Gateway, information processing system, and control method

Abstract

To provide a gateway, etc. whose convenience is improved.SOLUTION: Provided herein is a gateway comprising: a first communication unit that transmits and receives information by wire or wirelessly to and from multiple types of devices installed inside a building; a second communication unit that transmits and receives information to and from a server apparatus via the Internet circuit; an energy management unit that transmits and receives information to and from one or more devices via the first communication unit and manages energy inside of the building; a sensor management unit that receives, from the first communication unit, sensor information that can be information from at least a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, an open / close sensor that detects whether or not a switching body of the building is in an open state, an illumination sensor, and a human body detection sensor; and a device operation management unit that controls, via the second communication unit, at least one electric switchgear among the multiple types of devices that electrically opens or closes the switching body, on the basis of the sensor information received by the sensor management unit. The energy management unit, the sensor management unit, and the device operation management unit are integrated into one body.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a gateway 、 Information Processing Systems and control method Regarding. [Background technology]

[0002] A Home Energy Management System (HEMS) has been proposed that connects home appliances in a house to a network and manages the energy consumption of the appliances (see, for example, Patent Document 1). For example, in a HEMS, the power consumption of the appliances is transmitted to a server device on the network via a gateway for the HEMS, and the power consumption of the appliances can be viewed from a user's mobile information terminal or the like.

[0003] In recent years, sensor network systems have been proposed that provide the detection results of sensors such as temperature sensors and human body detection sensors installed in buildings to server devices, and home automation systems that control home appliances using information such as signals from server devices as triggers. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-155855 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, currently, dedicated gateways are used for sensor network systems and home automation systems. For example, to build an HMES, a sensor network system, and a home automation system in one building, three gateways are required, which leaves room for improvement in terms of convenience.

[0006] The present disclosure has been made in light of the above circumstances, and its purpose is to provide a gateway that improves convenience. 、 Information Processing Systems and control method The purpose is to provide [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] One aspect of the present disclosure is a gateway comprising: a first communication unit that transmits and receives information via a wired or wireless connection with multiple types of devices installed within a building; a second communication unit that transmits and receives information with a server device via an Internet line; an energy management unit that transmits and receives information with one or more of the devices via the first communication unit to manage energy within the building; a sensor management unit that receives sensor information from the first communication unit, the information being from at least one of a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, an opening / closing sensor that detects whether an opening / closing body of the building is open or closed, an illuminance sensor, and a human body detection sensor; and a device operation management unit that controls, via the second communication unit, at least one electric opening / closing device among the multiple types of devices that electrically opens and closes the opening / closing body based on the sensor information received by the sensor management unit, wherein the energy management unit, the sensor management unit, and the device operation management unit are integrated, allowing a HEMS, home automation, and a sensor network to cooperate with each other. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an information processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of a gateway according to the present embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of a server device according to the present embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an information processing system 1 according to this embodiment. The information processing system 1 according to this embodiment is a home network system in which a user uses a communication terminal such as a smartphone to remotely control a device 200 installed in the user's building 100 via the Internet and obtain information about the device 200. The building 100 is a residence such as an apartment or a detached house, a hospital, a facility, or the like. In this embodiment, a case will be described in which the building 100 is the user's residence.

[0010] The devices 200 installed in the building 100 are home appliances, sensors, etc. installed in one or more spaces within the premises of the building 100.

[0011] Examples of home appliances include lighting equipment, air conditioners, washing machines, refrigerators, televisions, smart speakers, electric windows, electric shutters, electric blinds, electric curtains, electronic locks, intercoms, water heaters, solar power generation systems, smart distribution boards, smart meters, hot water supply equipment, power storage devices, cameras that capture indoor or outdoor images, etc. Examples of sensors include temperature sensors, humidity sensors, open / close sensors that detect whether a building's opening / closing mechanism is open or closed, illuminance sensors, human detection sensors, etc. Examples of building opening / closing mechanisms include doors, windows, and entrance doors.

