JP6573537B2 - Power demand control method and controller - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates to power demand control method and controller used in the home controller having a plurality of HEMS controller.

  In recent years, with the development of the Internet and sensor devices, studies of systems / services called M2M (Machine to Machine) / IoT (Internet of Things) have been advanced.

  A representative example of the M2M / IoT system is a HEMS (Home Energy Management System) for remotely controlling devices in the home.

  As a typical specification of HEMS, there is a method such as ECHONET Lite by Echonet Consortium. In addition, as a method for remotely measuring the amount of electric power used in the home, there is a “power meter information transmission service (B route service)” by Tokyo Electric Power Company.

ECHONET Lite Standard Ver.1.12 Part 1 Outline of ECHONET Lite (http://echonet.jp/wp/wp-content/uploads/pdf/General/Standard/ECHONET_lite_V1_12_en/ECHONET-Lite_Ver.1.12_01.pdf)

ECHONET Lite is a specification for managing home appliances, sensors, etc. in a home with a management device called a controller. TEPCO's smart meter (B route) specifications have been officially established. In the future, each company will sell HEMS systems linked with smart meters, and therefore, it is expected that a plurality of systems (HEMS controllers) will be mixed in the home.
However, the controllers are (basically) in a flat relationship, and the B route smart meter is connected to only one HEMS controller according to the standard. For this reason, when a third-party provider (eg, a demand response (DR) service provider) connects to a home HEMS controller, it may not be possible to connect to some of the home devices.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a power demand control method and a controller capable of controlling the power demand of the entire customer's home by external access even when a plurality of controllers connected to in-home devices coexist. It is in.

  In order to achieve the above object, one aspect of the present invention is provided in a customer's home, connected to at least one home device that operates by receiving power supply, and includes a plurality of controllers that control the home device, Used in a controller that is a home control device that can be connected to a smart meter that measures the power consumption in the customer's home, and by performing communication via a communication network between the controller and an external server device, It is a power demand control method for controlling the power demand of the customer's home.

  Here, the controller determines a primary controller that relays information transferred between the plurality of controllers and the server device as a representative of the plurality of controllers.

  Then, the determined primary controller collects device information regarding the home device from the plurality of controllers, specifies a device ID for specifying the smart meter and the home device, and a controller to which the home device is connected. A management table associated with the controller ID is stored. When a control command for the home device is received from the server device, the primary controller refers to the management table based on the device ID included in the control command, and based on the reference result, the control target is another controller. When it is determined that the device is a home device connected to the controller, the control command is transferred to the corresponding controller.

One aspect of the present invention is characterized by comprising the following various aspects.
In the first aspect, a controller to which the smart meter is connected to the primary controller is determined.

  In the second aspect, a gateway that connects the communication network and an internal communication network that connects the plurality of controllers to the primary controller is determined.

  In the third aspect, a controller on the cloud connected to the communication network is determined as the primary controller.

  According to one aspect of the present invention, a primary controller that relays information transferred between a plurality of controllers and a server device is determined, and the determined primary controller is connected to a device related to a home device from the plurality of controllers. A management table that collects information and associates a smart meter and a device ID for identifying a home device and its controller ID is stored in a memory, and control is performed when a control command for the home device is received from an external server device. When it is determined that the control target is a home device connected to another controller based on the device ID included in the command, the control command is transferred to the corresponding controller.

  Therefore, an external server device can identify a controller to which a smart meter is connected from among the controllers in the house, thereby grasping the amount of power in the house and controlling the power demand in the whole house. And a controller can be provided.

The figure which shows the whole structure of the electric power demand control system which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. The block diagram which shows the structure of the HEMS controller of the electric power demand control system shown in FIG. The figure which shows an example of the memory content of the apparatus information management table in 1st Embodiment. The figure which shows an example of the memory content of the controller information management table in 1st Embodiment. The sequence diagram which shows the data communication for the primary determination in the electric power demand control system shown in FIG. The sequence diagram which shows the data communication for the electric power demand control in the electric power demand control system shown in FIG. The figure which shows the whole structure of the electric power demand control system which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows an example of the memory content of the apparatus information management table in 2nd Embodiment. The figure which shows an example of the memory content of the controller information management table in 2nd Embodiment. The figure which shows the whole structure of the electric power demand control system which concerns on 3rd Embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows an example of the memory content of the apparatus information management table in 3rd Embodiment. The figure which shows an example of the memory content of the controller information management table in 3rd Embodiment.

