Control device, device control system, device control method and program

Abstract

To control equipment without dissatisfying a user when receiving a request to suppress or increase power demand.SOLUTION: A control apparatus 2 includes an allowance information acquisition unit 201 and an equipment control unit 202. The allowance information acquisition unit 201 acquires, on receipt of a DR notification, allowance information indicating the content according to DR allowance degree designated by a user when purchasing each equipment 5, the allowance information corresponding to each equipment 5, from a management server 6. The equipment control unit 202 controls each equipment 5 on the basis of the acquired allowance information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 10

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] In recent years, the commercialization of demand response (DR) has progressed from the perspective of ensuring a stable supply of electricity. DR refers to a process in which the owner of a consumer-side energy resource or a third party controls that energy resource to change the electricity demand pattern. Depending on the pattern of demand control, it can be classified into two types: "downward DR," which reduces (suppresses) demand, and "upward DR," which increases (creates) demand. Regarding this type of DR, for example, Patent Document 1 proposes a technology for controlling in-home appliances according to the preferences of consumers. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2013-031355 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the conventional technology, it is difficult for the consumer user to understand the control content of the device in response to DR, and there is a concern that the user may feel dissatisfied with the operation of the device corresponding to DR.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a control device, an equipment control system, an equipment control method, and a program that are capable of controlling equipment without causing dissatisfaction to users when a request is made to reduce or increase power demand. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, the control device according to the present disclosure includes: a tolerance information acquisition means for acquiring, when a request for suppression or increase of power demand is received, tolerance information corresponding to the device to be controlled and indicating the degree of tolerance to the request, which is the degree to which the user can accept the request specified when purchasing the device, from a management server; and a device control means for controlling the device based on the acquired permission information. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present disclosure, when a request to reduce or increase power demand is received, it is possible to control devices without causing dissatisfaction to users. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a device control system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of a control device according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of a user terminal according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of a management server according to an embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a management server according to an embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a device management DB according to an embodiment; [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of tolerance information corresponding to a water heater in the embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of tolerance information corresponding to an air conditioner in the embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of tolerance information corresponding to a lighting device in the embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a control device according to an embodiment. [Figure 11] 1 is a flowchart showing a procedure for DR tolerance management processing according to an embodiment. [Figure 12] 1 is a flowchart showing the procedure of a device control process according to an embodiment; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0010] Fig. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a device control system 1 according to an embodiment. The device control system 1 is an example of a device control system according to the present disclosure. The device control system 1 is a system that, when a request to reduce power demand is received for one or more devices 5 installed in a residence H, controls each device 5 according to a DR (Demand Response) tolerance associated with each device 5. As shown in Fig. 1, the device control system 1 includes a control device 2, a user terminal 3, a router 4, and one or more devices 5 installed in each residence, as well as a management server 6, a store server 7, and an RA server 8.

[0011] <Control device 2> The control device 2 is an example of a control device according to the present disclosure. The control device 2 is a computer that performs overall control of the devices 5 installed in the house H, and is, for example, a HEMS (Home Energy Management System) controller.

[0012] 2, the control device 2 includes, as its hardware configuration, a communication interface 20, a CPU 21, a ROM 22, a RAM 23, and an auxiliary storage device 24. These components are interconnected via a bus 25. The communication interface 20 is hardware for communicating with other devices via the router 4.

[0013] The CPU 21 performs overall control of the control device 2. The functions of the control device 2 realized by the CPU 21 will be described in detail later. The ROM 22 stores multiple pieces of firmware and data used when these pieces of firmware are executed. The RAM 23 is used as a work area for the CPU 21.

[0014] The auxiliary storage device 24 is composed of a readable / writable nonvolatile semiconductor memory, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), etc. Examples of the readable / writable nonvolatile semiconductor memory include an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory), a flash memory, etc. The auxiliary storage device 24 stores programs for controlling the devices 5 installed in the house H (hereinafter referred to as "device control programs") and data used when the device control programs are executed.

[0015] The control device 2 can acquire the device control program or an update program for updating the device control program from another server via communication. These programs can also be stored and distributed on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read Only Memory), a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), a magneto-optical disk, a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory, a HDD, an SSD (Solid State Drive), or a memory card. When such a recording medium is directly or indirectly attached to the control device 2, the control device 2 can read and import the device control program or update program from the recording medium.

