Air conditioning equipment operation system and air conditioning equipment designing support system

• US 7,225,171 B2
• Filed: 05/27/2003
• Issued: 05/29/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Nakajima, Tadakatsu, Kikuchi, Hiroshige, Sasao, Keiji
• Primary Examiner(s): Borissov; Igor N.
• Application Number:
  US10/445,057
• Publication Number:
  US 20030192328A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,463 Days
• Field of Search: 705/412, 705/1, 705/7, 705/8, 705/10, 705/26, 705/400, 379/102.03, 379/102.05, 379/102.07, 700/295, 700/276, 702/61, 702/188, 702/62, 165238-248, 165267-269
• US Class Current: 705/412
• 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 11/47 Responding to energy costs
• 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 11/64 using pre-stored data
• 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: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply

Abstract

A control server includes a device information database storing device characteristic data constituting the air conditioning equipment, a fuel/power rate database storing price and rate data regarding gas, oil, power and the like, a device characteristic and price database, an air conditioning equipment simulator for calculating running costs by using the data stored in the fuel/power rate database, and communication portion for performing communications through a network. The control server, and an air conditioning management controller for managing and controlling the air conditioning equipment provided with the communication portion for performing communications through the network, are connected to the network. An operation plan is made by the control server, the operation plan is transmitted to the air conditioning equipment management controller for controlling the air conditioning equipment through the network, and the air conditioning equipment is controlled and operated according to the operation plan.

Claims

1. An air conditioning equipment support method comprising:

predicting an annular cooling load fluctuation pattern of air conditioning equipment;

determining a plurality of differing air conditioning equipment configurations, and for each differing air conditioning equipment configuration;

calculating initial costs by referring to a device information database having device characteristics and prices of the number of air conditioners;

calculating annual running costs based on the annual cooling load fluctuation pattern by referring to a database storing fuel costs and electricity rates;

calculating other costs including device taxes and interest rates; and

calculating total costs including the initial costs, running costs and other costs of a set number or years;

based on the results of the determining, deciding an optimal number of air conditioners of the air conditioning equipment, thereby minimizing the total costs; and

providing the results to a user.

2. The air conditioning equipment support method according to claim 1, wherein the annual cooling load fluctuation pattern is predicted by using a weather information database storing weather data on a past temperature and humidity of an outside air.

4. The computer-readable medium according to claim 1, wherein the annual cooling load fluctuation pattern is predicted by using a weather information database storing weather data on a past temperature and humidity of an outside air.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the annual cooling load fluctuation pattern is predicted by using a weather information database storing weather data on a past temperature and humidity of an outside air.

3. A computer-readable medium having computer-readable code embedded therein which, when executed on a computer, causing said computer to implement an air conditioning equipment support method comprising:

predicting an annular cooling load fluctuation pattern of air conditioning equipment;

determining a plurality of differing air conditioning equipment configurations, and for each differing air conditioning equipment configuration;

calculating initial costs by referring to a device information database having device characteristics and prices of the number of air conditioners;

calculating annual running costs based on the annual cooling load fluctuation pattern by referring to a database storing fuel costs and electricity rates;

calculating other costs including device taxes and interest rates; and

calculating total costs including the initial costs, running costs and other costs of a set number or years;

based on the results of the determining, deciding an optimal number of air conditioners of the air conditioning equipment, thereby minimizing the total costs; and

providing the results to a user.

5. An air conditioning equipment optimization support system comprising:

a processor adapted with software and supportive hardware, for;

predicting an annular cooling load fluctuation pattern of air conditioning equipment;

determining a plurality of differing air conditioning equipment configurations, and for each differing air conditioning equipment configuration;

calculating initial costs by referring to a device information database having device characteristics and prices of the number of air conditioners;

calculating annual running costs based on the annual cooling load fluctuation pattern by referring to a database storing fuel costs and electricity rates;

calculating other costs including device taxes and interest rates; and

calculating total costs including the initial costs, running costs and other costs of a set number or years;

based on the results of the determining, deciding an optimal number of air conditioners of the air conditioning equipment, thereby minimizing, the total costs; and

providing the results to a user.