Prior to describing the embodiment of the present invention, the current situation will be described.
Regarding the situation where a plurality of controllers exist in the home, for example, when a third party operator (eg, a demand response (DR) service provider) tries to connect to a home HEMS controller or device,
a) Since the external system cannot identify the controller to which the smart meter is connected, depending on the connected controller, the amount of power in the home may not be grasped.
b) Depending on the network configuration, it may not be possible to connect to some of the devices in the home, and thus the amount of power in the home cannot be controlled.
It is thought that such problems may become apparent.

Therefore, to address this issue,
(1) An external system can identify a controller to which a smart meter is connected among the controllers in the house.
(2) The home controller can grasp all information of the home devices.
A method to solve the problem is needed.

  Based on said method, embodiment of this invention is described below.

(First embodiment)
(Constitution)
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a power demand control system according to the first embodiment of the present invention, where HM is a customer's home, and 401, 402, and 403 are service servers operated by a service provider. Yes. These service servers 401, 402, and 403 can communicate with the HEMS controller 100 of company A and the HEMS controller 200 of company B provided in the customer's home HM via the communication network NW3. The communication network NW3 includes the Internet and an access network for accessing the Internet.

  The customer's home HM includes a plurality of home appliances 12 to 15 including home appliances, a smart meter 11 that measures the power consumption of the home appliances 12 to 15, HEMS controllers 100 and 200, and a gateway 300. Among them, the HEMS controllers 100 and 200 and the gateway 300 are connected via an internal communication network NW4. Further, the HEMS controllers 100 and 200 and the gateway 300 constitute a home control device. Moreover, the electric power supplied from the electric power provider (not shown) is supplied to each in-home equipment 12-15.

  The gateway 300 connects the communication network NW3 and the communication network NW4, and has a function of converting a communication protocol and a signal format between the communication network NW3 and the communication network NW4. The gateway 300 includes an ID, a MAC (Media Access Control) address, a home device 12 to 15, a HEMS controller 100, an ID assigned to the smart meter 11, each home device 12 to 15, and the HEMS controllers 100 and 200. Each of the local addresses assigned to 200 is managed.

  Incidentally, the HEMS controller 100 is configured as follows. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration. That is, the HEMS controller 100 includes a HAN interface function unit 101, an internal NW interface function unit 102, a device control function unit 103, a device management function unit 104, a device information acquisition function unit 105, and a device information management table 106. , An inter-controller communication function unit 107, a controller information management table 108, a primary determination function unit 109, a self-device information management table 110, and a device control unit 111.

  The HAN interface function unit 101 uses the communication protocol defined by the communication network (HAN) NW1 under the control of the device control function unit 103 or the device management function unit 104, and the smart meter 11, the home devices 12, 13 and Communicate between the two.

  The internal NW interface function unit 102 performs data communication with the external service server 401 under the control of the device control unit 111. The internal NW interface function unit 102 communicates with the HEMS controller 200 under the control of the inter-controller communication function unit 107.

The device control function unit 103 has a function of transmitting operation control signals of the home devices 12 and 13 output from the device control unit 111 described later to the home devices 12 and 13 via the HAN interface function unit 101.
The device information acquisition function unit 105 communicates with the smart meter 11 and the home devices 12 and 13 via the HAN interface function unit 101 under the control of the device management function unit 104, and the smart meter 11 and the home device 12. , 13 receives device information.

  The device information management table 106 is stored in a non-volatile memory MM that can be written and read as needed, such as a flash memory, and as shown in FIG. 3, the device IDs of the smart meter 11 and the home devices 12 and 13 included in the device information. And the controller ID that identifies the HEMS controller 100 are associated with each other.

  The controller information management table 108 is stored in a non-volatile memory MM that can be written and read as needed, such as a flash memory. As shown in FIG. 4, the controller ID, the address assigned to the HEMS controllers 100 and 200, and the primary flag , B route flag, and GW flag are associated with each other.

  The primary determination function unit 109 is controlled between the smart meter 11 and another HEMS controller 200 or between the other HEMS controller 200 and an external device based on a communication result by the inter-controller communication function unit 107 under the control of the device control unit 111. A primary controller that relays information transferred to and from the service server 401 is determined.

  The own device information management table 110 is stored in a non-volatile memory (not shown) that can be written and read as needed, such as a flash memory, and a B route flag indicating whether or not the own device is connected to the smart meter 11, gateway 300 It is a table which shows the GW flag which operate | moves as follows.

  The device control unit 111 includes, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and has a transfer control unit as a control function necessary for implementing this embodiment. This control function is realized by causing the CPU to execute an application program.