[0012] The building 100 includes a plurality of spaces, such as a living room, a kitchen, a bathroom, an entrance hall, a children's room, a study, and a bedroom. For example, one or more devices 200 are installed in each of the plurality of spaces.

[0013] 1, the information processing system 1 includes a communication interface 10 and a server device 20. The communication interface 10 includes a router 11 and a gateway 12. The communication interface 10 is installed in a building 100, for example.

[0014] The router 11 is connected to the server device 20 via an internet line NW. The router 11 is connected to the gateway 12 via a wireless or wired connection (for example, a wired LAN). The router 11 relays information between the server device 20 and the gateway 12.

[0015] One or more devices 200 are connected by wire or wirelessly to the gateway 12. The gateway 12 of this embodiment is connected by wire or wirelessly to a plurality of devices 200.

[0016] FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of the gateway 12 of this embodiment. The gateway 12 includes, for example, a first communication unit 30, a second communication unit 31, an energy management unit 32, a sensor management unit 33, and a device operation management unit 34. These components are realized by, for example, a hardware processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) executing a program (software). Some or all of these components may be realized by hardware (including circuitry) such as an LSI (Large Scale Integrated circuit), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or may be realized by a combination of software and hardware. The program may be stored in advance in a storage device (a storage device having a non-transitory storage medium) such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or flash memory, or may be stored in a removable storage medium (a non-transitory storage medium) such as a DVD or CD-ROM, and installed in the storage device by inserting the storage medium into a drive device. The storage device may be configured, for example, by a HDD, a flash memory, an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), or a RAM (Random Access Memory).

[0017] The first communication unit 30 transmits and receives information to and from one or more devices 200 provided in the building 100 via a wired or wireless connection. For example, the first communication unit 30 transmits and receives information to and from multiple devices 200 provided in the building 100 via a wired or wireless connection. The transmission path between the first communication unit 30 and the multiple devices 200 may be a wireless communication path (e.g., a wireless LAN), a wired communication path, or a combination of a wireless communication path and a wired communication path. The transmission path between the first communication unit 30 and the multiple devices 200 may use, for example, a low-power wide-area network (LPWAN), or a short-range wireless communication standard such as ZigBee (registered trademark), WiFi (registered trademark), or Bluetooth (registered trademark). The transmission paths between the first communication unit 30 and the multiple devices 200 do not all need to be the same transmission path.

[0018] The first communication unit 30 has communication functions for, for example, a plurality of different communication methods. Among the plurality of devices 200, there are devices whose wireless communication method is different from that of the other devices. The first communication unit 30 is configured to be able to communicate with each of the plurality of devices 200, even if the plurality of devices 200 includes devices whose wireless communication methods are different.

[0019] The second communication unit 31 transmits and receives information to and from the server device 20 via the Internet line NW. For example, the second communication unit 31 transmits and receives information to and from the server device 20 via the router 11.

[0020] The energy management unit 32 manages energy within the building 100 by transmitting and receiving information to and from one or more devices 200 via the first communication unit 30. The energy management unit 32 has a function as a controller of the HEMS.

[0021] The energy management unit 32 controls or monitors HEMS-compatible devices (hereinafter referred to as "HEMS devices") among the multiple devices 200 via the first communication unit 30. HEMS devices include, for example, smart meters, solar power generation systems, power storage devices, air conditioners, lighting fixtures, hot water heaters, refrigerators, electric curtains, electric shutters, televisions, etc. However, HEMS devices are not limited to these devices.

[0022] For example, the energy management unit 32 receives energy information including information on energy consumed by the HEMS devices via the first communication unit 30. Based on the received energy information, the energy management unit 32 controls one or more HEMS devices so as to reduce energy consumption by the HEMS devices. The energy is at least one of electricity, gas, and water.

