In this case, the edge device 10 with which communication has been lost determines the demand level by itself.

[0108] 13 is a flowchart illustrating the process of estimating a demand level by the demand level estimator 16 of the edge device 10-2. The process of FIG.

[0109] First, the determination unit 15 determines whether communication with the cloud server 50 has been interrupted (S101). The determination unit 15 can determine that communication has been interrupted when it does not receive new power consumption information or information based on the power consumption information from the cloud server 50 for a certain period of time (it may also be the case that it does not receive "no change in demand level"), or when it is unable to communicate with the cloud server 50 despite attempting to do so. Furthermore, even if communication between the edge device 10-2 and the cloud server 50 has not been interrupted, if communication between the edge device 10-1 and the cloud server 50 has been interrupted, the cloud server 50 notifies the edge device 10-2 of that fact, and the determination unit 15 determines that communication has been interrupted.

[0110] If the determination in step S101 is Yes, the process proceeds to step S102, and if No, the process of FIG. 13 ends.

[0111] In step S102, the determination unit 15 determines whether or not it is necessary to reduce power consumption in the edge device 10-2 (S102). The determination unit 15 determines whether or not it should reduce its own power consumption based on information such as the outside temperature, the set temperature, the room temperature, the current time, or past demand levels. During cooling, if the outside temperature is very high (above a threshold), power consumption is high, so the determination unit 15 determines to reduce power consumption. During heating, if the outside temperature is very low (below a threshold), power consumption is high, so the determination unit 15 determines to reduce power consumption. Furthermore, if there is a large difference between the set temperature and the room temperature, power consumption is high, so the determination unit 15 determines to reduce power consumption. Furthermore, during cooling, power consumption is high between 10:00 and 17:00, so the determination unit 15 determines to reduce power consumption. During heating, power consumption is high between 8:00 and 10:00 and after 15:00, so the determination unit 15 determines to reduce power consumption. Furthermore, if the demand level previously transmitted from cloud server 50 has increased over time, determination unit 15 determines to suppress power consumption. If the demand level previously transmitted from cloud server 50 has not changed, determination unit 15 determines not to suppress power consumption. Determination unit 15 may ultimately determine whether to suppress power consumption based on whether it has determined that power consumption should be suppressed for a number of these determination factors equal to or greater than a threshold value.

[0112] If the determination in step S102 is Yes, the process proceeds to step S103, and if No, the process of FIG. 13 ends.

[0113] In step S103, the demand level estimation unit 16 estimates an appropriate demand level in the edge device 10-2 (S103). For example, the demand level estimation unit 16 estimates the demand level using a pre-trained demand level estimation model 60. The processing of step S103 will be described with reference to FIG. 14.

[0114] The equipment control unit 17 controls the operation of each air conditioner 33 connected to the edge device 10-2 at the demand level estimated by the demand level estimation unit 16 (S104).

[0115] Fig. 14 is a diagram illustrating the demand level estimation model 60. The demand level estimation model 60 learns the correspondence between factors that affect power consumption and demand levels. Fig. 14 shows the factors that affect power consumption, such as the outside air temperature, the set temperature, the room temperature, the time, and past demand levels. Furthermore, what the demand level estimation model 60 infers is the demand level.

[0116] The demand level (demand level determined by the edge device 10-1) transmitted from the cloud server 50 to the edge device 10-2 can be used as training data during learning. During learning, any information processing device can learn the correspondence between the outside temperature, set temperature, indoor temperature, and past demand levels and the demand level received from the cloud server 50. Known learning methods include multiple regression and deep learning. The edge device 10-2 can acquire information required for learning in real time, and therefore can generate and update the demand level estimation model 60 while communication is not interrupted.

[0117] In this way, the demand level estimation unit 16 can estimate the demand level from information acquired before communication is interrupted (past demand level) or information that can be acquired after communication is interrupted (outdoor temperature, set temperature, indoor temperature, time). Note that the demand level estimation unit 16 may simply determine to perform demand control of the device 30 at the maximum demand level without using the demand level estimation model 60.

