Intermediate apparatus

• US 9,423,778 B2
• Filed: 11/27/2012
• Issued: 08/23/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Daikin Industries Ltd
• Original Assignee: Daikin Industries Ltd
• Inventors: Kawai, Seiji, Kinugasa, Nanae
• Primary Examiner(s): Bahta, Kidest
• Application Number:
  US14/361,813
• Publication Number:
  US 20140330445A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,365 Days
• Field of Search: 700/276, 700/94, 700/275, 700/295
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 13/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0637 Strategic management or analysis, e.g. setting a goal or target of an organisation; Planning actions based on goals; Analysis or evaluation of effectiveness of goals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0206 Price or cost determination based on market factors
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 4/00 Circuit arrangements for mains or distribution networks not specified as ac or dc

Abstract

An intermediate apparatus manages a plurality of lower-level apparatuses, and includes an individual adjustable amount receiving unit, a memory unit storing lower-level apparatus management information, a total adjustable amount calculation unit, a demand adjustment request receiving unit, an allocation unit, and an individual request unit sending an individual demand adjustment request to the lower-level apparatus. The individual adjustable amount receiving unit receives notification of an individual adjustable amount from each of the lower-level apparatuses. The total adjustable amount calculation unit calculates a total adjustable amount being a total of the individual adjustable amounts of the plurality of lower-level apparatuses. The demand adjustment request receiving unit receives a demand adjustment request from a higher-level apparatus. The allocation unit allocates a demand adjustment amount to die lower-level apparatus according to a prescribed order based on the lower-level apparatus management information, based on the demand adjustment request.

Claims

1. An intermediate apparatus adapted to manage a plurality of lower-level apparatuses each of which manages one or more pieces of facility equipment, the intermediate apparatus comprising:

an intermediate controller including a memory unit and a control unit, the memory unit storm an intermediate controller program and lower-level apparatus management information related to each of the lower-level apparatuses, and the control unit being configured to execute the intermediate controller program stored in the memory unit,

the control unit including

an individual adjustable amount receiving unit programmed to receive notification of an individual adjustable amount of energy consumption per prescribed time period from each of the lower-level apparatuses;

a total adjustable amount calculation unit programmed to calculate a total adjustable amount of energy consumption of the plurality of lower-level apparatuses based on the individual adjustable amounts of the lower-level apparatuses;

a demand adjustment request receiving unit programmed to receive a demand adjustment request from an energy management apparatus, the demand adjustment request being a request to adjust an energy consumption of the plurality of lower-level apparatuses by an amount equal to or larger than a demand adjustment amount during an adjustment request period, the energy management apparatus being a higher-level apparatus;

an allocation unit programmed to allocate a prescribed portion of the demand adjustment amount to at least one of the lower-level apparatuses based on the demand adjustment request, the allocation unit allocating the prescribed portion according to a prescribed order based on the lower-level apparatus management information until a sum of the allocated prescribed portions reaches or exceeds the demand adjustment amount;

an individual request unit programmed to send an individual demand adjustment request to each of the at least one of the lower-level apparatuses to which the prescribed portion was allocated by the allocation unit, the individual demand adjustment request being a request to adjust an individual energy consumption of the at least one of the lower-level apparatuses by the prescribed portion of the demand adjustment amount; and

a total adjustable amount notification unit programmed to provide notification of the total adjustable amount to the higher-level apparatus,

the memory unit being further configured to

store the individual adjustable amount of energy consumption per prescribed time period of each of the lower-level apparatuses, and

update and store a pointer indicating the lower-level apparatus to which the scribed portion was last allocated when the allocation unit last allocated the prescribed portion to at least one of the lower-level apparatuses according to the prescribed order in response to a last demand adjustment request received by the demand adjustment request receiving unit, and

the allocation unit being further programmed such that when the allocation unit allocates the prescribed portion to at least one of the lower-level apparatuses based on a new demand adjustment request, the allocation unit allocates the prescribed portion to the at least one of the lower-level apparatus according to the prescribed order, starting from the lower-level apparatus that immediately follows the lower-level apparatus indicated by the pointer as the lower-level apparatus to which the prescribed portion was last allocated.

2. The intermediate apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the prescribed order is an order in which the lower-level apparatuses are registered in the lower-level apparatus management information.

3. The intermediate apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the lower-level apparatus management information further includes information related to a priority order associated with each of the lower-level apparatuses; and

the prescribed order is the priority order.

4. The intermediate apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the lower-level apparatus management information further includes information related to a priority order associated with each of the lower-level apparatuses, and information related to a number of times of allocation in which the allocation unit previously allocated the prescribed portion of demand adjustment amount to each of the lower-level apparatuses; and

the prescribed order is one of

an order in which the lower-level apparatuses are registered in the lower-level apparatus management information,

the priority order,

an ascending order of the number of times of allocation, and

an order that is a combination of any two or more of the preceding orders.

5. An intermediate apparatus adapted to manage a plurality of lower-level apparatuses each of which manages one or more pieces of facility equipment, the intermediate apparatus comprising:

a intermediate controller including a memory unit and a control unit, the memory unit storing an intermediate controller program and lower-level apparatus management information related to each of the lower-level apparatuses, and the control unit being configured to execute the intermediate controller program stored in the memory unit,

the control unit including

an individual adjustable amount receiving unit programmed to receive notification of an individual adjustable amount of energy consumption per prescribed time period from each of the lower-level apparatuses;

a total adjustable amount calculation unit programmed to calculate a total adjustable amount of energy consumption of the plurality of lower-level apparatuses based on the individual adjustable amounts of the lower-level apparatuses;

a demand adjustment request receiving unit configured to receive a demand adjustment request from an energy management apparatus, the demand adjustment request being a request to adjust an energy consumption of the plurality of lower-level apparatuses by an amount equal to or larger than a demand adjustment amount during an adjustment request period, the energy management apparatus being a higher-level apparatus;

an allocation unit programmed to allocate a prescribed portion of the demand adjustment amount to at least one of the lower-level apparatuses based on the demand adjustment request, the allocation unit allocating the prescribed portion according to a prescribed order based on the lower-level apparatus management information until a sum of the allocated prescribed portions reaches or exceeds the demand adjustment amount;

an individual request unit programmed to send an individual demand adjustment request to each of the at least one of the lower-level apparatuses to which the prescribed portion was allocated by the allocation unit, the individual demand adjustment request being a request to adjust an individual energy consumption of the at least one of the lower-level apparatuses by the prescribed portion of the demand adjustment amount; and

a total adjustable amount notification unit programmed to provide notification of the total adjustable amount to the higher-level apparatus,

the memory unit being further configured to store

the individual adjustable amount of energy consumption per prescribed time period of each of the lower-level apparatuses, and

a number of times of allocation in which the allocation unit previously allocated the prescribed portion to each of the lower-level apparatuses, and

the prescribed order being an ascending order of the number of times of allocation stored in the memory unit.