JP5452939B2 - Power control apparatus and power control system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a power control apparatus and a power control system for controlling an autonomous device as a means for preventing a power supply from being cut off by an operation of a current limiter due to an overcurrent.

As a conventional power control system, there is an apparatus in which a device makes a use permission application to a breaker device before use, and the breaker device makes a use permission determination so that the device operates within the permitted power (for example, , See Patent Document 1).
JP-A-10-94199

  However, in the conventional power control system, in order to be able to use a device that is not permitted to be used, it is necessary for the user to control the power of other devices, which is troublesome. In addition, there is an inconvenience that even a device that the user wants to use, that is, a device with a high priority, cannot be used unless permission is granted.

In order to solve the above-described conventional problems, the power control device of the present invention is connected to household electrical appliances via wired or wireless communication, and calculates power consumption for each of the household electrical appliances, Power upper limit value setting means for setting an upper limit value of power that can be used in the home, and power control means for outputting a power control signal for setting a power use value of the home appliance to the home appliance . In the power control means, (step 1) the sum of the power consumption of a specific home appliance that is a specific home appliance among the home appliances and the power consumption of a home appliance other than the specific home appliance is set by the power upper limit setting means. and if the upper limit value or more, the power control signal for reducing a predetermined amount of electric power consumption with respect to appliances other than the specific home device output from the power control unit, the amount of power (step 2) the specific home appliance The power control signal for setting to a value obtained by subtracting the sum of the power consumption of the home appliances other than the specific home appliance whose power consumption has been reduced in step 1 from the upper limit set by the power upper limit setting means , and outputs to a specific home appliances.

  According to this, it is not necessary to perform power control by the user's hand, and the user's trouble can be saved. In addition, it is possible to use devices with high user priority without inconvenience.

In order to solve the above-described conventional problems, the power control system of the present invention includes an IH cooking heater, a home appliance, and a power control device connected via a wired or wireless communication network unit, and an IH cooking heater, The home appliances measure or grasp the power consumption of the home appliances and output them as power signals, the power control signal obtained from the home appliance information communication means, and the home appliances based on the power signals by the power detection means Home appliance control means for controlling devices, power control system via communication network unit, and home appliance information communication means for communicating power information signals, power control signals, or operation information of home appliances with other home appliances Then, the home appliance control means of the IH cooking heater stores the heating power of the IH cooking heater as a coil control signal. A sequence storage means for outputting, a coil power control means for controlling the coil in accordance with a coil control signal of the sequence storage means, and a coil for heating, and the power control device detects a current of one or more electric systems of the commercial power source A current detection means; a voltage detection means for detecting the voltage of the commercial power supply; a power calculation means for calculating power from detection information of the current detection section and the voltage detection section; a power control communication means for communicating with home appliances; Power upper limit setting means for setting the upper limit value of power calculated by the means, priority setting means for setting the usage priority of home appliances, current upper limit value by the current upper limit value setting means, power upper limit value setting means Power upper limit value, priority by priority setting means, communication information of home appliances from power control communication means, and determine the power value of home appliances as power control signal A power control system having a power control means for outputting the power control communication means.

  According to the configuration and operation of the present invention, the power control means of the power control apparatus does not need to perform power control by the user's hand by autonomously controlling the power of the device, so that the user's labor can be saved. Moreover, since the power control of the devices according to the priority order is performed, it is possible to use devices with high user priority without inconvenience. Further, by grasping in advance the power change due to the cooking sequence when using the IH cooker, it is possible to perform more agile power control on the home appliance. Furthermore, by performing power control for the IH cooker, it is possible to prevent power interruption due to the operation of the current limiter during the cooking time in which power is most used.

  The power control means provided in the power control apparatus of the present invention is (step 1) that the sum of the power consumption of a specific household electrical appliance that is a specific household electrical appliance among the household electrical appliances and the power consumption of a household electrical appliance other than the specific household electrical appliance is When the electric power upper limit setting means is greater than or equal to the upper limit value, a power control signal for reducing the amount of power used by a predetermined amount is output from the electric power control means to the electric home appliances other than the specific electric home appliance (step 2). ) From the upper limit set by the power upper limit setting means, the sum of the power consumption of the specific household appliances and the power consumption of the household appliances other than the specific household appliances for which the power consumption has been reduced in Step 1 is subtracted Since the power control signal that specifies the value is output from the power control means to the specific home appliance, it is not necessary to perform power control by the user's hand, saving the user's trouble. Can. In addition, it is possible to use devices with high user priority without inconvenience.

  In addition, when the IH cooker is operated and the total power exceeds a threshold value, the power control system of the present invention reduces the power of each home appliance according to the device information of each home appliance and stores the sequence storage means. Since the IH cooker is operated with the surplus power of the current current limiter obtained from the power information, it is not necessary to perform power control by the user's hand, and the user's labor can be saved. In addition, it is possible to use devices with high user priority without inconvenience.

  The present invention is connected to home appliances in the home via wired or wireless communication, and calculates the power consumption of each home appliance, and the power upper limit that sets the upper limit of power that can be used in the home A power control means for outputting a power control signal for designating a power consumption value of the home appliance to the home appliance, wherein the power control means is specified as (step 1) a specific home appliance among the home appliances. When the sum of the amount of power used by home appliances and the amount of power used by home appliances other than specified home appliances exceeds the upper limit set by the power upper limit setting means, the amount of power used for home appliances other than specified home appliances (Step 2) From the upper limit set by the power upper limit setting means, the power control signal for reducing the predetermined amount of power is output from the power control means. A power control signal for designating a value obtained by subtracting the sum of the power consumption amounts of the home appliances other than the specific home appliances whose power consumption has been reduced in step 1 is output from the power control means to the specific home appliances. Is.

