JP3540768B2 - Distributed power generation system - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a technology for maintaining a power receiving device that receives power from a power generation system. The present invention particularly relates to a distributed power generation system, and a maintenance system and a maintenance method using the same.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In a time when new technologies such as IT and biotechnology are being deployed on a global scale, the energy industry is still one of the largest core industries. Recently, with the spread of environmental awareness, including prevention of global warming, expectations for so-called new energy are increasing. In addition to environmental friendliness, the new energy can be produced in a distributed manner close to the power consumers, and therefore has advantages in terms of transmission loss and security of power supply. It is also expected that the development of new energy will have the secondary effect of creating new peripheral industries.
[0003]
Initiatives for new energy have been in full swing since the oil crisis about 30 years ago. Currently, renewable energy such as solar power generation, recycling energy such as waste power generation, high-efficiency energy such as fuel cells, and clean energy Energy in new fields, such as cars, is in the development stage for practical use.
[0004]
Among them, fuel cells are one of the hottest energies in the industry. Fuel cells generate electricity and heat simultaneously by chemically reacting hydrogen produced by mixing water vapor with natural gas or methanol and oxygen collected from the atmosphere.The only by-product of power generation is water, and low output High efficiency even in the region, and the power generation is stable without being affected by the weather. The polymer electrolyte fuel cell is regarded as one of the next-generation standard power sources for both stationary and on-vehicle applications, such as residential use.
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
At present, a power generation system using a polymer electrolyte fuel cell is in the process of being prototyped and put into practical use. The spread of fuel cells depends on how costs can be reduced. Although the initial cost is an issue on the development side, the operational cost or merit also depends on the running cost and the life of the system using the fuel cell.
[0006]
Therefore, in order to spread the fuel cell, it is necessary to construct not only the technical improvement of the fuel cell itself but also an environment using the fuel cell as a business model. It is necessary to pursue higher convenience, for example, by developing a maintenance system that includes home appliances that receive power from fuel cells.
[0007]
In particular, maintenance of home electric appliances has been entrusted to users so far. For this reason, even if the same product is used in the same manner, the daily care of the user varies, and the life of the product is different. In the event of a failure, the user must explain the symptoms of the machine, which is not always an accurate explanation, and it takes time and effort to grasp the current situation, which has led to an increase in repair costs. In addition, the user must first search for a repair destination, which causes a great psychological burden in addition to equipment failure.
The present invention has been made in view of such a background, and an object of the present invention is to improve services related to maintenance of home electric appliances to which power is supplied from a distributed power generation system.
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
One embodiment of the present invention relates to a distributed power generation system (hereinafter, simply referred to as a distributed power generation system). This system includes a power generation device, is connected to a power receiving device that receives power supply from the power generation device, and generates maintenance information on the power receiving device based on a power consumption state of the power receiving device. The “power generation device” may be of any type, but a fuel cell that can be expected to have stable power generation capacity is one suitable example.
[0009]
The system may receive the operation information output by the power receiving device and generate the maintenance information. As the operation information, for example, in the case of a refrigerator, information such as the temperature and humidity in the refrigerator may be received. Further, an error message or the like output by the power receiving device may be received.
[0010]
The system may specify maintenance information that is required for the aging of the power receiving device. Information on changes over time in the power receiving device may be detected in advance, and it may be determined whether maintenance such as periodic inspection, replacement of consumable parts, cleaning of a filter, or replacement of the device itself is necessary.
[0011]
The system may include a control unit that controls an operation of the power receiving device based on the maintenance information. The control unit may instruct a change of the control parameter to maintain the performance of the power receiving device.
[0012]
The control unit may stop supplying power to the power receiving device when detecting an abnormality in the power receiving device. Thus, for example, the operation of the electric stove can be stopped during an earthquake to prevent an accident. A configuration in which whether to stop power supply may be set may be used.
