SERVER DEVICE, ELECTRONIC APPARATUS, COMMUNICATION SYSTEM, AND INFORMATION PROCESSING METHOD

• US 20140201110A1
• Filed: 01/16/2014
• Published: 07/17/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: SATO, Hiroki
• Application Number:
  US14/157,103
• Publication Number:
  US 20140201110A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/412
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 4/002 Remote reading of utility meters
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 21/133 by using digital technique
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• 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 terminal device that is an electronic apparatus communicates with a server device that communicates with a communication device located at one premises. The terminal device receives, based on obtaining the electricity usage quantity by the one premises from a wireless router, information representing the total quantity of electricity usage quantity and the total figure of the electricity rate by the one premises, and the total quantity of electricity usage quantity and the total figure of the electricity rate by another premises over a predetermined term. The terminal device provides a display based on the received total quantity of electricity usage quantity and the total figure of the electricity rate. Accordingly, the user can readily determine whether electricity is used economically as compared to another premises.

Claims

1. A server device communicating with a first communication device located at a first residence, a second communication device located at a second residence, and an electronic apparatus used by a user of said first communication device, said server device comprising:

a reception unit configured to receive an electricity usage quantity by said first residence from said first communication device and an electricity usage quantity by said second residence from said second communication device;

a storage unit storing each said electricity usage quantity in correspondence with a time and date when electricity is used, and storing rate information representing an electricity rate on a time zone basis;

a total quantity calculation unit configured to calculate a total quantity of electricity usage quantity by said first residence and a total quantity of electricity usage quantity by said second residence over a predetermined first term based on each said electricity usage quantity;

a total figure calculation unit configured to calculate a total figure of the electricity rate by said first residence and a total figure of the electricity rate by the second residence over said first term based on each said electricity usage quantity stored in correspondence with said time and date, and said rate information; and

a transmission unit configured to transmit to said electronic apparatus the total quantity of electricity usage quantity and the total figure of the electricity rate by said first residence in association, and the total quantity of electricity usage quantity and the total figure of the electricity rate by said second residence in association

2. The server device according to claim 1, wherein

said total quantity calculation unit further calculates the total quantity of electricity usage quantity by said first residence over a second term previous to said first term and identical in length with said first term,

said total figure calculation unit further calculating the total figure of the electricity rate at said first residence over said second term, and

said transmission unit further transmits to said electronic apparatus the total quantity of electricity usage quantity and the total figure of the electricity rate in association by said first residence over said second term.

3. The server device according to claim 1, further comprising a unit price calculation unit configured to calculate a unit price per unit electricity for each of said first residence and said second residence over said first term,

wherein said transmission unit transmits to said electronic apparatus first unit price information representing said unit price for said first residence and second unit price information representing said unit price for said second residence.

4. The server device according to claim 3, wherein

said server device further communicates with a plurality of third communication devices differing from said first communication device and said second communication device,

each of said third communication devices is located at a residence differing from and excluding said first residence and said second residence,

said unit price calculation unit calculates the unit price of the electricity rate per unit electricity for each residence where a third communication device is located,

said transmission unit further transmits to said electronic apparatus ranking information representing ranking of said unit price at said first residence from said unit price of said first residence, said unit price of said second residence, and said unit price of each residence where each said third communication device is located.

5. The server device according to claim 2, wherein

said reception unit further receives the electricity usage quantity by each of a plurality of household appliances provided at said first residence,

said first term is one month of a present month,

said total quantity calculation unit further calculates an estimation value of a total quantity of electricity usage quantity by said first residence when said first term has elapsed from the total quantity of electricity usage quantity by said first residence at a current point in time,

said server device further including a ratio calculation unit configured to calculate a ratio of an electricity usage quantity by each household appliance to said estimation value, and a ratio of the electricity usage quantity by each household appliance to said electricity usage quantity by said first residence over said second term, and

said transmission unit further transmits to said electronic apparatus ratio information representing each said calculated ratio.

6. The server device according to claim 5, wherein

said total figure calculation unit further calculates an estimation value of the total figure of the electricity rate by said first residence when said first term has elapsed in a case where at least one of said plurality of household appliances is replaced by purchase with a preliminarily specified household appliance of a manufacturer identical to or different from said preliminarily specified household appliance,

said transmission unit further transmits to said electronic apparatus the total figure of the electricity rate when said household appliance is replaced by purchase.

