EP2623879A2

EP2623879A2 - Power-consumption managementrol system for air conditioner, server device, client device, and power-consumption managementrol method for air conditioner

Info

Publication number: EP2623879A2
Application number: EP13152465.4A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Chuzo Ninagawa; Shinichi Isozumi
Original assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd
Current assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Thermal Systems Ltd
Priority date: 2012-01-31
Filing date: 2013-01-24
Publication date: 2013-08-07
Also published as: JP5951270B2; EP2623879A3; JP2013155969A

Abstract

In a power-consumption managementrol system (1), a CAMS (server device) (2) calculates target power consumption in every management cycle on the basis of planned power consumption and calculates a target instantaneous power value for each outdoor unit (7) in every control cycle on the basis of the target power consumption. An EMG (client device) (5) measures an actual instantaneous power value in each outdoor unit (7). The CAMS (2) calculates an instantaneous-power-value control amount per control cycle on the basis of the target instantaneous power value and the actual instantaneous power value. The EMG (5) receives the instantaneous-power-value control amount from the CAMS (2) and controls an operation of each outdoor unit (7) on the basis of the instantaneous-power-value control amount.

Description

{Technical Field}

The present invention relates to power-consumption managementrol systems for air conditioners, server devices, client devices, and power-consumption managementrol methods for air conditioners.

{Background Art)

In an all-in-one air conditioner for a building, a single outdoor unit and about ten indoor units constitute a refrigerant circuit. In a single typical building, multiple refrigerant circuits are distributed, several tens of outdoor units are installed, for example, on the rooftop, and several hundreds of indoor units are installed, for example, inside the ceilings in the building. On the other hand, the outdoor units and the indoor units each have a built-in microcomputer, and a control network for exchanging sensor data, refrigerant control data, and monitoring messages are provided in the building. The control network extends between outdoor units that are located close to each other or between indoor units that are located close to each other so that the multiple refrigerant circuits are integrated, thereby forming a single communication line.
A centralized management system that uses a single monitoring device to manage multiple air conditioners installed in a single building via this control network is known. For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a technology for collectively controlling the temperature of a single air conditioner or a plurality of air conditioners so as to optimize an operation of each air conditioner. Patent Literature 2 discloses a technology for minimizing the total amount of energy used in a building without lowering the comfort level in the accommodation space in the building as much as possible by changing the controlled parameter of each air conditioner. Furthermore, as a related art, Patent Literature 3 discloses a technology in which, when a plant provided at a certain location is to be managed by using a remote management device located distant therefrom, multiple locations, in addition to the aforementioned single location, are collectively maintained and managed.

{Citation List}

{Patent Literature}

{PTL 1}
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, Publication No. Hei 11-287495
{PTL 2}
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, Publication No. Hei 7-303288
{PTL 3}
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, Publication No. 2011-60084

{Summary of Invention}

{Technical Problem}

Some centralized management systems for air conditioners have functions for determining and recording the amount of power consumed by each indoor unit. Because the amount of power consumed by each air conditioner changes from hour to hour depending on the weather, time, the intended use of each room, and so forth, it is desirable that the power consumption of each air conditioner be finely managed and controlled. However, even in the case of a single building, let alone multiple buildings, several tens of outdoor units and several hundreds of indoor units need to be managed. Thus, it is difficult for a manager to perform management and control, such as successively making a decision about whether to minimize power consumption or make each air conditioner run in the normal mode to place high priority on the comfort level.
Furthermore, since the running and labor costs can be reduced by collectively managing multiple buildings, a centralized management system that can readily manage and control the power consumption of a large number of air conditioners installed in multiple buildings is desired.
The present invention has been made in view of these circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a power-consumption managementrol system for an air conditioner, a server device, a client device, and a power-consumption managementrol method for an air conditioner that can reliably manage power consumption, regardless of the number of air conditioners installed, so as to allow for improved accuracy for managing the power consumption.

