JP2024091144A - State estimation system, breaker, distribution board, state estimation method and program - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] The problem is to make it possible to estimate the state of an electric circuit when a power outage occurs, and to take measures according to the estimated state.
[Solution] A state estimation system 1 includes an acquisition unit, an identification unit, and an estimation unit. The acquisition unit executes an acquisition process to acquire disaster-related information from an external server 60. The disaster-related information is information related to the occurrence of a natural disaster. The identification unit executes a cause identification process when a power outage occurs. The cause identification process is a process to identify the cause of the power outage and acquire cause information based on measurement results from a measurement unit 15. The measurement unit 15 is used in association with a breaker (10, 50) interposed in an electric circuit (203a to 203c) between a power system 201 and a load 202 in a customer's premises. The estimation unit executes a state estimation process to estimate a state of the electric circuit (203a to 203c) based on the disaster-related information and the cause information, and acquire state information related to the estimation result.
[Selected Figure] Figure 1

Description

The present disclosure relates to a state estimation system, a breaker, a distribution board, a state estimation method, and a program, and more specifically to a state estimation system, a breaker, a distribution board, a state estimation method, and a program that estimate the state of an electric circuit when a power outage occurs.

Patent Document 1 describes a power outage information notification system that notifies customer terminals of power outage information related to a power outage that has occurred via a server device. The notified power outage information includes the duration of the power outage and the cause of the power outage.

JP 2007-336692 A

There are two types of power outages: widespread power outages caused by the power grid (hereafter, grid power outages), and power outages within individual customers' homes caused by the operation of breakers at their homes (shutoff operation that cuts off the current in an electric circuit when an abnormality such as an overcurrent or leakage current occurs in the circuit). The power outage cause notification system in Patent Document 1 notifies information on the cause of the power outage (grid outage information) during a grid outage, but does not notify status information on the state of the electric circuit (a state in which an abnormality (cause of shutoff) such as an overcurrent or leakage current that could cause a breaker to shut off) during an in-home power outage.

The objective of the present disclosure is to provide a state estimation system, breaker, distribution board, state estimation method, and program that can estimate the state of an electrical circuit when a power outage occurs, and thereby enable measures to be taken according to the estimated state.

A state estimation system according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes an acquisition unit, an identification unit, and an estimation unit. The acquisition unit executes an acquisition process. The acquisition process is a process of acquiring disaster-related information from an external server. The disaster-related information is information related to the occurrence of a natural disaster. The identification unit executes a cause identification process when a power outage occurs. The cause identification process is a process of identifying the cause of the power outage and acquiring cause information based on measurement results from a measurement unit. The measurement unit is used in association with a breaker. The breaker is interposed in an electric circuit between a power grid and a load in a customer's premises. The estimation unit executes a state estimation process. The state estimation process is a process of estimating the state of the electric circuit based on the disaster-related information and the cause information, and acquiring state information related to the estimation result.

A breaker according to one aspect of the present disclosure is interposed in an electric circuit between a power system and a load in a customer's premises. The breaker includes an acquisition unit, an identification unit, and an estimation unit. The acquisition unit executes an acquisition process. The acquisition process is a process of acquiring disaster-related information from an external server. The disaster-related information is information related to the occurrence of a natural disaster. The identification unit executes a cause identification process when a power outage occurs. The cause identification process is a process of identifying the cause of the power outage based on the measurement results from a measurement unit and acquiring cause information. The measurement unit is used in association with the breaker. The estimation unit executes a state estimation process. The state estimation process is a process of estimating the state of the electric circuit based on the disaster-related information and the cause information, and acquiring state information related to the estimation result.

A distribution board according to one aspect of the present disclosure is equipped with the breaker.

A state estimation method according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes an acquisition step, a specification step, and an estimation step. The acquisition step executes an acquisition process. The acquisition process is a process of acquiring disaster-related information from an external server. The disaster-related information is information related to the occurrence of a natural disaster. The specification step executes a cause specification process when a power outage occurs. The cause specification process is a process of identifying the cause of the power outage and acquiring cause information based on a measurement result from a measurement unit. The measurement unit is used in association with a breaker. The breaker is interposed in an electric circuit between a power system and a load in a customer's premises. The estimation step executes a state estimation process. The state estimation process is a process of estimating the state of the electric circuit based on the disaster-related information and the cause information, and acquiring state information related to the estimation result.

A program according to one aspect of the present disclosure causes one or more computers to execute the state estimation method.

The state estimation system, breaker, distribution board, state estimation method, and program disclosed herein have the effect of making it possible to estimate the state of an electrical circuit when a power outage occurs, and therefore to take appropriate action according to the estimated state.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a power supply system including a state estimation system according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a main breaker constituting the state estimation system. FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the state estimation system. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of output of countermeasure information etc. by the state estimation system according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing another example of output of countermeasure information etc. by the state estimation system according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a power supply system including a state estimation system according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a server constituting the above-mentioned state estimation system. FIG. 8 is a block diagram of a main breaker constituting the state estimation system. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of output of countermeasure information etc. by the state estimation system according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is an external view of a distribution board including the above-mentioned main breaker.

This disclosure is not limited to the following embodiments, and various modifications are possible depending on the design, etc., as long as the effects of this disclosure can be achieved.

In this disclosure, a state estimation system estimates the state of an electrical circuit when a power outage occurs and obtains at least one of state information and response information.

In embodiment 1 of the present disclosure, the state estimation system is composed of one breaker, and when a power outage occurs, the one breaker estimates the state of the electrical circuit and acquires state information, etc.

In the second embodiment, the state estimation system is composed of one or more breakers and a server, and the server works in cooperation with each of the one or more breakers to estimate the state and acquire state information, etc., for each of the one or more electric circuits corresponding to the one or more breakers when a power outage occurs.

(1) Preconditions (1-1) Preconditions Common to the First and Second Embodiments First, preconditions common to the state estimation system 1 according to the first and second embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 10 as appropriate.

As shown in Figures 1 and 6, the state estimation system 1 according to the first and second embodiments of the present disclosure identifies the cause of a power outage based on the measurement results of a measurement unit 15 used in conjunction with a breaker (10, 50) that is interposed in an electric circuit (203a to 203c) between a power grid 201 and a load 202 in a customer's premises when a power outage occurs. Then, based on the identified cause of the power outage and disaster-related information from an external server 60, the state of the electric circuit (203a to 203c) is estimated.

(1-1-1) Breaker The breaker (10, 50) is, for example, a main breaker 10 constituting a distribution board 100 as shown in Fig. 10. The distribution board 100 will be described later.

The main breaker 10 has a detection function for detecting overcurrent, leakage current, and earthquakes, a cutoff function for cutting off the current in the electric circuits (203a to 203c) (entering a trip state) when an overcurrent or the like is detected, and a communication function for communicating with at least the terminal 40.

The main breaker 10 is tripped when an overcurrent or leakage current occurs in the second circuit 203b or the third circuit 203c, or when an earthquake occurs. When the main breaker 10 is tripped, the supply of power to the load 202 is stopped.

The main breaker 10 is connected to the customer's terminal 40 so as to be able to communicate with it, for example, when a power outage occurs. That is, the main breaker 10 is able to communicate with the terminal 40 via short-range wireless communication, for example, in response to a connection operation performed by the customer when a power outage occurs. Alternatively, the main breaker 10 may automatically attempt to connect with the terminal 40 via short-range wireless communication when a power outage occurs. Alternatively, the main breaker 10 may be connected to the terminal 40 so as to be able to communicate with it at all times, for example, via the measurement unit 15, the second network 302, the gateway (GW) 303, and the first network 301.

The main breaker 10 has a processor (CPU, MPU, etc.), a memory (semiconductor memory, SSD, etc.), and a communication module (none of which are shown). The memory stores various data and programs, and the processor executes the programs using the various data to achieve the detection function and the shutoff function. In the following, the processor and memory that achieve the various functions may be referred to as a "computer."

The communication module of the main breaker 10 realizes the above communication function. The communication between the main breaker 10 and the terminal 40 is usually short-range wireless communication, and the communication module realizes at least the short-range wireless communication function.

The main breaker 10 may have an input device such as a touch panel or a keyboard. The main breaker 10 may also have an output device such as a display or a speaker.

As shown in FIG. 10, the distribution board 100 has, in addition to the main breaker 10, one or more branch breakers 50, and a measurement unit 15. The main breaker 10 has a switch (also called a handle) 10A that opens and closes the contacts (described below), and the branch breakers 50 have similar switches. The measurement unit 15 has a connection key 15A that accepts a connection operation (described below). The measurement unit 15 may also have a display 15B that displays information such as measurement results.

