JP7675377B2 - Energy saving control system, energy saving control method, and program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an energy saving control system, an energy saving control method, and a program.

In recent years, energy conservation in facilities has been promoted in light of the need for measures against global warming. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology that, when it is predicted that the predicted demand value for the entire facility will exceed a target value, sets a higher priority for power cutoff in areas where equipment subject to power demand is located, with fewer occupants and where the equipment is not in operation.

JP 2013-187987 A

However, the technology described in Patent Document 1 requires cutting off power to a relatively large number of areas in order to reduce the actual demand value below the target demand value, so it is difficult to say that it efficiently achieves energy conservation in facilities.

The present invention provides an energy saving control system, an energy saving control method, and a program that can efficiently achieve energy savings in facilities.

The energy saving control system according to one aspect of the present invention includes a setting unit that sets an energy saving target value for a facility, a first acquisition unit that acquires the amount of power usage for each of a plurality of areas in the facility, a second acquisition unit that acquires the number of users in each of the plurality of areas, a calculation unit that calculates the power usage efficiency for each of the plurality of areas based on the amount of power usage and the number of users acquired for each of the plurality of areas, a selection unit that predicts the total power usage of the facility a predetermined time after the acquisition of the amount of power usage based on the amount of power usage acquired by the first acquisition unit, and when it is determined based on the predicted total power usage that the energy saving target value will be exceeded after the predetermined time, selects at least one area in which the equipment power supply is to be turned off from among the plurality of areas whose power usage efficiency is below a reference value so that the energy saving target value is not exceeded, and a control unit that controls the equipment power supply to be turned off in the at least one area selected by the selection unit.

The energy saving control method according to one aspect of the present invention includes a setting step of setting an energy saving target value for a facility, a first acquisition step of acquiring the amount of power usage for each of a plurality of areas in the facility, a second acquisition step of acquiring the number of users in each of the plurality of areas, a calculation step of calculating the power usage efficiency for each of the plurality of areas based on the amount of power usage and the number of users acquired for each of the plurality of areas, a selection step of predicting the total power usage of the facility a predetermined time after the time when the amount of power usage was acquired based on the amount of power usage acquired in the first acquisition step, and when it is determined based on the predicted total power usage that the energy saving target value will be exceeded after the predetermined time, selecting at least one area in which the equipment power supply is to be turned off from among the plurality of areas whose power usage efficiency is below a reference value so that the energy saving target value is not exceeded, and a control step of controlling the equipment power supply to be turned off for the at least one area selected in the selection step.

A program according to one aspect of the present invention is a program for causing a computer to execute the energy saving control method.

The energy saving control system, energy saving control method, and program according to one aspect of the present invention can efficiently achieve energy saving in a facility.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of an energy saving control system according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a plurality of areas in a facility to which the energy saving control system according to the embodiment is applied. FIG. 3 is a sequence diagram of a first example of the operation of the energy saving control system according to the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a more detailed flow of step S11 in FIG. FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram of a second example of the operation of the energy saving control system according to the embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of presentation of notification information.

The following describes the embodiments with reference to the drawings. Note that the embodiments described below are all comprehensive or specific examples. The numerical values, shapes, materials, components, component placement positions, connection forms, steps, and order of steps shown in the following embodiments are merely examples and are not intended to limit the present invention. Furthermore, among the components in the following embodiments, components that are not described in an independent claim are described as optional components.

Note that each figure is a schematic diagram and is not necessarily a precise illustration. In addition, in each figure, the same reference numerals are used for substantially the same configurations, and duplicate explanations may be omitted or simplified.

(Embodiment)
[composition]
The energy saving control system according to the embodiment will be described below. Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the energy saving control system according to the embodiment. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing a plurality of areas in a facility to which the energy saving control system according to the embodiment is applied.

First, the energy saving control system 10 will be described. When the energy saving control system 10 determines that the energy saving target value will be exceeded after a predetermined time (for example, one hour from the time when the power usage is acquired) based on the predicted total power usage of the facility 1, the energy saving control system 10 selects an area 2a in which the power usage efficiency is below the reference value among the multiple areas 2 and turns off the power of the equipment 3, and controls the power of the equipment 3 in the selected area 2a to be turned off. The power usage efficiency of each of the multiple areas 2 is calculated based on the power usage of each area 2 and the number of users in each area 2. For example, the power usage efficiency of each area 2 is calculated by dividing the power usage during the previous X minutes (for example, X = 30) by the number of users in the area 2. In this way, the energy saving control system 10 selects an area 2a in which the power usage efficiency of the equipment 3 is turned off from the area 2 in which the power usage efficiency is below the reference value, and therefore can efficiently achieve energy saving in the facility 1 by turning off the power of the equipment 3 in fewer areas 2a.

Facility 1 is, for example, an office, a rental space, a library, or a cram school. Area 2 is, for example, a space within facility 1 that is divided by partitions or walls. Equipment 3 is, for example, at least one of air conditioning equipment, ventilation equipment, lighting equipment, and hot water equipment.

The power usage in each area 2 is obtained, for example, by measuring the power consumption (in other words, the power usage) in each of a plurality of branch circuits provided in the facility 1. One or more pieces of equipment 3 are connected to each of the plurality of branch circuits via an outlet. Note that, for ease of viewing, one piece of equipment 3 is shown in each area 2 in FIG. 1, but one or more pieces of equipment 3 are installed in each area 2.

The energy saving target value is an energy reduction target value for any unit period of the entire facility 1, such as a half day (12 hours), a day (24 hours), a week, a month, a half year, or a year. The energy saving target value may be, for example, a target value for the total power consumption of the entire facility 1, or a target value converted into any of the amount of heat generated, the amount of carbon dioxide (CO ₂ ) emissions, and the amount of crude oil consumed. The energy saving target value may also be a demand target value within a 30-minute time limit set by power demand control. The energy saving target value may be set by the manager of the facility 1, or may be automatically set by the energy saving control system 10.

