Device Operation Control Device and Method Thereof

• US 20080091284A1
• Filed: 12/26/2005
• Published: 04/17/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Yamamoto, Kakuya, Sugiyama, Keiji
• Application Number:
  US11/793,141
• Publication Number:
  US 20080091284A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/90
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/14 The load or loads being home appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/14 by switching loads on to, or off from, network, e.g. progressively balanced loading
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/30 Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for improving the carbon footprint of the management of residential or tertiary loads, i.e. smart grids as climate change mitigation technology in the buildings sector, including also the last stages of power distribution and the control, monitoring or operating management systems at local level
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/3225 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/222 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/242 Home appliances

Abstract

Appropriate operation control over appliances is provided depending on the status of the user and the appliances. An appliance status acquisition unit 101 acquires the operating status of appliances used by a user and a user status acquisition unit 102 acquires user information related to the user. An appliance status management unit 103 makes an assessment as to the need for operation control over the appliances based on the operating status and user status. An activity concern level assessment unit 104 makes an assessment as to the user'"'"'s level of concern with the activities of the appliances based on the operating status and user status and an activity importance level assessment unit 105 makes an assessment as to the importance level of the activities of the appliances based on the operating status and user status. An appliance operation arbitration unit 107 determines the method of operation control over the appliances based on the level of concern and the level of importance and an appliance operation control unit 107 provides operation instructions to the appliances. Such an appliance operation control device 100 makes it possible to carry out operation control of a plurality of appliances not only with account taken of the status of the appliances, but also based on the status of the user, with account taken of the importance level of the activities of the appliances and the user'"'"'s level of concern and personal preferences with respect to the activities of the appliances.

Claims

1. An appliance operation control device comprising:

an appliance status acquisition unit acquiring the respective operating status of appliances used by a user;

a user status acquisition unit acquiring a user status associated with the user;

an activity concern level assessment unit assessing the user'"'"'s level of concern with the activities performed by the appliances based on the user status or the user status and the operating status of the appliances;

an activity importance level assessment unit assessing the importance level of the activities of the appliances based on the operating status of the appliances or the operating status of the appliances and the user status;

an appliance status management unit making an assessment as to whether or not there is a need for operation control over the appliances used by the user based on the operating status of the appliances and the user status;

an appliance operation arbitration unit determining a method of operation control over the appliances based on the level of concern and the level of importance if the appliance status management unit makes an assessment that there is a need for operation control; and

an appliance operation control unit carrying out the operation control over the appliances based on the operation control method determined by the appliance operation arbitration unit.

2. The appliance operation control device according to claim 1, wherein:

the user status acquired by the user status acquisition unit contains information on the current amount of user-providable resources, and

the appliance status management unit assesses the amount of resources required by the appliances to perform activities depending on the operating status of the appliances acquired by the appliance status acquisition unit and makes an assessment as to whether or not there is a need for operation control by comparing the total value of the resources required by the appliances and the current amount of the user-providable resources.

3. The appliance operation control device according to claim 1, wherein the activity concern level assessment unit assesses the user'"'"'s level of concern with the activities of the appliances using at least one parameter from among a distance between the user and the appliances, the frequency of viewing with which the user views the appliances, the frequency of manipulation with which the user manipulates the appliances, and the user'"'"'s personal preferences with respect to the activities of the appliances that are acquired by the user status acquisition unit.

4. The appliance operation control device according to claim 2, wherein the operation control carried out by the appliance operation arbitration unit includes allocation of current user-providable resources acquired by the user status acquisition unit to the appliances based on the value of importance level and concern level.

5. The appliance operation control device according to claim 2, wherein the resources are the level of the user'"'"'s contribution to the activities of the appliances.

6. The appliance operation control device according to claim 4, wherein the resources are the level of the user'"'"'s contribution to the activities of the appliances.

7. An appliance operation control method, which is an appliance operation control method executable by a computer and is comprising:

appliance status acquisition step of acquiring the respective operating status of appliances used by a user;

user status acquisition step of acquiring a user status associated with the user;

activity concern level assessment step of assessing the user'"'"'s level of concern with activities performed by the appliances based on the user status or the user status and the operating status of the appliances;

activity importance level assessment step of assessing the importance level of the activities of the appliances based on the operating status of the appliances or the operating status of the appliances and the user status;

appliance status management step of making an assessment as to whether or not there is a need for operation control over the appliances used by the user based on the operating status of the appliances and the user status;

appliance operation arbitration step of determining a method of operation control over the appliances based on the level of concern and the level of importance when an assessment is made in the appliance status management step that there is a need for operation control; and

appliance operation control step of carrying out the operation control over the appliances based on the operation control method determined in the appliance operation arbitration step.

8. An appliance operation control program, which directs a computer to function as:

appliance status acquisition unit for acquiring the respective operating status of appliances used by a user;

user status acquisition unit for acquiring a user status associated with the user;

activity concern level assessment unit for assessing the user'"'"'s level of concern with activities performed by the appliances based on the user status or the user status and the operating status of the appliances;

activity importance level assessment unit for assessing the importance level of the activities of the appliances based on the operating status of the appliances or the operating status of the appliances and the user status;

appliance status management unit for making an assessment as to whether or not there is a need for operation control over the appliances used by the user based on the operating status of the appliances and the user status;

appliance operation arbitration unit for determining the method of operation control over the appliances based on the level of concern and the level of importance when the appliance status management unit makes an assessment that there is a need for operation control; and

appliance operation control unit for carrying out the operation control over the appliances based on the operation control method determined by the appliance operation arbitration unit.

9. A computer-readable recording medium having recorded thereon an appliance operation control program executable by a computer,

the appliance operation control program executing:

appliance status acquisition step of acquiring the respective operating status of appliances used by a user;

user status acquisition step of acquiring a user status associated with the user;

activity concern level assessment step of assessing the user'"'"'s level of concern with the activities performed by the appliances based on the user status or the user status and the operating status of the appliances;

activity importance level assessment step of assessing the importance level of the activities of the appliances based on the operating status of the appliances or the operating status of the appliances and the user status;

appliance status management step of making an assessment as to whether or not there is a need for operation control over the appliances used by the user based on the operating status of the appliances and the user status;

appliance operation arbitration step of determining a method of operation control over the appliances based on the level of concern and the level of importance when an assessment is made in the appliance status management step that there is a need for operation control; and

appliance operation control step of carrying out the operation control over the appliances based on the operation control method determined in the appliance operation arbitration step.