Demand monitoring device

Abstract

To provide a suggestion on electrical equipment to be turned off and when to operate the electrical equipment instead when the used electric power amount is expected to be greater than a preset reference electric power amount.SOLUTION: A demand monitoring device comprises: an estimation unit 13 for estimating electrical equipment 51 in operation based on variations in used electric power data received from a watt-hour meter 2 and identification information D; a monitoring and determining unit 14 that predicts an average used amount A for each demand cycle based on the used electric power data received from the watt-hour meter 2, and monitors whether a predicted value P exceeds a preset reference electric power amount S, and, when it is determined that the predicted value exceeds the reference electric power amount, searches for another time period during which the predicted value P does not exceed the reference electric power amount S even if at least one of the electrical equipment 51 whose operation is estimated by the estimation unit 13 is operated; and a display unit 15 that displays the search results obtained by the monitoring and determining unit 14.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a demand monitoring device that is installed at an electric power consumer and used for managing the amount of power consumption. [Background technology]

[0002] In order to keep electricity bills down, it is important to manage the amount of power consumed, and demand monitoring devices are used for this purpose. The larger the scale of power consumption management, the greater the effect of reducing electricity bills, so demand monitoring devices are widely used in large-scale consumers such as factories and buildings.

[0003] However, such demand monitoring devices are not designed for general households, and therefore have the problem of poor usability in general households.As a solution to this problem, there is a demand monitoring device that obtains power usage data from a smart meter installed in the home multiple times within a demand cycle, predicts the amount of power usage in the demand cycle, and if it is predicted to be greater than a reference amount of power usage, issues a specific sound effect or displays a specific display to alert the user (see Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2017-153330 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, conventional demand monitoring devices have the following problems. That is, conventional demand monitoring devices only alert the user by using a sound or a display when the predicted power usage is expected to be greater than a preset reference power usage, so the user of the demand monitoring device must decide for himself which electrical appliances to turn off. However, since it is common for many electrical appliances to be running at the same time, the user is confused as to which electrical appliances to turn off. In addition, electrical appliances are run because they are originally necessary, and it is difficult to determine when it is acceptable to run them.

[0006] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT EMBODIMENT An object of the present invention is to provide a demand monitoring device that solves the above problems and can make suggestions as to when an electrical appliance should be turned off and operated instead. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problem, the invention of claim 1 is a demand monitoring device comprising: a communication unit that receives power usage data of a consumer using multiple electrical appliances multiple times within a demand cycle from a power meter that measures power supplied to the consumer; a memory unit that pre-stores the multiple electrical appliances owned by the consumer and identification information regarding fluctuations in the power usage data for each electrical appliance when it is in operation; an estimation unit that estimates electrical appliances in operation based on the fluctuations in the power usage data received from the power meter and the identification information; a monitoring and judgment unit that predicts average usage for each demand cycle based on the power usage data received from the power meter, monitors whether the predicted value exceeds a predetermined standard power amount, and, if it is determined that it does exceed, searches for another time period during which the predicted value will not exceed the standard power amount even if at least one of the electrical appliances estimated to be in operation by the estimation unit; and a display unit that displays the search results by the monitoring and judgment unit.

[0008] In the invention of claim 1, the electric appliances in operation are estimated based on the power usage data received from the watt-hour meter, and the average usage per demand cycle is predicted and compared with a preset reference power amount. If it is determined that the predicted value of the average usage per demand cycle exceeds the reference power amount, a suggestion is displayed regarding which electric appliances in operation should be turned off and when they should be operated instead. If the user of the demand monitoring device follows this suggestion, it is possible to prevent the average usage per demand cycle from exceeding the reference power amount, and to prevent an increase in the demand value (maximum demand power).

[0009] The invention of claim 2 is characterized in that, in the demand monitoring device described in claim 1, the memory unit accumulates a fluctuation pattern of the power usage data received from the electricity meter, and when the monitoring and judgment unit determines that the predicted value exceeds the reference power amount, it searches for the other time period based on the fluctuation pattern of the power usage data.

[0010] The invention of claim 3 is characterized in that, in the demand monitoring device described in claim 1, the memory unit accumulates a fluctuation pattern of average usage obtained by averaging the power usage data received from the power meter for each demand period, and when the monitoring and judgment unit determines that the predicted value exceeds the reference power amount, it searches for the other time period based on the fluctuation pattern of the average usage.

