JP7650004B2 - Outlet System - Google Patents

Description

The present disclosure relates to an outlet system. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to an outlet system that measures, as a specific meter, the power supplied to a specific meter target device connected to a specific meter outlet.

The electrified house described in Patent Document 1 includes a residential area where residents live, a garage adjacent to the residential area for housing an EV (Electric Vehicle), and a charging device for charging the EV. Power is supplied to the residential area and the EV is charged using power from the charging device.

JP 2018-162591 A

As described in Patent Document 1, in recent years, the use of EV chargers has increased with the spread of EVs, and the number of cases in which consumers charge specific metering devices (e.g., EVs) at their homes is on the rise. For this reason, there is a demand to charge only the power consumed by consumers for charging specific metering devices separately, and to calculate the amount of power consumed by consumers other than for charging specific metering devices using differential metering.

Normally, when power is supplied to a specific metering device, it is supplied to the specific metering device from a specific metering outlet. The specific metering outlet is connected to a specific branch circuit among multiple branch circuits of a distribution board. The power supplied from the specific metering outlet to the specific metering device is calculated based on the current flowing through the specific branch circuit. Therefore, to realize the above requirement, a process is required to confirm that the current is not actually being split between the specific branch circuit and the specific metering outlet.

The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned reasons, and aims to provide an outlet system that is capable of performing a process to confirm that current is not actually being shunted between a specific branch circuit and a specific metering outlet.

The outlet system according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a first detection unit, a second detection unit, and a determination unit. The first detection unit detects a first feature that is a feature of a current flowing through a specific metering outlet to which a specific metering target device can be connected via a plug of the specific metering target device or through the specific metering target device connected to the specific metering outlet. The second detection unit detects a second feature that is a feature of a current flowing through a specific branch circuit connected to the specific metering outlet among multiple branch circuits of a distribution board. The determination unit determines whether the first feature detected by the first detection unit and the second feature detected by the second detection unit match.

The outlet system disclosed herein has the advantage of being able to perform processing to confirm that current is not actually being shunted between a specific branch circuit and a specific metering outlet.

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an outlet system according to a first embodiment. 2A to 2C are explanatory diagrams illustrating cases where requirement A and requirement B are not satisfied at the same time. FIG. 3 is a block diagram for explaining the configuration of the authentication unit of the outlet system. Fig. 4A is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a detection unit of the outlet system, and Fig. 4B is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a specific metering unit of the outlet system. FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram illustrating the configuration of an authentication unit according to the first modification of the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram illustrating the configuration of a detection unit according to the second modification of the first embodiment. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the outlet unit of the second embodiment. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a relay adaptor of the socket unit. FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a socket unit according to a first modified example of the second embodiment. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a socket unit according to a second modification of the second embodiment. FIG. 11 is a configuration diagram illustrating the outlet unit of the third embodiment.

(Embodiment 1)
A socket system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 1 to 4.

As shown in FIG. 1, the outlet system 1 according to this embodiment is a system that measures the power consumed by the consumer 2, which is supplied to a specific metering target device (e.g., an EV (Electric Vehicle)) 7a, separately from the power supplied to a general device 7b (i.e., a device other than the specific metering target device 7a), as a specific metering. In this way, the power supplied to the specific metering target device 7a and the general device 7b is measured separately. This makes it possible to provide various services such as separately billing the fee for the power consumed by the power supply to the specific metering target device 7a and the fee for the power consumed by the power supply to the general device 7b. The specific metering target device 7a is a device that is subject to metering by a specific metering device (in this embodiment, the specific metering unit 20 described later) that performs specific metering.

In the following explanation, when there is no need to distinguish between specific metering target equipment 7a and general equipment 7b, they will be referred to as equipment 7.

First, before describing the outlet system 1, a power grid distribution system 10 installed in the building of a consumer 2 will be described with reference to FIG. 1. The power grid distribution system 10 is a system that distributes power from a power grid 8 to multiple outlets 3 installed in the building of the consumer 2.

The grid power distribution system 10 receives power from the power grid 8 via the pole transformer 6. The power from the power grid 8 is high-voltage (e.g., 6600V) single-phase, two-wire AC power. The power is transmitted from the power grid 8 to the pole transformer 6 via two electric paths. The pole transformer 6 steps down the power from the power grid 8 to single-phase, three-wire AC power of a specific voltage (e.g., 100V or 200V). The power stepped down by the pole transformer 6 is transmitted from the pole transformer 6 to the grid power distribution system 10 via three electric paths. The above three electric paths are the L1-phase electric path, the L2-phase electric path, and the N-phase electric path. The N-phase electric path is grounded and has zero potential. A voltage of 100V is applied to the L1-phase electric path and the L2-phase electric path, respectively, with the N-phase electric path as the reference.

The grid power distribution system 10 includes a main circuit 11, multiple branch circuits 12, a distribution board 13, and multiple outlets 3.

The main circuit 11 is an electric circuit that connects the pole transformer 6 and the power distribution system 10, and is drawn into the power distribution system 10. The main circuit 11 is composed of the above-mentioned three electric circuits (the L1-phase electric circuit, the L2-phase electric circuit, and the N-phase electric circuit).

The multiple branch paths 12 are electric paths that branch off from multiple branch points on the main electric path 11 and connect the main electric path 11 to multiple outlets 3. Each of the multiple branch paths 12 is composed of two electric paths (i.e., an L-phase electric path (L1 side electric path or L2 side electric path) and an N-phase electric path).

The distribution board 13 is a device that distributes the power transmitted from the pole transformer 6 through the main circuit 11 to multiple outlets 3. The distribution board 13 includes a main breaker 132, multiple branch circuits 133, and a ground terminal 134.

The main breaker 132 is provided upstream of the multiple branch points in the main circuit 11. The main breaker 132 switches between an open state and a closed state depending on whether the amount of current flowing through the main circuit 11 exceeds a specified value. The main breaker 132 then connects and disconnects the main circuit 11 depending on whether it is in the closed state or the open state. The main breaker 132 connects and disconnects the power transmitted to the multiple outlets 3 all at once.

The multiple branch circuits 133 correspond one-to-one to the multiple branch paths 12 and are provided in the corresponding branch paths 12. The multiple branch circuits 133 switch between an open state or a closed state depending on whether the amount of current flowing through the corresponding branch path 12 satisfies a predetermined condition, and conduct or cut off the corresponding branch path 12 depending on the closed state or open state. The multiple branch circuits 133 conduct or cut off the power transmitted to the multiple outlets 3 individually for each outlet 3.

The ground terminal 134 is a terminal used when grounding the E-phase pole (ground pole) of each outlet 3, which will be described later. The ground terminal 134 is grounded to the ground. The E-phase pole of each outlet 3 is connected to the ground terminal 134 via the electric circuit 16, and is grounded to the ground via the ground terminal 134.

