Controller, unit control system, unit control method, and non-transitory computer-readable recording medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10110723-B2
Application number	US-201414785866-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 25, 2014
Priority date	Apr 26, 2013
Publication date	Oct 23, 2018
Grant date	Oct 23, 2018

Abstract

A controller in an energy management system is configured to acquire environmental parameters indicating an environment within a home. The controller is configured to receive a request from a terminal device installed outside the home for remotely operating a unit installed in the home such as an air-conditioning system. The controller is configured to transmit to the terminal device query data containing the acquired environmental parameters, and a query on whether to control the unit according to the request, when receiving the request. The controller is configured to control the unit based on a response to the query from the terminal device.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A controller comprising:
an acquirer configured to acquire environmental parameters indicating an environment within a home;
a receiver configured to receive a request from a terminal device outside the home, the request including control content for remotely operating a unit installed in the home;
a transmitter configured to, responsive to the receiver receiving the request from the terminal device:
when a content of the request received by the receiver is determined to not satisfy a predetermined condition, transmit to the terminal device query data containing the environmental parameters acquired by the acquirer, and a query on whether to control the unit according to the control content included in the request, and
when the content of the request received by the receiver is determined to satisfy the predetermined condition, the transmitter does not transmit the query data to the terminal device; and

a unit controller configured to control the unit based on a response to the query from the terminal device.

2. The controller according to claim 1 , wherein the acquirer is configured to acquire an operating status of the unit installed in the home as the environmental parameter.

3. The controller according to claim 1 , wherein the acquirer is configured to acquire, from a camera, a captured image by the camera installed in the home as the environmental parameter.

4. The controller according to claim 1 , wherein the acquirer is configured to acquire, from a sensor installed in the home, at least one of temperature, humidity, and brightness measured by the sensor as the environmental parameter.

5. The controller according to claim 1 , further comprising an operating plan memory configured to store beforehand an operating plan of the unit,
wherein the transmitter is configured to transmit the query data to the terminal device if the receiver receives the request at the time when the operating plan is scheduled.

6. The controller according to claim 1 , wherein the transmitter is configured to transmit the query data to the terminal device, if the request received by the receiver is a first request from the terminal device on a day.

7. The controller according to claim 1 , wherein the transmitter is configured to transmit to the terminal device the query data containing information indicating an effect, when the unit controller makes the unit execute a process according to the request received by the receiver.

8. The controller according to claim 1 , further comprising a notifier configured to notify that a specific event occurs in the unit with sound and/or an image, when notified by the unit of the occurrence of the specific event in the unit,
wherein the transmitter is configured to transmit to the terminal device a notification indicating that the specific event occurs in the unit.

9. The controller according to claim 8 , wherein the specific event is at least one of following: a deactivation of some of or all of the functions of the unit; a breakdown of the unit; a remaining battery level of the unit having been equal to or lower than a predetermined level; and the unit having been continuously operating beyond a predetermined time.

10. The controller according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a history memory configured to store a history of the requests received by the receiver; and
a calculator configured to calculate frequency of the request received by the receiver based on the history stored in the history memory,
wherein:
the determiner is configured to determine, based on the frequency calculated by the calculator, whether the request received by the receiver is a daily request or is an unusual request; and
the transmitter is configured to transmit to the terminal device the query data, when the determiner determines that the request received by the receiver is an unusual request.

11. The controller according to claim 10 , further comprising:
a frequency memory configured to store the frequency calculated by the calculator for each kind of the request; and
an updater configured to update the frequency stored in the frequency memory after when the unit controller controls the unit based on the request received by the receiver.

12. The controller according to claim 1 , wherein the transmitter is configured to transmit to the terminal device a notification indicating that the unit is not controlled based on the request, if the request is received by the receiver within a prohibiting time period which is set based on a direct operation to the unit by a user, and in which an instruction from the terminal device is prohibited.

13. The controller according to claim 1 , wherein the transmitter is configured to transmit to the terminal device a notification indicating that the unit is not controlled based on the request from the terminal device, if a user sets a prohibiting time period in which the unit prohibits an instruction from the terminal device.

14. A unit control system including a unit and a controller installed within a home, and a terminal device that communicates with the controller,
the terminal device comprising:
an acceptor configured to accept a request from a user, the request including control content for remotely controlling the unit; and
a transmitter configured to transmit the request accepted by the acceptor to the controller;
the controller comprising:
an acquirer configured to acquire environmental parameters indicating an environment within the home;
a receiver configured to receive the request from the terminal device;
a transmitter configured to, responsive to the receiver receiving the request from the terminal device:
when a content of the request received by the receiver is determined to not satisfy a predetermined condition, transmit to the terminal device query data containing the environmental parameters acquired by the acquirer, and a query on whether to control the unit according to the control content included in the request,
when the content of the request received by the receiver is determined to satisfy the predetermined condition, the transmitter of the controller does not transmit the query data to the terminal device; and

a unit controller configured to control the unit based on a response to the query from the terminal device,
wherein:
the acceptor of the terminal device further configured to accept input from the user on whether to control the unit according to the control content included in the request, based on the query data transmitted from the controller; and
the transmitter of the terminal device is further configured to transmit to the controller the response including the input accepted by the acceptor of the terminal device.

15. A unit control method comprising:
acquiring environmental parameters indicating an environment within a home;
receiving a request from a terminal device outside the home, the request including control content for remotely operating a unit installed in the home;
responsive to receiving the request from the terminal device:
when a content of the received request is determined to not satisfy a predetermined condition, transmitting to the terminal device query data containing the environmental parameters acquired in the acquiring and a query on whether to control the unit according to the control content included in the request, and
when the content of the received request is determined to satisfy the predetermined condition, the query data is not transmitted to the terminal device; and

controlling the unit based on a response to the query from the terminal device.

Assignees

• Mitsubishi Electric Corp

Inventors

• Minezawa Satoshi
• Yano Hirotoshi
• Yabe Masaaki
• Ogawa Yuki
• Maruyama Ichiro
• Nakamura Shinji
• Suzuki Shiro
• Komatsu Masayuki

Classifications

• H04L12/2818

  from a device located outside both the home and the home network (access arrangements H04L12/2856; for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025; arrangements for transmitting signals characterised by the use of a wireless eletrical link G08C17/00; telephonic communication systems adapted for combination with remote control systems H04M11/007) · CPC title

• H04M1/72533 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04Q9/00

  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 · CPC title

• G08C2201/51

  Remote controlling of devices based on replies, status thereof · CPC title

• G08C17/02 Primary

  using a radio link · CPC title