[0013]
The system may transmit and receive information to and from the power receiving device by superimposing a signal on an electric wire for supplying power to the power receiving device. According to this, since it is not necessary to separately provide a communication line, the configuration can be simplified, and the trouble at the time of introducing the system can be reduced. In general, the output of the fuel cell is low in noise, which is advantageous in terms of the communication environment.
[0014]
The system may include a display for presenting the maintenance information to a user. If the maintenance can be performed by the user without requesting the maintenance company, such as cleaning the filter of the air conditioner, the user may be instructed to execute the maintenance. Even when requesting maintenance from a maintenance contractor, it is desirable to present that fact to the user.
[0015]
The system may further include a communication unit that communicates with a network, and may transmit the maintenance information via the network to a management device that integrally controls the plurality of distributed power generation systems.
[0016]
Another embodiment of the present invention relates to a maintenance system. This system includes a management device connected via a network to a distributed power generation system having a power generation device, wherein the management device acquires maintenance information on the power receiving device that receives power from the power generation device from the distributed power generation system, Notify the entity responsible for the maintenance.
[0017]
Yet another embodiment of the present invention also relates to a maintenance system. The system includes a power generation device, a distributed power generation system that supplies power to a power reception device connected to the power generation device, and a management entity that is connected to the distributed power generation system via a network and manages maintenance of the power reception device. And a maintenance entity in charge of maintenance of the power receiving device, wherein the management entity acquires maintenance information on the power receiving device from the distributed power generation system and notifies the maintenance information of the maintenance information.
[0018]
Yet another embodiment of the present invention also relates to a maintenance system. The system includes a power generation device, a distributed power generation system that supplies power to a power reception device connected to the power generation device, and a management entity that is connected to the distributed power generation system via a network and manages maintenance of the power reception device. And a maintenance entity in charge of maintenance of the power receiving device, the management entity acquires information on the operation status of the power receiving device from the distributed power generation system, and generates necessary maintenance information based on the information, The maintenance information is notified to the maintenance subject.
[0019]
The maintenance entity includes at least one of a manufacturing entity, a sales entity, and a repair entity of the power receiving device, and the management entity selects a maintenance entity for notifying the maintenance information from them from the viewpoint of user convenience. You may. For example, the maintenance entity to be notified may be selected in consideration of the maintenance entity's fee, speed, serviceability, the area in charge, and the like.
[0020]
The maintenance entity may provide maintenance information or advertisement information on the power receiving device to a user based on the maintenance information. For example, the manufacturer of the power receiving device may present the user with maintenance work to be performed on the power receiving device. Further, when it is determined that the life of the power receiving device has expired, the advertisement information of the product may be provided to the user.
[0021]
Yet another embodiment of the present invention relates to a maintenance method. This method monitors the operation status of a power receiving device that receives power supply from a distributed power generation system having a power generating device, determines whether maintenance of the power receiving device is necessary, and appropriately determines if maintenance is necessary according to the content. The maintenance entity is selected and a maintenance request notification is issued to the maintenance entity.
[0022]
It is to be noted that any combination of the above-described components and any conversion of the expression of the present invention between a method, an apparatus, a system, a recording medium, a computer program, and the like are also effective as embodiments of the present invention.
[0023]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
FIG. 1 shows an overall configuration of a maintenance system 10 according to the embodiment. FIG. 1 shows a general electronic network, not a network for power transmission. In the maintenance system 10, a plurality of distributed power generation systems 12 provided in a user's house or building are connected to the Internet 16 respectively. The distributed power generation system 12 includes a fuel cell system capable of expecting stable and highly efficient power generation, and supplies power via a power supply line to a power receiving device 13 such as a television receiver 13a, a radio receiver 13b, and an air conditioner 13c. . The management device 20 that manages the maintenance of the power receiving device 13, the terminal 26 of the manufacturer of the power receiving device 13, the terminal 27 of the distributor, and the terminal 28 of the repair company are also connected to the Internet 16. Manufacturers, distributors, and repairers are involved in the maintenance of the power receiving device in some form, such as selling, replacing, checking, and inquiring at the time of failure of parts and the device itself.
