JP4802046B2 - Building power monitoring system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a power monitoring system that monitors a plurality of power supply devices provided in association with a building.

  Generally, in a building such as a house, commercial power supplied from an electric power company is taken in, and various electric loads (such as home appliances and lighting equipment) in the building are driven by the commercial power. In this case, it is preferable to properly manage the power consumption in the house from the viewpoints of economic viewpoint and global energy conservation, and various techniques for allowing the user to monitor the power consumption have been proposed. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).

  In recent years, devices other than the commercial power supply system have been proposed as power supply devices, such as those using solar cells, fuel cells, etc. other than the commercial power supply system. Each of these power supply devices has been proposed to output information such as failure and maintenance by providing a self-diagnosis controller individually. And in the power supply device as described above, for example, when the weather is fine, the solar cell is the main power supply device and the other is the subordinate power supply device. Good energy utilization is expected.

However, when a plurality of power supply devices are used regardless of whether they are the same type or different types, it is difficult to say that the status of each power supply device is accurately grasped. This is because each power supply device operates in a complementary manner, so that the output performance of a specific power supply device has decreased, or the output is relatively lowered depending on other power supply devices. This is considered to be because it is assumed that it cannot be distinguished. Other related prior art documents include Patent Documents 2 and 3.
JP 2000-193696 A JP 2004-364467 A JP 2002-174649 A

  The present invention mainly aims to provide a building power monitoring system capable of appropriately performing diagnosis such as failure or maintenance of each power supply device when a plurality of power supply devices are used in combination in a building. It is what.

  Hereinafter, effective means for solving the above-described problems will be described while showing effects and the like as necessary. In the following, for easy understanding, the corresponding configuration in the embodiment of the invention is appropriately shown in parentheses, but is not limited to the specific configuration shown in parentheses.

  The building (building 10) embodied in the present invention is provided with a plurality of electric loads (home appliances, lighting fixtures, etc.), and a power supply device (power generation unit 11, A plurality of solar cells 16 and the like are also provided. And it has the management apparatus (management controller 51) which performs overall management of each said electric power supply apparatus, and the monitor (monitor 52) which displays the notification content from the management apparatus, The said management apparatus has said each electric power supply Collecting means (information acquisition part 72 and database part 78) for collecting device operation information, and comprehensive diagnosis means for diagnosing the failure of each power supply device or the necessity of maintenance from each piece of information collected by the collecting means ( A comprehensive diagnosis unit 74) and a notification unit (information notification unit 73) for notifying the monitor of a diagnosis result by the comprehensive diagnosis unit.

  According to the above configuration, the management device collects the operation information of each power supply device and diagnoses the necessity of the failure or maintenance of each power supply device from the collected information. Even when the output of a specific power supply device temporarily decreases due to complementary or combined operation, it operates as an auxiliary to the operation of other power supply devices. Therefore, it can be determined that it is not a failure or the like. This makes it possible to accurately perform failure diagnosis and maintenance diagnosis in a system in which a plurality of power supply devices operate complementarily or in combination to efficiently supply power. Moreover, since the diagnosis result is notified to the monitor, a user such as a resident of the building only needs to check the monitor, and the burden on the user is small.

  Here, each of the power supply devices includes self-diagnosis means (each built-in controller) that performs self-diagnosis and outputs a self-diagnosis result to the management device, and the management device sends each self-diagnosis result to the collection unit. It is preferable that it is accumulated and reflected in the diagnosis by the comprehensive diagnosis means.

  In this way, when each power supply device performs self-diagnosis, items that can be diagnosed by each device alone, such as disconnection and abnormal heat generation, can be performed by each device, thereby reducing the excessive burden on the management device. . In addition, the management apparatus collects each self-diagnosis result, thereby enabling a more accurate comprehensive diagnosis.

  In addition, the comprehensive diagnosis unit is configured to perform diagnosis on the failure of the specific power supply device or the necessity of maintenance, past operation information on the specific power supply device collected by the collection unit, or on other power supply devices. It is preferable that this is performed by comparing with at least one of the current operation information.

  In this way, when diagnosing the failure of a specific power supply device or the necessity of maintenance, if the past operation information on the specific power supply device is used, the operation pattern of the power supply device can be grasped and the current operation status May be able to diagnose whether there is a failure or need for maintenance, and if the current operation information on other power supply devices is used, the complementary relationship of each power supply device will be clarified and the specific power It can be understood that the output of the supply device is not reduced due to a failure or the like.