{Solution to Problem}

In order to solve the aforementioned problems, a power-consumption managementrol system for an air conditioner, a server device, a client device, and a power-consumption managementrol method for an air conditioner employ the following solutions.
Specifically, a first aspect of the invention provides a power-consumption managementrol system for an air conditioner, the power-consumption managementrol system including a plurality of outdoor units installed in a single building or a plurality of buildings, a server device that manages power consumption of the outdoor units and controls instantaneous power values of the outdoor units, and a client device that is connected to the server device via a network and controls an operation of the outdoor units. The server device includes a storage unit that stores planned power consumption indicating an amount of power the outdoor units are allowed to consume within a predetermined time period, a target-power-consumption calculating unit that calculates target power consumption in every management cycle that is shorter than the predetermined time period, on the basis of the planned power consumption, and a target-instantaneous-power-value calculating unit that calculates a target instantaneous power value for each outdoor unit in every control cycle that is shorter than the management cycle, on the basis of the target power consumption. The client device includes an actual-instantaneous-power-value measuring unit that measures an actual instantaneous power value in each outdoor unit, and a client transmitting unit that transmits the measured actual instantaneous power value to the server device in every control cycle. The server device further includes a server receiving unit that receives the measured actual instantaneous power value, an instantaneous-power-value control-amount calculating unit that calculates an instantaneous-power-value control amount per control cycle on the basis of the target instantaneous power value and the actual instantaneous power value, and a server transmitting unit that transmits the instantaneous-power-value control amount to the client device in every control cycle. The client device further includes a client receiving unit that receives the instantaneous-power-value control amount, and an operation control unit that controls the operation of each outdoor unit on the basis of the instantaneous-power-value control amount.
According to the first aspect of the invention, the server device calculates the target power consumption in every management cycle on the basis of the planned power consumption within the predetermined time period and calculates the target instantaneous power value for each outdoor unit in every control cycle on the basis of the target power consumption, and the client device measures the actual instantaneous power value in each outdoor unit. Then, the server device calculates the instantaneous-power-value control amount for each outdoor unit per control cycle on the basis of the target instantaneous power value and the actual instantaneous power value. The operation of each outdoor unit is controlled on the basis of the instantaneous-power-value control amount received from the server device. In this case, the predetermined time period is, for example, one year, one month, or one day. The management cycle is shorter than the predetermined time period and is, for example, 30 minutes. The control cycle is shorter than the management cycle and is, for example, one minute.
Therefore, the target power consumption for each outdoor unit is determined in every management cycle (for example, every 30 minutes) so that the power consumption of the plurality of outdoor units is finely managed, as compared with a case where the power consumption thereof is managed on a daily basis. As a result, the planned power consumption can be achieved with higher accuracy. Furthermore, since the operation of each outdoor unit is controlled on the basis of the instantaneous-power-value control amount per control cycle (for example, every minute), the power consumption of each outdoor unit is accurately controlled. In addition, since the operation of each outdoor unit is directly controlled by the server device via the client device, the power consumption can be minimized more efficiently.
In the first aspect of the invention, the client transmitting unit in the client device may transmit, to the server device, an air-conditioning priority level of an indoor unit of the air conditioner determined in accordance with a load and a usage method of the indoor unit. Moreover, the target-instantaneous-power-value calculating unit in the server device may calculate the target instantaneous power value for each outdoor unit in every control cycle on the basis of the air-conditioning priority level and the target power consumption.
According to the first aspect of the invention, in addition to the target power consumption, the target instantaneous power value for each outdoor unit is calculated in every control cycle on the basis of the air-conditioning priority level of the indoor unit, and the operation of each outdoor unit is controlled on the basis of the instantaneous-power-value control amount calculated by the server device. Specifically, the air-conditioning priority level of the indoor unit is reflected in the target instantaneous power values for the individual outdoor units. Therefore, the indoor unit can operate accurately in accordance with the air-conditioning priority level, thereby allowing for individual control (local-control) of the power consumption with high accuracy.
