REMOTE MONITORING METHOD, REMOTE MONITORING SYSTEM, FIRST COMMUNICATION APPARATUS, SECOND COMMUNICATION APPARATUS AND SERVER APPARATUS

• US 20160209896A1
• Filed: 01/21/2015
• Published: 07/21/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: YOKOMIZO, YASUSHI, TOUGOU, HITOMARO
• Granted Patent: US 9,829,943 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/52 Indication arrangements, e.g. displays
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/56 Remote control
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/26 Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof for memories G11C
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/08 Payment architectures
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/0855 involving a third party
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/145 Payments according to the detected use or quantity
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0185 Product, service or business identity fraud
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 15/005 dispensed for the electrical charging of vehicles electrical charging as such, B60L50/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 15/006 dispensed for the electrical charging of other devices than vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 Electric charging stations

Abstract

A remote monitoring method is provided for a remote monitoring system including a first communicator connected to a server that performs a charging process depending on a state of a power supply of an electrical apparatus and a second communicator connected to the first communicator via a wireless communication network and that monitors the state of the power supply of the electrical apparatus. When the second communicator detects turning-off of the electric power of the electrical apparatus, the second communicator transmits on-information indicating the change in the state to the first communicator via the wireless communication network, and maintains the electrical apparatus in the on-state as long as the wireless communication continues. However, if an occurrence of an interruption of the wireless communication is detected, the second communicator turns off the electric power of the electrical apparatus.

Claims

1. A remote monitoring method in a remote monitoring system comprising a first communicator connected to a server that performs a charging process depending on a state of a power supply of an electrical apparatus and a second communicator connected to the first communicator via a wireless communication network and that monitors the state of the power supply of the electrical apparatus, the remote monitoring method comprising:

making the server start the charging process associated with a user of the electrical apparatus by the first communicator in a case where the first communicator receives on-information, indicating the occurrence of a change of the electric power of the electrical apparatus from an off-state to an on-state, from the second communicator via the wireless communication network;

making the server end the charging process by the first communicator in a case where after the first communicator makes the server start the charging process, the first communicator detects an occurrence of an interruption of the wireless communication between the first communicator and the second communicator;

transmitting the on-information to the first communicator via the wireless communication network by the second communicator in a case where the second communicator detects the occurrence of the change of the electric power of the electrical apparatus from the off-state to the on-state;

maintaining the electric power of the electrical apparatus in the on-state by the second communicator for a period in which the wireless communication between the second communicator and the first communicator continues; and

changing the electric power of the electrical apparatus from the on-state to the off-state by the second communicator in a case where the second communicator detects the occurrence of an interruption of the wireless communication between the second communicator and the first communicator.

2. The remote monitoring method according to claim 1, wherein in a case where the second communicator detects a change in the electric power of the electrical apparatus from the on-state to the off-state in a period in which the wireless communication between the second communicator and the first communicator continues, the second communicator transmits off-information indicating the occurrence of the change to the first communicator,

and in a case where the first communicator receives the off-information from the second communicator in a period in which the wireless communication between the first communicator and the second communicator continues, the first communicator makes the server end the charging process.

3. The remote monitoring method according to claim 1, wherein the first communicator determines whether an interruption time of the wireless communication elapsed since a start of the interruption of the wireless communication between the first communicator and the second communicator is equal to or longer than the first threshold value, and in a case where it is not determined that the interruption time is equal to or longer than the first threshold value, the first communicator makes the server continue the charging process, and in a case where it is determined that the interruption time is equal to or longer than the first threshold value, the first communicator makes the server end the charging process.

4. The remote monitoring method according to claim 1, wherein the second communicator determines whether an interruption time of the wireless communication elapsed since the start of the interruption of the wireless communication between the first communicator and the second wireless communication is equal to or longer than a second threshold value, and in a case where it is not determined that the interruption time is equal to or longer than the second threshold value, the second communicator maintains the electric power of the electrical apparatus in the on-state, and in a case where it is determined that the interruption time is equal to or longer than the second threshold value, the second communicator changes the electric power of the electrical apparatus from the on-state to the off-state.

5. The remote monitoring method according to claim 3, wherein the first threshold value is a value greater than a mean value of duration time of wireless communication interruptions that occur in a wireless communication in a normal operation state.

6. The remote monitoring method according to claim 3, wherein the first threshold value is a value smaller than a minimum charge time corresponding to a minimum unit in the charging process.

7. The remote monitoring method according to claim 4, wherein the second threshold value is a value greater than a mean value of duration time of wireless communication interruptions that occur in wireless communication in a normal operation state.

8. The remote monitoring method according to claim 4, wherein the second threshold value is a value smaller than a minimum charge time corresponding to a minimum unit in the charging process.

9. The remote monitoring method according to claim 1, wherein

the electrical apparatus is an air-conditioning system,

and wherein the server performs the charging process for a period in which an electric power of the air-conditioning system is in an on-state.