7. The server device according to claim 3, wherein said storage unit further stores a first threshold value related to said unit price,

said server device further including a determination unit determining whether said unit price of the first residence and said unit price of the second residence is greater than or equal to the first threshold value,

wherein said transmission unit transmits to said electronic apparatus a message prompting saving-on money when said unit price of the first residence is greater than or equal to said first threshold value.

8. The server device according to claim 7, wherein

said storage unit further stores a second threshold value related to said electricity usage quantity,

said determination unit further determines whether said electricity usage quantity by the first residence and by the second residence is greater than or equal to said second threshold value, and

said transmission unit transmits a message prompting saving-on electricity to said electronic apparatus when said electricity usage quantity by said first residence is greater than or equal to the second threshold value.

9. The server device according to claim 3, wherein

said server device obtains external environmental information including at least one of weather and temperature on a time zone basis from an external device,

said storage unit stores each obtained electricity usage quantity in association with said obtained external environmental information, and

said transmission unit further transmits to said electronic apparatus said first unit price information and said second unit price information over said first term, and said external environmental information over said first term.

10. The server device according to claim 1, wherein

said storage unit stores, as said rate information, rate information according to each of a plurality of contracts related to said electricity rate, and a contract applied to each of said first residence and said second residence from said plurality of contracts, and

said transmission unit transmits to said electronic apparatus information to identify the contract applied to said first residence in association with the total quantity of electricity usage quantity and the total figure of the electricity rate at said first residence, and information to identify the contract applied to said second residence in association with the total quantity of electricity usage quantity and the total figure of the electricity rate at said second residence.

11. The server device according to claim 1, wherein said storage unit stores, as said rate information, rate information according to each of a plurality of contracts related to said electricity rate, and a contract applied to said first residence among said plurality of contracts,

said server device further including a provisional rate calculation unit configured to calculate the total figure of electricity rate of a specified term at the first residence assuming that a contract from the plurality of contracts, differing from the contract applied to the first residence, is entered,

wherein said transmission unit transmits to said electronic apparatus the total figure of the electricity rate assuming that the different contract has been entered.

12. A server device communicating with a first communication device located at a first residence, a second communication device located at a second residence, and an electronic apparatus used by a user of the first communication device, said server device comprising:

a reception unit receiving an electricity usage quantity by said first residence from said first communication device and an electricity usage quantity by said second residence from said second communication device;

a storage unit storing each said electricity usage quantity in correspondence with a time and date when electricity is used, and rate information representing an electricity rate on a time zone basis;

a unit price calculation unit configured to calculate a unit price of the electricity rate per unit electricity at each of said first residence and said second residence over a predetermined first term, based on each said electricity usage quantity and said rate information; and

a transmission unit configured to transmit to said electronic apparatus first unit price information representing said unit price at said first residence and second unit price information representing said unit price at said second residence.

13. A server device communicating with a first communication device located at a first residence, a second communication device located at a second residence, and an electronic apparatus used by a user of the first communication device, said server device comprising:

a reception unit receiving an electricity usage quantity by said first residence from said first communication device and an electricity usage quantity by said second residence from said second communication device;

a storage unit storing each said electricity usage quantity in correspondence with a time and date when electricity is used, and rate information representing an electricity rate on a time zone basis;

a total quantity calculation unit configured to calculate a total quantity of electricity usage quantity by said first residence and a total quantity of electricity usage quantity by said second residence over a predetermined first term based on each said electricity usage quantity;

a total figure calculation unit configured to calculate a total figure of the electricity rate by said first residence and a total figure of the electricity rate by the second residence over said first term based on each said electricity usage quantity stored in correspondence with said time and date, and said rate information;

a generation unit configured to generate image data having the total quantity of electricity usage quantity by said first residence associated with the total figure of the electricity rate by said first residence and the total quantity of electricity usage quantity by said second residence associated with the total figure of the electricity rate by said second residence; and

a transmission unit configured to transmit said generated image data to said electronic apparatus.