[0011] The invention of claim 4 is characterized in that, in the demand monitoring device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, the watt-hour meter is a smart meter. Effect of the Invention

[0012] According to the invention of claim 1, when it is determined that the predicted value of the average usage amount per demand cycle exceeds the reference power amount, in other words, when an increase in the demand value (maximum demand power) that greatly affects the calculation of the electricity fee is predicted, a proposal can be displayed as to which of the currently operating electrical appliances should be turned off and when to operate them instead. Therefore, the user of the demand monitoring device can easily decide which electrical appliance should be turned off and when to operate it instead. Then, when the user actually turns off the electrical appliance according to the proposal, it is possible to prevent the demand value from increasing, and it is possible to prevent an increase in the contracted power and an increase in the electricity fee.

[0013] According to the invention of claim 2, it is possible to search for a time when an electric device should be operated based on a fluctuation pattern of the power usage data received from the watt-hour meter.

[0014] According to the invention of claim 3, it is possible to search for a time when an electrical appliance should be operated based on a fluctuation pattern of average usage (demand power) obtained by averaging the power usage data received from the electricity meter for each demand period.

[0015] According to the invention of claim 4, it is possible to estimate which electrical appliances are in operation based on the power usage data acquired and supplied by the smart meter, and then to search for the best time to operate the electrical appliances. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] 1 is a configuration diagram showing an example of a demand monitoring device according to the present invention; [Diagram 2] 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a customer facility in which a demand monitoring device according to the present invention is installed. [Diagram 3] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the concept of identification information D. [Figure 4] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a concept of searching for an alternative time slot. [Diagram 5] 13 is a flowchart showing a flow of demand monitoring. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0017] (Embodiment 1) Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The basic configuration of a demand monitoring device according to this embodiment is shown in Fig. 1. Also, a schematic configuration of a customer facility in which a demand monitoring device is installed is shown in Fig. 2.

[0018] A watt-hour meter 2 is connected to the demand monitoring device 1. The watt-hour meter 2 is, for example, a smart meter that measures the power supplied to the consumer 5 through a drop line 6, and has a built-in demand meter (not shown). The watt-hour meter 2 also has a wireless communication unit (not shown) that returns power usage data by Wi-sun in response to a request from the demand monitoring device 1. However, the wireless communication unit is not limited to a configuration that performs wireless communication using Wi-sun, and may be a configuration that performs wireless communication by PLC communication, wireless LAN, or the like. In either case, data is obtained by route B communication. The watt-hour meter 2 supplies power usage data to the demand monitoring device 1 at a predetermined time period that is shorter than the demand period.

[0019] The demand meter is a device for calculating the basic electricity charge for the consumer 5, and calculates the demand power (30-minute demand value) which is the average power usage per demand cycle (e.g., 30 minutes), and obtains the maximum value (demand value) of the calculated values ​​for one month. The maximum value (maximum demand value) of the demand values ​​for the most recent 12 months including the current month becomes the reference data for calculating the basic charge.

[0020] The consumer 5 has a plurality of electrical appliances 51. The electrical appliances 51 include, for example, home appliances, air conditioners, lighting equipment, office equipment, communication equipment, factory manufacturing facilities, etc. These electrical appliances 51 are operated appropriately in accordance with the lifestyle and activity rhythms of the consumer 5. The lifestyle and activity rhythms of the consumer 5 are patterned to some extent by day of the week, month, and season, and the operation timing of the electrical appliances 51 is also patterned to some extent by day of the week, month, and season.

[0021] The demand monitoring device 1 includes a communication unit 11 that wirelessly communicates with the electricity meter 2, a memory unit 12 that pre-stores multiple electrical appliances 51 owned by the consumer 5 and identification information D related to fluctuations in the power usage data for each electrical appliance 51 during operation, an estimation unit 13 that estimates the electrical appliances 51 in operation based on the fluctuations in the power usage data received from the electricity meter 2 and the identification information D, a monitoring and judgment unit 14 that predicts an average usage amount A for each demand cycle based on the power usage data received from the electricity meter 2, monitors whether the predicted value P exceeds a predetermined standard power amount S, and, if it is determined that it does exceed the average usage amount P, searches for another time period during which the predicted value P will not exceed the standard power amount S even when the electrical appliances 51 are in operation, for at least one of the electrical appliances 51 estimated to be in operation by the estimation unit 13, and a display unit 15 that displays the search results by the monitoring and judgment unit 14.

