Abstract:
This HEMS ( 200 ) is provided with a control unit ( 230 ) that, if an operation directive does not go through a server ( 600 ) provided externally to a customer&#39;s home ( 10 ), identifies said operation directive as having come from within the customer&#39;s home, and if the operation directive does go through the server ( 600 ) provided externally to the customer&#39;s home ( 10 ), identifies the operation directive as having come from outside the customer&#39;s home.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0001]    The present invention relates to a control apparatus and a control method for controlling information equipment located in a consumer&#39;s facility. 
       BACKGROUND ART 
       [0002]    In recent years, a control system (EMS: energy management system) controlling a plurality of pieces of information equipment has been drawn attention (for example, Patent Literature 1). In such a control system, a control apparatus controlling the plurality of pieces of the information equipment is installed. 
         [0003]    As a control apparatus, there is an HEMS (home energy management system) located in a house, a BEMS (building energy management system) located in a building, an FEMS (factory energy management system) located in a factory, an SEMS (store energy management system) located in a store, or the like. 
         [0004]    As the plurality of pieces of the information equipment, there are a distributed power apparatus, a power storage apparatus, a thermal storage apparatus, and a load. The distributed power apparatus is an apparatus generating power by using natural energy, such as solar light, wind power, or geothermal power, like a solar cell or the like. Otherwise, the distributed power apparatus is an apparatus generating power by using fuel gas like a fuel cell such as an SOFC (solid oxide fuel cell). The power storage apparatus is an apparatus storing power like a secondary battery or the like. The thermal storage apparatus is an apparatus converting power to heat and storing the heat like a water heater or the like. The load is a refrigerator, an illuminator, an air conditioner, a TV, or the like. 
       CITATION LIST 
     Patent Literature 
       [0005]    Patent Literature 1: Japanese application publication No. 2010-128810 
       SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
       [0006]    With the spread of operation terminals such as a smartphone, there is a demand for performing remote control of the information equipment by using the operation terminal at an outside of the consumer&#39;s facility (house, building, factory, store, or the like) where the information equipment is installed. However, in the treatment of such remote control, problems in safety need to be considered. 
         [0007]    In this regard, the present invention was made to solve the above problem, and an object thereof is to provide a control apparatus and a control method having a function of performing remote control of information equipment while considering problems in safety. 
       SOLUTION TO PROBLEM 
       [0008]    A control apparatus according to a first feature controls an information equipment located in a consumer&#39;s facility. The control apparatus includes: a transmission unit that transmits an operational instruction for the information equipment to the information equipment; and a determination unit that determines a route type of the operational instruction. The determination unit determines the route type according to whether or not the operational instruction passes through a server located outside the consumer&#39;s facility. 
         [0009]    In the first feature, the determination unit determines that the route type is inside-consumer&#39;s-facility operation when the operational instruction does not pass through the server, and the determination unit determines that the route type is outside-consumer&#39;s-facility operation from the outside of the consumer&#39;s facility when the operational instruction passes through the server. 
         [0010]    In the first feature, the inside-consumer&#39;s-facility operation is an operation for the information equipment from an operation terminal connected to a narrow area network installed in the consumer&#39;s facility, and the outside-consumer&#39;s-facility operation is an operation for the information equipment from an operation terminal connected to a wide area network different from the narrow area network. 
         [0011]    In the first feature, the transmission unit transmits the operational instruction in a first format when the route type is inside-consumer&#39;s-facility operation, and the transmission unit transmits the operational instruction in a second format different from the first format when the route type is outside-consumer&#39;s-facility operation. 
         [0012]    A control apparatus according to a second feature controls information equipment located in a consumer&#39;s facility. The control apparatus includes: a transmission unit transmitting an operational instruction for the information equipment to the information equipment. The transmission unit transmits the operational instruction in different format according to whether or not the operational instruction passes through a server located outside the consumer&#39;s facility.  
         [0013]    A control apparatus according to a third feature controls information equipment located in a consumer&#39;s facility. The control apparatus includes: a transmission unit transmitting an operational instruction for the information equipment to the information equipment. The transmission unit transmits the operational instruction in a format based on a route type of the operational instruction. 
         [0014]    A control method according to a fourth feature is used in a control system including information equipment located in a consumer&#39;s facility and a control apparatus controlling the information equipment. The control method includes: a step A of transmitting an operational instruction for the information equipment from the control apparatus to the information equipment; and a step B of allowing the control apparatus to determine a route type of the operational instruction. The step B includes a step of determining the route type according to whether or not the operational instruction passes through a server located outside the consumer&#39;s facility. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         [0015]      FIG. 1  is a diagram illustrating an energy management system  100  according to a first embodiment. 
           [0016]      FIG. 2  is a diagram illustrating a consumer&#39;s facility  10  according to the first embodiment. 
           [0017]      FIG. 3  is a diagram illustrating an application scene according to the first embodiment. 
           [0018]      FIG. 4  is a diagram illustrating an HEMS  200  according to the first embodiment. 
           [0019]      FIG. 5  is a diagram illustrating information equipment  300  according to the first embodiment. 
           [0020]      FIG. 6  is a diagram illustrating an example of a message format according to the first embodiment. 