[0023] As an example, the energy management unit 32 receives energy information including information such as the amount of power measured by the smart meter, the amount of power stored in the power storage device, and the power generated by the solar power generation system via the first communication unit 30. The energy management unit 32 transmits this received energy information from the second communication unit 31 to the server device 20 via the router 11. The energy management unit 32 supplies the amount of power stored in the power storage device or the power generated by the solar power generation system to air conditioners, lighting fixtures, hot water heaters, refrigerators, etc., in order to reduce the amount of power measured by the smart meter, and stops unnecessary operations of HEMS devices.

[0024] The sensor management unit 33 receives sensor information, which is information from at least one of a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, an open / close sensor, an illuminance sensor, and a human body detection sensor, among the multiple devices 200, via the first communication unit 30. The sensor management unit 33 transmits the received sensor information to the server device 20 via the second communication unit 31. The sensor management unit 33 may output the received sensor information to the device operation management unit 34. The sensor management unit 33 has a function of a sensor network system that receives sensor information from the multiple devices 200 and transmits it to other devices or functional units.

[0025] The device operation management unit 34 has a function of a home automation system that controls the operation of the device 200 (home electric appliance) using some kind of signal as a trigger. For example, the device operation management unit 34 controls one or more home electric appliances among the plurality of devices 200 via the second communication unit 31 based on sensor information received by the sensor management unit 33. The device 200 controlled by the device operation management unit 34 may be a home electric appliance, and may be either a HEMS device or a home electric appliance that is not a HEMS device.

[0026] For example, the device operation management unit 34 determines whether a predetermined condition is met based on the sensor information received by the sensor management unit 33. If the predetermined condition is met, the device operation management unit 34 causes the home appliance to perform an operation associated with the predetermined condition. The predetermined condition can be arbitrarily set by the user. There may be one predetermined condition or multiple predetermined conditions.

[0027] For example, the predetermined condition is that the room temperature is below a predetermined value, and this condition is associated with information about the operation of starting the heating of the air conditioner. In this case, the device operation management unit 34 determines whether the detection result of the temperature sensor from the sensor management unit 33 is below the predetermined value, and if the detection result of the temperature sensor is below the predetermined value, starts the heating operation of the air conditioner via the first communication unit 30.

[0028] For example, the predetermined condition is that a person is present in the room, and this condition is associated with information about an operation of turning on a lighting device in the room. In this case, the device operation management unit 34 determines whether a person is present in the room based on a signal from the human body detection sensor. If the device operation management unit 34 determines that a person is present in the room based on the signal from the human body detection sensor, it turns on the lighting device in that room. However, the predetermined condition is not limited to the above example.

[0029] The trigger for the control of the device 200 in the device operation management unit 34 is not limited to sensor information, and may be, for example, information from the server device 20. For example, the device operation management unit 34 may control the operation of the device 200 based on a control command acquired from the server device 20. For example, when the device operation management unit 34 acquires a control command from the server device 20, it controls the operation of one or more devices 200 based on the control command. For example, the control command is command information including information for identifying the device 200 and an operation instruction for the device, such as activating the device 200 or stopping the operation of the device 200.

[0030] The device operation management unit 34 may control the operation of the device 200 according to preset rules. For example, when a preset time arrives, the device operation management unit 34 may start supplying hot water to the bathtub or control the electric shutter to close.

[0031] The energy management unit 32, the sensor management unit 33, and the device operation management unit 34 are integrated into one gateway 12. This eliminates the need to use separate gateways when constructing an HMES, a sensor network system, and a home automation system for the building 100; they can all be constructed using one gateway 12, improving convenience.

[0032] The energy management unit 32, the sensor management unit 33, and the device operation management unit 34 can cooperate with each other. The sensor information obtained by the sensor management unit 33 is not transmitted to the energy management unit 32 or the device operation management unit 34 via the router 11 or the server device 20, but is transmitted directly from the sensor management unit 33 to the energy management unit 32 or the device operation management unit 34. This allows the gateway 12 to quickly execute control over the device 200.