A second aspect of the invention provides a server device in a power-consumption managementrol system for an air conditioner, the power-consumption managementrol system including a plurality of outdoor units installed in a single building or a plurality of buildings, the server device, which manages power consumption of the outdoor units and controls instantaneous power values of the outdoor units, and a client device that is connected to the server device via a network and controls an operation of the outdoor units. The server device includes a storage unit that stores planned power consumption indicating an amount of power the outdoor units are allowed to consume within a predetermined time period; a target-power-consumption calculating unit that calculates target power consumption in every management cycle that is shorter than the predetermined time period, on the basis of the planned power consumption; a target-instantaneous-power-value calculating unit that calculates a target instantaneous power value for each outdoor unit in every control cycle that is shorter than the management cycle, on the basis of the target power consumption; a server receiving unit that receives an actual instantaneous power value from the client device, which includes an actual-instantaneous-power-value measuring unit that measures the actual instantaneous power value in each outdoor unit and a client transmitting unit that transmits the measured actual instantaneous power value to the server device in every control cycle; an instantaneous-power-value control-amount calculating unit that calculates an instantaneous-power-value control amount per control cycle on the basis of the target instantaneous power value and the actual instantaneous power value; and a server transmitting unit that transmits the instantaneous-power-value control amount to the client device in every control cycle.
A third aspect of the invention provides a client device in a power-consumption managementrol system for an air conditioner, the power-consumption managementrol system including a plurality of outdoor units installed in a single building or a plurality of buildings, a server device that manages power consumption of the outdoor units and controls instantaneous power values of the outdoor units, and the client device, which is connected to the server device via a network and controls an operation of the outdoor units. The client device includes an actual-instantaneous-power-value measuring unit that measures an actual instantaneous power value in each outdoor unit; a client transmitting unit that transmits the measured actual instantaneous power value to the server device in every control cycle, the server device including a storage unit that stores planned power consumption indicating an amount of power the outdoor units are allowed to consume within a predetermined time period, a target-power-consumption calculating unit that calculates target power consumption in every management cycle that is shorter than the predetermined time period, on the basis of the planned power consumption, and a target-instantaneous-power-value calculating unit that calculates a target instantaneous power value for each outdoor unit in every control cycle that is shorter than the management cycle, on the basis of the target power consumption; a client receiving unit that receives an instantaneous-power-value control amount from the server device, which further includes a server receiving unit that receives the measured actual instantaneous power value, an instantaneous-power-value control-amount calculating unit that calculates the instantaneous-power-value control amount per control cycle on the basis of the target instantaneous power value and the actual instantaneous power value, and a server transmitting unit that transmits the instantaneous-power-value control amount to the client device in every control cycle; and an operation control unit that controls the operation of each outdoor unit on the basis of the instantaneous-power-value control amount.
A fourth aspect of the invention provides a power-consumption managementrol method for an air conditioner including a plurality of outdoor units installed in a single building or a plurality of buildings. The power-consumption managementrol method includes a step of calculating target power consumption in every management cycle that is shorter than a predetermined time period, on the basis of planned power consumption indicating an amount of power the outdoor units are allowed to consume within the predetermined time period; a step of calculating a target instantaneous power value for each outdoor unit in every control cycle that is shorter than the management cycle, on the basis of the target power consumption; a step of measuring an actual instantaneous power value in each outdoor unit; a step of calculating an instantaneous-power-value control amount per control cycle on the basis of the target instantaneous power value and the actual instantaneous power value; and a step of controlling the operation of each outdoor unit on the basis of the instantaneous-power-value control amount.

