JP2016118332A - Home Energy Management System - Google Patents

Abstract

[PROBLEMS] To prevent hot hot water unexpected by a user. A home energy management system (HEMS) for controlling a water heater 3 and other electric devices via a network, the power measuring unit 4 for measuring the power consumption of each electric device, and the power measuring unit 4 It has a HEMS controller 5 that manages the obtained information and a communication terminal 6 that controls the operation of each electric device via a network. The water heater 3 can be connected to a remote controller according to a predetermined setting specification. In a state where is not connected, the hot water supply set upper limit temperature of the water heater 3 is limited to a second hot water supply set upper limit temperature lower than the first hot water supply set upper limit temperature in the setting specification to which the remote controller is connected. [Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a home energy management system, and more particularly to a home energy management system that controls operation of a water heater by a communication terminal.

  Recently, an efficient energy utilization method in the whole building by a home energy management system (HEMS) has been proposed. In HEMS, electricity generated by photovoltaic power generation (PV) is stored and efficiently supplied to home appliances.

  The so-called Eco-Cute (natural refrigerant heat pump type electric water heater) used for water heaters is a heat storage device, so it stores hot water boiled using cheap electricity at night, Since it can be supplied from high early morning to evening, it is expected to be used together with HEMS to eliminate the peak of power demand and level the power demand during the day and night.

  When HEMS is introduced, a monitor such as a photovoltaic power generation monitor for visualizing supply power and power consumption and a remote control for operating home appliances increase. Since monitors, remote controls and the like overflow, it is assumed that the atmosphere of the living space is impaired and that it is difficult to operate household electrical appliances.

  Therefore, by using portable computers with communication functions, such as tablet terminals and smartphones, to make it possible to operate each electrical device with application software, the remote control for operating water heaters and other home appliances is eliminated as much as possible. It can be considered that remote control is eliminated and communication terminals such as tablet terminals are integrated.

  As a technology that uses a communication terminal, an energy management device that accesses the energy management device using a communication terminal such as a tablet computer, checks the status of the management target, requests information, acquires information, creates an image, and displays it. Known (for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2014-32574 A (paragraphs 0036 to 0043 of the specification, FIG. 1)

  However, for example, instead of using a remote controller for a water heater, the following problems occur when attempting to operate using a communication terminal such as a tablet terminal. That is, since the remote controller of the conventional water heater can always display the operation state of the water heater on the monitor, the necessary information can be displayed on the monitor and notified at any time. However, since a communication terminal such as a tablet terminal enters a sleep mode (power-saving standby power supply mode) if there is no operation for a certain period of time, the hot water supply set temperature must be set unless the communication terminal is operated again to start application software for the water heater. Etc. cannot be displayed on the communication terminal, and there is a problem that necessary information cannot be notified to the user.

  For example, in a state where the remote controller of the water heater is not connected according to the setting specification in HEMS, the communication terminal is set to the sleep mode after the communication terminal sets the set temperature of the water heater to the upper limit temperature (for example, 60 ° C.) When the hot water supply set temperature is not displayed on the screen, an unexpected situation is assumed in which another user who subsequently uses the hot water discharges an unexpectedly high temperature.

  This invention is made | formed in view of such a background, and makes it a subject to provide the home energy management system provided with the hot water heater which can prevent the high temperature hot water which a user does not anticipate.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the invention according to claim 1 is a home energy management system (HEMS) for controlling a water heater and other electric devices via a network constructed in a building, and each of the electric devices A power measurement unit for measuring the power consumption of the power supply, a HEMS controller for managing information obtained from the power measurement unit, and a communication terminal for controlling the operation of each electrical device via the network, The hot water supply setting upper limit temperature of the water heater is the first hot water supply setting upper limit in the setting specification to which the remote controller is connected in a state where the remote control can be connected according to a predetermined setting specification and the remote control is not connected. It limits to the 2nd hot-water supply setting upper limit temperature lower than temperature, It is characterized by the above-mentioned.

  With this configuration, in a state where the remote controller is not connected, the hot water supply set upper limit temperature of the water heater is lower than the first hot water set upper limit temperature in the setting specification where the remote controller is connected. Because the remote control is not connected, it is displayed on the monitor of the remote control and the user cannot notify the user of necessary information such as the upper limit temperature of hot water supply. It is possible to avoid an inadvertent situation that would occur.

