Information processing apparatus, information processing method, and program for tracking effectiveness of ecological user actions

• US 9,792,704 B2
• Filed: 10/14/2015
• Issued: 10/17/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kashiwagi, Akifumi, Kikkawa, Norifumi, Tanaka, Kayoko
• Primary Examiner(s): Drennan, Barry
• Assistant Examiner(s): ROBINSON, TERRELL M
• Application Number:
  US14/882,823
• Publication Number:
  US 20160035113A1
• Time in Patent Office: 734 Days
• Field of Search: 345440
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 2204/125 Utility meter reading systems specially adapted for determining the environmental impact of user behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 2204/14 Displaying of utility usage with respect to time, e.g. for monitoring evolution of usage or with respect to weather conditions
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 4/00 Tariff metering apparatus in taximeters G07B13/00; apparatus actuated by coins, cards or the like with meter-controlled dispensing of liquid, gas, or electricity G07F15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/20 Drawing from basic elements, e.g. lines or circles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/282 based on user interaction within the home receiver circuitry for displaying additional information being controlled by a remote control apparatus H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/00 Technologies for an efficient end-user side electric power management and consumption
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/34 Smart metering supporting the carbon neutral operation of end-user applications in buildings
• 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

There is provided an information processing apparatus including a control section which performs control of presenting, in association with each other, actual energy consumption representing an amount of energy consumed by a device in a case where a user performs any one of user actions, the user actions each being capable of being carried out by the user, and estimated energy consumption representing an amount of energy consumed by the device in a case where the user does not perform the user action.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus comprising:

circuitry configured to

control a presenting of actual energy consumption information representing an amount of energy consumed by a separate utility device in a case where a user performs an ecological user action,

control a presenting of estimated energy consumption information representing an amount of energy consumed by the separate utility device in a case where the user does not perform the ecological user action, and

control a displaying of an image having a size corresponding to a degree of achievement based on the user performance of the ecological user action,

wherein the amount of energy consumed is calculated using a correspondence relationship information between the ecological user action, an effect of the separate utility device, an effect of another separate utility device that is caused by the ecological user action, and categories of the separate utility device and the another separate utility device, and

wherein the effect of the separate utility device is an impact of the separate utility device on a surrounding environment.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the size of the image increases based on an increase in performance of the ecological user action.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image is an image of a character.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the image is a cartoon character image.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the actual energy consumption information and the estimated energy consumption information are presented in association with each other.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the impact of the separate utility device includes a change in temperature within the surrounding environment.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the impact of the separate utility device includes more than one impact of the separate utility device on the surrounding environment.

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

a non-transitory computer-readable medium configured to store an information table indicating the correspondence relationship between the ecological user action, an effect of the separate utility device, and a category of the separate utility device.

9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the information table further includes additional impact information of the separate utility device on the surrounding environment.

10. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the amount of energy consumed is calculated further using an information table indicating the correspondence relationship between the ecological user action, an effect of the separate utility device, and a category of the separate utility device.

11. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the degree of achievement is entered by the user.

17. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the impact of the separate utility device includes a change in brightness within the surrounding environment.

12. An information processing method, the method being executed by a processor having circuitry, and comprising:

presenting actual energy consumption information representing an amount of energy consumed by a separate utility device in a case where a user performs an ecological user action;

presenting estimated energy consumption information representing an amount of energy consumed by the separate utility device in a case where the user does not perform the ecological user action; and

displaying an image having a size corresponding to a degree of achievement based on the user performance of the ecological user action,

wherein the amount of energy consumed is calculated using a correspondence relationship information between the ecological user action, an effect of the separate utility device, an effect of another separate utility device that is caused by the ecological user action, and categories of the separate utility device and the another separate utility device, and

wherein the effect of the separate utility device is an impact of the separate utility device on a surrounding environment.

13. The information processing method according to claim 12, wherein the size of the image increases based on an increase in performance of the ecological user action.

14. The information processing method according to claim 12, wherein the image is an image of a character.

15. The information processing method according to claim 14, wherein the image is a cartoon character image.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having embodied thereon a program, which when executed by a computer having circuitry causes the computer to execute a method, the method comprising:

presenting actual energy consumption information representing an amount of energy consumed by a separate utility device in a case where a user performs an ecological user action;

presenting estimated energy consumption information representing an amount of energy consumed by the separate utility device in a case where the user does not perform the ecological user action; and

displaying an image having a size corresponding to a degree of achievement based on the user performance of the ecological user action,

wherein the amount of energy consumed is calculated using a correspondence relationship information between the ecological user action, an effect of the separate utility device, an effect of another separate utility device that is caused by the ecological user action, and categories of the separate utility device and the another separate utility device, and

wherein the effect of the separate utility device is an impact of the separate utility device on a surrounding environment.