The number of users in each area 2 may be calculated at a predetermined period (e.g., one-minute period) based on at least one of the location information of the user in the facility 1 and the access information of the information terminal (e.g., the second information terminal 20) carried by the user to a network access point in the facility 1. For example, the location information of the user may be acquired by receiving a beacon signal transmitted from a terminal (not shown) such as a smartphone carried by the user or a dedicated beacon transmitter (not shown) by a beacon receiver (not shown) installed in each area 2 (e.g., on the ceiling of each area 2). In addition, for example, the location information of the user may be acquired based on sensor data such as a camera, an infrared sensor, or a seating sensor installed in each area 2. Note that, in FIG. 1, one information terminal (second information terminal 20) is shown in each area 2 from the viewpoint of ease of viewing, but in each area 2, there are a number of information terminals (second information terminals 20) corresponding to the number of users in the area.

Next, the configuration of the energy saving control system 10 will be described with reference to FIG. 1. The energy saving control system 10 includes, for example, equipment 3 installed in each area 2, a power supply device 4, a first information terminal 5, a second information terminal 20 carried by a user of the facility 1, and a server device 30. Below, the configuration other than the facility 1, the area 2, and the equipment 3 will be described.

[Power supply device]
The power supply device 4 is a stabilized power supply device or the like that supplies power to the facility 3. The power supply device 4 functions as a sensor that measures the voltage and current supplied to the facility 3, and transmits at least one of the measured voltage value, the measured current value, and the measured power consumption value to the first information terminal 5 as the measured power usage (in other words, the amount of power usage). Specifically, the power supply device 4 may, for example, transmit the power usage measured at a measurement point provided in each of the multiple facilities 3 to the first information terminal 5 by linking it to a point ID that identifies the measurement point, or may transmit the power usage measured for each facility 3 to the first information terminal 5 by linking it to the facility name.

Note that, when the equipment 3 operates using power supplied from the power grid, the energy saving control system 10 does not need to include a power supply device 4. In such a case, the energy saving control system 10 includes a current sensor that measures the current supplied to the equipment 3, and a voltage sensor that measures the voltage supplied to the equipment 3. In this case, the current sensor and the voltage sensor are separate from the equipment 3, but may be built into the equipment 3. A power meter such as a smart meter may be used as the current sensor and the voltage sensor.

[First information terminal]
The first information terminal 5 is a computer that receives the measurement values output by the power supply device 4 through the local communication network and transmits the received measurement values to the server device 30. Specifically, the first information terminal 5 is a general-purpose computer, but may be a computer dedicated to the energy saving control system 10. In addition, the first information terminal 5 may have a function as a controller that controls the equipment 3.

[Second Information Terminal]
The second information terminal 20 is a portable information terminal such as a laptop computer, a smartphone, or a tablet terminal carried by a user of the facility 1. The second information terminal 20 includes a communication unit 21, a control unit 22, a memory unit 23, a reception unit 24, and a presentation unit 25.

The communication unit 21 is a communication circuit (communication module) for connecting the second information terminal 20 to the first information terminal 5 via a local communication network. The communication performed by the communication unit 21 is wireless communication, but may be wired communication. There are no particular limitations on the communication standard of the communication performed by the communication unit 21. The second information terminal 20 may also be able to communicate with the server device 30 via the communication unit 21. In this case, the communication unit 21 may receive notification information directly from the server device 30.

The control unit 22 performs various information processing related to the second information terminal 20 based on the operation input received by the reception unit 24. The control unit 22 is realized, for example, by a microcomputer, but may also be realized by a processor.

The memory unit 23 is a storage device that stores dedicated application programs and the like to be executed by the control unit 22. The memory unit 23 is realized, for example, by a semiconductor memory.

The reception unit 24 is an input interface that receives operation input by a user who possesses the second information terminal 20. For example, the reception unit 24 receives user input operations performed to transmit information such as a method for presenting notification information and a destination area to the server device 30. The reception unit 24 is specifically realized by a touch panel display or the like. For example, when the reception unit 24 is equipped with a touch panel display, the touch panel display functions as the presentation unit 25 and the reception unit 24. Note that the reception unit 24 is not limited to a touch panel display, and may be, for example, a keyboard, a pointing device (e.g., a touch pen or a mouse), or a hardware button. Furthermore, the reception unit 24 may be a microphone when receiving input by voice. Furthermore, the reception unit 24 may be a camera when receiving input by gesture.

The presentation unit 25 presents the notification information notified by the server device 30. The presentation unit 25 is, for example, a display device that displays image information including characters. Furthermore, the presentation unit 25 may include an audio output device that outputs audio information. The display device is, for example, a display that includes a liquid crystal (LC) panel or an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) panel as a display device. Furthermore, the audio output device is, for example, a speaker or earphones. For example, the presentation unit 25 may display image information on the display device, may output audio information by the audio output device, or may present both image information and audio information.

[Server device]
The server device 30 predicts the total power consumption of the facility 1 after a predetermined time (more specifically, after a predetermined time from the time when the power consumption of each area 2 is acquired), and when it is determined that the total power consumption of the facility 1 will exceed the energy saving target value, selects an area 2a in which the equipment power supply is to be turned off from the areas 2 with low power usage efficiency so as to fall below the energy saving target value, and performs control to turn off the power supply of the equipment 3 in the selected area 2a. In addition, the server device 30 notifies a user of the area 2a in which the power supply of the equipment 3 is to be turned off of notification information including a notification that the area 2 used by the user is the area 2a in which the power supply of the equipment 3 is to be turned off, and an instruction to move to the area 2b in which the power supply of the equipment 3 is not to be turned off. The server device 30 is an edge computer provided in the facility 1, but may be a cloud computer provided outside the facility 1. The server device 30 includes a communication unit 31, an information processing unit 32, a storage unit 33, and a setting unit 34.

