EQUIPMENT POWER MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

• US 20120098340A1
• Filed: 10/05/2011
• Published: 04/26/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: YOKOYAMA, JUN
• Granted Patent: US 9,270,114 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 307/31
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/32 Means for saving power
• 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: H02J 4/00 Circuit arrangements for mains or distribution networks not specified as ac or dc
• 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: Y04S 20/222 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/242 Home appliances

Abstract

An equipment power management system in accordance with the present invention has a plurality of electrical devices and a control device. The electrical devices can operate in any one of multiple operational states different from each other in power consumption of a commercial power source. The control device switches the operational state of an electrical device to that of a smaller power consumption of the commercial power source in ascending order from the electrical device of the lowest priority when a receiving power amount of the whole equipment including the plurality of electrical devices exceeds a first threshold value until the receiving power amount falls below a second threshold value which is lower than or equal to the first threshold value.

Claims

1. An equipment power management system comprising:

a plurality of electrical devices operable in any one of multiple operational states different from each other in power consumption of a commercial power source; and

a control device for switching the operational state of an electrical device to that of a smaller power consumption of the commercial power source in ascending order from the electrical device of the lowest priority when a receiving power amount of the whole equipment including the plurality of electrical devices exceeds a first threshold value until the receiving power amount falls below a second threshold value which is lower than or equal to the first threshold value.

2. The equipment power management system according to claim 1, wherein the control device repeats the process of selecting the electrical device of the lowest priority as the reduction object from the electrical devices operating in an operational state other than that of the least power consumption of the commercial power source, and switching the operational state of the selected electrical device to that of a smaller power consumption of the commercial power source until the receiving power amount falls below the second threshold value.

3. The equipment power management system according to claim 2, wherein the control device preferentially selects an electrical device operating in the operational state of a larger power consumption of the commercial power source if every priority is identical in selecting the reduction object.

4. The equipment power management system according to claim 2, wherein the control device classifies the electrical devices of an identical priority into an identical group, and selects an electrical device operating in the operational state of a larger power consumption of the commercial power source from the group of the electrical devices of the lowest priority among the electrical devices operating in an operational state other than that of the least power consumption of the commercial power source in selecting the reduction object.

5. The equipment power management system according to claim 1, wherein the control device switches the operational state of an electrical device to that of a one-level smaller power consumption of the commercial power source in switching that to the operational state of a smaller power consumption of the commercial power source.

6. The equipment power management system according to claim 1, wherein the control device selects the electrical device of the highest priority as the increase object from the electrical devices operating in an operational state other than that of the largest power consumption of the commercial power source when the receiving power amount falls below a third threshold value which is lower than or equal to the second threshold value, and switches the operational state of the selected electrical device to that of a larger power consumption of the commercial power source.

7. The equipment power management system according to claim 6, wherein the control device preferentially selects an electrical device operating in the operational state of a smaller power consumption of the commercial power source if every priority is identical in selecting the increase object.

8. The equipment power management system according to claim 6, wherein the control device classifies the electrical devices of an identical priority into an identical group, and selects an electrical device operating in the operational state of a smaller power consumption of the commercial power source from the group of the electrical devices of the highest priority among the electrical devices operating in an operational state other than that of the largest power consumption of the commercial power source in selecting the increase object.

9. The equipment power management system according to claim 6, wherein the control device switches the operational state of an electrical device to that of a one-level larger power consumption of the commercial power source in switching that to the operational state of a larger power consumption of the commercial power source.

10. The equipment power management system according to claim 1, wherein the control device selects the electrical device operating in the operational state of the least power consumption of the commercial power source as the increase object from the electrical devices of the highest priority among those operating in an operational state other than that of the largest power consumption of the commercial power source, calculates the difference between the power consumptions of the commercial power source for the selected electrical device before and after switching on the assumption of switching the operational state of the selected electrical device to that of a one-level larger power consumption of the commercial power source, takes the value of subtracting the calculated difference from the second threshold value as a third threshold value, and switches the operational state of the electrical device selected as the increase object to that of the one-level larger power consumption of the commercial power source when the receiving power amount falls below the third threshold value.

11. The equipment power management system according to claim 1, wherein each electrical device is an IT device having a computer.

12. The equipment power management system according to claim 11, wherein the priority of each electrical device is determined according to the service level of the application program executed by the computer.

13. The equipment power management system according to claim 1, wherein the multiple operational states of the electrical devices include an operational state for operating the electrical devices in a low power consumption mode.

14. The equipment power management system according to claim 1, wherein the multiple operational states of the electrical devices include an operational state for operating the electrical devices by a secondary battery, or an operational state for compensating part of the power for the electrical devices by a secondary battery.

15. The equipment power management system according to claim 14, wherein the control device selects the electrical device with the secondary batter at the lowest remaining battery level and instructs the selected electrical device to start charging the secondary battery, when the receiving power amount falls below the second threshold value under the condition of the absence of electrical devices operating in an operational state other than that of the largest power consumption of the commercial power source.

16. The equipment power management system according to claim 15, wherein the control device repeats selecting the electrical device with the secondary battery at the lowest remaining battery level and instructing the selected electrical device to start charging the secondary battery, with the receiving power amount in the range of not exceeding the second threshold value.

17. An equipment power management method to be carried out by a control device connected through a communication cable with a plurality of electrical devices operable in any one of multiple operational states different from each other in power consumption of a commercial power source, the method comprising:

switching the operational state of an electrical device to that of a smaller power consumption of the commercial power source in ascending order from the electrical device of the lowest priority when a receiving power amount of the whole equipment including the plurality of electrical devices exceeds a first threshold value until the receiving power amount falls below a second threshold value which is lower than or equal to the first threshold value.

18. The equipment power management method according to claim 17, wherein the control device repeats the process of selecting the electrical device of the lowest priority as the reduction object from the electrical devices operating in an operational state other than that of the least power consumption of the commercial power source, and switching the operational state of the selected electrical device to that of a smaller power consumption of the commercial power source until the receiving power amount falls below the second threshold value.

19. The equipment power management method according to claim 18, wherein the control device preferentially selects an electrical device operating in the operational state of a larger power consumption of the commercial power source if every priority is identical in selecting the reduction object.

20. A control device comprising:

a communication interface unit for carrying out communications with a plurality of electrical devices operable in any one of multiple operational states different from each other in power consumption of a commercial power source; and

a power reduction control unit for switching the operational state of an electrical device to that of a smaller power consumption of the commercial power source in ascending order from the electrical device of the lowest priority when a receiving power amount of the whole equipment including the plurality of electrical devices exceeds a first threshold value until the receiving power amount falls below a second threshold value which is lower than or equal to the first threshold value.