INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS, METHOD FOR GENERATING ELECTRIC POWER PRICE LIST, INFORMATION PROCESSING SYSTEM, AND DISPLAY DEVICE

• US 20140136448A1
• Filed: 12/10/2012
• Published: 05/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Takayama, Hisashi, Waki, Yuki, Kouda, Tetsuya, Yoshimura, Yasuo, Ikeda, Toshihisa
• Granted Patent: US 10,354,297 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/412
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0206 Price or cost determination based on market factors
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00001 characterised by the display of information or by user interaction, e.g. supervisory control and data acquisition systems [SCADA] or graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/64 The condition being economic, e.g. tariff based load management
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/28 Arrangements for balancing of the load in a network by storage of energy
• 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 10/40 Display of information, e.g. of data or controls
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/222 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/242 Home appliances
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 50/10 Energy trading, including energy flowing from end-user application to grid
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 50/14 Marketing, i.e. market research and analysis, surveying, promotions, advertising, buyer profiling, customer management or rewards

Abstract

An electric power price information acquisition unit (114) acquires information related to an electric power purchase price, which is an electricity cost when an electronic device is operated using electric power supplied from a commercial power source, a price determination unit (100) determines, for each time block, a generated power price which is an electricity cost when an electronic device is operated using generated power of a power generator for generating power using natural energy, and a stored power price which is an electricity cost when an electronic device is operated using electric power stored in an electric storage device, and a user price list generation unit (107) generates an electric power price list capable of displaying, with regard to an arbitrary time block, the electric power purchase price, the generated power price and the stored power price.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus, comprising:

an acquisition unit for acquiring information related to an electric power purchase price, which is an electricity cost when an electronic device is operated using electric power supplied from a commercial power source;

a price determination unit for determining, for each time block, a generated power price which is an electricity cost when an electronic device is operated using generated power of a power generator for generating power using natural energy, and a stored power price which is an electricity cost when an electronic device is operated using electric power stored in an electric storage device; and

an electric power price list generation unit for generating an electric power price list capable of displaying, with regard to an arbitrary time block, the electric power purchase price, the generated power price and the stored power price.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the acquisition unit additionally acquires an operating history of the power generator, and an operating history of the electric storage device,

the information processing apparatus further comprises:

an electric power generation prediction unit for predicting an electric power generation of the power generator by using the operating history of the power generator acquired by the acquisition unit; and

an operation plan generation unit for generating an operation plan of the electric storage device by using the operating history of the electric storage device acquired by the acquisition unit, and

the price determination unit includes;

a power generation price prediction unit for predicting the generated power price by using a predicted value of the electric power generation predicted by the electric power generation prediction unit; and

a power storage price prediction unit for predicting the stored power price based on the electric power purchase price acquired by the acquisition unit, the generated power price predicted by the power generation price prediction unit, and the operation plan of the electric storage device generated by the operation plan generation unit.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the electric power price list generation unit generates an electric power price list which indicates a time block for which a most inexpensive price is designated among the electric power purchase price acquired by the acquisition unit, the generated power price predicted by the power generation price prediction unit, and the stored power price predicted by the power storage price prediction unit.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

the electric power price list generation unit additionally generates an electric power price list which indicates the most inexpensive price for each predetermined electric power usage.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

the electric power price list generation unit generates an electric power price list which indicates, for each predetermined time block, an electric power price in a case of preferentially using a less expensive electric power among the electric power supplied from the commercial power source, the electric power generated by the power generator, and the electric power stored in the electric storage device.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the acquisition unit acquires a use history of electric power used by an electronic device in a user'"'"'s home,

the information processing apparatus further comprises a demand prediction unit for predicting an electric power demand of the electronic device in the user'"'"'s home by using the use history acquired by the acquisition unit, and

the electric power price list generation unit superimposes, on the electric power price list, a prediction result of the electric power demand of the electronic device in the user'"'"'s home predicted by the demand prediction unit.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein

the electric power price list generation unit superimposes, on the electric power price list, together with the prediction result of the electric power demand, electric power required for operating a target electric device among the electronic devices in the user'"'"'s home for which an operating time can be shifted, an operating time that the target electronic device is to be operated, and information indicating the target electronic device.

