JP4920003B2 - Electricity billing system and electric energy management device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an electricity billing system and an energy management device that charge an electricity bill for each user even in a shared area used by a plurality of people.

Concerning electricity charges, contracts are made for each place of use, and some of these contracts have discount benefits determined by the time of use. Therefore, in single-family houses and apartment houses where the amount of electricity used can be confirmed (hereinafter referred to as “dedicated areas”), there are discount benefits that increase residents' awareness of energy conservation and reduce CO ₂ emissions. This has led to suppression.

On the other hand, in places where multiple people use such as entrances to apartment buildings (hereinafter referred to as “common areas”), it is not possible to check the amount of electricity used, so there are no discount benefits, and energy conservation awareness is diminished. It has not led to a reduction in CO ₂ emissions. In addition, there are many cases where electricity charges are collected regardless of whether or not they are actually used, resulting in a lack of fairness.
JP 2004-362326 A

  Therefore, in order to manage the amount of electricity used individually and improve energy saving awareness, a system that charges an electricity fee for each user is effective even in a common area. In this regard, Patent Document 1 discloses an “energy usage management device and energy usage management system”. In this system, the amount of energy used, such as electric power and fuel gas, and the charge are managed not on a house, building, or facility basis but on an individual user basis. However, if the user who owns the card performs the power supply operation once, anyone can turn the power on and off with a switch of home appliances and so on. Except for those who are not, those who are not aware of energy savings through discount benefits.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and a main object thereof is to charge an electric bill for each user regarding a common area of a house or a facility.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention is an electricity billing system, in which measurement power is periodically obtained and stored from a watt-hour meter that measures power used in a common area of a house or facility. Power acquisition means, entrance time that is a time when a user enters the common area, and an exit time that is a time when the user leaves the common area, and stores the entrance time, and the measurement Based on power, the entrance time, and the exit time, the change amount of the measured power is calculated and stored before and after each entrance time and each exit time, and the measured power change amount that erases the previously stored measured power With respect to each time zone divided into two adjacent times among the entrance time and each exit time, the amount of change, the time that is the length of the time zone, and the time zone are entered into the shared area. Based on the number of users who were present, based on the power consumption calculation means for calculating the power consumption of the user, and the standby power in the shared area, the time and the number of people for each time zone A standby power amount calculating means for calculating the standby power amount of the user; a used power amount calculating means for calculating and storing the consumed power amount of the user by summing up the consumed power amount and the standby power amount; And an electricity charge calculating means for calculating and storing the electricity charge of the user based on the amount of power used.

  According to this configuration, entrance / exit to the common area is managed for each user, and the amount of power used in the common area is calculated for each user by grasping the amount of change in measured power at each entry / exit timing. Therefore, it is possible to charge an electricity charge for each user. Moreover, since the measured power stored periodically is erased after storing the amount of change in measured power at each entry / exit timing, the amount of data to be stored can be reduced.

  The present invention is also an electricity billing system, which receives a signal including first identification information for identifying the user from an IC (Integrated Circuit) card or a wireless tag possessed by the user. And a means for providing a current time, wherein the entry / exit time acquisition means acquires a current time when the signal is received, and corresponds to the first identification information, the current time Is stored.

In addition, the present invention is an electricity billing system, wherein the power consumption calculation means is from the time when the first user enters the shared area most recently from the time zone to the start time of the time zone. Of each entry time and each exit time, add the amount of change before and after each entry time, and calculate the total power consumption by subtracting the amount of change before and after each entry time, to the total power consumption A value obtained by accumulating time and further dividing by the number of people is used as the power consumption amount.
According to this configuration, the amount of change in the measured power is added at the time of entry, and subtracted at the time of exit, so that the power consumption in the time period can be accurately obtained, and consequently the power consumption The amount can be determined with high accuracy.

Further, the present invention is an electricity billing system, wherein the standby power amount calculation means integrates the measured power in the time period to obtain a measured power amount, and the consumption calculated by the power consumption amount calculation means A value obtained by adding the number of persons to the electric energy is subtracted from the measured electric energy, and a value obtained by dividing by the number of persons is set as the standby electric energy.
According to this configuration, the standby power amount can be accurately obtained by subtracting the actually consumed power amount from the actually measured power amount.

The present invention is an electricity billing system, for each contract made between a user and a power company, a time zone to which the contract is applied, the amount of power used in the time zone, and the electricity bill. Means for storing contract information including a charge system indicating the relationship between the first and second means, and means for storing second identification information for specifying the contract information related to a contract with an electric power company for each user. The electricity bill calculating means extracts the second identification information of the user, specifies the contract information from the second identification information and a time zone related to the power consumption, and adds the contract information to the contract information. The electricity charge is calculated from the amount of power used with reference to the included charge system.
According to this configuration, since the electricity charge is calculated from the amount of power used based on the charge system for each user and for each time period, it is possible to perform fine charge according to the agreed contract details.

  The present invention includes an electric energy management device. In addition, the problems disclosed in the present application and the solutions thereof will be clarified by the column of the best mode for carrying out the invention and the drawings.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, an electric bill can be charged for every user regarding the common area of a house or a facility.

  Hereinafter, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The electricity billing system according to the embodiment of the present invention periodically acquires the power consumption in a common area of a house or facility, and at the same time grasps the situation of each user entering or leaving the common area, Calculates the amount of power used by each user based on the amount of change in power consumption before and after leaving the room, standby power, the staying time of the user (= leaving time-entering time) and the number of people, and based on the amount of power used, each user It calculates the electricity bill that should be charged.