The multiple outlets 3 are installed inside or outside the consumer 2. The multiple outlets 3 are sockets into which the power plugs of the devices 7 are inserted, and supply power to the devices 7 via the inserted power plugs. The devices 7 are, for example, lighting fixtures, refrigerators, televisions, EVs (electric vehicles), etc. The multiple outlets 3 include a specific metering outlet 3a and a general-purpose outlet 3b. The specific metering outlet 3a is an outlet dedicated to the specific metering target device 7a, and is an outlet for supplying power to the specific metering target device 7a, distinguished from power supply to general devices 7b (devices other than the specific metering target device 7a). The specific metering outlet 3a is an outlet that has a specific metering function of a specific meter built in, or an outlet that has a function for authenticating whether a specific metering target device is connected. The general-purpose outlet 3b is an outlet for general devices 5b.

In this embodiment, the specific metering target device 7a is, for example, an EV, and has, for example, a three-pole power plug 71. The three-pole power plug 71 is a power plug that has three blades, and the three blades correspond to the L-phase, N-phase, and E-phase (ground) poles, respectively. The specific metering outlet 3a is, for example, a three-pole outlet that matches the number of poles of the power plug 71 of the specific metering target device 7a. The three-pole outlet is an outlet that has three sockets that correspond to the three blades of the three-pole power plug. The three sockets are provided with three receiving blades 3L, 3N, and 3E (see FIG. 3) that connect with the three blades of the power plug. The receiving blade 3L is connected to the blade corresponding to the L-phase among the three blades of the power plug 71, the receiving blade 3N is connected to the blade corresponding to the N-phase among the three blades of the power plug 71, and the receiving blade 3E is connected to the blade corresponding to the E-phase among the three blades of the power plug 71. The receiving blades 3L and 3N are each connected to the electric circuits (L-phase electric circuit 12L and N-phase electric circuit 12N) that constitute the branch circuit 12. The L-phase electric circuit 12L and the N-phase electric circuit 12N are each connected to the L-phase electric circuit (L1-phase electric circuit or L2-phase electric circuit) and the N-phase electric circuit of the main electric circuit 11. The receiving blade 3E is connected to the ground terminal 134 via the electric circuit 16.

In this grid power distribution system 10, power (e.g., 6600 V) from the power grid 8 is stepped down to a specified power (e.g., 100 V/200 V, 15 A) by the pole transformer 6, and then transmitted to the distribution board 13 through the main circuit 11. The power transmitted to the distribution board 13 passes through a main breaker 132 and is then distributed to multiple outlets 3 through multiple branch circuits 12. Each outlet 3 can output power of a specified standard (e.g., 100 V, 15 A). The power transmitted to each outlet 3 is supplied to a device 7 connected to the outlet 3.

Next, the outlet system 1 will be described with reference to FIG.

In the outlet system 1, a specific outlet among the multiple outlets 3 is treated as a specific metering outlet 3a, and the other outlets 3 are treated as general-purpose outlets 3b. The specific metering outlet 3a is a dedicated outlet 3 for supplying power to the specific metering target device 7a, and is detachably connected to the power plug 71 of the specific metering target device 7a. The general-purpose outlet 3b is a outlet 3 for supplying power to general device 7b (device other than the specific metering target device 7a), and is detachably connected to the power plug 71 of the general device 7b.

The device 7 (7a, 7b) is, for example, an electrical device having a power plug 71 and operating on power supplied from the outside via the power plug 71. In this embodiment, the power plug 71 is, for example, a three-pole power plug, but it may be a two-pole power plug or a four-pole or more power plug. Note that a three-pole power plug is a power plug with three plug blades (L-phase s-pole, N-phase pole, and E-phase pole (ground pole)), and a two-pole power plug is a power plug with two plug blades (L-phase pole and N-phase pole).

In the outlet system 1, when the power plug 71 of the specific metering target device 7a is connected to the specific metering outlet 3a, power is supplied from the specific metering outlet 3a to the specific metering target device 7a. The outlet system 1 then individually measures the amount of power supplied from the specific metering outlet 3a as specific metering. Note that specific metering means measuring the power supplied to the specific metering target device 7a separately from the power supplied to the general device 7b.

For this reason, the outlet system 1 includes a specific metering unit 20. The specific metering unit 20 is arranged, for example, inside the distribution board 13. The specific metering unit 20 measures the current flowing through the specific branch circuit 133a. The specific branch circuit 133a is a branch circuit 133 connected to the specific metering outlet 3a by the branch path 12a (12) among the multiple branch circuits 133. The current flowing through the specific branch circuit 133a is the same current (i.e., the same amount of current) as the current flowing through the specific metering outlet 3a if the current is not branched in the branch path 12a between the specific branch circuit 133a and the specific metering outlet 3a. The specific metering unit 20 measures the power (or amount of power) supplied from the specific metering outlet 3a based on the measurement result of the specific metering unit 20 (i.e., the current flowing through the specific branch circuit 133a), and measures the measurement result as a specific metering.

In this way, the outlet system 1 of this embodiment measures the power supplied from the specific metering outlet 3a to the specific metering target device 7a based on the current flowing through the specific branch circuit 133a, and measures the measurement result as a specific metering. In other words, the outlet system 1 does not measure the amount of power supplied from the specific metering outlet 3a to the specific metering target device 7a directly based on the current supplied from the specific metering outlet 3a to the specific metering target device 7a, but rather measures the power supplied from the specific metering outlet 3a to the specific metering target device 7a indirectly based on the current flowing through the specific branch circuit 133a.

For this reason, the following requirements A and B are necessary to ensure that the power based on the current flowing through the specific branch circuit 133a is the correct power supplied from the specific metering outlet 3a to the specific metering target device 7a.

Next, we will explain the above requirements A and B.

In this embodiment, when the specific metering unit 20 measures the power supplied from the specific metering outlet 3a to the specific metering target device 7a as a specific metering based on the current flowing through the specific branch circuit 133a, the following requirements A and B are required.

Requirement A: When performing specific measurement, the power plug 71 of the specific measurement target device 7a is connected to the specific measurement outlet 3a. In other words, since specific measurement in this embodiment targets the power supply from the specific measurement outlet 3a to the specific measurement target device 7a, requirement A ensures that the specific measurement target device 7a is connected to the specific measurement outlet 3a when performing specific measurement.

Requirement B: When performing specific metering, there is a one-to-one correspondence between the specific branch circuit 133a and the specific metering outlet 3a. The above-mentioned specified correspondence is a correspondence between the specific branch circuit 133a and the outlet 3 to which current is actually supplied from the specific branch circuit 133a. In other words, the specific metering of this embodiment targets power supply in which all of the current flowing through the specific branch circuit 133a is supplied to the specific metering outlet 3a. Therefore, requirement B ensures that all of the current flowing through the specific branch circuit 133a is supplied to the specific metering outlet 3a. In other words, when a current is diverted between the specific branch circuit 133a and the specific metering outlet 3a and the diverted current is supplied to the device 7 from the general-purpose outlet 3b, the above-mentioned specified correspondence becomes one-to-two, and the power supply in this case is excluded from the target of specific metering due to requirement B. If the above-mentioned specified correspondence does not satisfy one-to-one, it is possible to detect such a case due to requirement B.