However, the breaker may be, for example, a branch breaker 50 that constitutes the distribution board 100. Or, the breaker may be, for example, a limiter (not shown) that constitutes the distribution board 100, or it does not have to be a component of the distribution board 100. In other words, the type of breaker is not important as long as it is interposed in the electric circuit (203a to 203c) between the power system 201 and the load 202 and cuts off the current in the electric circuit (203a to 203c) in response to the occurrence of an overcurrent or the like.

(1-1-2) Load The load 202 is a household electrical appliance that operates on power from the power grid 201. The load 202 is preferably an IoT device such as an information appliance. Such a load 202 can be connected to a second network 302 (described later) (Embodiment 2: see FIG. 6). However, the load 202 may be an electrical appliance that does not have a function for connecting to the second network 302 (Embodiment 1: see FIG. 1).

(1-1-3) Electrical Circuits The electric circuits (203a to 203c) include a first electric circuit 203a, a second electric circuit 203b, and a third electric circuit 203c. The first electric circuit 203a is an electric circuit on the power system 201 side (primary side of the main breaker 10) with respect to the breaker (main breaker 10). The second electric circuit 203b is an electric circuit on the load 202 side (secondary side of the main breaker 10) with respect to the breaker (main breaker 10). The third electric circuit 203c is an electric circuit on the load 202 side (secondary side of the branch breaker 50) with respect to the branch breaker 50.

(1-1-4) Terminal The customer can use the terminal 40. For example, the customer can view information displayed on a display or outputted as audio from a speaker, input information via an input device such as a touch panel, etc. The terminal 40 is capable of short-distance wireless communication with the main breaker 10.

The terminal 40 is, for example, a mobile terminal such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal, but may also be a stationary terminal such as a desktop PC (Personal Computer). The mobile terminal is carried by the customer. The stationary terminal is installed in the customer's home.

The terminal 40 has a processor and memory (computer), a communication module that realizes at least short-range wireless communication, an input device such as a touch panel, and an output device such as a display.

(1-2) Preconditions of the Second Embodiment Next, preconditions specific to the state estimation system 1 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

In the second embodiment, each of the one or more distribution boards 100 is communicatively connected to the server 30 via a first network 301, a GW 303, and a second network 302 (all of which are described below).

(1-2-1) Server The server 30 cooperates with one or more distribution boards 100 to realize the condition estimation system 1. The server 30 receives the measurement results of the measurement unit 15 for each of the one or more distribution boards 100, estimates the condition (described later) of the electric circuits (203a to 203c), and acquires at least one of condition information and handling information (both described later). The server 30 then provides at least one of the estimation information and handling information to each of one or more terminals 40 corresponding to the one or more distribution boards 100.

The server 30 has a processor and memory (computer) and a communication module that realizes communication via the first network 301.

(1-2-2) Network The server 30 is communicatively connected to at least one of the terminals 40 (described later) of the client and the supporter via a first network 301. The first network 301 is, for example, a wide area network such as the Internet or a communication line network.

On the other hand, the network to which the load 202 is connected is the second network 302. The second network is, for example, a PLC (Power Line Communications) network that communicates via electrical lines within the home. The second network 302 is communicatively connected to the first network 301 via the GW 303 (embodiment 2).

In more detail, in the second embodiment, the communication protocol of the first network (Internet) to which the server 30 is connected is different from the communication protocol of the second network (PLC network) to which the main breaker 10 is connected, so a GW 303 that converts between the two protocols is interposed between the first network and the second network.

In addition to such protocol conversion, GW303 may also perform processes related to various IoT devices connected to the second network 302. Examples of related processes include processes for collecting device information about various IoT devices and providing the information to the server 30.

In the second embodiment, the communication module of the measurement unit 15 (described later) has two types of communication functions: short-range wireless communication and communication via the second network 302. The communication module of the main breaker 10 performs short-range wireless communication with the communication module of the measurement unit 15, thereby further realizing a communication function via the second network 302.

However, the communication module of the main breaker 10 may independently realize the communication function via the second network 302 without going through the communication module of the measurement unit 15. Also, the communication module of the main breaker 10 may independently realize the communication function via the first network 301 (described below) without going through the communication module of the terminal 40.

(1-2-3) Customer Terminal The customer terminal 40 can communicate with the server 30 via the first network 301, in addition to short-range wireless communication with the main breaker 10. The communication module of the terminal 40 further realizes a communication function via such first network 301 in addition to short-range wireless communication.

(1-2-4) Supporter's Terminal When dealing with the state estimated by the state estimation system 1, the customer can receive support from a supporter (e.g., a dealer: described later). The supporter also uses the terminal 40. The supporter's terminal 40 is usually connected to the server 30 via the first network 301 so as to be able to communicate with it. However, the supporter's terminal 40 may also perform short-range wireless communication with the main breaker 10.

The supporter's terminal 40 has a processor and memory (computer), a communication module that realizes communication via at least the first network 301, an input device such as a keyboard, and an output device such as a display.

(2) Main Part Next, the main parts of the state estimation system 1 according to the first and second embodiments will be described.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 6 , a state estimation system 1 according to first and second embodiments of the present disclosure includes:
The device includes an acquisition unit 121, a specification unit 122, and an estimation unit 123.

(2-1) Acquisition Unit and Acquisition Process The acquisition unit 121 executes an acquisition process. The acquisition process is a process for acquiring disaster-related information from the external server 60. The acquisition process is executed, for example, in response to the occurrence of a power outage, but may be executed periodically or irregularly.

The external server 60 is, for example, a server of the Japan Meteorological Agency or a server of the electric power company that operates the electric power system 201, but is not limited to these.

(2-1-1) Disaster-related information: disaster occurrence information, meteorological information, etc. Disaster-related information is information related to natural disasters. Disaster-related information includes, for example, disaster occurrence information on the occurrence of natural disasters, meteorological information on weather, etc.

Disaster-related information is usually information based on observation, but may also be information based on prediction (forecast). Information based on observation is, for example, emergency earthquake alerts based on observation of seismic waves, and earthquake information (such as the magnitude and range of an earthquake) based on observation results in various locations. Information based on prediction is, for example, warnings and advisories (heavy rain warnings, lightning advisories, etc.) based on predictions using observation results in various locations, statistical information, weather prediction models, etc., but may also include meteorological information (weather forecasts) other than warnings and advisories. Predictions are usually calculated predictions, but may also include artificial predictions.

In the first and second embodiments, the disaster-related information is acquired periodically (e.g., every hour), but may be acquired irregularly in response to, for example, a human operation, or may be acquired when a power outage occurs (e.g., actively acquired in response to a power outage, or passively acquired by a push notification, etc.).

(2-1-1a) Other Examples of Disaster-Related Information: Grid Power Outage Information The disaster-related information may further include, for example, grid power outage information provided by a power company. The grid power outage information is information related to a grid power outage. The grid power outage information includes, for example, information related to the cause of the grid power outage, the range of the grid power outage, the time of power restoration, and the like.

However, part of the grid power outage information (e.g., information indicating the occurrence of a grid power outage) may be acquired within the state estimation system 1 based on the measurement results of the measurement unit 15, as described below.

(2-2) Identification Unit and Cause Identification Process When a power outage occurs, the identification unit 122 executes a cause identification process. The cause identification process is a process of identifying the cause of the power outage based on the measurement results from the measurement unit 15 and acquiring cause information.

(2-2-1) Cause Information Cause information is information for identifying the cause of a power outage. Cause information includes interruption cause information.

(2-2-1a) Identification of the cause of tripping: tripping cause information The tripping cause information is information indicating the cause of the tripping operation of the breaker (10, 50) (tripping cause). The tripping cause information is information indicating whether the tripping cause is an overcurrent, a ground fault, or an earthquake, for example. Note that overcurrent may be classified into three types, for example, an overcurrent caused by an overload, an overcurrent caused by a short circuit, and an overcurrent caused by a lightning strike (lightning surge).

In the cause identification process, for example, based on the measurement results from the measurement unit 15 (e.g., the current value of the ammeter and the acceleration value of the accelerometer: described below), it is determined whether the cause of the interruption is an overcurrent, a ground fault, or an earthquake (in other words, whether the interruption is an overcurrent interruption, a ground fault interruption, or an earthquake interruption), and interruption cause information indicating the determination result is obtained.