14. An electronic apparatus communicating with a server device communicating with a communication device located at one residence, said electronic apparatus comprising:

a reception unit configured to receive from said server device information representing a total quantity of electricity usage quantity and a total figure of an electricity rate at said one residence over a predetermined term, and a total quantity of electricity usage quantity and a total figure of an electricity rate at another residence differing from said one residence over a predetermined term, based on obtaining an electricity usage quantity by said one residence from said communication device; and

an output unit configured to provide an output based on said received total quantity of electricity usage quantity and total figure of the electricity rate.

15. The electronic apparatus according to claim 14, wherein said output unit provides a display representing a unit price per unit electricity for each of said one residence and other residence.

16. The electronic apparatus according to claim 15, wherein

said output unit displays the total quantity of electricity usage quantity and the total figure of the electricity rate at said one residence and the total quantity of electricity usage quantity and the total figure of the electricity rate at said other residence in a two-dimensional graph,

one of a vertical axis and a horizontal axis of said graph represents the total quantity of electricity usage quantity, and the other of a vertical axis and a horizontal axis represents the total figure of the electricity rate.

17. A communication system comprising a first communication device located at a first residence, a second communication device located at a second residence, an electronic apparatus used by a user of said first communication device, and a server device,

said server device including:

a reception unit configured to receive an electricity usage quantity by said first residence from said first communication device and an electricity usage quantity by said second residence from said second communication device;

a storage unit storing each said electricity usage quantity in correspondence with a time and date when electricity is used, and storing rate information representing an electricity rate on a time zone basis;

a total quantity calculation unit configured to calculate a total quantity of electricity usage quantity by said first residence and a total quantity of electricity usage quantity by said second residence over a predetermined term based on each said electricity usage quantity;

a total figure calculation unit configured to calculate a total figure of an electricity rate by said first residence and a total figure of an electricity rate by the second residence over said predetermined term based on each said electricity usage quantity stored in correspondence with said time and date, and said rate information; and

a transmission unit configured to transmit to said electronic apparatus the total quantity of electricity usage quantity and the total figure of the electricity rate by said first residence in association, and the total quantity of electricity usage quantity and the total figure of the electricity rate by said second residence in association;

said electronic apparatus including;

a reception unit configured to receive from said server device information representing the total quantity of electricity usage quantity and the total figure of the electricity rate at said first residence over said predetermined term, and the total quantity of electricity usage quantity and the total figure of the electricity rate at said second residence over said predetermined term; and

an output unit configured to provide an output based on said received total quantity of electricity usage quantity and total figure of the electricity rate.

18. An information processing method of a server device communicating with a first communication device located at a first residence, a second communication device located at second residence, and an electronic apparatus used by a user of said first communication device, said information processing method comprising:

receiving, by said server device, an electricity usage quantity by said first residence from said first communication device and an electricity usage quantity by said second residence from said second communication device;

storing, by said server device, each said electricity usage quantity in correspondence with a time and date when electricity is used, and storing rate information representing an electricity rate on a time zone basis;

calculating, by said server device, a total quantity of electricity usage quantity by said first residence and a total quantity of electricity usage quantity by said second residence over a predetermined first term based on each said electricity usage quantity;

calculating, by said server device, a total figure of an electricity rate at said first residence and a total figure of an electricity rate at said second residence over said first term based on said each electricity usage quantity stored in correspondence with said time and date, and said rate information; and

transmitting, by said server device, to said electronic apparatus the total quantity of electricity usage quantity by said first residence and the total figure of the electricity rate at said first residence in association, and the total quantity of electricity usage quantity by said first residence and the total figure of the electricity rate at said second residence in association.

19. An information processing method of an electronic apparatus communicating with a server device communicating with a communication device located at one residence, said information processing method comprising:

receiving, by said electronic apparatus, based on obtaining an electricity usage quantity by said one residence from said communication device, by said server device, a total quantity of electricity usage quantity and a total figure of an electricity rate at said one residence, and a total quantity of electricity usage quantity and a total figure of an electricity rate at another residence differing from said one residence over a predetermined term; and

providing, by said electronic apparatus, an output based on said received total quantity of electricity usage quantity and the total figure of the electricity rate.