In this way, in the outlet system 1, only when the above two requirements (requirements A and B) are met simultaneously, the power measured based on the current flowing through the specific branch circuit 133a is regarded as power supplied from the specific metering outlet 3a to the specific metering target device 7a, and this regarded power is measured as specific metering.

Next, based on Figures 2A to 2C, we will explain a case where the above two requirements (requirements A and B) are not met simultaneously.

In the example of FIG. 2A, the specific branch circuit 133a is connected only to the specific metering outlet 3a. However, when specific metering is being performed, a general device 7b other than the specific metering target device 7a is connected to the specific metering outlet 3a. In this case, requirement B is met but requirement A is not met.

In the example of FIG. 2B, the specific branch circuit 133a is connected only to the specific metering outlet 3a. The specific metering outlet 3a is a two-port outlet having two ports 31a, 32a. In the example of FIG. 2B, a specific metering target device 7a is connected to one port 31a of the specific metering outlet 3a, and a general device 7b (a device other than the specific metering target device 7a) is connected to the other port 32a. In other words, when specific metering is being performed, the specific metering target device 7a and the general device 7b are simultaneously connected to the specific metering outlet 3a. In this case, requirement B is met but requirement A is not met.

In the example of FIG. 2C, the specific branch circuit 133a is connected to the specific metering outlet 3a and the general-purpose outlet 3b. When specific metering is being performed, no device 7 is connected to the specific metering outlet 3a, and a general device 7b (device 7b other than the specific metering target device 7a) is connected to the general-purpose outlet 3b. In this case, neither requirement A nor requirement B is satisfied.

Next, based on Figure 3, we will explain the components for verifying that the above requirement A is met.

In this embodiment, by authenticating whether the device 7 connected to the specific measurement outlet 3a is a specific measurement target device 7a, it is confirmed whether the above requirement A is satisfied. For this purpose, in addition to the specific measurement unit 20, the outlet system 1 further includes an authentication unit 30 that performs the above authentication. That is, the outlet system 1 includes the specific measurement unit 20 and the authentication unit 30.

More specifically, in this embodiment 1, the specific weighing target device 7a is equipped with a non-contact IC tag 72. The non-contact IC tag 72 is built into, for example, the power plug 71 of the specific weighing target device 7a. The non-contact IC tag 72 stores authentication information for proving that the device is a specific weighing target device 7a.

The authentication information is, for example, current information related to the characteristic quantities of the current flowing through the power plug 71 of the specific metering target device 7a. The current information is information related to the current waveform of the current (for example, waveform information of about several milliseconds) or information related to the time fluctuation of the current (for example, waveform information of about several hours).

The information regarding the current waveform of the current includes, for example, information such as the effective value, peak value, crest value, and distortion rate of the current. In particular, when the specific metering target device 7a is an EV (electric vehicle), the information regarding the current waveform of the current may be information such as "the effective current value is 20 A or more and the waveform distortion is 10% or less."

The reason why information on the current waveform of the current is used as the authentication information is that the current waveform of the current flowing through the power plug 71 of the specific metering target device 7a generally differs for each individual device 7, and differs even for devices 7 of the same type. In other words, by using the current waveform of the current, it is possible to identify each specific metering target device 7a for each individual device 7. The reason why information on the time fluctuation of the current is used as the authentication information is that the charging start timing, charging end timing, and charging time for one charging cycle of the specific metering target device 7a differ for each individual device 7. In other words, by using the information on the time fluctuation of the current, it is possible to identify each specific metering target device 7a for each individual device 7.

The authentication unit 30 is disposed, for example, inside the specific metering outlet 3a. The authentication unit 30 includes an information acquisition unit 31, an authentication unit 32, a transmission unit 33, and a power supply unit 34.

The information acquisition unit 31 is a non-contact type reading unit that acquires authentication information non-contact from the non-contact type IC tag 72 of the specific metering target device 7a connected to the specific metering outlet 3a. The communication distance of the information acquisition unit 31 is, for example, about several tens of centimeters, and this allows communication for authentication with the non-contact type IC tag 72 in the power plug 71 only when the power plug 71 of the specific metering target device 7a is connected to the specific metering outlet 3a.

The authentication unit 32 performs authentication as to whether the authentication information acquired by the information acquisition unit 31 matches the registration information previously registered in the authentication unit 32. That is, the authentication unit 32 has the same authentication information as the authentication information stored in the non-contact IC tag 72 registered (stored) as registration information in advance. If the result of the authentication by the authentication unit 32 is that the acquired authentication information matches the registration information, the authentication unit 32 confirms that the device 7 connected to the specific metering outlet 3a is a specific metering target device 7a. That is, it is confirmed that requirement A is satisfied. On the other hand, if the result of the authentication by the authentication unit 32 is that the acquired authentication information does not match the registration information, the authentication unit 32 confirms that the device 7 connected to the specific metering outlet 3a is not a specific metering target device 7a. That is, it is confirmed that requirement A is not satisfied.

The transmission unit 33 transmits the authentication result of the authentication unit 32 to the specific weighing unit 20. More specifically, the transmission unit 33 transmits the authentication result of the authentication unit 32 to the specific weighing unit 20 using power line communication in which the branch 12a connecting the specific metering outlet 3a and the specific branch circuit 133a is used as a communication line. As described below, the specific weighing unit 20 measures the power measured by the specific weighing unit 20 (i.e., the power measured based on the current flowing through the specific branch circuit 133a) as a specific metering amount based on the authentication result from the transmission unit 33 and the judgment result of the judgment unit 24 described below.

The power supply unit 34 is a circuit that secures a power supply voltage for the authentication unit 30. The power supply unit 34 is connected to the branch path 12a that connects the specific metering outlet 3a and the specific branch circuit 133a, generates a power supply voltage from the voltage applied to the branch path 12a, and supplies the generated power supply voltage to each component (the information acquisition unit 31, the authentication unit 32, and the transmission unit 33).

Next, referring to Figures 4A and 4B, we will explain the components for verifying that requirement B is met.

In this embodiment, whether or not the above requirement B is met is confirmed by determining whether or not the characteristic quantities of the current flowing through the specific metering outlet 3a and the current flowing through the specific branch circuit 133a match each other. To this end, as shown in FIG. 4A, the outlet system 1 further includes a detection unit 40 for making the above determination, in addition to the above specific metering unit 20 and the above authentication unit 30. That is, the outlet system 1 includes the specific metering unit 20, the authentication unit 30, and the detection unit 40.

The detection unit 40 is disposed, for example, inside the specific metering outlet 3a. The detection unit 40 detects a first characteristic quantity, which is a characteristic quantity of the current flowing through the specific metering outlet 3a. The first characteristic quantity is, for example, the current waveform of the above-mentioned current (e.g., the distortion rate of the current waveform, etc.). The detection unit 40 includes a current sensor 41, a first detection unit 42, a transmission unit 43, and a power supply unit 44.