[0016] <User terminal 3> The user terminal 3 is an electronic device that serves as an interface with a user in the device control system 1, and is, for example, a smart device such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal. As shown in Fig. 3, the user terminal 3 includes a display 30, an operation reception unit 31, a communication interface 32, a CPU 33, a ROM 34, a RAM 35, and an auxiliary storage device 36. These components are connected to each other via a bus 37.

[0017] The display 30 includes a display device such as a liquid crystal display, an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display, etc. Under the control of the CPU 33, the display 30 displays various screens and the like in response to user operations.

[0018] The operation receiving unit 31 includes one or more input devices such as a push button, a touch panel, a touch pad, etc., receives an operation input from a user, and sends a signal related to the received operation to the CPU 33.

[0019] The communication interface 32 is hardware for communicating with other devices via the router 4. The CPU 33 performs overall control of the user terminal 3. The ROM 34 stores multiple pieces of firmware and data used when these pieces of firmware are executed. The RAM 35 is used as a working area for the CPU 33.

[0020] The auxiliary storage device 36 is configured with a readable / writable nonvolatile semiconductor memory, a HDD, etc. Examples of the readable / writable nonvolatile semiconductor memory include an EEPROM and a flash memory. The auxiliary storage device 36 stores various programs including application programs (hereinafter referred to as "service apps") for using services provided by the device control system 1, and data used when these programs are executed.

[0021] The user terminal 3 can acquire service apps or update programs for updating service apps from other servers via communications. These programs can also be stored and distributed on computer-readable recording media such as CD-ROMs, DVDs, optical magnetic disks, USB memory sticks, HDDs, SSDs, and memory cards. When such a recording medium is directly or indirectly attached to the user terminal 3, the user terminal 3 can read and import the service apps or update programs from the recording media.

[0022] <Router 4> The router 4 is a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) router such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark) that is installed in the residence H. The router 4 may also be a wired LAN router. Alternatively, the router 4 may have both wireless LAN and wired LAN functions, and may be configured to perform wireless communication with one device 5 and wired communication with another device 5.

[0023] <Equipment 5> Device 5 is an example of a device according to the present disclosure. Device 5 is a device to be controlled by control device 2, such as a water heater, air conditioner, or lighting device. Device 5 includes hardware for wireless communication with control device 2 via router 4, and when device 5 receives a control command from control device 2, it operates in accordance with the control command. Device 5 may be configured to be connected to router 4 via a wired connection, or may be configured to perform wireless or wired communication using an external communication adapter (not shown).

[0024] Furthermore, the device 5 performs an operation in response to an operation by the user using the above-mentioned service app or an operation by the user using a dedicated remote control for the device 5.

[0025] <Administration Server 6> The management server 6 is an example of a management server according to the present disclosure. The management server 6 is a so-called cloud server that is installed and operated by a manufacturer, a sales company, or the like of the device 5, and manages the DR tolerance of each device 5.

[0026] 4, the management server 6 has, as its hardware configuration, a communication interface 60, a CPU 61, a ROM 62, a RAM 63, and an auxiliary storage device 64. These components are connected to each other via a bus 65. The communication interface 60 is hardware for communicating with other devices via a network N, which is a wide area network such as the Internet, and is, for example, an interface based on Ethernet (registered trademark).

[0027] The CPU 61 performs overall control of the management server 6. The functions of the management server 6 realized by the CPU 61 will be described in detail later. The ROM 62 stores multiple pieces of firmware and data used when these pieces of firmware are executed. The RAM 63 is used as a work area for the CPU 61.

[0028] The auxiliary storage device 64 is configured with a readable / writable nonvolatile semiconductor memory, a HDD, etc. Examples of the readable / writable nonvolatile semiconductor memory include an EEPROM, a flash memory, etc. The auxiliary storage device 64 stores a program for managing the DR tolerance of each device 5 (hereinafter referred to as a "DR tolerance management program") and data used when the DR tolerance management program is executed.

[0029] The management server 6 can acquire the DR tolerance management program or an update program for updating the DR tolerance management program from another server via communication. These programs can also be stored and distributed on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM, DVD, optical magnetic disk, USB memory, HDD, SSD, or memory card. When such a recording medium is directly or indirectly attached to the management server 6, the management server 6 can read and import the DR tolerance management program or the update program from the recording medium.