[0024]
In the maintenance system 10, the distributed power generation system 12 or the management device 20 sequentially acquires the operation status of each power receiving device 13, and diagnoses the status. In the present embodiment, an example in which the distributed power generation system 12 monitors the power receiving device 13 will be described. The distributed power generation system 12 acquires the power consumption status of the power receiving device 13 and the operation information output by the power receiving device 13, and when it is determined that maintenance is necessary, directly controls the power receiving device 13 or performs management. Request maintenance to the device 20. The management device 20 selects one or more appropriate maintenance entities in consideration of the content of the maintenance, the characteristics of the maintenance entity, the area in charge, and the like, and notifies them as maintenance information.
[0025]
With such a business model, a failure of the power receiving device 13 can be prevented beforehand, and even if a failure occurs, it is possible to respond quickly. This is a great advantage for the user. In addition, there are the following merits for maintenance entities such as manufacturers, distributors, and repairers. First, by obtaining the maintenance information of the power receiving device 13 as needed, the maintenance content can be more clearly and quickly grasped, so that the efficiency of the maintenance work can be improved. In addition, since the management body has a maintenance request accepted on behalf of the customer, it leads to reduction of operating costs and securing of customers. Further, since the usage status of the power receiving device 13 can be grasped, it can be used for effective marketing, such as providing an advertisement for a new product at the time of replacement of the user. Thus, the construction of the business model according to the present embodiment is of great significance.
[0026]
FIG. 2 shows a configuration of the distributed power generation system 12. The fuel cell system 30 includes a reformer 34 that obtains hydrogen by reacting water vapor generated from tap water with natural gas or methanol, a fuel cell 36 that obtains water and a DC voltage by reacting the hydrogen with oxygen, An inverter 38 for converting the voltage into AC and a control unit 32 for controlling the inverter 38 are provided. The control unit 32 also monitors the operation status of the power receiving device 13 and generates maintenance information thereof.
[0027]
The AC voltage output from the inverter 38 is supplied to the power receiving device 13 via a power supply line. The power receiving device 13 and the control unit 32 transmit and receive information to and from each other by superimposing a signal on the power supply line.
[0028]
The communication unit 56 transmits the maintenance information of the power receiving device 13 generated by the control unit 32 to the management device 20 via the Internet 16. At this time, in addition to the maintenance information, information indicating the operation status of the power receiving device 13 may be transmitted to the management device 20. The display device 40 presents maintenance information to the user.
[0029]
FIG. 3 shows the configuration of the control unit 32. The function of the control unit 32 can be realized by a microcomputer, a memory, and other LSIs in terms of hardware, and is realized by a power receiving device control program and the like in terms of software. Shown in blocks. Therefore, it is understood by those skilled in the art that these functional blocks can be realized by various combinations of hardware and software.
[0030]
The diagnosis table 74 stores information indicating the operation state of the power receiving device 13 and a diagnosis ID indicating the state of the power receiving device 13 at that time in association with each other. FIG. 4 shows an example of the configuration, in which a power receiving device type column 200, a power consumption column 202, an error code column 204, and a diagnosis ID column 206 are provided. Since the type of information necessary for the diagnosis differs depending on the type of the power receiving device 13, other necessary columns may be provided as appropriate. For example, when the power receiving device type is “refrigerator”, if the power consumption is “high”, it is recorded that the state is the diagnosis ID “0001” regardless of the error code.
[0031]
The maintenance information table 76 stores a diagnosis ID and information on maintenance required at that time in association with each other. FIG. 5 shows an example of the configuration, in which a diagnosis ID column 220, a notification destination column 222, and a notification content column 224 are provided. As an example, it is recorded that when the diagnosis ID is "0001", "power off" is instructed to "refrigerator".