The power supply unit 44 is a circuit that secures the power supply voltage for the detection unit 40. The power supply unit 44 generates a power supply voltage from the voltage applied to the branch path 12a that connects the specific metering outlet 3a and the specific branch circuit 133a, and supplies the generated power supply voltage to each component (the first detection unit 42 and the transmission unit 43).

The current sensor 41 detects the current flowing inside the specific metering outlet 3a and the current flowing through the branch path 12a (e.g., the L-phase circuit 12L).

The first detection unit 42 detects a first characteristic quantity, which is a characteristic quantity of the current flowing inside the specific metering outlet 3a and flowing through the branch path 12a, based on the detection result of the current sensor 41.

The transmitter 43 transmits the detection result (first characteristic) of the first detector 42 to the specific weighing unit 20. The transmitter 43 transmits the detection result of the first detector 42 to the specific weighing unit 20 using power line communication using the branch 12a connecting the specific metering outlet 3a and the specific branch circuit 133a as a communication line. The specific weighing unit 20 detects a second characteristic, which is a characteristic of the current flowing through the specific branch circuit 133a, as described below, and determines whether or not requirement B is satisfied depending on whether the detected second characteristic matches the first characteristic from the transmitter 43. Then, based on the determination result and the authentication result from the authentication unit 30, the specific weighing unit 20 measures the power measured by the specific weighing unit 20 (i.e., the power measured based on the current flowing through the specific branch circuit 133a) as a specific metering.

In this embodiment, both the detection unit 40 and the authentication unit 30 are placed inside the specific metering outlet 3a. Therefore, among the configurations of the detection unit 40, the configurations (transmitter 43 and power supply unit 44) that are the same as the configurations of the authentication unit 30 (transmitter 33 and power supply unit 34) may be omitted and the configuration may be common to the configuration of the authentication unit 30.

Next, the configuration of the specific measuring unit 20 will be described with reference to FIG. 4B.

The specific metering unit 20 includes a current sensor 21, a second detection unit 22, a receiving unit 23, a determination unit 24, a power calculation unit 25, a specific metering unit 26, and a power supply unit 27.

The power supply unit 27 is a circuit that secures the power supply voltage for the specific metering unit 20. The power supply unit 27 generates a power supply voltage from the voltage applied to the branch path 12a that connects the specific metering outlet 3a and the specific branch circuit 133a, and supplies the generated power supply voltage to each component (the second detection unit 22, the receiving unit 23, the determination unit 24, the power calculation unit 25, and the specific metering unit 26).

The current sensor 21 detects the current flowing inside the specific branch circuit 133a, that is, the current flowing through the branch path 12a (e.g., the L-phase circuit 12L) connecting the specific branch circuit 133a and the specific metering outlet 3a.

The second detection unit 22 detects a second feature amount, which is a feature amount of the current flowing through the specific branch circuit 133a and the branch path 12a, based on the detection result of the current sensor 21. The second feature amount is the same feature amount as the first feature amount, and is, for example, the current waveform of the above-mentioned current.

The receiver 23 communicates between the transmitter 33 of the authentication unit 30 and the transmitter 43 of the detection unit 40 using power line communication, with the branch path 12a connecting the specific metering outlet 3a and the specific branch circuit 133a as the communication line. The receiver 23 receives the above authentication result from the transmitter 33 of the authentication unit 30 and the above first characteristic from the transmitter 43 of the detection unit 40.

The determination unit 24 determines whether the detection result (second feature) of the second detection unit 22 matches the first feature received by the receiving unit 23. If the result of this determination is that the first feature matches the second feature, the determination unit 24 confirms that the current flowing through the specific branch circuit 133a matches the current flowing through the specific metering outlet 3a (i.e., the current flowing through the branch path 12a is not branched between the specific branch circuit 133a and the specific metering outlet 3a). In other words, it is confirmed that requirement B is satisfied. On the other hand, if the result of the above determination is that the first feature does not match the second feature, the determination unit 24 confirms that the current flowing through the specific branch circuit 133a does not match the current flowing through the specific metering outlet 3a (i.e., the current flowing through the branch path 12a is branched between the specific branch circuit 133a and the specific metering outlet 3a, and the branched current is supplied to the device 7 from the general-purpose outlet 3b other than the specific metering outlet 3a). In other words, it is confirmed that requirement B is not met.

The power calculation unit 25 calculates the power (or amount of power) supplied from the specific metering outlet 3a based on the detection result of the current sensor 21 (the current flowing through the specific branch circuit 133a).

Based on the authentication result received by the receiving unit 23 and the judgment result of the judgment unit 24, the specific metering unit 26 measures the power (or amount of power) calculated by the power calculation unit 25 as a specific metering. More specifically, if the authentication result satisfies requirement A and the judgment result of the judgment unit 24 satisfies requirement B, the specific metering unit 26 measures the power (or amount of power) calculated by the power calculation unit 25 as a specific metering. On the other hand, if the authentication result does not satisfy requirement A or the judgment result of the judgment unit 24 does not satisfy requirement B, the specific metering unit 26 does not measure the power (or amount of power) calculated by the power calculation unit 25 as a specific metering.

In this embodiment, authentication by the authentication section 32 of the authentication unit 30, detection by the first detection section 42 of the detection unit 40, detection by the second detection section 22 of the specific metering unit 20, and judgment by the judgment section 24 are repeated at regular intervals (e.g., every few milliseconds). As a result, when the specific metering target device 7a is connected to the specific metering outlet 3a so as to satisfy requirements A and B, the specific metering section 26 starts measuring the power (or amount of power) supplied from the specific metering outlet 3a as specific metering based on the detection result of the current sensor 21 (i.e., the current flowing through the specific branch circuit 133a). Then, when the specific metering target device 7a is removed from the specific metering outlet 3a, requirement A is no longer satisfied, and the specific metering by the specific metering section 26 is stopped. In other words, when at least one of requirements A and B is no longer satisfied during specific metering, the specific metering section 26 stops specific metering.

In this embodiment, when an appliance 7 is connected to the specific metering outlet 3a, power is supplied to the appliance 7 from the specific metering outlet 3a regardless of whether the appliance 7 is a specific metering target appliance 7a or not. Then, as described above, the specific metering measurement section 26 of the outlet system 1 starts measuring the specific metering when it determines that both requirements A and B are met, and stops measuring the specific metering when it determines that at least one of requirements A and B is not met.

(Major Effects)
As described above, the outlet system 1 of this embodiment includes an authentication unit 30. The authentication unit 30 authenticates whether or not the device 7 connected to the specific metering outlet 3a via the power plug 71 of the device 7 is a specific metering target device 7a. The authentication unit 30 includes an information acquisition unit 31 and an authentication unit 32. The information acquisition unit 31 acquires authentication information for authenticating that the device 7 connected to the specific metering outlet 3a is a specific metering target device 7a from the device 7 connected to the specific metering outlet 3a. The authentication unit 32 authenticates whether or not the authentication information acquired by the information acquisition unit 31 matches registration information registered in advance.

