Demand control device and computer readable medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10180672-B2
Application number	US-201415116681-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 20, 2014
Priority date	Feb 14, 2014
Publication date	Jan 15, 2019
Grant date	Jan 15, 2019

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.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

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.

Assignees

• Mitsubishi Electric Corp

Inventors

• Miura Kenjiro
• Sato Fuyuki
• Iwasaki Kosuke
• Ueno Kazumi
• TOMISAWA Kazuo
• Minamida Sosuke
• Mega Toshihiro

Classifications

• H02J3/003 Primary

  Load forecast, e.g. methods or systems for forecasting future load demand · CPC title

• H02J2105/42

  Home appliances · CPC title

• Y04S20/242

  Home appliances · CPC title

• G05B13/021

  in which a variable is automatically adjusted to optimise the performance · CPC title

• H02J4/00

  Circuit arrangements for mains or distribution networks not specified as AC or DC; Circuit arrangements for mains or distribution networks combining AC and DC sections or sub-networks (arrangements using intermediate DC-AC-DC conversion H02J1/002; arrangements using high-voltage DC [HVDC] links H02J3/36) · CPC title