Central control apparatus for controlling facilities, facility control system including the same, and method of controlling facilities

• US 9,983,653 B2
• Filed: 09/18/2015
• Issued: 05/29/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Lee, Junu, Kim, Kyeungjae
• Primary Examiner(s): Kasenge, Charles
• Application Number:
  US14/858,559
• Publication Number:
  US 20160103475A1
• Time in Patent Office: 984 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/042 using digital processors G05B19/05 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/41885 characterised by modeling, simulation of the manufacturing system
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2639 Energy management, use maximum of cheap power, keep peak load low
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2642 Domotique, domestic, home control, automation, smart house
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3206 Monitoring of events, devices or parameters that trigger a change in power modality
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 80/10 Efficient use of energy, e.g. using compressed air or pressurized fluid as energy carrier

Abstract

A central control apparatus for controlling facilities, a facility control system including the same, and a method of controlling facilities may be provided. The central control apparatus may include a control unit performing control on facilities or equipment. The control unit may include a data collection module configured to collect prediction environment data including weather information of a control target region, a system setting module configured to set information of at least one facility in the control target region, and an energy use amount simulation module configured to model the at least one facility, based on the information of the at least one facility, set at least one control scenario applicable to the at least one facility, and simulate consumption power of the modeled at least one facility that operates according to the at least one control scenario.

Claims

1. A central control apparatus comprising:

a display device to display information;

a communication device to communicate with an external device;

a control device to perform control of facilities or equipment, wherein the control device includes;

a data collection module configured to obtain prediction environment data of a control target region, the prediction environment data including weather information of the control target region;

a system setting module configured to set information of at least one facility in the control target region; and

an energy use amount simulation module configured to model the at least one facility, based on the set information of the at least one facility, the energy use amount simulation module to set at least one control scenario for the at least one facility, and the energy use amount simulation module to simulate consumption power of the modeled at least one facility that operates based on the at least one control scenario,

wherein by using the modeled at least one facility and a space load, the control device determines a relationship between at least one portion of prediction environment data of the control target region and an amount of power consumed by the modeled at least one facility, and

wherein the control device calculates the space load based on a thermal equilibrium equation established by using a first heat amount based on a temperature change rate in the control target region and a second heat amount based on a change amount of heat that is input to the control target region or output from the control target region.

2. The central control apparatus of claim 1, wherein at the modeled at least one facility, an input variable is one of a kind of the at least one facility, a capacity of the at least one facility, a connection relationship with other facilities, and a driving condition of the at least one facility, and an output variable is consumption power of the at least one facility.

3. The central control apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the prediction environment data includes at least one of a temperature of the control target region and humidity of the control target region, and

the space load is determined based on the prediction environment data of the control target region.

4. The central control apparatus of claim 1, wherein when the control target region is provided in plurality, the control device determines a relationship between the prediction environment data and the amount of the consumed power.

5. The central control apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the control scenario is a set of one or more control commands provided in a specific order such that a pleasant degree of the control target region is within a predetermined pleasant degree, and

the control scenario includes at least one of an optimal turn-on or turn-off control operation, a setting temperature control operation and a duty control operation,

the optimal turn-on or turn-off control operation for saving energy by operating the at least one facility before a predetermined driving time of the at least one facility, based on a setting temperature of the control target region and a current temperature of the control target region, the setting temperature control operation for changing a setting temperature according to a space load of the control target region, and the duty control operation for controlling a turn-on or turn-off period of the at least one facility.

6. The central control apparatus of claim 1, wherein the energy use amount simulation module simulates the modeled at least one facility for each of a plurality of control target regions or simulates the modeled at least one facility based on time.

7. The central control apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control device includes:

an energy saving rate calculation module configured to determine an energy saving rate of the at least one facility or the control target region, based on a simulation result of consumption power of the modeled at least one facility that operates according to a combination of one or more control scenarios, and

the control device controls the at least one facility based on the combination of the one or more control scenarios determined based on the energy saving rate.

8. The central control apparatus of claim 1, wherein the communication device is configured to communicate with a meteorological administration server,

wherein the data collection module obtains the prediction environment data, including the weather information of the control target region, from the meteorological administration server through the communication device.