           [0021]      FIG. 7  is a diagram illustrating an example of the message format according to the first embodiment. 
           [0022]      FIG. 8  is a diagram illustrating an example of the message format according to the first embodiment. 
           [0023]      FIG. 9  is a diagram illustrating an example of the message format according to the first embodiment. 
           [0024]      FIG. 10  is a diagram illustrating an example of the message format according to the first embodiment. 
           [0025]      FIG. 11  is a flowchart illustrating a control method according to the first embodiment. 
           [0026]      FIG. 12  is a flowchart illustrating the control method according to the first embodiment. 
           [0027]      FIG. 13  is a flowchart illustrating the control method according to the first embodiment. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
       [0028]    Hereinafter, a control system and a control method according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, in the description of the drawings hereinafter, the same or similar components will be denoted by the same or similar reference numerals. 
         [0029]    However, it should be noted that the drawings are schematically illustrated, and thus, the ratio of dimensions or the like are different from actual ones. Therefore, specific dimensions should be determined in consideration of the following description. In addition, among the figures, components having different dimension relations or ratios are also included. 
       Outline of Embodiment 
       [0030]    A control apparatus according to embodiments controls an information equipment located in a consumer&#39;s facility. The control apparatus includes: a transmission unit that transmits an operational instruction for the information equipment to the information equipment; and a determination unit that determines a route type of the operational instruction. The determination unit determines the route type according to whether or not the operational instruction passes through a server located outside the consumer&#39;s facility. 
         [0031]    In the embodiments the control device determines the route type according to whether or not the operational instruction passes through a server located outside the consumer&#39;s facility. Therefore, the control apparatus can recognize which route the operational instruction for the information equipment is made and can control the information equipment. Accordingly, it is possible to perform remote control of the information equipment while considering problems in safety. 
       First Embodiment 
     (Energy Management System) 
       [0032]    Hereinafter, an energy measurement system according to a first embodiment will be described.  FIG. 1  is a diagram illustrating the energy management system  100  according to the first embodiment. 
         [0033]    As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , the energy management system  100  is configured to include a consumer&#39;s facility  10 , a CEMS  20 , a substation  30 , a smart server  40 , and a power plant  50 . The consumer&#39;s facility  10 , the CEMS  20 , the substation  30 , and the smart server  40  are connected to each other via a wide area network  60 . 
         [0034]    The consumer&#39;s facility  10  is an example of the consumer&#39;s facility including at least one of a distributed power apparatus, a power storage apparatus, a thermal storage apparatus, and a load. The distributed power apparatus, the power storage apparatus, the thermal storage apparatus, and the load are an example of the information equipment controlled by the control apparatus. 
         [0035]    The distributed power apparatus is an apparatus generating power by using natural energy such as solar light, wind power, or geothermal power like a solar cell or the like. Otherwise, the distributed power apparatus is an apparatus generating power by using fuel gas like a fuel cell. The power storage apparatus is an apparatus storing power, for example, like a secondary battery or the like. The thermal storage apparatus is an apparatus converting power to heat and storing the heat, for example, like a water heater or the like. The load is a refrigerator, an illuminator, an air conditioner, a TV, or the like. 
         [0036]    The consumer&#39;s facility  10  may be, for example, a detached residence, may be a housing complex such as an apartment house, may be a commercial facility such as a building, may be a factory, or may be a store. 
         [0037]    In the first embodiment, a consumer&#39;s facility group  10 A and a consumer&#39;s facility group  10 B are configured with a plurality of the consumer&#39;s facilities  10 . The consumer&#39;s facility group  10 A and the consumer&#39;s facility group  10 B are classified, for example, according to a geographical area. 
         [0038]    The CEMS  20  controls connection between the plurality of the consumer&#39;s facilities  10  and a power grid. Since the CEMS  20  manages the plurality of the consumer&#39;s facilities  10 , the CEMS is sometimes referred to as a CEMS (cluster energy management system). More specifically, during a power failure or the like, the CEMS  20  disconnects the connection between the plurality of the consumer&#39;s facilities  10  and the power grid. On the other hand, at the restoration of power or the like, the CEMS  20  connects the plurality of the consumer&#39;s facilities  10  and the power grid. 
         [0039]    In the first embodiment, a CEMS  20 A and a CEMS  20 B are installed. The CEMS  20 A controls, for example, the connection between the consumer&#39;s facilities  10  included in the consumer&#39;s facility group  10 A and the power grid. The CEMS  20 B controls, for example, the connection between the consumer&#39;s facilities  10  included in the consumer&#39;s facility group  10 B and the power grid. 
         [0040]    The substation  30  supplies power to the plurality of the consumer&#39;s facilities  10  through a distribution line  31 . More specifically, the substation  30  steps down a voltage supplied from the power plant  50 . 
         [0041]    In the first embodiment, a substation  30 A and a substation  30 B are installed. The substation  30 A supplies power, for example, to the consumer&#39;s facilities  10  included in the consumer&#39;s facility group  10 A through a distribution line  31 A. The substation  30 B supplies power, for example, to the consumer&#39;s facilities  10  included in the consumer&#39;s facility group  10 B through a distribution line  31 B. 