  The transfer control unit refers to the device information management table 106 based on the device ID included in the information inquiry / control command when receiving the information inquiry / control command for the home device, and the control target is determined based on the reference result. When it is determined that the home device 14 or 15 is connected to the HEMS controller 200, the information inquiry / control command is transferred to the corresponding HEMS controller 200.

(Operation)
Next, the operation of the power demand control system configured as described above will be described. FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram showing data communication for primary determination in the system.

  In the HEMS controller 100, when the power is turned on (step ST1a), the device control unit 111 searches whether a home device is connected on the communication network (HAN) NW1 (step ST1b). Here, when the smart meter 11 is found (step ST1c), the device control unit 111 transmits the B route flag information to the controller information management table 108 (S1), and the HEMS controller 100 (controller) in the controller information management table 108 is transmitted. The B route flag corresponding to ID = 00000011110) is updated to “1” (step ST1e).

  On the other hand, in the HEMS controller 200, when the power is turned on (step ST2a), the device control unit 211 searches for a home device connected to the communication network (HAN) NW2 (step ST2b). Here, since the smart meter 11 cannot be found, the apparatus control unit 211 maintains the B route flag corresponding to the HEMS controller 200 (controller ID = 00000011120) in the controller information management table 208 as “0” (step ST2d). .

  Subsequently, in the HEMS controller 100, when the device control unit 111 finds the HEMS controller 200 (controller ID = 00000011120) in the controller information management table 108 (step ST1d), the inter-controller communication function unit 107 is activated (S2). Primary negotiation information including information indicating the B route is transmitted to the HEMS controller 200 via the internal communication network NW4 (S4). At the same time, in the HEMS controller 200, when the device control unit 211 finds the HEMS controller 100 (controller ID = 00000011110) in the controller information management table 208 (step ST2c), it activates the inter-controller communication function unit 207 (S3).

  When the primary negotiation information is received from the HEMS controller 100, the inter-controller communication function unit 207 grasps that the smart meter 11 is connected, and transmits a control signal to the primary determination function unit 209 (S5). Is activated (step ST2e) and non-primary is determined (step ST2f). Further, the inter-controller communication function unit 207 transmits an ACK for the primary negotiation information to the HEMS controller 100 after transmitting a control signal to the primary determination function unit 209 (S6).

  The primary determination function unit 209 transmits flag information indicating the non-primary flag to the controller information management table 208 (S8), and sets the primary flag corresponding to the HEMS controller 200 (controller ID = 00000011120) in the controller information management table 208 to “ “0” is maintained (step ST2g).

  When the inter-controller communication function unit 107 receives an ACK for the primary negotiation information from the HEMS controller 200, it transmits a control signal to the primary determination function unit 109 (S7), activates the primary determination logic (step ST1f), and determines the primary (Step ST1g).

  The primary determination function unit 109 transmits flag information indicating the primary flag to the controller information management table 108 (S9), and sets the primary flag corresponding to the HEMS controller 100 (controller ID = 00000011110) in the controller information management table 108 to “1”. (Step ST1h).

  Thereafter, the inter-controller communication function unit 107 transmits a management device information request to the HEMS controller 200 (S10). In the HEMS controller 200, when the inter-controller communication function unit 207 receives the management device information request, the device information of the home devices 14 and 15 subordinate to the HEMS controller 200 is read from the device information management table 206 (S11, S12). The device information 14 and 15 is transmitted to the HEMS controller 100 as management device information (S13).

  The inter-controller communication function unit 107 stores the received managed device information in the memory MM that stores the device information management table 106 (S14).

  FIG. 6 is a sequence diagram showing data communication for power demand control in the power demand control system.

  In the customer's home HM, for example, when management device information inquiry information is received from the external service server 403 (S15), the device control unit 111 of the HEMS controller 100 accesses the memory MM storing the device information management table 106 (S16). Then, the device information of the smart meter 11 and the home devices 12 to 15 is read from the memory MM storing the device information management table 106 (step ST1j), and the device information is acquired (S17).

  Then, the device control unit 111 of the HEMS controller 100 transmits the acquired device information to the transmission source service server 403 as management device information (S18). Here, the management device information is information indicating the power attributes of the home devices 12 to 15. For example, the type of home appliance, the device ID, the power usage measured by the smart meter 11, and the HEMS controller 100 are primary. Information indicating that it is.