  According to this, electricity charges related to the common area should not be charged uniformly to those who may use the common area, but charged based on the usage status to the people who actually used it. Can do. In addition, the user in the common area can be made aware of energy saving, and the unfairness of charging uniformly regardless of whether or not the common area is used can be solved.

Specifically, the electricity billing system according to the present embodiment is characterized by identifying users in a common area, and determining the amount of power used for each user as standby power based on the number of users, usage time, and measured power. There is a method of calculating by dividing the actual power consumption. Then, by outputting the electricity bill statement calculated based on the calculation result of the power consumption and the discount privilege for each user, the user can be conscious of energy saving. In addition, CO ₂ emissions converted from the amount of power used can be added to the electricity bill.

  Identification of a user in the electricity billing system is performed using an ID included in a signal received from an IC tag, an IC card, a mobile phone or the like (hereinafter referred to as “card or the like”) carried by the user. At the same time, the number of users is stored based on the count number obtained by detecting the ID from the card or the like. The use time of the common area is obtained, for example, by measuring a time difference between the time when the ID is first detected in the common area and the time when the same ID is first detected in the dedicated area. The usage time of the dedicated area is obtained, for example, by periodically detecting and measuring weak radio waves transmitted from a card held by the user. The measured power is measured by, for example, a watt-hour meter in a common area and a dedicated area installed at an arbitrary location according to the user's life pattern.

  Note that the standby power and the amount of power actually used are determined by determining the presence or absence of weak power transmitted from a card or the like, that is, the presence or absence of a user in a common area.

≪System configuration and overview≫
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of an electricity billing system 1. The electricity billing system 1 includes an overall management device 2, an electric energy management device (hereinafter referred to as a parent device) 3, and an electric energy management device (hereinafter referred to as a child device) 4. The overall management device 2 is installed in a management department such as a branch of an electric power company in each region, manages personal information of users, information related to power usage contracts, etc., and uses the power used by each user from the parent device 3. The amount is acquired, and the power charge to be charged for each predetermined period is calculated and stored. The parent device 3 is a power amount management device installed in units of dwelling units and facilities (for example, apartments, sports clubs, etc.). Like the child device 4, acquisition and management of power consumption in the common area where the device itself is installed In addition to grasping the user's entrance / exit status, the amount of power used is calculated and aggregated from the measured power from the slave device 4 and the measured power in the common area related to itself, and is transferred to the overall management device 2. The child device 4 is a power amount management device installed in units of common areas (for example, entrances to condominiums) in dwelling units and facilities, and is used to acquire, manage, and manage measured power in the common areas where it is installed. The entry / exit situation is grasped and transferred to the parent device 3. Note that communication between the overall management device 2 and the parent device 3 and between the parent device 3 and the child device 4 is possible via a predetermined network (for example, a LAN (Local Area Network) or the like). It has become.

≪Configuration of each device≫
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of each device of the electricity billing system 1. The overall management apparatus 2 includes a communication control unit 21, a processing unit 22, a user management DB 23, and an electricity billing DB 24. The communication control unit 21 is a part that communicates with the parent device 3 via a network, and is realized by a NIC (Network Interface Card) or the like. The processing unit 22 exchanges data between the communication control unit 21 and each DB and controls the overall management apparatus 2 as a whole. A program in which a CPU (Central Processing Unit) is stored in a predetermined memory It is realized by executing. The user management DB 23 stores personal information including name and address for each user who has contracted with the electric power company, information related to the contract, and the like. The electricity bill DB 24 stores the electricity bill charged for each user for a predetermined period (for example, one month). The user management DB 23 and the electricity bill DB 24 are realized as a database constructed in a nonvolatile storage device such as a flash memory or a hard disk device.

  The parent device 3 includes a communication control unit 31, a processing unit 32, an entrance / exit management DB 33, a use area management DB 34, a contract plan management DB (contract information) 35, a measured power management DB 36, a used power amount management main DB 37, and a used power amount management. A sub-DB 38, a display unit 39, a clock 3A, a card reader receiving unit 3B, an IC (Integrated Circuit) tag signal receiving unit 3C, and a standby power value setting unit 3D are provided.

  The communication control unit 31 is a part that communicates with the overall management device 2 and the child device 4 via a network, and is realized by a NIC or the like. The processing unit 32 exchanges data between each unit and each DB and controls the entire parent device 3 and is realized by the CPU executing a program stored in a predetermined memory.

  The entrance / exit management DB 33 stores the entrance / exit status of the common area for each user. The usage area management DB 34 stores a usage area including a detection location for each detection location ID. The contract plan management DB 35 shows the contract for each contract information ID. The measured power management DB 36 acquires the measured value (measured power) of power used at a predetermined date and time for each use area from the watt-hour meter 3E and stores it. The power consumption management main DB 37 stores the total power consumption in a predetermined time zone for each user. The power consumption management sub-DB 38 stores the power consumption of the user for each detection location ID. Each DB is realized as a database constructed in a nonvolatile storage device such as a flash memory or a hard disk device.

  The display unit 39 is a part that displays data according to an instruction from the processing unit 32, and is realized by, for example, a liquid crystal display (LCD). The clock 3A provides the current time data (year / month / day / hour / minute / second) to the processing unit 32. The card reader receiving unit 3B receives a signal including an ID (first identification information) of a card inserted into, touched with, or held over the card reader 3F, and passes it to the processing unit 32. The IC tag signal receiving unit 3C receives a signal including a tag ID (first identification information) from the IC card with IC tag (IC card, wireless tag) 5 and passes it to the processing unit 32. The tag ID This is realized by a reading sensor or the like. The standby power value setting unit 3D is set with a standby power value in the use area and is referred to in the process when leaving the room, and is realized by a predetermined memory.