         [0042]    The smart server  40  manages the plurality of the CEMSs  20  (herein, the CEMS  20 A and the CEMS  20 B). The smart server  40  manages the plurality of the substations  30  (herein, the substation  30 A and the substation  30 B). In other words, the smart server  40  collectively manages the consumer&#39;s facilities  10  included in the consumer&#39;s facility group  10 A and the consumer&#39;s facility group  10 B. The smart server  40  has a function of balancing, for example, the power supplied to the consumer&#39;s facility group  10 A and the power supplied to the consumer&#39;s facility group  10 B. 
         [0043]    The power plant  50  performs power generation using firepower, wind power, hydropower, nuclear power, or the like. The power plant  50  supplies power to the plurality of the substations  30  (herein, the substation  30 A and the substation  30 B) through a power transmission line  51 . 
         [0044]    The wide area network  60  is connected to each apparatus via a signal line. The wide area network  60  is, for example, the Internet, a mobile phone network, or the like. 
       (Consumer&#39;s Facility) 
       [0045]    Hereinafter, the consumer&#39;s facility according to the first embodiment will be described.  FIG. 2  is a diagram illustrating details of the consumer&#39;s facility  10  according to the first embodiment. 
         [0046]    As illustrated in  FIG. 2 , the consumer&#39;s facility  10  is configured to include a distribution board  110 , a load  120 , a PV unit  130 , a storage battery unit  140 , a fuel cell unit  150 , a hot-water storage unit  160 , and an HEMS  200 . 
         [0047]    The distribution board  110  is connected to the distribution line  31  (grid). The distribution board  110  is connected to the load  120 , the PV unit  130 , the storage battery unit  140 , and the fuel cell unit  150  through a power line. 
         [0048]    The distribution board  110  may include a measurement unit measuring the power supplied from the distribution line  31  (grid). The measurement unit may measure power consumption of the load  120 . 
         [0049]    The load  120  is an apparatus consuming the power supplied through the power line. For example, the load  120  includes an apparatus such as a refrigerator, an illuminator, an air conditioner, or a TV. The load  120  may include a single apparatus or a plurality of apparatuses. 
         [0050]    The PV unit  130  includes a PV  131  and a PCS  132 . The PV  131  is an example of the distributed power apparatus and is an apparatus performing power generation according to reception of solar light. The PV  131  outputs a DC power as a result of the power generation. An amount of power generation of the PV  131  changes according to an amount of solar radiation irradiated on the PV  131 . The PCS  132  is an apparatus (power conditioning system) converting the DC power output from the PV  131  to an AC power. The PCS  132  outputs the AC power to the distribution board  110  through the power line. 
         [0051]    The PV unit  130  may include a pyrheliometer measuring the amount of solar radiation irradiated on the PV  131 . 
         [0052]    The PV unit  130  is controlled by an MPPT (maximum power point tracking) method. More specifically, the PV unit  130  optimizes an operating point (point determined by a voltage value and a power value at the operating point or point determined by a voltage value and a current value at the operating point) of the PV  131 . 
         [0053]    The storage battery unit  140  is configured to include a storage battery  141  and a PCS  142 . The storage battery  141  is an apparatus storing power. The PCS  142  is an apparatus (power conditioning system) converting a DC power output from the storage battery  141  to an AC power. 
         [0054]    The fuel cell unit  150  is configured to include a fuel cell  151  and a PCS  152 . The fuel cell  151  is an example of the distributed power apparatus and is an apparatus generating power by using a fuel gas. The PCS  152  is an apparatus (power conditioning system) converting a DC power output from the fuel cell  151  to an AC power. 
         [0055]    The fuel cell unit  150  operates according to load-following control. More specifically, the fuel cell unit  150  controls the fuel cell  151  so that the power output from the fuel cell  151  follows the power consumption of the load  120 . 
         [0056]    The hot-water storage unit  160  is an example of the thermal storage apparatus converting power to heat and storing the heat. More specifically, the hot-water storage unit  160  includes a hot-water storage tank to warm water supplied from the hot-water storage tank by exhaust heat generated from operation (power generation) of the fuel cell  151 . More specifically, the hot-water storage unit  160  warms the water supplied from the hot-water storage tank and returns the warm water to the hot-water storage tank. 
         [0057]    The HEMS  200  is a control apparatus managing the information equipment (load, distributed power apparatus, power storage apparatus or thermal storage apparatus) located in the consumer&#39;s facility  10 . 
         [0058]    In the first embodiment, the HEMS  200  is connected to the load  120 , the PV unit  130 , the storage battery unit  140 , the fuel cell unit  150 , and the hot-water storage unit  160  through a signal line and controls the load  120 , the PV unit  130 , the storage battery unit  140 , the fuel cell unit  150 , and the hot-water storage unit  160 . The HEMS  200  may control power consumption of the load  120  by controlling an operation mode of the load  120 . The signal line connecting the HEMS  200  and the information equipment may be in a wireless or may be in a wired manner.  
         [0059]    The HEMS  200  is connected to various servers via the wide area network  60 . The various servers store, for example, information (hereinafter, referred to as energy fee information) such as a purchase unit price of the power supplied from the grid, a sale unit price of the power supplied from the grid, and a purchase unit price of the fuel gas. 