  Also, for example, when information inquiry information about the home device (device C) 14 is received from the external service server 403 (S19), the device control unit 111 of the HEMS controller 100 accesses the memory MM storing the device information management table 106 ( S20), device information of the home device 14 is read from the memory MM storing the device information management table 106 (step ST1k), and this device information is acquired (S21).

  Then, the device control unit 111 of the HEMS controller 100 transmits the acquired device information to the service server 403 that is the transmission source (S22). Here, the device information includes, for example, the type of the home device 14, the device ID, and the power usage measured by the smart meter 11.

  The service server 403 analyzes the device information of the returned home device 14, creates control command information for reducing the power consumption of the home device 14 of the customer home HM, and transmits the control command information to the HEMS controller 100. . For example, control command information for changing the illuminance setting to 50% is created when the illuminance setting of the home appliance 14 serving as the illumination is higher than 50%.

  When control command information for the home device (device C) 14 is received from the external service server 403 (S15), the device control unit 111 of the HEMS controller 100 manages device information based on the device ID of the home device 14 included in the control command information. The memory MM storing the table 106 is accessed (S24), the device information of the home device 14 is retrieved from the memory MM storing the device information management table 106 (step ST1l), and it is determined whether or not the device is under its own device. To do. Here, since it is under the control of another HEMS controller 200, the HEMS controller 100 refers to the controller information management table 108 under the control of the apparatus control unit 111 (step ST1m), and sets the address of the other HEMS controller 200. It acquires (S26) and transmits control command information to the HEMS controller 200 via the inter-controller communication function unit 107 (S27).

  The HEMS controller 200 generates a control signal for controlling the operation of the home appliance 14 based on the received control command information. The generated control signal is transmitted to the home device 14 (S28). As a result, the operation of the home appliance 14 is selectively controlled. For example, when the control command information indicates “change the illuminance setting to 50% when the illuminance setting is higher than 50%”, the illuminance of the home appliance 14 is changed to 50%.

(Operational effects of the first embodiment)
As described above, according to the first embodiment, the HEMS controller 100 to which the smart meter 11 is connected is determined as a primary controller that relays information transferred between the HEMS controller 200 and the external service server 403. Thus, the determined primary HEMS controller 100 collects device information regarding the home devices 14 and 15 from the other HEMS controllers 200. Then, when the device information management table 106 in which the device ID for specifying the smart meter 11 and the home devices 12 to 15 and the controller ID thereof are associated with each other is stored in the memory MM, the control command information of the home device 14 is received. When the control target is determined to be the home device 14 connected to another HEMS controller 200 with reference to the device information management table 106 based on the device ID included in the control command information, the control command information corresponds. It is transferred to the HEMS controller 200.

  Therefore, the external service server 403 can identify the HEMS controller 100 to which the smart meter 11 is connected among the HEMS controllers 100 and 200 in the customer's home HM, thereby grasping the electric energy in the customer's home HM. It is possible to control the power demand in the entire consumer HM.

(Second Embodiment)
(Constitution)
FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of the power demand control system according to the second embodiment of the present invention. Reference numeral 500 denotes a gateway, which connects between the communication network NW3 and the communication network NW4.

  The gateway 500 is provided with a primary HEMS controller function 510.

(Operation)
Next, operation | movement of the electric power demand control system of 2nd Embodiment comprised as mentioned above is demonstrated.

  In the HEMS controller function 510, when the gateway 500 is turned on, a search is performed as to whether a home device is connected to the communication network NW4. Here, when the HEMS controllers 100 and 200 are found, the GW flag information is transmitted to the controller information management table 512, and, as shown in FIG. 9, the gateway 500 (controller ID = 00000011101) in the controller information management table 512 is sent. The corresponding GW flag is updated to “1”.

  On the other hand, in the HEMS controller 100, when the power is turned on, the device control unit 111 searches for a home device connected to the communication network (HAN) NW1. Here, when the smart meter 11 is found, the device control unit 111 transmits the B route flag information to the controller information management table 108 and corresponds to the HEMS controller 100 (controller ID = 00000011110) in the controller information management table 108. The B route flag is updated to “1” and the B route flag information is transmitted to the gateway 500.

  Upon receiving the B route flag information, the HEMS controller function 510 transmits the B route flag information to the controller information management table 512, and the B route flag corresponding to the HEMS controller 100 (controller ID = 00000011110) in the controller information management table 512. Is updated to “1”.

  On the other hand, in the HEMS controller 200, when the power is turned on, the device control unit 211 searches for a home device connected to the communication network (HAN) NW2. Here, since the smart meter 11 cannot be found, the device control unit 211 maintains the B route flag corresponding to the HEMS controller 200 (controller ID = 00000011120) in the controller information management table 208 as “0”.

