JP2010068601A - Power theft prevention system, power receptacle, power supply plug, or electric appliance - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To detect electric power theft committed using a three-way receptacle or an extension cord by means of watthour meters 4, 12 provided respectively to a power receptacle 1 and a power supply plug or an electric appliance 10. <P>SOLUTION: The power receptacle 1 includes a power line carrier communication apparatus 2 for receiving information through a power wiring 8, a switch for stopping 3 power supply from the power receptacle 1, and the watthour meter 4 for counting the supplied amount of power. The power receptacle 1 further includes a radio communication section 5 for communicating between a power supply plug connected to the power receptacle 1 and the electric appliance 10, an RFID reader 6, and a condition monitoring section 7 for monitoring the condition regarding the power receptacle 1. The power supply plug or the electric appliance 10 includes the watthour meter 12, a radio communication section 13 and an RFID tag 11 for identification. A monitor controller 20 includes a power line carrier communication apparatus 21 and a data base 22 regarding the power supply plug or the electric appliance 10. The RFID reader and the RFID tag check the validity of the power supply plug or the electric appliance 10. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a power outlet, a power plug, or an electrical product that enables control and monitoring of power supply in, for example, a store. Further, the present invention connects a power outlet for supplying power to these power plugs or electrical products and a monitoring control unit provided outside by power line carrier communication called PLC, and theft of electric power outdoors (hereinafter referred to as “theft”). The present invention relates to a theft prevention system for preventing theft).

  Most of the conventional power outlets cannot perform power supply control individually, and most of them can supply power by simply plugging in the outlet. For this reason, with conventional power outlets, for example, in stores such as fast food and convenience stores, it is difficult to suppress or even detect power theft using outlets used for electric signboards placed outdoors.

  Therefore, although some control of power supply using power line carrier communication is seen as in “Power supply system and mobile phone” of Patent Document 1, power line carrier communication cannot be used outdoors due to regulations of the Radio Law. In the case of theft, it is rare to connect the equipment directly to the outlet on the wall, and there is a problem that proper monitoring cannot be performed realistically when a three-way socket or extension cord is used. It was.

  That is, if a power plug or electrical product connected to a power outlet is placed outdoors due to regulations of the Radio Law, information exchange between the power outlet and the power plug or electrical product may be performed by power line carrier communication. Therefore, the invention of Patent Document 1 cannot be applied to this type of outdoor electrical product.

In addition, for example, in an electrical product installed outdoors such as a vending machine, when the electrical product itself has identification information and a supply other than the electrical product having proper identification information is connected to the power outlet Conventional techniques such as stopping power supply from the electrical outlet and issuing an alarm to an administrator of the electrical product are known. However, connect an electrical product that has stolen power to an accessory or extension outlet provided for an electrical product with proper identification information, or connect an electrical product with proper identification information to one of the three-pronged sockets. However, when an electrical product for theft is connected to the other side, it has been impossible for the prior art to find the electrical product for theft.
JP 2006-94655 A

  The object of the present invention is to reliably identify these devices even when a power plug or electrical product connected to a power outlet is installed outdoors, and to connect a three-way socket or extension cord. An object of the present invention is to provide a power theft prevention system capable of stopping power supply and issuing an alarm for power theft used. It is also an object of the present invention to provide a power outlet, a power plug, or an electrical product used in this anti-theft system.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a monitoring control unit having a power line communication device, a power outlet connected to the monitoring control unit via power wiring, and connected to the power outlet. An anti-theft system having a power plug or an electric product supplied with power by the power plug,
The power outlet includes a power line communication device that transmits / receives data to / from a power line communication device provided in the monitoring control unit, an RFID reader that reads data recorded on an RFID tag provided in the power plug or an electrical product, A watt hour meter that measures the amount of power used by the power outlet supplied to the power plug or the electrical product, and a power amount provided to the power plug or the electrical product from a wireless communication unit provided to the power plug or the electrical product. A wireless communication unit that receives the measured value of the meter, a measured value of the watt hour meter provided in the power plug or electrical product received by the wireless communication unit and / or a measured value of the watt hour meter provided in the power outlet, A state monitoring unit that compares a pre-stored power plug or a legitimate power consumption of an electrical product,
The power plug or the electrical product includes an RFID tag in which information for identifying the power plug or the electrical product is recorded, and a watt-hour meter that measures the power usage of the electrical product or the electrical product connected to the power plug. And a wireless communication unit that transmits the measured value of the watt-hour meter to the power outlet,
Based on the identification information of the power plug or electrical product received by the RFID reader from the RFID tag, the validity of the connected power plug or electrical product is determined, and the validity of the power plug or electrical product stored in advance is determined. The power consumption is compared with the measured value of the watt hour meter provided in the power outlet and / or the power plug or the electric product to determine the presence or absence of theft.
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  Instead of the RFID reader and the RFID tag, a system for transmitting and receiving identification information of a power plug or an electrical product by a wireless communication unit, and a power outlet and a power plug or electrical product used for these systems are also one aspect of the present invention.