{Advantageous Effects of Invention}

According to the present invention, power consumption can be reliably managed, regardless of the number of air conditioners installed, thereby allowing for improved accuracy for managing the power consumption. Furthermore, power-consumption managementrol can be collectively performed on a plurality of buildings, thereby achieving cost reduction as compared with a case where the buildings are individually managed.

{Brief Description of Drawings}

{Fig. 1} Fig. 1 illustrates the overall configuration of a power-consumption managementrol system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
{Fig. 2} Fig. 2 is a block diagram of the power-consumption managementrol system according to the embodiment.
{Fig. 3} Fig. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a power-consumption managementrol process according to the embodiment.

{Description of Embodiments}

First, the configuration of a power-consumption managementrol system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to Figs. 1 and 2.
As shown in Fig. 1, air-conditioning equipment 4 is all-in-one air-conditioning equipment for buildings and includes a plurality of air conditioners 6 and an energy managementrol gateway (EMG) 5 that controls the plurality of air conditioners 6. Each air conditioner 6 is an all-in-one air conditioner and includes a single outdoor unit 7 and a plurality of indoor units 8. The outdoor unit 7 and the indoor units 8 are connected to each other via a refrigerant pipe 9. The number of outdoor units 7 and indoor units 8 shown in Fig. 1 is an example; the number of indoor units 8 connected to each outdoor unit 7 may vary.
In each air conditioner 6, the single outdoor unit 7 and about, for example, ten indoor units 8 constitute a single refrigerant circuit. For example, the air-conditioning equipment 4 according to this embodiment is provided in a building 10. In the building 10, multiple refrigerant circuits are distributed, a dozen or so to several tens of outdoor units 7 are installed on the rooftop, etc. of the building 10, and several tens to several hundreds of indoor units 8 are installed inside the ceiling on each floor.
The outdoor units 7 and the indoor units 8 each have a built-in controller, such as a microcomputer, and an air-conditioning control network 18 is configured to exchange control command values among the outdoor units 7, the indoor units 8, and the EMG 5. The communication standard used in the air-conditioning control network 18 is generally a dedicated communication protocol used by each air-conditioner manufacturer.
The EMG 5 is constituted of a gateway controller and a centralized monitoring terminal, and has a monitoring control function in addition to a protocol converting function.
Next, the power-consumption managementrol system 1 according to this embodiment will be described below with reference to Fig. 2.
The power-consumption managementrol system 1 includes a cloud air-conditioning managementrol system (CAMS) 2 installed at a management center and the air-conditioning equipment 4 provided in the buildings 10. As described above, the air-conditioning equipment 4 includes the plurality of air conditioners 6 and the EMG 5 that monitors and controls the air conditioners 6.
The management center at which the CAMS 2 is installed is located distant from the buildings 10 and is, for example, an air-conditioner manufacturer or a specialized data management company working under a contract from the manufacturer. The CAMS 2 is a group of computers that can readily process a large volume of data, can quickly activate applications, and can perform executable cloud computing. An application executed by the CAMS 2 provides, for example, Software-as-a-Service (SaaS). The CAMS 2 and multiple EMGs 5 are connected via a network 3, such as the Internet.
The air conditioners 6 monitored by each EMG 5 may be air conditioners 6 installed in a single building 10 or may be air conditioners 6 installed in multiple buildings 10. Moreover, a single CAMS 2 not only can exchange data with a single EMG 5 and process data related to the single EMG 5, but also can exchange data with multiple EMGs 5 and process data related to the multiple EMGs 5.
Accordingly, the CAMS 2 that can perform cloud computing is not limited to the use for managing individual buildings but can readily manage multiple buildings as one group. In other words, the need for managers or operators for individual buildings is eliminated, thereby reducing the running and labor costs. The power-consumption managementrol system 1 according to this embodiment is suitable for use by, for example, a management company that manages multiple buildings.
As shown in Fig. 2, the CAMS 2 includes, for example, a storage unit 11, a control unit 12, and a communication unit 13.
The storage unit 11 of the CAMS 2 stores planned power consumption W* (in units of, for example, kWh). Planned power consumption values Wy*, Wm*, and Wd* are planned amounts of power that multiple air conditioners 6 are allowed to consume per year, month, and day, respectively.
In this case, the multiple air conditioners 6 are all air conditioners 6 provided in a single building 10 or multiple buildings 10 to be monitored by the EMG 5.
The control unit 12 includes a target-power-consumption calculating unit 14, a target-instantaneous-power-value calculating unit 15, and an instantaneous-power-value control-amount calculating unit 16.
The target-power-consumption calculating unit 14 calculates target power consumption Wtm* per management cycle tm on the basis of the planned power consumption values Wy*, Wm*, and Wd*. The management cycle tm is a time period that is shorter than predetermined time periods (i.e., a one-year period, a one-month period, and a one-day period) set on the basis of the planned power consumption W*, and is, for example, 30 minutes. The management cycle tm in this embodiment will be described later together with a description of managementrol.