  The parent device 3 is assumed to include an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), and a power source as hardware other than those described above.

  The slave device 4 includes a communication control unit 41, a processing unit 42, a measured power management DB 43, a power consumption sub DB 44, a display unit 45, a clock 46, a card reader receiving unit 47, an IC tag signal receiving unit 48, and a standby power value setting unit. 49. The communication control unit 41 is a part that communicates with the parent device 3 via a network, and is realized by a NIC or the like. The processing unit 42 exchanges data between each unit and each DB and controls the entire child device 4 and is realized by the CPU executing a program stored in a predetermined memory. The measured power management DB 43 acquires a measured value (measured power) of power used at a predetermined date and time for each usage area from the watt-hour meter 4A and stores it. The power consumption sub DB 44 stores the power consumption of the user for each detection location ID as necessary. In addition, in the process of the electricity billing system 1 to be described later, an example in which the power consumption sub DB 44 is not used has been described.

  The display unit 45 is a part that displays data according to an instruction from the processing unit 42, and is realized by, for example, a liquid crystal display (LCD). The clock 46 provides the current time data (year / month / day / hour / minute / second) to the processing unit 42. The card reader receiving unit 47 receives a signal including the ID of a card inserted into, touched with, or held over the card reader 4 </ b> B, and passes it to the processing unit 42. The IC tag signal receiving unit 48 receives a signal including a tag ID from the IC card 5 with an IC tag and passes it to the processing unit 42, and is realized by a tag ID reading sensor or the like. The standby power value setting unit 49 is set with a standby power value in the use area and is referred to in the process of leaving the room as necessary, and is realized by a predetermined memory. In the process of the electricity billing system 1 to be described later, an example in which the standby power value setting unit 49 is not used has been described.

  The slave device 4 includes an HDD, a ROM, a RAM, and a power source as hardware other than those described above.

≪Data structure of DB≫
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a data configuration of each DB of the overall management apparatus 2. FIG. 3A shows the configuration of the user management DB 23. The user management DB 23 includes records including a user ID 231, a name 232, an address 233, a telephone number 234, a contract information ID (second identification information) 235, electricity bill payment information 236, and a permitted area detection location ID 237. The user ID 231 is an ID unique to the user (the user) in the common area, and is matched with or associated with the card ID or tag ID of the IC card 5 with an IC tag possessed by the user. The name 232 is the name of the user. The address 233 is the address of the user. The telephone number 234 is the user's telephone number. The contract information ID 235 is an ID unique to the contract information of the user, and is associated with a record in the contract plan management DB 35 of the parent device 3 by this ID. The electricity bill payment information 236 is information relating to the payment of the electricity bill for the user. The permitted area detection location ID 237 is a detection location ID of a usage area where the user is permitted to enter the room.

FIG. 3B shows the configuration of the electricity bill DB 24. The electricity bill DB 24 includes records including a user ID 241, a period 242, an electricity bill 243, and a CO ₂ emission amount 244. The user ID 241 is an ID unique to the user (the user) who is charged for the electricity bill. The period 242 is a period during which the electricity bill is charged (the period concerned). For example, a period from January 1 to January 31 is set. The electricity charge 243 is an electricity charge for the period charged for the user. CO ₂ emissions 244 is CO ₂ emissions converted from the used amount of power.

  4 and 5 are diagrams showing the data structure of each DB of the parent device 3. As shown in FIG. FIG. 4A shows the configuration of the entrance / exit management DB 33. The entry / exit management DB 33 includes a record including a user ID 331, an entry detection point ID 332, an entry time 333, an exit detection point ID 334, and an exit time 335. The user ID 331 is an ID unique to the user (the user) who enters or leaves the usage area (shared area). The room entry detection location ID 332 is an ID of a location (card reader or IC tag signal receiving unit) that detects that the user has entered the usage area. The entry time 333 is the time (year / month / day / hour / minute / second) at which the entry of the user is detected. The room exit detection location ID 334 is an ID of a location (card reader or IC tag signal receiving unit) that detects that the user has exited the usage area. The leaving time 335 is the time (year / month / day / hour / minute / second) when the user's leaving is detected.

  FIG. 4B shows the configuration of the usage area management DB 34. The usage area management DB 34 includes records including a detection location ID 341, a usage area 342, and a user ID 343. The detection location ID 341 is an ID of a location (card reader or IC tag signal receiving unit) that detects that a user enters or leaves the usage area. The use area 342 is a name of a use area including a detection location ID 341 (where a card reader or an IC tag signal receiving unit is installed), for example, a living room or a PC (Personal Computer) room. Accordingly, a plurality of detection location IDs 341 may be set corresponding to one usage area 342. The user ID 343 is an ID of a user who is currently using the usage area corresponding to the detection location ID 341. If two or more users are using the user ID 343, a plurality of user IDs 343 are set.

  FIG. 4C shows the configuration of the contract plan management DB 35. The contract plan management DB 35 includes records including a contract information ID (second identification information) 351, a measurement time zone 352, a contract company 353, and a contract plan name (charge system) 354. The contract information ID 351 is an ID unique to the contract information. The measurement time zone 352 is a power measurement time zone related to the contract (the contract) corresponding to the contract information ID 351, and differs depending on the contract type. The contract company 353 is a name of an electric power company or the like that makes a contract with the user. The contract plan name 354 is the name of the contract plan related to the contract, and separately refers to a contract plan (another data, Internet or paper medium) specified by the contract plan name 354 and including a fee structure and discount benefits. You can know the details of the contract. The charge system indicates the relationship between the amount of power used and the electricity charge.

