JP2003304638A - Demand control apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a demand control apparatus that can suitably perform demand control, even when it starts up during a demand time period. <P>SOLUTION: When the demand control apparatus starts up, demand control is performed from the completion of the start-up; when demand control is enabled, to the beginning of the next demand time period at a reduced power consumption quantity level that, from among the reduced power consumption quantity levels set in the demand control apparatus, so that a maximum power consumption quantity reduction effect is obtained. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a demand control device capable of setting a plurality of power consumption reduction levels.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art The demand power is constantly monitored to continuously predict the maximum demand power for each demand time period (hereinafter, simply referred to as time period), and the maximum demand power may exceed the contract power or the management target power. In this case, a demand control device that automatically controls a target device such as an air conditioner according to a preset control method to perform a demand control for suppressing the maximum demand power to a contract power or a management target power is widely used. As this demand control device, in addition to simply stopping the drive of the target device, a stepwise power consumption reduction method is provided as necessary so as not to make the user uncomfortable when the operation of the target device stops. There are some that can be selected to reduce the power consumption. For example, by increasing the set temperature of the air conditioning indoor unit step by step by a predetermined amount or reducing the power consumption of the air conditioning outdoor unit by a predetermined rate, the target equipment is not stopped and the power consumption is reduced as necessary. Can be gradually reduced.

[0003]

When such a demand control device is restarted due to an accident such as a power failure or a software bug in the middle of the time limit, at least the power consumption from the restart start to the restart completion is grasped. Can not. Therefore, the maximum demand power at that time is not accurately predicted, and as a result, the maximum demand power exceeds the contract power or the management target power, and the purpose of demand control of saving the basic electricity charge can be achieved. It may be impossible.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a demand control device capable of suppressing the maximum demand power in the time limit to the contract power or the management target power even when the power is activated during the time limit.

[0005]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a demand control device according to claim 1 is a demand control device capable of setting a plurality of power consumption reduction levels, and the demand control device is in the middle of a demand time period. When the control device starts up, the target level that is the power consumption reduction level that achieves the target power consumption reduction effect within the demand time period among the plurality of power consumption reduction levels until the demand time period ends Is a demand control device for selecting and performing demand control.

To be able to set a plurality of power consumption reduction levels means, for example, that the level 1 is set to 25 as the power consumption of the outdoor unit.
%, And the level 2 power consumption of the outdoor unit is 50%.
It means that a plurality of power consumptions to be reduced by the demand control can be set in stages, such as% reduction. Here, when the demand control device is activated in the middle of the demand time period, the target power consumption reduction effect can be obtained within the demand time period among the plurality of power consumption reduction levels until the demand time period ends. The demand control is performed by selecting a target level that is a level for reducing power consumption. Therefore, even if the demand control device is activated during the time limit, it is possible to prevent the maximum demand power from exceeding the contract power or the management target power during the demand time limit.

A demand control apparatus according to a second aspect is the demand control apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein the target level is
The power consumption reduction level is the one that achieves the maximum power consumption reduction effect among the plurality of power consumption reduction levels.
The power consumption reduction level that achieves the maximum power consumption reduction effect is level 2 when the above level 1 and level 2 are set. Alternatively, if a level for stopping most of the air conditioning equipment is set, that level is set.

In this case, when the demand control device is activated during the demand time period, the power consumption is such that the maximum power consumption reduction effect among the plurality of power consumption reduction levels can be obtained until the demand time period ends. Demand control is performed at the consumption reduction level. A demand control device according to a third aspect of the present invention is the demand control device according to the first aspect, wherein the selection is performed based on a time from a start-up time until the demand time period ends. Here, the target level is selected based on the length of the time from the start-up to the end of the demand time period, so the demand control at an unnecessarily high level from the completion of the start up to the end of the demand time period is performed by the user. It is possible to prevent giving an unpleasant feeling.

[0009]