(2-2-1b) Identifying whether the power outage is a system power outage or a home power outage: power outage cause information The cause information may further include power outage cause information. Power outage cause information is information indicating whether the power outage that occurred is a system power outage or a home power outage. For example, the measurement unit 15 includes another meter for detecting a system power outage, and in the cause identification process, first, based on the measurement value of the other meter (e.g., the power value of the power meter: described later), it is identified whether the power outage that occurred is a system power outage or a home power outage, and power outage cause information is obtained.

If the power outage is an in-house power outage, the cause of the tripping operation of the breaker (10, 50) is identified from among the one or more tripping causes, and tripping cause information is obtained.

However, information on the cause of the power outage does not necessarily have to be acquired within the state estimation system 1, and may be included in advance in disaster-related information provided by the external server 60, for example.

(2-2-1c) Identifying whether the cause is disaster-related or non-disaster-related: Root cause information The cause information in the first and second embodiments further includes root cause information. The root cause information is information indicating whether the root cause of the power outage is a natural disaster or not. The root cause information indicates, for example, whether the disaster attribute of the shutoff cause or the power outage cause is disaster-related or non-disaster-related.

The identification unit 122 executes a disaster attribute discrimination process to determine whether the disaster attribute is disaster-related or non-disaster-related based on the disaster-related information acquired by the acquisition unit 121, and acquires root cause information.

The measurement unit 15 is used in association with a breaker. The breaker is usually a main breaker 10, but may be each of one or more branch breakers 50 (hereinafter simply referred to as "breakers (10, 50)." The breakers (10, 50) are interposed in an electric circuit between the power system 201 and a load 202 in the customer's premises. The electric circuit includes a first electric circuit 203a, a second electric circuit 203b, and a third electric circuit 203c (hereinafter simply referred to as "electric circuits (203a to 203c)").

(2-3) Estimation Unit and State Estimation Process The estimation unit 123 executes state estimation processing. The state estimation processing is processing for estimating the state of the electric circuits (203a to 203c) based on the disaster-related information and the cause information, and acquiring state information related to the estimation result.

The estimated state of the electrical circuit (203a to 203c) is one of four or more types of states, including, for example, a non-disaster earth leakage state, a disaster earth leakage state, and a non-disaster overcurrent state, and a disaster overcurrent state.

A non-disaster leakage state is a state in which a leakage current (non-disaster leakage current) may occur due to causes other than natural disasters (causes specific to the home) if a recovery operation is performed without taking any measures. A recovery operation is an operation for recovering the breaker (10, 50) from the cut-off state, such as the operation of switch 10A shown in Figure 10.

A disaster-related overcurrent condition is one in which there is a high possibility that damage to electrical circuits in the area, including within the home, has occurred as a result of a natural disaster, and if restoration operations are performed without taking any action, a current leak (disaster-related current leak) may occur within the home.

A non-disaster overcurrent state is a state in which, if a recovery operation is performed without taking any measures, an overcurrent (non-disaster overcurrent) may occur due to causes other than a natural disaster (causes specific to the home).

A disaster-related overcurrent condition is one in which there is a high possibility that damage to electrical circuits has occurred in the area, including within the home, due to a natural disaster as the root cause, and if restoration operations are performed without taking any action, an overcurrent (disaster-related overcurrent) may occur within the home.

(2-3-1) Status Information Status information is information related to the status of the electric circuits (203a to 203c). The status information includes, for example, the above-mentioned interruption cause information, status type information indicating one of the above-mentioned four or more types of status, and disaster attribute information (described later) indicating whether the interruption cause is disaster-related or non-disaster-related. The status information may further include interruption location information that identifies the interruption location in the electric circuits (203a to 203c).

(2-3-2) Method of Acquiring Status Information For example, a set of pairs of status information and group information, which is a pair of disaster-related information and cutoff cause information (a pair of first group information and first status information, a pair of second group information and second status information, etc.) is stored in a memory. The estimation unit 123 identifies group information from the group of group information (first group information, second group information, etc.) stored in the memory that is closest to acquired group information, which is a pair of disaster-related information acquired by the acquisition unit 121 and cutoff cause information acquired by the identification unit 122. Then, the estimation unit 123 acquires handling information that is paired with the identified group information from the group of handling information (first handling information, second handling information, etc.) stored in the memory.

For example, if the group information closest to the acquired group information among the group information set stored in memory (first group information, second group information, etc.) is the second group information, the second status information that pairs with the second group information is acquired.

(2-4) Main advantages of the first and second embodiments As described above, in the first and second embodiments, when a power outage occurs, it is possible to estimate the state of the electric circuits (203a to 203c) using disaster-related information from the external server 60 and cause information based on the measurement results of the measurement unit 15. Estimation of the state of the electric circuits (203a to 203c) may be, for example, an estimation of whether a power outage cause such as damage has occurred in the electric circuit (203a) outside the house, or an interruption cause such as leakage has occurred in the electric circuits (203b, 203c) inside the house, or an estimation of which type of interruption cause has occurred in which electric circuit inside the house, or an estimation of whether the root cause of the interruption is a disaster or not. In this way, it is possible to make it possible to take measures according to the estimated state.

(3) Details Next, details of the state estimation system 1 according to the first and second embodiments will be described.

(3-1) Breaker (3-1-1) Main breaker The main breaker 10 in embodiments 1 and 2 detects the occurrence of overcurrent, leakage current, and earthquake on the secondary side of the main breaker 10 itself based on the current value and acceleration value from the measurement results of the measurement unit 15 as described above, and enters a tripped state.

In more detail, the processing unit 12, which will be described later, judges whether an overcurrent or the like has occurred based on the measurement results of the measurement unit 15. Then, if it is judged that an overcurrent or the like has occurred, the processing unit 12 may open the contacts via a switching mechanism (not shown) that opens and closes the contacts between the first electric circuit 203a and the second electric circuit 203b, and a drive circuit (not shown) that drives the switching mechanism, and transition the main breaker 10 to a tripped state.

However, the main breaker 10 is not limited to the electronic type breaker described above, but may be a thermal or electromagnetic breaker that transitions to a tripped state (switch 10A is off) using a bimetal or electromagnetic coil. In this case, the main breaker 10 is provided with a sensor that detects the on/off state of switch 10A, and the processing unit 12 determines whether or not the breaker is in a tripped state based on the detection result of the sensor.

(3-1-2) Branch Breaker The branch breaker 50 detects the occurrence of an overcurrent on the secondary side of the branch breaker 50 itself based on the second current value, and enters a tripped state.

(3-2) Measurement Unit The measurement unit 15 includes one or more measuring instruments for detecting the cause of an interruption.

(3-2-1) Cause of Interruption The cause of interruption is a phenomenon that causes the breaker (10, 50) to perform an interruption operation to interrupt the current in the electric circuit (203a to 203c) (for example, a physical phenomenon occurring in the electric circuit, such as an overcurrent or a ground fault, and a natural phenomenon occurring over a wide area, such as an earthquake).

The cause of the interruption is, for example, one or more of an overcurrent, a ground fault, and an earthquake. It is preferable that the overcurrent include, for example, one or more of an overcurrent caused by an overload, an overcurrent caused by a short circuit, and an overcurrent caused by a lightning strike (lightning surge).

(3-2-2) One or More Measuring Instruments In the first and second embodiments, the one or more measuring instruments are an ammeter for detecting at least one of an overcurrent and a ground fault, and an accelerometer for detecting an earthquake. The detection may, for example, be detecting an overcurrent or a ground fault based on the measurement result (current value) of the ammeter, or detecting an earthquake based on the measurement result (acceleration value) of the accelerometer.

However, one or more of the measuring instruments may be various sensors that detect various interruption causes themselves (e.g., one or more of an overcurrent sensor, a leakage current sensor, and an earthquake sensor).

The one or more measuring instruments may be, for example, an overcurrent sensor that detects overcurrent, an earth leakage sensor that detects earth leakage, and an earthquake sensor that detects earthquakes. The overcurrent sensor and the earth leakage sensor are each realized by a dedicated ammeter, but may also be realized by a single ammeter.

(3-2-2a) First embodiment: ammeter and accelerometer The one or more measuring instruments in the first embodiment include an ammeter and an accelerometer. The ammeter is an ammeter for detecting an overcurrent and an electric leakage current on the secondary side (second electric circuit 203b and second electric circuit 203c) of the main breaker 10, and is provided on the second electric circuit 203b. The accelerometer is an accelerometer for detecting an earthquake, and is provided on the distribution board 100.