[0022] The storage unit 12 stores a first database 3 in which a plurality of electric appliances 51 owned by the consumer 5 and identification information D for each electric appliance 51 are linked and registered. The operation of the electric appliances 51 consumes power, but the magnitude of power consumption, the way in which the power consumption rises (power consumption rises suddenly when switched on, rises gradually, etc.), the way in which the power consumption fluctuates (power consumption increases and decreases at a predetermined cycle during operation, power consumption is maintained constant during operation, etc.) and the like differ for each electric appliance 51 depending on the characteristics of the electric appliance 51. Therefore, the fluctuation pattern of the power consumption during operation differs for each electric appliance 51, and the fluctuation pattern of the power usage data received from the watt-hour meter 2 also differs accordingly (see FIG. 3). In this embodiment, the fluctuation pattern of the power usage data is used as identification information D related to the fluctuation of the power usage data during operation. This identification information D is determined by the characteristics of the electric appliance 51, and by linking the electric appliance 51 with the identification information D, the electric appliance 51 in operation can be estimated based on the identification information D.

[0023] The identification information D is registered in, for example, a second database 4 prepared in advance in the storage unit 12. That is, the identification information D of the electric appliances 51 distributed in the market is prepared in a database. The user of the demand monitoring device 1 can obtain the necessary identification information D for the electric appliance 51 owned by the consumer 5 by selecting an item registered in the second database 4 in advance.

[0024] The storage unit 12 also stores a preset reference power amount S. The reference power amount S is a reference value for determining concentrated power consumption by the consumer 5, and is input, for example, by the consumer 5 operating the setting unit 16. The setting unit 16 is, for example, a touch panel, and the input operation can be performed while viewing the display.

[0025] Furthermore, the memory unit 12 sequentially stores the power usage data supplied from the watt-hour meter 2 via the communication unit 11 together with time information.

[0026] The estimation unit 13 monitors the power usage data supplied from the watt-hour meter 2 via the communication unit 11 and stored in the storage unit 12, and estimates the electric appliance 51 in operation based on the fluctuation of the power usage data and the first database 3 stored in the storage unit 12. The estimation unit 13 communicates the name of the estimated electric appliance 51 in operation to the monitoring and determination unit 14.

[0027] The monitoring and judging unit 14 collects the power usage data sequentially stored in the storage unit 12 together with time information, and creates a fluctuation pattern of the power usage data. For example, the power usage data is collected by day of the week, month, and season, and a fluctuation pattern of the power usage data for each day of the week, each month, and each season is created. These fluctuation patterns are stored in the storage unit 12. The monitoring and judging unit 14 also updates each fluctuation pattern stored in the storage unit 12 using the power usage data newly stored in the storage unit 12. The update is performed at regular intervals, such as once a month or once a year. In the initial state before the operation of the demand monitoring device 1 is started, a representative pattern is stored in advance as each fluctuation pattern. These representative patterns are gradually corrected to reflect the life rhythm and activity rhythm of the consumer 5 by updating through the operation of the demand monitoring device 1.

[0028] The monitoring and judging unit 14 also monitors the power usage data supplied from the power meter 2 and stored in the memory unit 12, predicts the average usage (30-minute demand value) A for each demand cycle based on the transition of the data, and monitors whether the predicted value P exceeds the reference power amount S stored in the memory unit 12. That is, the monitoring and judging unit 14 predicts the transition of the power usage data in the current demand cycle based on the transition of the power usage data to calculate a predicted value P of the average usage A, and compares the predicted value P with the reference power amount S. If the predicted value P is equal to or less than the reference power amount S, it is judged that the average usage A will not exceed the reference power amount S even if the power usage data continues to transition as it is. On the other hand, if the calculated predicted value P is greater than the reference power amount S, it is judged that the average usage A will exceed the reference power amount S if the power usage data continues to transition as it is.

[0029] Furthermore, when the monitoring and determining unit 14 determines that the average usage amount A will exceed the reference power amount S if the power usage data continues as is, the monitoring and determining unit 14 searches for another time period (hereinafter referred to as an alternative time period) in which the predicted value P will not exceed the reference power amount S even if the electric appliance 51 whose operation is estimated by the estimating unit 13 is operated. When there are multiple electric appliances 51 whose operation is estimated by the estimating unit 13, alternative time periods may be searched for by selecting all the electric appliances 51, or alternative time periods may be searched for by selecting some of the electric appliances 51. Alternatively, the electric appliances 51 owned by the consumer 5 may be prioritized in advance, and one or more electric appliances 51 may be selected in order of priority to search for an alternative time period.