  According to this, it is not necessary to perform power control by the user's hand, and the user's trouble can be saved. In addition, it is possible to use devices with high user priority without inconvenience.

  The present invention also relates to a power control system including an IH cooking heater, a home appliance, and a power control device connected via a wired or wireless communication network unit. The IH cooking heater and the home appliance are related to a home appliance. Household appliance control that controls or controls household appliances based on the power detection means that measures or grasps power consumption and outputs it as a power signal, the power control signal obtained from the household appliance information communication means, and the power signal from the power detection means Means, power control system via communication network unit, home appliance information communication means for communicating power information signal, power control signal, or operation information of home appliance with other home appliance, and home appliance control of IH cooking heater The means stores the heating power of the IH cooking heater and outputs it as a coil control signal. A current detection means for detecting a current of one or more electric systems of a commercial power supply, comprising: a storage means; a coil power control means for controlling the coil according to a coil control signal of the sequence storage means; and a coil for heating. And a voltage detection means for detecting the voltage of the commercial power supply, a power calculation means for calculating the power from the detection information of the current detection part and the voltage detection part, a power control communication means for communicating with the home appliance, and a power calculation means Power upper limit setting means for setting the upper limit value of the power to be generated, priority setting means for setting the use priority of the home appliance, current upper limit value by the current upper limit value setting means, power upper limit by the power upper limit value setting means Value, the priority set by the priority setting means, and the communication information of the home appliance from the power control communication means, determine the power value of the home appliance as a power control signal, A power control system having a power control means for outputting to.

  According to such a configuration and operation, the power control means of the power control apparatus does not need to perform power control by the user's hand by autonomously controlling the power of the device, so that the user's trouble can be saved. Moreover, since the power control of the devices according to the priority order is performed, it is possible to use devices with high user priority without inconvenience. Further, by grasping in advance the power change due to the cooking sequence when using the IH cooker, it is possible to perform more agile power control on the home appliance. Furthermore, by performing power control for the IH cooker, it is possible to prevent power interruption due to the operation of the current limiter during the cooking time in which power is most used.

  Further, in the present invention, in addition to the above-described invention, the priority order of the IH cooking heater is the first. Since the IH cooking heater is a home appliance used for cooking, and power control by the power control system during cooking is inconvenient for the user, the convenience of the user can be improved by setting the priority to the first.

  Further, according to the present invention, in addition to the above-mentioned invention, the device information storage means of the IH cooking heater stores the usage frequency function storage means for storing the usage frequency function for each time zone, and the usage time of the IH cooking heater according to the usage frequency function storage means. It is characterized by comprising a usage time zone prediction means for prediction. According to the configuration and operation of the third aspect of the invention, by predicting the usage time of the IH cooking heater that uses a lot of power, power control is performed so that comfort is not reduced as much as possible. Control over time can be performed, and user convenience can be further improved.

  In addition to the above-described invention, the present invention is characterized in that the home appliance is provided with means for notifying usage information such as a predicted end time of use of the IH cooking heater and used power. According to the configuration and operation of the fourth aspect of the invention, it is possible to provide a margin for making a cooking plan and a user plan for home appliances by providing notification means and notifying the user of information relating to power control. Further, as an example, the user can know the factor of the automatic control of the set temperature of the air conditioner, so that the user can feel more secure.

In the present invention, in addition to the above-described invention, one of the home appliances is an air conditioner. One or more air conditioners are set in each home. In addition, it has been found that the power used can be changed greatly by changing the set temperature a little, and the comfort at that time is hardly reduced. Therefore, by using an air conditioner as a control target of the power control system, it is possible to greatly reduce power and to prevent a decrease in comfort to a minimum.

  In the present invention, in addition to the above-mentioned invention, the priority order of the air conditioner is set to be second or lower. It is known that an air conditioner is a household electrical appliance that is set in one or more units in each home, and can change the power used by changing the control level a little, and there is little decrease in comfort at that time. When the priority is set to the second or lower and the power reduction control is performed, a reduction in comfort can be minimized while reducing a large amount of power.

  Moreover, in addition to the said invention, this invention controls the rotation speed of a compressor by the household appliance control means of an air conditioner. By controlling the compressor, the time required to reach the set temperature is increased by lowering the cooling / heating capacity. However, since the temperature reaches the set temperature, a decrease in comfort can be minimized. Further, since the power consumption of the compressor occupies a large weight in the power used by the air conditioner, it is possible to reduce the large power by controlling the rotation speed of the compressor.

  Moreover, in addition to the said invention, this invention controls the rotation speed of the ventilation fan which the household appliances control means of an air-conditioner determines the ventilation volume. By controlling the rotational speed of the blower fan, it is possible to minimize a decrease in comfort.

  Moreover, in addition to the said invention, this invention sets the household appliance control means of an air conditioner to the structure which controls the preset temperature of an air conditioner. In general, the amount of change in power consumption due to a change in the set temperature of an air conditioner is large, but it is known that the decrease in comfort is small even if the value is changed. Therefore, by controlling the set temperature of the air conditioner, it is possible to minimize the decrease in comfort while reducing the power consumed by the air conditioner.