The communication unit 31 is a communication circuit (in other words, a communication module) that allows the server device 30 to communicate with the first information terminal 5 through a local communication network. The communication performed by the communication unit 31 may be wireless communication or wired communication. There are also no particular limitations on the communication standard of the communication performed by the communication unit 31.

The communication unit 31 receives, for example, the amount of electricity used in each area within the facility 1 and the number of users transmitted by the first information terminal 5, and transmits a presentation command (not shown in FIG. 3, described later) to the second information terminal 20 via the first information terminal 5 to present the notification information on the presentation unit 25 of the second information terminal 20. Note that the server device 30 may also be able to communicate with the second information terminal 20 via the communication unit 31. In this case, the communication unit 31 may transmit the notification information directly to the second information terminal 20.

The information processing unit 32 performs processes such as predicting the total power usage of the facility 1, determining whether or not the energy saving target value is exceeded, calculating the power usage efficiency of each area 2, selecting the area 2a in which the equipment 3 is to be powered off, and notifying. Specifically, the information processing unit 32 is realized by a microcomputer or a processor.

The information processing unit 32 has, as its functional components, a first acquisition unit 32a, a second acquisition unit 32b, a calculation unit 32c, a selection unit 32d, and a notification unit 32f. The functions of the first acquisition unit 32a, the second acquisition unit 32b, the calculation unit 32c, the selection unit 32d, and the notification unit 32f are realized, for example, by a microcomputer or processor constituting the information processing unit 32 executing a computer program stored in the storage unit 33. Details of the functions of the first acquisition unit 32a, the second acquisition unit 32b, the calculation unit 32c, the selection unit 32d, and the notification unit 32f will be described later in the section on [Operation].

The memory unit 33 is a storage device that stores the amount of power used and the number of users in each area 2 received by the communication unit 31, as well as the computer program executed by the information processing unit 32. The memory unit 33 is realized, for example, by a HDD (Hard Disk Drive), but may also be realized by a semiconductor memory.

The setting unit 34 sets an energy saving target value for the facility 1. The energy saving target value is an energy reduction target value for the entire facility 1 in any unit period. The energy saving target value may be, for example, a target value for the total power consumption of the entire facility 1, or a target value converted into any of the amount of heat generated, the amount of carbon dioxide (CO ₂ ) emissions, and the amount of crude oil used. The energy saving target value may also be a demand target value within a 30-minute time limit set by power demand control. For example, the setting unit 34 may automatically set the energy saving target value based on past data, or may set the energy saving target value by accepting an input operation by the manager of the facility 1.

[Operation]
Next, the operation of the energy saving control system 10 will be specifically described with reference to the drawings.

[First Example]
First, a first example of the operation will be described below. Fig. 3 is a sequence diagram showing a first example of the operation of the energy saving control system 10 according to the embodiment.

The setting unit 34 of the server device 30 sets an energy saving target value for the facility 1 (S01). For example, the setting unit 34 may automatically set the energy saving target value for the facility 1 based on past data stored in the memory unit 33, or may set the energy saving target value by accepting an input operation by the manager of the facility 1. The energy saving target value has been described above, so a description thereof will be omitted here. The energy saving target value may be a demand target value within a 30-minute time limit set by power demand control. Although not shown, the setting unit 34 stores the set energy saving target value in the memory unit 33.

Next, when the energy saving target value is set by the setting unit 34 in step S01, the information processing unit 32 of the server device 30 transmits a command to start energy saving control to the first information terminal 5 (S02). The equipment 3 is one or more pieces of equipment installed in each area 2, and is, for example, at least one of air conditioning equipment, ventilation equipment, lighting equipment, and hot water equipment.

Next, the first information terminal 5 transmits a signal to the power supply device 4 requesting the amount of power usage for each area 2 (not shown). The power supply device 4 transmits the amount of power usage for each area 2 to the first information terminal 5 (not shown). The first information terminal 5 transmits the acquired amount of power usage for each area 2 to the server device 30 (S03).

When the communication unit 31 of the server device 30 receives the amount of power usage for each area 2 transmitted by the first information terminal 5 in step S03 (not shown), the first acquisition unit 32a of the information processing unit 32 acquires the amount of power usage for each area 2 received by the communication unit 31 (S04). At this time, the information processing unit 32 may store the amount of power usage for each area 2 acquired by the first acquisition unit 32a in the memory unit 33 by linking it to the identification ID of each area 2.

Next, the second information terminal 20 carried by the user of facility 1 transmits at least one of the location information of the second information terminal 20 and the access information to a network access point within facility 1 to the first information terminal 5 (S05).

The first information terminal 5 calculates the number of users in each area 2 at a predetermined period (e.g., one-minute period) based on at least one of the location information transmitted from the second information terminal 20 in step S05 and the access information to the network access point in the facility 1 (not shown), and transmits the calculated number of users to the server device 30 (S06). The method of acquiring the location information may be the method described above, but is not particularly limited.

Next, when the communication unit 31 of the server device 30 receives the number of users in each area 2 transmitted by the first information terminal 5 in step S06 (not shown), the second acquisition unit 32b of the information processing unit 32 acquires the number of users in each area 2 received by the communication unit 31 (S07). At this time, the information processing unit 32 may store the number of users in each area 2 acquired by the second acquisition unit 32b in the memory unit 33 in association with the identification ID of each area 2. Note that steps S03 to S04 and steps S05 to S06 may be performed in parallel, or the order of processing may be reversed.