[0030] Since the storage unit 12 stores, as the identification information D, a fluctuation pattern of the power usage data for each electric appliance 51 when the electric appliance 51 is operating, the monitoring and determining unit 14 refers to the identification information D to calculate an increase value δ (see FIG. 3) of the power usage data when the electric appliance 51 is operating, and searches for an alternative time slot. That is, the monitoring and determining unit 14 predicts the future transition of the power usage data based on the fluctuation pattern of the power usage data stored in the storage unit 12 (the two-dot chain line portion of the fluctuation pattern shown in FIG. 4), and calculates a corrected predicted value Pa by adding the increase value δ of the power usage data of the selected electric appliance 51 to the predicted value P. Then, the corrected predicted value Pa is compared with the reference power amount S, and a time slot (alternative time slot) in which the corrected predicted value Pa is equal to or less than the reference power amount S is searched for. The search for an alternative time slot is performed, for example, sequentially from the present toward the future. Therefore, it is possible to search for a time slot as close to the future as possible.

[0031] For example, in Fig. 4, the value of the power usage data (power consumption) has been trending as shown by the solid line up to the current time T1, and is predicted to trend in the future as shown by the two-dot chain line. In this prediction, the predicted value P will exceed the reference power amount S at time T2. The monitoring and determination unit 14 obtains the increase value δ by referring to the identification information D shown in Fig. 3, and searches for an alternative time period in which the corrected predicted value Pa calculated by adding the increase value δ to the predicted value P is equal to or less than the reference power amount S. In Fig. 4, the alternative time period is the time period from time T3 onwards.

[0032] The search for an alternative time slot may end when one alternative time slot is found, or may continue until multiple alternative time slots are found. In addition, when multiple electric devices 51 are selected, the search for an alternative time slot is performed for each electric device 51.

[0033] The alternative time period found by the monitoring and judging unit 14 is supplied to the display unit 15 together with the name of the electrical appliance 51. The display unit 15 is a display device such as a liquid crystal display, and displays the name of the electrical appliance 51 and the alternative time period supplied from the monitoring and judging unit 14 in a predetermined format.

[0034] The monitoring and determining unit 14 is provided in a control unit 17 of the demand monitoring device 1. The control unit 17 controls the communication unit 11, the storage unit 12, the estimation unit 13, the monitoring and determining unit 14, the display unit 15, and the setting unit 16.

[0035] Next, a description will be given of the operation of the demand monitoring device 1. Fig. 5 is a flow chart showing the monitoring operation of the demand monitoring device 1. First, an initial setting is performed by the user of the demand monitoring device 1 (step S1).

[0036] In the initial setting of step S1, a reference power amount S is set. The user sets, for example, a maximum demand value calculated based on past power usage data (data for the most recent 12 months including the current month) as the reference power amount S. If it is desired to reduce the power bill, the reference power amount S can be set to a value smaller than the maximum demand value. If it is acceptable for the power bill to be higher, the reference power amount S can be set to a value larger than the maximum demand value. The user operates the setting unit 16 to input the reference power amount S. The reference power amount S input by the user is stored in the memory unit 12.

[0037] In addition, in the initial setting of step S1, a plurality of electric appliances 51 owned by the consumer 5 are associated with and registered with the identification information D of each of the electric appliances 51. The registered information is stored in the storage unit 12 as the first database 3. The user operates the setting unit 16 to register the information. The storage unit 12 has prepared a second database 4 in which electric appliances 51 distributed in the market are associated with and registered with the identification information D of the electric appliances 51, and the name of the electric appliance 51 and the identification information D of the electric appliance 51 are displayed on the touch panel of the setting unit 16 by the user's operation. The user can operate the touch panel to find and select a target electric appliance 51 from the second database 4, thereby setting the electric appliance 51 and its identification information D.

[0038] When the initial setting in step S1 is completed, monitoring of the power usage data is started. First, under the control of the control unit 17, the communication unit 11 communicates with the watt-hour meter 2 at intervals of, for example, 120 seconds to obtain the power usage data (step S2). Under the control of the control unit 17, the estimation unit 13 monitors the power usage data, estimates the presence or absence of an operating electric device 51, and, if an operating electric device 51 is present, notifies the monitoring and determination unit 14 of its name (step S3). Under the control of the control unit 17, the monitoring and determination unit 14 also monitors the power usage data, and predicts the average usage amount A for each demand cycle based on the transition of the data (step S4).