  In other words, by setting the second hot water supply set upper limit temperature to an appropriate temperature that does not affect the human body, it is possible to reliably avoid inadvertent situations when a large number of users use the water heater jointly. can do.

  The invention according to claim 2 of the present invention is a home energy management system (HEMS) that controls a water heater and other electric devices via a network constructed in a building, and uses power consumption of each of the electric devices. A power measuring unit for measuring, a HEMS controller for managing information obtained from the power measuring unit, and a communication terminal for controlling the operation of each electric device via the network, wherein the water heater is a predetermined A remote control can be connected in accordance with the setting specifications of the HEMS controller, and the HEMS controller comprises hibernation state determination means for determining whether the communication terminal is in an operation restriction state such as a hibernation state or a power stop. The communication terminal is connected to the water heater via the network and the dormant state is determined If it is determined that the communication terminal is in the operation restricted state, the second hot water supply set upper limit temperature of the water heater is lower than the first hot water set upper limit temperature in the setting specification to which the remote controller is connected. It is limited to the hot water supply set upper limit temperature.

  With this configuration, when it is determined that the communication terminal is in an operation restricted state (for example, a sleep state), the hot water supply setting upper limit temperature of the water heater is set to the first hot water supply setting in the setting specification to which the remote controller is connected. By limiting to the second hot water supply set upper limit temperature lower than the upper limit temperature, the communication terminal is in an operation restricted state, so it cannot be displayed on the screen of the communication terminal and the user cannot be notified of necessary information such as the hot water supply set upper limit temperature. It is possible to avoid an inadvertent situation in which the user pours out hot water unexpectedly even at times.

  The invention according to claim 3 of the present invention is the home energy management system according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising remote control connection determination means for determining the presence or absence of a remote control connected to the water heater. It is characterized by.

  With this configuration, when it is determined by the remote control connection determination means that the remote controller is not connected, a second hot water set upper limit temperature that is lower than the first hot water set upper limit temperature is set as the hot water set upper limit temperature of the water heater. Can be limited to temperature.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION This invention can provide the home energy management system provided with the hot water heater which can prevent the high temperature hot water which a user does not anticipate.

It is a lineblock diagram showing HEMS concerning a 1st embodiment of the present invention. It is a block diagram which shows HEMS which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows HEMS which connected the kitchen remote control which concerns on the comparative example of this invention.

The home energy management system (HEMS1) according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference mainly to FIG.
As shown in FIG. 1, the HEMS 1 according to the first embodiment is not shown in the figure, such as a water heater and other electric devices (TV, air conditioner, lighting equipment, etc.) via a local area network (LAN) built in the building ) And power generated by a solar power generation system (not shown), and by a power storage system (not shown) that stores the generated power in a storage battery, etc. It is an integrated energy management system that makes it possible to realize a comfortable and smart living environment by valuing energy and resources by making power and supply power visible.

  The HEMS 1 measures a power consumption of a broadband router 2 that is connected to the Internet and builds a LAN in a building, a water heater 3 and other electric devices (not shown) connected via the LAN, and electric devices. A power measurement unit 4, a distribution board 41 connected to the power measurement unit 4 and supplying power to each electrical device, a HEMS controller 5 for managing information obtained from the power measurement unit 4, and a water heater 3 via a LAN And a communication terminal 6 that controls operations of other electric devices (not shown).

The broadband router 2 detects each electrical device and a remote controller (not shown) attached to each electrical device via the LAN and the middleware adapter 21 to manage addresses of each electrical device and the like. Enable communication.
The broadband router 2 connects the LAN to the Internet and is connected to a HEMS server 22 constructed on the Internet.

  The middleware adapter 21 is a conversion device for communicably connecting to each electrical device (3) via the Echonet Light (registered trademark) standard, and is arranged between the broadband router 2 and each electrical device (3). Is done. In the present embodiment, the middleware adapter 21 is arranged in the water heater 3 and other electric devices (not shown), but the middleware adapter 21 and the water heater 3 and other electric devices (not shown) are arranged in the broadband router 2. May be connected by a remote control line R (see FIG. 2).

  As the water heater 3, for example, a heat pump hot water storage type water heater can be suitably employed. The heat pump hot water storage water heater can store hot water boiled using cheap electricity at night and supply it from the early morning to the evening when demand is high. This is particularly suitable because the power demand during the day and night can be leveled.