Based on the target power consumption Wtm* calculated by the target-power-consumption calculating unit 14, the target-instantaneous-power-value calculating unit 15 calculates target instantaneous power values Ptca*, Ptcb*, Ptcc*, ... (in units of, for example kW) for the individual outdoor units 7 (outdoor units a, b, c, ...) per control cycle tc. The control cycle tc is shorter than the management cycle tm and is, for example, one minute. In addition to the target instantaneous power values Ptca*, Ptcb*, Ptcc*, ..., the target-instantaneous-power-value calculating unit 15 may calculate target instantaneous power values Ptca*, Ptcb*, Ptcc*, ... on the basis of air-conditioning priority levels of the indoor units 8. The air-conditioning priority levels of the indoor units 8 will be described later.
The instantaneous-power-value control-amount calculating unit 16 calculates instantaneous-power-value control amounts Ptca', Ptcb', Ptcc' ... per control cycle tc on the basis of the target instantaneous power values Ptca*, Ptcb*, Ptcc*, ... calculated by the target-instantaneous-power-value calculating unit 15 and actual instantaneous power values Ptca, Ptcb, Ptcc, ... measured by the EMG 5 and received by the CAMS 2.
The communication unit 13 has a data exchanging function. The communication unit 13 receives the actual instantaneous power values Ptca, Ptcb, Ptcc, ... of all the air conditioners 6 provided in a single building 10 or multiple buildings 10 from the EMG 5 via the network 3. Moreover, the communication unit 13 receives the air-conditioning priority levels from the EMG 5. Furthermore, the communication unit 13 transmits the instantaneous-power-value control amounts Ptca', Ptcb', Ptcc' ... calculated by the instantaneous-power-value control-amount calculating unit 16 to the EMG 5 as power minimization commands.
The EMG 5 includes a communication unit 21 and a control unit 22.
The communication unit 21 has a data exchanging function. The communication unit 21 transmits the actual instantaneous power values Ptca, Ptcb, Ptcc, ... of the multiple air conditioners 6 to the CAMS 2 via the network 3 in predetermined control cycles (e.g., one-minute intervals). Moreover, the communication unit 21 transmits the air-conditioning priority levels to the CAMS 2. The air-conditioning priority levels may be transmitted at intervals equal to the management cycles or the control cycles. Furthermore, the communication unit 21 receives the power minimization commands based on the instantaneous-power-value control amounts Ptca', Ptcb', Ptcc' ... from the CAMS 2 and transmits the power minimization commands to the outdoor units 7.
The control unit 22 includes an actual-instantaneous-power-value measuring unit 23 and an operation control unit 24.
The actual-instantaneous-power-value measuring unit 23 measures the actual instantaneous power values Ptca, Ptcb, Ptcc, ... of the outdoor units 7.
The operation control unit 24 controls the operation of the outdoor units 7 in accordance with the power minimization commands based on the instantaneous-power-value control amounts Ptca', Ptcb', Ptcc' ... received from the CAMS 2. For example, the operation control unit 24 generates operation control commands for changing the pressure generated by electric compressors in the outdoor units 7 and transmits the operation control commands to the outdoor units 7.
As mentioned above, each air conditioner 6 includes the outdoor unit 7 and the indoor units 8. The outdoor unit 7 includes a communication unit 25 and a control unit 26.
The communication unit 25 receives the operation control command from the EMG 5. Based on the operation control command received from the EMG 5, the control unit 26 controls the operation of the outdoor unit 7.
Next, the operation of the power-consumption managementrol system 1 according to this embodiment will be described below with reference to Fig. 3.
By using the CAMS 2 that performs cloud computing, the power-consumption managementrol system 1 feedback-controls the instantaneous power values of a group of air conditioners every few minutes (e.g., every minute) so as to perform managementrol in semi-real time (e.g., every 30 minutes) for reducing the power consumption of the group of air conditioners to the target power consumption or lower. The group of air conditioners includes a plurality of air conditioners 6 installed in a single building 10 or a plurality of buildings 10 to be monitored by the EMG 5.
The term "managementrol" refers to performing control in cycles each of which is longer than a generally-used control cycle (e.g., second-by-second basis) and shorter than a generally-used management cycle (e.g., daily basis or weekly basis). In this embodiment, managementrol is performed in cycles (referred to as "management cycles" hereinafter) of, for example, 30 minutes. Managementrol is suitable for controlling the power consumption of air conditioners, as in this embodiment. Specifically, the air-conditioning comfort level provided by an air conditioner does not significantly change from second to second and does not cause an extremely adverse effect so long as the power consumption is managed, for example, every 30 minutes. If control is performed by ascertaining the power consumption in generally-used control cycles (for example, on a second-by-second basis), the amount of data becomes rather enormous, which is a problem in that the load for exchanging and processing data increases. In contrast, if the power consumption is managed on a daily basis as in the related art, because the power consumption changes from hour to hour depending on the weather, time, the intended use of each room, and so forth, there is a possibility that the actual power consumption and the target power consumption determined on a daily basis may significantly deviate from each other. On the other hand, by performing managementrol in management cycles, the power consumption can be managed at intervals according to changes in the air-conditioning comfort level while reducing the amount of data.