[0039] The monitoring and determining unit 14 compares the predicted value P of the average usage amount A with the reference power amount S stored in the memory unit 12 (step S5), and if the predicted value P is greater than the reference power amount S (YES), searches for an alternative time period for the electric appliance 51 estimated to be in operation by the estimation unit 13 (step S6), and supplies the search result to the display unit 15. As a result, the display unit 15 displays the electric appliance 51 estimated to be in operation and its alternative time period in a predetermined format (step S7). After that, the process returns to step S2, and monitoring of the power usage data continues.

[0040] On the other hand, if the predicted value P is equal to or less than the reference power amount S (NO) in step S5, the monitoring and determining unit 14 updates the fluctuation pattern of the power usage data stored in the memory unit 12 as necessary (step S8). For example, updating is performed monthly or annually. Thereafter, the process returns to step S2, and the monitoring of the power usage data continues.

[0041] Thus, according to this embodiment, the electric appliances 51 in operation are estimated based on the power usage data received from the watt-hour meter 2, and the average usage A per demand cycle is predicted and compared with the preset reference power amount S. If it is determined that the predicted value P of the average usage A per demand cycle exceeds the reference power amount S, a proposal is displayed regarding which electric appliance 51 in operation should be turned off and when to operate it instead (alternative time period). If the consumer 5 follows this proposal, it is possible to prevent the average usage A per demand cycle from exceeding the reference power amount S, and to prevent an increase in the demand value (maximum demand power).

[0042] The consumer 5 only needs to follow the proposal of the demand monitoring device 1, and can easily determine which electric appliance 51 to turn off and when to operate it instead. Moreover, the selection of the electric appliance 51 to be turned off is not made based on the consumer 5's intuition, and it becomes possible to select an appropriate electric appliance 51 and turn it off.

[0043] When the setting unit 16 is a touch panel, the touch panel may also function as the display unit 15.

[0044] (Embodiment 2) In the first embodiment, the fluctuation pattern of the power usage data is stored in the storage unit 12, and the monitoring and determination unit 14 is configured to search for an alternative time slot for the selected electric appliance 51 based on the fluctuation pattern of the power usage data when it is determined that the predicted value P exceeds the reference power amount S, but in this second embodiment, the fluctuation pattern of the average usage amount A is stored in the storage unit 12, and the monitoring and determination unit 14 is configured to search for an alternative time slot for the selected electric appliance 51 based on the fluctuation pattern of the average usage amount A when it is determined that the predicted value P exceeds the reference power amount S. In this case as well, it is possible to search for an alternative time slot for the selected electric appliance 51. [Explanation of symbols]

[0045] 1 Demand monitoring device 11 Communications Department 12 Storage section 13 Estimation part 14 Monitoring and Judgment Department 15 Display 16 Setting section 17 Control Unit 2 Energy meter 3. The first database 4. The second database 5 Consumer 51 Electrical Equipment 6. Siding

Claims

1. A communication unit that receives power usage data of a consumer using a plurality of electrical devices from a power meter that measures power supplied to the consumer a plurality of times within a demand period; A storage unit that prestores identification information regarding the plurality of electrical appliances owned by the consumer and fluctuations in power usage data during operation of each of the electrical appliances; an estimation unit that estimates an electric appliance in operation based on a fluctuation in the power usage data received from the watthour meter and the identification information; a monitoring and determining unit that predicts an average usage amount for each demand cycle based on the power usage data received from the watt-hour meter, monitors whether the predicted value exceeds a preset reference power amount, and when it is determined that the predicted value exceeds the reference power amount, searches for another time period during which the predicted value will not exceed the reference power amount even if at least one of the electrical appliances whose operation is estimated by the estimating unit is in operation; A display unit that displays a search result by the monitoring and determining unit. A demand monitoring device comprising:

2. The storage unit accumulates a fluctuation pattern of the power usage data received from the watthour meter, When the monitoring and determining unit determines that the predicted value exceeds the reference power amount, the monitoring and determining unit searches for the other time period based on a fluctuation pattern of the power usage data.

2. The demand monitoring device according to claim 1,

3. The storage unit stores a fluctuation pattern of an average power usage amount obtained by averaging the power usage data received from the watthour meter for each demand period, when it is determined that the predicted value exceeds the reference power amount, the monitoring and determining unit searches for the other time period based on a fluctuation pattern of the average usage amount.

2. The demand monitoring device according to claim 1,

4. The electricity meter is a smart meter.

4. The demand monitoring device according to claim 1, wherein the demand monitoring device is a power supply device.

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