  The water heater 3 and other electric devices (not shown) communicate with the HEMS controller 5 and receive a control signal from the HEMS controller 5 to operate.

The power measurement unit 4 is connected to a commercial power source (not shown), and measures the power consumed by the hot water heater 3 and other electric devices (not shown) and the supplied power from the commercial power source via the distribution board 41. It is. The distribution board 41 and each electrical device are connected by a power line AC.
The power measurement unit 4 transmits information such as power consumption consumed by each measured electrical device (not shown) to the HEMS controller 5 by wireless communication M1.

  The HEMS controller 5 transmits and receives data between a storage device (not shown) that stores data collected from the power measurement unit 4, an arithmetic device (not shown) that processes the data, and each electrical device via the LAN. It is a computer apparatus provided with the communication apparatus (not shown) to perform, and the remote control connection determination means 51 which determines the presence or absence of the kitchen remote control 301 (refer FIG. 3) which is a remote control connected to the water heater 3. FIG.

  The HEMS controller 5 monitors the power demand of each electrical device in the building, receives a request signal from the communication terminal 6 via, for example, a LAN, and sends a boiling command or the like to the water heater 3 to operate. Can be controlled. Further, since the HEMS controller 5 is connected to the Internet via the broadband router 2, it can store the processed data in the HEMS server 22 constructed on the Internet.

The communication terminal 6 is a communication means that can transmit and receive with the HEMS controller 5 and other electric devices (not shown) via the LAN, such as a smartphone, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, etc. PCs and other various communication means can be used.
For example, in order to save power consumption, these communication terminals 6 can be set to shift to an operation restriction state such as a hibernation state or a power supply stop when a predetermined time elapses without being operated.

  Next, the operation of the home energy management system (HEMS1) according to the first embodiment will be described with reference mainly to FIG.

  In the HEMS 1 according to the first embodiment, the water heater 3 can be connected to a kitchen remote controller 301 (see FIG. 3) that controls hot water discharged from the kitchen hot water tap 31 according to a predetermined setting specification. Among the setting specifications for connecting the kitchen remote controller 301 (see FIG. 3) and the setting specifications for controlling the hot water discharged from the kitchen tap 31 in the communication terminal 6 without connecting the kitchen remote controller 301 (see FIG. 1). The specification which connects either or both can be freely selected.

<Setting specifications for connecting a kitchen remote control>
As shown in FIG. 3, the kitchen remote control 301 is connected to a control device (not shown) of the water heater 3 by a remote control line R, so that the temperature of hot water discharged from the kitchen hot water tap 31 can be set. For example, when the temperature is set to 50 ° C., when the user opens the kitchen hot water tap, hot water adjusted to 50 ° C. is discharged.
When hot water is discharged, the water heater 3 detects the temperature, the amount of hot water, etc., manages the hot water temperature and the amount of hot water in a hot water tank (not shown), and supplies the hot water to the HEMS controller 5 via the LAN. Send information.
As the temperature of hot water discharged from the kitchen hot water tap 31 is set to a hot water supply set upper limit temperature (for example, 60 ° C.) according to the use, etc., when hot water is required, the hot water is discharged at the hot water supply set upper limit temperature Can do.

  Then, in a state where the user sets the hot water supply set upper limit temperature to 60 ° C., for example, if the user tries to leave the hot water at 60 ° C. at the next tapping time, the user unexpectedly touches the hot water. Therefore, when the user opens the kitchen water tap 31, the kitchen remote controller 301 is notified with a warning lamp that the hot water supply set upper limit temperature is set to 60 ° C., or displayed on the monitor with sounds, characters, figures, etc. Notifications.

  In addition, the setting specification which connected both the kitchen remote control 301 and the communication terminal 6 (refer FIG. 1), and was able to operate the water heater 3 by the kitchen remote control 301 or the communication terminal 6 (refer FIG. 1) is the following. Since it is the same as the “setting specification for connecting the kitchen remote control”, detailed description is omitted.

<Setting specifications for operating a water heater on a communication terminal without connecting a kitchen remote control>
As shown in FIG. 1, when the HEMS 1 determines that the remote controller connection determination unit 51 determines that the kitchen remote controller 301 (see FIG. 3) is not connected, the communication terminal 6 is connected to the water heater 3 via the LAN. If the communication terminal 6 is connected to the water heater 3 via the LAN, the kitchen remote control 301 (see FIG. 3) connects the hot water set upper limit temperature of the water heater 3 The second hot water supply set upper limit temperature (for example, 50 ° C.) lower than the first hot water set upper limit temperature (for example, 60 ° C.) in the set specification is set.

