JP2016023843A - Hot water supply equipment management device, hot water supply equipment management method, hot water supply equipment management program, and hot water supply equipment management system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a hot water supply equipment management device, a hot water supply equipment management method, a hot water supply equipment management program and a hot water supply equipment management system, capable of switching control of hot water supply equipment according to a situation.SOLUTION: A hot water supply equipment management server 14 sets any control mode of a thermal efficiency priority mode, in which a plurality of pieces of hot water supply equipment 20 is controlled so that enhancement in thermal efficiency of hot water supply with multi-hot water supply equipment 12 to which the plurality of pieces of hot water supply equipment is connected is prior to adjustment of service life of the hot water supply equipment 20, and a service life adjustment mode, in which the plurality of pieces of hot water supply equipment 20 is controlled so that adjustment of service life of the hot water supply equipment 20 is prior to enhancement in thermal efficient; and controls the multi-hot water supply equipment 12 in the set control mode.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a hot water supply device management apparatus, a hot water supply device management method, a hot water supply device management program, and a hot water supply device management system.

  Conventionally, there is a system in which a plurality of hot water supply devices are connected and the number of hot water supply devices to be operated is controlled in accordance with an increase or decrease in hot water supply load.

  For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a system in which multi-hot water supply devices are connected to a server via a network. In this system, the controller that controls the multi-water heaters controls the number of the hot water heaters and the operation order. Specifically, the required capacity of the hot water supply device is calculated based on device information including the operation status of the hot water supply device and measurement data, and the appropriate number of hot water supply devices is calculated based on the calculated required capacity.

JP 2003-303016 A

  Rental contracts are often made for multi-water heaters in order to reduce the cost burden associated with capital investment. In this case, while it may be desired to adjust the life of each hot water supply device according to the rental contract period, each hot water supply device has a higher thermal efficiency in order to suppress wasteful consumption of fuel than adjustment of the life of the hot water supply device. In some cases, it may be desirable to switch the control of the hot water supply equipment depending on the situation.

  However, the technology described in Patent Document 1 merely controls the hot water supply device with an appropriate number calculated based on the necessary capacity of the hot water supply device, and cannot control the control of the hot water supply device according to the situation. there were.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and is a hot water supply device management apparatus, a hot water supply device management method, a hot water supply device management program, and a hot water supply device management that can switch the control of the hot water supply device according to the situation. The purpose is to provide a system.

  The hot water supply device management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of hot water supply devices are prioritized to adjust the life of the hot water supply device over increasing the thermal efficiency of the hot water supply by a multi-hot water supply device in which a plurality of hot water supply devices are connected. Set one of the control modes of the thermal efficiency priority mode to control and the life adjustment mode to control the plurality of hot water supply devices to prioritize adjusting the life of the hot water supply devices over increasing the thermal efficiency Setting means for performing control, and control means for controlling the multi-hot-water supply device in the control mode set by the setting means.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, when the thermal efficiency priority mode is set by the setting unit, the control unit acquires a first thermal efficiency corresponding to a load factor of the hot water supply device in operation and is in operation. When the second thermal efficiency corresponding to the load factor of the hot water supply device when one of the hot water supply devices is reduced is obtained and the second thermal efficiency is higher than the first thermal efficiency, the second thermal efficiency is obtained. The multi-water heater is controlled so as to be operated with thermal efficiency.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, the life adjustment mode includes a first life adjustment mode and a second life adjustment mode, and the control means sets the first life adjustment mode by the setting means. When the first life adjustment mode is set by the setting means when the multi-hot water supply device is controlled so that a difference in consumption rate of the plurality of hot water supply devices is within a predetermined range, A second life adjustment mode for controlling the multi-hot-water supply device so that a consumption rate of some of the hot-water supply devices is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold, and the control means is configured to When the first life adjustment mode is set, the multi-water heater is controlled in the first life adjustment mode, and when the second life adjustment mode is set by the setting means, the second life adjustment mode is set. Adjustment Controlling the multi-water heater equipment over de.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the control means acquires an operation state value representing an operation state of the hot water supply device, and a consumption rate of the hot water supply device corresponding to the acquired operation state value is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold. When the hot water supply device is set as a device to be watched and the consumption rate of the set device to be watched satisfies a predetermined turnout command condition, turnout command information for instructing replacement of the hot water supply device is output.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the control means acquires an operation state value representing an operation state of the hot water supply device, a consumption rate of the hot water supply device corresponding to the operation state value acquired this time, and an operation state value acquired last time. And an increase rate calculating means for calculating an increase rate of the consumption rate of the hot water supply device based on the consumption rate of the hot water supply device corresponding to the above, and based on the calculated increase rate of the consumption rate of the hot water supply device, the hot water supply device Dispatch command arrival time calculating means for calculating the dispatch command arrival time.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the control means includes a plurality of the hot water supply devices in which the dispatch command arrival time comes within a predetermined period, and the plurality of the hot water supply devices exist in different areas. In this case, the dispatch command arrival time of the at least one hot water supply device is adjusted so that the dispatch command arrival time of at least one of the plurality of hot water supply devices is out of the period.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, the control means acquires the CO concentration of the hot water supply device as an operation state value representing the operation state of the hot water supply device, and notifies when the acquired CO concentration is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value. .

  In the invention according to claim 8, the control means acquires the combustion fan rotation speed of the hot water supply device as an operation state value representing the operation state of the hot water supply device, and the acquired combustion fan rotation speed is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value. In the case of.

  According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, the control means has at least one of an integrated value of a combustion time, start / stop frequency, hot water flow rate, and hot water heat quantity of the hot water supply device as an operation state value representing an operation state of the hot water supply device. And when the acquired operating state value is equal to or greater than a threshold value corresponding to the preventive maintenance time of the hot water supply device.

  According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, the control means has at least one of an integrated value of a combustion time, a start / stop frequency, a hot water supply flow rate, and a hot water supply heat amount of the hot water supply device as an operation state value representing an operation state of the hot water supply device. And when the acquired operation state value is equal to or greater than a threshold value corresponding to the preventive maintenance time of the neutralizer of the hot water supply device.