1 is a functional block diagram of a demand control system using a demand control device according to the present invention. This system includes a power meter 1, a pulse converter 2,
Demand control device 3, air conditioning outdoor unit 5, air conditioning indoor unit 6
And a management terminal 7 and a center 8. Wattmeter 1
Is provided on a power line that supplies power to the air conditioning outdoor unit 5, the air conditioning indoor unit 6, and the like. The electric power meter 1 is provided with a sensor (not shown) for detecting the amount of electric power. The signal output from this detection sensor is output to the pulse converter 2, converted into KWH / pulse by the pulse converter 2, and output to the demand control device 3. The demand control device 3 calculates a predicted demand power amount to reach at the end of the time period while monitoring the current power amount used within the time period from the pulse signal received from the pulse converter 2. If it is predicted that the predicted power demand exceeds the target power (contracted power) at the end of the time limit, the air conditioning outdoor unit 5 and the air conditioning outdoor unit 5 connected to the demand control device 3 by a two-core type cable or the like and a two-core type cable, etc. A control signal is transmitted to each of the air-conditioning indoor units 6 connected by to forcibly stop the compressor motor of the air-conditioning outdoor unit 5 or raise the set temperature of the air-conditioning indoor unit 6 by a predetermined value. On the other hand, the demand control device 3 receives from the air conditioning outdoor unit 5 information indicating the states of the air conditioning outdoor unit 5 and the air conditioning indoor unit 6 (hereinafter referred to as state information). Then, part or all of the state information is transmitted to the management terminal 7 via the first network 9 such as a LAN, and is transmitted to the center 8 via the second network 10 such as a public telephone line.
The management terminal 7 receives the state information and performs various analyzes, for example, continuous operation time calculation of the air conditioning outdoor unit 5. Center 1
Is equipped with a large computer server, analyzes the status information transmitted from the demand control device 3, and performs various services, for example, failure prediction of the air conditioning outdoor unit 5.

[Maximum Level Control Processing] FIG. 2 is a flow chart showing the flow of the maximum level control processing at the time of start-up performed by the demand control device 3. When the demand control device 3 is activated, this processing is set in the demand control device 3 from the time when the activation is completed and the demand control becomes possible until the next demand time period (hereinafter, time period) starts. The demand control is performed at the power consumption reduction level (hereinafter, referred to as the maximum level) that achieves the maximum power consumption reduction effect among the power consumption reduced levels (hereinafter, referred to as the level). This process is started when the demand device 3 is activated, and the level is set in the demand control device 3 in advance. For example, level 1 reduces power consumption of the outdoor unit 5 by 10%, level 2 outdoor unit 5 Power consumption is 20
%, Or level 1 raises the cooling set temperature of the air conditioning indoor unit 6 by 1 ° C, level 2 raises the cooling set temperature of the air conditioning indoor unit 6 by 2 ° C, etc. Power consumption is assumed to increase.

In step S11, demand control is performed at the maximum level. Here, the maximum level is, for example, a level having the maximum number of levels when the levels are set as described above. In step S12, it is determined whether or not the next time period has started. When started, the processing is terminated and the normal demand control is performed. If not started, the process returns to step S11.

As described above, since the demand control is performed at the maximum level after the demand control device 3 is activated until the next time period starts, the maximum demand power in the time period when the demand control device 3 is activated is the contract power. Alternatively, it is possible to avoid exceeding the management target power. <Other Embodiments> In the first embodiment, the demand control from the completion of activation of the demand control device 3 to the end of the demand time period is unconditionally performed at the maximum level. However, the power consumption reduction level may be selected according to the length of time from the completion of activation to the end of the demand time period, and the demand control may be performed at that level until the demand time period ends. For example, when the demand time limit is 30 minutes and the start time of the demand control device 3 is one minute after the start of the demand time limit, the remaining 29 minutes has a power consumption reduction level of one step from the maximum level. Demand control is performed with a small one. Or, if the start time is 25 minutes after the start of the demand time limit, the remaining 5
Minutes is the maximum level of demand control. By doing so, it is possible to prevent the user from feeling uncomfortable due to the demand control at an unnecessarily high level from after the completion of activation to the end of the demand time period.

[0013]

According to the invention of claim 1, even when the demand control device is activated in the middle of the time period, it is possible to prevent the maximum demand power from exceeding the contract power or the management target power in the demand time period. In the invention according to claim 2, when the demand control device is activated during the demand time limit,
Until the demand time limit ends, the demand control is performed at the power consumption reduction level that achieves the maximum power consumption reduction effect among the plurality of power consumption reduction levels.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the target level is selected based on the length of time from the start-up to the end of the demand time period. It is possible to prevent the user from feeling uncomfortable due to the demand control at a high level.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a functional configuration diagram of a demand control system using a demand control device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the flow of maximum level control processing.

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Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A demand control device (3) capable of setting a plurality of power consumption reduction levels, wherein when the demand control device is activated in the middle of a demand time period, the plurality of power consumption reduction devices are used until the demand time period ends. Demand control apparatus (3) for performing demand control by selecting a target level that is a power consumption reduction level that achieves a target power consumption reduction effect within the demand time period among the power consumption reduction levels . 2. The demand control device according to claim 1, wherein the target level is a power consumption reduction level that achieves a maximum power consumption reduction effect among the plurality of power consumption reduction levels. 3). 3. The demand control device (3) according to claim 1, wherein the selection is performed based on a time from the start-up to the end of the demand time limit.