Layout generation system, energy management system, terminal device, layout generation method, and program

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10699037-B2
Application number	US-201314888998-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 25, 2013
Priority date	Jun 5, 2013
Publication date	Jun 30, 2020
Grant date	Jun 30, 2020

Abstract

A device information acquirer acquires device information collected by a controller. A floor plan editor edits a simplified floor plan of a home by individually adding a configuration of a room where an electric device is installed, in accordance with a user operation. A device icon positioner positions an icon of the electric device in each room in the floor plan edited by the floor plan editor, in accordance with the user operation. A layout generator generates layout information for the electric device in the home, based on the edited floor plan and the positioned icon.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A layout generation system for generating layout information for an electric device connected to a network in a home, comprising:
a processor and a memory, wherein the processor is hardware, wherein the processor is configured to execute a program stored in the memory to
edit, on an editing screen, a floor plan of the home in accordance with a first use rope ration, wherein responsive to the first user operation the processor performs a predetermined operation to add or delete at least a room in the floor plan which is displayed on the editing screen;
position, on the editing screen, in accordance with a second user operation, an icon indicating the electric device in each room in the edited floor plan, wherein the icon represents that the electric device is communicably connected to the network in the home;
generate, based on the edited floor plan and the positioned icon being positioned in the room, layout information in which the room and the electric device are associated with each other which indicates that the electric device is actually installed in the room; and
generate, based on the layout information, a floor plan image made up of rooms in which electric devices are actually installed,

wherein the processor is further configured to
communicate with the electric device which is connected to the network in the home to acquire, from the electric device, device information, including a type of the electric device, for the electric device; and
display, on the editing screen, the icon corresponding to the type of the electric device, the icon representing that the electric device is communicably connected to the network.

2. The layout generation system according to claim 1 , wherein
the processor is further configured to move, in accordance with the second user operation, the icon of the electric device into the floor plan, and position the icon of the electric device in a target room.

3. The layout generation system according to claim 1 , wherein
the processor is configured to move, in accordance with the second user operation, the icon of the electric device to a room list associated with each room in the edited floor plan, and position the icon of the electric device in the room in the floor plan corresponding to a destination in the room list.

4. The layout generation system according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
acquire device information of the electric device via a network,
generate, based on the acquired device information, the icon of the electric device associated with the electric device, and position the icon of the electric device in a room in the floor plan in accordance with the second user operation, and
change a size of the room in the floor plan based on the device information corresponding to the positioned icon of the electric device.

5. The layout generation system according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
take as an initial state a floor plan made up of a predetermined number of rooms, and
automatically position, in the floor plan of the initial state, the icon of the electric device having an installation position determined to be outdoors or in a fixed position.

6. The layout generation system according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
when positioning in the floor plan the icon of a predetermined electric device, automatically add and position a supplementary icon.

7. An energy management system for managing an electric device connected to a network in a home, comprising:
a processor and a memory, wherein the processor is hardware, wherein the processor is configured to execute a program stored in the memory to
edit, on an editing screen, a floor plan of the home in accordance with a first use rope ration, wherein responsive to the first user operation the processor performs a predetermined operation to add or delete at least a room in the floor plan which is displayed on the editing screen;
position, on the editing screen, in accordance with a second user operation, an icon indicating the electric device in each room in the edited floor plan, wherein the icon represents that the electric device is communicably connected to the network in the home; and
generate, based on the edited floor plan and the positioned icon being positioned in the room, layout information in which the room and the electric device are associated with each other which indicates that the electric device is actually installed in the room, the layout information for use in managing the electric device connected to the network in the home,

wherein the processor is further configured to
communicate with the electric device which is connected to the network in the home to acquire, from the electric device, device information, including a type of the electric device, for the electric device; and
display, on the editing screen, the icon corresponding to the type of the electric device, the icon representing that the electric device is communicably connected to the network.

8. A terminal device connected to an electric device connected to a network in a home, comprising:
a processor and a memory, wherein the processor is hardware, wherein the processor is configured to execute a program stored in the memory to
edit, on an editing screen, a floor plan of the home in accordance with a first use rope ration, wherein responsive to the first user operation the processor performs a predetermined operation to add or delete at least a room in the floor plan which is displayed on the editing screen;
position, on the editing screen, in accordance with a second user operation, an icon indicating the electric device in each room in the edited floor plan, wherein the icon represents that the electric device is communicably connected to the network in the home; and
generate, based on the edited floor plan and the positioned icon being positioned in the room, layout information in which the room and the electric device are associated with each other which indicates that the electric device is actually installed in the room, the layout information for use in managing the electric device connected to the network in the home or for generating a floor plan image made up of rooms in which electric devices are actually installed,

wherein the processor is further configured to
communicate with the electric device which is connected to the network in the home to acquire, from the electric device, device information, including a type of the electric device, for the electric device; and
display, on the editing screen, the icon corresponding to the type of the electric device, the icon representing that the electric device is communicably connected to the network.

9. A layout generation method in an energy management system for managing an electric device connected to a network in a home, comprising:
editing, by a processor, on an editing screen, a floor plan of the home in accordance with a first user operation, wherein responsive to the first user operation the processor performs a predetermined operation to add or delete at least a room in the floor plan which is displayed on the editing screen;
positioning, by the processor, on the editing screen, in accordance with a second user operation, an icon indicating the electric device in each room in the edited floor plan, wherein the icon represents that the electric device is communicably connected to the network in the home; and
generating, by the processor, based on the edited floor plan and the positioned icon being positioned in the room, layout information in which the room and the electric device are associated with each other which indicates that the ele

Assignees

• Mitsubishi Electric Corp

Inventors

• Yabe Masaaki
• Maruyama Ichiro
• Minezawa Satoshi
• Yoshikawa Toshiaki
• Yano Hirotoshi
• Iizawa Daisuke
• Tanaka Kenichiro
• Ogino Takashi

Classifications

• H04L63/10

  for controlling access to devices or network resources · CPC title

• H04L67/125

  involving control of end-device applications over a network · CPC title

• H04L12/2814

  Exchanging control software or macros for controlling appliance services in a home automation network (arrangements for maintenance or administration involving configuration of the network and network elements H04L41/08) · CPC title

• G05B15/02 Primary

  electric · CPC title

• G06F30/13

  Architectural design, e.g. computer-aided architectural design [CAAD] related to design of buildings, bridges, landscapes, production plants or roads · CPC title