[0118] Furthermore, the demand level estimation model 60 may be a model that outputs not the demand level but the difference between the demand levels or the margin for the target power consumption amount.

[0119] <When the cloud server determines the demand level> Next, a case where the cloud server 50 determines the demand level will be described with reference to Fig. 15. Fig. 15 is a sequence diagram illustrating a process in which the edge device 10-1 transmits power consumption information to the cloud server 50, and the cloud server 50 transmits the demand level to the edge devices 10-1 to 10-3. Note that the description of Fig. 15 will mainly focus on the differences from Fig. 12. Since the cloud server 50 determines the demand level, it is assumed that the cloud server 50 has a demand control unit 12.

[0120] S21: First, the power receiving equipment 9 transmits a pulse to the edge device 10-1.

[0121] S22: The power consumption receiving unit 11 of the edge device 10-1 receives the pulses. The power consumption receiving unit 11 converts the pulses into power consumption information at intervals shorter than the demand time. The communication unit 14 of the edge device 10-1 transmits the power consumption information together with its own edge device ID to the cloud server 50. Note that the edge device 10-1 may also determine the demand level in FIG. 15 .

[0122] S23: The receiving unit 51 of the cloud server 50 receives the power consumption information. The demand control unit 12 of the cloud server 50 determines the demand level for each time period shorter than the demand time. This process may be the same as step S12 in FIG.

[0123] S24: Furthermore, the destination determination unit 52 of the cloud server 50 determines the destination edge device 10 based on the destination determination table. This process may be the same as step S14 in FIG.

[0124] S25 to S27: The transmitter 53 of the cloud server 50 transmits the demand levels to the edge devices 10-1, 10-2, and 10-3. Instead of (or together with) the demand levels, at least one of the difference between the demand levels and the margin for the target power consumption amount may be transmitted.

[0125] S28-1 to S28-3: The communication unit 14 of the edge device 10-1 and the communication unit 21 of the edge devices 10-2 and 10-3 receive the demand level, and the device control units 13 and 17 control the devices 30 connected to the edge devices 10-1, 10-2, and 10-3 at the instructed demand level.

[0126] In this way, even if the cloud server 50 determines the demand level, the edge devices 10-1, 10-2, and 10-3 can share the demand level.

[0127] <System configuration supplement> FIG. 16 shows a modified system configuration of the control system 100. In FIG. 16, the edge device 10-1 is not connected to the device 30 and the sensor switches 31. In this case, the edge device 10-1 serves as a repeater that relays power consumption information or information based on the power consumption information to the cloud server 50. The functions of the edge device 10-1 may be the same as those shown in FIG. 3 except that the edge device 10-1 does not control the device 30 and the sensor switches 31. This configuration is effective, for example, when the edge device 10 is not located near the power receiving equipment 9. In other words, since laying wiring to connect the edge device 10-2 that is far from the power receiving equipment 9 increases costs, costs can be reduced by locating the relaying edge device 10-1 near the power receiving equipment 9.

[0128] <Major Effects> In this embodiment, the edge device 10-1 is connected to the power receiving facility 9 by wire, so there is a low possibility of communication being interrupted. In addition, the edge device 10-1 transmits power consumption information or information based on the power consumption information to one or more other edge devices 10-2, etc., so the edge device 10-2 does not need to determine the demand level. In this way, multiple edge devices 10 can share the same demand level.

[0129] [Second embodiment] In this embodiment, a control system 100 in which an edge device 10-1 can communicate with an edge device 10-2 without going through a cloud server 50 will be described.

[0130] In this embodiment, components with the same reference numerals as those in the previous figures perform the same functions, and therefore, the description of components that have already been described may be omitted or only differences may be described.

[0131] 17 is an example of a functional block diagram illustrating the functions of the edge device 10-1 and the edge device 10-2 in the control system 100. In this embodiment, there is no cloud server 50, and the edge devices 10-1 and 10-2 have inter-device communication units 19 and 42. The edge device 10-1 also has a storage unit 41 and a destination determination unit 20.