[0033] An example of the server device 20 of this embodiment will be described. The server device 20 may be located on the Internet or on the cloud. The server device 20 is connected to the router 11 via the Internet line NW. The server device 20 transmits and receives various information to and from the gateway 12 via the Internet line NW. The server device 20 communicates with the user's communication terminal 300 via wired or wireless communication.

[0034] The communication terminal 300 is, for example, a portable communication terminal that can be carried by a user. For example, the communication terminal 300 is any one of a mobile phone, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, and a laptop computer. The communication terminal 300 may also be a wearable terminal or the like. There is no particular limitation on whether the communication terminal 300 can be carried by a user. For example, the communication terminal 300 may be a computer.

[0035] The user operates the communication terminal 300 to start a predetermined application and perform user authentication, thereby enabling communication between the server device 20 and the communication terminal 300. The communication terminal 300 can acquire at least one of energy information and sensor information from the server device 20, and display the acquired information on the display screen of the communication terminal 300. This allows the user to understand the amount of energy consumed in the building 100, the operating status of the device 200, and the situation inside the building 100.

[0036] The communication between the server device 20 and the communication terminal 300 may be a wireless communication transmission path (for example, a wireless LAN), a wired communication transmission path, or a combination of a wireless communication transmission path and a wired communication transmission path. The communication between the server device 20 and the communication terminal 300 may use, for example, a low-power wide area network, or a short-range wireless communication standard such as ZigBee, WiFi, or Bluetooth.

[0037] By operating the communication terminal 300, the user can send a control command to the gateway 12 via the server device 20. Therefore, by operating the communication terminal 300, the user can remotely control the operation of any device 200 in the building 100.

[0038] 3 is a schematic configuration diagram of the server device 20 of this embodiment. As shown in FIG.

[0039] The storage unit 21 stores correspondence information in which user information is associated with identification information of a communication control device (for example, the gateway 12). The user information may be any information related to a user, and for example, the user information is information about a user who uses a service provided by the information processing system 1. The user information is registered in advance in the storage unit 21. For example, the user information is information for logging in to the server device 20, and includes the user's identification information (for example, an ID) and a password.

[0040] The control unit 22 performs user authentication in response to a user authentication request from the communication terminal 300. For example, the control unit 22 performs user authentication to determine whether or not information included in the user authentication request matches any of the multiple pieces of user information stored in the storage unit 21. If the user authentication is successful, the control unit 22 connects to the gateway 12 associated with the user information.

[0041] Once user authentication is complete, the control unit 22 transmits and receives information to and from the communication terminal 300 via a mobile communication network such as a mobile phone network. For example, the control unit 22 receives at least one of energy information and sensor information from the gateway 12 via the Internet line NW2, and transmits the received information to the communication terminal 300. When the control unit 22 receives a control command from the communication terminal 300, it transmits the control command to the gateway 12 via the Internet line.

[0042] The gateway 12 of this embodiment has a configuration that integrates the functions of gateways used for HEMS, home automation, and sensor networks. This allows users to use a variety of services such as HEMS, home automation, and sensor networks by purchasing one gateway 12, improving convenience. The gateway 12 allows the functions of HEMS, home automation, and sensor networks to work together rather than being independent of each other.

[0043] When using gateways for home automation and a sensor network, a server device controls device 200 based on sensor information. For example, the server device acquires sensor information from the sensor network gateway via an Internet line and sends a command to the home automation gateway to control devices in the building based on the acquired sensor information. Upon receiving the command, the home automation gateway controls device 200 according to the command.

[0044] The gateway 12 of this embodiment does not need to transmit the sensor information to the server device 20 when controlling the device 200 based on the sensor information. The gateway 12 of this embodiment determines whether or not to control the device 200 based on the sensor information itself, without receiving a command from the server device. When determining to control the device 200, the gateway 12 of this embodiment controls the device 200. With this configuration, the control of the device 200 based on the sensor information can be performed more quickly.