  Whether or not the communication terminal 6 is connected to the water heater 3 via the LAN is determined by, for example, the HEMS controller 5 based on the signal M2 transmitted from the communication terminal 6 or connected to the kitchen remote control 301 by the remote control connection determination means 51. When it is determined that the setting specification is not set, it can be determined that the setting specification is such that the communication terminal 6 operates the water heater 3.

  The case where the communication terminal 6 is connected to the water heater 3 via the LAN means a state where the communication terminal 6 can access the water heater 3 via the LAN, and the communication terminal 6 controls the operation of the water heater 3. In addition to the state in which the water heater control app is activated and performing communication, the communication terminal 6 stops the water heater control app and does not communicate, but the communication is possible if the water heater control app is activated. included.

  Specifically, if it is determined by the remote control connection determination means 51 that the kitchen remote control 301 is not connected, the HEMS controller 5 is connected to the water heater 3 via the broadband router 2 and the middleware adapter 21. A signal to limit the hot water supply set upper limit temperature to the second hot water supply set upper limit temperature is output, and the water heater 3 limits the hot water supply set upper limit temperature to the second hot water supply set upper limit temperature.

  When the communication terminal 6 is connected to the water heater 3 via the LAN in a state where the kitchen remote controller 301 (see FIG. 3) is not connected, the HEMS 1 has a first hot water set upper limit temperature (for example, 60 By limiting to the second hot water supply setting upper limit temperature (for example, 50 ° C.) that does not affect the human body lower than (° C.), it is displayed on the monitor of the kitchen remote control 301 (see FIG. 3) and set to the user. Even when necessary information such as the upper limit temperature cannot be notified, it is possible to avoid an inadvertent situation in which the user taps out hot water that the user does not expect.

  In the present embodiment, the remote control connection determination unit 51 is provided in the HEMS controller 5, but is not limited thereto, and the remote control connection determination unit 51 may be provided in the water heater 3. In this case, if it is determined by the remote control connection determination means 51 that the kitchen remote control 301 is not connected, the water heater 3 limits the hot water supply set upper limit temperature to the second hot water set upper limit temperature. Yes. Here, the remote control connection determining means 51 is a setting of a DIP switch provided on the control board of the water heater 3 or a bath remote controller (not shown) that is connected to the water heater 3 so as to be communicable and fixed to the bathroom wall. By setting, whether or not the kitchen remote controller 301 is connected may be set and input, and the input content may determine whether the specification is that the kitchen remote controller 301 is not connected.

Next, a home energy management system (HEMS 1A) according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described mainly with reference to FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2, in the HEMS 1A according to the second embodiment of the present invention, the HEMS controller 5A determines whether or not the communication terminal 6 is in an operation restricted state such as a suspended state or a power stop. 52 is different from the HEMS 1 (see FIG. 1) according to the first embodiment. For this reason, this difference is mainly demonstrated, the same code | symbol is attached about the same structure as HEMS1 (refer FIG. 1), and the overlapping description is abbreviate | omitted.

  The dormant state determination means 52 determines whether or not the communication terminal 6 is in an operation restricted state based on the signal M2 transmitted from the communication terminal 6. That is, the communication terminal 6 is connected to the LAN via the broadband router 2 or is disconnected from the LAN when the user goes out of the building. In addition, the broadband router 2 transmits a signal indicating that the communication terminal 6 is transmitted from the communication terminal 6 and is transmitted when the communication terminal 6 is suspended, and a suspension transmitted when the communication terminal 6 is returned from the suspension state. The communication terminal 6 detects whether or not the communication terminal 6 is in an operation restricted state based on a signal indicating that the state has been released, and notifies the HEMS controller 5A of the information. In this way, the dormant state determination unit 52 determines whether or not the communication terminal 6 is in the operation restricted state.