         [0060]    In addition, the various servers store, for example, information (hereinafter, referred to as energy consumption forecasting information) for forecasting power consumption of the load  120 . The energy consumption forecasting information may be generated, for example, based on actual records of the previous power consumption of the load  120 . Alternatively, the energy consumption forecasting information may be a model of the power consumption of the load  120 . 
         [0061]    The various servers store, for example, information (hereinafter, referred to as PV power generation amount forecast information) for forecasting the amount of power generation of the PV  131 . The PV power generation forecast information may be a forecast value of the amount of solar radiation irradiated on the PV  131 . Alternatively, the PV power generation forecast information may be weather forecast, season, daylight hours, or the like. 
       (Applicable Scene) 
       [0062]    Hereinafter, an applicable scene of the first embodiment will be described.  FIG. 3  is a diagram illustrating the applicable scene of the first embodiment. 
         [0063]    As illustrated in  FIG. 3 , a system according to the applicable scene of the first embodiment is configured to include an HEMS  200 , information equipment  300 , a router  400 , an operation terminal  500 , and a server  600 . 
         [0064]    The HEMS  200  is an example of the control apparatus managing the information equipment  300  located in the consumer&#39;s facility  10 . The HEMS  200  is connected to the router  400  in a wired or wireless manner and communicates with the information equipment  300 , the operation terminal  500 , and the server  600  through the router  400 . 
         [0065]    The information equipment  300  is controlled by the HEMS  200  like the load  120 , the PV unit  130 , the storage battery unit  140 , the fuel cell unit  150 , the hot-water storage unit  160 , or the like. 
         [0066]    The router  400  constitutes a narrow area network  70  installed in the consumer&#39;s facility  10 . The router  400  may constitute a wireless LAN or a wired LAN as the narrow area network  70 .  FIG. 3  exemplarily illustrates a case where the HEMS  200  is connected to the router  400  in a wired manner and the information equipment  300  and the operation terminal  500  are connected to the router  400  in a wireless manner. However, the HEMS  200  may be connected to the router  400  in a wireless manner, and the information equipment  300  and the operation terminal  500  may be connected to the router  400  in a wired manner. 
         [0067]    The operation terminal  500  is an operation terminal transmitting an operational instruction for the information equipment  300 . The operation terminal  500  may be an operation terminal (for example, a remote controller or an operation button installed in the information equipment  300 ) directly inputting operation into the information equipment  300  without use the router  400  or the HEMS  200 . Alternatively, the operation terminal  500  may be an operation terminal (for example, a mobile terminal connected to the router  400  in a wireless manner or a personal computer connected to the router  400  in a wired manner) connected to the narrow area network  70 . The operation terminal connected the narrow area network  70  indirectly inputs operation to the information equipment  300  through the router  400  and the HEMS  200 . In addition, the operation terminal  500  may be an operation terminal (for example, a mobile terminal capable of accessing the server  600  or a personal computer capable of accessing the server  600 ) connected to a wide area network  60  different from the narrow area network  70 . The operation terminal connected to the wide area network  60  is not limited to an apparatus carried by a user, but it may be a server (for example, a server managed by a power company) installed on the wide area network  60 . As the operational instruction transmitted from such a server, there is considered a demand response or the like. 
         [0068]    In  FIG. 3 , as the operation terminal  500 , an operation terminal  500 A directly inputting operation into the information equipment  300 , an operation terminal  500 B connected to the narrow area network  70 , and an operation terminal  500 C connected to the wide area network  60  are exemplarily illustrated. In a case where the operational instruction is a demand response or the like, it should be noted that the operation terminal  500 C may be considered to be same as the server  600 . For example, the server  600  may be the above-described smart server  40 , and the demand response issued from the smart server  40  may be an operational instruction. 
         [0069]    The server  600  is a server which is installed on the wide area network  60  and receives an operational instruction for the information equipment  300  from the operation terminal  500 C connected to the wide area network  60 . However, it should be noted that the operation terminal  500 C is not always connected to the server  600 . 
         [0070]    Herein, in terms of security, it is not preferable that session between the HEMS  200  connected to the narrow area network  70  installed in the consumer&#39;s facility  10  and the server  600  be always retained. In general, in order to protect an apparatus connected to the narrow area network  70 , a firewall is installed between the wide area network  60  and the narrow area network  70 . Therefore, access from the server  600  to the HEMS  200  cannot be arbitrarily performed. From such a point of view, it is preferable that the server  600  transmit the operational instruction received from the operation terminal  500 C to the HEMS  200  according to a query periodically executed by the HEMS  200  with respect to the server  600 . 
         [0071]    However, the embodiment is not limited thereto. For example, port releasing is intentionally performed on the firewall, so that the server  600  may transmit to the HEMS  200  the operational instruction received from the operation terminal  500 C at an arbitrary timing. 
       (Control Apparatus) 
       [0072]    Hereinafter, the control apparatus according to the first embodiment will be described.  FIG. 4  is a block diagram illustrating the HEMS  200  according to the first embodiment. 
         [0073]    As illustrated in  FIG. 4 , the HEMS  200  is configured to include a reception unit  210 , a transmission unit  220 , and a control unit  230 . 