  FIG. 5A shows the configuration of the measured power management DB 36. The measured power management DB 36 includes records including time 361, measured power 362, and measured power deviation amount 363. Time 361 is the time (year / month / day / hour / minute / second) at which the measured power was acquired from the watt-hour meter 3E. The measured power 362 is measured power acquired from the watt-hour meter 3E. The measured power deviation amount 363 is a difference between the measured power 362 and the measured power 362 at the previous time 361, and is used when obtaining the power consumption amount in the usage area.

  FIG. 5B shows the configuration of the power consumption management main DB 37. The power usage amount management main DB 37 includes records including a user ID 371, a contract information ID 372, a usage area usage power amount 373, and a total power consumption amount 374. The user ID 371 is an ID unique to a user (the user) who has signed a contract (the contract) related to power use with the power company. The contract information ID 372 is an ID unique to information related to the contract. Here, since the same user may make different contracts according to time zones, the combination of the same user ID 371 and the contract information ID 372 is not necessarily one set, and two or more for the same user ID 371. The contract information ID 372 may correspond. The power consumption by use area 373 is the power consumption in the time zone according to the contract of the user, and is the power consumption for each use area. When there are two or more time zones in which the usage area is actually used, the total amount of power used in each time zone is set. The total used power amount 374 is a total value of the values of the used power amount 373 for each use area. Furthermore, by summing up the total power consumption 374 for the same user ID 371, for example, the total value of the daily power consumption of the user can be obtained.

  FIG. 5C shows the configuration of the power usage management sub-DB 38. The power consumption management sub-DB 38 includes records including a detection location ID 381, a user ID 382, a contract information ID 383, a power consumption amount 384, a standby power amount 385, and a power consumption amount 386. The detection location ID 381 is an ID of a location (card reader or IC tag signal receiving unit) that detects entry / exit of the usage area by the user. The user ID 382 is an ID unique to the user who enters or leaves the usage area (the user). The contract information ID 383 is an ID of information related to a contract (the contract) relating to the power usage that the user has exchanged with the power company. The power consumption amount 384 is the power consumption amount related to the user and the contract. The standby power amount 385 is the standby power amount in the use area corresponding to the detection location ID 381. The power consumption amount 386 is a total value of the power consumption amount 384 and the standby power amount 385.

  The measured power management DB 43 and the used power amount management sub-DB 44 of the child device 4 have the same configuration as the measured power management DB 36 and the used power amount management sub-DB 38 of the parent device 3, respectively.

≪System processing≫
FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing processing of the electricity billing system 1. First, the timing at which the processing of each step is performed will be described. S601 is performed as a preparation process before the electricity billing system 1 operates. Among them, S602 to S609 are processes after the operation of the electricity billing system 1. S602 and S603 are performed every predetermined time (for example, 1 second). S604 to S606 are performed when a signal is received from the outside. S607 and S608 are performed every predetermined time (for example, one day). S609 is performed every predetermined period (for example, one month).

  Subsequently, processing of each step will be described in order. First, the parent device 3 acquires and stores a contract plan in advance (S601). Specifically, the processing unit 32 of the parent device 3 receives contract plan data (contract information ID, measurement time zone, and the like via a network and communication control unit 31 or an input unit (not shown) such as a keyboard. (Contract company and contract plan name) are acquired and stored in the contract plan management DB 35.

  Next, the parent device 3 or the child device 4 periodically acquires and stores measured power (S602). Specifically, the parent device 3 acquires measured power from the watt hour meter 3E every predetermined time, acquires the current time from the clock 3A, and the difference (measured power bias) from the measured power at the previous time. Transfer) is calculated and stored in the measured power management DB 36 sequentially. Alternatively, the slave device 4 acquires measured power from the watt-hour meter 4A every predetermined time, acquires the current time from the clock 46, and the difference from the measured power at the previous time (measured power deviation amount). Is stored in the measured power management DB 43 sequentially. In this case, the “predetermined time” is desirably a time that can ensure a predetermined accuracy when specifying the measured power deviation amount before and after entering and leaving the room in order to separately obtain the power consumption. Note that the processing of S602 may be performed with the processing unit 32 or 42 interposed therebetween, or may be performed with another processing unit or hardware.

  Then, the child device 4 transmits the contents of the measured power management DB 43 to the parent device 3 (S603). Specifically, the processing unit 42 transmits a record including the time 361, the measured power 362, and the measured power deviation amount 363 stored in the measured power management DB 43 to the parent device 3 via the communication control unit 41.

  On the other hand, the parent device 3 or the child device 4 receives the card signal or the IC tag signal as needed (S604). Specifically, in the parent device 3, the card reader receiving unit 3B is inserted into the card reader 3F, receives a signal including the ID of the card that is in contact with or held over, or the IC tag signal receiving unit 3C receives the IC A signal including a tag ID is received from the IC card with tag 5. Alternatively, in the slave device 4, the card reader receiving unit 47 is inserted into the card reader 4B and receives a signal including the ID of the card that is in contact with or held over, or the IC tag signal receiving unit 48 is an IC with IC tag. A signal including the tag ID is received from the card 5.

  When the slave device 4 receives the signal, the slave device 4 transmits the content of the signal to the master device 3 (S605). Specifically, the processing unit 42 acquires a card ID or tag ID included in the received signal and transmits the card ID or tag ID to the parent device 4 via the communication control unit 41.

