Demand control device and computer readable medium

• US 10,180,672 B2
• Filed: 11/20/2014
• Issued: 01/15/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Inventors: Miura, Kenjiro, Sato, Fuyuki, Iwasaki, Kosuke, Ueno, Kazumi, Tomisawa, Kazuo, Minamida, Sosuke, Mega, Toshihiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Tecklu, Isaac T
• Application Number:
  US15/116,681
• Publication Number:
  US 20160349725A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,517 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/30 for purposes related to the operation of the system, e.g. for safety or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/46 Improving electric energy efficiency or saving
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/47 Responding to energy costs
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/61 using timers
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/62 characterised by the type of control or by internal processing, e.g. using fuzzy logic, adaptive control or estimation of values
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/63 Electronic processing
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/65 for selecting an operating mode
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2110/00 Control inputs relating to air properties
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2130/00 Control inputs relating to environmental factors not covered by group F24F2110/00
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2130/10 Weather information or forecasts
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2140/50 Load
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2140/60 Energy consumption
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 11/01 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 13/021 in which a variable is automatically adjusted to optimise the performance
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/042 using digital processors G05B19/05 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/35212 Estimating a cost associated with each operation, amount of time, target cost
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/35215 Generate optimal nc program variant as function of cost, time, surface, energy
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/14 The load or loads being home appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/003 Load forecast, e.g. methods or systems for forecasting future load demand
• 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: Y02P 80/14 : District level solutions, i.e. local energy networks
• 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

There is provided air-conditioning control in a low power operation so as not to exceed a target demand power amount in a predetermined measurement period while preventing deterioration of comfortableness of a living space. There include a reducible-power-amount estimation unit configured to calculate, for each group, a reducible power amount by making indoor units perform, for each group, a shut-off operation for a minimum shut-off time in the first half of a demand time limit, and a reduced-power-amount determination unit configured to distribute, when a power consumption amount predicted by a power consumption amount prediction unit exceeds a target demand power amount after the first half of the demand time limit passes, the exceeding power amount to each zone, evenly distribute, in each zone, the distributed power amount to each group, and calculate, based on the reducible power amount of each group, a shut-off time of each group when each group performs the shut-off operation to reduce the distributed power amount.

Claims

1. A demand control device that causes an air-conditioning controller to perform low power operation control to make air-conditioning groups to which one or more indoor units belong perform a low power operation on a per-group basis, where a low power operation is an operation which consumes less power than a cooling operation, the device comprising:

a memory; and

a processor configured to

estimate a reducible power amount of the air-conditioning groups from a power amount reduced when each group separately performs the low power operation for a predetermined measurement unit time in a predetermined measurement period from a start point of a demand time limit;

predict a power consumption amount of the demand time limit;

calculate, when the predicted power consumption amount exceeds a target demand power amount previously set to the demand time limit, a power amount to be reduced in order not to exceed the target demand power amount as a target reduced power amount;

distribute the target reduced power amount to each group according to previously set distribution criteria; and

calculate, for each group, a low power operation time to reduce the target reduced power amount distributed for each group based on the estimated reducible power,

wherein the air-conditioning controller makes the air-conditioning groups perform the low power operation for the low power operation time calculated for each group wherein the processor distributes, when the indoor units are grouped into a plurality of groups based on an installation place and each group is allocated to any one of a plurality of areas, the target reduced power amount to each area,

distributes, to each group allocated to the area, the target reduced power amount distributed to each area, and

calculates, for each group, the low power operation time to reduce the distributed target reduced power amount for each group based on the reducible power.

2. The demand control device according to claim 1, further comprising:

power consumption meter, which is attached to an inverter type outdoor unit connected with the indoor unit which belongs to one or more groups, to measure a power consumption of the outdoor unit,

wherein the processor estimates, based on, when any one of groups performs the low power operation, the power consumption measured by the power consumption meter attached to the outdoor unit connected with the indoor unit which belongs to the group, a reducible power amount of the group.

3. The demand control device according to claim 1, wherein the processor estimates, from, when any one of groups performs the low power operation, operation frequency of a compressor of the outdoor unit connected with the indoor unit which belongs to the group, power consumption of the group, and estimates a reducible power amount of the group based on the estimated power consumption.

4. The demand control device according to claim 3, wherein the processor generates a correlation model based on actual result information on the operation frequency and the power consumption of the compressor, and estimates a power consumption amount of the group from the correlation model.

5. The demand control device according to claim 1, wherein the processor evenly distributes the calculated target reduced power amount to each group according to the previously set distribution criteria.

6. The demand control device according to claim 1, wherein the processor evenly distributes the target reduced power amount to each area.

7. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a program causing a processor mounted in a demand control device to cause an air-conditioning controller to perform low power operation control to make air-conditioning groups to which one or more indoor units belong perform a low power operation on a per-group basis, where a low power operation is an operation which consumes less power than a cooling operation, the processor configured to:

estimate a reducible power amount of the group from a power amount reduced when each group separately performs the low power operation for a predetermined measurement unit time in a predetermined measurement period from a start point of a demand time limit;

predict a power consumption amount at an end point of the demand time limit;

calculate, when the predicted power consumption amount exceeds a target demand power amount previously set to the demand time limit, a power amount to be reduced in order not to exceed the target demand power amount as a target reduced power amount;

distribute the target reduced power amount to each group according to previously set distribution criteria;

calculate, for each group, a low power operation time to reduce the target reduced power amount distributed for each group based on the reducible power; and

provide the calculated low power operation time to an air-conditioning controller such that the air-conditioning controller controls the group to perform the low power operation for the low power operation time calculated for each group wherein the processor distributes, when the indoor units are grouped into a plurality of groups based on an installation place and each group is allocated to any one of a plurality of areas, the target reduced power amount to each area,

distributes, to each group allocated to the area, the target reduced power amount distributed to each area, and

calculates, for each group, the low power operation time to reduce the distributed target reduced power amount for each group based on the reducible power.