  The power usage amount of the power plug or the electrical product is stored in the state monitoring unit or the monitoring control device, and the power plug is supplied to the power outlet according to a command from the state monitoring unit or the monitoring control device. Alternatively, a switch for stopping power supply to the electrical product is provided, and when the state monitoring unit or the monitoring control device does not confirm the validity of the power plug or the electrical product, and / or the power usage of the power plug or the electrical product is It is also an aspect of the present invention that an alarm is issued when the power consumption of the power plug or the electrical product stored in the monitoring control device is different.

  According to the present invention, by exchanging information between a power outlet and a power plug or an electrical product by wireless communication, it is possible to check the validity of an outdoor device. Also, in the present invention, the transmission and reception of information between the power outlet and the monitoring device uses power line carrier communication, so that the power outlet and the monitoring device are, for example, a room indoors or a place with a shield. Even if it is installed in a place where wireless communication is difficult, it is possible to accurately transmit information such as discrimination of power theft, stoppage of power feeding, issue of warnings, and the like. Furthermore, in the present invention, a power meter is installed in each of the power outlet and the power plug or the electrical product, thereby monitoring the power usage of the power plug or the electrical product, and discovering theft using a three-way socket or an extension cord. can do.

  As a result, according to the present invention, it is possible to effectively suppress unauthorized use of a power outlet prepared outside the store or the like and messy use in the store.

[First Embodiment]
Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the operation of the first embodiment.

  In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 is a power outlet, 10 is a power plug or an electrical product connected to the power outlet 1, and 20 is a monitoring control device connected to the power outlet 1 via a power wiring 8. The anti-theft system of the present invention is constituted by these members.

  The power outlet 1 is provided with a power line carrier communication device 2 that transmits and receives information via the power wiring 8, a switch 3 that stops power supply from the power outlet 1, and a watt-hour meter 4 that measures the amount of power supplied. ing. Further, the power outlet 1 includes a wireless communication unit 5 and an RFID reader 6 that communicate with a power plug or an electrical product 10 connected to the power outlet 1, and a state monitoring unit 7 that monitors a state related to the power outlet 1. And are provided.

  The power plug or electrical product 10 connected to the power outlet 1 includes a power meter 12 that measures the amount of power used by the power plug or electrical product 10 and the wireless communication unit 5 of the power outlet 1. And a wireless communication unit 13 for performing communication and an RFID tag 11 for identifying the power plug or the electrical product 10 are provided.

  The RFID tag 11 may be built in the power plug or the electrical product 10, but can also be provided at the tip of the power cable of the power plug or the electrical product 10. As the wireless communication units 5 and 13, it is preferable to use a low-power wireless communication means known by a name such as ZigBee (trademark).

  The monitoring control device 20 is provided at a remote location from the power outlet 1 via the power wiring 8. The monitoring control device 20 is provided with a power line carrier communication device 21, and this power line carrier communication device 21 is connected to the power line carrier communication device 2 on the power outlet 1 side via the power wiring 8. In addition, the monitoring control device 20 has a database 22 in which various types of power plugs or electrical products 10 connected to the power outlet 1 are recorded with identification information and information regarding appropriate power usage.

  Here, the appropriate power consumption is the appropriate usage from various viewpoints, depending on the type of power plug or electrical product, such as usage per hour, maximum value, pattern of change due to time or season, etc. The identification information and the appropriate usage amount are associated with each other and stored in the database 22.

  The operation of the first embodiment having the above-described configuration will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  When any power plug or electrical product 10 is connected to the power outlet 1 of the present embodiment and the supply of power is started, the watt hour meter 4 provided in the power outlet 1 detects this power supply (step 1). The watt-hour meter 4 notifies the state monitoring unit 7 of the detection result, and the state monitoring unit 7 that has received the notification notifies the RFID reader 6 of the validity information of the connected power plug or electrical product 10. Is acquired (step 2). The RFID reader 6 receives the identification information recorded on the RFID tag 11 provided on the power plug or the electrical product 10, and when the identification information is valid (confirmation in Step 2), the state monitoring unit 7 delivers the obtained identification information to the power line carrier communication device 2.