  Thereafter, the parent device 3 stores the user's entry / exit status (S606). Specifically, the processing unit 32 acquires a card ID or tag ID from the slave device 4 via the communication control unit 31, acquires a card ID from the card reader receiving unit 3B, or an IC tag signal receiving unit 3C. Get tag ID from Next, when entering the use area, a new record is stored in the entry / exit management DB 33. In that case, the acquired card ID or tag ID is set in the user ID 331. Then, the detection location ID corresponding to the card reader reception unit 3B or the IC tag signal reception unit 3C (or the card reader reception unit 47 or the IC tag signal reception unit 48 in the case of the child device 4) is set as the detection location ID 332 when entering the room. The current time when the card ID or tag ID is acquired is set as the entry time 333. On the other hand, when the user leaves the use area, the record with the acquired card ID or tag ID as the user ID 331 is searched and specified in the entry / exit management DB 33. Then, the detection location ID corresponding to the card reader reception unit 3B or the IC tag signal reception unit 3C (or the card reader reception unit 47 or the IC tag signal reception unit 48 in the case of the child device 4) is set as the detection location ID 334 when leaving the room. The current time when the card ID or tag ID is acquired is set as the exit time 335. In addition, the identification method of entering or leaving the usage area will be described later.

  Subsequently, every predetermined time (for example, 24 hours), the parent device 3 calculates and stores the power consumption of each user (S607). Specifically, the processing unit 32 creates time chart data as shown in FIG. 10 from the entrance / exit management DB 33 and the measured power management DB 36 for a predetermined use area. Then, each value is stored in the power consumption sub-DB 38 based on the created data. In addition, after creating data and storing each value, the data of measurement power management DB36 used as the basis are deleted. According to this, instead of leaving the deviation amount of the measured power at a predetermined timing, the measured power and the deviation amount that are periodically acquired and stored are deleted, so that the amount of stored data can be suppressed accordingly. it can.

  In FIG. 10, Mr. A, Mr. B, and Mr. C are users in the use area, and the hatched rectangles drawn in the columns indicate the time zones in which each user stayed in the use area. This time zone includes, in the entry / exit management DB 33, the entry time 333 corresponding to the user ID 331 of the user and the entry detection location ID 332 of the use area, and the user ID 331 of the user and the use area of the use area. It is specified from the exit time 335 corresponding to the exit detection point ID 334.

  The standby power P0 is power when there is no user in the use area. When Mr. A enters the use area and starts using the electric device, the measured power changes from P0 to “P0 + P1”. This change amount P1 specifies the earliest time t1 out of the entry time 333 and the exit time 335 related to the use area in the entry / exit management DB 33, and refers to the measured power management DB 36, and the time 361 is measured power at t1. It is specified from the deviation amount 363. Thereafter, the second earliest time t2, the third earliest time t3,... Are specified, and the change amounts P2, P3,... Are specified from the measured power deviation amount 363 at each time tN. The upward arrow attached to the PN indicates that the power consumption is increased due to the user entering the room, and the downward arrow appended to the PN is that the power consumption is decreased due to the user leaving the room. Show. Further, the time TN is a time (tN to tN + 1) divided into two adjacent times among the entrance / exit times, in other words, the power consumption without changing the user entering the use area. Is a time period during which the current remains almost constant. The two entry / exit times may be four cases: entry time to exit time, entry time to entry time, exit time to entry time, or exit time to exit time.

A calculation example of the power consumption in the case of Mr. A will be described from the data of the term chart as shown in FIG. The power consumption amount WN at the time TN can be calculated by the total power consumption × time / number of users. In this case, the total power consumption (total power consumption) is the entry time among the entry / exit times from the time when the first user entered the use area most recently from the time zone to the start time of the time zone. It is calculated by adding the amount of change in and subtracting the amount of change at each leaving time. Specifically, it is as follows.
(1) At time T1, W1 = P1 × T1
(2) At time T2, W2 = (P1 + P2) × T2 / 2
(3) At time T3, W3 = 0
(4) At time T4, W4 = 0
(5) At time T5, W5 = 0
(6) At time T6, W6 = (P5 + P6) × T6 / 2
(7) At time T7, W7 = (P5 + P6 + P7) × T7 / 3
(8) At time T8, W8 = (P5 + P6 + P7−P8) × T8 / 2
(9) At time T9, W9 = 0
(10) At time T10, W10 = 0
(11) At time T11, W11 = 0
The power consumption amount Ws is the total value (ΣWN) for one day of WN. It should be noted that at time T2, T6 and T8, since two users are using, it is assumed that the two are prorated. Also, at time T7, since three users are using it, it is assumed that the three users are prorated. This power consumption amount Ws is set as the power consumption amount 384 of the used power amount management sub-DB 38.

  Here, for example, in FIG. 10, the difference of P2 occurs at the timing when Mr. B enters the room. However, other factors than Mr. B enter the room at that timing (for example, Mr. A is another electrical product. It may not be due to Mr. B's entering the room in general. Based on such a situation, the power consumption Ws is assumed to be prorated by the number of users.

A calculation example of the standby power amount in the case of Mr. A will be described. If the total measured value per unit time (for example, 1 hour) of the watt hour meter 3E is Wm,
Standby electric energy Wt = Σ (Wm−ΣWs) / n
First Σ: Total for one day Second Σ: Total for the number of users (total power consumption of each user x number of people)
Ws: Total power consumption of each user for each usage area (value per unit time)
n: Number of users per day

This standby power amount Wt is set as the standby power amount 385 of the used power amount management sub-DB 38. The total value of the power consumption amount 384 and the standby power amount 385 is set as the power consumption amount 386 of the power consumption amount management sub-DB 38.