[0030] <Store Server 7> The store server 7 is an example of a store server according to the present disclosure. The store server 7 is a computer installed in a store that sells the device 5 or a computer that provides an online shopping service that sells the device 5, and is connected to the network N. When a device 5 is purchased, the store server 7 transmits information (hereinafter referred to as "purchase information") to the management server 6, the information including a device ID (identifier) ​​that is identification information that uniquely identifies the device 5, the model name of the device 5, and the DR tolerance level specified by the purchaser at the time of the purchase. The device ID is, for example, the serial number of the device 5.

[0031] In this embodiment, the user specifies a DR tolerance when purchasing the device 5. The higher the specified DR tolerance, the cheaper the selling price (i.e., price) of the device 5. The DR tolerance is the degree to which DR is tolerable, and is indicated, for example, as DR-0, DR-1, DR-2, ... in order of decreasing DR tolerance.

[0032] <RAサーバ8> The RA server 8 is a computer installed and operated by a resource aggregator that has concluded a VPP (Virtual Power Plant) service contract with consumers (i.e., users of each residence H), and is connected to the network N. When a tightness in the supply and demand of electricity is predicted, that is, when a shortage of electricity supply is predicted, the RA server 8 transmits a DR notification requesting a reduction in electricity demand to the control device 2 of each residence H. The DR notification includes information indicating the type of DR and information indicating the target time period (hereinafter referred to as the "target time period").

[0033] <Functional configuration of management server 6> Fig. 5 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the management server 6. As shown in Fig. 5, the management server 6 includes a purchase information receiving unit 600 and an allowance information notifying unit 601. These functional units are realized by the CPU 61 executing the above-mentioned DR allowance management program stored in the auxiliary storage device 64.

[0034] The purchase information receiving unit 600 is an example of a purchase information receiving means according to the present disclosure. When the purchase information described above is sent from the store server 7, the purchase information receiving unit 600 receives the purchase information. The purchase information receiving unit 600 registers the received purchase information as device management information in the device management DB 640. The device management DB 640 is a database in which the device management information of each device 5 is registered, and is stored in the auxiliary storage device 64. As shown in FIG. 6 , the device management DB 640 registers device management information for each device 5, linking the device ID, model name, and DR tolerance.

[0035] The allowable information notifying unit 601 is an example of an allowable information notifying means according to the present disclosure. When the allowable information notifying unit 601 is notified of a device ID and receives a request for allowable information from a control device 2 of any of the houses H, the allowable information notifying unit 601 notifies the control device 2 of allowable information indicating allowable contents of the DR allowance corresponding to the device 5 with the device ID in response to the request. In detail, the allowable information notifying unit 601 first refers to the device management DB 640 based on the device ID notified from the control device 2, and acquires the corresponding model name and DR allowance.

[0036] Next, the tolerance information notification unit 601 refers to the tolerance information DB 641 based on the acquired model name and DR tolerance, and acquires tolerance content corresponding to the DR tolerance. The tolerance information DB 641 is a database in which tolerance information linking DR tolerance and tolerance content is registered for each model of device 5, and is stored in the auxiliary storage device 64. The device management DB 640 and the tolerance information DB 641 are examples of databases according to the present disclosure. Examples of tolerance information are shown in Figs. 7 to 9.

[0037] In the example of the water heater in Figure 7, DR-0, which has the lowest DR tolerance, indicates that the DR is not complied with. DR-1 indicates that the amount of hot water boiled during boiling operation is limited to 80% of normal levels, and DR-9, which has the highest DR tolerance, indicates that the boiling operation is prohibited.

[0038] In the example of the air conditioner in Figure 8, DR-0, which has the lowest DR tolerance, indicates that the DR is not complied with, as in the case of a water heater. DR-1 indicates that the DR is complied with by setting the temperature 0.5°C higher than the set temperature for cooling and 0.5°C lower than the set temperature for heating, and DR-9, which has the highest DR tolerance, indicates that the DR is complied with by prohibiting operation.

[0039] 9, DR-0, which has the lowest DR tolerance, indicates that the device will not comply with DR, as in the case of a water heater and an air conditioner. DR-1 indicates that the device will comply with a 10% reduction in illuminance from the current level, and DR-9, which has the highest DR tolerance, indicates that the device will comply with turning off the light.