The EMG 5 measures actual instantaneous power values of the outdoor units 7 (outdoor units a, b, c, ...) (step S21). Then, the measured actual instantaneous power values in the outdoor units 7 are transmitted in control cycles to the CAMS 2 via the EMG 5 as actual instantaneous power values Ptca, Ptcb, Ptcc, ... (step S22). In this case, each control cycle is, for example, one minute.
In order to make a yearly, monthly, or daily plan, the CAMS 2 stores in advance a yearly planned power consumption value Wy*, a monthly planned power consumption value Wm*, or a daily planned power consumption value Wd* for all air conditioners in a single building or a plurality of buildings. The CAMS 2 uses at least one of these planned power consumption values Wy*, Wm*, and Wd* to calculate target power consumption Wtm* for every management cycle tm (for example, every 30 minutes) (step S11). The target power consumption Wtm* is a total target value for all the outdoor units 7 installed in the buildings. The target power consumption Wtm* is calculated in the following manner: A (kWh) in the time frame from 13:00 to 13:30, B (kWh) in the time frame from 13:30 to 14:00, and so on.
Then, the CAMS 2 separates the target power consumption Wtm* of each time frame for the individual outdoor units 7 (outdoor units a, b, c, ...) and allocates target power consumption values Wtma*, Wtmb*, Wtmc*, ... per management cycle to the outdoor units 7 (step S12). The target power consumption Wtm* is equal to the sum of the target power consumption values Wtma*, Wtmb*, Wtmc*, .... Accordingly, if there are N outdoor units 7 in all the buildings to be managed by the CAMS 2, a target power consumption value per management cycle is determined for each of the N outdoor units 7.
Furthermore, based on the target power consumption values Wtma*, Wtmb*, Wtmc*, ..., the CAMS 2 calculates target instantaneous power values Ptca*, Ptcb*, Ptcc*, ... per control cycle tc (for example, every minute) for the outdoor units 7 (outdoor units a, b, c, ...) (step S13). If the management cycle tm is equal to 30 minutes and the control cycle tc is equal to one minute, the relationship between the target power consumption values Wtma*, Wtmb*, Wtmc*, ... and the target instantaneous power values Ptca*, Ptcb*, Ptcc*, ... is expressed as follows with reference to the target power consumption value Wtma* as an example.
${Wtma}^{*} = \sum_{t = 1}^{30} {Ptca}^{*} (t)$
In this case, the target instantaneous power values Ptca*, Ptcb*, Ptcc* per control cycle tc (for example, every minute) for the individual outdoor units 7 may be calculated on the basis of the air-conditioning priority levels of the indoor units 8. For example, a target instantaneous power value of an outdoor unit 7 with high air-conditioning priority is calculated so that the value is larger than those of the other outdoor units 7.
The CAMS 2 receives actual instantaneous power values Ptca, Ptcb, Ptcc, ... of the outdoor units 7 via the EMG 5 (step S14). Based on the target instantaneous power values Ptca*, Ptcb*, Ptcc*, ... and the actual instantaneous power values Ptca, Ptcb, Ptcc, ..., the CAMS 2 calculates instantaneous-power-value control amounts Ptca', Ptcb', Ptcc' ... per control cycle (step S15).
Based on the instantaneous-power-value control amounts Ptca', Ptcb', Ptcc' ... per control cycle calculated for the individual outdoor units 7, the CAMS 2 generates power minimization commands and transmits the generated power minimization commands to the EMG 5 (step S16). Then, the EMG 5 receives the power minimization commands based on the instantaneous-power-value control amounts Ptca', Ptcb', Ptcc' ... (step S23) and generates operation control commands on the basis of the received power minimization commands. Subsequently, the EMG 5 transmits the generated power minimization commands to the outdoor units 7 (outdoor units a, b, c, ...). Consequently, the EMG 5 can control the operation of the outdoor units 7 on the basis of the instantaneous-power-value control amounts Ptca', Ptcb', Ptcc' ... (step S24).
The operation of the outdoor units 7 is controlled in accordance with the received operation control commands based on the instantaneous-power-value control amounts Ptca', Ptcb', Ptcc' ... per control cycle, thereby changing the instantaneous power in each outdoor unit 7. Thus, the outdoor units 7 perform minimized-power operation such that the actual instantaneous power values Ptca, Ptcb, Ptcc, ... do not exceed the target instantaneous power values Ptca*, Ptcb*, Ptcc*, ....
In order to minimize power in each air conditioner 6, it is effective to control the operation of the outdoor unit 7. Specifically, although fans are the main components that can contribute to power minimization in the indoor units 8, the outdoor unit 7 has an electric compressor in addition to a fan, meaning that power can be efficiently minimized by controlling the operation of the electric compressor. An example of a method for controlling the operation of the electric compressor to minimize power is changing the target pressure. For example, during cooling operation, the evaporation temperature is increased by increasing the pressure at the lower pressure side. During heating operation, the condensation temperature is reduced by decreasing the pressure at the higher pressure side.
Next, the air-conditioning priority levels of the indoor units 8 will be described below. The air-conditioning priority levels of the indoor units 8 are determined or changed on the basis of, for example, the following information.