[0132] The inter-device communication unit 19 communicates directly and wirelessly with the edge device 10-2. Known communication methods for the edge device 10-1 to wirelessly communicate directly with the edge device 10-2 include a method of communication via a line connection provided by a mobile phone carrier, wireless LAN, Bluetooth (registered trademark), etc. In the case of wireless LAN, the inter-device communication unit 19 may communicate via an access point, or may communicate one-to-one like Direct Wi-Fi (registered trademark). The inter-device communication unit 19 transmits information based on the power usage information to the edge device 10-2.

[0133] 18 shows an example of an edge device management table pre-registered in the storage unit 41. The edge device management table has information about edge devices 10 in the same control group as the edge device 10-1. The edge device management table contains information that the edge device 10-1 uses to transmit power consumption information or information based on the power consumption information to the other edge devices 10-2 to 10-n in the same control group. The edge device ID is identification information for identifying the edge device 10. A-1 is the edge device 10-1 whose control group is group A and which receives pulses from the power receiving equipment 9. The edge device 10-1 whose edge device ID is A-1 shares power consumption information or information based on power consumption information with the edge devices 10-2, 10-3, and 10-4 whose edge device IDs are A-2, A-3, and A-4. The communication information is information that the inter-device communication unit 19 of the edge device 10-1 uses to communicate with other edge devices 10. When communicating via a line connection, the communication information is a telephone number. When communicating via a wireless LAN, the communication information may be, for example, an SSID, a password, and an IP address.

[0134] 17, the destination determination unit 20 determines the destination edge device 10 based on the destination determination table stored in the storage unit 41. The destination determination table may be the same as that shown in FIG. 7. The inter-device communication unit 19 transmits the power consumption information or information based on the power consumption information to the edge devices 10 in the same control group determined by the destination determination unit 20.

[0135] With this configuration, the edge device 10-1 can transmit the power consumption information or information based on the power consumption information to the edge device 10-2 without going through the cloud server 50.

[0136] <Action or Processing> Next, a process flow in which multiple edge devices 10 share a demand level will be described with reference to Fig. 19. Fig. 19 is a sequence diagram illustrating a process in which the edge device 10-1 transmits a demand level to the edge devices 10-2 and 10-3 without going through the cloud server 50. Note that the description of Fig. 19 may include differences from Fig. 12.

[0137] S31, S32: The processing in steps S31 and S32 may be the same as that in steps S11 and S12.

[0138] S33: The destination determination unit 20 of the edge device 10-1 determines the destination edge device 10 based on the destination determination table. The destination determination unit 20 determines the edge device 10 in the same control group as the edge device 10-1. The destination determination unit 20 may determine the edge device 10 that conditions the same building, floor, and space type as the edge device 10-1. Here, the edge devices 10-2 and 10-3 are determined to be the destination edge devices 10.

[0139] S34, S35: The inter-device communication unit 19 of the edge device 10-1 transmits the demand level together with its own edge device ID to the edge devices 10-2, 10-3. The edge device ID is used by the edge devices 10-2, 10-3 to confirm whether the edge device 10-1 that sent the request is an edge device 10 in the same control group. The edge devices 10-2, 10-3 have a destination determination table and verify the edge device 10-1 that sent the request. This reduces the risk that the edge devices 10-2, 10-3 will receive an incorrect demand level.

[0140] The inter-device communication unit 19 may transmit power consumption information to the edge devices 10-2 and 10-3 instead of (or together with) the demand level. In this case, the edge device 10-2 can determine the demand level in the same way as the edge device 10-1, if it has the level determination unit 122 and the target power consumption management table. The inter-device communication unit 19 may also transmit at least one of the difference in demand level or the margin for the target power consumption to the edge devices 10-2 and 10-3.