Next, the selection unit 32d of the server device 30 predicts the total power usage of the facility 1 after a predetermined time from the time when the power usage was acquired by the first acquisition unit 32a in step S04 (S08). Then, the selection unit 32d determines whether the energy saving target value will be exceeded after the predetermined time based on the total power usage predicted in step S08 (S09). If the selection unit 32d determines that the energy saving target value will not be exceeded (No in S09), the server device 30 returns to the processing of step S04. Note that the power usage and the number of users in each area 2 may be acquired by the first information terminal 5 at a predetermined cycle (in other words, at a predetermined time interval) and transmitted to the server device 30.

On the other hand, if the selection unit 32d determines that the energy saving target value will be exceeded (Yes in S09), the calculation unit 32c calculates the power usage efficiency of each area 2 (S10). As described above, the power usage efficiency of each area 2 is calculated based on the power usage amount of each area 2 and the number of users in each area 2. For example, the power usage efficiency of each area 2 is calculated by dividing the power usage amount for the previous X minutes (e.g., X = 30) by the number of users in the area 2. At this time, the information processing unit 32 may store the power usage efficiency of each area 2 calculated by the calculation unit 32c in the memory unit 33 by linking it to the identification ID of each area 2.

Next, the selection unit 32d selects at least one area 2a in which the power usage efficiency of the equipment 3 is to be turned off from among the areas 2 in which the power usage efficiency is below the reference value so as to fall below the energy saving target value (S11). Figure 4 is a flowchart showing a more detailed flow of step S11.

For example, in step S11, the selection unit 32d selects at least one (e.g., n: n is a natural number) candidate area 6a for turning off the power supply of the equipment 3, starting from the area with the lowest power usage efficiency among the areas 2 whose power usage efficiency is below the reference value (S21).

Next, the selection unit 32d judges whether the number n of area candidates 6a selected in step S21 is 1 (S22). When the selection unit 32d judges that the number n of selected area candidates 6a is 1 (Yes in S22), the selection unit 32d predicts the total power consumption of the facility 1 when the power supply of the equipment 3 of one selected area candidate 6a is turned off (S23). Next, the selection unit 32d judges whether the energy saving target value is exceeded based on the total power consumption predicted in step S23 (S24). Next, when the selection unit 32d judges that the energy saving target value is not exceeded (No in S24), the selection unit 32d selects at least one selected area candidate 6a (here, one area candidate 6a) as at least one area 2a for which the power supply of the equipment 3 is turned off (S27).

On the other hand, if the selection unit 32d determines that the energy saving target value has been exceeded (Yes in S24), it adds 1 to the number n of area candidates 6a to be selected (S25) and returns to step S21. The selection unit 32d selects at least one area candidate 6a (here, n = n + 1) for which the equipment 3 will be powered off, starting from the area with the lowest power usage efficiency among the areas 2 whose power usage efficiency is below the reference value (S21).

Next, the selection unit 32d judges whether the number n of the area candidates 6a selected in step S21 is 1 (S22). When the selection unit 32d judges that the number n of the selected area candidates 6a is not 1 (No in S22), the selection unit 32d predicts the total power consumption of the facility 1 when the power supply of the equipment 3 of the selected area candidates 6a of 2 or more (here, n = 2) is turned off (S26). Next, the selection unit 32d judges whether the energy saving target value is exceeded (S24). Next, when the selection unit 32d judges that the energy saving target value is exceeded (Yes in S24), the selection unit 32d adds 1 to the number n of the area candidates 6a to be selected (here, n = 2) (S25) and returns to step S21. On the other hand, if the selection unit 32d determines that the energy saving target value will not be exceeded (No in S24), it selects at least one selected area candidate 6a (here, two area candidate 6a) as at least one area 2a in which the power supply of the equipment 3 will be turned off (S27).

Referring again to FIG. 3, when at least one area 2a in which the power supply of the equipment 3 is to be turned off is selected in step S11, the notification unit 32f notifies the user of the facility 1 of the notification information (S12). More specifically, the notification unit 32f notifies the user of the facility 1 of the notification information before the first information terminal 5 controls the power supply of the equipment 3 to be turned off. At this time, the notification unit 32f transmits the notification information to the first information terminal 5 via the communication unit 31 (S13), and the first information terminal 5 may transmit the notification information transmitted by the server device 30 to the second information terminal 20 carried by the user of the facility 1 (S14). The notification information includes, for example, information on the area 2a in which the power supply of the equipment 3 is to be turned off among the multiple areas 2 in the facility 1, and information on the area 2b in which the power supply of the equipment 3 is not to be turned off. Note that in FIG. 3, the server device 30 transmits the notification information to the second information terminal 20 of the user of the facility 1 via the first information terminal 5, but is not limited to this. For example, the server device 30 may directly transmit the notification information to the second information terminal 20 of the user of the facility 1.

Next, the presentation unit 25 of the second information terminal 20 presents the notification information acquired via the communication unit 21 in step S14 (S15). For example, the notification information may be presented on the presentation unit 25 of the second information terminal 20 carried by a user in the facility 1, or on the presentation unit 25 of the second information terminal 20 carried by a user in at least one area 2 who will turn off the power of the equipment 3. In addition, when the second information terminal 20 acquires the notification information, it may transmit a response signal to the first information terminal 5 (not shown). For example, the server device 30 transmits a control instruction to the first information terminal 5 to turn off the power of the equipment 3 in at least one area 2a a predetermined time later (e.g., 10 minutes later) after receiving the response signal from the second information terminal 20 (S16).