  Subsequently, when the HEMS controller function 510 finds the HEMS controller 100 (controller ID = 00000011110) and the HEMS controller 200 (controller ID = 00000011120) in the controller information management table 512, the primary negotiation information is transmitted via the internal communication network NW4. To the HEMS controllers 100 and 200.

  When receiving the primary negotiation information from the gateway 500, the HEMS controller 100 activates the primary determination logic to determine non-primary. In the HEMS controller 100, the inter-controller communication function unit 107 transmits an ACK for the primary negotiation information to the gateway 500 after transmitting a control signal to the primary determination function unit 209.

  The primary determination function unit 109 transmits flag information indicating the non-primary flag to the controller information management table 108, and sets the primary flag corresponding to the HEMS controller 100 (controller ID = 00000011110) in the controller information management table 108 to “0”. Let it remain. Also for the HEMS controller 200, the HEMS controller function 510 performs communication in the same manner as the HEMS controller 100.

  When the HEMS controller function 510 of the gateway 500 receives ACK for the primary negotiation information from the HEMS controller 100, the HEMS controller function 510 activates the primary determination logic to determine the primary.

  The HEMS controller function 510 transmits flag information indicating the primary flag to the controller information management table 512, and updates the primary flag corresponding to the gateway 500 (controller ID = 00000011101) in the controller information management table 512 to “1”.

  Thereafter, the HEMS controller function 510 transmits a management device information request to the HEMS controllers 100 and 200. When receiving the management device information request, the HEMS controller 100 reads the device information of the smart meter 11 and the home devices 12 and 13 under the HEMS controller 100 from the memory MM storing the device information management table 106, and the smart meter 11 and the home device. The device information 12 and 13 is transmitted to the gateway 500 as management device information.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the HEMS controller function 510 stores the received management device information in the memory that stores the device information management table 511.

  Similarly, when receiving the management device information request, the HEMS controller 200 reads the device information of the home devices 14 and 15 under the HEMS controller 200 from the device information management table 206, and the device information of the home devices 14 and 15 is managed device information. To the gateway 500. The HEMS controller function 510 stores the received managed device information in the memory that stores the device information management table 511.

  In the customer's home HM, for example, when management device information inquiry information is received from the external service server 403, the HEMS controller function 510 accesses the memory storing the device information management table 511, and from the memory storing the device information management table 511. The device information of each of the smart meter 11 and the home devices 12 to 15 is read out, and the device information is acquired.

  Then, the HEMS controller function 510 transmits the acquired device information to the transmission source service server 403 as managed device information. Here, the management device information is information indicating the power attributes of the home devices 12 to 15. For example, the type of home appliance, the device ID, the power usage measured by the smart meter 11, and the gateway 500 are primary. Information indicating that it is present.

  Further, for example, when receiving the information inquiry information regarding the home device (device C) 14 from the external service server 403, the HEMS controller function 510 accesses the memory storing the device information management table 511 and stores the device information management table 511. The device information of the home device 14 is read from the memory, and this device information is acquired.

  Then, the HEMS controller function 510 transmits the acquired device information to the service server 403 that is the transmission source. Here, the device information includes, for example, the type of the home device 14, the device ID, and the power usage measured by the smart meter 11.

  The service server 403 analyzes the device information of the returned home device 14, creates control command information for reducing the power consumption of the home device 14 of the customer's home HM, and transmits it to the gateway 500. For example, control command information for changing the illuminance setting to 50% is created when the illuminance setting of the home appliance 14 serving as the illumination is higher than 50%.

  When receiving the control command information of the home device (device C) 14 from the external service server 403, the HEMS controller function 510 accesses the device information management table 511 based on the device ID of the home device 14 included in the control command information. The device information of the home device 14 is searched from the information management table 511, and it is determined whether or not the device is under its own device. Here, since it is under the control of the other HEMS controller 200, the HEMS controller function 510 refers to the controller information management table 512, acquires the address of the other HEMS controller 200, and transmits the control command information to the HEMS controller 200. To do.

  The HEMS controller 200 generates a control signal for controlling the operation of the home appliance 14 based on the received control command information. The generated control signal is transmitted to the home device 14. As a result, the operation of the home appliance 14 is selectively controlled. For example, when the control command information indicates “change the illuminance setting to 50% when the illuminance setting is higher than 50%”, the illuminance of the home appliance 14 is changed to 50%.

