Environmental Apparatus Control System

• US 20100174413A1
• Filed: 01/18/2006
• Published: 07/08/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Electric Works Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Electric Works Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Murakami, Yoshifumi, Fujino, Hidenori
• Application Number:
  US11/884,380
• Publication Number:
  US 20100174413A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/277
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/30 for purposes related to the operation of the system, e.g. for safety or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/62 characterised by the type of control or by internal processing, e.g. using fuzzy logic, adaptive control or estimation of values
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2140/60 Energy consumption

Abstract

An environmental apparatus control system provides and transmits a message voluntarily to each resident as to the current control being made to residential space or environment in which the residents are presence. The system includes an apparatus for controlling the residential environment and a plurality of personal terminals belonging to individual residents in the residential environment. Each terminal is utilized to enter one of opposed demands with regard to the residential environment. The system analyzes which one of the opposed demands is predominant and determines a control project of controlling the apparatus in a direction of satisfying the predominant demand. An information provider is included in the system to provide a message indicating the number of each one of the opposed demands, and transmit the message to the personal terminals voluntarily. Thus, each resident can be regularly informed of the control project or how the control is made in consideration of the demands from the individual residents without making any particular requesting action.

Claims

1. An environmental apparatus control system comprising:

an apparatus configured to control a residential environment;

a plurality of personal terminals belonging to individual residents in said residential environment, said personal terminals being each configured to input demands of changing said residential environment, said demand including a first demand and a second demand which are opposed to each other;

a demand collector configured to collect said demands from said personal terminals;

a project creator configured to give an analysis of said collected demands to determine which one of said first and second demands is predominant, and to determine a control project of controlling said apparatus in a direction of satisfying the one of said first and second demands determined to be predominant at regular intervals; and

an apparatus controller configured to control said apparatus in accordance with said control project;

wherein said system includes an information provider which is configured to provide a message indicating the number of the first demand and the second demand, and transmit said message to the personal terminals voluntarily at a timing determined by the system, and

wherein said demand collector is configured to judge whether the demand from each of the individual personal terminals comply with a rule of saving energy with reference to a criteria, and

wherein said information provider is configured to provide a confirm message to the personal terminal sending the demand which is judged not to comply with said rule, prompting the resident to reconsider the demand.

2. The system as set fort in claim 1, wherein

said demand collector is configured to collect the total number of the residents, and

said information provider is configured to provide said message indicating a proportion of said first demand and said second demand in said total number of the residents.

3. The system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said information provider is configured to provide said message each time said project creator creates said control project.

4. The system as set forth in claim 3, wherein

said demand collector is configured to have resident information data indicating which personal terminal sends which one of the first and second demands, and

said information provider is configured to provide a persuasive message to the personal terminal of the residents whose demand is not adopted in said control project, said persuasive message notifying why the demand is not adopted.

5. The system as set forth in claim 4, wherein said information provider is configured to provide a notice that the system is not capable of accepting the demands until the controlled environmental condition is settled, said notice being provided to the personal terminals of the residents together with said persuasive message.

6. The system as set forth in claim 1, wherein

said information collecting mean is configured to judge whether the demand from each of the individual personal terminals comply with a rule of saving energy with reference to a criteria, and

said information provider is configured to provide a confirm message to the personal terminal sending the demand which is judged not to comply with said rule, prompting the resident to reconsider the demand.