Operation device and method to control an air conditioner based on weather change patterns

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11029052-B2
Application number	US-201716613735-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 5, 2017
Priority date	Jul 5, 2017
Publication date	Jun 8, 2021
Grant date	Jun 8, 2021

Abstract

In an operation control device (10), a plan selection unit (15) determines, at a time point midway through a time zone where an operation of an air conditioner (54) is controlled along one control plan among a plurality of control plans, whether a weather change pattern corresponding to the one control plan deviates from an actual weather change pattern, based on weather data. If deviates, the plan selection unit (15) selects a weather change pattern that is different from the weather change pattern corresponding to the one control plan, from among a plurality of weather change patterns, in accordance with the weather data. During a rest of the time zone, the plan selection unit (15) controls the operation of the air conditioner (54) along a control plan corresponding to the different weather change pattern, among the plurality of control plans.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An operation control device comprising:
a memory to store a plurality of weather change patterns as a pattern of how weather changes, and store a plurality of control plans as a plan for controlling an operation of an air conditioning equipment in accordance with the plurality of weather change patterns, respectively; and
processing circuitry to
determine, at a time point midway through a time zone where the operation of the air conditioning equipment is controlled along one control plan among the plurality of control plans stored in the memory, whether a weather change pattern corresponding to the one control plan deviates from an actual weather change pattern, based on weather data indicating a time-series weather observation result of up to the time point; if deviates, select a weather change pattern that is different from the weather change pattern corresponding to the one control plan, from among the plurality of weather change patterns stored in the memory, in accordance with the weather data; and during a rest of the time zone, control the operation of the air conditioning equipment along a control plan corresponding to the different weather change pattern, among the plurality of control plans; and
to formulate the plurality of control plans in accordance with a target value of power consumption of the air conditioning equipment in the time zone, and store the plurality of control plans to the memory,
wherein the processing circuitry, when selecting the different weather change pattern, specifies, from among the plurality of control plans, a control plan according to which a prediction value of power consumption of the air conditioning equipment during the rest of the time zone exceeds a difference between the target value and an actual value of power consumption of the air conditioning equipment of up to the time point, and excludes a weather change pattern corresponding to the specified control plan from candidates.

2. The operation control device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the processing circuitry, when selecting the different weather change pattern, specifies, from among the plurality of control plans, a control plan according to which a prediction value of power consumption of the air conditioning equipment during the rest of the time zone exceeds an estimated value of extra power generated during the rest of the time zone by at least one of suspension of operation or energy saving operation of a power consumption equipment other than the air conditioning equipment, power supply from a power generation equipment, and power supply from power storage equipment, and excludes a weather change pattern corresponding to the specified control plan from candidates.

3. The operation control device according to claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry
extracts, from among the plurality of weather change patterns, a weather change pattern deviating from the actual weather change pattern, based on a weather observation result of before the time zone, and
selects one weather change pattern other than the extracted weather change pattern, from among the plurality of weather change patterns stored in the memory, and during the time zone, controls the operation of the air conditioning equipment along a control plan corresponding to the one weather change pattern, among the plurality of control plans.

4. The operation control device according to claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry
predicts weather fluctuations during the rest of the time zone, in cases where every one of the plurality of weather change patterns stored in the memory deviates from the actual weather change pattern, based on the weather data, calculates a new weather change pattern in accordance with a prediction result, and modifies an arbitrary control plan among the plurality of control plans in accordance with the calculated weather change pattern, and
during the rest of the time zone, controls the operation of the air conditioning equipment along the modified control plan.

5. The operation control device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the memory further stores a plurality of subject change patterns as a pattern of how a subject different from the weather changes to serve as a factor that changes a heat load of the air conditioning equipment, and stores the plurality of control plans as a plan for controlling the operation of the air conditioning equipment in accordance with respective combinations of the plurality of weather change patterns and the plurality of subject change patterns, and
wherein at the time point, if the subject change pattern corresponding the one control plan deviates from the actual subject change pattern, then in the rest of the time zone, the processing circuitry controls the operation of the air conditioning equipment along a control plan corresponding to a subject change pattern that is different from the subject change pattern corresponding to the one control plan, among the plurality of control plans.

6. An air conditioning system comprising:
the operation control device according to claim 1 ; and
the air conditioning equipment whose operation is controlled by the operation control device.

7. An operation control method in which a computer, comprising a memory to store a plurality of weather change patterns as a pattern of how weather changes, and store a plurality of control plans as a plan for controlling an operation of an air conditioning equipment in accordance with the plurality of weather patterns, respectively,
determines, at a time point midway through a time zone where the operation of the air conditioning equipment is controlled along one control plan among the plurality of control plans stored in the memory, whether a weather change pattern corresponding to the one control plan deviates from an actual weather change pattern, based on weather data indicating a time-series weather observation result of up to the time point; if deviates, selects a weather change pattern that is different from the weather change pattern corresponding to the one control plan, from among the plurality of weather change patterns stored in the memory, in accordance with the weather data; and during a rest of the time zone, controls the operation of the air conditioning equipment along a control plan corresponding to the different weather change pattern, among the plurality of control plans,
formulates the plurality of control plans in accordance with a target value of power consumption of the air conditioning equipment in the time zone, and stores the plurality of control plans to the memory, and
when selecting the different weather change pattern, specifies, from among the plurality of control plans, a control plan according to which a prediction value of power consumption of the air conditioning equipment during the rest of the time zone exceeds a difference between the target value and an actual value of power consumption of the air conditioning equipment of up to the time point, and excludes a weather change pattern corresponding to the specified control plan from candidates.

8. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing an operation control program which causes a computer, comprising a memory to store a plurality of weather change patterns as a pattern of how weather changes, and store a plurality of control plans as a plan for controlling an operation of an air conditioning equipment in accordance with the plurality of weather patterns, respectively,
to execute a process of: determining, at a time point midway through a time zone where the operation of the air conditioning equipment is controlled along one control plan among the plurality of control plans stored in the memory, whether a weather change pattern correspond

Assignees

• Mitsubishi Electric Corp

Inventors

• Ota Yoshihiro
• Ukiana Tomooki

Classifications

• F24F11/65

  for selecting an operating mode · CPC title

• G05B2219/2614

  HVAC, heating, ventillation, climate control · CPC title

• F24F2130/20

  Sunlight · CPC title

• F24F2130/10

  Weather information or forecasts · CPC title

• F24F2140/50

  Load · CPC title