  According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, the control means has at least one of an integration value of a combustion time, a start / stop frequency, a hot water flow rate, and a hot water supply heat amount of the hot water supply device as an operation state value representing an operation state of the hot water supply device. And when the acquired operating state value is equal to or greater than a threshold value corresponding to the preventive maintenance time of the CO sensor of the hot water supply device.

  The invention according to claim 12 is that the multi-water heater device includes an external signal input terminal for inputting an external signal from an external device, the control means acquires the external signal, and the acquired external signal is the This is notified when the signal indicates an abnormality of the external device.

  According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a hot water supply device management method in which the plurality of hot water supplies are prioritized over adjusting the life of the hot water supply devices to increase the thermal efficiency of the hot water supply by a multi-water heater connected to a plurality of hot water supply devices. A control mode of any one of a thermal efficiency priority mode for controlling the device and a life adjustment mode for controlling the plurality of hot water supply devices so as to prioritize adjusting the life of the hot water supply device over increasing the thermal efficiency And the multi-water heater is controlled in the set control mode.

  A hot water supply equipment management program according to a fourteenth aspect of the invention is a hot water supply equipment management program for causing a computer to function as each means of the hot water supply equipment management device according to any one of the first to twelfth aspects.

  A hot water supply device management system according to a fifteenth aspect of the present invention is the multiple hot water supply device in which a plurality of hot water supply devices are connected, and the multi hot water supply device connected to the multi hot water supply device via a network. A hot water supply equipment management device.

  According to this invention, it has the effect that control of hot-water supply apparatus can be switched according to a condition.

It is a schematic block diagram which shows an example of a structure of the hot water supply equipment management system. It is a flowchart of the hot water supply equipment management program performed with the hot water supply equipment management server. It is a flowchart of the preventive maintenance process performed with the hot water supply equipment management server. It is a flowchart of dispatch command processing performed with a hot water supply equipment management server. It is a flowchart of the dispatch time prediction process performed with the hot water supply equipment management server. It is a flowchart of the optimization unit number control performed with a hot water supply equipment management server. It is a flowchart of the thermal efficiency priority mode performed with the hot water supply equipment management server. It is a flowchart of the 1st life adjustment mode performed with the hot water supply equipment management server. It is a flowchart of the 2nd life adjustment mode performed with the hot water supply equipment management server. It is a flowchart of the number control performed with a multi-hot-water supply apparatus. It is a graph which shows an example of the correspondence of a load factor and thermal efficiency.

  Hereinafter, an example of an embodiment for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a hot water supply equipment management system 10 according to the present embodiment. In the hot water supply device management system 10, a plurality of multiple hot water supply devices 12 and a hot water supply device management server 14 are connected via a network 16 and can communicate with each other. The hot water supply device management server 14 is provided, for example, in a management center that monitors the operating state of the multi-hot water supply device 12 and manages various services such as replacement of the hot water supply device.

  The network 16 is a network such as the Internet or a dedicated line, and may be wired or wireless.

  The multi-water heater 12 includes a plurality of water heaters 20 and a system controller 22. The plurality of hot water supply devices 20 are connected and installed on a base 24 such as a gantry. The system controller 22 can adjust the hot water supply capacity by controlling the number of operating hot water supply devices 20.

  The multi-water heater 12 is installed in a facility such as a hotel or restaurant under a rental contract, for example, and the temperature of the water supplied from the water pipe is raised to a set temperature, and the hot water supply equipment (kitchen, bath, toilet) provided in the facility Etc.).

  The hot water supply device 20 includes a heat source unit that raises the temperature of the water by burning the gas using, for example, gas as fuel. In this embodiment, a case where a latent heat recovery type heat source unit is used will be described as an example. The latent heat recovery type heat source unit consists of a gas burner that burns gas, a primary heat exchanger that raises the temperature of the water using the gas burned by the gas burner, and a secondary heat that raises the water using the exhaust gas from the primary heat exchanger. It is comprised including the neutralizer etc. which neutralize the condensed water produced | generated by the water vapor | steam contained in the exchanger and the exhaust gas from a secondary heat exchanger.

  The water supplied from the water pipe is first heated by the secondary heat exchanger and then further heated by the primary heat exchanger. The latent heat recovery type heat source unit is equipped with a secondary heat exchanger in addition to the primary heat exchanger, and recovers energy from exhaust gas that has been discarded in the past. The primary heat exchanger lowers the exhaust gas from the gas burner, for example from about 1500 ° C. to about 200 ° C. The secondary heat exchanger performs latent heat recovery for returning water vapor contained in the exhaust gas to water simultaneously with heat recovery by reducing the exhaust gas from the primary heat exchanger from, for example, about 200 ° C. to about 80 ° C. With such a configuration, the latent heat recovery type heat source unit increases the thermal efficiency.

  The hot water supply device 20 includes a controller 25 and a CO sensor 26. The controller 25 transmits operation result information described later to the system controller 22. The CO sensor 26 measures the concentration of carbon monoxide.

  The system controller 22 performs overall control of the operation of the plurality of hot water supply devices 20. Further, the operation state of each hot water supply device 20 is monitored, and operation result information is collected from the controller 25 of each hot water supply device 20 and transmitted to the hot water supply device management server 14.

  Moreover, the system controller 22 is provided with an external signal input terminal, and can input an external signal from an external device. An external signal is a signal which shows the presence or absence of abnormality of an external apparatus, for example. Thus, for example, when the external device is a refrigerator in the kitchen, it is possible to grasp whether or not an abnormality has occurred in the refrigerator by an external signal from the refrigerator input to the system controller 22. The external device is not limited to a refrigerator, and may be a kitchen device, an air conditioning device, a ventilation facility, or the like.