8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein

when the operating time of the target electronic device is changed, the electric power price list generation unit superimposes, on the electric power price list, together with the prediction result of the electric power demand, information indicating the changed operating time of the target electronic device.

9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein

the electric power price list generation unit indicates, for each time block that is more detailed than the predetermined time block, an electric power price of a portion of the electric power price list corresponding to the prediction result of the electric power demand.

10. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the electric power price list generation unit indicates the electric power purchase price on the electric power price list with regard to a time block in which the power generator does not generate power and a time block in which the electric storage device does not discharge, and indicates, on the electric power price list and with regard to a time block in which either the power generator or the electric storage device operates, a least expensive electric power price of either the electric power of the operating device or the electric power supplied from the commercial power source, based on the electric power generation of the power generator predicted by the electric power generation prediction unit and the operation plan of the electric storage device generated by the operation plan generation unit.

11. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the electric power price list generation unit generates the electric power price list that classifies the electric power purchase price, the generated power price, and the stored power price with different colors, respectively.

12. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a sending unit for sending, to a device including a display unit, the electric power price list generated by the electric power price list generation unit.

13. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a display unit for displaying the electric power price list generated by the electric power price list generation unit.

14. A method for generating an electric power price list, comprising:

a step of acquiring information related to an electric power purchase price, which is an electricity cost when an electronic device is operated using electric power supplied from a commercial power source;

a step of determining, for each time block, a generated power price which is an electricity cost when an electronic device is operated using generated power of a power generator for generating power using natural energy, and a stored power price which is an electricity cost when an electronic device is operated using electric power stored in an electric storage device; and

a step of generating an electric power price list capable of displaying, with regard to an arbitrary time block, the electric power purchase price, the generated power price and the stored power price.

15. An information processing system comprising an information processing apparatus, and a display device communicably connected to the information processing apparatus via a network, wherein

the information processing apparatus includes:

an acquisition unit for acquiring information related to an electric power purchase price, which is an electricity cost when an electronic device is operated using electric power supplied from a commercial power source;

a price determination unit for determining, for each time block, a generated power price which is an electricity cost when an electronic device is operated using generated power of a power generator for generating power using natural energy, and a stored power price which is an electricity cost when an electronic device is operated using electric power stored in an electric storage device;

an electric power price list generation unit for generating an electric power price list capable of displaying, with regard to an arbitrary time block, the electric power purchase price, the generated power price and the stored power price; and

a sending unit for sending, to the display device and via the network, the electric power price list generated by the electric power price list generation unit, and

the display device includes;

a receiving unit for receiving the electric power price list via the network; and

a display unit for displaying the electric power price list generated by the electric power price list generation unit.

16. A display device communicably connected via a network to an information processing apparatus including:

an acquisition unit for acquiring information related to an electric power purchase price, which is an electricity cost when an electronic device is operated using electric power supplied from a commercial power source;

a price determination unit for determining, for each time block, a generated power price which is an electricity cost when an electronic device is operated using generated power of a power generator for generating power using natural energy, and a stored power price which is an electricity cost when an electronic device is operated using electric power stored in an electric storage device; and

an electric power price list generation unit for generating an electric power price list capable of displaying, with regard to an arbitrary time block, the electric power purchase price, the generated power price and the stored power price, wherein

the display device comprises;

a receiving unit for receiving the electric power price list via the network; and

a display unit for displaying the electric power price list received by the receiving unit.

17. The display device according to claim 16, further comprising:

an input unit for accepting an input on which electric power to use among the electric power from the commercial power source, the electric power of the power generator, and the electric power of the electric storage device with regard to each time block from the electric power price list displayed on the display unit; and

a sending unit for sending, via the network, a notification signal for notifying the information processing apparatus of use of the electric power designated with the input unit.

18. The display device according to claim 17, wherein

the input unit detects which electric power to use based on a user'"'"'s operation of a touch panel.

19. The display device according to claim 17, wherein

the input unit detects which electric power to use by receiving an external signal sent from an external remote controller.