Energy management system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9385532-B2
Application number	US-201113583197-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 15, 2011
Priority date	Mar 12, 2010
Publication date	Jul 5, 2016
Grant date	Jul 5, 2016

Abstract

An energy management system includes an energy management apparatus configured to mange energy supplied to equipment devices of a plurality of buildings, and a control apparatus configured to control the equipment devices in the buildings. The energy management apparatus is located superordinate to the buildings. The control apparatus is connected to the energy management apparatus. The control apparatus includes an operating status perceiving unit configured to perceive operating status of the equipment devices, and a reducing capability presentation unit configured to present a plurality of energy reducing capabilities for at least one condition to the energy management apparatus. The energy reducing capabilities are amounts of energy that can be reduced for the equipment devices based on the operating status perceived.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An energy management system comprising:
an energy management apparatus configured to manage energy supplied to equipment devices of a plurality of buildings, the energy management apparatus being located superordinate to the buildings; and
a control apparatus configured to control the equipment devices in the buildings, the control apparatus being connected to the energy management apparatus, the control apparatus including
an operating status perceiving unit configured to perceive operating status of the equipment devices,
a reducing capability presentation unit configured to present a plurality of energy reducing capabilities for at least one condition to the energy management apparatus, the energy reducing capabilities being amounts of energy that can be reduced for the equipment devices based on the operating status perceived,
a selection command receiver configured to receive any energy reducing capability that is selected by the energy management apparatus from among the presented energy reducing capabilities as a selection command, and
a control command generator configured to generate a control command in order to realize any energy reducing capability selected by the energy management apparatus from among the energy reducing capabilities presented when the selection command is received by the selection command receiver,

the equipment devices being air conditioners,
the operating status perceiving unit perceiving, on the basis of set temperature and intake temperature of the air conditioners, a first state in which an air conditioning state of the air conditioners is stable and a second state in which the air conditioning state is not stable, and
the reducing capability presentation unit presenting the energy reducing capabilities for each condition based on the air conditioning state.

2. The energy management system according to claim 1 , wherein
the at least one condition includes at least one of
a first condition relating to a continuation time of energy reduction of the equipment devices and
a second condition relating to a start time of the energy reduction, and

the energy reducing capabilities vary in accordance with at least one of the continuation time of the energy reduction and the start time of the energy reduction.

3. The energy management system according to claim 2 , wherein
the control apparatus further includes
an energy consumption calculation unit configured to calculate an energy consumption amount of energy consumed during a first control in which the energy reduction is not performed based on the operating status currently perceived by the operating status perceiving unit, and
an estimated consumption calculation unit configured to calculate an estimated consumption amount of energy consumed during a second control in which the energy reduction in accordance with the at least one condition is performed,
with the reducing capability presentation unit presenting the energy reducing capabilities based on the energy consumption amount and the estimated consumption amount.

4. The energy management system according to claim 2 , wherein
the control apparatus further includes a memory unit configured to store individual energy reducing capabilities of the equipment devices, and
the reducing capability presentation unit presents the energy reducing capabilities for overall buildings based on
the equipment devices performing the energy reduction in accordance with the at least one condition, and
the individual energy reducing capabilities stored in the memory unit.

5. The energy management system according to claim 1 , wherein
the operating status includes at least any one of an operation rate of the equipment devices, a type of the equipment devices operating, a running time of the equipment devices,
a load factor of the equipment devices, and an operating schedule of the equipment devices.

6. The energy management system according to claim 1 , wherein
the control apparatus further includes
a presentation control unit configured to control presentation of the energy reducing capabilities by the reducing capability presentation unit, and

the presentation control unit includes
a first processor configured to restrict presentation of the energy reducing capabilities by the reducing capability presentation unit during a first predetermined time period after the control command is generated; and
a second processor configured to allow presentation of the energy reducing capabilities by the reducing capability presentation unit during a second time different from the first time.

7. The energy management system according to claim 6 , wherein
the control apparatus further includes
a condition memory region configured to store the at least one condition, and
an amenity determination result memory region configured to store an amenity determination result inputted by a user,
with the condition memory region updating the at least one condition based on the determination result.

Assignees

• Kinugasa Nanae
• Ashikaga Tomoyoshi
• Kanbara Toshihiro
• Shimozu Naotake
• Mishima Koji
• Daikin Ind Ltd

Inventors

• Kinugasa Nanae
• Ashikaga Tomoyoshi
• Kanbara Toshihiro
• Shimozu Naotake
• Mishima Koji

Classifications

• H02J2105/42

  Home appliances · CPC title

• H02J13/14

  the power network being locally controlled, e.g. home energy management systems [HEMS] · CPC title

• H02J13/10

  characterised by displaying of information or by user interaction, e.g. supervisory control and data acquisition [SCADA] systems · CPC title

• H02J3/14 Primary

  by switching loads on to, or off from, the networks, e.g. progressively balanced loading · CPC title

• F24F11/30

  for purposes related to the operation of the system, e.g. for safety or monitoring · CPC title