Equipment control system

• US 7,403,827 B2
• Filed: 06/10/2005
• Issued: 07/22/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Itoh, Kazuo, Kanbara, Osamu
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham; Thomas K
• Application Number:
  US11/149,259
• Publication Number:
  US 20050278040A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,138 Days
• Field of Search: 700/9, 700/65
• US Class Current: 700/65
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/46 Improving electric energy efficiency or saving
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2140/60 Energy consumption
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 29/00 Arrangement or mounting of control or safety devices
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric

Abstract

A technology for achieving energy saving by efficiently controlling each of a plurality of equipment systems is proposed. The equipment control system includes an air conditioner system, a refrigerator system, a refrigerator/freezer showcase system and a central coordinator. Status data related to electric equipment provided in the systems is transmitted to the central coordinator. The central coordinator computes control data for the systems, based on the status data of the electric equipment transmitted. The central coordinator is provided with the function of computing the control data, based only on the status data of the corresponding electric equipment and the function of computing the control data, allowing for the status data of another of electric equipment in addition to the status data of the corresponding electric equipment.

Claims

1. An equipment control system comprising:

a plurality of equipment groups;

an equipment controller which is provided in each equipment group and which controls the operation of the corresponding equipment group; and

a supervising unit which supervises the equipment controllers, receives status data of the equipment groups transmitted from the equipment controllers, and computes control data for each of the equipment controllers, based on the status data of the corresponding equipment group and the status data of at least another equipment group constituting a system different from the corresponding equipment group, wherein

each of the equipment controllers controls the corresponding equipment group, based on the control data computed by the supervising unit.

2. The equipment control system according to claim 1, wherein the supervising unit is provided not only with the function of computing the control data for each of the controllers, based on the status data of the corresponding equipment group and the status data of at least another equipment group, but also with the function of computing the control data for each of the controllers, based only on the status data of the corresponding equipment group.

3. The equipment control system according to claim 2, wherein the supervising unit detects the status of communication with the equipment controllers, and determines, based on the result of detection of the status of communication with the equipment controllers, whether to compute the control data for each of the equipment controllers, based on the status data of the corresponding equipment group and the status data of at least another equipment group, or to compute the control data for each of the equipment controllers, based only on the status data of the corresponding equipment group.

4. The equipment control system according to claim 2, wherein the supervising unit determines, based on the result of simulation-based computation for determining energy efficiency, whether to compute the control data for each of the equipment controllers, based on the status data of the corresponding equipment group and the status data of at least another equipment group, or to compute the control data for each of the equipment controllers, based only on the status data of the corresponding equipment group.

5. The equipment control system according to claim 3, wherein the supervising unit determines, based on the result of simulation-based computation for determining energy efficiency, whether to compute the control data for each of the equipment controllers, based on the status data of the corresponding equipment group and the status data of at least another equipment group, or to compute the control data for each of the equipment controllers, based only on the status data of the corresponding equipment group.

6. The equipment control system according to claim 2, wherein the supervising unit determines, based on the result of computation using a predetermined relational expression for evaluating energy saving performance, whether to compute the control data for each of the equipment controllers, based on the status data of the corresponding equipment group and the status data of at least another equipment group, or to compute the control data for each of the equipment controllers, based only on the status data of the corresponding equipment group.

7. The equipment control system according to claim 3, wherein the supervising unit determines, based on the result of computation using a predetermined relational expression for evaluating energy saving performance, whether to compute the control data for each of the equipment controllers, based on the status data of the corresponding equipment group and the status data of at least another equipment group, or to compute the control data for each of the equipment controllers, based only on the status data of the corresponding equipment group.

8. The equipment control system according to claim 1, wherein each of the equipment controllers is provided not only with the function of controlling the corresponding equipment group, based on the control data computed by the supervising unit but also with the function of controlling the corresponding equipment group, based only on the status data of the corresponding equipment group without depending on the control data transmitted from the supervising unit.

9. The equipment control system according to claim 2, wherein each of the equipment controllers is provided not only with the function of controlling the corresponding equipment group, based on the control data computed by the supervising unit but also with the function of controlling the corresponding equipment group, based only on the status data of the corresponding equipment group without depending on the control data transmitted from the supervising unit.

10. The equipment control system according to claim 8, wherein each of the equipment controllers detects the status of communication with the supervising unit and determines, based on the result of detection of the status of communication with the supervising unit, whether to control the corresponding equipment group, based on the control data transmitted from the supervising unit, or to control the corresponding equipment group, based only on the status data of the corresponding equipment group without depending on the control data transmitted from the supervising unit.

11. The equipment control system according to claim 9, wherein each of the equipment controllers detects the status of communication with the supervising unit and determines, based on the result of detection of the status of communication with the supervising unit, whether to control the corresponding equipment group, based on the control data transmitted from the supervising unit, or to control the corresponding equipment group, based only on the status data of the corresponding equipment group without depending on the control data transmitted from the supervising unit.

12. The equipment control system according to claim 1, wherein the equipment groups include equipment that affects room temperature depending on its operating conditions.

13. An equipment control system comprising:

a plurality of equipment groups;

an equipment controller which is provided in each equipment group and which controls the operation of the corresponding equipment group; and

a relay unit which transmits status data of the equipment group transmitted from each of the equipment controllers to an equipment controller of another system, wherein

each of the equipment controllers controls the corresponding equipment group, based on the status data of the equipment group subject to the controller'"'"'s control for operation and the status data of at least another equipment group constituting a system different from the corresponding equipment group transmitted from the relay unit.

14. The equipment control system according to claim 13, wherein each of the equipment controllers is provided not only with the function of controlling the corresponding equipment group, based on the status data of the equipment group subject to the controller'"'"'s control for operation and the status data of at least another equipment group transmitted from the relay unit but also with the function of controlling the corresponding equipment group, based only on the status data of the equipment group subject to the controller'"'"'s control for operation.

15. The equipment control system according to claim 14, wherein the relay unit detects the status of communication with the equipment controllers, and

each of the equipment controllers determines, based on the status of communication between the relay unit and the other equipment controllers as detected by the relay unit, whether to control the corresponding equipment group, based on the status data of the equipment group subject to the controller'"'"'s control for operation and the status data of another equipment group, or to control the corresponding equipment group, based only on the status data of the equipment group subject to the controller'"'"'s control for operation.

16. The equipment control system according to claim 14, wherein each of the equipment controllers detects the status of communication with the relay unit, and determines, based on the result of detection of the status of communication with the relay unit, whether to control the corresponding equipment group, based on the status data of the equipment group subject to the controller'"'"'s control for operation and the status data of another equipment group, or to control the corresponding equipment group, based only on the status data of the equipment group subject to the controller'"'"'s control for operation.

17. The equipment control system according to claim 14, wherein each of the equipment controllers determines, based on the result of simulation-based computation for determining energy efficiency, whether to control the corresponding equipment group, based on the status data of the equipment group subject to the controller'"'"'s control for operation and the status data of another equipment group, or to control the corresponding equipment group, based only on the status data of the equipment group subject to the controller'"'"'s control for operation.

18. The equipment control system according to claim 14, wherein each of the equipment controllers determines, based on the result of computation using a predetermined relational expression for evaluating energy saving performance, whether to control the corresponding equipment group, based on the status data of the equipment group subject to the controller'"'"'s control for operation and the status data of another equipment group, or to control the corresponding equipment group, based only on the status data of the equipment group subject to the controller'"'"'s control for operation.

19. The equipment control system according to claim 13, wherein the equipment groups include equipment that affects room temperature depending on its operating conditions.