  Subsequently, the parent device 3 calculates and stores the total power consumption of each user (S608). This process is to generate the used electric energy management main DB 37 from the used electric energy management sub-DB 38, and details thereof will be described later with reference to FIG. Furthermore, every predetermined period (for example, one month), the overall management apparatus 2 calculates and stores the electricity charge for each user (S609). Specifically, the content of the power usage manager DB 37 is acquired from the parent device 3, the contract information ID 372 of each user is extracted from the content, and the contract information ID 372 (351) and the time zone related to the power usage are extracted. The record of the contract plan management DB 35 of the parent device 3 is specified from the corresponding measurement time zone 352, and the fee structure specified by the contract plan name 354 of the record and the contents of the discount privilege are referred to. The electricity bill is calculated from the amount of power used in the period of time and stored in the electricity bill DB 24.

  In FIG. 10, in the time zone before T1 and the time zone after T4 and T11, the user is absent, but standby power is used. Regarding the charge related to the standby power, for example, it is conceivable that the standby power amount for one day is apportioned by the number of users for the day and charged according to the power amount.

  Next, before explaining FIG.7 and FIG.8, the structural example of a utilization area is demonstrated with reference to FIG. The use area shown in FIG. 11 is composed of shared areas C1 and C2 and dedicated areas S1 and S2. The entrances E1 to E6 are doors or the like installed between the outside and the common area, or between each area, and a card reader and an IC tag signal receiving unit are installed in each adjacent area with the entrances E1 to E6 as a boundary. Is done. When a user enters a single area, the IC card 5 with an IC tag is inserted into, contacted with, or held over the card reader installed in the area where the user is currently located, and the card is placed in the card reader. It is necessary to make the ID recognized. As a result, the doors and the like are opened to allow the user to enter the room. Note that at the timing of entering the room, the IC tag signal receiving unit installed in the area where the room is entered recognizes the tag ID of the IC card 5 with the IC tag. On the other hand, when the user exits from one area (for example, the exclusive area S1), since the card reader is not installed at the entrance / exit, the IC card with IC tag 5 may pass without being held over. it can. However, for example, when moving from the shared area C1 to the dedicated area S1, the user leaves the shared area C1, but enters the dedicated area S1, so an operation for the card reader is required. Note that at the timing of leaving the room, the IC tag signal receiving unit installed in the area where the room is left recognizes the tag ID of the IC card 5 with the IC tag.

  Furthermore, in order to manage entry / exit, it is necessary to identify the direction of entry / exit at the same entrance / exit. For example, at the entrance / exit E2, it is necessary to identify whether the movement is from the shared area C1 to the dedicated area S1 or from the dedicated area S1 to the shared area C1. In this case, when the card reader recognizes the card ID and the IC tag signal receiving unit recognizes the tag ID within a predetermined time thereafter, it is determined that the direction is “shared area C1 → dedicated area S1”. On the other hand, when the IC tag signal receiving unit recognizes the tag ID and the card reader does not recognize the card ID within a predetermined time thereafter, it is determined that the direction is “dedicated area S1 → shared area C1”. The method for identifying the entry / exit direction described above is an example, and the entry / exit direction may be identified by another method.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing processing when the user enters the use area. Here, a description will be given as processing in the parent device 3 that recognizes that a user has entered the room by acquiring a signal from the card reader 3F.

  First, the card reader receiving unit 3B inputs a signal from the card reader 3F installed at the entrance of the room (S701). Alternatively, the processing unit 32 inputs a signal from the IC tag signal receiving unit 3C installed at the exit location of the adjacent area (S702). In response to the processing of S701 or S702, the processing unit 32 receives the card reader 3F or the IC tag signal at the entrance detection point ID 332 corresponding to the user ID 331 of the ID included in the input signal in the entrance / exit management DB 33. A unique detection location ID is registered in the part 3C (S703). Next, by making a request to the overall management apparatus 2 and referring to the user ID 231 and the permitted area detection location ID 237 of the user management DB 23, the user ID determines whether or not the usage area is permitted. Obtain (S704).

  If there is permission for the use area (YES in S704), the processing unit 32 acquires the current time data from the clock 3A and registers it in the room entry time 333 of the room entry / exit management DB 33 (S705). Next, assuming that the area is being used, the user ID is registered in the user ID 343 column corresponding to the detected location ID 341 in the use area management DB 34 (S706). At this time, it is determined whether another user ID has already been set (S707). This is to determine whether another user is using the area first. If another user ID has been set (YES in S707), the process ends. If no other user ID is set (NO in S707), since the person enters the use area for the first time, the energization process for the use area is performed (S708). If the use area is not permitted in S704 (NO in S704), there is a possibility of unauthorized entry, so an intrusion prevention process or the like linked with an electric lock is performed (S709).

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing processing when the user leaves the usage area. Here, description will be given as processing in the parent device 3 that recognizes that the user has left the room by acquiring a tag signal from the IC card 5 with IC tag.