  Moreover, in addition to the said invention, this invention sets the household appliance control means of an air conditioner to the structure which controls the mode of an air conditioner. Generally, it is known that the power change due to the air conditioner mode is large. Therefore, when it is necessary to reduce large electric power, it can be realized by changing the mode of the air conditioner.

  Further, the present invention is a program for causing a computer to execute at least a part of the functions of the sensor unit in the above invention, so that hardware resources such as electrical / information equipment, a computer, and a server cooperate with each other. Thus, at least a part of the sensor unit can be easily realized.

  Further, the present invention provides a computer-readable recording medium in which the program is recorded, so that the program can be recorded on the recording medium or distributed using a communication line, so that the program can be distributed / updated and installed. Easy to work.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments.

(Embodiment 1)
The configuration of Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes an IH cooker, which has a higher priority when using power than the second home appliance 15 and the third home appliance 16. Moreover, 2 is an electric power detection means, measures the electric power used with the IH cooker 1, and uses it as an electric power information signal. Reference numeral 4 denotes home appliance control means, which receives as input the power signal detected by the power detection means 2, the home appliance control signal obtained by the home appliance information communication means 3, and the sequence signal from the sequence storage means 7. The home appliance control means 4 outputs a control signal based on the power signal and the home appliance control signal, controls the heating power of the coil 9 by the coil power control means 8, and heats the pan 10. 6 is an operation means, and the user operates the IH cooker. The sequence storage unit 7 stores a power sequence when the operation by the operation unit 6 is performed, and outputs it as a sequence signal.

  The home appliance information communication means 3 transmits the electric power information by the electric power detection means 2, the control signal by the electric home appliance control means 5, and the sequence signal by the sequence storage means 7 by the antenna 5, and receives the electric appliance control signal by the antenna 5. Do.

  The IH cooker 1 is supplied with electricity through the electric wire 14, the outlet 13, the plug 12, and the household electric wire 11. As described above, the electric power of the IH cooker 1 is measured by the electric power detection means 2.

  Moreover, the 2nd household appliances 15 and the 3rd household appliances 16 are equipped with the structure similar to the IH cooker 1, and similarly transmit electric power information and a control signal to the outside with an antenna, and transmit a household appliance control signal. Receive radio waves from outside with antenna.

  The plugs of the IH cooker 1, the second household appliance 15, and the third household appliance 16 are all connected to the electric wire 12 through an outlet, and are supplied with power from an outdoor power panel via the power control device 26.

  The current detection means 17 measures the current of the power control device 26, and the voltage detection means 18 measures the voltage of the power control device 26. The power calculation means 19 receives the current measured by the current detection means 17 and the voltage measured by the voltage detection means 18 as input, calculates power, and outputs the value as total power. The power control communication unit 20 is connected to an antenna, and transmits and receives information to and from the home appliance information communication unit of the IH cooker 1, the second home appliance 15, and the third home appliance 16 by radio waves 27.

  The current upper limit setting means 22 stores the current value at which the overcurrent detection by the current controller 24 or the breaker is performed and the power is shut down as the current upper limit value. Similarly, the power upper limit setting means 21 detects an overpower by the current limiter 24 and stores a power value for shutting off the power supply as a power upper limit. However, whether the current limiter 24 detects either overcurrent or overpower and shuts off the power supply differs depending on the type of the current limiter 24.

  Reference numeral 25 denotes a priority setting means, which uses electric power when the connected home appliances, ie, the IH cooker 1, the second home appliance 15, and the third home appliance 16 are used in the example of FIG. Is stored as a priority order signal. In the example of FIG. 1, the priority order of the IH cooker 1 is first, and the other devices are second.

  The power control means 23 is a communication signal from each home appliance, a priority order signal from the priority order setting means 25, a current of the current detection means 17, a power of the power calculation means 19, a current upper limit value of the current upper limit value setting means 22, and a power The power upper limit value of the upper limit setting means 21 is input. In order to prevent the current flowing through the power control device 24 from exceeding the current upper limit value, the power of the IH cooker 1, the second household appliance 15, and the third household appliance 16 is given priority in the example of the household appliance, FIG. Each is determined according to the rank, and is output to each home appliance as a power control signal.

  Similarly, in order to prevent the power flowing through the power control device 26 from exceeding the power upper limit value, and in the example of the home appliance, FIG. 1, the IH cooker 1, the second home appliance 15, the third The electric power of the home appliance 16 is determined according to the priority order, and is output to each home appliance as a power control signal.

  Next, the operation of the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  First, the operation of the sequence storage means will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a change in power of the power Pw1 in the rice cooking process of the IH cooker 1 as an example, with time on the horizontal axis and power on the vertical axis.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the rice cooking process is a pre-cooking process in which the rice sufficiently absorbs water, a thermal power process in which rice is cooked with strong thermal power, a temperature process in which boiling is maintained, an uneven process in which excess water is blown off, and a thermal insulation process in which the rice is kept warm. Consists of. Since the purpose of each process is different, the required heating power is also different. Moreover, time Ts1 to Ts4 required for each process changes with conditions, such as the amount of rice cooking, temperature, and atmospheric pressure. However, if the amount of cooked rice is known to some extent, the necessary amount of heating can be known, so that the time required for each step can be estimated to some extent. Even if the amount of cooked rice is not known, the order of the steps does not change, and the maximum power amount necessary for the steps is known, so that the necessary time range Ts1 to Ts4 can be predicted.