[0141] S36, S37: The inter-device communication units 42 of the edge devices 10-2, 10-3 receive the demand levels, and the device control units 17 control the devices 30 connected to the edge devices 10-2, 10-3 at the instructed demand levels.

[0142] Through the above processing, the demand level calculated by the edge device 10-1 is shared by the edge devices 10-2 to 10-n in the same control group without going through the cloud server 50, and the connected devices 30 and the like can be controlled.

[0143] The processing when communication between edge device 10-1 and edge device 10-2 or 10-3 is interrupted may be the same as that shown in Fig. 13 and Fig. 14 in the first embodiment. Edge device 10-2 or 10-3 detects communication interruption when it does not receive a demand level from edge device 10-1 for a certain period of time (it may also be when it does not receive "no change in demand level"), or when it attempts to communicate with edge device 10-1 but is unable to do so. After detecting communication interruption, edge device 10-2 or 10-3 performs the processing shown in Fig. 13.

[0144] <When each edge device determines the demand level> Fig. 20 is a sequence diagram illustrating the process by which each edge device 10 determines the demand level. The explanation of Fig. 20 will mainly focus on the differences from Fig. 19. Since each edge device 10 determines the demand level, each edge device 10 is assumed to have a demand control unit 12.

[0145] S41 to S43: The processes in steps S41 to S43 may be the same as those in steps S31 to S33.

[0146] S44, S45: The inter-device communication unit 19 of the edge device 10-1 transmits the power consumption information together with its own edge device ID to the edge devices 10-2 and 10-3. The edge device ID is used by the edge devices 10-2 and 10-3 to confirm whether the edge device 10-1, which is the sender, is an edge device 10 in the same control group.

[0147] S46, S47: The inter-device communication units 42 of the edge devices 10-2 and 10-3 receive the power consumption information, and the demand control unit 12 determines the demand level as described with reference to FIG.

[0148] S48, S49: The device control units 17 of the edge devices 10-2 and 10-3 control the devices 30 connected to the edge devices 10-2 and 10-3 at the determined demand level.

[0149] According to this process, since each edge device 10 originally has the function of determining the demand level, it is possible to reduce the change in the function of the edge device 10.

[0150] In this embodiment, the edge device 10-1 may not be connected to the device 30 or the sensor switches 31.

[0151] <Major Effects> The edge device 10-1 of this embodiment can achieve the same effects as those of the first embodiment even without the cloud server 50.

[0152] [Third embodiment] In this embodiment, a control system 100 will be described in which the edge device 10 can communicate with the cloud server 50 and also with other edge devices 10.

[0153] FIG. 21 shows a schematic configuration diagram of a control system 100 in this embodiment. In FIG. 21, the control system 100 has a configuration that combines the configurations of FIGS. 2A and 2B. That is, the power receiving equipment 9 and the edge device 10-1 are connected by wire, and the control system 100 has a cloud server 50. In addition, the edge devices 10-1 and 10-2 can communicate wirelessly. Therefore, the following communications are possible. (1) The edge device 10-1 transmits power consumption information or information based on the power consumption information acquired from the power receiving equipment 9 to the cloud server 50, and the cloud server 50 transmits the power consumption information or information based on the power consumption information to the edge device 10-2. (2) The edge device 10-1 transmits the power consumption information or information based on the power consumption information acquired from the power receiving equipment 9 to the edge device 10-2 by wireless communication without going through the cloud server 50.

[0154] With this configuration, the edge device 10-1 can transmit power consumption information or information based on the power consumption information to the edge device 10-2 via the cloud server 50, or can transmit power consumption information or information based on the power consumption information to the edge device 10-2 without passing through the cloud server 50. For example, the edge device 10-1 can be thought of as selectively using two types of communication as follows.

[0155] A. As in the first embodiment, the edge device 10-1 prioritizes communication with the cloud server 50. When the edge device 10-1 receives a notification from the cloud server 50 that communication with the edge device 10-2 has been interrupted, the inter-device communication unit 19 of the edge device 10-1 transmits power consumption information or information based on the power consumption information to the edge device 10-2.

