Building energy management system

• US 7,797,084 B2
• Filed: 09/28/2005
• Issued: 09/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/08/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kazuo Miwa
• Original Assignee: Kazuo Miwa
• Inventors: Miwa, Kazuo
• Primary Examiner(s): BARNES-BULLOCK, CRYSTAL JOY
• Application Number:
  US11/883,884
• Publication Number:
  US 20090125149A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,812 Days
• Field of Search: 700/28, 700/32, 700/286, 700/291, 700/295, 700/296, 702/62, 705/412, 454/229, 307/11, 307/31, 307/35, 307/38, 307/41, 236/46.R, 165/267
• US Class Current: 700/296
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00002 characterised by monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00004 characterised by the power network being locally controlled
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00034 the elements or equipment being or involving an electric power substation
• 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: 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/244 the home appliances being or involving heating ventilating and air conditioning [HVAC] units

Abstract

An energy management system for managing energy such as power consumed in a building in an optimal state to significantly save energy is provided. A computer control system (200) for controlling the energy management system performs program control as follows. Current date and time are acquired, a control pattern for that time is obtained using a control program, so as to determine whether operation of an air conditioner (186) is to be turned ON or OFF, and then output either an operation instruction or a stop instruction. A control signal is then output from a digital output unit (212) to the air conditioner (186). Thus, the air conditioner (186) temporarily stops operation according to a predetermined pattern for the program control. The current operating state is displayed on a display unit (240) and a remote monitoring unit (270).

Claims

1. An energy management system for managing consumed energy of a control target device including air conditioners in a building, said energy management system comprising:

a pattern storage means, which stores a plurality of on and off patterns every predetermined unit of time;

an analog pattern storage means, which stores a plurality of rates for every respective predetermined unit of time during rated operation;

a program storage means, which stores programs for a year each predefined for each month or for each month and hour so as to reduce surplus load for every predetermined time;

a digital control means, which reads out a program from the program storage means, reads out from the pattern storage means, an on and off pattern for the current month and hour specified by a preset program, and turns the control target device on and off for every predetermined unit of time;

an analog control means, which reads out a program from the program storage means, reads out from the analog pattern storage means, a current month and hour operating ratio specified by the program, and controls an output rate for the control target device every predetermined time during rated operation, so as to reduce surplus load for every respective predetermined time, and

a temperature monitoring means, which monitors a preset temperature, and stops control performed according to the program when a temperature that exceeds or falls below the preset temperature is detected.

2. The energy management system of claim 1, wherein the pattern stored in the pattern storage means includes predetermined off times for respective units of control over the control target device differing from one another.

3. The energy management system of claims 1, further comprising:

a demand estimation means, which receives a signal indicating used power of the building and estimates used power for every predetermined time; and

a demand warning generation means, which receives the demand estimation and then generates a warning.

4. The energy management system of claim 1, further comprising:

a temperature/humidity measuring means, which measures atmospheric temperature and humidity;

a specific enthalpy calculation means, which calculates specific enthalpy based on the atmospheric temperature and humidity from the temperature/humidity measuring means; and

a correction means, which compares the calculated specific enthalpy and specific enthalpy for preset months and times when air conditioning, so as to correct the program more appropriately.

5. The energy management system of claim 4, wherein the correction means compares the temperature measured by the temperature/humidity measuring means and preset monthly and hourly temperatures when heating so as to correct the program more appropriately.