  That is, if it turns out that the process, the rice cooking process shown as an example is performed, it can be estimated how much electric power is needed at which time. Therefore, the change of the power Pw1 of the IH cooker with respect to time T can be predicted from the process in which the user is operated with the operation means 6. If the change in the power Pw1 of the IH cooker can be known in advance, the power that can be used in the home appliances 15 and 16 other than the IH cooker can also be known, so that power distribution by the power control means 23 can be performed with a margin. .

  As shown in the example of FIG. 2, it is understood that high power Ps6 is used by the IH cooker 1 at Ts1 after the rice cooking process of the IH cooker 1 is started. It can be seen that control is performed to minimize a decrease in convenience for the user, such as slowly changing. Moreover, since electric power can be used again for Ts3 after completion of the thermal power process and the temperature process, it is possible to perform an action such as informing the user of the time until the set temperature of the air conditioner is restored. Although shown as an example, by knowing the process of the IH cooker 1 and estimating the change in the power Pw1 with respect to the time T, a more comfortable state for the user can be provided.

  First, the operation of the power control means 23 will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 3 shows the change in the power Pw1 of the IH cooker, the power Pw2 of the first home appliance 15, the power Pw3 of the second home appliance, and the total power of each home appliance, with the horizontal axis representing time and the vertical axis representing power. It is the graph which showed the total electric power which is. However, the interruption power P1 of the current limiter 21 is also shown at the same time.

  In FIG. 3, the power P5 required by the IH cooker 1, the power P3 required by the second home appliance, and the power P4 required by the third home appliance are also shown. In addition, the power upper limit value P1 by the current limiter 21 is also shown.

  In FIG. 3, since the IH cooker 1 is not operated until time T1, the total power P is the power P2, that is, the power Pw1 of the second home appliance P3 and the power Pw2 of the third home appliance P4. The sum is P3 + P4.

  It is assumed that at time T1, the user operates the operation means 26 and requests to use the IH cooker 1. The sequence storage means 7 of the IH cooker 1 outputs the necessary power P5 at that time and transmits it to the power control means 23 via the home appliance information communication means 4, the antenna 5, and the power control communication means 3.

  If the IH cooker 1 is used with electric power P5, the total electric power P is P3 + P4 + P5, which is the total sum of the home appliances. As shown in FIG. 2, since the total power P exceeds the power upper limit value P1, which is the cut-off power of the current limiter 24, the power supply is cut off, resulting in a problem that all home appliances cannot be used.

  Therefore, the power control means 23 performs power control of each home appliance for the purpose of preventing interruption by the current breaker 24. Although priority is given to the use of the IH cooker 1 in accordance with the priority order, the durability and quality of the device are not deteriorated so that the user of the second home appliance 15 and the third home appliance 16 does not impair the comfort as much as possible. Control as follows.

  Hereinafter, specific power control will be described.

  In FIG. 3, when the use request of the IH cooker is received at time T1, the total power P greatly exceeds the power upper limit P1, so the second home appliance 15 and the third home appliance 16 having a low priority order. The power Pw1 and Pw2 are reduced. The second home electric appliance performs power control of electric power 0 indicated by 32 in FIG. 2, and the third electric home appliance performs electric power control of electric power P6 indicated by 33.

  Here, the electric power reduction method of the 2nd household appliances 15 and the 3rd household appliances 16 is demonstrated below using FIG.4, FIG.5, FIG.6.

  Before explaining FIG. 4, as an example, it is assumed that the second home appliance 15 is an air conditioner and uses cooling. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing temporal changes in the power Pw2 and the set temperature Ts of the second home appliance.

  In order to drastically reduce the power of the air conditioner, it is necessary to change the preset temperature from the current cooling, turn off the use, or blow it, but suddenly changing the mode clearly impairs the user's comfort greatly It becomes. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4, by controlling the set temperature in the direction in which the electric power gradually decreases, the comfort is reduced to some extent by, for example, prompting the user to move from the air-conditioner installation location by notifying the user. Can be prevented.

  Also, in the case of a short-term pause, the power required for the next start-up should be changed by changing the set temperature rather than turning off the power or switching to the blower mode due to the relationship between the power used by the refrigerant and the inverter. As a result, there is a case where energy is saved as a result. In addition, a sudden change in power may cause a problem in durability as seen in a decrease in durability of the relay due to switching sparks.

  As described above with an air conditioner as an example, it is necessary from the viewpoint of comfort, energy saving, and durability to control the electric power so that it is gradually changed without significantly reducing the power instantaneously. .

  Further, as an example, in the case of an air conditioner, instead of turning off the power, when the power of the IH cooker 1 is lowered as shown in FIG. 3, the second home appliance 15 and the third home appliance 16 are again turned on. If it is known that the power is increased, the power that can be increased immediately, the operation at P6 which is the lowest power, will soon reach the current power P3 as shown at time T4 in FIG. Since it returns, it may be desirable from the viewpoint of comfort. That is, it can be seen that it may be necessary to provide the minimum power on the assumption that the power returns.

Therefore, the power control means 23 can suppress a decrease in convenience for the user due to a significant reduction in power by gradually reducing the power based on the power control signal of the home appliance with low priority. In addition, by controlling in steps over time, it is possible to give action time by the user, such as moving places and changing menus.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 3, the total power P exceeds the power upper limit value P1 while looking at the power Pw1 of the second home appliance 10 and the power Pw3 of the third home appliance 11 as shown in FIG. Control so that there is no. As a control method, there are a method of gradually increasing the power without exceeding the power upper limit value and a method of starting at a stroke after a certain amount of time. Which method to use is determined by the sequence in the sequence storage means 7.