Next, when the first information terminal 5 receives the control instruction, it turns off the power to the equipment 3 in the corresponding area 2a in accordance with the control instruction (S17).

[Modification 1 of the First Example]
In step S16, the server device 30 may transmit a control instruction to the first information terminal 5 to turn off the power of the equipment 3 in the area 2a in which the power of the equipment 3 is to be turned off, for example, when it is determined that a predetermined condition is met. In the first example, the server device 30 determines whether a predetermined time (for example, 10 minutes) has elapsed since receiving a response signal from the second information terminal 20, and transmits the control instruction to the first information terminal when it is determined that the predetermined time has elapsed, but the predetermined condition is not limited to this example. For example, the server device 30 may transmit a control instruction to the first information terminal 5 to turn off the power of the equipment 3 in at least one area 2a in which the power of the equipment 3 is to be turned off, when the number of users in the area 2a becomes 0. In this case, the first information terminal 5 controls to turn off the power of the equipment 3 in the area 2a in which the power of the equipment 3 is to be turned off, when the number of users in the area 2a becomes 0.

The information processing unit 32 of the server device 30 may determine whether the number of users in at least one area 2a in which the equipment 3 is to be powered off has become zero based on the number of users in each area 2 acquired by the second acquisition unit 32b, or the first information terminal 5 may determine whether the number of users in that area 2a has become zero. In the former case, when the information processing unit 32 determines that the number of users in at least one area 2a in which the equipment 3 is to be powered off has become zero, it transmits the above control signal to the first information terminal 5. In the latter case, the information processing unit 32 transmits a control instruction to the first information terminal 5 to sequentially control the powering off of the equipment 3 from the area 2a in which the number of users has become zero. Then, the first information terminal 5 performs control to sequentially power off the equipment 3 in the area 2a in which the number of users has become zero according to the control instruction.

[Second Example]
Next, a second example of the operation will be described. Fig. 5 is a sequence diagram of a second example of the operation of the energy saving control system 10 according to the embodiment. In Fig. 5, the same step numbers as in Fig. 3 are used for steps common to those in Fig. 3.

In the first example of the operation, when at least one area 2a in which the equipment 3 is to be powered off is selected, the notification unit 32f notifies the users of the facility 1 of the notification information. The second example differs from the first example in that notification information is notified to users of the facility 1 in at least one area 2a in which the equipment 3 is to be powered off. The second example also differs from the first example in that the notification information includes a notification that the area 2 used by the user corresponds to at least one area 2a in which the equipment 3 is to be powered off, and an instruction to the user to move to at least one destination area candidate 6b. The following will focus on the differences from the first example, and explanations of overlapping points will be omitted or simplified.

The first information terminal 5 transmits identification information of the second information terminal 20 held by the user of the facility 1 to the first information terminal 5 (S31). The identification information is, for example, a MAC (Media Access Control) address or an IP (Internet Protocol) address, but is not particularly limited as long as it can identify the second information terminal 20. The first information terminal 5 acquires the identification information transmitted by the second information terminal 20 and transmits the acquired identification information to the server device 30 (S32).

Next, the second acquisition unit 32b of the server device 30 acquires, via the communication unit 31, the number of users in each area 2 transmitted by the first information terminal 5 in step S06, and the identification information of the second information terminal 20 of the user of the facility 1 transmitted by the first information terminal 5 in step S32 (S33). At this time, the information processing unit 32 may store in the memory unit 33 the number of users in each area 2 acquired by the second acquisition unit 32b and the identification information of the second information terminal 20 of the user, in association with the identification ID of each area 2.

Here, steps S08 to S11 are the same as in the first example shown in FIG. 3, so a description thereof will be omitted here. In the second example, in addition to selecting at least one area 2a in which the equipment 3 is to be powered off (S11), at least one candidate destination area 6b is selected as a candidate to encourage users of the area 2a in which the equipment 3 is to be powered off to move, starting from the area with the highest power usage efficiency among the multiple areas 2 whose power usage efficiency exceeds a reference value (S34).

Next, the notification unit 32f notifies the user of at least one area 2a in which the power supply of the equipment 3 is to be turned off of the notification information (S35). At this time, the notification unit 32f outputs the notification information together with the identification information of the second information terminal 20 carried by the user of at least one area 2a in which the power supply of the equipment 3 is to be turned off to the first information terminal 5 via the communication unit 31 (S36). The first information terminal 5 transmits the identification information and the notification information output by the notification unit 32f to the second information terminal 20 of the user of the facility 1 (S37). As a result, the notification unit 32f notifies the user of at least one area 2a in which the power supply of the equipment 3 is to be turned off of the user of the facility 1 of the notification information including a notification that the area 2 used by the user corresponds to at least one area 2a in which the power supply of the equipment 3 is to be turned off, and an instruction to move to at least one candidate destination area 6b. In this case, the notification unit 32f may notify a user of at least one area 2a who is turning off the power supply of the equipment 3 of at least one potential destination area 6b in order of proximity to the area 2 used by the user or in order of high power usage efficiency.

The second information terminal 20 carried by the user of the facility 1 acquires notification information including identification information that matches its own identification information (not shown). Next, the presentation unit 25 presents the acquired notification information via the communication unit 21 (S38). When the second information terminal 20 acquires the notification information, it may transmit a response signal to the first information terminal 5 (not shown). For example, the server device 30 may transmit a control instruction to the first information terminal 5 to turn off the power of the equipment 3 in at least one area 2a after a predetermined time (e.g., 10 minutes) has elapsed since receiving the response signal from the second information terminal 20 (S16). As described in the first modified example of the first example, the server device 30 may transmit a control signal to the first information terminal 5 for each of at least one area 2a when the number of users in the area 2a becomes zero, to control the power of the equipment 3 in the area 2a to be turned off.