[0156] B. As in the first embodiment, the edge device 10-1 prioritizes communication with the cloud server 50. When the edge device 10-1 receives a notification from the edge device 10-2 that communication with the cloud server 50 has been interrupted, the inter-device communication unit 19 of the edge device 10-1 transmits power consumption information or information based on the power consumption information to the edge device 10-2.

[0157] C. It is assumed that the edge device 10-1 prioritizes direct communication between the edge devices 10, as in the second embodiment. When the edge device 10-1 detects a disruption of communication with the edge device 10-2, the edge device 10-1 transmits power consumption information or information based on the power consumption information to the cloud server 50.

[0158] D. When the communication unit 14 of the edge device 10-1 transmits power consumption information or information based on the power consumption information to the cloud server 50, the inter-device communication unit 19 also always transmits power consumption information or information based on the power consumption information to the edge device 10-2. In this case, the edge device 10-2 receives the same power consumption information or information based on the power consumption information via two systems within a certain period of time, so it can use either one. Alternatively, the edge device 10-1 assigns an ID to the power consumption information or information based on the power consumption information, and the edge device 10-2 discards power consumption information or information based on the power consumption information with the same ID that it receives later.

[0159] <Major Effects> According to this embodiment, the edge device 10-2 can acquire power consumption information or information based on the power consumption information as long as communication with both the edge device 10-1 and the cloud server 50 is not interrupted.

[0160] <Other application examples> The best mode for carrying out the present disclosure has been described above using examples, but the present disclosure is not limited to these examples in any way, and various modifications and substitutions can be made within the scope that does not deviate from the gist of the present disclosure.

[0161] For example, the configuration example in FIG. 6 and the like is divided according to main functions to facilitate understanding of the processing by the edge device 10 and the cloud server 50. The technology of the present disclosure is not limited by the way in which the processing units are divided or the names of the processing units. The processing by the edge device 10 and the cloud server 50 can also be divided into more processing units depending on the processing content. Furthermore, the processing can also be divided so that one processing unit includes more processes.

[0162] Additionally, the devices described in the examples are merely illustrative of one of several computing environments for implementing the embodiments disclosed herein. In one embodiment, cloud server 50 includes multiple computing devices, such as a server cluster, configured to communicate with each other via any type of communication link, including a network, shared memory, etc., and to perform the processes disclosed herein.

[0163] The functions of the present disclosure described above can be realized not only by software processing through the execution of a program, but also by one or more processing circuits. Here, the term "processing circuit" in this specification includes a processor programmed to perform each function by software, such as a processor implemented by an electronic circuit, as well as devices such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), and a conventional circuit module designed to perform each of the functions described above.

[0164] <Reasons for the effect> The first aspect of the present disclosure has a "first control device that communicates with the power receiving equipment via a wired connection," and "the first control unit acquires power consumption information of the device from the power receiving equipment, and the first control unit reduces the air conditioning capacity of the air conditioner when transmitting the power consumption information or information based on the power consumption information to the second control device," so that the first control unit can receive power consumption information or information based on the power consumption information with priority and reliably, and multiple control devices can acquire information for more reliably controlling demand.

[0165] In the second aspect of the present disclosure, "the first control unit determines the demand level, the difference in demand level, or the margin for the target power consumption amount based on the power consumption information, and transmits these to the second control device," so that the second control device can share the demand level, the difference in demand level, or the margin for the target power consumption amount with the first control device without having to determine these.

[0166] In the third aspect of the present disclosure, "the first control unit transmits the power consumption information to the second control unit," and "the second control unit determines its own demand level, the difference in demand level, or the margin for the target power consumption amount based on the power consumption information," so the second control unit can determine the demand level, the difference in demand level, or the margin for the target power consumption amount using its existing functions.