  The hot water supply equipment management server 14 includes a control unit 30 and a storage unit 32. The control unit 30 is configured by a computer including, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a RAM (Random Access Memory), and a ROM (Read Only Memory). Note that a nonvolatile memory may be used instead of the ROM.

  The storage unit 32 is configured by a secondary storage device such as a hard disk. The storage unit 32 stores a database 34 and a hot water supply equipment management program 36 described later.

  The database 34 includes correspondence information 38, facility information 40, and operation result information 42.

  The correspondence information 38 is information representing a correspondence relationship between a multi-hot-water supply device ID for identifying the multi-hot-water supply device 12 and a hot-water supply device ID for identifying each of the plurality of hot-water supply devices 20 constituting the multi-hot-water supply device 12. It is.

  The facility information 40 includes information on the user's facility, for example, information such as the multi-water heater ID, the control mode of the multi-water heater 12, area ID, controller address, rental contract period, payment status, user name, and location. Including.

  The control mode is a control method used when the optimized number control of the multi-water heater 12 is performed. As will be described in detail later, there are a thermal efficiency priority mode, a first life adjustment mode, and a second life adjustment mode. The system controller 22 controls the multi-hot water supply device 12 in the control mode instructed from the hot water supply device management server 14.

  The area ID is an ID for identifying an area where the multi-water heater 12 is installed. FIG. 1 shows a state where a plurality of multi-water heaters 12 are installed in areas A and B. The multi-water heaters 12 having the same area ID indicate that they are installed in the same area. That is, the same area ID is given to the multi-water heater 12 installed in the area A in FIG. For example, the area may be defined by being divided in units of municipalities, or may be divided in units of regional meshes.

  The controller address specifies the position of the system controller 22 on the network, and is, for example, an IP (Internet Protocol) address. The hot water supply device management server 14 refers to this controller address and transmits various instruction signals to the system controller 22 to which the target multi-hot water supply device 12 is connected.

  The rental contract period is a contract period in the rental contract of the multi-water heater 12. The payment status includes information related to the payment of the rental fee, and includes, for example, information indicating how many months and months the rental fee has been paid. The user name indicates the name of the user. The location indicates the location of the user, that is, the installation location of the multi-water heater 12.

  The operation result information 42 is information relating to the operation result of the hot water supply device 20, and includes the hot water supply device ID, the operation status information of the hot water supply device 20, the operation state information indicating the operation state of the hot water supply device 20, the load factor information, the consumption rate information, and the dispatch. This is information indicating the correspondence relationship between the acquisition date and time of the command arrival time information, neutralizer information, CO sensor information, external signal information, and operation result information 42.

  The operation status information is information indicating the current status of the hot water supply device 20, and indicates, for example, any one of “normal operation”, “stopped”, “abnormal occurrence”, and “center inventory”. The “center inventory” indicates that the center is a replacement hot water supply device held as an inventory. “Center-stock” hot-water supply equipment is not only new unused hot-water supply equipment, but also hot-water supply equipment collected from the user's equipment by the center for termination of rental contracts and other reasons (such as unpaid rental fees). It also includes a hot water supply device that can be reused as a hot water supply device.

  The operation state information is information representing the operation state of the hot water supply device, and includes an integrated value of at least one information of the gas combustion time, the number of start / stop times, the hot water supply flow rate, and the hot water supply heat amount. In addition, the number of times of starting and stopping is counted as one time from the start of hot water supply until it stops. The integrated value of the operating state information has a correlation with the life of the hot water supply device 20. For this reason, although details will be described later, in this embodiment, the integrated value of any of the operating state information among the operating state information is set as the operating state value, and the preventive maintenance process of each hot water supply device 20 is performed based on this operating state value. Do.

  The load factor information is information related to the load factor of the hot water supply device 20, and details on the load factor will be described later.

  The consumption rate information is information related to the consumption rate of the hot water supply device 20, and details on the consumption rate will be described later.

  The dispatch command arrival time information is information representing the dispatch command arrival time of the hot water supply device 20, and details of the dispatch command arrival time will be described later.

  The neutralizer information is information related to the neutralizer provided in each hot water supply device 20, and is information representing the correspondence between the hot water supply device ID and the date and time when the neutralizer is replenished or the neutralizer is replaced.

  The CO sensor information is information related to the CO sensor 26 included in each hot water supply device 20, and the correspondence relationship between the hot water supply device ID, the measured value of the carbon monoxide concentration measured by the CO sensor 26, the measurement date and time, and the replacement date and time of the CO sensor. Is information.

  The external signal information is information regarding the external signal input to the external signal input terminal of the system controller 22 of each hot water supply device 20, and the correspondence relationship between the hot water supply device ID, the acquisition date and time of the external signal, and the external signal information represented by the external signal. Is information.

  Next, hot water supply management processing executed by the control unit 30 of the hot water supply equipment management server 14 will be described. The control unit 30 reads the hot water supply device management program 36 stored in the storage unit 32 and executes the hot water supply device management process shown in the flowchart of FIG. Note that the process shown in FIG. 2 is executed at predetermined time intervals, for example.

  First, in step S100 of FIG. 2, a request is made to transmit the operation result information to the multi-water heater 12 selected from the plurality of multi-water heaters 12.

  In step S102, the operation result information is received from the multi-water heater 12 that has requested transmission of the operation result information.

  In step S104, the preventive maintenance process shown in FIG. 3 is executed.

  In step S106, the dispatch command process shown in FIG. 4 is executed.

  In step S108, the dispatch time prediction process shown in FIG. 5 is executed.

  In step S110, the optimized number control process shown in FIG. 6 is executed.

  In step S112, it is determined whether or not the above processing has been executed for all the multi-water heaters 12. If the above processing has been executed for all the multi-water heaters 12, this routine is terminated. When the multi-water heater 12 for processing exists, the process returns to step S100 and the same processing as described above is repeated.

  Next, the preventive maintenance process of FIG. 3 will be described.