[0032]
The maintenance history database 78 stores a history of maintenance performed on the power receiving device 13. FIG. 6 shows an example of the configuration, in which a power receiving device type column 240, a use start date column 242, and a maintenance history column 244 are provided. The maintenance history column 244 is added every time maintenance is performed, and each has an execution date column 246 and a content column 248. As an example, the use start date of the power-receiving device type “refrigerator” is “April 20, 2001”, the date of the first maintenance is “May 1, 2001”, and the content is “initial inspection”. Is recorded.
[0033]
The operation status acquisition unit 60 sequentially obtains the operation status of each power receiving device 13 via the power supply line. The operation status may be a power consumption status of the power receiving device 13, a control parameter, an error message, or the like. The type, content, and frequency of the information to be acquired need only be sufficient for maintenance, and may be designed according to the type of the power receiving device 13. When the power receiving device 13 has a function of outputting information, the information may be sequentially acquired to grasp the state. Otherwise, the state of the power receiving device 13 may be estimated from the power consumption status. The information acquired by the operation status acquisition unit 60 may be stored in a database (not shown) as necessary.
[0034]
The diagnosis unit 62 refers to the diagnosis table 74 based on the information acquired by the operation status acquisition unit 60, and diagnoses the state of each power receiving device 13. The maintenance information generation unit 64 generates necessary maintenance information based on the diagnosis result of the diagnosis unit 62. At this time, the notification destination of the maintenance information is determined according to the required maintenance level. For example, in the case of minor maintenance such as cleaning of a filter, the user is notified via the display device 40, and when the maintenance can be dealt with only by changing the control parameters of the power receiving device 13, the power receiving device 13 is directly controlled, and When manual operations such as replacement are required, the management device 20 is notified. By selecting an appropriate maintenance route, work speed and efficiency will be improved. The generated maintenance information is stored in the maintenance history database 78, and is referred to for the next and subsequent maintenance.
[0035]
When instructing the power receiving device 13 to change the control parameter, the instruction unit 66 issues an instruction to the power receiving device 13. The instruction unit 66 may have a parameter table preset so that the operation state of the power receiving device 13 becomes better.
[0036]
When requesting maintenance to the management device 20, the notification unit 68 notifies the management device 20 of the generated maintenance information. The notifying unit 68 may notify the maintenance information by a communication protocol such as TCP / IP, or may notify by e-mail or the like. If a part requiring maintenance can be specified, the name of the part may be notified, and if not specified, only a message indicating that maintenance is required may be notified. By providing several notification levels in this way, a maintenance company can predict and schedule the time and personnel required for maintenance. In addition, it is possible to improve the serviceability of the maintenance company, for example, by preparing parts to be replaced in advance or, if the cause is not identified, dispatching a person having high technical skill.
[0037]
The maintenance information generation unit 64 may refer to the maintenance history database 78 to read out information on the temporal change of the power receiving device 13 and specify necessary maintenance information. For example, when one year has passed from the use start date of the air conditioner and the replacement of the filter is not recorded in the maintenance history, maintenance information for instructing replacement of the filter may be generated. . As a result, a failure or a decrease in output due to the use of a component whose service life has expired can be prevented. A replacement of the device itself may be suggested.
[0038]
The maintenance information generation unit 64 may stop supplying power to the power receiving device 13 when detecting an abnormality of the power receiving device 13. Thus, occurrence of an accident or the like due to an abnormal situation can be prevented.
[0039]
The information acquisition unit 70 acquires information transmitted from the management device 20, the manufacturer terminal 26, the dealer terminal 27, and the repairer terminal 28. This information may be information on maintenance of the power receiving device 13, for example, a cleaning method or the like. Further, the advertisement information may be advertisement information on the power receiving device 13. The display unit 72 displays, on the display device 40, the maintenance information generated by the maintenance information generation unit 64 and various information acquired by the information acquisition unit 70.