Next, when the first information terminal 5 receives the control instruction, it turns off the power to the equipment 3 in the corresponding area 2a in accordance with the control instruction (S17).

[Modification 1 of the second example]
In the second example, the second information terminal 20 performs control to turn off the power of the facility 3 in the area 2a after a predetermined time has elapsed since the second information terminal 20 presented notification information to a user in at least one area 2a for turning off the power of the facility 3. In a first modified example of the second example, the receiving unit 24 may receive an input operation to select one destination area candidate from at least one destination area candidate indicated in the travel instruction presented on the presenting unit 25. Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of presentation of notification information.

As shown in FIG. 6, for example, the presentation unit 25 of the second information terminal 20 carried by a user of at least one area 2a in which the power supply of the equipment 3 is to be turned off presents notification information including a notification that the area 2 used by the user corresponds to the area 2a in which the power supply of the equipment 3 is to be turned off, and an instruction to move to at least one candidate destination area 6b.

When the user selects one destination area candidate 6b from at least one destination area candidate 6b, the reception unit 24 receives an input operation by the user to select one destination area candidate 6b.

In this case, when the receiving unit 24 receives the input operation, the selection unit 32d of the server device 30 may predict an increase in power usage in one selected candidate destination area 6b when the user moves to the selected candidate destination area 6b. Then, the selection unit 32d may determine whether or not the total power usage of the facility 1 exceeds the energy saving target value when the power supply of the equipment 3 in at least one area 2a is turned off based on the predicted increase in power usage. When the selection unit 32d determines that the energy saving target value is not exceeded, the notification unit 32f may send a notification to the second information terminal 20 carried by the user to permit the user to move to the selected candidate destination area 6b.

On the other hand, when the selection unit 32d determines that the energy saving target value will be exceeded, the notification unit 32f may send a notification to the second information terminal 20 carried by the user to prompt the user to select a destination area candidate 6b other than the selected one of the at least one destination area candidate 6b presented on the presentation unit 25.

[Effects, etc.]
As described above, the energy saving control system 10 includes a setting unit 34 that sets an energy saving target value for the facility 1, a first acquisition unit 32a that acquires the amount of power usage in each of the multiple areas 2 in the facility 1, a second acquisition unit 32b that acquires the number of users in each of the multiple areas 2, a calculation unit 32c that calculates the power usage efficiency of each of the multiple areas 2 based on the amount of power usage and the number of users acquired for each of the multiple areas 2, a selection unit 32d that predicts the total power usage of the facility 1 a predetermined time after the time the power usage was acquired based on the amount of power usage acquired by the first acquisition unit 32a, and when it is determined that the total power usage will exceed the energy saving target value after the predetermined time based on the predicted total power usage, selects at least one area 2a among the multiple areas 2 whose power usage efficiency is below a standard value for turning off the power of the equipment 3 so that the energy saving target value is below the energy saving target value, and a control unit (e.g., the first information terminal 5) that performs control to turn off the power of the equipment 3 in the at least one area 2a selected by the selection unit 32d.

Such an energy saving control system 10 calculates the power usage efficiency of each area 2 by, for example, dividing the amount of power usage in that area 2 by the number of users in that area 2, and can therefore select the area 2a in which the equipment 3 in the area 2 with low usage efficiency by users is to be powered off. In other words, the equipment 3 in the area 2 with the most waste can be powered off first. Therefore, the energy saving control system 10 can efficiently achieve energy savings in the facility 1.

Also, for example, in the energy saving control system 10, the selection unit 32d selects at least one area candidate 6a that is a candidate for turning off the power supply of the equipment 3, in order from the area 2 whose power usage efficiency is below the reference value, starting with the area with the lowest power usage efficiency, predicts the total power usage when the power supply of the equipment 3 in the at least one selected area candidate 6a is turned off, and, if it is determined based on the predicted total power usage that the energy saving target value will not be exceeded a predetermined time (e.g., one hour) after the power usage is acquired, selects at least one area candidate 6a as at least one area 2a for which the power supply of the equipment 3 is to be turned off.

Since this type of energy saving control system 10 selects areas 2a in which to power off equipment 3 in order of lowest power usage efficiency, it is possible to control the total power usage of facility 1 so as not to exceed the energy saving target value by powering off equipment 3 in a relatively small number of areas 2. Therefore, the energy saving control system 10 can efficiently achieve energy savings in facility 1.

For example, in the energy saving control system 10, the second acquisition unit 32b acquires the number of users in each of the multiple areas 2, calculated at a predetermined period (e.g., one-minute period) based on at least one of the location information of the users of the facility 1 and the access information to a network access point in the facility 1 from an information terminal (e.g., the second information terminal 20) held by the users.

Since this type of energy saving control system 10 can accurately grasp the number of users in each area 2, it can accurately calculate the power usage efficiency of each area 2. Therefore, the energy saving control system 10 can efficiently achieve energy savings in the facility 1.

For example, the energy saving control system 10 further includes a notification unit 32f that notifies users of the facility 1 of notification information including information about an area 2a among the multiple areas 2 in which the equipment 3 is to be powered off and information about an area 2b in which the equipment 3 is not to be powered off, and the notification unit 32f notifies users of the facility 1 of the notification information before the control unit (for example, the first information terminal 5) controls the equipment 3 to be powered off.

Such an energy saving control system 10 allows users of the facility 1 to know, for example, whether each area 2 of the facility 1 is an area 2a in which the equipment 3 is to be powered off, or an area 2b in which the equipment 3 is not to be powered off, before control is performed to power off the equipment 3. Therefore, the energy saving control system 10 can, for example, encourage users of the facility 1 to move before control is performed to power off the equipment 3. In this way, by receiving a notification before control is performed to power off the equipment 3, it is possible to prevent users working in the facility 1 from being disadvantaged by having their work interrupted.

