Power control system and method and program for controlling power control system

• US 8,761,950 B2
• Filed: 01/06/2010
• Issued: 06/24/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/06/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Kouda, Tetsuya, Kurimoto, Kazunori, Tsujimura, Satoshi, Nakatani, Naofumi, Yoshimura, Yasuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Ali, Mohammad
• Assistant Examiner(s): Norton, Jennifer L
• Application Number:
  US13/143,439
• Publication Number:
  US 20110270456A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,630 Days
• Field of Search: 700/11, 700/22, 700/286, 700/292, 700/295, 219/200, 219/482, 219/483, 219/485, 219/486, 219/600, 702/60
• US Class Current: 700/292
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00004 characterised by the power network being locally controlled
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00022 using wireless data transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00034 the elements or equipment being or involving an electric power substation
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/14 The load or loads being home appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/14 by switching loads on to, or off from, network, e.g. progressively balanced loading
• 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: 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 20/222 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/242 Home appliances
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/126 using wireless data transmission

Abstract

A power control device includes a priority setting section capable of setting a use priority of a home appliance connected wirelessly or via cable or an adapter connected to the home appliance. The home appliance or the adaptor connected to the home appliance operates within the usable power of a result of the inquiry to the power control device. When there is no excess in usable power over the required power in the inquiry, the power control device reduces the power of a device having a lower priority than the device which has transmitted the inquiry in order to use the device with the higher priority.

Claims

1. A power control system comprising:

an induction heating (IH) cooker heater connected wirelessly or via cable through a communication network section; and

a power control device,

wherein the IH cooker heater comprises;

a power detecting section configured to measure or obtain power consumption of the IH cooker heater,

wherein the power control device comprises;

a current detecting section configured to detect a current flowing through one or more electrical systems of a commercial power supply;

a voltage detecting section configured to detect a voltage of the commercial power supply;

a power calculating section configured to calculate electric power from detection information of the current detecting section and the voltage detecting section;

a transceiver section configured to communicate with the IH cooker heater;

an upper limit setting section configured to set an upper limit of a current flowing through the current detecting section;

a priority setting section configured to set a use priority of the IH cooker heater; and

a power control instructing section configured to output alarm notification or a power control instruction to the IH cooker heater when it is detected that the current flowing through the current detecting section is equal to or larger than a current value set by the upper limit setting section,

wherein during operation of the IH cooker heater, an inquiry about whether the IH cooker heater is usable is transmitted to the power control device, and an operation of the IH cooker heater is controlled according to an inquiry result, and wherein the power control device outputs a power control instruction to a device which has a lower priority set by the priority setting section than the IH cooker heater which has transmitted the inquiry, based on a content of the inquiry and the detection information of the current detecting section; and

during operation of transitioning the IH cooker heater to a mode of increased output power, an inquiry is transmitted to the power control device together with information including an amount of required power,

wherein the amount of required power is added to a present state of power, and a current flow exceeds the upper limit set by the high limit setting section is expected to flow, the power control device tries to secure the required power by performing a control to reduce electric power of a device with a lower priority than the IH cooking heater to use the IH cooker heater at a maximum capability, and

when the required power cannot be secured with control of the device with the lower priority than the IH cooking heater, a device output power deciding section of the IH cooking heater is configured to decide to operate the IH cooking heater in a mode within usable power of the inquiry result.

2. The power control system according to claim 1, wherein during an operation of transition transitioning the IH heater to a mode in which power consumption does not increase, the operation of the IH cooker heater is controlled according to an instruction of the operation without transmitting the inquiry about whether the IH cooker heater can be used to the power control device.

3. The power control system according to claim 1, wherein during operation of the IH cooker heater, a content of the inquiry about whether the IH cooker heater can be used transmitted to the power control device includes a required power value, and the inquiry result includes information containing a usable power value.

4. The power control system according to claim 1, wherein at least one device included in the power control system comprises a display section configured to display information including power consumption of the device collected in the power control system.

5. The power control system according to claim 1, wherein at least one device included in the power control system comprises a Web server, and wherein a device such as a personal computer or a television comprising a Web browser uses the Web browser as a display section to display information containing power consumption collected by the device comprising the Web server through a network.

6. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a program causing a computer to perform operations of the power control system according to claim 1.