  When the HEMS 1A determines that the communication terminal 6 is in an operation-restricted state such as a sleep state in a state where the kitchen remote control 301 (see FIG. 3) is not connected, the HEMS controller 5 includes the broadband router 2 and the middleware. A signal to the effect that the hot water supply set upper limit temperature is limited to the second hot water supply set upper limit temperature is output to the water heater 3 via the adapter 21. When the signal from the HEMS controller 5 is received, the water heater 3 limits the hot water set upper limit temperature to the second hot water set upper limit temperature, which is lower than the first hot water set upper limit temperature (for example, 60 ° C.). It restrict | limits to the 2nd hot-water supply setting upper limit temperature (for example, 50 degreeC) of the grade which does not affect a human body. By controlling in this way, the HEMS 1A can be displayed on the monitor of the kitchen remote control 301 (see FIG. 3) and the user can not expect the user even when necessary information such as the hot water supply set upper limit temperature cannot be notified. It is possible to avoid an inadvertent situation in which hot water is discharged.

  In the setting specification for controlling the hot water discharged from the kitchen hot water tap 31 using the communication terminal 6, if the communication terminal 6 is not in a pause state or the like and is in a state capable of displaying an image, the communication terminal 6 Since it is possible to notify the user of necessary information such as the hot water set upper limit temperature displayed on the screen, the HEMS controller 5 does not output a signal to limit the hot water set upper limit temperature to the second hot water set upper limit temperature, It can function in the same manner as the kitchen remote control 301 (see FIG. 3).

  In the present embodiment, the remote control connection determination unit 51 is provided in the HEMS controller 5, but is not limited thereto, and the remote control connection determination unit 51 may be provided in the water heater 3. In this case, the HEMS controller 5 outputs whether or not the communication terminal 6 is in the operation restricted state to the hot water heater 3 via the broadband router 2 and the middleware adapter 21, and the hot water heater 3 determines the determination information of the remote control connection determination means 51. Then, it may be determined whether or not it is necessary to limit the hot water supply set upper limit temperature based on information on whether or not the communication terminal 6 is in the operation restricted state.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to above-described embodiment, It can change and implement suitably. For example, in this embodiment, although the kitchen remote control 301 (refer FIG. 3) connected to the water heater 3 was demonstrated as an example, it is not limited to this, The use of the building applied or the water heater 3 It can be selected as appropriate according to the specifications.

  Moreover, although the remote control connection determination means 51 which determines the presence or absence of the kitchen remote control 301 (refer FIG. 3) was provided, it is not limited to this, The kitchen remote control 301 (refer FIG. 3) which is an object remote control is connected. If it is clear that the remote control connection determination unit 51 is not provided, the remote control connection determination unit 51 may not be provided.

1 HEMS
1A HEMS
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 2 Broadband router 3 Water heater 4 Electric power measurement unit 4 Electric power measurement unit 5 HEMS controller 5A HEMS controller 6 Communication terminal 21 Middleware adapter 22 HEMS server 31 Kitchen hot-water tap 41 Distribution board 51 Remote control connection determination means 52 Sleep state determination means 301 Kitchen remote control AC power line L Dedicated line M1 Wireless communication M2 Signal R Remote control line

Claims (3)

A home energy management system (HEMS) for controlling a water heater and other electric devices via a network built in a building,
A power measurement unit for measuring power consumption of each of the electrical devices;
A HEMS controller for managing information obtained from the power measurement unit;
A communication terminal for controlling the operation of each electric device via the network,
The water heater can be connected to a remote control according to a predetermined setting specification,
In a state where the remote controller is not connected, the hot water supply set upper limit temperature of the water heater is limited to a second hot water set upper limit temperature lower than the first hot water set upper limit temperature in the setting specification to which the remote controller is connected. ,
Home energy management system characterized by A home energy management system (HEMS) for controlling a water heater and other electric devices via a network built in a building,
A power measurement unit for measuring power consumption of each of the electrical devices;
A HEMS controller for managing information obtained from the power measurement unit;
A communication terminal for controlling the operation of each electric device via the network,
The water heater can be connected to a remote control according to a predetermined setting specification,
The HEMS controller includes a hibernation state determination unit that determines whether the communication terminal is in an operation restriction state such as a hibernation state or a power stop.
In a state where the remote control is not connected, when the communication terminal is connected to the water heater via the network and the communication terminal is determined to be in an operation restricted state by the hibernation state determination unit, Limiting the hot water supply set upper limit temperature of the water heater to a second hot water set upper limit temperature lower than the first hot water set upper limit temperature in the setting specification to which the remote controller is connected;
Home energy management system characterized by Comprising remote control connection determination means for determining the presence or absence of a remote control connected to the water heater;
The home energy management system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by the above.

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