ENERGY MANAGEMENT APPARATUS AND ENERGY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

• US 20140046496A1
• Filed: 10/16/2013
• Published: 02/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: MISE, Atsushi, TAKEHARA, Kiyotaka, TOKUNAGA, Yoshihiko
• Granted Patent: US 9,612,586 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/291
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply

Abstract

An energy management apparatus includes: algorithm storage unit configured to store at least one energy-saving control algorithm; controller configured to control an operation of controlled device by executing the algorithm and; data storage unit configured to store reduction information corresponding to the algorithm, the reduction information used to figure out a reduction in energy consumption due to the execution of the algorithm; estimation unit configured to estimate the reduction in the energy consumption due to the execution of the algorithm on the basis of the reduction information, when controller controls the operation of controlled device by executing the algorithm; and network communication unit configured to output the estimation result.

Claims

1. An energy management apparatus, comprising:

an algorithm storage unit configured to store at least one energy-saving control algorithm, which controls an operation of a controlled device in a way to reduce energy consumption thereof;

a controller configured to control the operation of the controlled device by executing the energy-saving control algorithm;

a data storage unit configured to store reduction information corresponding to the energy-saving control algorithm, and used to figure out a reduction in the energy consumption of the controlled device due to the execution of the energy-saving control algorithm;

an estimation unit configured to estimate, when the controller controls the operation of the controlled device by executing the energy-saving control algorithm, the reduction in the energy consumption of the controlled device due to the execution of the energy-saving control algorithm on the basis of the reduction information corresponding to the energy-saving control algorithm; and

an output unit configured to output an estimation result by the estimation unit.

2. The energy management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the algorithm storage unit is configured to store energy-saving control algorithms each of which controls the operation of the controlled device in a way to reduce the energy consumption thereof,

the controller is configured to control the operation of the controlled device by executing the energy-saving control algorithm selected by the algorithm storage unit, and

the data storage unit is configured to store reduction information corresponding to each of the energy-saving control algorithms, wherein the reduction information is used to figure out a reduction in the energy consumption of the controlled device due to the execution of the corresponding energy-saving control algorithm.

3. The energy management apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the estimation unit is configured to acquire an execution duration which is a period when the energy-saving control algorithm is continuously executed, and estimate the reduction in the energy consumption of the controlled device on the basis of the acquired execution duration and the reduction information corresponding to the energy-saving control algorithm.

4. The energy management apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the estimation unit is configured to estimate the reduction in the energy consumption of the controlled device in the execution duration when the time length of the execution duration is not less than a lower limit value, and not to estimate the reduction in the energy consumption of the controlled device in the execution duration when the time length of the execution duration is less than the lower limit value.

5. The energy management apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising an update unit configured to update the reduction information corresponding to an executed energy-saving control algorithm and stored in the data storage unit on the basis of measurement results of the energy consumption of the controlled device before and after the controller starts executing of the energy-saving control algorithm.

6. The energy management apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a time period information acquisition unit configured to acquire time period information on a time period, wherein

the data storage unit is configured to store reduction information corresponding to each of the energy-saving control algorithms for every time period, and

the estimation unit is configured to estimate the reduction in the energy consumption of the controlled device on the basis of the reduction information for the time period information acquired by the time period information acquisition unit.

7. The energy management apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising a time period information acquisition unit configured to acquire time period information on a time period, wherein

the data storage unit is configured to store reduction information corresponding to each of the energy-saving control algorithms for every time period, and

the estimation unit is configured to estimate the reduction in the energy consumption of the controlled device, on the basis of the reduction information for the time period information acquired by the time period information acquisition unit.

8. The energy management apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the energy management apparatus constitutes an energy management system together with an environment information acquisition unit configured to acquire environment information on a surrounding environment,

the data storage unit is configured to store reduction information corresponding to each of the energy-saving control algorithms for every surrounding environment, and

the estimation unit is configured to estimate the reduction in the energy consumption of the controlled device on the basis of the reduction information for the environment information acquired by the environment information acquisition unit.

