POWER SUPPLY CONTROL DEVICE, METHOD OF CONTROLLING THE SAME, AND POWER SUPPLY CONTROL SYSTEM

• US 20140044200A1
• Filed: 05/01/2012
• Published: 02/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Soma, Isao, Takemura, Kazuyoshi, Washiro, Takanori
• Granted Patent: US 9,461,708 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 375/257
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 2204/12 Determination or prediction of behaviour, e.g. likely power consumption or unusual usage patterns
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5433 Remote metering
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/546 Combination of signalling, telemetering, protection circuits for remote indication of supply or distribution network condition H02J13/00
• 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 20/30 Smart metering, e.g. specially adapted for remote reading

Abstract

A power control server outputs power through a power line, outputs a high-frequency signal and communicates with an electronic device to which the power is output, through the power line, and reads out device information including at least identification information that identifies the electronic device, obtains user information related to a user who uses the electronic device, and transmits the obtained user information and the read out device information to an information management server. The information management server receives the user information and the device information transmitted from the power control server, and performs user registration related to the electronic device identified by the identification information included in the device information, based on the received user information. The present technology can be applied to a power supply control system that supplies the power to an electronic device, for example.

Claims

1. A power supply control device comprising:

a power source supply unit configured to output power through a power line;

a communication unit configured to output a high-frequency signal and to communicate with an electronic device to which the power is output, through the power line, to read out device information including at least identification information identifying the electronic device;

a control unit configured to obtain user information related to a user who uses the electronic device; and

a transmission unit configured to transmit the obtained user information and the read out device information to an information management device configured to manage the device information.

2. The power supply control device according to claim 1, further comprising a recording unit configured to record the user information,

wherein, when the user information has not been recorded in the recording unit, the control unit obtains the user information input by the user, and when the user information has been recorded in the recording unit, the control unit obtains the recorded user information.

3. The power supply control device according to claim 1,

wherein the control unit performs authentication processing of the electronic device based on the identification information included in the read out device information, and controls the power to be output to the electronic device through the power line in accordance with a result of the authentication processing.

4. The power supply control device according to claim 1,

wherein the communication unit outputs the high-frequency signal and to perform communication through the power line to obtain use history information related to a use status of the electronic device, and

the transmission unit transmits the obtained use history information and the device information to the information management device.

5. The power supply control device according to claim 4,

wherein the communication unit obtains a power used time and a used power amount of the electronic device as the use history information.

6. The power supply control device according to claim 1,

wherein the electronic device is provided with a storage element configured to output the stored device information to the power supply control device through the power line by applying load modulation to the high-frequency signal input through the power line.

7. A control method in which a power supply control device comprising the steps of:

outputting power through a power line;

outputting a high-frequency signal and communicating with an electronic device to which the power is output, through the power line, and reading out device information including at least identification information identifying the electronic device;

obtaining user information related to a user who uses the electronic device; and

transmitting the obtained user information and the read out device information to an information management device configured to manage the device information.

8. A power supply control system comprising:

an electronic device;

a power supply control device;

an information management device; and

a terminal device,

wherein the power supply control device includes

a power source supply unit configured to output power through a power line,

a communication unit configured to output a high-frequency signal and to communicate with the electronic device to which the power is output, through the power line, and to read out device information including at least identification information identifying the electronic device,

a control unit configured to obtain user information related to a user who uses the electronic device, and

a transmission unit configured to transmit the obtained user information and the read out device information to the information management device, and

the information management device includes

a reception unit configured to receive the user information and the device information transmitted from the power supply control device, and

a processing unit configured to perform user registration processing related to the electronic device identified by the identification information included in the device information based on the received, user information.

9. The power supply control system according to claim 8,

wherein the information management device further includes

a recording unit configured to record the received device information, and

the processing unit performs processing of providing the recorded device information in response to a request from the terminal device.

10. The power supply control system according to claim 9,

wherein the communication unit outputs the high-frequency signal and perform communication through the power line to obtain use history information related to a use status of the electronic device,

the transmission unit transmits the obtained use history information and the device information to the information management device,

the reception unit receives the use history information and the device information transmitted from the power supply control device, and

the recording unit records the received use history information and the device information in association with each other.

11. The power supply control system according to claim 10,

wherein the communication unit obtains a power used time and a used power amount of the electronic device as the use history information.

12. The power supply control system according to claim 10,

wherein the processing unit performs processing of providing the recorded use history information in response to a request from the terminal device.

13. The power supply control system according to claim 8,

wherein the electronic device is provided with a storage element configured to apply load modulation to the high-frequency signal input through the power line to output the stored device information to the power supply control device through the power line.