  In addition, the comprehensive diagnosis unit is configured to perform diagnosis on the failure of the specific power supply device or the necessity of maintenance, past operation information on the specific power supply device collected by the collection unit, or on other power supply devices. It is preferable that the determination is made after grasping the machine difference of each power supply device by comparing with at least one of the current operation information.

  Each power supply device may have a unique machine difference. In such a case, after diagnosing a failure, etc., after grasping the machine difference from the past operation information of the specific power supply device accumulated by the collecting means and the current operation information of other power supply devices Thus, misdiagnosis can be reduced.

  In addition, the comprehensive diagnosis unit performs a diagnosis regarding the failure of the specific power supply device or the necessity of maintenance by comparing the rated output of the specific power supply device and the current power consumption collected by the collection unit. When the power consumption is lower than the rated output, it is determined that there is no need for failure or maintenance of the specific power supply device even if the output obtained from the operation information of the specific power supply device is reduced. It is preferable that

  By comparing the power consumption and the rated output in this way, it is possible to avoid a false diagnosis of an output drop abnormality in a situation where power up to the rated output is not required. In particular, such a configuration is difficult to grasp in a system in which power supply devices act in a complex or complementary manner. However, by providing a management device that manages each power supply device as described above, Easy to grasp.

  In addition, each power supply device is set with an operation priority order that fluctuates according to environmental changes, and the comprehensive diagnosis means gives priority to a power supply device having a higher current priority than a specific power supply device. When it can be determined that the operation of the specific power supply device is reduced due to operation, the specific power supply device may be determined to have no failure or need for maintenance. preferable.

  Even if the operation priority order is set for each power supply device, such a situation may not be grasped by each individual power supply device, and when the output of a specific power supply device drops, the cause is likely to be unknown. In this regard, in this configuration, the comprehensive diagnosis means grasps the priority order, and if there is another power supply device that is preferentially operating, it can be detected that this is a factor of the output decrease. Therefore, an appropriate diagnosis can be performed when there is a decrease in the output of a power supply device with a low priority. In particular, this system has a significant significance in a system in which the priority order is changed in order to efficiently supply due to environmental changes.

  In addition, when each said electric power supply apparatus contains the several electric power generating apparatus, the merit which employ | adopts said each structure is large. This is because the operation status of power generation equipment is likely to change according to the necessity of power generation, and the necessity of failure or maintenance cannot be easily grasped only by individual monitoring. Each of these power generation devices includes, for example, a fuel cell and a solar cell. In a system using both cells, it is preferable to set the priority order so that the solar cell operates in preference to the fuel cell. Moreover, it is preferable that the said collection means has a database (database part 78) which accumulate | stored various information, such as the collected said operation information. This is because the reliability of the accumulated data is greatly improved by creating a database, and the circumstances unique to each building are reflected.

  Further, regarding the monitor, it is preferable that a warning is displayed on the screen indicating the failure of the power supply device or the necessity of maintenance based on the information notified from the notification means. Accordingly, the user can easily understand the failure or maintenance of each power supply device while staying in front of the monitor. Furthermore, it has an operation means (touch panel) for notifying the management apparatus of various information to be displayed on the monitor, and the management apparatus receives necessary information from the collection means by an operation by the operation means. It is preferable that the monitor is taken out and notified to the monitor, and according to the request notification content, the individual power supply device or the entire operation status or the power consumption status of the entire building is displayed. If configured in this way, the monitor will display various information related to power supply in addition to information such as failure, etc., how much a specific power supply device contributes to the building, Users can know whether there is power consumption or not.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of a power monitoring system according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a system diagram showing the main configuration of the building energy monitoring system.

  The building 10 of the present embodiment is provided with various electric loads and other energy loads. A plurality of energy supply systems are provided to supply power and other energy to these energy loads. In the present embodiment, a power generation unit 11, a hot water storage tank 12, a solar heat collector 13, a hot water storage unit 14, a solar cell 16 and the like are provided as a configuration that forms the basis of each energy supply system.