  First, the card reader receiving unit 3B inputs a signal from the card reader 3F installed in the entrance area of the adjacent area (S801). Alternatively, the processing unit 32 inputs a signal from the IC tag signal receiving unit 3C installed at the exit location of the room (S802). In response to the processing of S801 or S802, the processing unit 32 receives the card reader 3F or IC tag signal in the room exit detection location ID334 corresponding to the user ID 331 of the ID included in the input signal in the entrance / exit management DB33. A unique detection location ID is registered in the unit 3C (S803). Next, the processing unit 32 acquires the current time data from the clock 3A, and registers it in the exit time 335 of the entrance / exit management DB 33 (S804). Subsequently, the user ID is deleted from the column of user ID 343 which is the area using list in the use area management DB 34 (S805). At this time, it is determined whether another user ID is still set (S806). This is to determine whether other users remain and use the area. If no other user ID is set (NO in S806), it is determined whether the actual power amount is larger than the standby power setting value (the value of the standby power value setting unit 3D) (S807). If the actual power amount is larger than the standby power setting value (YES in S807), unnecessary power consumption is performed, so that attention is drawn by sound, and electricity is cut off after a predetermined time (S808). If another user ID is set (YES in S806) or if the actual power amount is not larger than the standby power setting value (NO in S807), the process is terminated as it is.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a process for calculating and setting the total power consumption of each user by the parent device 3. In this process, the used power amount management DB 37 for each user ID is generated from the used power amount management sub-DB 38 for each detected location ID.

  First, the processing unit 32 of the parent device 3 clears the used electric energy management main DB 37 to zero (S901). Next, the entire power management sub DB 38 for a predetermined time (for example, one day) is searched (S902). Then, it is determined whether there is a detection location ID 381 to be newly processed (S903). This is because the used electric energy 386 included in the used electric energy management sub-DB 38 is set for each detected location ID 381 and further for each user ID 382. First, the detected location ID 381 is searched as key data. The presence / absence of a record group to be processed is determined. If there is a detection location ID 381 to be processed (YES in S903), the detection location ID 381 (341) is converted into a usage area 342 with reference to the usage area management DB 34 (S904). This is to grasp the use area name in advance in order to specify the column of each use area in the use power amount 373 for each use area of the use power amount management main DB 37.

  Subsequently, the processing unit 32 searches for the record of the detected location ID 381 (S905). Then, it is determined whether there is a user ID to be newly processed (S906). This searches for the user ID 382 as key data in the record of the detection location ID 381 to be processed, and determines the presence or absence of the record to be processed. When there is a user ID 382 to be processed (YES in S906), the user ID 371 and the contract information ID 372 are searched as key data for the power usage amount management main DB 37, and if there is a corresponding record, the record is used. However, if there is no corresponding record, a record having the user ID 371 and the contract information ID 372 as key data is newly set (S907). Then, the used power amount 386 is added to the corresponding used area column among the used power amounts 373 for each used area of the retrieved or set record (S908). “Addition” should be “added” if the retrieved record is already searched because the power consumption may already be set. If it is a set record, zero is set in advance. This is because “addition” = “setting”. Thereafter, the next record having the detected location ID 381 is searched in the power usage management sub-DB 38 (S905).

  If there is no user ID 382 to be processed in S906 (NO in S906), a record having a new detection location ID 381 is searched in the entire power consumption management sub-DB 38 (S902). If there is no detection location ID 381 to be processed in S903 (NO in S903), it means that the entire used power amount management sub-DB 38 for a predetermined time (for example, one day) has been searched, and the used power amount manager The setting of the power usage amount 373 for each use area in the DB 37 is completed. Therefore, for each record of each user ID 371, the used power amount of each column in the used power amount 373 for each use area is summed, and the sum is set as the total used power amount 374 (S909).

  Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, in order to make each unit in each device shown in FIG. 2 function, a program executed by a processing unit (CPU) is recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, and It is assumed that the electricity billing system 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention is realized by causing a computer to read and execute the recorded program. Note that the program may be provided to the computer via a network such as the Internet, or a semiconductor chip or the like in which the program is written may be incorporated in the computer.

According to the embodiment of the present invention described above, even if a plurality of users use electricity in a common area, it is possible to charge an electricity fee for each user. Next, by managing the amount of power used by each user for each common area and counting the amount of power used for each common area for each user, the electricity charge for each user is also obtained for each of the multiple common areas. You can charge. Further, by giving a discount privilege to each user, energy saving awareness can be improved, and CO ₂ emission can be suppressed. On the other hand, since the calculation and collection of electricity charges related to the common area are not required, the burden on the facility manager can be reduced.

<< Other embodiments >>
Although the best mode for carrying out the present invention has been described above, the above embodiment is intended to facilitate understanding of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. The present invention can be changed and improved without departing from the gist thereof, and equivalents thereof are also included in the present invention. In the above embodiment, the billing of the electricity bill for the user of the dwelling unit has been described, but it may be applied to other facilities having a common area instead of the dwelling unit.

  For example, it may be applied to a desk lamp that is expected to be installed with the spread of electric vehicles. In this case, a place with a power supply device is a dedicated area, a place with a peripheral device such as a lighting facility is a common area, and a plurality of desk lamps are managed.

  In addition, the data (time, user ID, number of people, etc.) in the above embodiment may be applied not only to electricity charges but also to other charges such as calculation and billing of sports facility usage charges. It should be noted that the application of the above-described embodiment eliminates the need for meter reading at the site, thereby reducing the meter reading cost.

1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an electricity billing system 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows the structure of each apparatus of the electricity billing system. It is a figure which shows the data structure of each DB of the total management apparatus 2, (a) shows the structure of user management DB23, (b) shows the structure of electricity billing DB24. It is a figure which shows the data structure of each DB of the parent apparatus 3, (a) shows the structure of entrance / exit management DB33, (b) shows the structure of utilization area management DB34, (c) is contract plan management DB35 of FIG. The configuration is shown. It is a figure which shows the data structure of each DB of the parent apparatus 3, (a) shows the structure of measurement electric power management DB36, (b) shows the structure of used electric energy management main DB37, (c) is used electric energy. The configuration of the management sub-DB 38 is shown. It is a flowchart which shows the process of the electricity billing system. It is a flowchart which shows a process when a user enters a utilization area. It is a flowchart which shows a process when a user leaves a usage area. It is a flowchart which shows the process which calculates and sets the total electric power consumption of each user with the main | base station 3. FIG. It is a time chart which shows the time slot | zone of area use for every user, and the change of the power consumption in the said area. It is a figure which shows the structural example of a utilization area.

