Electric power consumption simulation device, simulation method, and recording medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10678964-B2
Application number	US-201214366227-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 12, 2012
Priority date	Jan 12, 2012
Publication date	Jun 9, 2020
Grant date	Jun 9, 2020

Abstract

A simulation apparatus has a type setting section that sets a type of mode of electric power consumption of equipment, and an output section that simulates an amount of the electric power consumption of the equipment in accordance with the type set by the type setting section and outputting the amount of electric power consumption thus simulated.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A simulation apparatus, comprising:
a memory, and
a central processing unit (CPU),
wherein the CPU builds a virtual model of a production line based on an information including (a) equipment identification information for identifying each piece of equipment out of a plurality of pieces of equipment included in the virtual model, (b) a number of pieces of equipment, (c) mode type information that indicates a type of mode of electric power consumption of each piece of equipment out of the plurality of pieces of equipment, (d) equipment type information that indicates whether a piece of equipment out of the plurality of pieces of equipment is a piece of line equipment or a piece of supporting equipment, and (e) an order in which pieces of line equipment take turns to perform processes on an object to be processed,
wherein pieces of line equipment are pieces of equipment that vary in electric power consumption between an operating state in which a process is performed on the object to be processed and a standby state in which the piece stands by without performing the process on the object to be processed,
wherein the CPU sets the type of mode of electric power consumption of a piece of equipment included in a plurality of pieces of equipment in a system, the plurality of pieces of equipment operating in association with each other and sequentially carrying out processes,
wherein the CPU simulates an amount of the electric power consumption of the piece of equipment in accordance with the type set by the CPU and outputs the amount of electric power consumption thus simulated,
wherein the type set by the CPU includes a first type which is a mode of electric power consumption in a piece of equipment that varies in electric power consumption between:
(i) a standby state in which it stands by due to a delay of processing of another piece of equipment and
(ii) an operating state,

wherein a time duration of the standby state is variable and the time duration is determined based on the type of mode of electric power consumption of each piece of equipment included in the plurality of pieces of equipment in a system, and
wherein the simulated amount of electric power consumption output by the CPU is used to determine a specification and a layout of the piece of equipment in association with the plurality of pieces of equipment in the system.

2. The simulation apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the CPU simulates amounts of electric power consumption of the plurality of pieces of equipment and outputs the amounts of electric power consumption thus simulated.

3. The simulation apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the type set by the CPU includes a second type which is a mode of electric power consumption in a piece of equipment which varies in electric power consumption among
(i) a first standby state in which it stands by due to a delay of processing of a preceding piece of equipment,
(ii) a second standby state in which it stands by due to a delay of processing of a next piece of equipment, and
(iii) the operating state.

4. The simulation apparatus according to claim 3 ,
wherein the CPU further determines a period of operation of each of the plurality of pieces of equipment on a basis of the number of processes in the each of the plurality of pieces of equipment,
wherein the CPU
(i) determines a period of standby time of a piece of equipment of the second type, the period of standby time being a difference between a period of operation of the piece of equipment of the second type and a longest one of the periods of operation of the plurality of pieces of equipment that have been determined by the CPU and
(ii) generates standby state information indicating whether a type of standby state in the period of standby time is the first standby state or the second standby state, on a basis of whether a piece of equipment whose period of operation is longest is a preceding or subsequent piece of equipment, and

wherein the CPU
(i) simulates an amount of electric power consumption of the piece of equipment of the second type on a basis of the number of processes in the piece of equipment, the period of operation determined for the piece of equipment, the period of standby time determined for the piece of equipment, and the standby state information and
(ii) outputs the amount of electric power consumption thus simulated.

5. The simulation apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the type set by the CPU includes a third type which is a mode of electric power consumption in a piece of equipment which consumes a substantially constant amount of electric power.

6. The simulation apparatus according to claim 5 ,
wherein the CPU further determines a period of operation of each of the plurality of pieces of equipment on a basis of the number of processes in the each of the plurality of pieces of equipment, and
wherein the CPU
(i) simulates an amount of electric power consumption of a piece of equipment of the third type on a basis of an amount of electric power consumed per unit time by the piece of equipment and a longest one of the periods of operation of the plurality of pieces of equipment that have been determined by the CPU and
(ii) outputs the amount of electric power consumption thus simulated.

7. The simulation apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the type set by the CPU includes a fourth type which is a mode of electric power consumption in a piece of equipment which consumes electric power only during operation thereof.

8. The simulation apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the type set by the CPU includes a fifth type which is a mode of electric power consumption in a piece of equipment which
(i) takes a predetermined start-up time from a point in time at which the piece of equipment is turned on to a point in time at which the piece of equipment stabilizes and
(ii) consumes a substantially constant amount of electric power during the predetermined start-up time, the fifth type being a mode of electric power consumption from the point in time at which the piece of equipment is turned on to the point in time at which the piece of equipment stabilizes.

9. The simulation apparatus according to claim 8 ,
wherein the CPU further sets a planned period of operation and a planned period of suspension of the system,
wherein the CPU sets, for a piece of equipment of the fifth type,
(i) a start-up time, which is a period of time from a point in time at which the piece of equipment is turned on to a point in time at which the piece of equipment stabilizes, and
(ii) an amount of start-up electric power, which is an amount of electric power consumed during the start-up time,

wherein the CPU determines whether the piece of equipment of the fifth type can be turned off during the planned period of suspension set by the CPU, on a basis of comparison between the planned period of suspension and the start-up time of the piece of equipment of the fifth type, and
wherein in a case where it is determined that the piece of equipment of the fifth type can be turned off during the planned period of suspension, the CPU outputs, as an amount of electric power consumption during the planned period of suspension, the amount of the start-up electric power corresponding to the piece of equipment of the fifth type.

10. The simulation apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the type set by the CPU includes a sixth type which is a mode of electric power consumption in a piece of equipment which
(i) takes a predetermined start-up time from a point in time at which the piece of equipment is turned on to a point in time at which the piece of equipment stabilizes and
(ii) varie

Assignees

• Kawai Wakahiro
• Omron Tateisi Electronics Co

Inventors

• Kawai Wakahiro

Classifications

• G06Q50/06

  Energy or water supply · CPC title

• G06F30/20 Primary

  Design optimisation, verification or simulation (optimisation, verification or simulation of circuit designs G06F30/30) · CPC title

• G05B2219/25387

  Control sequences so as to optimize energy use by controlled machine · CPC title

• G05B17/02 Primary

  electric · CPC title

• G06F2119/06

  Power analysis or power optimisation · CPC title