APPARATUS STATE DETECTOR, METHOD FOR DETECTING APPARATUS STATE, APPARATUS STATE DETECTION SERVER AND APPARATUS STATE DETECTION SYSTEM; LIVING PERSONS' ANOMALY DETECTOR, LIVING PERSONS' ANOMALY DETECTION SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DETECTING LIVING PERSONS' ANOMALY, AND APPARATUS-STATE DATABASE MAINTENANCE SERVER

• US 20110010106A1
• Filed: 03/18/2009
• Published: 01/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Inventors: Kushiro, Noriyuki, Hibara, Naoyuki, Kuroiwa, Takeru, Nakata, Masanori, Ito, Yoshiaki, Katsukura, Makoto, Higuma, Toshiyasu
• Granted Patent: US 8,930,146 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/19
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 4/002 Remote reading of utility meters
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/2825 in household appliances or professional audio/video equipment testing LAN's H04L43/50; testing TV systems H04N17/00; testing loudspeakers H04R29/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0423 detecting deviation from an expected pattern of behaviour or schedule
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0484 Arrangements monitoring consumption of a utility or use of an appliance which consumes a utility to detect unsafe condition, e.g. metering of water, gas or electricity, use of taps, toilet flush, gas stove or electric kettle
• 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 90/20 Smart grids as enabling technology in buildings sector smart grids supporting the management or operation of end-user stationary applications in general, or like technologies with no associated climate change mitigation effect Y04S20/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/242 Home appliances
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/30 Smart metering, e.g. specially adapted for remote reading

Abstract

An apparatus state detector and its associates are provided to save time and effort for learning combinations of operation states of all apparatuses at home and commit fewer estimation errors even when an unknown apparatus starts operating. The apparatus state detector includes measuring means 110 that measures a physical quantity of an environment in which an apparatus is placed, feature-quantity calculation means 120 that calculates a feature quantity of the measured value measured by the measuring means 110, storage means 140 that stores in advance the feature quantity of each apparatus and an apparatus state associated with the feature quantity in a reference-apparatus entry dictionary 200, and apparatus-state detection means 130 that searches the reference-apparatus entry dictionary 200 for a feature quantity by using a feature quantity calculated by the feature-quantity calculation means 120 as a search key and detects an apparatus state based on the apparatus state associated with the retrieved feature quantity.

Claims

1. An apparatus state detector that detects states of a single or a plurality of apparatuses comprising:

measuring means that measures a physical quantity of an environment in which the apparatus is placed;

feature-quantity calculation means that calculates a feature quantity of the measured value measured by said measuring means;

storage means that stores, in advance, said feature quantities of each apparatus and apparatus states associated with the feature quantities, respectively, as dictionary data; and

apparatus-state detection means that searches for a feature quantity in said dictionary data by using a feature quantity calculated by said feature-quantity calculation means as a search key and detects an apparatus state based on the apparatus state associated with the retrieved feature quantity as a result of the search.

3. The apparatus state detector of claim 1, wherein

said measuring means measures a value of current supplied to the apparatus, a flow rate of water used by the apparatus, a flow rate of gas used by the apparatus, illuminance of the environment in which the apparatus is installed, a temperature of the environment in which the apparatus is installed, or an amount of data transfer across a communication network of the environment in which the apparatus is installed, as the physical quantity.

14. The apparatus state detector of claim 1, wherein

said feature-quantity calculation means takes a weighted average of said measured values with a predetermined window width to determine an average measurement value, and defines said average measurement value as said feature quantity.

15. The apparatus state detector of claim 14, wherein

said feature-quantity calculation means obtains a difference value between said average measurement value and said measured value before being averaged, defines the difference value as a differential measurement value, and defines said average measurement value and said differential measurement value as said feature quantity.

16. The apparatus state detector of claim 15, wherein

said feature-quantity calculation means takes a weighted average of said average measurement values with a predetermined window width to determine a second average measurement value,

further obtains a difference value between said second average measurement value, and said average measurement value before being averaged and defines the difference value as a second differential measurement value, and

defines said average measurement value, said differential measurement value, said second average measurement value and said second differential measurement value as said feature quantities.

17. The apparatus state detector of claim 1, wherein

said feature-quantity calculation means performs predetermined calculations to extract periodicity of said measured values, and

defines a position at which the periodicity is extracted in the measured values and the intensity at the position for each extracted period as said feature quantity.

18. The apparatus state detector of claim 17, wherein

said feature-quantity calculation means extracts periodicity of said measured values by using Fourier transform or wavelet transform.