1. The air-conditioning priority levels based on the operational state are set or changed such that indoor units 8 in operation have higher priority over indoor units 8 not in operation, and are set or changed such that indoor units 8 in a thermostat-on state have higher priority over indoor units 8 in a thermostat-off state. 2. The air-conditioning priority levels are set in accordance with the conditions of the rooms calculated by using load calculation conditions. According to the load calculation conditions, the conditions of the rooms vary depending on the locations of the rooms, such as which direction they face, which floor they are located on, or whether they are located at the perimeter side or the interior side, the sizes and existence of windows, and the existence of ventilators.

3. The air-conditioning priority levels are set or changed in accordance with the magnitude of the air-conditioning load. The magnitude of the air-conditioning load is determined by, for example, a difference between a target preset temperature and an actual in-room temperature, a ratio between a thermostat-on period and a thermostat-off period, a comfort-level indicator (such as a discomfort indicator or PMV), or a signal from a solar radiation sensor, a human detection sensor, or a humidity sensor. 4. The air-conditioning priority levels are also set or changed in accordance with a user's demand. For example, the air-conditioning priority levels are set or changed in accordance with the intended usage of the rooms or timer management.

According to this embodiment, power consumption can be reliably managed, regardless of the number of air conditioners 6 installed, thereby allowing for improved accuracy for managing the power consumption. Furthermore, power-consumption managementrol can be collectively performed over a wide area or on a plurality of buildings 10 so that the need for managers or operators for the individual buildings 10 can be eliminated, thereby reducing the running and labor costs, as compared with a case where the buildings 10 are individually managed.
Specifically, with regard to the outdoor units 7 (outdoor units a, b, c, ...), the target power consumption values Wtma*, Wtmb*, Wtmc*, ... are determined in every management cycle (for example, every 30 minutes) so that the power consumption of the plurality of outdoor units 7 is finely managed, as compared with a case where the power consumption thereof is managed on a daily basis. As a result, the planned power consumption values Wy*, Wm*, and Wd* can be achieved with higher accuracy. Furthermore, since the operation of the outdoor units 7 is controlled on the basis of the instantaneous-power-value control amounts Ptca', Ptcb', Ptcc' ... per control cycle (for example, every minute), the power consumption of the outdoor units 7 is accurately controlled. In addition, since the operation of each outdoor unit 7 is directly controlled by the CAMS 2 via the EMG 5, the power consumption can be minimized more efficiently.
Furthermore, when the target instantaneous power values Ptca*, Ptcb*, Ptcc*, ... for the individual outdoor units 7 are determined in every control cycle in view of the air-conditioning priority levels of the indoor units 8 in addition to determining the target power consumption values Wtma*, Wtmb*, Wtmc*, ..., the air-conditioning priority levels of the indoor units 8 are reflected in the target instantaneous power values Ptca*, Ptcb*, Ptcc*, ... for the individual outdoor units 7. Therefore, the indoor units 8 can operate accurately in accordance with the air-conditioning priority levels, thereby allowing for individual control (local-control) of the power consumption with high accuracy.

{Reference Signs List}

1: power-consumption managementrol system
2: CAMS (server device)
3: network
4: air-conditioning equipment
5: EMG (client device)
6: air conditioner
7: outdoor unit
8: indoor unit
9: refrigerant pipe
10: building
13: communication unit (server receiving unit, server transmitting unit)
21: communication unit (client transmitting unit, client receiving unit)

Claims

A power-consumption managementrol system (1) for an air conditioner (6), the power-consumption managementrol system including a plurality of outdoor units (7) installed in a single building (10) or a plurality of buildings (10), a server device (2) that manages power consumption of the outdoor units (7) and controls instantaneous power values of the outdoor units (7), and a client device (5) that is connected to the server device (2) via a network (3) and controls an operation of the outdoor units (7),
wherein the server device (2) includes
a storage unit (11) that stores planned power consumption indicating an amount of power the outdoor units (7) are allowed to consume within a predetermined time period,
a target-power-consumption calculating unit (14) that calculates target power consumption in every management cycle that is shorter than the predetermined time period, on the basis of the planned power consumption, and
a target-instantaneous-power-value calculating unit (15) that calculates a target instantaneous power value for each outdoor unit (7) in every control cycle that is shorter than the management cycle, on the basis of the target power consumption,
wherein the client device (5) includes
an actual-instantaneous-power-value measuring unit (23) that measures an actual instantaneous power value in each outdoor unit (7), and
a client transmitting unit (21)that transmits the measured actual instantaneous power value to the server device (2)in every control cycle,
wherein the server device (2) further includes
a server receiving unit (13) that receives the measured actual instantaneous power value,
an instantaneous-power-value control-amount calculating unit (16) that calculates an instantaneous-power-value control amount per control cycle on the basis of the target instantaneous power value and the actual instantaneous power value, and
a server transmitting unit (13) that transmits the instantaneous-power-value control amount to the client device (5) in every control cycle, and
wherein the client device (5) further includes
a client receiving unit (21) that receives the instantaneous-power-value control amount, and
an operation control unit (24) that controls the operation of each outdoor unit (7) on the basis of the instantaneous-power-value control amount.
The power-consumption managementrol system (1) according to Claim 1,
wherein the client transmitting unit (21) in the client device (5) transmits, to the server device (2), an air-conditioning priority level of an indoor unit (8) of the air conditioner (6) determined in accordance with a load and a usage method of the indoor unit (8), and
wherein the target-instantaneous-power-value calculating unit (15) in the server device (2) calculates the target instantaneous power value for each outdoor unit (7) in every control cycle on the basis of the air-conditioning priority level and the target power consumption.
A server device (2) in a power-consumption managementrol system (1) for an air conditioner (6), the power-consumption managementrol system (1) including a plurality of outdoor units (7) installed in a single building (10) or a plurality of buildings (10), the server device (2), which manages power consumption of the outdoor units (7) and controls instantaneous power values of the outdoor units (7), and a client device (5) that is connected to the server device (2) via a network (3) and controls an operation of the outdoor units (7), the server device (2) comprising:
a storage unit (11) that stores planned power consumption indicating an amount of power the outdoor units (7) are allowed to consume within a predetermined time period;