(Operational effects of the second embodiment)
As described above, according to the second embodiment, since the gateway 500 is determined as the primary controller, the external service server 403 simply accesses the gateway 500, and the entire customer's home HM Electric power demand can be controlled.

(Third embodiment)
(Constitution)
FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of a power demand control system according to the third embodiment of the present invention, in which 600 indicates a HEMS controller, which is provided on the cloud of the communication network NW3.

  The HEMS controller 600 is connected to the gateway 300 of the customer's home HM via the communication network NW3 by VPN (Virtual Private Network).

(Operation)
Next, operation | movement of the electric power demand control system of 3rd Embodiment comprised as mentioned above is demonstrated.

  In the HEMS controller 100, when the power is turned on, the device control unit 111 searches for a home device connected to the communication network (HAN) NW1. Here, when the smart meter 11 is found, the device control unit 111 transmits the B route flag information to the controller information management table 108 and corresponds to the HEMS controller 100 (controller ID = 00000011110) in the controller information management table 108. The B route flag is updated to “1”, and the B route flag information is transmitted to the HEMS controller 600.

  Upon receiving the B route flag information, the HEMS controller 600 transmits the B route flag information to the controller information management table 612, as shown in FIG. 12, and the HEMS controller 100 (controller ID = 00000011110) in the controller information management table 612. The B route flag corresponding to is updated to “1”.

  On the other hand, in the HEMS controller 200, when the power is turned on, the device control unit 211 searches for a home device connected to the communication network (HAN) NW2. Here, since the smart meter 11 cannot be found, the device control unit 211 maintains the B route flag corresponding to the HEMS controller 200 (controller ID = 00000011120) in the controller information management table 208 as “0”.

  Subsequently, when the HEMS controller 600 finds the HEMS controller 100 (controller ID = 00000011110) and the HEMS controller 200 (controller ID = 00000011120) in the controller information management table 612, the primary negotiation information is obtained from the communication network NW3, the gateway 300, and the communication. The data is transmitted to the HEMS controllers 100 and 200 via the network NW4.

  When receiving the primary negotiation information from the HEMS controller 600, the HEMS controller 100 activates the primary determination logic to determine non-primary. In the HEMS controller 100, the inter-controller communication function unit 107 transmits an ACK for the primary negotiation information to the transmission source HEMS controller 600 after transmitting a control signal to the primary determination function unit 209.

  The primary determination function unit 109 transmits flag information indicating the non-primary flag to the controller information management table 108, and sets the primary flag corresponding to the HEMS controller 100 (controller ID = 00000011110) in the controller information management table 108 to “0”. Let it remain. As for the HEMS controller 200, the HEMS controller 600 performs communication in the same manner as the HEMS controller 100.

  When the HEMS controller 600 receives an ACK for the primary negotiation information from the HEMS controllers 100 and 200, the HEMS controller 600 activates the primary determination logic to determine the primary.

  The HEMS controller 600 transmits flag information indicating the primary flag to the controller information management table 612, and updates the primary flag corresponding to the HEMS controller 600 (controller ID = 00000011130) in the controller information management table 612 to “1”.

  Thereafter, the HEMS controller 600 transmits a management device information request to the HEMS controllers 100 and 200. When receiving the management device information request, the HEMS controller 100 reads the device information of the smart meter 11 and the home devices 12 and 13 under the HEMS controller 100 from the memory MM storing the device information management table 106, and the smart meter 11 and the home device. The device information 12 and 13 is transmitted to the HEMS controller 600 as management device information.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the HEMS controller 600 stores the received management device information in a memory that stores a device information management table 611.

  Similarly, when receiving the management device information request, the HEMS controller 200 reads the device information of the home devices 14 and 15 under the HEMS controller 200 from the memory storing the device information management table 206, and the device information of the home devices 14 and 15 is stored. Is transmitted to the HEMS controller 600 as management device information. The HEMS controller 600 stores the received managed device information in the memory that stores the device information management table 611.

  In the customer's home HM, for example, when management device information inquiry information is received from an external service server 403, the HEMS controller 600 accesses the memory storing the device information management table 611 and smartly uses the memory storing the device information management table 611. The device information of each of the meter 11 and the home devices 12 to 15 is read, and the device information is acquired.

  Then, the HEMS controller 600 transmits the acquired device information to the transmission source service server 403 as management device information. Here, the management device information is information indicating the power attributes of the home devices 12 to 15. For example, the type of home appliance, the device ID, the power usage measured by the smart meter 11, and the HEMS controller on the cloud 600 indicates information indicating that it is primary.