         [0074]    The reception unit  210  receives various signals from the apparatuses connected through the signal line (wireless or wired). For example, the reception unit  210  receives information indicating an amount of power generation of the PV  131  from the PV unit  130 . The reception unit  210  receives information indicating an amount of electricity storage of the storage battery  141  from the storage battery unit  140 . The reception unit  210  receives information indicating an amount of power generation of the fuel cell  151  from the fuel cell unit  150 . The reception unit  210  receives information indicating an amount of hot water storage of the hot-water storage unit  160  from the hot-water storage unit  160 . 
         [0075]    In a case where communication between the HEMS  200  and the information equipment  300  is performed in an ECHONET Lite protocol, the reception unit  210  receives a message (SET response command, GET response command, and INFO command) in accordance with the ECHONET Lite protocol from each apparatus. The SET response command is a response command with respect to a set command (SET command) including an operational instruction for the information equipment  300  and includes a set response indicating a result of the setting (refer to  FIG. 8  described later). The GET response command is a response command with respect to a request command (GET command) demanding to transmit information indicating a state of the information equipment  300  and includes demanded information (demand response) (refer to  FIG. 9  described later). The INFO command is a command which the information equipment  300  spontaneously transmits independently of a command from the HEMS  200  with respect to the information equipment  300  and includes the state information indicating the state of the information equipment  300  (refer to  FIG. 10  described later). 
         [0076]    Herein, the reception unit  210  may receive the energy fee information, the energy consumption forecasting information, and the PV power generation amount forecast information from various servers via the wide area network  60 . However, the energy fee information, the energy consumption forecasting information, and the PV power generation amount forecast information may be stored in the HEMS  200  in advance. 
         [0077]    In the first embodiment, the reception unit  210  receives the operational instruction (inside-consumer&#39;s-facility operation) from the operation terminal  500 B. In addition, the reception unit  210  receives the operational instruction (outside-consumer&#39;s-facility operation) received from the operation terminal  500 C from the server  600 . 
         [0078]    The transmission unit  220  transmits various signals to apparatuses connected through the signal line. For example, the transmission unit  220  transmits signals for controlling the load  120 , the PV unit  130 , the storage battery unit  140 , the fuel cell unit  150  and the hot-water storage unit  160  to the respective apparatuses. 
         [0079]    In a case where communication between the HEMS  200  and the information equipment  300  is performed in an ECHONET Lite protocol, the transmission unit  220  transmits a message (SET command and GET command) in accordance with the ECHONET Lite protocol to each apparatus. The SET command is a set command including an operational instruction for the information equipment  300  (refer to  FIG. 6  or  7  described later). The GET command is a request command requesting to transmit information indicating a state of the information equipment  300 . 
         [0080]    In the first embodiment, the transmission unit  220  transmits a query of the operational instruction received from the operation terminal  500 C to the server  600 . 
         [0081]    In the first embodiment, the transmission unit  220  constitutes a transmission unit which transmits an operational instruction for the information equipment  300  to the information equipment  300 . The route type of the operational instruction for the information equipment  300  includes inside-consumer&#39;s-facility operation where the operation terminal  500 B connected to the narrow area network  70  inputs operations to the information equipment  300  and outside-consumer&#39;s-facility operation where the operation terminal  500 C connected to the wide area network  60  inputs operations to the information equipment  300 . 
         [0082]    Herein, in a case where the route type is the inside-consumer&#39;s-facility operation, the transmission unit  220  transmits an operational instruction in a first format. On the other hand, in a case where the route type is the outside-consumer&#39;s-facility operation, the transmission unit  220  transmits an operational instruction in a second format different from the first format. 
         [0083]    In a case where communication between the HEMS  200  and the information equipment  300  is performed in an ECHONET Lite protocol, as illustrated in  FIG. 6 , as the operational instruction in the first format, an existing message (SET command) in an ECHONET Lite protocol can be used. On the other hand, the operational instruction in the second format is a newly defined message (special SET command) apart from the existing message in the ECHONET Lite protocol. For example, the SET command (second format) includes operation-route specifying information indicating that the route type is outside-consumer&#39;s-facility operation. In the example illustrated in  FIG. 6 , the SET command (first format) is an existing message which does not include operation-route specifying information. 
         [0084]    Otherwise, as illustrated in  FIG. 7 , the first format and the second format may be distinguished from each other by the operation-route specifying information (for example, 1-bit flag) indicating the route type. The SET command (first format) includes operation-route specifying information indicating that the route type is inside-consumer&#39;s-facility operation, and the SET command (second format) includes operation-route specifying information indicating that the route type is outside-consumer&#39;s-facility operation. 
         [0085]    Returning to  FIG. 4 , the control unit  230  controls operations of the HEMS  200 . The control unit  230  controls the load  120 , the PV unit  130 , the storage battery unit  140 , the fuel cell unit  150 , and the hot-water storage unit  160 . 
         [0086]    In the first embodiment, the control unit  230  constitutes a determination unit which determines a route type of the operational instruction for the information equipment  300 . More specifically, in a case where the operational instruction does not pass through the server  600  installed on the wide area network  60 , the control unit  230  determines that the route type is the inside-consumer&#39;s-facility operation. On the other hand, in a case where the operational instruction passes through the server  600  installed on the wide area network  60 , the control unit  230  determines that the route type is the outside-consumer&#39;s-facility operation. 