  In addition, when using a water heater as the IH cooker 1, as shown in the time change of the water temperature of the pan 10 in FIG. 5, the case where electric power is used stepwise from time T1 is compared to the case where it is used from time T3. It is clear that the water can be boiled quickly. Therefore, it can be seen that the user's comfort and operability are improved by gradually increasing the electric power with the electric power not exceeding the electric power upper limit value.

  However, as shown in FIG. 6, in the case of a process that requires a large amount of power from the beginning, for example, a rice cooking process, cooking is performed such that the rice can be cooked plumply when it is operated at time T3 rather than gradually increasing. In some cases, performance is good. In other words, it can be seen that the user's comfort and operability are improved by the method of starting at a stroke after a certain degree of time regarding the rice cooking process.

  As described above, as shown in the example, there are various control methods for the IH cooker 1, and in short, a control method that improves the convenience for the user with respect to the sequence of the IH cooker 1 may be selected.

  Therefore, the power control means 20 is characterized in that the power by the power control signal of the IH cooker 1 is increased step by step, and it is possible to realize a home electric appliance with a higher power rise, which is more convenient for the user. Can be provided.

  Moreover, since the electric power control means 23 changes a control method with the sequence which the sequence memory | storage means 7 of the IH cooker 1 memorize | stores, what has higher convenience can be provided.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 3, the power control unit 23 sets the power upper limit when the power during operation of the IH cooker 1 cannot be secured even when the power is reduced by the control of the low-priority home appliances. The power that does not exceed the value is output as the maximum power, and the IH cooker 1 operates at a power lower than the maximum power indicated by the power control means 23 of the power control device 26. Therefore, the power upper limit value is not always exceeded, and the current limiter is not interrupted, so that it is possible to provide a user with higher convenience.

  Next, the overall operation of the power control unit 23 will be described as an example with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  However, in FIG. 7, the power of the IH cooker 1 is Pw1, the power of the second home appliance 15 is Pw2, and the power of the third home appliance 16 is Pw3. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the required power of the IH cooker 1 is P5, and the threshold value of the current limiter 24 is P1. Furthermore, the total power P is the sum of the powers of the IH cooker 1, the second home appliance 15, and the third home appliance 16.

  First, when starting, it is confirmed whether or not the IH cooker 1 has been operated. If not, the power Pw2 of the second home appliance 15 and the power Pw3 of the third home appliance 16 are in regular use, that is, The operation is performed without reducing the power P3 and P4 (steps 40, 41, and 42).

When the IH cooker 11 is operated by the operation means 6, the sequence storage means 7 of the IH cooker 1 transmits the required power P5 to the power control means 23 through the communication means (step 43). Next, it is determined whether or not the total power P5 + P3 + P4 predicted by adding the required power P5 is larger than the threshold value P1 (step 44). If it is smaller than the threshold value P1, it is assumed that the power controller 24 will not be shut off, and the respective devices are used steadily without being reduced (step 45).

  If it is larger than the threshold value P1, it is necessary to reduce the total power, and device information of each home appliance is obtained, and the power Pw2 of the second home appliance 10 and the third home appliance 11 of the third home appliance 11 are obtained according to the device information. The power Pw3 is reduced (step 46). Further, the power Pw1 of the IH cooker 1 is provisionally determined according to the power information stored in the sequence storage means 7 (step 47). If P1-Pw2-Pw3 which is the surplus power of the current limiter 21 is larger than the surplus power compared to the temporarily determined power Pw1 of the first home appliance, Pw1 is surplus power P1-Pw2 Change to -Pw (step 50). Next, control is performed so that the IH cooker 1 operates with the determined power Pw1 (step 51).

  Further, it is determined whether or not the power of the IH cooker 1 is turned off. If not turned off, steps 44 to 51 are repeated, and if turned off, the process returns to step 41 (step 41).

  The invention of Embodiment 1 is an electric power control system including an IH cooking heater, a home appliance, and a power control device connected via a wired or wireless communication network unit. The IH cooking heater and the home appliance are Household appliance control that controls or controls household appliances based on the power detection means that measures or grasps power consumption and outputs it as a power signal, the power control signal obtained from the household appliance information communication means, and the power signal from the power detection means Means, power control system via communication network unit, home appliance information communication means for communicating power information signal, power control signal, or operation information of home appliance with other home appliance, and home appliance control of IH cooking heater The means stores the heating power of the IH cooking heater and outputs it as a coil control signal. A current detection means for detecting a current of one or more electric systems of a commercial power supply, comprising: a storage means; a coil power control means for controlling the coil according to a coil control signal of the sequence storage means; and a coil for heating. And a voltage detection means for detecting the voltage of the commercial power supply, a power calculation means for calculating the power from the detection information of the current detection part and the voltage detection part, a power control communication means for communicating with the home appliance, and a power calculation means Power upper limit setting means for setting the upper limit value of the power to be generated, priority setting means for setting the use priority of the home appliance, current upper limit value by the current upper limit value setting means, power upper limit by the power upper limit value setting means Value, the priority set by the priority setting means, and the communication information of the home appliance from the power control communication means, determine the power value of the home appliance as a power control signal, A power control system having a power control means for outputting to.

  According to the configuration and operation of the first embodiment, the power control means of the power control device does not need to perform power control by the user's hand by autonomously controlling the power of the device, thus saving the user's trouble. it can. Moreover, since the power control of the devices according to the priority order is performed, it is possible to use devices with high user priority without inconvenience. Further, by grasping in advance the power change due to the cooking sequence when using the IH cooker, it is possible to perform more agile power control on the home appliance. Furthermore, by performing power control for the IH cooker, it is possible to prevent power interruption due to the operation of the current limiter during the cooking time in which power is most used.