In addition, for example, in the energy saving control system 10, the selection unit 32d further selects at least one candidate destination area 6b that is a candidate for encouraging users of at least one area 2a where the equipment 3 is to be powered off to move, in order from among the areas 2 whose power usage efficiency exceeds the reference value, starting with the area 2 with the highest power usage efficiency, and the notification unit 32f notifies the users of the facility 1 in at least one area 2a where the equipment 3 is to be powered off of notification information that includes a notification that the area 2 used by the user corresponds to at least one area 2a where the equipment 3 is to be powered off, and an instruction to move to at least one candidate destination area 6b.

Since such an energy saving control system 10 selects the candidate destination area 6b in order of the area with the highest power usage efficiency, a relatively small number of areas 2 can be selected as the candidate destination area 6b. Therefore, the energy saving control system 10 can control the movement of users between a relatively small number of areas 2 so that the energy saving target value of the facility 1 is not exceeded. Therefore, the energy saving control system 10 can efficiently achieve energy conservation in the facility 1.

For example, in the energy saving control system 10, the notification unit 32f notifies a user of at least one area 2a in which the power supply of the equipment 3 is to be turned off of at least one potential destination area 6b in order of proximity to the area 2 used by the user or in order of high power usage efficiency.

Such an energy saving control system 10 can achieve energy saving in the facility 1 in a manner that does not burden users of at least one area 2a by turning off the power to the equipment 3, or in a more energy efficient manner.

For example, in the energy saving control system 10, the second acquisition unit 32b further acquires identification information (e.g., a MAC address or an IP address, etc.) of an information terminal (e.g., a second information terminal 20) held by a user of the facility 1, and the notification unit 32f outputs the notification information together with the identification information (e.g., a MAC address or an IP address, etc.) of an information terminal (e.g., a second information terminal 20) held by a user of the facility 1 in at least one area 2a who will turn off the power of the equipment 3, thereby notifying the user of the notification information in at least one area 2a who will turn off the power of the equipment 3.

Such an energy saving control system 10 can notify notification information only to users in at least one area 2a where the power supply of the equipment 3 is turned off. Furthermore, the energy saving control system 10 can present the notification information to the second information terminal 20 carried by the user in the area 2a, increasing the possibility that the notification information can be reliably conveyed to the user in the area 2a. Therefore, the energy saving control system 10 increases the possibility of preventing the disadvantage of interrupting the work of users in the area 2a by turning off the power supply of the equipment 3.

In addition, for example, in the energy saving control system 10, the control unit (e.g., the first information terminal 5) controls the power supply to be turned off for the equipment 3 in at least one area 2a when the number of users in that area 2a becomes zero.

In this type of energy saving control system 10, the power supply to the equipment 3 in the area 2a is turned off after the users in the area 2a have evacuated from the area 2a. Therefore, the energy saving control system 10 can reliably prevent the users in the area 2a from having their work interrupted due to the power supply to the equipment 3 being turned off.

For example, in the energy saving control system 10, the energy saving target value is the demand target value within a 30-minute time limit set by the power demand control.

Such an energy saving control system 10 can suppress anomalous energy consumption and also suppress increases in electricity bills.

The energy saving control method further includes a setting step (S01 in FIG. 3) for setting an energy saving target value for the facility 1, a first acquisition step (S04) for acquiring the amount of power usage for each of the multiple areas 2 in the facility 1, a second acquisition step (S07) for acquiring the number of users in each of the multiple areas 2, a calculation step (S10) for calculating the power usage efficiency of each of the multiple areas 2 based on the amount of power usage and the number of users acquired for each of the multiple areas 2, and a calculation step (S11) for calculating the power usage efficiency of each of the multiple areas 2 based on the amount of power usage acquired in the first acquisition step (S04) from the point in time when the amount of power usage is acquired. The method includes a selection step (S11) of predicting the total power usage of the facility 1 after a predetermined time (e.g., after one hour), and if it is determined based on the predicted total power usage that the energy saving target value will be exceeded after the predetermined time (e.g., after one hour) (Yes in S09), selecting at least one area 2a from among the multiple areas 2 in which the power usage efficiency is below a reference value and turning off the power of the equipment 3 so that the energy saving target value is not exceeded, and a control step (S17) of controlling the power of the equipment 3 in the at least one area 2a selected in the selection step (S11) to be turned off.

This energy saving control method, for example, calculates the power usage efficiency of each area 2 by dividing the amount of power usage in that area 2 by the number of users in that area 2, so that it is possible to select the area 2a in which the equipment 3 in the area 2 with low usage efficiency by users is to be powered off. In other words, it is possible to power off the equipment 3 in the area 2 with the most waste. Therefore, the energy saving control method can efficiently achieve energy savings in the facility 1.

Other Embodiments
Although the embodiment has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment.

For example, in the above embodiment, the energy saving control system is realized by multiple devices, but it may be realized as a single device. For example, the energy saving control system may be realized as a single device corresponding to a server device. When the energy saving control system is realized by multiple devices, the components (particularly functional components) of the energy saving control system may be allocated in any manner to the multiple devices. For example, some or all of the functional components of the server device may be provided by the first information terminal.

The information transmission paths in the above embodiment are merely examples and are not particularly limited. When two devices transmit and receive information via communication in the above embodiment, a relay device (not shown) may be interposed between the two devices.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the processing performed by a specific processing unit may be executed by another processing unit. Also, the order of multiple processes may be changed, and multiple processes may be executed in parallel.