  First, in step S200, with reference to the CO concentration of each hot water supply device 20 included in the operation result information transmitted from the multi-hot water supply device 12, whether or not there is a hot water supply device 20 having a CO concentration equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold value TH1. Determine whether. Then, when there is no hot water supply device 20 having a CO concentration equal to or higher than the threshold value TH1, the process proceeds to step S202, and when there is a hot water supply device 20 having a CO concentration equal to or higher than the threshold value TH1, the process proceeds to step S204. Note that the threshold value TH1 is set to a value at which it is possible to determine that there is a risk of carbon monoxide poisoning or failure of the hot water supply device 20 when the CO concentration is equal to or higher than the threshold value TH1.

  In step S204, the hot water supply device management server 14 is notified that the hot water supply device 20 whose CO concentration is equal to or higher than the threshold value TH1 should be checked or replaced. Thereby, the management center can grasp that the hot water supply device 20 whose CO concentration is equal to or higher than the threshold value TH1 should be inspected or replaced, and instructs the employee to perform the inspection or replacement work of the hot water supply device 20. be able to.

  Thus, when the CO concentration is equal to or higher than the threshold value TH1, it is possible to prompt the inspection or replacement of the hot water supply device 20 because there is a possibility that the CO poisoning (carbon monoxide poisoning) or the hot water supply device 20 may break down. The occurrence of CO poisoning can prevent the hot water supply device 20 from being broken.

  On the other hand, in step S202, with reference to the combustion fan rotation speed of each hot water supply device 20 included in the operation result information transmitted from the multi-water heater 12, the hot water supply device 20 whose combustion fan rotation speed is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold TH2 is determined. Determine if it exists. Then, when there is a hot water supply device 20 having a combustion fan rotational speed equal to or higher than the threshold value TH2, the process proceeds to step S204, and when there is no hot water supply device 20 having a combustion fan rotational speed equal to or higher than the threshold value TH2, the process proceeds to step S206. Note that the threshold value TH2 is set to a value at which it is possible to determine that there is a possibility that the carbon monoxide poisoning or the hot water supply device 20 may fail when the combustion fan rotational speed is equal to or greater than the threshold value TH2.

  In step S204, the hot water supply device management server 14 is notified that the hot water supply device 20 whose combustion fan rotation speed is equal to or higher than the threshold value TH2 should be inspected or replaced. As a result, the management center can grasp that the hot water supply device 20 whose combustion fan rotation speed is equal to or higher than the threshold value TH2 should be inspected or replaced, and the employee can be inspected or replaced with the hot water supply device 20. Can be directed.

  Usually, in order to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning and failure of the hot water supply device 20, the hot water supply device 20 estimates the air ratio representing the combustion state from the air amount measured by the air flow sensor, and the estimated air ratio becomes less than the threshold value. If this is the case, the combustion improving operation is performed so that the combustion fan speed is increased and the air ratio becomes equal to or greater than the threshold. Further, when the limit is reached by continuously increasing the number of revolutions of the combustion fan, the maximum combustion amount, that is, the hot water supply capacity is reduced to a predetermined ratio (usually ½) of the rated value (input down state). When the input down state continues for a predetermined time, the ignition operation is prohibited to ensure safety.

  On the other hand, in the present embodiment, when the combustion fan rotation speed is equal to or higher than the threshold value TH2, it is possible to prompt the inspection or replacement of the hot water supply device 20 assuming that the hot water supply device 20 may be in the input down state. Thus, it is possible to prevent the hot water supply device 20 from being in an input down state and stopping its operation.

  In step S206, with reference to the operation state value of each hot water supply device 20 included in the operation result information transmitted from multi-water heater 12, whether or not there is hot water supply device 20 whose operation state value is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value TH3. Determine whether. Here, the operation state value is the integrated value of the operation state information described above, that is, any one of the operation state information among the combustion time of the hot water supply device 20, the number of start / stop times, the hot water supply flow rate, and the hot water supply heat amount. May be used.

  And when hot water supply apparatus 20 whose operation state value is more than threshold value TH3 exists, it transfers to step S208, and when there is no hot water supply apparatus 20 whose operation state value is more than threshold value TH3, it transfers to step S10. Note that the threshold value TH3 is set to a value at which it is possible to determine that the hot water supply device 20 is near the end of its life and that it is the preventive maintenance time when the operating state value is equal to or greater than the threshold value TH3.

  In step S208, hot water supply device management server 14 is notified that hot water supply device 20 whose operating state value is equal to or greater than threshold value TH3 should be inspected or replaced. As a result, the management center can grasp that the hot water supply device 20 whose operation state value is equal to or greater than the threshold value TH3 should be inspected or replaced, and instruct the employee to inspect or replace the hot water supply device 20. can do.

  As described above, when the operating state value is equal to or greater than the threshold value TH3, it is assumed that the hot water supply device 20 has a short life, and the inspection or replacement of the hot water supply device 20 can be promoted. it can.

  In step S210, with reference to the operation state value of each hot water supply device 20 included in the operation result information transmitted from multi-water heater 12, whether or not there is hot water supply device 20 whose operation state value is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value TH4. If there is a hot water supply device 20 whose operating state value is greater than or equal to the threshold value TH4, the process proceeds to step S212. If there is no hot water supply device 20 whose operating state value is equal to or greater than the threshold value TH4, the process proceeds to step S214. Note that the threshold value TH4 is set to a value at which it is possible to determine that it is the preventive maintenance time because it is necessary to replenish the neutralizing agent or replace the neutralizer when the operating state value is equal to or greater than the threshold value TH4. Since the consumption of the neutralizing agent is considered to be proportional to, for example, the combustion time or the number of start / stop times among the operating state values, a value slightly smaller than the combustion time or the number of start / stop times corresponding to the consumption life of the neutralizer is set as the threshold value TH4. do it.