         [0087]    As described above, in a case where the route type is the inside-consumer&#39;s-facility operation, the operational instruction is transmitted from the operation terminal  500 B to the HEMS  200  through the router  400 . Therefore, if the control unit  230  identifies the IP address of the transmission source of the operational instruction, the control unit  230  can determine that the operational instruction does not pass through the server  600 . On the other hand, in a case where the route type is the outside-consumer&#39;s-facility operation, the operational instruction which the server  600  receives from the operation terminal  500 C is transmitted from the server  600  to the HEMS  200 . Therefore, if the control unit  230  identifies the IP address of the transmission source of the operational instruction, the control unit  230  can determine that the operational instruction passes through the server  600 .  
         [0088]    Namely, the control unit  230  is considered to determine the route type of the operational instruction according to whether or not the operational instruction is based on an instruction passing through the wide area network  60 . In a case where the operational instruction is based on an instruction passing through the wide area network  60 , the control unit  230  determines that the route type is outside-consumer&#39;s-facility operation. In a case where the operational instruction is not based on an instruction passing through the wide area network  60 , the control unit  230  determines that the route type is inside-consumer&#39;s-facility operation. 
         [0089]    Herein, the instruction passing through the wide area network  60  may be an instruction transmitted from the operation terminal  500 C directly to the HEMS  200  or may be an instruction transmitted from the operation terminal  500 C through the server  600  to the HEMS  200 . Otherwise, the instruction passing through the wide area network  60  may be an instruction transmitted from the above-described smart server  40  to the HEMS  200 . The control unit  230  may also transmit an appropriate operational instruction to the information equipment  300  according to the instruction passing through the wide area network  60 . 
         [0090]    As described above, in a case where the route type is inside-consumer&#39;s-facility operation, the transmission unit  220  transmits the operational instruction in the first format. In a case where the route type is outside-consumer&#39;s-facility operation, the transmission unit  220  transmits the operational instruction in the second format. If the above-described determination method of the control unit  230  is taken into consideration, the transmission unit  220  may be considered to transmit the operational instruction in different formats according to whether or not the operational instruction passes through the server  600  located outside the consumer&#39;s facility  10 . Otherwise, the transmission unit  220  may be considered to transmit the operational instruction in different formats according to whether or not the operational instruction is based on an instruction passing though the wide area network  60 . 
       (Information Equipment) 
       [0091]    Hereinafter, the information equipment according to the first embodiment will be described.  FIG. 5  is a block diagram illustrating the information equipment  300  according to the first embodiment. 
         [0092]    As illustrated in  FIG. 5 , the information equipment  300  is configured to include a reception unit  310 , a transmission unit  320 , a storage unit  330 , and a control unit  340 . 
         [0093]    The reception unit  310  receives various signals from the apparatuses connected through the signal line (wireless or wired). More specifically, the reception unit  310  receives operational instructions from the operation terminal  500 A, the operation terminal  500 B, and the operation terminal  500 C. 
         [0094]    In a case where communication between the HEMS  200  and the information equipment  300  is performed in an ECHONET Lite protocol, the reception unit  310  receives a message (SET command and GET command) in accordance with the ECHONET Lite protocol from the HEMS  200 . 
         [0095]    In the first embodiment, in a case where the route type is inside-consumer&#39;s-facility operation, the reception unit  310  receives the operational instruction in the first format from the HEMS  200 . On the other hand, in a case where the route type is outside-consumer&#39;s-facility operation, the reception unit  310  receives the operational instruction in the second format different from the first format from the HEMS  200 . 
         [0096]    The transmission unit  320  transmits various signals to apparatuses connected through the signal line (wireless or wired). 
         [0097]    In a case where communication between the HEMS  200  and the information equipment  300  is performed in an ECHONET Lite protocol, the transmission unit  320  transmits a message (SET response command, GET response command, and INFO command) in accordance with the ECHONET Lite protocol to the HEMS  200 . 
         [0098]    In the first embodiment, the transmission unit  320  constitutes a notification unit which notifies the HEMS  200  of an operational instruction indicating the route type of the operational instruction for the information equipment. 
         [0099]    More specifically, according to the reception of the set command including an operational instruction for the information equipment  300 , the transmission unit  320  notifies the HEMS  200  of an operation-route identifier indicating a route type of the operational instruction included in the set command. For example, as illustrated in  FIG. 8 , according to the reception of the SET command, the transmission unit  320  transmits to the HEMS  200  a SET response command including the operation-route identifier indicating the route type of the operational instruction included in the SET command. 
         [0100]    Otherwise, according to the reception of the request command requesting to transmit information indicating a state of the information equipment  300 , the transmission unit  320  notifies the HEMS  200  of an operation-route identifier indicating a route type of the operational instruction received before the reception of the request command. For example, as illustrated in  FIG. 9 , according to the reception of the GET command, the transmission unit  320  transmits to the HEMS  200  a GET response command including the operation-route identifier indicating the route type of the operational instruction received before the reception of the GET command. Namely, the transmission unit  320  transmits to the HEMS  200  the GET response command including the operation-route identifier indicating which operation route the current operation is received from. 