According to this configuration, the authentication unit 30 can confirm whether the device 7 connected to the specific metering outlet 3a is a specific metering target device 7a (i.e., whether requirement A is satisfied). As a result, the power supplied from the specific metering outlet 3a can be measured as a specific meter only when a specific metering target device 7a is connected to the specific metering outlet 3a (i.e., only when requirement A is satisfied).

The outlet system 1 of this embodiment also includes a first detection unit 42, a second detection unit 22, and a determination unit 24. The first detection unit 42 detects a first characteristic amount that is a characteristic amount of a current flowing through a specific metering outlet 3a to which a specific metering target device 7a can be connected via a power plug 71 of the specific metering target device 7a. The second detection unit 22 detects a second characteristic amount that is a characteristic amount of a current flowing through a specific branch circuit 133a connected to the specific metering outlet 3a among the multiple branch circuits 133 of the distribution board 13. The determination unit 24 determines whether the first characteristic amount detected by the first detection unit 42 and the second characteristic amount detected by the second detection unit 22 match.

According to this configuration, the determination unit 24 can confirm whether or not a current is actually being split between the specific branch circuit 133a and the specific metering outlet 3a (i.e., whether or not requirement B is satisfied). As a result, the power supplied from the specific metering outlet 3a can be metered as a specific meter only when a current is not actually being split between the specific branch circuit 133a and the specific metering outlet 3a (i.e., only when requirement B is satisfied).

(Modification of the first embodiment)
A description will now be given of modified examples of the first embodiment. The modified examples described below can be applied in appropriate combination.

(Variation 1)
In the first embodiment, the information acquisition unit 31 of the authentication unit 30 is configured as a non-contact type reading unit that non-contactly reads authentication information from the non-contact type IC tag 72 arranged on the power plug 71 of the specific metering target device 7a. In contrast, the information acquisition unit 31 of this modified example directly detects the feature amount of the current flowing through the device 7 connected to the specific metering outlet 3a as authentication information.

More specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, the information acquisition unit 31 of this modified example includes a current sensor 35 and a feature detection unit 36.

The current sensor 35 detects the current flowing inside the specific metering outlet 3a and the current flowing through the branch path 12a (e.g., the L-phase circuit).

The feature detection unit 36 detects the feature of the current flowing inside the specific metering outlet 3a and flowing through the branch path 12a based on the detection result of the current sensor 35. The feature of the current is, for example, the current waveform of the current. The current flowing inside the specific metering outlet 3a matches the current flowing through the power plug 71 of the device 7 connected to the specific metering outlet 3a. Therefore, the feature detection unit 36 detects the feature of the current flowing through the power plug 71 of the device 7 connected to the specific metering outlet 3a as authentication information based on the detection result of the current sensor 35, and thereby detects the feature of the current flowing through the power plug 71 of the device 7 connected to the specific metering outlet 3a as authentication information.

The authentication unit 32 of this modified example, like the authentication unit 32 of embodiment 1, authenticates whether the authentication information acquired by the information acquisition unit 31 matches the registration information pre-registered in the authentication unit 32. That is, in the authentication unit 32, a feature quantity that is the same as the feature quantity detected by the feature detection unit 36 is pre-registered (stored) as registration information. Then, like embodiment 1, depending on whether the authentication result of the authentication unit 32 matches the detected feature quantity and the registration information, it is confirmed whether the device 7 connected to the specific metering outlet 3a is a specific metering target device 7a. That is, it is confirmed whether requirement A is satisfied.

(Variation 2)
The transmitter 43 of the detection unit 40 of the first embodiment performs power line communication using the branch path 12a as a communication line, and may be specifically configured as shown in FIG. 6, for example. More specifically, the transmitter 43 includes a current superimposing unit 43a and a transmission control unit 43b. The current superimposing unit 43a includes a resistor R1 and a switch unit SW1. The resistor R1 is provided on an electric path 43c that connects two electric paths (the L-phase electric path 12L and the N-phase electric path 12N) of the branch path 12a. The switch unit SW1 is an electronic component (e.g., a transistor) that conducts and cuts off the electric path 43c. The transmission control unit 43b superimposes the above-mentioned transmission information on the current flowing through the branch path 12a and transmits it by switching control (i.e., on/off control) of the switch unit SW1 according to the transmission information (the first characteristic amount detected by the first detection unit 42). According to this modification 2, the transmitter 43 of the power line communication method can be realized with a simple configuration.

The transmitter 33 of the authentication unit 30 of the first embodiment may also include a current superimposition unit and a transmission control unit, similar to the transmitter 43 of the second modification.

(Other Modifications)
In the first embodiment, the transmitter 33 of the authentication unit 30 and the transmitter 43 of the detection unit 40 perform power line communication using the branch path 12a as a communication line, but may perform wired communication using a dedicated communication line or wireless communication. In this case, the receiver 23 of the specific measuring unit 20 also performs communication using the same communication method as the transmitters 33 and 43.

In addition, the outlet system 1 of the first embodiment includes only one set of the specific measurement unit 20, authentication unit 30, and detection unit 40, but may include multiple sets. In this case, the specific measurement unit 20, authentication unit 30, and detection unit 40 of each set are provided in different branch circuits 133 among the multiple branch circuits 133.

In addition, in the first embodiment, the distribution board 13 is a distribution board inside the building of the customer 2, but it may be a distribution board located outside the building of the customer 2.

In addition, in embodiment 1, the specific metering unit 20 is placed inside the distribution board 13, but it may also be placed outside the distribution board 13.

(Embodiment 2)
The outlet system 1 of the second embodiment differs from the outlet system 1 of the first embodiment in that the authentication unit 30 is omitted and the detection unit 40 is disposed in the power plug 71 of the specific measurement target device 7a.

In other words, in the first embodiment, the detection unit 40 is placed inside the specific metering outlet 3a, and therefore the detection result (first feature) of the detection unit 40 is transmitted to the specific metering unit 20 regardless of whether the device 7 connected to the specific metering outlet 3a is a specific metering target device 7a. For this reason, it is necessary to place an authentication unit 30 in the specific metering outlet 3a to confirm that the device 7 connected to the specific metering outlet 3a is a specific metering target device 7a. In the second embodiment, the detection unit 40 is placed in the specific metering target device 7a. For this reason, the device that transmits the first feature to the specific metering unit 20 is limited to the specific metering target device 7a, and therefore the authentication unit 30 is omitted.

The outlet system 1 of the second embodiment will be described in detail below. In the following description, the configuration different from the first embodiment will be mainly described, and the same configuration as the first embodiment will be denoted by the same reference numerals and the description will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 7, the outlet system 1 of embodiment 2 includes a specific measurement unit 20, a detection unit 40, and a relay adapter 50.

The specific weighing unit 20 is configured in the same manner as in embodiment 1, and is arranged in the specific branch circuit 133a in the same manner as in embodiment 1.

The detection unit 40 is configured in the same manner as in the first embodiment, and in the second embodiment, it is placed on the side of the specific weighing target device 7a. More specifically, the detection unit 40 is placed inside the relay adapter 50 and fixed to the power plug 71 of the specific weighing target device 7a.