  In step S212, the hot water supply device management server 14 is notified that it is necessary to replenish the neutralizing agent or replace the neutralizer of the hot water supply device 20 whose operation state value is equal to or greater than the threshold value TH4. Thereby, in the management center, it can grasp | ascertain that it is necessary to replenish the neutralizer of the hot water supply apparatus 20 whose driving | running state value is more than threshold value TH4, or replacement | exchange of a neutralizer, The neutralizer of the hot water supply apparatus 20 Employees can be instructed to refill or replace the neutralizer.

  As described above, when the operation state value is equal to or higher than the threshold value TH4, the neutralizer replenishment or the neutralizer replacement of the hot water supply device 20 is necessary, and the neutralizer replenishment or the neutralizer replacement is promoted. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the neutralizer from malfunctioning.

  In step S214, the operation state value of each hot water supply device 20 included in the operation result information transmitted from the multi-water heater 12 is referred to, and it is determined whether or not the operation state value is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value TH5. If there is a hot water supply device 20 whose state value is equal to or greater than the threshold value TH5, the process proceeds to step S216. If there is no hot water supply device 20 whose operation state value is equal to or greater than the threshold value TH5, the process proceeds to step S218. The threshold value TH5 is set to a value that allows the CO sensor 26 to be replaced when the operating state value is equal to or greater than the threshold value TH5, so that it can be determined that the preventive maintenance time is reached. Since the life of the CO sensor 26 is considered to be proportional to the operation state value, a value slightly smaller than the operation state value corresponding to the life of the CO sensor 26 may be set as the threshold value TH5.

  In step S216, the hot water supply device management server 14 is notified that the CO sensor 26 of the hot water supply device 20 whose operation state value is equal to or greater than the threshold value TH5 needs to be replaced. As a result, the management center can grasp that it is necessary to replace the CO sensor 26 of the hot water supply device 20 whose operation state value is equal to or greater than the threshold value TH5, so that the CO sensor 26 of the hot water supply device 20 is replaced. Can direct employees.

  As described above, when the operating state value is equal to or greater than the threshold value TH5, the CO sensor 26 of the hot water supply device 20 is near the end of its life and needs to be replaced. It is possible to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning from occurring due to a failure.

  In step S218, the external signal information included in the operation result information transmitted from the multi-water heater 12 is referred to, and it is determined whether or not the external signal information indicates an abnormality of the external device. If it indicates an abnormality, the process proceeds to step S220. If the external signal information does not indicate an abnormality of the external device, this routine is terminated.

  In step S220, the hot water supply device management server 14 is notified that the external device is abnormal. Thereby, the management center can grasp that the external device is abnormal, and can instruct the employee to inspect the external device.

  Next, the dispatch command process in FIG. 4 will be described.

  First, in step S300, with reference to the operation state value of each hot water supply device 20 included in the operation result information transmitted from the multi-hot water supply device 12, the wear rate corresponding to each operation state value is acquired. Here, the consumption rate represents the degree of consumption of the hot water supply device 20, and has a correlation with the operation state value. That is, the higher the operating state value, the higher the consumption rate. Therefore, by referring to the consumption rate, it is possible to grasp whether or not the life of the hot water supply device 20 is near. The consumption rate can be acquired by using, for example, table data or an arithmetic expression representing a correspondence relationship between the consumption rate and the operation state value. The acquired consumption rate is stored in the storage unit 32 as consumption rate information.

  In step S302, it is determined whether or not there is a hot water supply device 20 having a consumption rate acquired in step S300 of a predetermined threshold value TH6 or more. If there is a hot water supply device 20 having a threshold value TH6 or more, the process proceeds to step S304. When there is no hot water supply device 20 having a threshold value TH6 or more, this routine is terminated. The threshold value TH6 is set to 70% as an example in the present embodiment, but is not limited to this.

  In step S304, the hot water supply device 20 having a wear rate of the threshold value TH6 or more is set as a gaze target device having a short life.

  In step S306, it is determined whether or not a predetermined dispatch command condition is satisfied. If the dispatch command condition is satisfied, the process proceeds to step S308. If the dispatch command condition is not satisfied, this routine is terminated.

  Examples of the dispatch command conditions include the following conditions. First, the first dispatch command condition is, for example, a case where there is a hot water supply device 20 having a consumption rate equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold TH7 among the devices to be watched. The threshold TH7 is 95% as an example in the present embodiment, but is not limited to this. Further, the second dispatch command condition is, for example, the sum of the consumption rates of the two gaze target devices in the descending order of consumption rate among all the gaze target devices of the multiple hot water supply devices 12 existing in the same area, that is, having the same area ID. Is within a predetermined range. In addition, although the predetermined range is 180% or more and less than 190% as an example in this embodiment, it is not restricted to this.

  In step S308, dispatch command information for dispatching to replace hot water supply device 20 that satisfies the dispatch command condition is transmitted to hot water supply device management server 14. Thereby, in the management center, it can grasp | ascertain that the replacement | exchange time of the hot water supply apparatus 20 has come, and can instruct | indicate an employee to perform the replacement | exchange work of the hot water supply apparatus 20. FIG.

  Next, the dispatch time prediction process of FIG. 5 will be described.

  First, in step S400, based on the consumption rate corresponding to the operation state value acquired this time and the consumption rate corresponding to the operation state value acquired last time for one hot water supply device 20 among the hot water supply devices 20 included in the multi-hot water supply device 12. Then, the increase rate of the consumption rate is calculated.

  In step S402, the dispatch command arrival time is calculated based on the increase rate of the consumption rate calculated in step S400. Specifically, for example, the previously acquired consumption rate is S1, the time when the previous consumption rate S1 was acquired is t1, the consumption rate acquired this time is S2, the time when the previous consumption rate S2 is acquired is t2, and the consumption rate is increased. A linear expression such as the following expression for calculating the time t at which the consumption rate S is obtained is derived with the rate a. The time t indicates the total operation time of the hot water supply device 20. Therefore, the state where the new hot water supply device 20 is installed is t = 0.

t = a × s + b (1)

  Note that b is a constant. Then, the consumption rate Sx (for example, 95%) at which the dispatch command is required is substituted into the above linear expression to calculate the time point tx at which the consumption rate Sx is reached and stored in the storage unit 32. The dispatch command arrival time may be calculated by deriving a polynomial of a quadratic equation or more from the historical data of the past consumption rate instead of the linear equation.