In the invention of the first embodiment, the priority order of the IH cooking heater is the first. Since the IH cooking heater is a home appliance used for cooking, and power control by the power control system during cooking is inconvenient for the user, the convenience of the user can be improved by setting the priority to the first.

  In addition, the invention of Embodiment 1 is characterized in that means for notifying usage information such as an estimated end time of use of the IH cooking heater and used power is provided in the home appliance. According to the configuration and operation of the invention of the first embodiment, it is possible to provide a margin for making a cooking plan and a home appliance user plan by providing notification means and notifying the user of information related to power control. Further, as an example, the user can know the factor of the automatic control of the set temperature of the air conditioner, so that the user can feel more secure.

(Embodiment 2)
The configuration of the second embodiment of the present invention will be described. The second embodiment uses an air conditioner as the second home appliance 15 and the third home appliance 16 in addition to the first embodiment. Therefore, hereinafter, the configuration and operation of the second embodiment will be described with a focus on differences from the configuration and operation of the first embodiment, and the other configurations and operations will be the same as those of the first embodiment.

  The reason why the second home appliance 15 and the third home appliance 16 are air conditioners and the priority order is second or lower is as follows.

  One of the reasons is that an air conditioner is a household electrical appliance that is set at least one unit in each home, and the power control system can be realized in any home. Also, for example, in the case of cooling, the power can be reduced by about 10% just by raising the set temperature by 1 ° C. For example, the power used can be changed greatly by changing the set temperature slightly. Various experiments have shown that there is little decrease in sex. Another reason is that by using an air conditioner as the second home appliance 15 and the third home appliance, the power can be greatly reduced, and a decrease in comfort can be minimized.

  The configuration of the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 shows the configuration of the second home appliance 15 and the third home appliance 16 as air conditioners.

  In FIG. 8, 60 is an air conditioner operating means, which can be operated by the user. Operation information by the air conditioner operation means 60 is input to the set temperature control storage means 61 and the air conditioner mode storage means 62.

  The set temperature control storage means 61 is a parameter that sets the room temperature to the set temperature that is the operation information of the air conditioner operation means 60 or the air conditioner control signal of the air conditioner equipment control means 63, for example, PID control and fuzzy control. Output control parameters.

  The air conditioner mode storage means 62 stores control methods such as an air conditioner mode, a cooling fan control method, a compressor control method, and the like in modes such as cooling, heating, dehumidification, and blowing. The air conditioner mode storage means 62 receives the operation information of the air conditioner operation means 60 or the air conditioner mode that is the air conditioner control signal of the air conditioner device control means 63, and outputs an optimal control method.

The air conditioner device control means 63 receives the home appliance control signal acquired via the antenna 5 and the home appliance information communication means 4, the control parameters of the set temperature control storage means 61, and the control method of the air conditioner mode storage means 62. The air conditioner device control means 63 operates the air conditioner with the electric power of the home appliance control signal as the set power, and keeps the user comfortable or prevents the comfort from being reduced. Control. Further, as an example, if the set power is within the set power, the necessary control parameters are acquired from the set temperature storage means 61, and if the air conditioner mode is changed, the necessary control method is set to the air conditioner. Obtained by the mode storage means 62.

  In addition, the air conditioner device control means 63 outputs a compressor control signal to the compressor control means 64 and a blower fan control signal to the blower fan control means 65 in order to execute the control parameters and control method acquired above.

  The compressor control means 64 controls the cooling capacity or the heating capacity by controlling the rotation speed of the compressor 70 that realizes cooling or heating of the air conditioner.

  Below, the structure of FIG. 8 is demonstrated by demonstrating the mechanism of the cooling by an air conditioner. Heating is achieved by the opposite mechanism of cooling.

  1) The refrigerant is sent from the outdoor unit 76 of the air conditioner to the indoor unit 75 through the second pipe 73 passing through the wall 74 in a liquid state.

  2) The refrigerant evaporates in the evaporator 68 of the indoor unit 75 that is an aluminum fin, and the evaporator 75 is cooled cold.

  3) Air is sent between the evaporators 68 by the blower fan 67 of the indoor unit 75 in accordance with the blower fan control signal of the blower fan control means 65, and cold wind blows out from the indoor unit 75 of the air conditioner.

  4) The refrigerant evaporated in the evaporator 68 and turned into gas returns to the outdoor unit 76 through the first pipe 72 passing through the wall 74.

  5) The compressor 70 connected to the power supply of the air conditioner power source 71 compresses the refrigerant while being controlled by the compressor control signal of the compressor control means 64.

  6) The refrigerant compressed by the compressor 70 and heated to high temperature is sent to the condenser 69 and cooled by the fan of the outdoor unit 76, and the refrigerant becomes liquid.

  7) Freon gas is sent again to the indoor unit 75, and (1) to (6) are repeated.

  As described above, it is understood that the capacity of the air conditioner is determined by the capacity of the compressor 70 and the capacity of the blower fan 67. Specifically, the air-conditioner capability can be changed by controlling the number of revolutions that realizes compression of the compressor 70 and the number of revolutions of the blower fan 67. Further, since most of the power consumed by the air conditioner is the compressor 70 and the blower fan 67, there is a strong correlation between the power of the air conditioner and the cooling capacity (or heating capacity). However, when the electric power of the compressor 70 and the blower fan 67 is compared, the compressor 70 is generally larger.