  The power line carrier communication device 2 notifies the identification information to the monitoring control device 20 provided at a remote position via the power wiring 8 and the power line carrier communication device 21. If the power supply plug or electrical product 10 connected to the power outlet 1 is registered in advance based on the notified identification information, the monitoring control apparatus 20 has a legitimate load. Display that driving. At the same time, the monitoring control device 20 uses the power line carrier communication devices 21 and 2 through the power wiring 8 to the state monitoring unit 7 of the power outlet 1 and the average power consumption of the connected power plug or electrical product 10. Notify the proper amount of power usage such as amount.

  The state monitoring unit 7 notified of the appropriate power consumption constantly monitors the state of the watt hour meter 4 in the power outlet 1 (step 9), and the state in which the power consumption deviates significantly from the notified content continues. When it is confirmed that the information has been confirmed, the supervisory control device 20 is notified of caution through the power line carrier communication devices 2 and 21. That is, even if a legitimate power plug or electrical product 10 is connected to the power outlet 1, if power is stolen from an accessory or extension outlet provided on the power plug or electrical product 10, the power plug Or, since the power consumption of the electrical product 10 deviates significantly from the notified content, notification of the above-mentioned attention is performed (step 4).

  On the other hand, when the RFID reader 6 cannot detect the RFID tag 11 (unconfirmed in step 2), the state monitoring unit 7 determines whether the connected power plug or the electrical product 10 is valid or three are valid. Also, it is determined that it is connected via a socket or an extension cable. Then, the state monitoring unit 7 confirms the presence of a legitimate power plug or electrical product 10 having the wireless communication unit 13 with respect to the wireless communication unit 5 (step 3), and is embedded in the power plug or electrical product 10 An instruction is given to periodically transmit the contents of the watt-hour meter 12 from the wireless communication unit 13. At the same time, the monitoring control device 20 uses the power line carrier communication devices 21 and 2 via the power wiring 8 to confirm that the legitimate power plug or the electrical product 10 is operated in a state of caution such as a three-way socket or an extension cable. Notification is made (step 4).

  Thereafter, the state monitoring unit 7 compares the content of the watt-hour meter 12 notified via the wireless communication unit 5 and the wireless communication unit 13 with the content of its own watt-hour meter 4, and there is a continuous significant difference. When it is detected, the monitoring control device 20 is warned using the power line carrier communication devices 21 and 2 via the power wiring 8. The monitoring control device 20 that has received the notification determines that there is a load other than the valid power plug or the electrical product 10, and notifies the administrator as an alert and alerts the state monitoring unit 7 that has issued a warning notification. Is issued (step 5). In this case, the alert notification to the administrator may use an alarm sound by a buzzer or a speaker, but the wireless communication unit 5 may be used to notify the administrator of the portable terminal.

  In the monitoring control device 20 or the state monitoring unit 7 that has notified the alert, when the administrator does not cancel the notification within the preset time (timeout in step 5), the monitoring control device 20 Shuts off the switch 3 using the power line carrier communication devices 21 and 2 via the power wiring 8, and stops the power supply from the corresponding power outlet 1 (step 6). Thereafter, when the managers confirm that the power plug or electrical product 10 whose power supply has been stopped is valid, the suspension is released (step 7), and power is supplied to the power plug or electrical product 10. In either case, when the power plug or electrical product 10 is removed from the power outlet 1, the supply of current is terminated (step 8).

  As described above, according to the first embodiment, the power supply plug or the electric product having the proper use authority by the wireless communication units 5 and 13 and the transmission / reception of the identification information of the power supply plug or the electric product 10 by the RFID reader 6 and the RFID tag 11. By checking the existence of 10 and comparing the power consumption by the watt hour meters 4 and 12, the power plug or the electric product 10 having a proper use authority is identified, and theft using a three-way socket, extension cord, etc. Can be detected. Also, if there is a possibility of power theft, issue an alarm to alert the user or administrator, or after a certain period of time has elapsed since the alarm was issued, turn off the power outlet 1 to stop power supply Thus, theft can be prevented.

[Second Embodiment]
FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram showing a second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a flowchart thereof.
In the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, instead of using the connection detecting means using the RFID reader and the RFID tag as in the first embodiment, the power outlet 1 is connected to the power plug or the electrical product 10 side. Is provided with a connection detection unit 15 for detecting that the connection is established. Other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment.