9. A facility control system comprising:

at least one facility or equipment; and

a central control apparatus configured to perform control of the at least one facility or equipment,

wherein the central control apparatus obtains prediction environment data of a control target region, the prediction environment data includes weather information of the control target region, the central control apparatus sets information of at least one facility in the control target region, and models the at least one facility, based on the set information of the at least one facility,

wherein the central control apparatus sets at least one control scenario for the at least one facility, and simulates consumption power of the modeled at least one facility that operates based on the at least one control scenario,

wherein by using the modeled at least one facility and a space load, the central control apparatus determines a relationship between at least one portion of the prediction environment data of the control target region and an amount of power consumed by the modeled at least one facility, and

when the control target region is provided in plurality, the central control apparatus determines a relationship between the prediction environment data and the amount of the consumed power,

wherein the central control apparatus calculates the space load based on a thermal equilibrium equation established by using a first heat amount based on a temperature change rate in the control target region and a second heat amount based on a change amount of heat that is input to the control target region or output from the control target region.

10. The facility control system of claim 9, wherein

the prediction environment data includes at least one of a temperature of the control target region and humidity of the control target region, and

the space load is determined based on the prediction environment data of the control target region.

11. The facility control system of claim 9, wherein

the control scenario is a set of one or more control commands provided in a specific order such that a pleasant degree of the control target region is within a predetermined pleasant degree, and

the control scenario includes at least one of an optimal turn-on or turn-off control operation, a setting temperature control operation and a duty control operation,

the optimal turn-on or turn-off control operation for saving energy by operating the at least one facility before a predetermined driving time of the at least one facility, based on a setting temperature of the control target region and a current temperature of the control target region, the setting temperature control operation for changing a setting temperature according to a space load of the control target region, and the duty control operation for controlling a turn-on or turn-off period of the at least one facility.

12. The facility control system of claim 9, wherein the central control apparatus determines an energy saving rate of the at least one facility or the control target region, based on a simulation result of consumption power of the modeled at least one facility that operates according to a combination of one or more control scenarios, and controls the at least one facility based on the combination of the one or more control scenarios determined based on the energy saving rate.

13. The facility control system of claim 9, wherein the central control apparatus obtains the prediction environment data, including the weather information of the control target region, from a meteorological administration server through a communication device in communication with the meteorological administration server.

14. A facility control method comprising:

obtaining prediction environment data of a control target region of the prediction environment data including weather information of a control target region;

setting information of at least one facility in the control target region; and

modeling the at least one facility based on the set information of the at least one facility and simulating consumption power of the modeled at least one facility that operates based on a control scenario, wherein the simulating of the consumption power includes;

modelling the at least one facility based on the set information of the at least one facility,

setting at least one control scenario for the at least one facility, and

simulating consumption power of the modeled at least one facility that operates based on the set at least one control scenario, wherein the control scenario is a set of one or more control commands provided in a specific order such that a pleasant degree of the control target region is within a predetermined pleasant degree,

wherein the modelling of the at least one facility includes determining a relationship between at least one portion of the prediction environment data of the control target region and an amount of power consumed by the modeled at least one facility by using the modeled at least one facility and a space load,

wherein the space load is calculated based on a thermal equilibrium equation established by using a first heat amount based on a temperature change rate in the control target region and a second heat amount based on a change amount of heat that is input to the control target region or output from the control target region.

15. The facility control method of claim 14, wherein the simulating of the consumption power includes simulating the modeled at least one facility for each of a plurality of control target regions or simulating the modeled at least one facility based on time.

16. The facility control method of claim 14, further comprising:

determining an energy saving rate of the at least one facility or the control target region, based on a simulation result of consumption power of the modeled at least one facility that operates according to a combination of one or more control scenarios;

determining a combination of one or more control scenarios based on the energy saving rate; and

controlling the at least one facility based on the determined combination of the one or more control scenarios.

17. The facility control method of claim 14, wherein the obtaining of the prediction environment data includes obtaining the prediction environment data, including the weather information of the control target region, from a meteorological administration server.