  The power generation unit 11 includes a reformer, a fuel cell, a path connecting these, and the like. The reformer generates hydrogen gas from a hydrocarbon-based gas. In this embodiment, the reformer uses city gas supplied from the gas supply path 21 to generate hydrogen gas. The produced hydrogen gas is supplied to the fuel cell. The fuel cell generates power by reacting hydrogen gas supplied from the reformer with oxygen in the air. Generated heat is generated with the power generation of the fuel cell. The built-in controller of the power generation unit 11 has a self-diagnosis function that determines the necessity of replacing the filter of the power generation unit 11 or determines the occurrence of a failure by a timer function. Self-diagnosis information (diag information) and power generation Information or the like is transmitted to the management controller 51 each time.

  The hot water tank 12 is connected to the circulation path 23 (circulation forward path 23a, circulation return path 23b) of the power generation unit 11. The circulation path 23 is filled with a heat medium. The heat medium is introduced into the fuel cell of the power generation unit 11 from the circulation path 23a by the pump 24, and is heated by the generated heat while passing through the fuel cell. The heated heating medium is returned to the hot water storage tank 12 through the circulation return path 23 b and radiates heat in the hot water storage tank 12. Tap water is supplied to the hot water storage tank 12 through a water supply path 22. Hot water of high temperature is stored in the hot water storage tank 12 by heat exchange between the water and the heated heat medium. When the hot water in the hot water tank 12 is used for hot water supply or the like and the amount of hot water decreases, tap water is introduced from the water supply path 22 connected to the bottom of the hot water tank 12. Thereby, the amount of hot water in the hot water tank 12 is kept constant. The hot water tank 12 is provided with a water temperature sensor (not shown), and the water temperature in the hot water tank 12 is detected. The detected water temperature is transmitted to the management controller 51 via the built-in controller. The built-in controller of the hot water tank 12 has a self-diagnosis function for judging the necessity of replacing the filter of the hot water tank 12 or judging the occurrence of a failure by a timer function. Self-diagnosis information (diag information) and water temperature Information or the like is transmitted to the management controller 51 each time.

  The solar heat collector 13 is installed on the roof of the building 10. The solar heat collector 13 is connected to the circulation path 32 (circulation forward path 32a, circulation return path 32b), and heats water supplied from the circulation forward path 32a using solar heat as a heat source. The heated hot water is introduced into the hot water storage unit 14 from the circulation return path 32b. The built-in controller of the solar heat collector 13 has a self-diagnosis function for determining the occurrence of maintenance or failure, and self-diagnosis information (diag information), water temperature information, and the like are transmitted to the management controller 51 each time.

  The hot water storage unit 14 is connected to the circulation path 32. The hot water introduced into the hot water storage unit 14 from the circulation return path 32b is returned to the solar heat collector 13 by the pump 33 from the circulation outward path 32a, whereby circulation is performed. The hot water of the hot water storage unit 14 is used for hot water supply in the building 10 or a heating medium for the floor heating 34. However, when the amount of hot water in the hot water storage unit 14 decreases, the water supply is made from the water supply path 22 connected to the bottom of the hot water storage unit 14. Water is introduced. Thereby, the amount of hot water in the hot water storage unit 14 is kept constant. The hot water storage unit 14 is provided with a water temperature sensor (not shown), and the water temperature detected by the water temperature sensor is transmitted to the management controller 51 via the built-in controller. The built-in controller of the hot water storage unit 14 has a self-diagnosis function for judging the necessity of replacing the filter of the hot water storage unit 14 or judging the occurrence of a failure by a timer function. Self-diagnosis information (diag information) and water temperature Information or the like is transmitted to the management controller 51 each time.

  The hot water tank 12 and the hot water storage unit 14 are connected to hot water supply paths 26 and 27, respectively. Hot water stored in the hot water tank 12 and the hot water storage unit 14 flows from the hot water supply paths 26 and 27 through the three-way valve 28 through the hot water supply path 29 and is introduced into the mixer 15. The mixer 15 mixes hot water to adjust the temperature, and the adjusted hot water is supplied to the hot water tap 31 through the hot water supply path 30. A hot-water tap 31 such as a shower facility is also connected to the water supply path 22, and the user can mix hot water supplied from the water supply path 22 and hot water supplied from the hot water supply path 30 in the hot-water tap 31. Hot water having a desired temperature can be obtained from the stopper 31. In addition, in FIG. 1, the some hot-water tap 31 arrange | positioned in a bathroom, a washroom, a kitchen, etc. is represented by one.