The relay adapter 50 is a relay device in which the detection unit 40 is disposed. The relay adapter 50 is electrically connected between the power plug 71 of the specific measurement target device 7a and the specific measurement outlet 3a, and relays between the power plug 71 and the specific measurement outlet 3a. In this embodiment, the detection unit 40 is disposed inside the relay adapter 50, and the relay adapter 50 is fixed irremovably to the power plug 71. As a result, the detection unit 40 is fixed and disposed on the specific measurement target device 7a.

As a method for non-removable fixing of the relay adapter 50 and the power plug 71, for example, the relay adapter 50 and the power plug 71 may be fixed with sealing tape, or the relay adapter 50 may be fastened to the power plug 71 with fastening parts such as screws.

As shown in FIG. 8, the relay adapter 50 includes a socket section 51, a plug section 52, three relay electrical circuits 53, and a detection unit 40. The detection unit 40 does not have to be a component of the relay adapter 50.

The outlet unit 51 is the part to which the power plug 71 of the specific metering target device 7a is connected. The outlet unit 51 has three prong receivers 51N, 51L, and 51E. The three prong receivers 51N, 51L, and 51E are parts that electrically connect to the three plug prongs of the power plug 71 of the specific metering target device 7a, respectively.

The plug portion 52 is the portion that connects to the specific metering outlet 3a. The plug portion 52 has three plug blades 52N, 52L, and 52E. The three plug blades 52N, 52L, and 52E are the portion that connects to the three receiving blades 3N, 3E, and 3L of the specific metering outlet 3a.

The three relay electric circuits 53N, 53L, and 53E are electric circuits that connect the three blade receivers 51N, 51L, and 51E to the three plug blades 52N, 52L, and 52E, respectively. The relay electric circuits 53L and 53N correspond to the L-phase electric circuit 12L and the N-phase electric circuit 12N of the branch circuit 12a, respectively. The relay electric circuit 53E is grounded and corresponds to the electric circuit 16.

The detection unit 40 includes a current sensor 41, a first detection unit 42, a transmission unit 43, and a power supply unit 44, as in the first embodiment. The power supply unit 44 generates a power supply voltage from the voltage applied to the two relay electric circuits 53L and 53N, and supplies the generated power supply voltage to each component (the first detection unit 42 and the transmission unit 43). The current sensor 41 detects the current flowing through the relay electric circuit (for example, 53L). The first detection unit 42 detects the first characteristic amount, which is the characteristic amount of the current flowing through the power plug 71 of the specific metering target device 7a, by detecting the characteristic amount of the current flowing through the relay electric circuit 53L based on the detection result of the current sensor 41. That is, by utilizing the fact that the current flowing through the relay electric circuits 53L, 53N, and 53E is the same as the current flowing through the power plug 71, the characteristic amount of the current flowing through the power plug 71 is detected from the current flowing through the relay electric circuit 53L. The transmitter 43 transmits the detection result (first characteristic) of the first detector 42 to the specific measuring unit 20 using power line communication using the branch path 12a connecting the specific metering outlet 3a and the specific branch circuit 133a and the three relay circuits 53N, 53L, and 36E connected to it as communication lines.

In the specific metering unit 20 of the second embodiment, the specific metering unit 26 measures the power (or amount of power) calculated by the power calculation unit 25 as a specific metering based on the judgment result of the judgment unit 24. More specifically, if the judgment result of the judgment unit 24 satisfies requirement B, the specific metering unit 26 measures the power (amount of power) calculated by the power calculation unit 25 as a specific metering. On the other hand, if the judgment result of the judgment unit 24 does not satisfy requirement B, the specific metering unit 26 does not measure the power (amount of power) calculated by the power calculation unit 25 as a specific metering. That is, in the first embodiment, the specific metering unit 26 performs the specific metering based on both the authentication result received by the receiving unit 23 and the judgment result of the judgment unit 24, but in the second embodiment, the specific metering unit 26 performs the specific metering based only on the judgment result of the judgment unit 24.

According to the second embodiment, the authentication unit 30 can be omitted, thereby reducing costs.

(Modification of the second embodiment)
(Variation 1)
In the second embodiment, the detection unit 40 is disposed inside the relay adapter 50, but the detection unit 40 may be disposed inside the power plug 71 of the specific metering target device 7a. In addition, as shown in Fig. 9, when a circuit component 75 is provided in the middle of a cable 74 connecting a device body 73 of the specific metering target device 7a and the power plug 71, the detection unit 40 may be disposed in the circuit component 75. In the example of Fig. 9, the circuit component 75 is a controller (e.g., a Charge Circuit Interrupt Device (CCID)) that controls the current flowing through the cable 74 by turning the cable 74 on and off.

(Variation 2)
In the first embodiment, the branch path 12a connecting the specific branch circuit 133a and the specific metering outlet 3a is not branched. However, as shown in FIG. 10, one or more branch paths 12c (one in the example of FIG. 10) may branch from the branch path 12a, and another specific metering outlet 3c may be connected to the end of the branch path 12c. In this case, the other specific metering outlet 3c is an outlet dedicated to a specific metering target device 7c different from the specific metering target device 7a. In this case, another relay adapter 50c is fixed to the other specific metering target device 7c in an unremovable manner. The other relay adapter 50c has the same configuration as the relay adapter 50. Each first feature detected by each relay adapter 50, 50c is transmitted to the specific metering unit 20.

That is, in this modified example 2, a specific branch circuit 133a is branch-connected to a plurality of specific metering outlets 3a, 3c to which a plurality (e.g., two) specific metering target devices 7a, 7c are connected. The multiple specific metering target devices 7a, 7c are connected to the corresponding specific metering outlets 3a, 3c simultaneously or non-simultaneously, and can be supplied with power simultaneously or non-simultaneously from the connected specific metering outlets 3a, 3c.

The above "simultaneous" means that the connection periods of two or more of the multiple specific metering target devices 7a, 7c to the corresponding specific metering outlets 3a, 3c at least partially overlap. The above "non-simultaneous" means that the connection periods of the multiple specific metering target devices 7a, 7c to the corresponding specific metering outlets 3a, 3c do not overlap at all.

In FIG. 10, when two specific metering target devices 7a, 7c are non-simultaneously connected to the corresponding specific metering outlets 3a, 3c, in each case, as in the case of embodiment 2, the first characteristic detected by the relay adapters 50, 50c matches the second characteristic measured by the specific metering unit 20, and the specific metering section 26 of the specific metering unit 20 measures the power (or amount of power) calculated by the power calculation section 25 as a specific metering.