9. The energy management apparatus according to claim 5, wherein

the energy management apparatus constitutes an energy management system with an environment information acquisition unit configured to acquire environment information on a surrounding environment,

the data storage unit is configured to store reduction information corresponding to each of the energy-saving control algorithms for every surrounding environment, and

the estimation unit is configured to estimate the reduction in the energy consumption of the controlled device on the basis of the reduction information for the environment information acquired by the environment information acquisition unit.

10. The energy management apparatus according to claim 6, wherein

the energy management apparatus constitutes an energy management system with environment information acquisition unit configured to acquire environment information on a surrounding environment,

the data storage unit is configured to store reduction information corresponding to each of the energy-saving control algorithms for every surrounding environment,

the estimation unit is configured to estimate the reduction in the energy consumption of the controlled device on the basis of the reduction information corresponding to the environment information acquired by the environment information acquisition unit.

11. The energy management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the controller is configured to control the operation of the controlled device by executing a first algorithm under which the controlled device is operated at a predetermined output level, and

the at least one energy-saving control algorithm is a second algorithm under which the controlled device is operated with energy consumption smaller than the energy consumption of the controlled device under the first algorithm.

12. An energy management system, comprising:

energy management apparatuses each of which is the energy management apparatus according to claim 2; and

a central server configured to be able to communicate with each of the energy management apparatuses.

13. The energy management system according to claim 12, wherein

each of the energy management apparatuses is configured to send the central server the reduction information stored in the data storage unit corresponding to each of the energy-saving control algorithms,

the central server is configured to statistically process the reduction information received from the energy management apparatuses for each corresponding energy-saving control algorithm, and

each of the energy management apparatuses is configured to update the corresponding reduction information stored in the data storage unit on the basis of the reduction information after the statistical processing acquired from the central server.

14. The energy management system according to claim 12, wherein

the central server is configured to statistically process reduction information received from the energy management apparatuses on the basis of attribute assigned to each of the energy management apparatuses, and

each of the energy management apparatuses is configured to acquire the reduction information after the statistical processing corresponding to the attribute assigned thereto from the central server.

15. The energy management system according to claim 13, wherein

the central server is configured to statistically process reduction information received from each of the energy management apparatuses on the basis of an attribute assigned to each of the energy management apparatuses, and

each of the energy management apparatuses is configured to acquire the reduction information after the statistical processing corresponding to the attribute assigned thereto from the central server.

16. An energy management method, comprising:

storing at least one energy-saving control algorithm, which controls an operation of a controlled device in a way to reduce energy consumption thereof;

controlling the operation of the controlled device by executing the energy-saving control algorithm;

storing reduction information corresponding to the energy-saving control algorithm, and used to figure out a reduction in the energy consumption of the controlled device due to the execution of the energy-saving control algorithm;

estimating, when the operation of the controlled device is controlled by executing the energy-saving control algorithm, the reduction in the energy consumption of the controlled device due to the execution of the energy-saving control algorithm on the basis of the reduction information corresponding to the energy-saving control algorithm; and

outputting an estimation result in accordance with the estimating.

17. The energy management method according to claim 16, wherein

energy-saving control algorithms are stored, each of which controls the operation of the controlled device in a way to reduce the energy consumption thereof,

the operation of the controlled device is controlled by executing the energy-saving control algorithm selected, and

reduction information corresponding to each of the energy-saving control algorithms is stored, wherein the reduction information is used to figure out a reduction in the energy consumption of the controlled device due to the execution of the corresponding energy-saving control algorithm.

18. The energy management method according to claim 17, wherein the estimating acquires an execution duration which is a period when the energy-saving control algorithm is continuously executed, and estimates the reduction in the energy consumption of the controlled device on the basis of the acquired execution duration and the reduction information corresponding to the energy-saving control algorithm.

19. The energy management method according to claim 18, wherein the reduction in the energy consumption of the controlled device is estimated in the execution duration when the time length of the execution duration is not less than a lower limit value, and the reduction in the energy consumption of the controlled device is not estimated in the execution duration when the time length of the execution duration is less than the lower limit value.

20. The energy management method according to claim 19, further comprising updating the reduction information corresponding to an executed energy-saving control algorithm on the basis of measurement results of the energy consumption of the controlled device before and after the controller starts executing of the energy-saving control algorithm.