  Further, for example, when receiving information inquiry information regarding the home device (device C) 14 from the external service server 403, the HEMS controller 600 accesses the memory storing the device information management table 611, and stores the device information management table 611. The device information of the home device 14 is read out from the device, and this device information is acquired.

  Then, the HEMS controller 600 transmits the acquired device information to the transmission source service server 403. Here, the device information includes, for example, the type of the home device 14, the device ID, and the power usage measured by the smart meter 11.

  The service server 403 analyzes the device information of the returned home device 14, creates control command information for reducing the power consumption of the home device 14 of the customer's home HM, and transmits it to the gateway 500. For example, control command information for changing the illuminance setting to 50% is created when the illuminance setting of the home appliance 14 serving as the illumination is higher than 50%.

  When receiving the control command information of the home device (device C) 14 from the external service server 403, the HEMS controller 600 accesses the memory storing the device information management table 611 based on the device ID of the home device 14 included in the control command information. Then, the device information of the in-home device 14 is searched from the memory storing the device information management table 611, and it is determined whether or not the device is under its own device. Here, since it is under the control of the other HEMS controller 200, the HEMS controller 600 refers to the controller information management table 612, acquires the address of the other HEMS controller 200, and transmits the control command information to the communication network NW3 and the gateway 300. And transmitted to the HEMS controller 200 via the communication network NW4.

  The HEMS controller 200 generates a control signal for controlling the operation of the home appliance 14 based on the received control command information. The generated control signal is transmitted to the home device 14. As a result, the operation of the home appliance 14 is selectively controlled. For example, when the control command information indicates “change the illuminance setting to 50% when the illuminance setting is higher than 50%”, the illuminance of the home appliance 14 is changed to 50%.

(Operational effect of the third embodiment)
As described above, according to the third embodiment, since the HEMS controller 600 on the cloud connected to the communication network NW3 is determined as the primary controller, the external service server 403 has the HEMS controller on the cloud. By simply accessing 600, it is possible to control the power demand of the entire consumer HM. On the other hand, in the customer's home HM, the cost for capital investment can be reduced by using the HEMS controller 600 on the cloud.

(Other embodiments)
In each of the above embodiments, an example has been described in which the HEMS controller to which the smart meter is connected, the gateway, and the HEMS controller on the cloud are determined as the primary controller. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and it may be based on the number of connected terminals, compatible standard version, random, user setting (manual setting).

  Further, in each of the above embodiments, the example in which the device information management table and the controller information management table are stored in the memory has been described. However, the storage means for the device information management table and the controller information management table is not limited to the memory. In addition, the types and number of home appliances used in the customer's home, the configuration of the home control device, the number of HEMS controllers, and the like can be variously modified and implemented without departing from the scope of the present invention.

  In short, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment as it is, and can be embodied by modifying the constituent elements without departing from the scope of the invention in the implementation stage. Further, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining a plurality of constituent elements disclosed in the embodiment. For example, some components may be deleted from all the components shown in the embodiment. Furthermore, you may combine suitably the component covering different embodiment.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Smart meter, 12-15 ... In-home equipment, 100, 200, 600 ... HEMS controller, 101 ... HAN interface function part, 102 ... Internal NW interface function part, 103 ... Equipment control function part, 104 ... Equipment management function part, 105 ... device information acquisition function unit, 106, 511, 611 ... device information management table, 107 ... inter-controller communication function unit, 108, 512, 612 ... controller information management table, 109 ... primary determination function unit, 110 ... own device information Management table, 111 ... device control unit, 300, 500 ... gateway, 401 to 403 ... service server, 510 ... HEMS controller function, NW1 to NW4 ... communication network.

Claims (6)

