Equipment power management system

• US 9,825,469 B2
• Filed: 01/08/2016
• Issued: 11/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Yokoyama, Jun
• Primary Examiner(s): CAVALLARI, DANIEL J
• Application Number:
  US14/991,345
• Publication Number:
  US 20160118804A1
• Time in Patent Office: 683 Days
• 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 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, each of the electrical devices consuming power supplied by a commercial power source, the method comprising:

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

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, and switching the operational state of the selected electrical device to that of a smaller power consumption, a plurality of times until the receiving amount of power falls below the second threshold value, and

wherein when each electrical device has the lowest priority, the control device preferentially selects an electrical device operating in the operational state of a power consumption greater than the least power consumption.

2. The equipment power management method of claim 1, wherein the electrical device operating in the operational state of the power consumption greater than the least power consumption is an electrical device operating in an operational state of a largest power consumption.