LAYOUT GENERATION SYSTEM, ENERGY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, TERMINAL DEVICE, LAYOUT GENERATION METHOD, AND PROGRAM

• US 20160147919A1
• Filed: 11/25/2013
• Published: 05/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Inventors: Yabe, Masaaki, Maruyama, Ichiro, Minezawa, Satoshi, Yoshikawa, Toshiaki, YANO, Hirotoshi, Iizawa, Daisuke, Tanaka, Kenichiro, Ogino, Takashi
• Granted Patent: US 10,699,037 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/042 using digital processors G05B19/05 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/13 Architectural design, e.g. computer-aided architectural design [CAAD] related to design of buildings, bridges, landscapes, production plants or roads
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/18 Network design, e.g. design based on topological or interconnect aspects of utility systems, piping, heating ventilation air conditioning [HVAC] or cabling circuit design at the physical level G06F30/39; network planning tools for wireless communication networks H04W16/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2812 describing content present in a home automation network, e.g. audio video content retrieval from the Internet G06F16/95
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2814 Exchanging control software or macros for controlling appliance services in a home automation network arrangements for maintenance or administration involving configuration of the network and network elements H04L41/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2816 Controlling appliance services of a home automation network by calling their functionalities arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station; in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom H04Q9/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network

Abstract

A device information acquirer acquires device information collected by a controller. A floor plan editor edits a simplified floor plan of a home by individually adding a configuration of a room where an electric device is installed, in accordance with a user operation. A device icon positioner positions an icon of the electric device in each room in the floor plan edited by the floor plan editor, in accordance with the user operation. A layout generator generates layout information for the electric device in the home, based on the edited floor plan and the positioned icon.

Claims

1. A layout generation system for generating layout information for an electric device connected to a network in a home, comprising:

a display configured to display an image to edit a floor plan of the home and an image to position an icon indicating the electric device in each room in the edited floor plan, in accordance with a user operation.

2. The layout generation system according to claim 11, wherein

the positioner is configured to move, in accordance with the user operation, the icon of the electric device into the floor plan, and position the icon of the electric device in a target room.

3. The layout generation system according to claim 11, wherein

the positioner is configured to move, in accordance with the user operation, the icon of the electric device to a room list associated with each room in the edited floor plan, and position the icon of the electric device in the room in the floor plan corresponding to a destination in the room list.

4. The layout generation system according to claim 11, further comprising:

an acquirer configured to acquire device information of the electric device via a network, wherein

the positioner is configured to generate, based on the acquired device information, the icon of the electric device associated with the electric device, and position the icon of the electric device in a room in the floor plan in accordance with the user operation, and

the editor is configured to change a size of the room in the floor plan based on the device information corresponding to the positioned icon of the electric device.

5. The layout generation system according to claim 11, wherein

the editor is configured to take as an initial state a floor plan made up of a predetermined number of rooms, and

the positioner is configured to automatically position, in the floor plan of the initial state, the icon of the electric device having an installation position determined to be outdoors or in a fixed position.

6. The layout generation system according to claim 11, wherein

when positioning in the floor plan the icon of a predetermined electric device, the positioner is configured to automatically add and position a supplementary icon.

11. The layout generation system according to claim 1, further comprising:

an editor configured to edit a floor plan of the home by adding a configuration of a room where the electric device is installed, in accordance with the user operation;

a positioner configured to position an icon of the electric device in each room in the edited floor plan, in accordance with the user operation; and

a generator configured to generate the layout information for the electric device in the home, based on the edited floor plan and the positioned icon.

12. The layout generation system according to claim 11, wherein

the positioner is configured to display the electric device that is unpositioned, in a device list, and position the icon of the electric device selected from the device list in a target room in the floor plan, in accordance with the user operation.

13. The layout generation system according to claim 11, wherein

the positioner is configured to reposition the icon of the electric device already positioned in a room in the floor plan to another room, in accordance with the user operation.

14. The layout generation system according to claim 11, wherein

when the icon of the electric device is positioned adjacently to an icon of another device that is of a same type, in a same room in the floor plan, the positioner is configured to automatically insert a space in order to provide spacing between the icons of the electric devices of the same type.

15. The layout generation system according to claim 11, further comprising:

a command module that is configured to issue a control command with respect to the electric device, wherein

when the icon of the electric device is positioned in a room in the floor plan, the positioner is configured to display a confirmation screen in order to confirm an operation of the electric device indicated by the icon of electric device, and

the command module is configured to issue a control command with respect to the target electric device, in accordance with the user operation.

7. An energy management system for managing an electric device connected to a network in a home, comprising:

a display configured to display an image to edit a floor plan of the home and an image to position an icon indicating the electric device in each room in the edited floor plan, in accordance with a user operation.

8. A terminal device connected to an electric device connected to a network in a home, comprising:

a display configured to display an image to edit a floor plan of the home and an image to position an icon indicating the electric device in each room in the edited floor plan, in accordance with a user operation.

9. A layout generation method in an energy management system for managing an electric device connected to a network in a home, comprising:

displaying an image to edit a floor plan of the home and an image to position an icon indicating the electric device in each room in the edited floor plan, in accordance with a user operation.

10. A non-transitory recording medium having stored therein a program for causing a computer connected to an electric device connected to a network in a home to function as:

a display configured to display an image to edit a floor plan of the home and an image to position an icon indicating the electric device in each room in the edited floor plan, in accordance with a user operation.