(3-2-2b) Embodiment 2: First Ammeter, Second Ammeter, and Accelerometer The one or more measuring instruments in embodiment 2 include a first ammeter, one or more second ammeters, and an accelerometer. The first ammeter is an ammeter for detecting an overcurrent and an electric leakage on the secondary side (second electric circuit 203b and second electric circuit 203c) of the main breaker 10, and is provided in the second electric circuit 203b. The one or more second ammeters are ammeters for detecting an overcurrent and an electric leakage on each of the secondary sides (second electric circuit 203c) of one or more branch breakers 50, and are provided in one or more third electric circuits 203c, respectively. The accelerometer is an accelerometer for detecting an earthquake, and is provided in the distribution board 100.

(3-3) Measurement Results The measurement results include one or more measurement values corresponding to one or more measuring instruments.

In embodiment 1, the one or more measurement values are, for example, a current value corresponding to an ammeter and an acceleration value corresponding to an accelerometer.

In the second embodiment, the one or more measurement values are, for example, a first current value corresponding to a first ammeter, one or more second current values corresponding to one or more second ammeters, and an acceleration value corresponding to an accelerometer.

(3-4) Breaker and Shutdown Operation When the breaker (10, 50) detects one or more causes of shutdown based on one or more measurement values from the measurement unit 15, it performs a shutdown operation.

The interruption operation is an operation to interrupt the current in the electric circuits (203a to 203c). The cause of the interruption is, for example, one or more of an overcurrent, a ground fault, and an earthquake.

The power outages in the first and second embodiments are primarily in-home power outages caused by the shutoff operation of such breakers (10, 50). The cause information acquired by the identification unit 122 includes shutoff cause information that identifies which of one or more shutoff causes caused the shutoff operation.

(3-5) Further advantage of embodiments 1 and 2 As a result, when a power outage occurs within the home, it becomes possible to estimate the cause of the interruption (whether the abnormality occurring in the electrical circuits (203a to 203c) within the home is an overcurrent, a leakage current, or an earthquake).

(3-6) Other Measuring Instruments: Method for Acquiring Power Outage Cause Information As described above, the measurement unit 15 of the first and second embodiments further includes another measuring instrument for detecting a power outage in the grid. The other measuring instrument is, for example, a power meter on the primary side of the main breaker 10, and a power outage in the grid is detected based on the power value of such a power meter.

The identification unit 122 further identifies whether the power outage that occurred is a grid power outage or a home power outage based on the measurement values of the other measuring instruments, and obtains information about the cause of the power outage.

(3-6-1) Other methods of acquiring power outage cause information However, as mentioned above, power outage cause information may be included in advance in disaster-related information provided by, for example, the external server 60. In this case, the identification unit 122 acquires power outage cause information based on the disaster-related information acquired by the acquisition unit 121.

In this way, estimating the state of the electrical circuits (203a to 203c) includes estimating whether it is a system power outage or a home power outage. This makes it possible to estimate whether the power outage that is occurring is a system power outage (for example, a state in which no current is flowing through the electrical circuit (first electrical circuit 203a) on the primary side (outside the home) of the main breaker 10) or a home power outage (for example, a power outage caused by the interruption operation of the main breaker 10: a state in which current is flowing through the electrical circuit (first electrical circuit 203a) outside the home, but no current is flowing through the electrical circuits (second electrical circuit 203b, third electrical circuit 203c) inside the home).

(3-7) Natural Disasters and Disaster-Related Information In the first and second embodiments, the natural disasters include at least one of an earthquake, lightning, heavy rain, and flood. The acquisition unit 121 acquires disaster-related information related to the occurrence of an earthquake, lightning, heavy rain, or flood from the external server 60.

By acquiring such disaster-related information by the acquisition unit 121, the estimation unit 123 can estimate the state of the electric circuits (203a to 203c) in more detail. For example, it is possible to know whether the natural disaster that is the root cause of the power outage is an earthquake, lightning, heavy rain, or flood, making it possible to take measures according to the type of natural disaster.

(3-8) Countermeasure Unit and Output Unit The state estimation system 1 further includes a countermeasure unit 124 and an output unit 13.

(3-8-1) Response Unit and Response Information The response unit 124 acquires response information. The response information is information that supports a response according to the state (the cause of interruption, the disaster attribute, etc.) estimated by the estimation unit 123. The response information includes, for example, response information for a grid power outage state and response information for a home power outage state. The response information for a home power outage state includes, for example, response information for a non-disaster leakage state, response information for a non-disaster overcurrent state, response information for a disaster leakage state, and response information for a disaster overcurrent state.

(3-8-1a) Handling Information for Grid Power Outage State/Home Power Outage State In the case of a grid power outage state, the handling unit 124 may acquire handling information to wait until the power grid 201 is restored. In the case of a home power outage state, handling information according to the cause of the interruption is acquired.

(3-8-1b) Different Response Information Depending on Disaster Attributes The response unit 124 may acquire different response information depending on whether the shutdown is due to a disaster or a non-disaster, even if the cause of shutdown is the same.

(3-8-1bA) Response information for non-disaster tripping Specifically, in the case of a non-disaster tripping, the response unit 124 acquires response information including operation information related to a recovery operation. At that time, different operation information (operation information for a ground fault, operation information for an overcurrent, etc.) may be acquired depending on the cause of the tripping. The party to be requested for repair may also differ depending on the cause of the tripping (for example, a ground fault repair contractor in the case of a ground fault, and a general electrical contractor in the case of a fault other than a ground fault).

(3-8-1bB) Response Information for Disaster-Induced Shutdown On the other hand, in the case of a disaster-induced shutdown, the response unit 124 may acquire response information to the effect that the restoration operation should be refrained from and a repair service should be requested.

(3-8-1c) Method of Acquiring Handling Information For example, a set of pairs of status information and handling information is stored in a memory, and the handling unit 124 acquires, from the memory, the handling information that pairs with the status information acquired by the estimation unit 123.

(3-8-2) Output Target of Output Unit: Status Information and Handling Information The output unit 13 outputs at least one of the status information acquired by the estimation unit 123 and the handling information acquired by the handling unit 124.

In the first and second embodiments, the output unit 13 typically outputs both status information and handling information, but may output only one of them.

(3-8-2a) Output Mode: Transmission or Display The output by the output unit 13 is transmission or display. The output is, for example, transmission to the terminal 40, or display on the display 15B of the distribution board 100 (measurement unit 15).

The output of such response information can assist in taking appropriate measures according to the condition of the electrical circuits (203a to 203c) (such as measures according to various causes of interruption and measures appropriate for natural disasters).

(3-8-2b) Example of Transmission to Terminal The output unit 13 transmits at least one of the status information and the handling information to at least one of the terminals 40 of the customer and the supporter. The supporter supports the customer in handling the power outage.

The output unit 13 in the first embodiment transmits the status information and the handling information to the customer's terminal 40. The output unit 13 in the second embodiment transmits the status information and the handling information to at least one of the customer's terminal 40 and the supporter's terminal 40.

In this way, by transmitting at least one of the status information and the response information to the terminal 40 of at least one of the customer and the support person, it becomes possible for the customer themselves or the support person to respond to the in-home power outage.

(3-9) Disaster Attribute Information The status information in the first and second embodiments further includes disaster attribute information. The disaster attribute information is information indicating whether the root cause of the power outage is a disaster power outage caused by a natural disaster or a non-disaster power outage not caused by a natural disaster. The power outage here is, for example, a home power outage caused by an interruption in response to an overcurrent or leakage current, but may also be a home power outage caused by an earthquake or a system power outage.

In particular, if the cause of the interruption is identified as an overcurrent or a leakage current by the interruption cause information, it is preferable that the status information includes disaster attribute information.

The response unit 124 obtains different response information depending on whether the disaster attribute information included in the status information indicates a disaster-related or non-disaster-related power outage.

(3-9-1) Disaster Attribute Discrimination Processing In the first and second embodiments, the handling unit 124 executes a disaster attribute discrimination processing. The disaster attribute discrimination processing is a processing for discriminating whether the disaster attribute information included in the status information indicates a disaster or a non-disaster power outage.

In this way, by obtaining different support information depending on whether the power outage is disaster-related or non-disaster-related, if the root cause of the power outage is a natural disaster, support can be provided for measures appropriate to the time of a natural disaster (for example, measures that can avoid secondary disasters such as electrical fires).

(3-9-2) Response information for disaster-induced power outages: Disaster response information When the disaster attribute information included in the status information indicates a disaster-induced power outage, the response unit 124 acquires disaster response information. The disaster response information includes at least one of warning information and recommendation information. The warning information is information indicating that a restoration operation should be refrained from. The recommendation information is information indicating that at least one of inspection and repair related to the electrical circuits (203a to 203c) is recommended to be performed.

