Power control system

• US 8,706,266 B2
• Filed: 09/06/2010
• Issued: 04/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Ogawa, Takeshi, Tokunaga, Yosihiko, Yanagi, Yasuhiro, Hashimoto, Masaru, Usuki, Izumi, Takayama, Hisashi, Matsuo, Nobuo
• Primary Examiner(s): SHECHTMAN, SEAN P
• Application Number:
  US13/395,215
• Publication Number:
  US 20120316693A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,324 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 700/22
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00004 characterised by the power network being locally controlled
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00017 using optical fiber
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00028 involving the use of Internet protocols
• 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 20/244 the home appliances being or involving heating ventilating and air conditioning [HVAC] units
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/124 using wired telecommunication networks or data transmission busses

Abstract

A power control system is provided with a plurality of electric appliances and a power control apparatus that controls the operation of the plurality of electric devices. The plurality of electric devices are grouped into one or a plurality of groups, each group containing a plurality of electric devices, and on the basis of state information of the electric devices, the power control apparatus controls the operation of each electric device by group according to a plurality of sets of control contents prepared ahead of time.

Claims

1. A power control system, comprising:

a plurality of electric appliances; and

a power control device configured to control operations of the electric appliances,

wherein the electric appliances are assorted into one or more groups each including two or more electric appliances, and the power control device is configured to control operations of the electric appliances on a group-by-group basis according to a plurality of control options prepared in advance based on state information of the electric appliances, and

wherein the power control device is configured to store, as a threshold value, an average setting value acquired from use history information including use time, use frequency and setting content of the electric appliances and determine disposition of a dweller based on the threshold value to reflect the disposition of the dweller in selecting the control options.

2. The power control system of claim 1, wherein the power control device is configured to change the control options depending on the kind and number of the electric appliances belonging to the same group as the state information.

3. The power control system of claim 1, wherein the one or more groups include a group including a plurality of cooling and heating electric appliances, and wherein the power control device is configured to control the cooling and heating electric appliances in association with each other.

4. The power control system of claim 1, wherein the one or more groups include a human detector for detecting a human existing in a monitoring region and notifying the power control device of presence or absence of the human, and wherein the power control device is configured to control the electric appliances by use of different control options when the human is detected by the human detector and when the human is not detected by the human detector.

5. The power control system of claim 1, wherein the one or more groups include a group to which electric appliances required to be operated at all times belong.

6. The power control system of claim 5, wherein the power control device is configured to receive a control command from a power company and to reduce power consumption by controlling electric appliances other than the electric appliances required to be operated at all times, when the control command requests the power control device to reduce power consumption.

7. The power control system of claim 5, wherein the power control device is configured to receive an operation input setting an upper limit value of power consumption and to reduce power consumption by controlling electric appliances other than the electric appliances required to be operated at all times, when it is determined that the power consumption is likely to exceed the upper limit value.

8. The power control system of claim 1, wherein the power control device is configured to detect failure of the electric appliances by confirming operation states of the electric appliances and when failure of one of the electric appliances is detected, the power control device releases a group to which said one of the electric appliances belongs.

9. The power control system of claim 1, further comprising:

a server device for making data communications with the power control device, wherein, when one of the electric appliances is replaced and identification information thereof is renewed, the power control device transmits the renewed identification information to the server device and acquires performance information of the electric appliance corresponding to the renewed identification information from the server device to change the control options pursuant to the performance information.

10. The power control system of claim 1, further comprising:

a server device for making data communications with the power control device, wherein the power control device transmits identification information of the electric appliances and measured power consumption of the electric appliances to the server device, and wherein the server device finds a statistical value of power consumption on the electric appliance having the same identification information as the identification information received and transmits a warning notice to the power control device if the power consumption received is out of a normal range set pursuant to the statistical value.