19. The apparatus state detector of claim 1, wherein

said apparatus-state detection means calculates a matching degree of the feature quantity calculated by said feature-quantity calculation means and the feature quantity in said dictionary data to identify a search result based on the matching degree.

20. The apparatus state detector of claim 19, wherein

said feature quantity is a multi-dimensional vector value, and

said apparatus-state detection means obtains a difference between the feature quantity calculated by said feature-quantity calculation means and the feature quantity in said dictionary data for every dimension and calculates said matching degree using the difference.

21. The apparatus state detector of claim 19, wherein

said feature quantity is a multi-dimensional vector value, and

said apparatus-state detection means obtains a difference between the feature quantity calculated by said feature-quantity calculation means and the feature quantity in said dictionary data for every dimension, counts the number of the dimensions whose difference is in a predetermined range, and defines a value obtained by dividing a counted result by the total number of dimensions as said matching degree.

22. The apparatus state detector of claim 19, wherein

said feature quantity is a multi-dimensional vector value, and

said apparatus-state detection means obtains an inner product of vectors of the feature quantity calculated by said feature-quantity calculation means and the feature quantity in said dictionary data, and defines a value obtained by dividing the inner product by a norm of each vector as said matching degree.

23. The apparatus state detector of claim 19, wherein

said feature quantity for each said apparatus is stored as historical data, and

said apparatus-state detection means obtains a difference between a first feature quantity that is calculated before the apparatus is operated and a second feature quantity that is calculated after the apparatus is operated and defines the difference as a third feature quantity, and

calculates a matching degree of said third feature quantity and the feature quantity in said dictionary data to identify a search result based on the matching degree.

24. The apparatus state detector of claim 23, wherein

said apparatus-state detection means links said second feature quantity and an apparatus state associated with said feature quantity identified as a search result and stores them as new dictionary data.

25. The apparatus state detector of claim 23, wherein

said apparatus-state detection means judges that a point at which a long period component of said feature quantity varies a predetermined value or more is a point in time when the apparatus has started an operation.

28. The apparatus state detector of claim 1, wherein

said apparatus-state detection means stores the feature quantity that was used as a search key to search for a feature quantity in said dictionary data as feature quantity historical data in said dictionary data identified as a result of the search.

29. The apparatus state detector of claim 28, wherein

said apparatus-state detection means judges whether the apparatus is in a warning state based on said feature quantity historical data.

31. The apparatus state detector of claim 29, wherein

said apparatus-state detection means calculates either of, or both, an average and a variance of said feature quantity historical data and judges that the apparatus is in a warning state when either of, or both, the average and variance exceed a predetermined threshold uniquely assigned to each apparatus.

33. The apparatus state detector of claim 29, wherein

said apparatus-state detection means calculates and stores either of, or both, an average and a variance of said feature quantity historical data, and

when either of, or both, an average and a variance of said feature quantity historical data are newly calculated, said apparatus-state detection means obtains a difference between a stored value and a newly calculated value and judges that the apparatus is in a warning state when the difference exceeds a predetermined threshold uniquely assigned to each apparatus.

34. The apparatus state detector of claim 29, wherein

when an apparatus state is detected to be a warning state, said apparatus-state detection means judges that apparatus states prior to and subsequent to the apparatus state detected by said apparatus-state detection means within a predetermined period of time are warning states.

35. The apparatus state detector of claim 29, wherein

when an apparatus state is detected to be a warning state, said apparatus-state detection means judges that apparatus states prior to and subsequent to the apparatus state detected by said apparatus-state detection means within a predetermined period of time are pre-warning states, and judges that said apparatus states are warning states when the number of determinations of said pre-warning states reaches a predetermined number.

2. (canceled)

4-13. -13. (canceled)

26-27. -27. (canceled)

30. (canceled)

32. (canceled)

36-72. -72. (canceled)

73. An apparatus state detector that detects states of an apparatus connected to a feeder line, comprising:

current detection means that measures current flowing through the feeder line;

current/voltage conversion means that converts the current measured by said current detection means into a voltage value;

wave filter means that allows a specific frequency component of the current to pass therethrough, said current being converted by said current/voltage conversion means into the voltage value;

wave amplifying means that amplifies current including the specific frequency component that has passed through said wave filter means;

AD conversion means that converts a current waveform amplified by said wave amplifying means from an analog value into a digital value;

feature-quantity calculation means that calculates a feature quantity from a digital current value subjected to AD conversion;

an apparatus state database that stores a plurality of reference apparatus entries, each of said reference apparatus entries containing an apparatus feature quantity and an apparatus state associated therewith, said reference apparatus entries being prepared for every state of every apparatus;

apparatus-state detection means that compares the feature quantity calculated by said feature-quantity calculation means with the apparatus feature quantities of the reference apparatus entries in said apparatus state database and identifies a reference apparatus entry containing an apparatus feature quantity matching the feature quantity calculated by said feature-quantity calculation means; and

an output device that outputs the reference apparatus entry identified by said apparatus-state detection means as an apparatus state information.