[0167] The fourth aspect of the present disclosure is that "when communication with the first control device is interrupted, the second control unit determines its own demand level, the difference in demand level, or the margin for the target power consumption based on information obtained before the communication is interrupted or information obtainable after the communication is interrupted," so that the second control device can control demand even if communication is interrupted.

[0168] In the fifth aspect of the present disclosure, "the first control unit transmits the power consumption information or information based on the power consumption information to the second control device via the server device," so that the power consumption information or information based on the power consumption information can be transmitted to the second control device more reliably than when not via the server device.

[0169] In a sixth aspect of the present disclosure, "the server device" determines "the second control device in the same control group as the first control device that transmitted the power consumption information or information based on the power consumption information, and transmits the power consumption information or information based on the power consumption information to the second control device in the same control group as the first control device," so that the server device can transmit power consumption information or information based on the power consumption information to the second control device in the same control group, such as the same facility.

[0170] In a seventh aspect of the present disclosure, "the first control unit" "determines the second control unit in the same control group as the first control unit, and when transmitting the power consumption information or information based on the power consumption information to the server device, the first control unit instructs the server device to select the second control unit in the same control group as the first control unit as the destination of the power consumption information or information based on the power consumption information," so that power consumption information or information based on the power consumption information can be transmitted to the second control unit in the same control group that is located in the same facility as the first control unit.

[0171] In the eighth aspect of the present disclosure, "when communication with the server device is interrupted, the second control device determines its own demand level, the difference in demand level, or the margin for the target power consumption amount based on information obtained before the communication was interrupted or information obtainable after the communication was interrupted," so that even if communication with the server device is interrupted, the second control device can control demand.

[0172] The ninth aspect of the present disclosure is that "when the second control unit determines that communication with the server device has been interrupted, it determines whether or not demand control is necessary based on information obtained before the communication was interrupted or information that can be obtained after the communication was interrupted," so that if communication with the server device is interrupted, the second control unit can perform demand control only if demand control is necessary.

[0173] In the tenth aspect of the present disclosure, "the second control device performs demand control at the maximum demand level when it determines that communication with the server device has been interrupted," thereby more reliably suppressing power consumption when communication with the server device is interrupted. [Explanation of symbols]

[0174] 10 Edge Devices 50 Cloud Servers

Claims

1. A control system including a first control device that communicates with a power receiving facility via a wired connection and one or more second control devices that are connected to power consuming devices, the first control device has a first control unit, The first control unit acquires power consumption information of the device from the power receiving facility, The first control unit determines a demand level, a difference between demand levels, or a margin for a target power consumption amount based on the power consumption information, transmitting the demand level, the difference between the demand levels, or a margin for the target power consumption amount to the second control device directly or via another device by wireless communication as information based on the power consumption information; Control system.

2. the control system includes a server device; The first control unit transmits the power consumption information or information based on the power consumption information to the second control device via the server device. The control system of claim 1 .

3. The first control unit wirelessly transmits the power consumption information or information based on the power consumption information directly to the second control device. The control system of claim 1 .

4. A control device that can wirelessly communicate with one or more second control devices connected to power consuming devices and communicates with power receiving equipment via a wired connection, a first control unit included in the control device, which acquires power consumption information of the device from the power receiving facility; The first control unit determines a demand level, a difference between demand levels, or a margin for a target power consumption amount based on the power consumption information, transmitting the demand level, the difference between the demand levels, or a margin for the target power consumption amount to the second control device directly or via another device by wireless communication as information based on the power consumption information; Control device.

5. A control method performed by a first control device that can wirelessly communicate with one or more second control devices connected to power consuming devices and that communicates with power receiving equipment via a wire, comprising: A process in which a first control unit included in the first control device acquires power consumption information of the device from the power receiving facility; a process in which the first control unit determines a demand level, a difference between demand levels, or a margin for a target power consumption amount based on the power consumption information; a process in which the first control unit transmits, to the second control device, the demand level, a difference between the demand levels, or a margin for the target power consumption amount as information based on power consumption information, directly or via another device by wireless communication; A control method for performing the above.

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