[0040] The permission information notifying unit 601 notifies the requesting control device 2 of the permission information indicating the permission contents acquired as described above.

[0041] <Functional configuration of control device 2> Fig. 10 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the control device 2. As shown in Fig. 10, the control device 2 includes a DR notification receiving unit 200, an allowance information acquiring unit 201, and an equipment control unit 202. These functional units are realized by the CPU 21 executing the above-mentioned equipment control program stored in the auxiliary storage device 24.

[0042] The DR notification receiving unit 200 receives a DR notification sent from the RA server 8. Upon receiving the DR notification, the DR notification receiving unit 200 notifies the allowance information acquiring unit 201 of the receipt of the DR notification. In addition, the DR notification receiving unit 200 supplies the device control unit 202 with information indicating the target time period included in the received DR notification.

[0043] The allowable information acquisition unit 201 is an example of an allowable information acquisition means according to the present disclosure. When the DR notification receiving unit 200 receives a DR notification, the allowable information acquisition unit 201 acquires allowable information corresponding to each device 5 from the management server 6. In detail, the allowable information acquisition unit 201 reads all device IDs stored in the device ID table 240 and notifies the management server 6 of each read device ID, thereby requesting and acquiring allowable information indicating allowable contents corresponding to each device 5 from the management server 6. The device ID table 240 is a data table stored in the auxiliary storage device 24. The device ID table 240 stores the device IDs of all devices 5 under the control of the control device 2, i.e., all devices 5 installed in the house H.

[0044] The permission information acquisition unit 201 supplies the permission information corresponding to each device 5 acquired from the management server 6 to the device control unit 202 .

[0045] The appliance control unit 202 is an example of an appliance control means according to the present disclosure. The appliance control unit 202 normally controls each appliance 5 during time periods other than the target time period of the DR. In the normal control, each appliance 5 is controlled based on, for example, a schedule and settings registered in advance by the user. On the other hand, during the target time period of the DR, the appliance control unit 202 controls each appliance 5 based on the tolerance information corresponding to each appliance 5. For example, if the appliance 5 is a water heater and the tolerance is "amount of hot water to be heated: 75% of normal," the appliance control unit 202 controls the water heater so that the amount of hot water to be heated is 75% of normal. Furthermore, if the appliance 5 is a water heater and the tolerance is "heating operation prohibited," the appliance control unit 202 prohibits the water heater from heating during the target time period. Furthermore, if the appliance 5 is a water heater and the tolerance is "not complying with DR," the appliance control unit 202 controls the water heater so that the amount of hot water to be heated is the normal amount.

[0046] Also, for example, if the device 5 is an air conditioner and its tolerance is "set temperature: +1.0 (when cooling), -1.0 (when heating)" and it is in cooling mode, the device control unit 202 commands the air conditioner to increase the set temperature by 1°C during the target time period. Also, if the device 5 is an air conditioner and its tolerance is "operation prohibited," the device control unit 202 prohibits the operation of the air conditioner during the target time period. Note that if the device 5 is an air conditioner and its tolerance is "do not comply with DR," the device control unit 202 controls the air conditioner to perform normal air conditioning operation.

[0047] Also, for example, when device 5 is a lighting device and its allowable content is "Illuminance: 10% decrease", the device control unit 202 decreases the illuminance of the lighting device by 10% during the target time period compared to the illuminance just before entering the target time period. Also, when device 5 is a lighting device and its allowable content is "Turn off the light", the device control unit 202 turns off the lighting device during the target time period. Note that when device 5 is a lighting device and its allowable content is "Not according to DR", the device control unit 202 controls the lighting device to perform normal lighting.

[0048] <DR Allowance Management Process> Figure 11 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the DR allowance management process executed by the management server 6.

[0049] (Step S100) The management server 6 determines whether it has received purchase information from the store server 7. If it has received the purchase information (Step S100; YES), the process of the management server 6 transitions to Step S101. On the other hand, if it has not received the purchase information (Step S100; NO), the process of the management server 6 transitions to Step S102.

[0050] (Step S101) The management server 6 registers the received purchase information as device management information in the device management DB 640. After that, the process of the management server 6 transitions to Step S102.