74. The apparatus state detector of claim 73, further comprising:

voltage detection means that measures voltage of said feeder line;

wave separating means; and

waveform smoothing means, wherein

said AD conversion means converts the voltage of said feeder line measured by said voltage detection means from an analog value into a digital value and outputs the digitized voltage values and the digitized current waveform values to said wave separating means, said digitized current waveform values being obtained by amplifying the current waveform by said wave amplifying means and digitizing the amplified current waveform by said AD conversion means,

said wave separating means separates the digital current-waveform values digitized by said AD conversion means by a period of the voltage digitized by said AD conversion means and adds or eliminates a value so that the number of the digital value samples of the separated current reaches a predetermined number, and

said waveform smoothing means reads sample current values of the currents separated by said wave separating means for each voltage period and performs convolution calculation thereof.

75. The apparatus state detector of claim 74, wherein

said feature-quantity calculation means determines a feature quantity using the current values smoothed by said waveform smoothing means.

76. The apparatus state detector of claim 73, comprising

impedance boosting means that increases output impedance and allows the voltage values from said current/voltage conversion means to be input into said wave filter means at high output impedance.

78. The apparatus state detector of claim 73, wherein

said wave amplifying means sets an amplification degree so that the current having passed through said wave filter means has an amplitude equal to or smaller than an input range of said AD conversion means.

79. The apparatus state detector of claim 73, wherein

said feature-quantity calculation means wavelet transform said current values converted by said AD conversion means to obtain a wavelet coefficient and converts said wavelet coefficient into 74 values with a predetermined threshold to define the value as a feature quantity.

80. The apparatus state detector of claim 73, wherein

said reference apparatus entry includes an ON/OFF state of the apparatus, a mode state of the apparatus, or a deterioration state of the apparatus as said apparatus state.

97. The apparatus state detector of claim 73, comprising:

communication means that exchanges data with an external source; and

apparatus-state database update means that connects to said apparatus state database and updates the apparatus state database based on reference apparatus entry data received externally through said communication means.

77. (canceled)

81-83. -83. (canceled)

84. A living persons'"'"' anomaly detector comprising:

wireless communication means that measures the intensity of a radio wave from a wireless communication device;

activity judgment means that judges an activity state of a living person based on time variations of the radio wave intensity measured by said wireless communication means and defines the judgment result as activity information;

operating-apparatus detection means that detects an operating state of an apparatus placed around the living person and defines the state as apparatus information; and

anomaly detection means that detects the presence or absence of an anomalous activity of the living person based on said activity information and said apparatus information.

86. The living persons'"'"' anomaly detector of claim 84, wherein

said operating-apparatus detection means receives a state report of the apparatus transmitted from the wireless communication device provided to the apparatus and defines said state report as apparatus information.

87. The living persons'"'"' anomaly detector of claim 84, wherein

said operating-apparatus detection means measures a value of current flowing to said apparatus, compares the current value with a preset threshold and defines the comparison result as apparatus information of the apparatus.

88. The living persons'"'"' anomaly detector of claim 84, wherein

said operating-apparatus detection means extracts high-frequency waves from the current flowing through a feeder line of said apparatus, compares them with preset high-frequency waves and defines the comparison results as apparatus information.

89. The living persons'"'"' anomaly detector of claim 84, wherein

said operating-apparatus detection means acquires electromagnetic noise radiated from said apparatus, compares the electromagnetic noise with a preset electromagnetic noise and defines the comparison result as apparatus information of the apparatus.

90. The living persons'"'"' anomaly detector of claim 84, wherein

said wireless communication means receives a radio packet with an error detecting code, and

said anomaly detection means detects the presence or absence of an anomaly in the living person only when said anomaly detection means judges that the received radio packet has no error.

92. The living persons'"'"' anomaly detector of claim 84, wherein

said anomaly detection means includes a database in which anomalous states of the living person are stored in advance and searches said database based on said activity information and said apparatus information to detect the presence or absence of an anomaly.

85. (canceled)

91. (canceled)

93-96. -96. (canceled)

98-100. -100. (canceled)