  In step S404, it is determined whether or not the dispatch command arrival timing has been calculated for all the hot water supply devices 20, and when the above processing is executed for all the hot water supply devices 20, the process proceeds to step S406 and the unprocessed hot water supply devices 20 are processed. If there is, return to step S400 and repeat the same processing as above.

  In step S406, it is determined whether or not there are areas where the dispatch command arrival times overlap within a predetermined period with reference to the dispatch command arrival times of the hot water supply devices 20 of the multi-water heaters 12 existing in other areas. To do. If there are areas where the dispatch command arrival times overlap, the process proceeds to step S408. If the dispatch command arrival times do not overlap, the process proceeds to step S410.

  In step S408, the dispatch command arrival time is adjusted so as not to overlap by delaying or accelerating the dispatch command arrival time of at least one of the areas where the dispatch command arrival times overlap.

  In step S410, the dispatch command arrival time calculated in step S402 or the dispatch command arrival time adjusted in step S408 is stored in the storage unit 32 as dispatch command arrival time information.

  Thus, when there are areas where the dispatch command arrival time overlaps within a predetermined period, the dispatch command arrival time is adjusted so that the dispatch command arrival time does not overlap. Scheduling can be performed efficiently.

  Next, the optimized number control in FIG. 6 will be described.

  First, in step S500, the control mode stored in the database is set. As will be described later in detail, the control mode includes a thermal efficiency priority mode, a first life adjustment mode, and a second life adjustment mode. In the present embodiment, as an example, when the rental contract is initially made, the thermal efficiency priority mode is set, and then the control mode is switched in the order of the first life adjustment mode and the second life adjustment mode. Note that the switching method is not limited to this, and can be arbitrarily set.

  For setting the control mode, for example, the period until the rental contract ends is divided into three, and in each period, the thermal efficiency priority mode, the first life adjustment mode, and the second life adjustment mode are automatically set in the facility information 40, respectively. To do. The administrator may set the control mode of each multi-water heater 12 in the facility information 40. Further, the control mode may be set according to the user's desire.

  In step S500, it is determined whether or not the set control mode is the thermal efficiency priority mode. If the control mode is the thermal efficiency priority mode, the process proceeds to step S502. If not, the process proceeds to step S506. In step S506, it is determined whether or not the set control mode is the first life adjustment mode. If it is the first life adjustment mode, the process proceeds to step S508, and if it is not the first life adjustment mode, that is, the second life adjustment mode. If the life adjustment mode is set, the process proceeds to step S510.

  In step S504, the thermal efficiency priority mode process shown in FIG. 7 is executed.

  In step S508, the first life adjustment mode process shown in FIG. 8 is executed.

  Step S510 executes the second life adjustment mode shown in FIG.

  Next, the thermal efficiency priority mode process shown in FIG. 7 will be described. Before that, the number control of the hot water supply devices 20 executed by each multi-water heater 12 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. The system controller 22 operates one hot water supply device 20 when hot water is supplied, and increases the hot water supply device 20 when the load factor is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold value. The number of hot water supply devices 20 that are operated one by one is increased. Moreover, when operating the some hot water supply apparatus 20, each hot water supply apparatus 20 is drive | operated with the substantially same load factor. The control in FIG. 10 is executed every predetermined time, and is executed in a state where N (N = 1, 2, 3,...) Hot water supply devices 20 are in equilibrium operation at substantially the same load factor. .

  First, in step S600, it is determined whether or not the load factor is greater than a predetermined threshold value Q1, and if greater than Q1, the process proceeds to step S602, and if the load factor is equal to or less than the threshold value Q1, the process proceeds to step S604. The threshold value Q1 is set to a load factor that is larger than the load factor that maximizes the thermal efficiency.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 11, the relationship between the load factor and the thermal efficiency is not a linear relationship. This is because the heat source of the hot water supply device 20 is composed of a plurality of gas burners. FIG. 11 shows the relationship between the load factor and the thermal efficiency when the heat source of the hot water supply device 20 is composed of three gas burners. As shown in FIG. 11, the thermal efficiency characteristic is a characteristic obtained by combining the thermal efficiency characteristics T1 to T3 of each gas burner. Accordingly, the threshold value Q1 is set to a value near Qd that is slightly larger than the load factor Qc at which the thermal efficiency in FIG.

  In step S602, one hot water supply device 20 is added and operated. In addition, when all the hot water supply apparatuses 20 are already driving | operating, the state which operated all the hot water supply apparatuses 20 as it is is maintained. Thus, since the hot water supply apparatus 20 is increased, the load factor per one hot water supply apparatus is lowered, so that the load factor at which the thermal efficiency is maximized is approached.

  In step S604, it is determined whether or not the load factor is less than a predetermined threshold value Q2. If the load factor is less than the threshold value Q2, the process proceeds to step S606. If the load factor is equal to or greater than the threshold value Q2, this routine is terminated. To do. Note that the threshold value Q2 is set to a load factor smaller than the load factor at which the thermal efficiency is maximized, for example, a value slightly smaller than the load factor Qc at which the thermal efficiency in FIG. 11 is maximized.

  In step S606, the hot water supply device 20 is decreased by one and operated. In addition, when it was drive | operating with the one hot water supply apparatus 20, the state which operated the one hot water supply apparatus 20 as it is is maintained. Thus, since the hot water supply apparatus 20 is reduced, the load factor per hot water supply apparatus is increased, and thus the load factor at which the thermal efficiency is maximized is approached.

  Next, the thermal efficiency priority mode process shown in FIG. 7 will be described. In the thermal efficiency priority mode, control that prioritizes increasing the thermal efficiency is performed rather than adjusting the life of the hot water supply device 20.