[0051] (Step S102) The management server 6 determines whether it has received a request for allowance information from the control device 2 of any house H. If it has received a request for allowance information from any control device 2 (Step S102; YES), the process of the management server 6 transitions to Step S103. On the other hand, if it has not received a request for allowance information from any control device 2 (Step S102; NO), the process of the management server 6 returns to Step S100.

[0052] (Step S103) The management server 6 acquires the DR tolerance corresponding to the specified device 5 from the device management DB 640. After that, the process of the management server 6 proceeds to step S104.

[0053] (Step S104) The management server 6 acquires the tolerance content corresponding to the acquired DR tolerance from the tolerance information DB 641. After that, the processing of the management server 6 proceeds to step S105.

[0054] (Step S105) The management server 6 notifies the requesting control device 2 of the permission information indicating the acquired permission details. Thereafter, the processing of the management server 6 returns to step S100.

[0055] <Device control processing> FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the device control process executed by the control device 2.

[0056] (Step S200) The control device 2 determines whether or not a DR notification has been received from the RA server 8. If a DR notification has been received (step S200; YES), the process of the control device 2 proceeds to step S201. On the other hand, if a DR notification has not been received (step S200; NO), the process of the control device 2 proceeds to step S202.

[0057] (Step S201) The control device 2 notifies the management server 6 of the device ID of each device 5, and acquires the permission information corresponding to each device 5 from the management server 6. Thereafter, the process of the control device 2 proceeds to step S202.

[0058] (Step S202) The control device 2 determines whether the current time is within the target time period of DR. If the current time is within the target time period (step S202; YES), the process of the control device 2 proceeds to step S203. On the other hand, if the current time is not within the target time period (step S202; NO), the process of the control device 2 proceeds to step S204.

[0059] (Step S203) The control device 2 controls each device 5 based on the corresponding permission information. After that, the process of the control device 2 returns to step S200.

[0060] (Step S204) The control device 2 normally controls each device 5. After that, the process of the control device 2 returns to step S200.

[0061] As described above, in the device control system 1 according to the present embodiment, when the control device 2 receives a DR notification, the control device 2 acquires, from the management server 6, tolerance information corresponding to the device 5 and indicating the content according to the DR tolerance specified by the user when purchasing the device 5. Then, during the target time period for the DR, the control device 2 controls the device 5 based on the corresponding tolerance information. This makes it possible to control the device 5 without causing dissatisfaction to the user.

[0062] Furthermore, the higher the DR tolerance, the cheaper the price of the device 5 becomes, so the user can more easily understand the benefits of complying with a DR request and can be fully convinced.

[0063] (Variation 1) If the RA server 8 predicts that the amount of power supply will be excessive, it may transmit a DR notification to each consumer requesting an increase in power demand. In this case, the tolerance information managed in the tolerance information DB 641 of the management server 6 is information linking the DR tolerance with the tolerance content for each DR type. Upon receiving the DR notification, the control device 2 notifies the management server 6 of the device ID and the DR type, and acquires tolerance information corresponding to the device 5 and the DR type from the management server 6.

[0064] (Variation 2) The user may be allowed to change the DR tolerance specified at the time of purchase after purchasing the device 5. For example, the user accesses the store server 7 by operating the user terminal 3 using the service app and requests a change to the DR tolerance. In this case, if the changed DR tolerance is lower than before the change, the user pays the difference by online payment or the like. On the other hand, if the changed DR tolerance is higher than before the change, the user receives the difference or points equivalent to the difference in a predetermined manner.

[0065] (Variation 3) The device control unit 202 of the control device 2 in the above embodiment controls the device 5 in accordance with the tolerance content (see FIGS. 7 to 9) indicated in the tolerance information corresponding to the device 5 obtained from the management server 6, but may be configured to control the device 5 within a range in which the suppressed power amount notified by the RA server 8 can be suppressed. In this case, the DR notification transmitted from the RA server 8 to the control device 2 includes suppressed power amount information indicating the suppressed power amount. The suppressed power amount is the amount of power that each consumer is requested to suppress during the target time period.

[0066] For example, if the device 5 is an air conditioner and its tolerance is "set temperature: +3.0 (when cooling), -3.0 (when heating)," and if raising the set temperature by 2°C when cooling can be expected to reduce the amount of power consumption that can be reduced, the device control unit 202 instructs the air conditioner to raise the set temperature by 2°C during the target time period. This makes it possible to minimize the impact on the user caused by complying with the DR.