A smart meter provided at a customer's home, connected to at least one home device that operates by receiving power supply, and includes a plurality of controllers that control the home device, and that measures power consumption in the customer's home Used in the controller that is a home control device that can be connected,
A power demand control method for controlling power demand of the customer's home by performing communication between the controller and an external server device via a communication network,
Said controller, as a representative of the plurality of controllers determines the controller the smart meter is connected, as a primary controller for relaying information to be transferred between said plurality of controller and the server device,
The determined primary controller collects device information about the home device from the plurality of controllers,
The primary controller stores a management table in which a device ID that identifies the smart meter and the home device is associated with a controller ID that identifies a controller to which the home device is connected;
When the control command for the home device is received from the server device, the primary controller refers to the management table based on the device ID included in the control command, and the control target is determined based on the reference result. A power demand control method characterized by transferring the control command to a corresponding controller when it is determined that the device is a home device connected to the controller. A smart meter provided at a customer's home, connected to at least one home device that operates by receiving power supply, and includes a plurality of controllers that control the home device, and measures a power consumption amount in the customer's home Used in the controller that is a home control device that can be connected,
A power demand control method for controlling power demand of the customer's home by performing communication between the controller and an external server device via a communication network,
As a representative of a plurality of controllers, the controller transfers a gateway connecting the communication network and an internal communication network connecting the plurality of controllers between the plurality of controllers and the server device. determined as the primary controller for relaying that information,
The determined primary controller collects device information about the home device from the plurality of controllers,
The primary controller stores a management table in which a device ID that identifies the smart meter and the home device is associated with a controller ID that identifies a controller to which the home device is connected;
When the control command for the home device is received from the server device, the primary controller refers to the management table based on the device ID included in the control command, and the control target is determined based on the reference result. A power demand control method characterized by transferring the control command to a corresponding controller when it is determined that the device is a home device connected to the controller. A smart meter provided at a customer's home, connected to at least one home device that operates by receiving power supply, and includes a plurality of controllers that control the home device, and measures a power consumption amount in the customer's home Used in the controller that is a home control device that can be connected,
A power demand control method for controlling power demand of the customer's home by performing communication between the controller and an external server device via a communication network,
The controller, as a representative of a plurality of controllers , determines a controller on the cloud connected to the communication network as a primary controller that relays information transferred between the plurality of controllers and the server device,
The determined primary controller collects device information about the home device from the plurality of controllers,
The primary controller stores a management table in which a device ID that identifies the smart meter and the home device is associated with a controller ID that identifies a controller to which the home device is connected;
When the control command for the home device is received from the server device, the primary controller refers to the management table based on the device ID included in the control command, and the control target is determined based on the reference result. A power demand control method characterized by transferring the control command to a corresponding controller when it is determined that the device is a home device connected to the controller. A smart meter provided at a customer's home, connected to at least one home device that operates by receiving power supply, and includes a plurality of controllers that control the home device, and measures a power consumption amount in the customer's home A controller that is a home control device that can be connected,
As a representative of a plurality of controllers, including a primary controller that relays information transferred between the plurality of controllers and an external server device connected to a communication network,
The primary controller includes a controller to which the smart meter is connected,
The primary controller is
Device information collecting means for collecting device information about the home device from the plurality of controllers;
Storage means for storing a management table in which the device ID for specifying the smart meter and the home device is associated with the controller ID for specifying the controller to which the home device is connected;
When a control command for the home device is received from the server device, the management table is referred to based on the device ID included in the control command, and the control target is connected to another controller based on the reference result. A controller comprising transfer control means for transferring the control command to a corresponding controller when it is determined that the device is a home device. A smart meter provided at a customer's home, connected to at least one home device that operates by receiving power supply, and includes a plurality of controllers that control the home device, and measures a power consumption amount in the customer's home A controller that is a home control device that can be connected,
As a representative of a plurality of controllers, including a primary controller that relays information transferred between the plurality of controllers and an external server device connected to a communication network,
The primary controller includes a gateway that connects the communication network and an internal communication network that connects the plurality of controllers.
The primary controller is
Device information collecting means for collecting device information about the home device from the plurality of controllers;
Storage means for storing a management table in which the device ID for specifying the smart meter and the home device is associated with the controller ID for specifying the controller to which the home device is connected;
When a control command for the home device is received from the server device, the management table is referred to based on the device ID included in the control command, and the control target is connected to another controller based on the reference result. A controller comprising transfer control means for transferring the control command to a corresponding controller when it is determined that the device is a home device. A smart meter provided at a customer's home, connected to at least one home device that operates by receiving power supply, and includes a plurality of controllers that control the home device, and measures a power consumption amount in the customer's home A controller that is a home control device that can be connected,
As a representative of a plurality of controllers, including a primary controller that relays information transferred between the plurality of controllers and an external server device connected to a communication network,
The primary controller includes a controller on a cloud connected to the communication network,
The primary controller is
Device information collecting means for collecting device information about the home device from the plurality of controllers;
Storage means for storing a management table in which the device ID for specifying the smart meter and the home device is associated with the controller ID for specifying the controller to which the home device is connected;
When a control command for the home device is received from the server device, the management table is referred to based on the device ID included in the control command, and the control target is connected to another controller based on the reference result. A controller comprising transfer control means for transferring the control command to a corresponding controller when it is determined that the device is a home device.