[0045] The gateway 12 of this embodiment manages energy in the building 100 by transmitting and receiving information to and from one or more devices 200 via the first communication unit 30. The gateway 12 receives sensor information from at least one of a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, an open / close sensor, an illuminance sensor, and a human body detection sensor among the multiple devices 200 from the first communication unit 30. Based on the received sensor information, the gateway 12 controls one or more home appliances among the multiple devices 200 via the second communication unit 31. This makes it possible to achieve the three functions of HEMS, home automation, and a sensor network with a single gateway 12, without using multiple gateways corresponding to each of the HEMS, home automation, and sensor network.

[0046] The embodiments of this disclosure have been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, but the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment, and includes designs within the scope that do not deviate from the gist of this disclosure.

[0047] The above-mentioned predetermined condition can be set by the user's communication terminal 300. For example, the user logs in to the server device 20 using the communication terminal 300 and inputs the predetermined condition and information on the operation of the device 200 corresponding to the condition. The server device 20 registers the predetermined condition input by the communication terminal 300 and the information on the operation of the device 200 corresponding to the condition in the gateway 12. [Explanation of symbols]

[0048] 1...information processing system, 10...communication interface, 11...router, 12...gateway, 20...server device, 30...first communication unit, 31...second communication unit, 32...energy management unit, 33...sensor management unit, 34...device operation management unit

Claims

1. a first communication unit that transmits and receives information to and from a plurality of types of devices installed in the building via wired or wireless communication; a second communication unit that transmits and receives information to and from a server device via an internet line; an energy management unit that manages energy in the building by transmitting and receiving information to and from one or more of the devices via the first communication unit; a sensor management unit that receives sensor information from the first communication unit, the sensor information being information from at least one of a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, an opening / closing sensor that detects whether an opening / closing mechanism of the building is open or not, an illuminance sensor, and a human body detection sensor; a device operation management unit that controls at least one of the plurality of types of devices based on the sensor information received by the sensor management unit; Equipped with The energy management unit, the sensor management unit, and the device operation management unit are integrated, and the HEMS, home automation, and sensor network can cooperate with each other, the sensor management unit has a function of a sensor network system that can output the received sensor information to both the server device and the device operation management unit, the device operation management unit determines whether or not to control the device itself based on the sensor information obtained from the sensor management unit without receiving a command from the server device, and when it has determined to control the device itself, determines whether or not a predetermined condition is satisfied based on the sensor information, and when the predetermined condition is satisfied, causes the device to perform an operation associated with the predetermined condition. gateway.

2. the device operation management unit controls at least one of the plurality of types of devices, which is an electric opening / closing device that electrically opens and closes the opening / closing body; The electric opening / closing device is one of an electric window, an electric shutter, an electric blind, and an electric curtain. The gateway of claim 1 .

3. A communication interface having the gateway according to claim 1 or claim 2; the server device that transmits and receives information to and from the communication interface via an internet line; An information processing system comprising:

4. a first communication unit that transmits and receives information to and from a plurality of types of devices installed in the building via wired or wireless communication; a second communication unit that transmits and receives information to and from a server device via an internet line; an energy management unit that manages energy in the building by transmitting and receiving information to and from one or more of the devices via the first communication unit; a sensor management unit that receives sensor information from the first communication unit, the sensor information being information from at least one of a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, an opening / closing sensor that detects whether an opening / closing mechanism of the building is open or not, an illuminance sensor, and a human body detection sensor; a device operation management unit that controls at least one of the plurality of types of devices based on the sensor information received by the sensor management unit; Equipped with A control method using a gateway in which the energy management unit, the sensor management unit, and the device operation management unit are integrated, and a HEMS, a home automation system, and a sensor network can cooperate with each other, the sensor management unit has a function of a sensor network system that can output the received sensor information to both the server device and the device operation management unit, the device operation management unit determines whether or not to control the device itself based on the sensor information obtained from the sensor management unit without receiving a command from the server device, and when it has determined to control the device itself, determines whether or not a predetermined condition is satisfied based on the sensor information, and when the predetermined condition is satisfied, causes the device to perform an operation associated with the predetermined condition. Control method.

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