In this way, for power outages caused by natural disasters, disaster response information including warning information or recommended information can be obtained to assist in responding appropriately to natural disasters. For example, in the case of a power outage in a home caused by an earthquake, a warning to refrain from performing a restoration operation can be issued to avoid the occurrence of secondary disasters such as electrical fires. In the case of a power outage in a home caused by heavy rain (a state in which the electrical circuits (203b, 203c) in the home are cut off due to a ground fault), electric shock and the like can be avoided by recommending that the customer request an inspection by a contractor. In the case of a power outage in a home caused by a reason other than a natural disaster, assistance can be provided for the customer to respond by themselves by providing instructions on the restoration operation procedure.

(3-9-2a) Example of Supporter: Contractor The supporter is a contractor related to the electric circuits (203a to 203c). The contractor is, for example, an electrical contractor who performs construction work related to the electric circuits (203a to 203c). Alternatively, the contractor may be an electric utility such as a power company that manages the power system 201, a repair contractor that repairs the load 202 (electrical equipment such as home appliances), or a management contractor that manages the customer's home.

When the disaster attribute information included in the status information indicates a disaster-induced power outage, the response unit 124 and the output unit 13 perform the following operations. That is, the response unit 124 acquires disaster response information for contractors including request information to request at least one of inspection and repair related to the electrical circuits (203a to 203c), and acquires disaster response information for customers including at least one of warning information to refrain from performing a reset operation to reset the breakers (10, 50) from the cut-off state by the customer himself, and notification information to send response request information for contractors.

The output unit 13 transmits the handling information for the contractor thus acquired by the handling unit 124 to the contractor's terminal 40, and transmits handling information for the customer to the customer's terminal 40.

In this way, in the event of a disaster-induced power outage, an inspection is automatically requested from a contractor, and customers are warned to refrain from attempting to restore power while also being notified of the request to the contractor, helping customers to receive assistance from the contractor and take appropriate action.

(3-9-3) Response information for non-disaster power outages: Disaster response information When the disaster attribute information included in the status information indicates a non-disaster power outage, the response unit 124 and the output unit 13 perform the following operations. That is, the response unit 124 acquires non-disaster response information. The non-disaster response information includes procedure information. The procedure information is information regarding the procedure of the recovery operation. Note that the procedure of the recovery operation may differ depending on the cause of the interruption.

The output unit 13 then transmits the non-disaster response information acquired by the response unit 124 to the customer's terminal 40.

In this way, in the event of a non-disaster power outage, customers can be informed of the procedures for restoring power, helping them to take appropriate action themselves.

(3-10) Backup Power Supply The state estimation system 1 further includes a power supply unit 14. The power supply unit 14 supplies power to at least the main breaker 10 during a grid power outage. The power supply unit 14 also normally supplies power to the measurement unit 15.

The power supply unit 14 is typically a battery. The battery may be, for example, disposable, but may also be rechargeable. In embodiments 1 and 2, the power supply unit 14 is separate from the main breaker 10 and is provided within the distribution board 100. However, the power supply unit 14 may be built into the main breaker 10, or may be built into an internal device other than the main breaker 10.

Alternatively, the power supply unit 14 may be, for example, a private power generation system that operates at least during a power outage.

(3-11) Connection between the Measuring Unit and the Breaker In the first and second embodiments, the measuring unit 15 is a dedicated unit separate from the main breaker 10, and is connected to the breaker (main breaker 10) so as to be able to communicate with it at all times. The connection between the measuring unit 15 and the main breaker 10 is made by short-range wireless communication in the first and second embodiments, but may be a wired connection.

However, some of the components of the measurement unit 15 (other than the second ammeter) may be components of the main breaker 10. For example, at least one of the first ammeter and the accelerometer may be further built into the main breaker 10.

Alternatively, the measurement unit 15 may be provided in an internal device (e.g., a limiter) other than the main breaker 10 in the distribution board 100, or may be provided outside the distribution board 100. As long as the measurement results of the measurement unit 15 can be handed over to the processing unit 12 of the main breaker 10, the location of the measurement unit 15 is not important.

(4) Embodiment 1
Next, a description will be given of a state estimation system 1 according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. Note that descriptions of previously mentioned matters will be omitted or simplified.

As shown in FIG. 1, the state estimation system 1 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure is configured with a single distribution board 100. The distribution board 100 includes a main breaker 10, one or more branch breakers 50, a measurement unit 15, and a power supply unit 14. The main breaker 10 is communicatively connected (e.g., connected at any time or all the time) to each of the external server 60 and the terminal 40 via the measurement unit 15, the second network 302, the GW 303, and the first network 301.

As shown in FIG. 2, the main breaker 10 includes a reception unit 11, a processing unit 12, and an output unit 13. The processing unit 12 includes an acquisition unit 121, an identification unit 122, an estimation unit 123, and a response unit 124.

The reception unit 11 receives various operations and various information. Various operations are, for example, connection operations. Connection operations are received via the connection key 15A. Various information are, for example, measurement results from the measurement unit 15, disaster-related information from the external server 60, and the like. Information such as measurement results is received via the communication module.

The processing unit 12 performs various types of processing. Examples of the various types of processing include the acquisition processing of the acquisition unit 121, the cause identification processing of the identification unit 122, the state estimation processing of the estimation unit 123, and the response processing (including the disaster attribute determination processing) of the response unit 124.

As described above, the output unit 13 outputs at least one of the status information and the handling information (see Figs. 4 and 5). The output of the status information and other information is usually transmitted to the terminal 40 via the communication module, but may also be displayed on the display 15B or output as audio from a speaker (not shown).

The components (11 to 13 and 121 to 124) that make up the main breaker 10 normally operate on power from the power grid 201, but during a grid power outage they operate on power from the power supply unit 14.

The measurement unit 15 is connected to the main breaker 10 so that it can communicate with the main breaker 10 at all times. The connection between the measurement unit 15 and the main breaker 10 is via short-range wireless communication.

The measurement unit 15 measures the power of the first circuit 203a on the primary side of the main breaker 10 with a power meter. The measurement unit 15 also measures the current of the second circuit 203b on the secondary side of the main breaker 10 with a first ammeter. Furthermore, the measurement unit 15 measures the acceleration of the measurement unit 15 itself with an accelerometer. The measurement unit 15 then passes the three measurement results (power value, first current value, and acceleration value) to the main breaker 10.

Based on the measurement results of the measurement unit 15, the main breaker 10 detects the occurrence of an overcurrent, a ground fault, or an earthquake on the secondary side of the main breaker 10 itself and enters a tripped state.

(4-1) Example of Operation The main breaker 10 operates, for example, according to the flowchart shown in Fig. 3. The process of this flowchart is started in response to the supply of power from the power grid 201.

The processing unit 12 that constitutes the main breaker 10 determines whether or not a power outage has occurred based on the measurement results from the measurement unit 15 (step S1). If it is determined that a power outage has not occurred, the process returns to step S1.

When it is determined that a power outage has occurred, the acquisition unit 121 constituting the processing unit 12 executes an acquisition process to acquire disaster-related information (step S2). Next, the identification unit 122 executes a cause identification process to acquire cause information (step S3).

Next, the estimation unit 123 executes a state estimation process based on the disaster-related information acquired in step S2 and the cause information acquired in step S3, and acquires state information (step S4).

Next, the response unit 124 executes a disaster attribute determination process based on the disaster attribute information included in the disaster-related information acquired in step S2 (step S5), and determines whether the power outage that occurred is a disaster-induced power outage (step S6).

If it is determined that the power outage that occurred is a disaster-related power outage, the handling unit 124 acquires handling information including at least one of warning information and recommendation information, and the output unit 13 outputs the acquired handling information (step S7). As a result, a screen such as that shown in FIG. 5 is displayed on the terminal 40.

If it is determined that the power outage that occurred is a non-disaster power outage, the handling unit 124 acquires handling information including procedure information, and the output unit 13 outputs the acquired handling information (step S8). As a result, a screen such as that shown in FIG. 4 is displayed on the terminal 40.

After the handling information has been output in this way, processing returns to step S1.

The acquisition process of step S2 may be executed before the judgment process of step S1 (judging whether or not there is a power outage). If it is judged in step S1 after step S2 that there is no power outage, the acquisition process of step S2 may be executed again after a certain time has elapsed since the judgment.