  Next, the operation of the air conditioner device control means 63 will be described with reference to FIG. 9 as an example.

  FIG. 9 shows changes in the room temperature when the rotation speed of the compressor 70 is suppressed and when the rotation speed is normal, with the room temperature Ta on the vertical axis and the time T on the horizontal axis.

  As shown in FIG. 9, it can be seen that the room temperature, which was initially 30 degrees, reaches the set temperature at the time Ta1 at the normal rotation speed and at the time Ta2 even when the rotation speed is suppressed. It can be seen that even when the rotation speed of the compressor 70 is suppressed and the cooling capacity is lowered, the time until the set temperature is reached is only delayed. That is, the user can spend comfortably after the time Ta2.

  As described above, since the rotation speed of the compressor 70 occupies much of the power consumed by the air conditioner, a large power reduction can be achieved by reducing the rotation speed.

  When the air conditioner device control means 63 determines to reduce the power by suppressing the cooling capacity of the air conditioner, it outputs a compressor control signal to the compressor control means 64. As a result, it is possible to minimize a reduction in user comfort while significantly reducing the power consumed by the air conditioner.

  Further, the air conditioner control means 63 additionally controls the air flow rate of the blower fan 67 so as to further minimize the decrease in comfort.

  The PMV value, which is an index indicating the comfort of the air conditioner, greatly depends on the air flow rate in addition to the room temperature. Generally, the PMV value can be in a comfortable direction by increasing the air flow rate. As an example, even when the room is larger than expected and sufficient cooling capacity cannot be obtained due to a decrease in the rotation speed of the compressor 70, the decrease in comfort is minimized by increasing the air flow rate of the blower fan 67. be able to.

  If the air conditioner device control means 63 recognizes that the cooling capacity is insufficient with respect to the actual environment due to a decrease in the rotational speed of the compressor 70, it outputs a blower fan control signal to the blower fan control means 65, thereby reducing the comfort. Minimize.

  In Embodiment 2, one of the home appliances is an air conditioner. Since one or more air conditioners are set in each home, the power control system can be realized in any home.

  In addition, the priority order of the air conditioner is the second or lower. It has been found that the air conditioner can change the electric power used by changing the control level a little, and there is little decrease in comfort at that time. When the priority is set to the second or lower and the power reduction control is performed, a reduction in comfort can be minimized while reducing a large amount of power.

  The home appliance control means of the air conditioner controls the rotation speed of the compressor. By controlling the compressor, the time required to reach the set temperature is increased by lowering the cooling / heating capacity. However, since the temperature reaches the set temperature, a decrease in comfort can be minimized.

  The home appliance control means of the air conditioner controls the number of rotations of the motor that determines the amount of air blown. By controlling the number of revolutions of the motor that determines the amount of air blown from the air conditioner, it is possible to minimize a decrease in comfort.

  The home appliance control means for the air conditioner is configured to control the set temperature of the air conditioner. In general, the amount of change in power consumption due to a change in the set temperature of an air conditioner is large, but it is known that the decrease in comfort is small even if the value is changed. Therefore, by controlling the set temperature of the air conditioner, it is possible to minimize the decrease in comfort while reducing the power consumed by the air conditioner.

  The home appliance control means of the air conditioner is configured to control the mode of the air conditioner. Generally, it is known that the power change due to the air conditioner mode is large. Therefore, when it is necessary to reduce large electric power, it can be realized by changing the mode of the air conditioner.

(Embodiment 3)
The configuration of the third embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the third embodiment, in addition to the first embodiment, the configuration and operation related to the home appliance control means 4 will be described in detail. Therefore, hereinafter, the configuration and operation of the third embodiment will be described with a focus on differences from the configuration and operation of the first embodiment, and other configurations and operations will be the same as those of the first embodiment.

  In FIG. 10, reference numeral 80 denotes a usage time determination unit, which receives the power of the power detection unit 2 and the power threshold value of the power threshold value storage unit 81. The use time determining means 80 compares the power and the power threshold value, determines that the IH cooker 1 is used if the power is large, and outputs the signal as a use signal. The usage time zone storage means 82 receives the usage signal of the usage time judgment means 80 and stores it as the number of times of use for each time zone.

  Further, the use time zone prediction means 83 can use an IH cooker from the use prediction threshold frequency of the use time zone threshold storage means 84 and the use frequency of the use time zone storage means 82 for each use time zone. And predicts the output to the home appliance information communication means 3.

  Next, the operation of the usage time determining means 80 will be described with reference to FIG. 11. Before that, the relationship between the total power Pt of the power control device 26 and the power Ps of the IH cooker 1 will be described with reference to FIG. However, FIG. 11 shows the time T on the horizontal axis, the total power Pt on the vertical axis, and the power Ps of the IH cooker.

  As shown in FIG. 11, there is a large correlation between the total power Ps and the power Ps of the IH cooker, and the total power is often large during the time zone in which the IH cooker 1 is used. This is because the power of the IH cooker is large and the number of electric devices used for cooking including the IH cooker 1 is large. That is, a time zone in which there is a high possibility of using the IH cooker 1 is predicted, and the power of the second home appliance 15 and the third home appliance 16 is preliminarily considered for the convenience of the user before that time zone. By dropping it, a more comfortable power control system can be provided to the user.