         [0101]    Otherwise, in a case where the variable stored in the storage unit  330  is changed, the transmission unit  320  notifies the HEMS  200  of an operation-route identifier indicating a changed variable. For example, as illustrated in  FIG. 10 , the transmission unit  320  transmits to the HEMS  200  an INFO command including the operation-route identifier indicating the changed variable. 
         [0102]    The storage unit  330  stores variables indicating the route type of the operational instruction for the information equipment  300 . 
         [0103]    As described above, the variables indicating the route type of the operational instruction for the information equipment  300  include a variable indicating inside-consumer&#39;s-facility operation where the operation terminal  500 B connected to the narrow area network  70  installed in the consumer&#39;s facility  10  input operation to the information equipment  300  and a variable indicating outside-consumer&#39;s-facility operation where the operation terminal  500 C connected to the wide area network  60  different from the narrow area network  70  inputs operation to the information equipment  300 . 
         [0104]    In addition, the variable indicating the inside-consumer&#39;s-facility operation may include a variable indicating direct operation where operation is directly input to the information equipment  300  without passing through a different apparatus (for example, HEMS  200  or router  400 ) and a variable indicating indirect operation where operation is indirectly input to the information equipment  300  through a different apparatus (for example, HEMS  200  or router  400 ). 
         [0105]    The direct operation may be operation of operation buttons installed in the information equipment  300  or may be operation using a remote controller associated with the information equipment  300 . The indirect operation is an operation using the operation terminal  500 B connected to the narrow area network  70  installed in the consumer&#39;s facility  10 . 
         [0106]    The control unit  340  controls operations of the information equipment  300 . More specifically, the control unit  340  controls the operations of the information equipment  300  according to an operational instruction. 
         [0107]    In the first embodiment, the control unit  340  determines an operational instruction route type. The control unit  340  can specify the inside-consumer&#39;s-facility operation and the outside-consumer&#39;s-facility operation according to a difference between the formats of the messages including the operational instructions. In addition, since the control unit  340  can specify the direct operation, the control unit  340  can specify operation other than the direct operation. Therefore, the control unit  340  can specify that the inside-consumer&#39;s-facility operation is direct operation and can also specify that the inside-consumer&#39;s-facility operation is indirect operation. 
       (Control Method) 
       [0108]    Hereinafter, a control method according to the first embodiment will be described.  FIGS. 11 to 13  are flowcharts illustrating the control method according to the first embodiment. In  FIGS. 11 to 13 , a case where communication between the HEMS  200  and the information equipment  300  is performed in accordance with the ECHONET Lite protocol is exemplified. 
         [0109]    Firstly, the case (direct operation) where an operational instruction is transmitted from the operation terminal  500 A to the information equipment  300  will be described with reference to  FIG. 11 . 
         [0110]    As illustrated in  FIG. 11 , in step  10 , the operation terminal  500 A transmits the operational instruction for the information equipment  300  to the information equipment  300 . 
         [0111]    In step  20 , the information equipment  300  sets a variable indicating the route type of the operational instruction for the information equipment  300  (that is, a variable indicating the direct operation). Namely, the information equipment  300  changes the variable stored in the storage unit  330 . The information equipment  300  executes an operation corresponding to the operational instruction. 
         [0112]    In step  30 , the information equipment  300  transmits an INFO command including the operation-route identifier indicating the changed variable to the HEMS  200  (refer to  FIG. 10 ). 
         [0113]    Secondly, the case (inside-consumer&#39;s-facility operation/indirect operation) where an operational instruction is transmitted from the operation terminal  500 B to the information equipment  300  will be described with reference to  FIG. 12 . 
         [0114]    As illustrated in  FIG. 12 , in step  110  and step  120 , the operation terminal  500 B transmits the operational instruction for the information equipment  300  to the HEMS  200  through the router  400 . 
         [0115]    In step  130 , the HEMS  200  determines the route type of the operational instruction for the information equipment  300 . More specifically, since the operational instruction does not pass through the server  600 , the HEMS  200  determines that the route type is the inside-consumer&#39;s-facility operation. 
         [0116]    In step  140  and step  150 , the HEMS  200  transmits the operational instruction for the information equipment  300  to the information equipment  300  through the router  400 . More specifically, the HEMS  200  transmits a SET command (first format) including the operational instruction for the information equipment  300  to the information equipment  300  (refer to  FIG. 6  or  7 ). 
         [0117]    In step  160 , the information equipment  300  sets a variable indicating the route type of the operational instruction for the information equipment  300  (that is, a variable indicating the inside-consumer&#39;s-facility operation). Namely, the information equipment  300  changes the variable stored in the storage unit  330 . The information equipment  300  executes an operation corresponding to the operational instruction. 
         [0118]    In step  170 , the information equipment  300  transmits a SET response command including an operation-route identifier indicating the route type of the operational instruction included in the SET command (first format) to the HEMS  200  (refer to  FIG. 8 ). 
         [0119]    Thirdly, the case (outside-consumer&#39;s-facility operation) where an operational instruction is transmitted from the operation terminal  500 C to the information equipment  300  will be described with reference to  FIG. 13 . 