(4-2) Output Examples (4-2-1) Output Examples in Case of Disaster-Induced Power Outage The screen in Fig. 5 includes the following text, which warns users to refrain from performing any recovery operations and recommends calling a professional: "A power outage has occurred. The cause of the power outage is the operation of the home breaker. There is a possibility of a power leak due to flooding caused by heavy rain. Please take action according to the following procedure. Do not switch on the breaker. Ask a professional to inspect it."

Customers can refer to the screen in Figure 5 and take appropriate measures to deal with the disaster-induced electrical leakage that caused the power outage (refrain from restoring power and requesting an inspection by a contractor).

(4-2-2) Example of output in the case of a non-disaster power outage The screen in Figure 4 includes the following text indicating the procedure for restoring power: "A power outage has occurred. The cause of the power outage is the operation of the home breaker. There is a possibility of a power leak. Please take action according to the following procedure. Switch off all branch breakers. Switch on the main breaker. Switch on the branch breakers in order..."

Customers can refer to the screen in Figure 4 to take appropriate measures (restoration operations) to deal with the non-disaster leakage current that caused the power outage.

(4-3) Advantages of Embodiment 1 As described above, according to embodiment 1, when a power outage occurs in a single home, it is possible to estimate the state of the electrical circuit and, ultimately, to deal with the estimated state.

(5) Embodiment 2
Next, a description will be given of a state estimation system 1 according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. In the following, only differences from the first embodiment will be described, and descriptions of matters already mentioned will be omitted or simplified.

As shown in FIG. 6, the state estimation system 1 according to the second embodiment includes one or more distribution boards 100 and a server 30. Each of the one or more distribution boards 100 is connected to the server 30 via a first network 301, a GW 303, and a second network 302 so as to be able to communicate with the server 30 at all times. The server 30 can also be connected to a customer terminal 40 via the first network 301 so as to be able to communicate with the server 30. The breakers (10, 50) and the measurement unit 15 are built into each of the one or more distribution boards 100.

(5-1) Server In the first embodiment, the acquisition unit 121, the identification unit 122, the estimation unit 123, and the response unit 124 (see FIG. 2) that were provided in the main breaker 10 are removed from the main breaker 10 as shown in FIG. 8 in the second embodiment, and are provided in the server 30 as shown in FIG. 7.

(5-1-1) Acquisition Unit of Server The acquisition unit 121 included in the server 30 executes the above-described acquisition process for disaster-related information related to natural disasters in areas where each of the one or more distribution boards 100 exists. The results of the acquisition process are usually stored in the memory of the server 30 in association with a distribution board identifier that identifies each distribution board 100.

(5-1-2) Identification Unit of Server The identification unit 122 included in the server 30 executes the cause identification process as described above based on the measurement results from the measurement units 15 built into each of the one or more distribution boards 100.

(5-1-3) Estimation Unit of Server The estimation unit 123 provided in the server 30 executes the state estimation process as described above for the electrical circuits (203a to 203c) interposed by the breakers (10, 50) built into each of one or more distribution boards 100.

(5-1-4) Server Response Unit, etc. The response unit 124 provided in the server 30 executes response processing, including the disaster attribute discrimination processing as described above, for the electrical circuits (203a to 203c) through which the breakers (10, 50) built into each of the one or more distribution boards 100 are interposed.

Thus, in the second embodiment, the condition estimation system 1 includes one or more distribution boards 100 and a server 30, and the server 30 executes, for each of the one or more distribution boards 100 (each distribution board 100), an acquisition process, a cause identification process, a condition estimation process, and a response process including a disaster attribute determination process (and an output process that outputs at least one of the condition information and the response information). This makes it possible to estimate the condition of the electrical circuits (203a to 203c) in each distribution board 100 when a power outage occurs.

(5-2) One or More Distribution Boards Each of the one or more distribution boards 100 constituting the state estimation system 1 of embodiment 2 includes a main breaker 10, one or more branch breakers 50, a measurement unit 15, and a power supply unit 14, similar to the single distribution board 100 constituting the state estimation system 1 of embodiment 1.

(5-2-1) Measuring Unit However, the measuring unit 15 in the second embodiment further detects at least one of an overcurrent and a leakage current in the third electric circuit 203c.

(5-2-2) Storage unit of distribution board: Second storage unit (5-3) Supporter's terminal In the second embodiment, as described above, the status information and the like are transmitted to the supporter's terminal 40 in addition to or instead of the customer's terminal 40. The server 30 is connected to the supporter's terminal 40 via the first network 301 so as to be able to communicate with it.

(5-3-1) Contractor The contractor is an electrical contractor who performs construction work related to the electrical circuits (203a to 203c). The contractor's terminal 40 is connected to the server 30 via the first network 301 so as to be able to communicate with each other.

(5-3-2) Disaster response information for contractors and disaster response information for customers The response unit 124 may acquire disaster response information for customers as well as disaster response information for contractors. The disaster response information for contractors includes request information for at least one of inspection and repair related to the electrical circuits (203a to 203c). The disaster response information for customers includes notification information for notifying that response request information for contractors will be sent.

The output unit 13 may transmit handling information for the business to the former terminal 40 and may also transmit handling information for the customer to the customer's terminal 40.

(5-4) Operation Example The server 30 executes the process of the flowchart in Fig. 3 for each of the one or more distribution boards 100. Below, the process for one of the one or more distribution boards 100 (hereinafter simply referred to as "distribution board 100") will be described.

The processing unit 32 constituting the server 30 determines whether or not a power outage has occurred in the house including the distribution board 100 based on the measurement results from the measurement unit 15 of the distribution board 100 (step S1). If it is determined that a power outage has not occurred, the process returns to step S1.

When it is determined that a power outage has occurred, the acquisition unit 121 constituting the processing unit 32 executes an acquisition process to acquire disaster-related information for the area including the distribution board 100 (step S2). Next, the identification unit 122 executes an in-house cause identification process for the home including the distribution board 100, and acquires cause information (step S3).

Next, the estimation unit 123 performs a state estimation process for the electrical circuit corresponding to the distribution board 100 based on the disaster-related information acquired in step S2 and the cause information acquired in step S3, and acquires state information (step S4).

Next, the response unit 124 executes a disaster attribute determination process based on the disaster attribute information included in the disaster-related information acquired in step S2 (step S5), and determines whether the power outage that occurred in the home including the distribution board 100 is a disaster-related power outage (step S6).

If it is determined that the power outage that occurred is a disaster-related power outage, the handling unit 124 acquires handling information including at least one of warning information and recommendation information for the house including the distribution board 100, and the output unit 13 outputs the acquired handling information (step S7). As a result, a screen such as that shown in FIG. 9 is displayed on the customer terminal 40 corresponding to the distribution board 100.

If it is determined that the power outage that occurred is a non-disaster power outage, the handling unit 124 acquires handling information including procedure information, and the output unit 13 outputs the acquired handling information (step S8). As a result, a screen such as that shown in FIG. 4 is displayed on the customer's terminal 40.

After the handling information has been output in this way, processing returns to step S1.

(5-5) Output Examples (5-5-1) Output Examples in the Event of a Disaster-Induced Power Outage For example, in response to the occurrence of a disaster-induced power outage in a home including the distribution board 100, a screen like that shown in FIG. 9 is displayed on the customer terminal 40 corresponding to the distribution board 100.

The screen in Figure 9 contains the following text, warning users to refrain from attempting to restore power and recommending that they contact a professional: "A power outage has occurred. The cause of the power outage is the operation of the home breaker. There may be a power leak at the entrance due to flooding caused by heavy rain. Please take action using the following procedure. Switch off the branch breaker in the upper right corner of the top row. Switch on the main breaker. We have requested a contractor to inspect the system, so please wait for them to arrive."

Customers in homes that include a distribution board 100 can refer to the screen in Figure 9 to take appropriate measures to deal with the disaster-induced electrical leakage at the entrance that caused the power outage (turning off the branch breaker corresponding to the entrance, switching on the main breaker, and waiting for the arrival of a contractor).

(5-5-2) Example of Output in Case of Non-Disaster Power Outage In response to the occurrence of a non-disaster power outage in a house including the distribution board 100, a screen such as that shown in FIG. 4 is displayed on the customer terminal 40 corresponding to the distribution board 100.

Customers in homes that include the distribution board 100 can refer to the screen in Figure 4 to take appropriate measures (restore operations) to deal with the non-disaster leakage current that caused the power outage.

(5-6) Advantages of Embodiment 2 As described above, according to embodiment 2, by performing acquisition processing, cause identification processing, and state estimation processing (and further, response processing including disaster attribute determination processing, and output processing) in response to a power outage for each of one or more homes, it is possible to estimate the state of the electrical circuits (203a to 203c) and, ultimately, to respond to the estimated state.