On the other hand, when two specific metering target devices 7a, 7c are simultaneously connected to the corresponding specific metering outlets 3a, 3c, the determination unit 24 of the specific metering unit 20 adds and synthesizes each of the first feature amounts received by the receiving unit 23 from each relay adapter 50, 50c at each time. Then, the determination unit 24 determines whether or not the second feature amount detected by the second detection unit 22 matches the above-mentioned synthesized first feature amount. In other words, in this modified example 2, the current flowing through the specific branch circuit 133a is the sum of the currents supplied from each specific metering outlet 3a, 3c to each specific metering target device 7a, 7c. Therefore, the determination unit 24 determines whether or not the second feature amount detected by the second detection unit 22 matches the above-mentioned synthesized first feature amount. If the result of this determination is that the second feature quantity and the combined first feature quantity match, then requirement B is deemed to be satisfied. On the other hand, if the result of the determination is that the second feature quantity and the combined first feature quantity do not match, then requirement B is deemed not to be satisfied. Then, as in the case of embodiment 2, the specific metering unit 26 measures the power (or amount of power) calculated by the power calculation unit 25 as a specific meter based on the determination result of the determination unit 24. In this case, the specific metering is the sum of each power (or amount of power) supplied from each relay adapter 50, 50c.

The specific metering unit 26 calculates the final specific metering amount by adding up the specific metering amount measured for each relay adapter 50, 50c in the "non-simultaneous" case and the specific metering amount measured by all relay adapters 50, 50c in the "simultaneous" case. That is, in this modified example, the specific metering amount measured by the specific metering unit 20 is the sum of the power (or amount of power) supplied from each specific metering outlet 3a, 3c to each specific metering target device 7a, 7c, regardless of whether it is "simultaneous" or "non-simultaneous".

According to this variant example 2, a single specific measurement unit 20 can measure the total amount of electricity (or electricity quantity) supplied to multiple specific measurement target devices 7a, 7c as specific measurement.

(Embodiment 3)
The outlet system 1 according to the third embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the specific metering unit 20 includes a power calculation unit 25, and instead the authentication unit 30 includes a power calculation unit 37. In addition, the outlet system 1 according to the third embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the specific metering unit 20 does not include the current sensor 21, the second detection unit 22, and the determination unit 24, and the detection unit 40 is entirely omitted. The outlet system 1 according to the third embodiment will be described in detail below.

As shown in FIG. 11, the outlet system 1 according to the third embodiment includes a specific measurement unit 20 and an authentication unit 30. In the third embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the specific measurement unit 20 is disposed in a specific branch circuit 133a, and the authentication unit 30 is disposed in a specific measurement outlet 3a.

The authentication unit 30 of the third embodiment further includes a current sensor 35 and a power calculation unit 37 in addition to the authentication unit 30 of the first embodiment.

The current sensor 35 detects the current flowing inside the specific metering outlet 3a and the current flowing through the branch path 12a (e.g., the L-phase circuit 12L).

The power calculation unit 37 calculates the power (or amount of power) supplied from the specific meter outlet 3a based on the detection result of the current sensor 35 (the current flowing through the specific meter outlet 3a).

The transmission unit 33 of the authentication unit 30 transmits the authentication result of the authentication unit 32 and the power calculation result of the power calculation unit 37 to the specific metering unit 20.

The power supply section 34 of the authentication unit 30 supplies the power supply voltage generated from the voltage applied to the branch path 12a to the information acquisition section 31, the authentication section 32, the transmission section 33, and also to the power calculation section 37.

The specific weighing unit 20 of the third embodiment is configured such that the current sensor 21, the determination unit 24, and the power calculation unit 25 are omitted from the specific weighing unit 20 of the first embodiment.

The receiver 23 of the specific weighing unit 20 of embodiment 3 receives the above authentication result and the above power calculation result from the transmitter 33 of the authentication unit 30.

The specific metering section 26 of the specific metering unit 20 of embodiment 3 measures the power calculation result (power or amount of power) received by the receiving section 23 as a specific metering based on the authentication result received by the receiving section 23. More specifically, if the authentication result satisfies requirement A, the specific metering section 26 measures the power calculation result as a specific metering. On the other hand, if the authentication result does not satisfy requirement A, the specific metering section 26 does not measure the power calculation result as a specific metering.

In embodiment 3, the power calculation unit 37 arranged in the authentication unit 30 directly calculates the power (or amount of power) supplied from the specific metering outlet 3a to the specific metering target device 7a based on the current flowing through the specific metering outlet 3a. Therefore, in embodiment 3, there is no need to check requirement B of embodiment 1, and it is sufficient to check only requirement A of embodiment 1. Therefore, in embodiment 3, the configuration for checking requirement B in embodiment 1 (the current sensor 21, second detection unit 22 and determination unit 24 of the specific metering unit 20, and the detection unit 40) is omitted.

According to embodiment 3, the detection unit 40 can be omitted and the configuration of the specific measuring unit 20 can be simplified.

(Combination of Embodiments 1 to 3)
The first to third embodiments and their modified examples may be combined and implemented.
(Aspects)
As is apparent from the embodiment and modifications described above, the following aspects are possible.

The outlet system (1) of the first aspect includes a first detection unit (42), a second detection unit (22), and a determination unit (24). The first detection unit (42) detects a first characteristic amount that is a characteristic amount of a current flowing through a specific metering outlet (3a) to which a specific metering target device (7a) can be connected via a plug (71) of the specific metering target device (7a) or a specific metering target device (7a) connected to the specific metering outlet (3a). The second detection unit (22) detects a second characteristic amount that is a characteristic amount of a current flowing through a specific branch circuit (133a) connected to the specific metering outlet (3a) among a plurality of branch circuits (133) of a distribution board (13). The determination unit (24) determines whether or not the first characteristic amount detected by the first detection unit (42) and the second characteristic amount detected by the second detection unit (22) match.

According to this configuration, the determination unit (24) can confirm whether or not a current is actually being split between the specific branch circuit (133a) and the specific metering outlet (3a) (i.e., whether or not requirement B is satisfied). As a result, the power supplied from the specific metering outlet (3a) can be metered as a specific meter only when a current is not actually being split between the specific branch circuit (133a) and the specific metering outlet (3a) (i.e., only when requirement B is satisfied).

In the second aspect of the outlet system (1), in the first aspect, the characteristic quantity of the current is the current waveform of the current.

With this configuration, the feature of the current waveform of the current is used as the feature of the current, so it is possible to accurately check whether or not the current is actually being split between a specific branch circuit (133a) and a specific metering outlet (3a) (i.e., whether or not requirement B is satisfied).

The third aspect of the outlet system (1) is the first or second aspect, and includes a detection unit (40) including a first detection unit (42), and a specific metering unit (20) including a second detection unit (22) and a determination unit (24). The detection unit (40) further includes a transmission unit (43) that transmits the first characteristic amount detected by the first detection unit (42) to the specific metering unit (20). The specific metering unit (20) further includes a receiving unit (23), a power calculation unit (25), and a specific metering unit (26). The receiving unit (23) receives the first characteristic amount from the transmission unit (43). The power calculation unit (25) calculates power based on the current flowing through the specific branch circuit (133a). The specific metering unit (26) measures the power calculated by the power calculation unit (25) as a specific meter based on at least the determination result of the determination unit (24).

According to this configuration, a specific measurement unit (20) separate from the detection unit (40) determines whether the first characteristic amount and the second characteristic amount match (i.e., whether requirement B is satisfied), and based on the result of the determination, the power calculated by the power calculation unit (25) (i.e., the power based on the current flowing through the specific branch circuit (133a)) can be measured as a specific measurement.