[0040]
FIG. 7 shows an example of the configuration of the management device 20. This configuration is also realized by a combination of hardware and software including a microcomputer. The communication unit 80 communicates with another device via the Internet 16.
[0041]
The supplier database 88 stores information on a manufacturer, a seller, and a repairer who are the main maintainers of the power receiving device 13. FIG. 8 shows an example of the configuration, in which a trader ID column 260, a trader type column 262, a trader name column 264, a fee column 266, a service column 268, a scale column 270, and a responsible area column 272 are provided. In the present embodiment, the level of the fee required for the maintenance of each contractor, the quality of the maintenance service, and the magnitude of the scale are stored in a five-level evaluation. As an example, as the information of the trader with the trader ID “0001”, the trader type “manufacturing”, the trader name “Company A”, the charge rank “4”, the service rank “2”, the scale rank “5”, and the responsible area “Z” City "is recorded.
[0042]
The maintenance information acquisition unit 82 acquires maintenance information of each power receiving device 13 from the management device 20. The notification destination selection unit 84 selects a vendor to which maintenance information is to be notified with reference to the vendor database 88. At this time, the user's convenience is examined from the viewpoints of the fee, service, scale, area in charge, and the like, and an optimal company is selected. The conditions desired by the user may be received in advance and stored in a user database (not shown). For example, for a user who attaches importance to a low charge, a trader with the lowest charge in the area may be selected. The notification unit 86 notifies the selected trader of the maintenance information. It should be noted that the user may be left with a choice, and may be narrowed down to a few preferred companies.
[0043]
FIG. 9 shows an example of the configuration of the repair agent terminal 28. This configuration is also realized by a combination of hardware and software including a microcomputer. The communication unit 90 communicates with another device via the Internet 16.
[0044]
The maintenance information acquisition unit 92 acquires maintenance information of each power receiving device 13 from the management device 20. The schedule management unit 94 calculates a schedule and an optimum route of a maintenance person based on the maintenance information. The schedule management unit 94 assigns a charge to each person in charge based on the contents of the maintenance and the address of the user's house. When the maintenance information has a notification level at which the cause of the failure is not specified, a technician with high technical ability may be in charge of maintenance. The schedule management unit 94 further estimates the required time required for maintenance based on the notification level and contents of the maintenance information, and sets up a schedule for the person in charge. Then, based on the required time and the address of the user's house, the inspection route of the person in charge on that day is calculated, and each person in charge is notified. At this time, the person in charge may be notified of necessary parts and equipment. Thereby, the efficiency of the maintenance work can be improved. Note that information such as the address of the user may be stored in a user database (not shown).
[0045]
The schedule management unit 94 may inquire the user of the date and time at which maintenance is desired. Then, the schedule of the person in charge may be adjusted based on the date and time desired by the user. As a result, the situation where the person in charge visits when the user is absent can be reduced, and the work efficiency can be further improved.
[0046]
The inventory management unit 96 calculates the required number of parts based on the maintenance information. Then, the inventory database 100 storing the number of parts in stock is checked, and if a part is insufficient, an order for the part is given. The ordering of the parts may be performed on-line or off-line to the terminal 27 of the distributor or the terminal 26 of the manufacturer.
[0047]
The maintenance result notifying unit 98 notifies the management device 20 and the distributed power generation system 12 of the content of the maintenance work performed by the person in charge and the status of the power receiving device 13.
[0048]
FIG. 10 shows an example of the configuration of the manufacturer terminal 26. This configuration is also realized by a combination of hardware and software including a microcomputer. The communication unit 108 communicates with another device via the Internet 16.
[0049]
The maintenance information acquisition unit 110 acquires maintenance information of each power receiving device 13 from the management device 20. The information notification unit 112 reads out appropriate help information from the help database 114 based on the maintenance information, and notifies the distributed power generation system 12 of the information. In addition, the advertisement information corresponding to the type of the power receiving device 13 is read from the advertisement database 116 and is notified to the distributed power generation system 12. Thus, accurate help information and advertisement information can be provided in accordance with the usage status of the power receiving device 13.