(6) State Estimation Method and Program The same functions as those of the state estimation system 1 may be realized by a state estimation method or a program. The state estimation method includes at least step S2 (acquisition step), step S3 (identification step), and step S4 (estimation step) among the various steps described above.

The program causes one or more computers to execute the state estimation method. The one or more computers may be, for example, a single processor in the main breaker 10, or two processors, a processor in the main breaker 10 and a processor in the server 30, or three or more processors in which these two processors are added with one or more processors corresponding to one or more terminals 40.

(7) Summary The state estimation system (1) according to the first aspect of the present disclosure includes an acquisition unit (121), an identification unit (122), and an estimation unit (123). The acquisition unit (121) executes an acquisition process. The acquisition process is a process of acquiring disaster-related information from an external server (60). The disaster-related information is information related to the occurrence of a natural disaster. The identification unit (122) executes a cause identification process when a power outage occurs. The cause identification process is a process of identifying the cause of the power outage and acquiring cause information based on the measurement results from the measurement unit (15). The measurement unit (15) is used in association with breakers (main breaker 10, branch breaker 50: hereinafter simply referred to as (10, 50)). The breakers (10, 50) are interposed in electric circuits (first electric circuit 203a, second electric circuit 203b, third electric circuit 203c: hereinafter simply referred to as (203a to 203c)) between the power system (201) and a load (202) in a customer's premises. The estimation unit (123) executes a state estimation process. The state estimation process is a process of estimating the state of the electric circuits (203a to 203c) based on disaster-related information and cause information, and acquiring state information related to the estimation result.

According to this aspect, when a power outage occurs, it is possible to estimate the state of the electrical circuits (203a to 203c) using disaster-related information from the external server (60) and cause information based on the measurement results of the measurement unit (15). As a result, it is possible to take measures according to the estimated state.

In the state estimation system (1) according to the second aspect, in the first aspect, the measurement unit (15) includes one or more measuring instruments for detecting one or more interruption causes among an overcurrent, a ground fault, and an earthquake. The measurement result includes one or more measurement values corresponding to the one or more measuring instruments. When the breaker (10, 50) detects one or more interruption causes based on the one or more measurement values, the breaker (10, 50) performs an interruption operation to interrupt the current in the electric circuit (203a to 203c). The power outage is a home power outage. The home power outage is a power outage caused by an interruption operation. The cause information includes interruption cause information. The interruption cause information is information that identifies which of the one or more interruption causes caused the interruption operation.

According to this aspect, when a power outage occurs within a home, it is possible to estimate the cause of the interruption (whether the abnormality occurring in the electrical circuits (203a to 203c) within the home is an overcurrent, a ground fault, or an earthquake).

In the state estimation system (1) according to the third aspect, in the second aspect, the measurement unit (15) further includes another measuring instrument for detecting a grid power outage. A grid power outage is a power outage caused by the power grid (201). The cause identification process further identifies whether the power outage is a grid power outage or a home power outage based on the measurement values of the other measuring instruments. The cause information further includes power outage cause information. The power outage cause information is information indicating whether the power outage is a grid power outage or a home power outage.

This aspect makes it possible to estimate whether the power outage that is occurring is a system power outage (a state in which no current flows through the circuits (203a to 203c) on the primary side (outside the home) of the breaker (10, 50)) or an in-home power outage (a power outage caused by the tripping operation of the breaker (10, 50): a state in which current flows through the circuits (203a to 203c) outside the home, but no current flows through the circuits (203a to 203c) on the secondary side (inside the home) of the breaker (10, 50)).

In the state estimation system (1) according to the fourth aspect, in any of the first to third aspects, the natural disaster includes at least one of an earthquake, lightning, heavy rain, and flood.

According to this aspect, by taking into account information on earthquakes, lightning, heavy rain, and floods, it is possible to estimate the state of the electric circuits (203a to 203c) in more detail (to estimate whether the natural disaster that is the root cause of the power outage is an earthquake, lightning, heavy rain, or flood). Ultimately, it becomes possible to respond according to the type of natural disaster.

The state estimation system (1) according to the fifth aspect is any one of the first to fourth aspects, and further includes a countermeasure unit (124) and an output unit (13). The countermeasure unit (124) acquires countermeasure information. The countermeasure information is information that supports countermeasures according to the state estimated by the estimation unit (123). The output unit (13) outputs at least one of the state information and the countermeasure information.

This aspect can assist in taking measures according to the state of the electrical circuits (203a to 203c) (measures according to various causes of interruptions, measures appropriate for natural disasters, etc.).

In the condition estimation system (1) according to the sixth aspect, in the fifth aspect, the output unit (13) transmits at least one of the condition information and the response information to at least one of the terminals (40) of the customer and the support person. The support person supports the customer in responding to the power outage.

According to this aspect, by transmitting at least one of the status information and the response information to the customer's or supporter's terminal (40), it is possible for the customer or the supporter to respond to the in-house power outage.

In the state estimation system (1) according to the seventh aspect, in the sixth aspect, the state information further includes disaster attribute information. The disaster attribute information is information indicating whether the root cause of the power outage is a disaster-related power outage caused by a natural disaster or a non-disaster power outage not caused by a natural disaster. The response unit (124) acquires different response information depending on whether the disaster attribute information included in the state information indicates a disaster-related power outage or a non-disaster power outage.

According to this aspect, if the root cause of the power outage is a natural disaster, it is possible to provide support for appropriate measures in the event of a natural disaster (for example, measures that can avoid secondary disasters such as electrical fires).

In the state estimation system (1) according to the eighth aspect, in the seventh aspect, the response unit (124) acquires disaster response information when the disaster attribute information included in the state information indicates a disaster-induced power outage. The disaster response information includes at least one of warning information and recommendation information. The warning information is information indicating that a recovery operation for recovering the breaker (10, 50) from the cutoff state should be refrained from. The recommendation information is information indicating that at least one of an inspection and a repair related to the electric circuits (203a to 203c) is recommended to be performed.

According to this aspect, in the case of a disaster-induced power outage, disaster response information including warning information or recommendation information can be acquired to assist in responding appropriately to natural disasters.

In the state estimation system (1) according to the ninth aspect, in the eighth aspect, the supporter is a contractor related to the electric circuits (203a to 203c). When the disaster attribute information included in the state information indicates a disaster-induced power outage, the countermeasure unit (124) and the output unit (13) perform the following operations. That is, the countermeasure unit (124) acquires contractor-oriented disaster countermeasure information including request information to request at least one of inspection and repair related to the electric circuits (203a to 203c), and acquires customer-oriented disaster countermeasure information including at least one of warning information to the customer that the customer should refrain from performing a recovery operation to recover the breaker (10, 50) from the cut-off state, and notification information to the customer that the contractor-oriented countermeasure request information will be sent. The output unit (13) transmits the contractor-oriented countermeasure information to the contractor's terminal (40) and transmits the customer-oriented countermeasure information to the customer's terminal (40).

According to this aspect, in the event of a disaster-induced power outage, an inspection is automatically requested from a contractor, and the customer is warned to refrain from performing any restoration operations and is notified of the request to the contractor, thereby helping the customer to receive assistance from the contractor and take appropriate measures.

In the state estimation system (1) according to the tenth aspect, in any of the seventh to ninth aspects, when the disaster attribute information included in the state information indicates a non-disaster power outage, the response unit (124) and the output unit (13) perform the following operations. That is, the response unit (124) acquires non-disaster response information. The non-disaster response information includes procedure information regarding the procedure for a recovery operation to restore the breaker (10, 50) from the cut-off state. The output unit (13) transmits the non-disaster response information to the customer's terminal (40).

According to this aspect, in the event of a non-disaster power outage, customers can be notified of the recovery procedure, helping them to take appropriate action themselves.

The state estimation system (1) according to the eleventh aspect further includes one or more distribution boards (100) and a server (30) in any one of the first to tenth aspects. The server (30) is capable of communicating with each of the one or more distribution boards (100). The breakers (10, 50) and the measurement unit (15) are built into each of the one or more distribution boards (100). The acquisition unit (121), the identification unit (122), and the estimation unit (123) are provided in the server (30). The acquisition unit (121) provided in the server (30) executes an acquisition process for disaster-related information related to a natural disaster in an area in which each of the one or more distribution boards (100) is located. The identification unit (122) provided in the server (30) executes a cause identification process based on a measurement result from a measurement unit (15) built into each of the one or more distribution boards (100). The estimation unit (123) included in the server (30) performs state estimation processing for the electrical circuits (203a to 203c) that are connected to breakers (10, 50) built into each of one or more distribution boards (100).