The operation of the second embodiment having such a configuration is as shown in the flowchart of FIG.
When the power plug or electrical product 10 is connected to the power outlet 1 (step 1), the power plug or electrical product 10 detects the connection to the power outlet 1 by the connection detector 15. The connection detection unit 15 notifies the wireless communication unit 13 of the detection result, and the wireless communication unit 13 starts supplying power to the state monitoring unit 7 via the wireless communication unit 5 in the power outlet 1. Make a request about.

  In this case, the wireless communication unit 13 also transmits the identification information of the power plug or the electrical product 10 to the state monitoring unit 7 in the power outlet 1 at the same time. The identification information is stored in the power plug or the electrical product 10 such as the wireless communication unit 13 or the connection detection unit 15.

  The state monitoring unit 7 transmits the identification information of the connected power plug or electrical product 10 to the monitoring control device 20 using the power line carrier communication devices 21 and 2 via the power wiring 8, and the connected power plug or electrical product 10 It is confirmed whether or not the product 10 is legitimate. When it is confirmed that the connected power plug or electrical product 10 is valid, that is, when a signal to that effect is transmitted from the monitoring control device 20 via the power line carrier communication devices 21 and 2, The state monitoring unit 7 controls the switch 3 to start supplying power to the power plug or the electric product 10 (step 2).

  After the start of power supply, the state monitoring unit 7 compares the content of the watt hour meter 12 notified via the wireless communication unit 5 and the wireless communication unit 13 with the content of its own watt hour meter 4 (step 3 ), When a significant difference is detected continuously, the monitoring control device 20 that uses the power line carrier communication devices 21 and 2 via the power wiring 8 to notify the monitoring control device 20 and receives the notification, It is determined that a load other than a valid power plug or electrical product 10 has been newly connected, and an alert is sent to the administrator, and an instruction is issued to the state monitoring unit 7 that has issued a warning notice. (Step 4).

  In the monitoring control device 20 or the state monitoring unit 7 that has notified the alert, when the administrator does not cancel the notification within the preset time (timeout in step 5), the monitoring control device 20 Uses the power line carrier communication devices 21 and 2 via the power wiring 8 to cut off the switch 3 and stop the power supply from the power outlet 1 to the power plug or the electrical product 10 (step 6). Thereafter, when the power plug or electrical product 10 is removed from the power outlet 1, the supply of power to the power plug or electrical product 10 is terminated (step 7).

  According to the second embodiment having the above-described configuration, the power supply plug or electrical product can be used by using the connection detection unit 15 provided on the power supply plug or electrical product 10 side without using an RFID reader or RFID tag. The presence or absence of 10 usage rights can be confirmed.

[Other Embodiments]
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and includes other embodiments as follows.

  The proper power consumption of the power plug or the electrical product 10 can be stored in each power outlet, the power plug or the electrical product side, instead of being provided in the monitoring control device provided at a remote location. In addition, in a power plug or electrical product having an RFID tag, an appropriate power usage amount of each power plug or electrical product may be stored in the RFID tag together with identification information stored in the RFID tag.

  In the second embodiment, instead of providing the connection detection unit 10 independently, the activation of the watt hour meter 12 provided in the power plug or the electrical product 10 is used as a connection detection signal via the wireless communication units 5 and 13. It is also possible to notify the state monitoring unit 7 on the power outlet 1 side of the connection of the power plug or the electrical product 10.

  For communication between the remote monitoring device and the power outlet, a wired or wireless LAN can be used in addition to the power line carrier communication device.

The block diagram which shows the structure of 1st Embodiment of this invention. The flowchart which shows the effect | action of 1st Embodiment. The block diagram which shows the structure of 2nd Embodiment of this invention. The flowchart which shows the effect | action of 2nd Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Power outlet 2 ... Power line carrier communication apparatus 3 ... Switch 4 ... Electricity meter 5 ... Wireless communication part 6 ... RFID reader 7 ... State monitoring part 8 ... Power wiring 10 ... Power plug or electric product 11 ... RFID tag 12 ... Electric power Quantity meter 13 ... Wireless communication unit 20 ... Monitoring and control device 21 ... Power line carrier communication device 22 ... Database

Claims (7)