[0067] (Variation 4) Instead of the control device 2, a server having the same functions as the control device 2 (see FIG. 10) may control each device 5 in each residence H. The server is an example of a control device according to the present disclosure.

[0068] (Variation 5) The control device 2 may be configured to include a database similar to the tolerance information DB 641 included in the management server 6. In this case, the control device 2 does not need to acquire the tolerance information of the device 5 from the management server 6, but only needs to acquire the DR tolerance.

[0069] (Variation 6) The device 5 may store tolerance information corresponding to itself and may operate with tolerance content corresponding to the DR tolerance notified from the control device 2. In this case, the control device 2 may acquire the DR tolerance from the management server 6 instead of the tolerance information, and may notify the corresponding device 5 of the acquired DR tolerance during the target time period of the DR.

[0070] (Variation 7) The management server 6 may be configured to include a plurality of separate servers.

[0071] (Variation 8) All or part of the functional units of the management server 6 (see FIG. 5) may be implemented by dedicated hardware. Also, all or part of the functional units of the control device 2 (see FIG. 10) may be implemented by dedicated hardware. The dedicated hardware may be, for example, a single circuit, a composite circuit, a programmed processor, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or a combination thereof.

[0072] The technical ideas according to the above-described modifications may be realized independently or in appropriate combination.

[0073] The present disclosure allows various embodiments and modifications without departing from the broad spirit and scope. Furthermore, the above-described embodiments are intended to explain the present disclosure and do not limit the scope of the present disclosure. That is, the scope of the present disclosure is defined by the claims, not the embodiments. Various modifications made within the scope of the claims and the meaning of equivalent disclosures are considered to be within the scope of the present disclosure. [Explanation of symbols]

[0074] 1 Device control system, 2 Control device, 3 User terminal, 4 Router, 5 Device, 6 Management server, 7 Store server, 8 RA server, 20, 32, 60 Communication interface, 21, 33, 61 CPU, 22, 34, 62 ROM, 23, 35, 63 RAM, 24, 36, 64 Auxiliary storage device, 25, 37, 65 Bus, 30 Display, 31 Operation reception unit, 200 DR notification reception unit, 201 Tolerance information acquisition unit, 202 Device control unit, 240 Device ID table, 600 Purchase information reception unit, 601 Tolerance information notification unit, 640 Device management DB, 641 Tolerance information DB

Claims

1. a tolerance information acquisition means for acquiring, when a request for suppression or increase of power demand is received, tolerance information corresponding to the device to be controlled and indicating the degree of tolerance to the request, which is the degree to which the user can accept the request specified when purchasing the device, from a management server; and device control means for controlling the device based on the acquired permission information.

2. The control device of claim 1 , wherein the higher the tolerance, the cheaper the cost of the device.

3. The system includes a store server, a management server, and a control device, When the device is purchased, the store server transmits purchase information to the management server, the purchase information including identification information of the device and a tolerance level, which is a degree to which a request for suppression or increase of power demand, designated by the user, is acceptable; The management server a purchase information receiving means for receiving the purchase information; a database that manages the device identification information, the tolerance, and the tolerance content in association with each other; and a permission information notifying means for notifying the control device of permission information indicating permission contents corresponding to the designated device in response to a request from the control device, The control device an allowance information acquisition means for acquiring allowance information corresponding to the device to be controlled from the management server upon receiving the request; and a device control means for controlling the device based on the acquired permission information.

4. The device control system according to claim 3 , wherein the higher the tolerance, the cheaper the price of the device.

5. When a request for suppression or increase of power demand is received, the tolerance information acquisition means acquires tolerance information corresponding to the device to be controlled from the management server, the tolerance information indicating the degree of tolerance for the request, which is the degree to which the user can accept the request specified when purchasing the device; A device control method, in which a device control means controls the device based on the acquired permission information.

6. Computer, a tolerance information acquisition means for acquiring, when a request for suppression or increase of power demand is received, tolerance information corresponding to the device to be controlled and indicating a degree of tolerance for the request, which is a degree of tolerance designated by a user at the time of purchase of the device, from a management server; a program that functions as a device control means that controls the device based on the acquired permission information;

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