  First, in step S700, the thermal efficiency η0 corresponding to the load factor Q0 is acquired by referring to the load factor Q0 of the hot water heater 20 included in the operation result information transmitted from the multi-water heater 12. Specifically, the thermal efficiency η0 corresponding to the load factor Q0 can be acquired by using, for example, table data or an arithmetic expression representing the correspondence relationship between the load factor and the thermal efficiency. In addition, since the load factor of each hot water heater 20 is substantially balanced, the load factor of any one of the hot water heaters 20 may be set as the load factor Q0, or the average value of the load factors of all the hot water heaters 20 is calculated. The load factor Q0 may be used.

  In step S702, the load factor Q1 when one hot water supply device 20 is reduced is calculated by the following equation.

Q1 = (Q0 × N) / (N−1) (2)

  In step S704, as in step S700, the thermal efficiency η1 corresponding to the load factor Q1 calculated in step S702 is acquired.

  In step S706, it is determined whether or not the thermal efficiency η1 is greater than the thermal efficiency η0. When the thermal efficiency η1 is equal to or lower than the thermal efficiency η0, that is, when the thermal efficiency is higher when the hot water supply device 20 is not reduced, this routine is terminated.

  In step S708, the threshold values Q1 and Q2 are updated by adding a predetermined constant α to the threshold value Q1 and adding a predetermined constant β to the threshold value Q2. That is, since the number of hot water supply devices 20 is reduced, the load factor per hot water supply device is increased, and accordingly, the threshold values Q1 and Q2 are also increased.

  In step S710, threshold values Q1 and Q2 are output to multi-water heater 12. Thus, the multi-water heater 12 performs the unit control shown in FIG. 11 using the updated threshold values Q1 and Q2.

  Next, the first life adjustment mode will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

  In step S800, the consumption rate of each hot water supply device 20 is acquired from the consumption rate information included in the operation result information.

  In step S802, a standard deviation is calculated from the consumption rate of each hot water supply device 20 acquired in step S800.

  In step S804, it is calculated whether or not the standard deviation calculated in step S802 is larger than a predetermined threshold value TH8. If the standard deviation is larger than the threshold value TH8, the process proceeds to step S806. End the routine. Threshold value TH8 is set to a value that allows it to be determined that the lifetime of each hot water supply device 20 arrives at approximately the same time when the standard deviation is less than this value.

  In step S806, the operation of each hot water supply device 20 is adjusted so that the standard deviation is equal to or less than the threshold value TH8. Specifically, the multi-water heater 12 is instructed to lower the operation order of the hot water supply device 20 having a relatively high consumption rate and raise the operation order of the hot water supply device 20 having a relatively low consumption rate. Alternatively, when the hot water supply device 20 with a relatively low consumption rate is operating and the hot water supply device 20 with a relatively high consumption rate is stopped, the threshold value Q1 when increasing the number of operating hot water supply devices 20 is increased. The multi-water heater 12 is instructed to do so. As a result, the timing for increasing the number of operating units is delayed. For this reason, since the consumption rate of the hot water supply apparatus 20 with a relatively low consumption rate during operation can be increased and the consumption rate of the hot water supply apparatus 20 with a relatively high consumption rate during a stop can be suppressed, The consumption rate of the hot water supply device 20 can be made closer.

  Next, the second life adjustment mode will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

  In step S900, the consumption rate of each hot water supply device 20 is acquired from the consumption rate information included in the operation result information.

  In step S902, the consumption rate of each hot water supply device 20 at the end of the rental contract of the multi-hot water supply device 12 is calculated. The consumption rate at the end of the rental contract can be calculated by substituting the time from the start of the rental contract to the end of the rental contract into t in the above equation (1).

  In step S904, it is determined whether there is a hot water supply device 20 having a consumption rate at the end of the rental contract higher than a predetermined threshold TH9, and there is a hot water supply device 20 having a consumption rate at the end of the rental contract higher than the threshold TH9. In this case, the process proceeds to step S906, and when there is no hot water supply device 20 having a consumption rate at the end of the rental contract higher than the threshold value TH9, this routine is ended. Note that the threshold value TH9 is set to a value at which it can be determined that the rental contract cannot be used for another rental contract after the rental contract ends when the consumption rate is higher than the threshold TH9.

  In step S906, the operation of each hot water supply device 20 is adjusted so that there is a hot water supply device 20 having a consumption rate at the end of the rental contract of the threshold value TH9 or less. Specifically, for example, the operation order of some hot water supply devices 20 is kept lowered and the operation order of other hot water supply devices 20 is kept raised. Thereby, it can suppress that the consumption rate of some hot water supply apparatuses 20 goes up. Alternatively, the multi-water heater 12 is instructed to increase the threshold value Q1 when increasing the number of operating hot water heaters 20. As a result, the timing for increasing the number of operating units is delayed. For this reason, it is possible to suppress an increase in the consumption rate of some hot water supply devices 20 during operation, and it is possible to increase the probability that there is a hot water supply device 20 whose consumption rate is equal to or less than the threshold value TH9 at the end of the rental contract.

  Thus, in this embodiment, the control of the multi-water heater 12 is not executed in a single control mode, but can be executed by switching the control mode according to the situation from a plurality of control modes. . Thereby, the convenience can be improved.

  In addition, although this embodiment demonstrated the case where the hot-water supply apparatus management server 14 performed control of FIGS. 2-9, it was made for the system controller 22 of the multi-hot-water supply apparatus 12 to perform at least one part of these processes. Also good. For example, the processing in the thermal efficiency priority mode of FIG. 7 may be executed by the system controller 22 of the multi-water heater 12 in response to an instruction from the water heater management server 14. Other processes may also be executed by the system controller 22 of the multi-water heater 12 in response to an instruction from the water heater management server 14.