Explanation of symbols

1 Electricity billing system 2 Total management device 24 Electricity billing DB
3 Electric energy management device (parent device)
33 Entrance / exit management DB
331 User ID
333 Entry time 335 Exit time 35 Contract plan management DB (contract information)
351 Contract information ID (second identification information)
352 Measurement time zone (time zone)
354 Contract plan name (charge system)
36 Measurement power management DB
362 Measured power 363 Measured power deviation (change)
38 Power usage management sub DB
384 Energy consumption 385 Standby energy 386 Power consumption 3E Energy meter 4 Energy management device (child device)
43 Measurement power management DB
4A Energy meter 5 IC card with IC tag (IC card, wireless tag)

Claims (9)

Measurement power acquisition means for periodically acquiring and storing measured power from a watt-hour meter that measures the power used in common areas of houses and facilities,
An entrance / exit time acquisition means for acquiring and storing at any time an entrance time which is a time when a user enters the common area and an exit time which is a time when the user leaves the common area;
Based on the measured power, the entry time, and the exit time, the measured power that calculates and stores the amount of change in the measured power before and after each entry time and each exit time, and erases the previously stored measured power Change amount calculating means;
Of each entry time and each exit time, for each time zone divided into two adjacent times, the change amount, the time that is the length of the time zone, and the time when the time zone was entered the common area A power consumption calculating means for calculating the power consumption of the user based on the number of users;
Standby power amount calculation means for calculating the standby power amount of the user based on the standby power in the common area, the time and the number of people for each time zone,
A power consumption calculation means for calculating and storing the power consumption of the user by summing the power consumption and the standby power; and
An electricity charge calculating means for calculating and storing the electricity charge of the user based on the power consumption;
An electricity billing system characterized by comprising: The electricity billing system according to claim 1,
Means for receiving a signal including first identification information for identifying the user from an IC (Integrated Circuit) card or a wireless tag possessed by the user;
A means of providing the current time;
Further comprising
The entry / exit time acquisition means acquires a current time when the signal is received, and stores the current time in association with the first identification information. The electricity billing system according to claim 1 or 2,
The power consumption calculating means is configured such that, among each entry time and each exit time from the time when the first user enters the shared area most recently from the time zone to the start time of the time zone, The total amount of power consumption is calculated by adding the amount of change before and after, and subtracting the amount of change before and after each exit time, adding the time to the total power consumption, and further dividing the value by the number of people Electricity billing system characterized by power consumption. The electricity billing system according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The standby power amount calculation means integrates the measured power in the time period to obtain a measured power amount, and a value obtained by adding the number of persons to the power consumption amount calculated by the power consumption amount calculation means The electricity billing system is characterized in that a value obtained by subtracting from the number of persons and dividing by the number of persons is set as the standby power amount. The electricity billing system according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
For each contract made between the user and the power company, the contract information including the time zone to which the contract is applied and the charge system indicating the relationship between the amount of power used and the electricity charge in the time zone is stored. Means to
Means for storing, for each user, second identification information for specifying the contract information related to a contract with an electric power company;
Further comprising
The electricity bill calculating means extracts the second identification information of the user, specifies the contract information from the second identification information and a time zone related to the power consumption, and is included in the contract information The electricity bill is calculated by referring to the billing system and calculating the electricity bill from the amount of power used. Measurement power acquisition means for periodically acquiring and storing measured power from a watt-hour meter that measures the power used in common areas of houses and facilities,
An entrance / exit time acquisition means for acquiring and storing at any time an entrance time which is a time when a user enters the common area and an exit time which is a time when the user leaves the common area;
Based on the measured power, the entry time, and the exit time, the measured power that calculates and stores the amount of change in the measured power before and after each entry time and each exit time, and erases the previously stored measured power Change amount calculating means;
Of each entry time and each exit time, for each time zone divided into two adjacent times, the change amount, the time that is the length of the time zone, and the time when the time zone was entered the common area A power consumption calculating means for calculating the power consumption of the user based on the number of users;
Standby power amount calculation means for calculating the standby power amount of the user based on the standby power in the common area, the time and the number of people for each time zone,
A power consumption calculation means for calculating and storing the power consumption of the user by summing the power consumption and the standby power; and
An electric energy management device comprising: It is the electric energy management apparatus of Claim 6, Comprising:
Means for receiving a signal including first identification information for identifying the user from an IC (Integrated Circuit) card or a wireless tag possessed by the user;
A means of providing the current time;
Further comprising
The entrance / exit time acquisition means acquires a current time when the signal is received, and stores the current time in association with the first identification information. The electric energy management device according to claim 6 or 7,
The power consumption calculating means is configured such that, among each entry time and each exit time from the time when the first user enters the shared area most recently from the time zone to the start time of the time zone, The total amount of power consumption is calculated by adding the amount of change before and after, and subtracting the amount of change before and after each exit time, adding the time to the total power consumption, and further dividing the value by the number of people A power amount management device characterized in that it is a power consumption amount. The electric energy management device according to any one of claims 6 to 8,
The standby power amount calculation means integrates the measured power in the time period to obtain a measured power amount, and a value obtained by adding the number of persons to the power consumption amount calculated by the power consumption amount calculation means The amount of standby power is a value obtained by subtracting from the number of persons and dividing by the number of persons.

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