         [0120]    As illustrated in  FIG. 13 , in step  210 A and step  210 B, the HEMS  200  transmits a query of an operational instruction or the like to the server  600  through the router  400 . It should be noted that the HEMS  200  periodically executes the query of the operational instruction or the like. 
         [0121]    In step  220 , the operation terminal  500 C transmits the operational instruction for the information equipment  300  to the server  600 . 
         [0122]    In step  230  and step  240 , according to the query received from the HEMS  200 , the server  600  transmits the operational instruction for the information equipment  300  to the HEMS  200  through the router  400 . 
         [0123]    In step  250 , the HEMS  200  determines a route type of the operational instruction for the information equipment  300 . More specifically, since the operational instruction passes through the server  600 , the HEMS  200  determines that the route type is the outside-consumer&#39;s-facility operation. 
         [0124]    In step  260  and step  270 , the HEMS  200  transmits the operational instruction for the information equipment  300  to the information equipment  300  through the router  400 . More specifically, the HEMS  200  transmits a SET command (second format) including the operational instruction for the information equipment  300  to the information equipment  300  (refer to  FIG. 6  or  7 ). 
         [0125]    In step  280 , the information equipment  300  sets a variable indicating the route type of the operational instruction for the information equipment  300  (that is, a variable indicating the outside-consumer&#39;s-facility operation). Namely, the information equipment  300  changes the variable stored in the storage unit  330 . The information equipment  300  executes an operation corresponding to the operational instruction. 
         [0126]    In step  290 , the information equipment  300  transmits a SET response command including an operation-route identifier indicating the route type of the operational instruction included in the SET command (second format) to the HEMS  200  (refer to  FIG. 8 ). 
         [0127]    Herein, although not shown in the flowcharts illustrated in  FIGS. 11 to 13 , the information equipment  300  may transmit to the HEMS  200  the GET response command including the operation-route identifier indicating the route type of the operational instruction received before the reception of the GET command according to the reception of the GET command (refer to  FIG. 9 ). 
         [0128]    As described above, the HEMS  200  determines the route type of the operational instruction according to whether or not the operational instruction passes through the server  600  located outside the consumer&#39;s facility  10 . Therefore, the HEMS  200  can recognize which route the operational instruction for the information equipment  300  is made and can control the information equipment  300 . Accordingly, it is possible to perform remote control of the information equipment  300  while considering problems in safety. 
       Other Embodiments 
       [0129]    While the invention has been described with reference to the above embodiments, it should not be understood that the description and the drawings as a portion of the disclosure limit the invention. It will be apparent to the ordinarily skilled in the art that various alternative embodiments, examples, and operational techniques are available from the disclosure. 
         [0130]    In the embodiments, a case where the communication between the HEMS  200  and the information equipment  300  was performed in the ECHONET Lite protocol was mainly described. However, the embodiments are not limited thereto. The communication between the HEMS  200  and the information equipment  300  may be in accordance with other protocols. 
         [0131]    In the embodiments, three types of inside-consumer&#39;s-facility operation (direct operation), inside-consumer&#39;s-facility operation (indirect operation), and outside-consumer&#39;s-facility operation were exemplified as operational instruction route types. However, the embodiments are not limited thereto. Two types of inside-consumer&#39;s-facility operation and outside-consumer&#39;s-facility operation may be used as the operational instruction route types. Otherwise, the route type of the operational instruction may be the direct operation and operation other than the direct operation. 
         [0132]    In the embodiments, the information equipment  300  specifies the inside-consumer&#39;s-facility operation and the outside-consumer&#39;s-facility operation according to a difference between the formats of the messages including the operational instructions. However, the embodiments are not limited thereto. The information equipment  300  may specify the inside-consumer&#39;s-facility operation and the outside-consumer&#39;s-facility operation by identifying IP addresses of transmission sources. 
         [0133]    In the embodiments, as a name of the information indicating the route type of the operational instruction for the information equipment  300 , the “operation-route specifying information” and the “operation-route identifier” are used, but the embodiments are not limited thereto. For example, the SET command, the SET response command, the GET response command, and the INFO command may include information indicating the route type of the operational instruction for the information equipment  300 , and the formats of the information (information indicating the route type) included in the messages may be different from each other. 
         [0134]    In the embodiments, a case where the control apparatus is the HEMS  200  was exemplified. However, the embodiments are not limited thereto. The control apparatus may be installed in the CEMS  20  or may be installed in the smart server  40 . Otherwise, the control apparatus may be installed in a BEMS (building energy management system), may be installed in an FEMS (factory energy management system), or may be installed in an SEMS (store energy management system). 
         [0135]    In the embodiment, the consumer&#39;s facility  10  is configured to include a load  120 , a PV unit  130 , a storage battery unit  140 , a fuel cell unit  150 , and a hot-water storage unit  160 . However, the consumer&#39;s facility  10  may include any of the load  120 , the PV unit  130 , the storage battery unit  140 , the fuel cell unit  150 , and the hot-water storage unit  160 . 
         [0136]    In addition, the entire contents of Japanese Patent Application No. 2013-81678 filed in the Japanese Patent Office on Apr. 9, 2013 are incorporated into the specification of the present invention by reference. 
       INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY 
       [0137]    As described heretofore, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a control apparatus and a control method capable of performing remote control of information equipment while considering problems in safety.