[0050]
The dealer terminal 27 is configured by appropriately combining the configuration of the repairer terminal 28 shown in FIG. 9 and the configuration of the manufacturer terminal 26 shown in FIG. 10 according to the business scope of the dealer. The manufacturer terminal 26 may further have the configuration of the repairer terminal 28 shown in FIG. 9 when the manufacturer performs maintenance service. The same applies to the repair company terminal 28.
[0051]
The present invention has been described based on the embodiments. This embodiment is an exemplification, and it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications can be made to the combination of each component and each processing process, and that such modifications are also within the scope of the present invention. Some examples are given below.
[0052]
The management company 18 and each trader terminal may be connected by a dedicated line. The design also depends on the degree of security required for communication between the two.
[0053]
A configuration may be adopted in which home electric appliances are connected via a network in a user's home and connected to the Internet via a home server. At this time, a network may be constructed using a power line. The distributed power generation system 12 may function as a home server.
[0054]
In the present embodiment, the function of generating diagnosis and maintenance information is provided in each distributed power generation system 12, but these functions may be provided in the management device 20, and the management device 20 may perform centralized management. This facilitates maintenance such as upgrading the diagnostic software.
[0055]
Although the distributed power generation system 12 generates power by the fuel cell system 30, it may be another power generation device as a matter of course. For example, a solar cell system can be used because the power generation capacity generally increases during the midsummer daytime when power consumption is at its peak. If the distributed power generation system 12 is dispersed over a wide range, the influence of weather can be reduced. Of course, various types of power generation devices may be mixed as the distributed power generation system 12.
[0056]
【The invention's effect】
ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the maintenance technique with high convenience can be provided with respect to the household electric appliance supplied with electric power from a distributed power generation system.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a maintenance system according to an embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a distributed power generation system according to an embodiment.
FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of a control unit in the distributed power generation system.
FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram of a diagnosis table in the distributed power generation system.
FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram of a maintenance information table in the distributed power generation system.
FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram of a maintenance history database in the distributed power generation system.
FIG. 7 is a configuration diagram of a management device according to an embodiment.
FIG. 8 is a configuration diagram of a trader database in the management device.
FIG. 9 is a configuration diagram of a repair agent terminal.
FIG. 10 is a configuration diagram of a manufacturer terminal.
[Explanation of symbols]
Reference Signs List 10 maintenance system, 12 distributed power generation system, 13 power receiving device, 20 management device, 26 manufacturer terminal, 27 seller terminal, 28 repairer terminal, 30 fuel cell system, 32 control unit.

Claims (9)

In a distributed power generation system having a power generation device,
A power receiving device that receives power supply from the power generation device is connected,
A distributed power generation system, wherein maintenance information on the power receiving device is generated based on a power consumption state of the power receiving device. The distributed power generation system according to claim 1, wherein the maintenance information is generated by receiving operation information output by the power receiving device. 3. The distributed power generation system according to claim 1, wherein maintenance information required for a change with time of the power receiving device is specified. 4. The distributed power generation system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a control unit that controls an operation of the power receiving device based on the maintenance information. The distributed power generation system according to claim 4, wherein the control unit stops power supply to the power receiving device when detecting an abnormality of the power receiving device. The distributed power generation system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein information is transmitted / received to / from the power receiving device by superimposing a signal on an electric wire for supplying power to the power receiving device. The distributed power generation system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising a display unit that presents the maintenance information to a user. A communication unit that communicates with the network,
The distributed power generation system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the maintenance information is transmitted via the network to a management device that integrally controls the plurality of distributed power generation systems. 9. The distributed power generation system according to claim 1, wherein the power generation device includes a fuel cell.

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