a target-power-consumption calculating unit (14) that calculates target power consumption in every management cycle that is shorter than the predetermined time period, on the basis of the planned power consumption;

a target-instantaneous-power-value calculating unit (15) that calculates a target instantaneous power value for each outdoor unit (7) in every control cycle that is shorter than the management cycle, on the basis of the target power consumption;

a server receiving unit (13) that receives an actual instantaneous power value from the client device (5), which includes an actual-instantaneous-power-value measuring unit (23) that measures the actual instantaneous power value in each outdoor unit (7) and a client transmitting unit (21) that transmits the measured actual instantaneous power value to the server device (2) in every control cycle;

an instantaneous-power-value control-amount calculating unit (16) that calculates an instantaneous-power-value control amount per control cycle on the basis of the target instantaneous power value and the actual instantaneous power value; and

a server transmitting unit (13) that transmits the instantaneous-power-value control amount to the client device (5) in every control cycle.
A client device (5) in a power-consumption managementrol system (1) for an air conditioner (6), the power-consumption managementrol system (1) including a plurality of outdoor units (7) installed in a single building (10) or a plurality of buildings (10), a server device (2) that manages power consumption of the outdoor units (7) and controls instantaneous power values of the outdoor units (2), and the client device (5), which is connected to the server device (2) via a network (3) and controls an operation of the outdoor units (7), the client device (5) comprising:
an actual-instantaneous-power-value measuring unit (23) that measures an actual instantaneous power value in each outdoor unit (7);

a client transmitting unit (21) that transmits the measured actual instantaneous power value to the server device (2) in every control cycle, the server device (2) including a storage unit (11) that stores planned power consumption indicating an amount of power the outdoor units (7) are allowed to consume within a predetermined time period, a target-power-consumption calculating unit (14) that calculates target power consumption in every management cycle that is shorter than the predetermined time period, on the basis of the planned power consumption, and a target-instantaneous-power-value calculating unit (15) that calculates a target instantaneous power value for each outdoor unit (7) in every control cycle that is shorter than the management cycle, on the basis of the target power consumption;

a client receiving unit (21) that receives an instantaneous-power-value control amount from the server device (2), which further includes a server receiving unit (13) that receives the measured actual instantaneous power value, an instantaneous-power-value control-amount calculating unit (16)that calculates the instantaneous-power-value control amount per control cycle on the basis of the target instantaneous power value and the actual instantaneous power value, and a server transmitting unit (13) that transmits the instantaneous-power-value control amount to the client device (5) in every control cycle; and

an operation control unit (24) that controls the operation of each outdoor unit (7) on the basis of the instantaneous-power-value control amount.
A power-consumption managementrol method for an air conditioner (6) including a plurality of outdoor units (7) installed in a single building (10) or a plurality of buildings (10), the power-consumption managementrol method comprising:
a step of calculating target power consumption in every management cycle that is shorter than a predetermined time period, on the basis of planned power consumption indicating an amount of power the outdoor units (7) are allowed to consume within the predetermined time period;

a step of calculating a target instantaneous power value for each outdoor unit (7) in every control cycle that is shorter than the management cycle, on the basis of the target power consumption;

a step of measuring an actual instantaneous power value in each outdoor unit (7);

a step of calculating an instantaneous-power-value control amount per control cycle on the basis of the target instantaneous power value and the actual instantaneous power value; and

a step of controlling an operation of each outdoor unit (7) on the basis of the instantaneous-power-value control amount.