In addition, in the above embodiment, each component may be realized by executing a software program suitable for each component. Each component may be realized by a program execution unit such as a CPU or processor reading and executing a software program recorded on a recording medium such as a hard disk or semiconductor memory.

Furthermore, each component may be realized by hardware. For example, each component may be a circuit (or an integrated circuit). These circuits may form a single circuit as a whole, or each may be a separate circuit. Furthermore, each of these circuits may be a general-purpose circuit, or a dedicated circuit.

In addition, the general or specific aspects of the present invention may be realized as a system, an apparatus, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, or a recording medium such as a computer-readable CD-ROM. In addition, the general or specific aspects of the present invention may be realized as any combination of a system, an apparatus, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, and a recording medium.

For example, the present invention may be realized as an energy saving control method executed by a computer such as an energy saving control system, or as a program for causing a computer to execute such an energy saving control method. The present invention may also be realized as a computer-readable non-transitory recording medium on which such a program is recorded.

In addition, the present invention also includes forms obtained by applying various modifications to each embodiment that a person skilled in the art may conceive, or forms realized by arbitrarily combining the components and functions of each embodiment within the scope of the spirit of the present invention.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Facility 2, 2a, 2b Area 3 Equipment 5 First information terminal 6a Area candidate 6b Destination area candidate 10 Energy saving control system 24 Reception unit 32a First acquisition unit 32b Second acquisition unit 32c Calculation unit 32d Selection unit 32f Notification unit 34 Setting unit

Claims (11)

A setting unit that sets an energy saving target value for the facility;
A first acquisition unit that acquires the amount of power consumption of each of a plurality of areas in the facility;
A second acquisition unit that acquires the number of users in each of the plurality of areas;
a calculation unit that calculates a power usage efficiency of each of the plurality of areas based on the power usage amount and the number of users acquired for each of the plurality of areas;
a selection unit that predicts a total power consumption of the facility after a predetermined time from the time when the power consumption was acquired based on the power consumption acquired by the first acquisition unit, and when it is determined that the predicted total power consumption will exceed the energy saving target value after the predetermined time based on the total power consumption, selects at least one area in which to turn off equipment power from among the plurality of areas in which the power usage efficiency is below a reference value so that the energy saving target value is not reached;
A control unit that performs control to turn off the equipment power supply of the at least one area selected by the selection unit;
Equipped with
Energy saving control system. The selection unit is
selecting at least one area candidate that is a candidate for turning off the equipment power supply, in order from the area with the lowest power usage efficiency among the areas whose power usage efficiency is below the reference value;
predicting the total power consumption in a case where the facility power supply in the at least one selected area candidate is turned off;
when it is determined that the energy saving target value will not be exceeded after the predetermined time based on the predicted total power consumption, the at least one area candidate is selected as at least one area in which the equipment power supply is to be turned off;
The energy saving control system according to claim 1 . The second acquisition unit acquires the number of users in each of the plurality of areas, the number being calculated at a predetermined period based on at least one of location information of users of the facility and access information of an information terminal carried by the user to a network access point within the facility.
The energy saving control system according to claim 1 or 2. a notification unit that notifies a user of the facility of notification information including information regarding an area in which the equipment power supply is to be turned off and information regarding an area in which the equipment power supply is not to be turned off, among the plurality of areas;
The notification unit notifies a user of the facility of the notification information before the control unit performs control to turn off the equipment power supply.
The energy saving control system according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The selection unit further
selecting at least one candidate destination area that is a candidate for encouraging users of at least one area where the equipment power supply is turned off to move, in order from the area where the power usage efficiency exceeds the reference value, starting with the area with the highest power usage efficiency;
the notification unit notifies, among users of the facility, a user in at least one area in which the equipment power supply is to be turned off, of the notification information including a notification that the area used by the user corresponds to at least one area in which the equipment power supply is to be turned off, and an instruction to move to the at least one candidate destination area;
The energy saving control system according to claim 4. the notification unit notifies a user of at least one area in which the facility power supply is to be turned off of the at least one destination area candidate in order of proximity to an area used by the user or in order of high power usage efficiency;
The energy saving control system according to claim 5. The second acquisition unit further acquires identification information of an information terminal carried by a user of the facility,
The notification unit notifies the users of the facility in at least one area where the equipment power supply is to be turned off of the notification information by outputting the notification information together with identification information of an information terminal carried by the users of the facility in at least one area where the equipment power supply is to be turned off.
The energy saving control system according to claim 5 or 6. The control unit performs control to turn off the equipment power supply in at least one area when the number of users in the area becomes zero.
The energy saving control system according to any one of claims 1 to 7. The energy saving target value is a demand target value within a 30-minute time limit set by power demand control;
The energy saving control system according to any one of claims 1 to 8. A setting step for setting an energy saving target value for the facility;
A first acquisition step of acquiring power usage of each of a plurality of areas in the facility;
A second acquisition step of acquiring the number of users in each of the plurality of areas;
a calculation step of calculating a power usage efficiency of each of the plurality of areas based on the power usage amount and the number of users acquired for each of the plurality of areas;
a selection step of predicting a total power consumption of the facility after a predetermined time from the time when the power consumption was acquired based on the power consumption acquired in the first acquisition step, and when it is determined that the predicted total power consumption will exceed the energy saving target value after the predetermined time based on the total power consumption, selecting at least one area in which an equipment power supply is to be turned off from among the areas in which the power usage efficiency is below a reference value so that the energy saving target value is not reached;
a control step of performing control to turn off the equipment power supply in the at least one area selected in the selection step;
Including,
Energy saving control method. A program for causing a computer to execute the energy saving control method according to claim 10.

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