Demand control device and computer readable medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016349725-A1
Application number	US-201415116681-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 20, 2014
Priority date	Feb 14, 2014
Publication date	Dec 1, 2016
Grant date	—

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

1 . A demand control device comprising:
air-conditioning control means to perform low power operation control to make a group to which one or more indoor units belong perform a low power operation on a per-group basis; estimation means to estimate, as reducible power of the group, power calculated 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; prediction means to predict a power consumption amount of the demand time limit; and calculation means to calculate, when the power consumption amount predicted by the prediction means 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 reducible power, wherein the air-conditioning control means makes the group perform the low power operation for the low power operation time calculated for each group by the calculation means.

2 . The demand control device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
power consumption measurement means, 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 estimation means estimates, based on, when any one of groups performs the low power operation, the power consumption measured by the power consumption measurement means 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 estimation means 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 estimation means 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 calculation means 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 calculation means 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.

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

8 . A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a program causing a computer mounted in a demand control device to function as:
air-conditioning control means to perform low power operation control to make a group to which one or more indoor units belong perform a low power operation on a per-group basis; estimation means to estimate, as reducible power of the group, power calculated 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; prediction means to predict a power consumption amount at an end point of the demand time limit; and calculation means to calculate, when the power consumption amount predicted by the prediction means 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 reducible power, wherein the air-conditioning control means makes the group perform the low power operation for the low power operation time calculated for each group by the calculation means.

Assignees

• Mitsubishi Electric Corp

Inventors

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

Classifications

• H02J3/003 Primary

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• Y04S20/222

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• G05B2219/35212

  Estimating a cost associated with each operation, amount of time, target cost · CPC title

• F24F11/63

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