  Moreover, the hot water supply equipment management program described in the present embodiment is merely an example. Therefore, it goes without saying that unnecessary steps may be deleted, new steps may be added, and the processing order may be changed within a range not departing from the spirit. Each process included in the hot water supply device management program described in the present embodiment may be realized by a hardware configuration such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or a programmable logic device. Each process included in the hot water supply device management program described in the present embodiment may be realized by a combination of a hardware configuration and a software configuration.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Hot-water supply apparatus management system 12 Multi-hot-water supply apparatus 14 Hot-water supply apparatus management server 16 Network 20 Hot-water supply apparatus 22 System controller 25 Controller 26 CO sensor 30 Storage part 32 Storage part 34 Database 36 Hot-water supply apparatus management program 38 Corresponding information 40 Facility information 42 Operation result information

Claims (15)

A thermal efficiency priority mode for controlling the plurality of hot water supply devices so as to prioritize increasing the thermal efficiency of hot water supply by a multi-water heater connected to a plurality of hot water supply devices over adjusting the life of the hot water supply device, A life adjustment mode for controlling the plurality of hot water supply devices so as to prioritize adjusting the life over increasing the thermal efficiency, and setting means for setting one of the control modes;
Control means for controlling the multi-water heater in the control mode set by the setting means;
Hot water supply equipment management device. When the thermal efficiency priority mode is set by the setting means, the control means obtains a first thermal efficiency corresponding to a load factor of the hot water supply device in operation and reduces the hot water supply device in operation by one. When the second thermal efficiency corresponding to the load factor of the hot water supply device in the case is higher and the second thermal efficiency is higher than the first thermal efficiency, the second thermal efficiency is operated so as to be operated at the second thermal efficiency. The hot water supply equipment management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the hot water supply equipment is controlled. The life adjustment mode includes a first life adjustment mode and a second life adjustment mode,
The control means, when the first life adjustment mode is set by the setting means, controls the multi-water heater so that a difference in consumption rate of the plurality of water heaters is within a predetermined range, When the first life adjustment mode is set by the setting means, the multi-water heater is controlled so that a consumption rate of some of the plurality of hot water heaters is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold. 2 life adjustment modes, and
When the first life adjustment mode is set by the setting means, the control means controls the multi-water heater in the first life adjustment mode, and the setting means sets the second life adjustment mode. The hot water supply equipment management apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein when set, the multi hot water supply equipment is controlled in the second life adjustment mode. The control means acquires an operation state value representing an operation state of the hot water supply device, and sets the hot water supply device having a consumption rate of the hot water supply device corresponding to the acquired operation state value equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold as a gaze target device. The dispatch command information instructing replacement of the hot water supply device is output when the set consumption rate of the target device to be watched satisfies a predetermined dispatch command condition. Hot water supply equipment management device. The control means includes
An operation state value representing the operation state of the hot water supply device is acquired, and based on the consumption rate of the hot water supply device corresponding to the operation state value acquired this time and the consumption rate of the hot water supply device corresponding to the operation state value acquired last time. An increase rate calculating means for calculating an increase rate of the consumption rate of the hot water supply device;
Based on the calculated increase rate of the consumption rate of the hot water supply device, a dispatch command arrival time calculating means for calculating a dispatch command arrival time of the hot water supply device;
The hot-water supply apparatus management apparatus of any one of Claims 1-4 containing this. In the case where there are a plurality of the hot water supply devices in which the dispatch command arrival time arrives within a predetermined period and the plurality of the hot water supply devices exist in different areas, the control means includes the plurality of the hot water supply devices. The hot water supply equipment management apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the dispatch command arrival time of the at least one hot water supply device is adjusted such that the dispatch command arrival time of the at least one hot water supply device is outside the period. The control means acquires the CO concentration of the hot water supply device as an operation state value representing the operation state of the hot water supply device, and notifies when the acquired CO concentration is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value. The hot water supply equipment management apparatus according to item 1. The control means acquires a combustion fan rotation speed of the hot water supply device as an operation state value representing an operation state of the hot water supply device, and notifies when the acquired combustion fan rotation speed is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold. The hot water supply equipment management device according to any one of -6. The control means acquires at least one of a combustion time of the hot water supply device, the number of start / stop times, a hot water supply flow rate, and an integrated value of the hot water supply heat amount as an operation state value representing an operation state of the hot water supply device, and the acquired operation The hot water supply device management apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, which is notified when a state value is equal to or greater than a threshold value corresponding to a preventive maintenance time of the hot water supply device. The control means acquires at least one of a combustion time of the hot water supply device, the number of start / stop times, a hot water supply flow rate, and an integrated value of the hot water supply heat amount as an operation state value representing an operation state of the hot water supply device, and the acquired operation The hot water supply device management apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the state value is notified when the state value is equal to or greater than a threshold value corresponding to a preventive maintenance time of the neutralizer of the hot water supply device. The control means acquires at least one of a combustion time of the hot water supply device, the number of start / stop times, a hot water supply flow rate, and an integrated value of the hot water supply heat amount as an operation state value representing an operation state of the hot water supply device, and the acquired operation The hot water supply device management apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10, which is notified when the state value is equal to or greater than a threshold value corresponding to a preventive maintenance time of a CO sensor of the hot water supply device. The multi-water heater has an external signal input terminal for inputting an external signal from an external device,
The hot water supply device management apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the control means acquires the external signal and notifies when the acquired external signal is a signal indicating an abnormality of the external device. A thermal efficiency priority mode for controlling the plurality of hot water supply devices so as to prioritize increasing the thermal efficiency of hot water supply by a multi-water heater connected to a plurality of hot water supply devices over adjusting the life of the hot water supply device, A life adjustment mode for controlling the plurality of hot water supply devices so as to prioritize adjusting the life over increasing the thermal efficiency, and setting one of the control modes,
A hot water supply device management method for controlling the multi-hot water supply device in a set control mode. Computer
The hot water supply equipment management program for functioning as each means of the hot water supply equipment management apparatus of any one of Claims 1-12. A multi-water heater connected to a plurality of water heaters;
The hot water supply equipment management apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 12, which is connected to the multi-hot water supply equipment via a network.
Including hot water supply equipment management system.

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