According to this aspect, it is possible to estimate the state of the electrical circuits (203a to 203c) in each of one or more distribution boards (100) (each distribution board 100). As a result, it is possible to take measures in each distribution board (100) according to the estimated state.

The breaker (10, 50) according to the twelfth aspect is interposed in an electric circuit (203a-203c) between a power system (201) and a load (202) in a customer's premises. The breaker (10, 50) includes an acquisition unit (121), an identification unit (122), and an estimation unit (123). The acquisition unit (121) executes an acquisition process. The acquisition process is a process of acquiring disaster-related information from an external server (60). The disaster-related information is information related to the occurrence of a natural disaster. The identification unit (122) executes a cause identification process when a power outage occurs. The cause identification process is a process of identifying the cause of the power outage and acquiring cause information based on the measurement results from the measurement unit (15). The measurement unit (15) is used in association with the breaker (10, 50). The estimation unit (123) executes a state estimation process. The condition estimation process is a process that estimates the condition of the electrical circuits (203a to 203c) based on disaster-related information and cause information, and obtains condition information related to the estimation result.

According to this aspect, like the first aspect, when a power outage occurs, it is possible to estimate the state of the electrical circuits (203a to 203c) and, ultimately, to take measures according to the estimated state.

The distribution board (100) according to the thirteenth aspect is equipped with the breaker (50, 10) according to the twelfth aspect.

According to this aspect, like the first aspect, when a power outage occurs, it is possible to estimate the state of the electrical circuits (203a to 203c) and, ultimately, to take measures according to the estimated state.

The state estimation method according to the fourteenth aspect includes an acquisition step (S2), a determination step (S3), and an estimation step (S4). The acquisition step (S2) executes an acquisition process. The acquisition process is a process of acquiring disaster-related information from an external server (60). The disaster-related information is information related to the occurrence of a natural disaster. The determination step (S3) executes a cause identification process when a power outage occurs. The cause identification process is a process of identifying the cause of the power outage and acquiring cause information based on the measurement results from the measurement unit (15). The measurement unit (15) is used in association with a breaker (10, 50). The breaker (10, 50) is interposed in an electric circuit (203a to 203c) between a power system (201) and a load (202) in a customer's premises. The estimation step (S4) executes a state estimation process. The condition estimation process is a process that estimates the condition of the electrical circuits (203a to 203c) based on disaster-related information and cause information, and obtains condition information related to the estimation result.

According to this aspect, like the first aspect, when a power outage occurs, it is possible to estimate the state of the electrical circuits (203a to 203c) and, ultimately, to take measures according to the estimated state.

The program according to the fifteenth aspect causes one or more computers to execute the state estimation method according to the fourteenth aspect.

According to this aspect, like the first aspect, when a power outage occurs, it is possible to estimate the state of the electrical circuits (203a to 203c) and, ultimately, to take measures according to the estimated state.

1 State estimation system 10 Main breaker (breaker)
REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 100 Distribution board 11, 31 Reception unit 12, 32 Processing unit 121 Acquisition unit 122 Identification unit 123 Estimation unit 124 Response unit 13, 33 Output unit 14 Power supply unit 15 Measurement unit 30 Server 40 Terminal 60 External server 201 Power system 202 Load 203a First electric circuit (electric circuit)
203b Second circuit (circuit)
203c Third circuit (circuit)

Claims (15)

An acquisition unit that executes an acquisition process of acquiring disaster-related information related to the occurrence of a natural disaster from an external server;
An identification unit that executes a cause identification process that identifies the cause of a power outage and acquires cause information based on a measurement result from a measurement unit that is used in conjunction with a breaker that is interposed in an electric circuit between a power grid and a load in a customer's premises when a power outage occurs;
and an estimation unit that executes a state estimation process to estimate a state of the electric circuit based on the disaster-related information and the cause information and acquire state information related to the estimation result.
State estimation system. The measurement unit includes one or more measuring instruments for detecting one or more interruption causes of an overcurrent, a ground fault, and an earthquake;
the measurement results include one or more measurement values corresponding to the one or more measuring instruments;
When the breaker detects any of the one or more interruption causes based on the one or more measurement values, the breaker performs an interruption operation to interrupt the current of the electric path;
The power outage is a power outage in a home that is caused by the shutoff operation,
The cause information includes shutdown cause information that identifies which of the one or more shutdown causes is a shutdown operation cause that caused the shutdown operation.
The state estimation system according to claim 1 . The measurement unit further includes another measurement device for detecting a grid outage that is a power outage caused by the power grid;
The cause identification process further identifies whether the power outage is a power grid power outage or a home power outage based on the measurement values of the other measuring instruments,
The cause information further includes power outage cause information indicating whether the power outage is the grid power outage or the home power outage.
The state estimation system according to claim 2 . The natural disaster includes at least one of an earthquake, lightning, heavy rain, and flood.
The state estimation system according to claim 1 . a countermeasure unit that acquires countermeasure information for supporting a countermeasure according to the state estimated by the estimation unit;
and an output unit that outputs at least one of the status information and the handling information.
The state estimation system according to claim 1 . The output unit transmits at least one of the status information and the handling information to at least one of a terminal of the customer and a supporter who supports the customer in handling the power outage.
The state estimation system according to claim 5 . The status information further includes disaster attribute information indicating whether the root cause of the power outage is a disaster power outage caused by the natural disaster or a non-disaster power outage not caused by the natural disaster,
The handling unit acquires different handling information depending on whether the disaster attribute information included in the status information indicates the disaster power outage or the non-disaster power outage.
The state estimation system according to claim 6 . When the disaster attribute information included in the state information indicates the disaster-induced power outage, the response unit acquires disaster response information including at least one of warning information to refrain from performing a recovery operation to recover the breaker from the cut-off state, and recommendation information to recommend performing at least one of an inspection and a repair related to the electric circuit.
The state estimation system according to claim 7. The supporter is a trader related to the electrical circuit,
When the disaster attribute information included in the state information indicates the disaster-induced power outage,
The response unit acquires disaster response information for contractors, which includes request information for requesting at least one of inspection and repair related to the electric circuit, and also acquires disaster response information for customers, which includes at least one of warning information for the customer to refrain from performing a recovery operation for recovering the breaker from the interrupted state, and notification information for the customer to transmit the response request information for contractors;
The output unit transmits the vendor-oriented handling information to a vendor terminal and transmits the customer-oriented handling information to a customer terminal.
The state estimation system according to claim 8 . When the disaster attribute information included in the status information indicates the non-disaster power outage,
The response unit acquires non-disaster response information including procedure information regarding a procedure for a recovery operation for recovering the breaker from a cut-off state,
The output unit transmits the non-disaster response information to the customer's terminal.
The state estimation system according to claim 7. one or more distribution boards;
A server capable of communicating with each of the one or more distribution boards,
The breaker and the measurement unit are built into each of the one or more distribution boards,
the acquisition unit, the identification unit, and the estimation unit are provided in the server,
The acquisition unit included in the server executes the acquisition process for the disaster-related information related to the natural disaster in an area where each of the one or more distribution boards is located,
The identification unit included in the server executes the cause identification process based on the measurement results from the measurement units built into each of the one or more distribution boards,
The estimation unit included in the server executes the state estimation process for the electric circuit including the breaker built into each of the one or more distribution boards.
The state estimation system according to any one of claims 1 to 10. A breaker disposed in an electrical path between an electric power system and a load in a customer's premises,
An acquisition unit that executes an acquisition process of acquiring disaster-related information related to the occurrence of a natural disaster from an external server;
An identification unit that executes a cause identification process to identify the cause of a power outage and acquire cause information based on a measurement result from a measurement unit that is used in association with the breaker when a power outage occurs;
and an estimation unit that executes a state estimation process to estimate a state of the electric circuit based on the disaster-related information and the cause information and acquire state information related to the estimation result.
breaker. A breaker according to claim 12,
Distribution board. An acquisition step of executing an acquisition process of acquiring disaster-related information related to the occurrence of a natural disaster from an external server;
A determination step of performing a cause determination process for determining a cause of the power outage based on a measurement result from a measurement unit used in association with a breaker interposed in an electric circuit between a power grid and a load in a customer's premises when a power outage occurs, and acquiring cause information;
and executing a state estimation process of estimating a state of the electric circuit based on the disaster-related information and the cause information, and acquiring state information related to an estimation result.
State estimation methods. 15. A method for causing one or more computers to execute the state estimation method according to claim 14,
program.

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