Energy management system, terminal device, display control method, and program

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9946288-B2
Application number	US-201414907843-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 4, 2014
Priority date	Aug 7, 2013
Publication date	Apr 17, 2018
Grant date	Apr 17, 2018

Abstract

An acquirer acquires information concerning an energy management system for controlling a plurality of apparatuses installed in a dwelling. A display displays, in a first display region, the information acquired by the acquirer, and displays, in a second display region, a layout diagram in which images indicating the apparatuses are arranged at positions corresponding to installation locations of the apparatuses in the dwelling. Upon a determination that the information displayed in the first display region includes information concerning a specific apparatus among the plurality of apparatuses, the display displays with relative emphasis an image indicating the specific apparatus in the second display region.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An energy management system for controlling a plurality of apparatuses installed in a dwelling, the energy management system comprising:
an acquirer configured to acquire information concerning the energy management system; and
a display configured to display, in a first display region, the information acquired by the acquirer, and to display, in a second display region, a layout diagram in which images indicating the plurality of apparatuses are arranged at positions corresponding to installation locations of the plurality of apparatuses in the dwelling,
wherein the display is configured:
to display, when the information displayed in the first display region includes information concerning a specific apparatus among the plurality of apparatuses, an image indicating the specific apparatus in the second display region with relative emphasis; and
to update, at a date and time that is not included in a target period, display in the first display region and display in the second display region with a first cycle, and to update, at a date and time that is included in the target period, the display in the first display region and the display in the second display region with a second cycle that is shorter than the first cycle, wherein the target period includes a first period that ends at a date and time set by a user and a second period that starts at the date and time set by the user.

2. The energy management system according to claim 1 , wherein:
the information concerning the energy management system includes information indicating an operation status of the specific apparatus; and
the display is configured to display, in the first display region, the information indicating the operation status of the specific apparatus, and to display, in the second display region, the layout diagram configured to emphasize the image indicating the specific apparatus.

3. The energy management system according to claim 1 , wherein:
the information concerning the energy management system includes information indicating a schedule for causing the specific apparatus to perform a predetermined operation at the date and time set by the user; and
the display is configured to display the schedule in the first display region, and to display, in the second display region, the layout diagram configured to emphasize the image indicating the specific apparatus that performs the predetermined operation in accordance with the schedule.

4. The energy management system according to claim 1 , wherein:
the information concerning the energy management system includes collective operation information indicating an instruction to cause a plurality of the specific apparatuses to perform a predetermined operation all together; and
the display is configured to display, in the first display region, a button configured to receive from the user the instruction to cause the plurality of the specific apparatuses to perform the predetermined operation all together, and to display, in the second display region, the layout diagram configured to emphasize images indicating the plurality of the specific apparatuses caused to perform the predetermined operation.

5. The energy management system according to claim 1 , wherein:
the information concerning the energy management system includes information indicating a total amount of power consumed by the energy management system as a whole; and
the display is configured to display, in the first display region, the total amount of power consumed, and to display, in the second display region, the layout diagram configured to emphasize images indicating a predetermined number of the specific apparatuses in descending order of contribution to the total amount of power consumed.

6. The energy management system according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an input receiver configured to receive an instruction to update the display in the first display region, and to receive an instruction to update the display in the second display region;
wherein the display is configured to update the display in the first display region when the instruction to update the display in the first display region is received by the input receiver, and to update the display in the second display region when the instruction to update the display in the second display region is received by the input receiver.

7. The energy management system according to claim 1 , wherein
the display is configured to display, in the second display region and in association with the image indicating the specific apparatus that is displayed with emphasis, notice that the information concerning the specific apparatus is being displayed in the first display region.

8. The energy management system according to claim 1 , wherein:
the information concerning the energy management system includes information indicating a total amount of power consumed by the energy management system as a whole; and
the display is configured to display, in the first display region, the total amount of power consumed, and to display, in the second display region, the layout diagram configured to emphasize the image indicating the specific apparatus that consumes an amount of power that is greater than a predetermined threshold.

9. A terminal apparatus comprising:
an acquirer configured to acquire information concerning an energy management system configured to control a plurality of apparatuses installed in a dwelling; and
a display configured to display, in a first display region, the information acquired by the acquirer, and to display, in a second display region, a layout diagram in which images indicating the plurality of apparatuses are arranged at positions corresponding to installation locations of the plurality of apparatuses in the dwelling,
wherein the display is configured:
to display, when the information displayed in the first display region includes information concerning a specific apparatus among the plurality of apparatuses, an image indicating the specific apparatus in the second display region with relative emphasis; and
to update, at a date and time that is not included in a target period, display in the first display region and display in the second display region with a first cycle, and to update, at a date and time that is included in the target period, the display in the first display region and the display in the second display region with a second cycle that is shorter than the first cycle, wherein the target period includes a first period that ends at a date and time set by a user and a second period that starts at the date and time set by the user.

10. A display control method comprising:
acquiring information concerning an energy management system for controlling a plurality of apparatuses installed in a dwelling; and
displaying, in a first display region, the acquired information, and displaying, in a second display region, a layout diagram in which images indicating the plurality of apparatuses are arranged at positions corresponding to installation locations of the plurality of apparatuses in the dwelling;
displaying, when the information displayed in the first display region includes information concerning a specific apparatus among the plurality of apparatuses, an image indicating the specific apparatus in the second display region with relative emphasis; and
updating, at a date and time that is not included in a target period, display in the first display region and display in the second display region with a first cycle, and updating, at a date and time that is included in the target period, the display in the first display region and the display in the second display region with a second cycle that is shorte

Assignees

• Mitsubishi Electric Corp

Inventors

• Sato Kaori
• Yano Hirotoshi
• Yabe Masaaki
• Ogawa Yuki
• Minezawa Satoshi
• Maruyama Ichiro
• Endo Satoshi
• Komatsu Masayuki

Classifications

• H02J13/10

  characterised by displaying of information or by user interaction, e.g. supervisory control and data acquisition [SCADA] systems · CPC title

• H04L67/12

  specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks · CPC title

• Y04S40/18

  Network protocols supporting networked applications, e.g. including control of end-device applications over a network · CPC title

• G05F1/66 Primary

  Regulating electric power · CPC title

• G06Q10/00

  Administration; Management · CPC title