10. A remote monitoring system comprising a first communicator connected to a server that performs a charging process depending on a state of a power supply of an electrical apparatus and a second communicator connected to the first communicator via a wireless communication network and that monitors the state of the power supply of the electrical apparatus,

wherein the first communicator makes the server start a charging process associated with a user of the electrical apparatus in a case where the first communicator receives on-information from the second communicator via the wireless communication network, and the first communicator makes the server end the charging process in a case where after the first communicator makes the server start the charging process, the first communicator detects an occurrence of an interruption of the wireless communication between the first communicator and the second communicator, and

wherein the second communicator transmits on-information indicating the occurrence of the change to the first communicator via the wireless communication network in a case where the second communicator detects an occurrence of a change of the electric power of the electrical apparatus from an off-state to an on-state, and the second communicator maintains the electric power of the electrical apparatus in the on-state for a period in which the wireless communication between the second communicator and the first communicator continues, and the second communicator changes the electric power of the electrical apparatus from the on-state to the off-state in a case where the second communicator detects an occurrence of an interruption of the wireless communication between the second communicator and the first communicator.

11. A first communication apparatus connected to a server that performs a charging process depending on a state of the power supply of an electrical apparatus, the first communication apparatus comprising:

a wireless communicator connected to a second communicator that monitors the state of the power supply of the electrical apparatus, the wireless communicator that receives on-information indicating an occurrence of a change of the electric power of the electrical apparatus from an off-state to an on-state from the second communicator;

a detector that detects a communication interruption in the wireless communication network; and

control circuitry that transmits a start signal for making the server start a charging process on the electrical apparatus in a case where the wireless communicator receives the on-information, and transmits an end signal for making the server end the charging process in a case where after the start signal is transmitted to the server, the detector detects an occurrence of an interruption of the wireless communication between the wireless communicator and the second communicator.

12. The first communication apparatus according to claim 11, wherein in a case where the wireless communicator receives an off-information indicating an occurrence of a change of the electric power of the electrical apparatus from an on-state to an off-state in a period in which the wireless communication with the second communicator continues, the control circuitry transmits the end signal to the server.

13. The first communication apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the control circuitry determines whether the wireless communication interruption time elapsed since the detection by the detector on the occurrence of the wireless communication interruption is equal to or longer than first threshold value, and in a case where it is not determined that the wireless communication interruption time is equal to or longer than the first threshold value, the control circuitry causes the server to continue the charging process without transmitting the end signal, and in a case where it is determined that the wireless communication interruption time is equal to or longer than the first threshold value, the control circuitry transmits the end signal to the server.

14. A second communication apparatus comprising:

a wireless communicator that communicates with a first communicator connected to a server that performs a charging process depending on a state of the power supply of an electrical apparatus;

a power monitor that monitors the state of the power supply of the electrical apparatus; and

power control circuitry that controls the state of the power supply of the electrical apparatus,

wherein the wireless communicator transmits to the first communicator on-information indicating the occurrence of the change thereby to cause the first communicator to make the server start the charging process associated with the electrical apparatus in a case where the power monitor detects an occurrence of a change in the electric power of the electrical apparatus from an off-state to an on-state, and wherein the power supply control circuitry maintains the electric power of the electrical apparatus in the on-state as long as the wireless communication between the wireless communicator and the first communicator and the power supply control circuitry changes the electric power of the electrical apparatus from the on-state to the off-state in a case where the wireless communicator detects an occurrence of an interruption of the wireless communication between the wireless communicator and the first communicator.

15. The second communication apparatus according to claim 14, wherein in a case where the power monitor detects an occurrence of a change of the state of the power supply of the electrical apparatus from the on-state to the off-state, the wireless communicator transmits to the first communicator off-information indicating the occurrence of the change thereby to cause the first communicator to make the server end the charging process associated with the electrical apparatus.

16. The second communication apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the wireless communicator determines whether the wireless communication interruption time elapsed since the detection of the occurrence of the wireless communication interruption is equal to or longer than second threshold value, and the power supply control circuitry causes the electric power of the electrical apparatus to maintain the power supply of the electrical apparatus in the on-state in a case where it is not determined that the interruption time is equal to or longer than second threshold value, and the power supply control circuitry changes the electric power of the electrical apparatus from the on-state to the off-state in a case where it is determined that the interruption time is equal to or longer than second threshold value.

17. A server apparatus that remotely monitors a state of the power supply of an electrical apparatus via a wireless communication network, the server comprising:

a communicator connected to a communication system including the wireless communication network; and

a monitor that monitors the state of the power supply of the electrical apparatus via the wireless communication network and the communicator,

wherein the monitor starts a charging process for use of the electrical apparatus in a case where the monitor detects an occurrence of a change of the state of the power supply of the electrical apparatus from an off-state to an on-state via the wireless communication network and the communicator, and the monitor continues the charging process over a period in which the detection via the wireless communication network and the communicator indicates that the state of the power supply of the electrical apparatus is in the on-state, and wherein the monitor ends the charging process when the monitor detects an occurrence of a change of the state of the power supply of the electrical apparatus from the on-state to the off-state via the wireless communication network and the communicator.