A monitoring control unit having a power line communication device, a power outlet connected to the monitoring control unit via power wiring, and a power plug connected to the power outlet or receiving power from the power plug In an anti-theft system having an electrical product,
The power outlet is
A power line communication device that transmits and receives data to and from the power line communication device provided in the monitoring control unit;
An RFID reader that reads data recorded on an RFID tag provided on the power plug or the electrical product;
A watt hour meter for measuring the amount of power used by the power outlet to supply a power plug or an electrical product;
A wireless communication unit that receives a measurement value of a watt hour meter provided in the power plug or the electrical product from a wireless communication unit provided in the power plug or the electrical product;
The measured value of the watt hour meter provided in the power plug or electrical product received by the wireless communication unit and / or the measured value of the watt hour meter provided in the power outlet, and the validity of the power plug or electrical product stored in advance A state monitoring unit that compares power consumption with
The power plug or electrical product is
An RFID tag that records information for identifying the power plug or electrical product;
An watt-hour meter that measures the electrical usage of the electrical product connected to the power plug or the electrical product,
A wireless communication unit that transmits the measured value of the watt-hour meter to the power outlet,
Based on the identification information of the power plug or electrical product received by the RFID reader from the RFID tag, the validity of the connected power plug or electrical product is determined, and the validity of the power plug or electrical product stored in advance is determined. The anti-theft system characterized in that the amount of power used is compared with the measured value of a watt-hour meter provided in the power outlet and / or the power plug or the electric product. A monitoring control unit having a power line communication device, a power outlet connected to the monitoring control unit via power wiring, and a power plug connected to the power outlet or receiving power from the power plug In an anti-theft system having an electrical product,
The power outlet is
A power line communication device that transmits and receives data to and from the power line communication device provided in the monitoring control unit;
A watt hour meter for measuring the amount of power used by the power outlet to supply a power plug or an electrical product;
From the wireless communication unit provided in the power plug or electrical product, the wireless communication unit that receives the identification information of the power plug or electrical product and the measurement value of the watt hour meter provided in the power plug or electrical product,
The measured value of the watt hour meter provided in the power plug or electrical product received by the wireless communication unit and / or the measured value of the watt hour meter provided in the power outlet, and the validity of the power plug or electrical product stored in advance A state monitoring unit that compares power consumption with
The power plug or electrical product is
A connection detector for detecting that the power plug or electrical product is connected to a power outlet;
An watt-hour meter that measures the electrical usage of the electrical product connected to the power plug or the electrical product,
Identification information of the power plug or electrical product, and a wireless communication unit that transmits a measured value of a watt hour meter to the power outlet,
When it is detected by the connection detection unit that a power plug or electrical product is connected to a power outlet, the status monitoring unit is based on the identification information of the power plug or electrical product received via the wireless communication unit, In addition to determining the validity of the connected power plug or electrical product, the power consumption of the power plug or electrical product stored in advance and the power outlet and / or the power plug or electrical product are provided. An anti-theft system characterized by comparing the measured value of the watt-hour meter to determine the presence or absence of theft.   The anti-theft system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a legitimate power usage amount of the power plug or electrical product is stored in the state monitoring unit or a monitoring control device.   The antitheft device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a switch for stopping power supply to the power plug or the electrical product is provided in the power outlet according to a command from the state monitoring unit or the monitoring control device. system.   When the state monitoring unit or the monitoring control device does not confirm the validity of the power plug or the electrical product, and / or the power plug or the electrical product is stored in the monitoring control device. An anti-theft system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein an alarm is issued when the amount of power used is different from the amount of power used. Used in a power theft prevention system having a monitoring control unit, a power outlet remotely located from the monitoring control unit, and a power plug connected to the power outlet or an electric product supplied with power by the power plug Power outlet
A communication device for sending and receiving data to and from the communication device provided in the monitoring control unit;
An RFID reader that reads data recorded on an RFID tag provided on the power plug or the electrical product;
A watt hour meter for measuring the amount of power used by the power outlet to supply a power plug or an electrical product;
A wireless communication unit that receives a measurement value of a watt hour meter provided in the power plug or the electrical product from a wireless communication unit provided in the power plug or the electrical product;
Status monitoring for determining whether there is power theft by comparing the measured value of the watt hour meter provided in the power plug or electrical product received by the wireless communication unit and the measured value of the watt hour meter provided in the power outlet And
A power outlet characterized by comprising. Used in a power theft prevention system having a monitoring control unit, a power outlet remotely located from the monitoring control unit, and a power plug connected to the power outlet or an electric product supplied with power by the power plug A power plug or electrical product,
An RFID tag that records information for identifying a power plug or an electrical product, and
An watt-hour meter that measures the amount of power used by the electrical product connected to the power plug or the electrical product;
A power plug or an electrical product, comprising: a wireless communication unit that transmits a measurement value of the watt-hour meter to the power outlet.

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