  The operation of the usage time determination unit 80 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 11 shows the power threshold value of the power threshold value storage means 81 at the same time.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the usage time zone of the IH cooker is determined using the power of the IH cooker 1. Specifically, the electric power Ps of the IH cooker is compared with the electric power threshold Ph, and it is determined that there is a high possibility that the electric power time zone equal to or higher than the electric power threshold Ph will be used in the future.

  The usage time determination unit 80 compares the power threshold value stored in the power threshold value storage unit 81 with the power of the power detection unit 2 to determine the time when the IH cooker has been used. The usage time zone storage unit 82 stores the usage time determined by the usage time determination unit 80 for each time zone and stores it as the number of times of use.

  Next, the operation during the estimated usage time zone 83 will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 12, the horizontal axis shows time T, and the vertical axis shows the number of uses N for each time zone. As shown in FIG. 12, a time zone in which the number of uses N is large is determined as a time zone that is likely to be used in the future. Specifically, the number of uses N and the use time zone threshold value Nh are compared to determine the availability of that time zone.

  The usage time zone predicting unit 83 compares the number of uses of the usage time zone storage unit 82 with the threshold value of the usage time zone threshold value storage unit 83 to determine the availability of the IH cooker.

In the invention of the third embodiment, the device information storage means of the IH cooking heater includes a usage frequency function storage means for storing a usage frequency function for each time zone, and a usage time for predicting a usage time of the IH cooking heater according to the usage frequency function storage means. It is characterized by having a band prediction means. According to the configuration and operation of the first embodiment, by predicting the usage time of the IH cooking heater that uses a lot of power, power control is performed so as not to reduce the comfort as much as possible. Control over time can be performed, and user convenience can be further improved.

  As described above, the power control system, the power control system control method, and the program according to the present invention can be applied to a small-scale system in a home or a large-scale system other than a home. If it is desired to set the current upper limit value, the same method can be applied.

System configuration diagram of power control system of the present invention The figure showing the relationship between the electric power and time explaining operation | movement of an electric power control means The figure which shows the relationship between preset temperature and electric power explaining operation | movement of an electric power control means The figure which shows the relationship between the hot water temperature which shows operation | movement of an electric power control means, and time. The figure showing the relationship between hot water temperature and time explaining operation | movement of an electric power control means The figure showing the relationship between the electric power and time explaining operation | movement of an electric power control means Flow chart showing operation of power control means System configuration diagram of the power control system of Embodiment 2 of the present invention The figure which shows the relationship between the room temperature which shows operation | movement of Embodiment 2, and time. Configuration diagram of home appliance control means The figure which shows the relationship between electric power and time explaining operation | movement of a use time judgment means The figure which shows the relationship between the frequency | count of use and time explaining operation | movement of a use time slot | zone prediction means

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 IH cooker 2 Electric power detection means 3 Home appliance information communication means 4 Home appliance control means 5 Antenna 6 Operation means 7 Sequence storage means 8 Coil control means 9 Coil 10 Pan 11 Home electric wire 12 Plug 13 Outlet 14 Electric wire 15 Second electric home appliance 16 Third home appliance 17 Current detection means 18 Voltage detection means 19 Power calculation means 20 Power control communication means 21 Power upper limit value setting means 22 Current upper limit value setting means 23 Power control means 24 Current limiter 25 Priority order setting means 26 Power Control device 60 Air conditioner operation means 61 Set temperature control storage means 62 Air conditioner mode storage means 63 Air conditioner equipment control means 64 Compressor control means 65 Blower fan control means 66 Blower fan motor 67 Blower fan 68 Evaporator 69 Condenser 70 Compressor 71 Air conditioner power supply 72 1st pipe 73 2nd pipe 74 Wall 80 Usage time judgment means 81 Power threshold value storage means 82 Usage time zone storage means 83 Usage time zone prediction means 84 Usage time zone threshold value storage means

Claims (6)

A power control device that connects to home appliances via wired or wireless communication,
Power calculating means for calculating the amount of power used by each of the home appliances;
A power upper limit setting means for setting an upper limit of power that can be used in the house,
A power control means for outputting a power control signal for setting a power consumption value of the home appliance to the home appliance;
The power control means includes
(Step 1) An upper limit set by the power upper limit setting means that the sum of the power consumption of a specific household electrical appliance that is a specific household electrical appliance among the household electrical appliances and the power consumption of a household electrical appliance other than the specific household electrical appliance is set If a value or more, with respect to appliances other than the specific home device, the electric power consumption outputs a power control signal for reducing a predetermined amount,
(Steps 2) power amount of the specific home appliance, from the upper limit value set by the power limit value setting means, the electric power consumption of appliances other than the specific home appliance using electrical energy has been reduced by the step 1 a power control signal for setting the value obtained by subtracting the total sum, and outputs the to a specific home appliance <br/> power controller. The power control means includes
  After the step 1, the provisional power consumption of the specific home appliance is obtained,
  Thereafter, from the upper limit value set by the power upper limit setting means, a value obtained by subtracting the sum of the power consumption of household electrical appliances other than the specific household electrical appliances whose power consumption has been reduced by the step 1,
  If the temporary power consumption is greater than the reduced value, execute step 2; otherwise, set the temporary power consumption to the power consumption value of the specific home appliance Output a signal to the specified home appliance
The power control apparatus according to claim 1. The power control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the specific home appliance is an IH cooking heater. The power control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the home appliance other than the specific home appliance is an air conditioner. The program for making a computer perform the function of the said power control means in the power control apparatus of any one of Claim 1 to 4 . A computer-readable recording medium on which the program according to claim 5 is recorded.