In the fourth aspect of the outlet system (1), in the third aspect, the transmitter (33) transmits the first characteristic to the detection unit (40) by power line communication using the branch path (12a) connecting the specific branch path (12a) and the specific metering outlet (3a) as the communication line.

According to this configuration, the transmission unit (33) can be configured using a power line communication method in which the branch path (12a) serves as a communication line. This allows the first feature to be transmitted to the detection unit (40) using the branch path (12a).

In the fifth aspect of the outlet system (1), in the fourth aspect, the branch path (12a) has a neutral line (12N) and a voltage line (12L). The transmission unit (33) has a resistor (R1), a switch unit (SW1), and a transmission control unit (43b). The resistor (R1) is provided in an electric path (43c) that connects the neutral line (12N) and the voltage line (12L). The switch unit (SW1) conducts and cuts off the electric path (43c). The transmission control unit (43b) controls the switch unit (SW1). The transmission control unit (43b) switches the switch unit (SW1) according to the first characteristic amount, thereby superimposing the first characteristic amount on the current flowing through the branch path (12a) and transmitting it.

This configuration allows the power line communication system transmitter (33) to be realized with a simple configuration.

The sixth aspect of the outlet system (1) is any one of the third to fifth aspects, and further includes an authentication unit (30) that authenticates whether or not the device (7) connected to the specific metering outlet (3a) is a specific metering target device (7a) and transmits the authentication result to the specific metering unit (20). In the specific metering unit (20), the receiving unit (23) receives the authentication result in addition to the first characteristic. The determining unit (24) determines whether or not the first characteristic received by the receiving unit (23) matches the second characteristic detected by the second detecting unit (22). The specific metering unit (26) measures the power calculated by the power calculating unit (25) as a specific meter based on the authentication result of the authentication unit (30) and the determination result of the determining unit (24).

According to this configuration, the power calculated by the power calculation unit (25) can be metered as a specific metric based on the result of the authentication of the authentication unit (30) (i.e., whether or not requirement A is satisfied) in addition to the result of the determination of whether or not the first characteristic amount and the second characteristic amount match (i.e., whether or not requirement B is satisfied).

In the seventh aspect of the outlet system (1), in the sixth aspect, the detection unit (40) and the authentication unit (30) are arranged in the specific measurement outlet (3a). The specific measurement unit (20) is arranged in the distribution board (13).

With this configuration, the detection unit (40) and authentication unit (30) can be placed in the specific measurement outlet (3a), and the specific measurement unit (20) can be placed on the electrical board.

In the eighth aspect of the outlet system (1), in any one of the third to sixth aspects, the detection unit (40) is arranged on the side of the specific measurement target device (7a).

According to this configuration, only the specific metering target device (7a) can transmit the first characteristic to the specific metering unit (20). As a result, the specific metering unit (20) can measure the power calculated by the power calculation unit (37) as a specific meter based only on the result of the determination of whether the first characteristic matches the second characteristic (i.e., whether requirement B is satisfied).

The ninth aspect of the outlet system (1) is the eighth aspect, and further includes a relay adapter (50) that is electrically connectable between the specific metering outlet (3a) and the plug (71) and is fixed to the plug (71). The detection unit (40) is disposed in the relay adapter (50).

With this configuration, the detection unit (40) can be retrofitted to the specific measurement target device (7a) using the relay adapter (50).

In the tenth aspect of the outlet system (1), in the eighth or ninth aspect, the specific metering unit (20) is arranged in the distribution board (13).

With this configuration, the specific metering unit (20) can be placed on the distribution board (13).

1 Outlet system 3a Specific metering outlet 7 Equipment 7a Specific metering target equipment 12a Branch circuit 12N N-phase circuit (neutral wire)
12L L phase circuit (voltage line)
13 Distribution board 20 Specific metering unit 22 Second detection unit 23 Receiving unit 24 Determination unit 25, 37 Power calculation unit 26 Specific metering unit 30 Authentication unit 31 Information acquisition unit 32 Authentication unit 33 Transmitter 40 Detection unit 42 First detection unit 43b Transmission control unit 43c Electric circuit 50, 50c Relay adapter 71 Power plug (plug)
133 Branch circuit 133a Specific branch circuit R1 Resistor SW1 Switch section

Claims (10)

a first detection unit that detects a first characteristic amount that is a characteristic amount of a current flowing through a specific metering outlet to which a specific metering target device can be connected via a plug of the specific metering target device or through the specific metering target device connected to the specific metering outlet;
a second detection unit that detects a second characteristic amount that is a characteristic amount of a current flowing through a specific branch circuit connected to the specific metering outlet among a plurality of branch circuits of a distribution board;
a determination unit that determines whether or not the first feature amount detected by the first detection unit and the second feature amount detected by the second detection unit match each other.
Outlet system. The characteristic amount of the current is a current waveform of the current.
2. The outlet system according to claim 1. A detection unit including the first detection portion;
a specific measuring unit including the second detection unit and the determination unit,
The detection unit further includes a transmission unit that transmits the first feature amount detected by the first detection unit to the specific measurement unit,
The specific weighing unit is
a receiving unit that receives the first feature amount from the transmitting unit;
a power calculation unit that calculates power based on a current flowing through the specific branch circuit;
and a specific metering unit that measures the power calculated by the power calculation unit as a specific meter based on at least a result of the determination by the determination unit.
3. The socket system according to claim 1 or 2. the transmission unit transmits the first characteristic to the specific metering unit through power line communication using a branch path connecting the specific branch circuit and the specific metering outlet as a communication line.
4. The outlet system according to claim 3. The branch path has a neutral conductor and a voltage conductor,
The transmission unit is
A resistor provided in an electric path connecting the neutral line and the voltage line;
A switch unit that connects and disconnects the electric path;
A transmission control unit that controls the switch unit,
the transmission control unit switches the switch unit in response to the first feature amount to superimpose the first feature amount on a current flowing through the branch path and transmit the first feature amount.
5. The outlet system according to claim 4. an authentication unit that authenticates whether or not the device connected to the specific metering outlet is the specific metering target device and transmits the authentication result to the specific metering unit;
In the specific measuring unit,
The receiving unit receives the authentication result in addition to the first feature amount,
the determination unit determines whether or not the first feature amount received by the receiving unit matches the second feature amount detected by the second detection unit;
the specific meter unit measures the power calculated by the power calculation unit as a specific meter based on the authentication result of the authentication unit and the judgment result of the judgment unit.
The socket system according to any one of claims 3 to 5. The detection unit and the authentication unit are disposed in the specific metering outlet,
The specific metering unit is disposed in the distribution board.
7. The outlet system according to claim 6. The detection unit is disposed on the specific metering target device side.
The socket system according to any one of claims 3 to 6. a relay adapter that is electrically connectable between the specific metering outlet and the plug and is fixed to the plug;
The detection unit is disposed in the relay adapter.
9. The outlet system according to claim 8. The specific metering unit is disposed in the distribution board.
10. An outlet system according to claim 8 or 9.

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