  The solar cell 16 has a plurality of cells 16a, 16b,... And converts solar light energy into electric power. The generated power is transmitted from the power line 41 to the distribution board 54. Commercial power is transmitted from the power line 40 to the distribution board 54, and power generated by the power generation unit 11 (fuel cell) is also transmitted from the power line 42. The built-in controller of the solar cell 16 has a self-diagnosis function for determining the occurrence of maintenance, failure, etc., and self-diagnosis information (diagnostic information) and power generation information are transmitted to the management controller 51 each time.

  The power generation unit 11, the hot water tank 12, the solar heat collector 13, the hot water storage unit 14, and the solar cell 16 are individually provided with built-in controllers as described above, and each built-in controller controls each energy supply system. To do. Each built-in controller has a communication function, and communicates with each other built-in controller. Thereby, each built-in unit etc. can make the said electric power generation unit 11, the hot water storage tank 12, the solar heat collector 13, the hot water storage unit 14, and the solar cell 16 perform complementary operation. In addition, each built-in controller transmits information indicating the operating status of the unit provided therein and self-diagnosis information (diag information) to the management controller 51.

  When performing the above-mentioned complementary operations, priorities are determined in advance between the same energy supply sources, and each built-in controller controls each energy supply system according to the priorities. In the hot water supply system, the solar heat collector 13 that can use solar energy is set to give priority to hot water generation based on the heat generated by the power generation unit 11 (fuel cell). Regarding the power system, the solar cell 16 is given the highest priority, the power generation unit 11 (fuel cell), and finally the priority order in the order of commercial power. Since the power generation unit 11 (fuel cell) generates heat during power generation, the priority order varies depending on whether or not this heat energy can be used as hot water. That is, when the operation of the solar heat collector 13 is insufficient, the power generation unit 11 (fuel cell) operates to supply hot water. In such a case, since power generation is also performed, this is the highest priority in the power system. In addition, when night commercial power is supplied at a low cost, the priority of commercial power is set higher than that of the power generation unit 11 (fuel cell). In this way, by setting the priority order in advance and changing the priority order according to the situation, the energy can be used efficiently and while suppressing the cost. Such priority setting is stored in each built-in controller, and is also stored in the storage unit 77 described later in the management controller 51.

  Further, the management controller 51 includes an electric meter 61 installed at a place where commercial power is taken into the building 10, a gas meter 62 installed at a place where city gas is taken into the building 10, and a place where tap water is taken into the building 10. It is also connected to a water meter 63 installed in The management controller 51 inputs commercial power data from the electric meter 61. In addition, in the building 10 of this embodiment, in addition to purchasing power, the power generated by the solar cell 16 and the like can also be bought and sold. Therefore, as commercial power data, power purchase data purchased from an electric power company and power It contains power sales data sold to the company. The management controller 51 also receives city gas supply data from the gas meter 62 and tap water supply data from the water meter 63.

  As described above, in the management controller 51, the power generation unit 11, the hot water tank 12, the solar heat collector 13, the hot water storage unit 14, the solar battery 16, the electric meter 61 for commercial power, the gas meter 62 for city gas, and the tap water Collecting data from the water meter 63, and based on this, collective monitoring of all energy supply systems including the power supply system, such as the power generation unit 11, hot water storage tank 12, solar heat collector 13, hot water storage unit 14, solar cell 16 and the like Is possible. A monitor 52 is connected to the management controller 51, and information obtained from the management controller 51 is displayed on the monitor 52. The monitor 52 is installed in the building 10 and the monitor screen 53 is configured by a touch panel display. Various information transmitted from the management controller 51 can be displayed by a touch operation on the monitor screen 53 or by a spontaneous information notification function of the management controller 51. In this way, the energy monitoring system is constructed by the ubiquitous network.

  Now, the details of the management controller 51 will be described with reference to FIG. 2. The management controller 51 includes a communication unit 71, an information acquisition unit 72, an information notification unit 73, a comprehensive diagnosis unit 74, a timer unit 75, A calendar unit 76 and a storage unit 77 are provided.

  The communication unit 71 of the management controller 51 receives data such as power generation information and temperature information in addition to the self-diagnosis information transmitted from each of the built-in controllers. The communication unit 71 also receives a command signal from the monitor 52. On the other hand, the communication unit 71 transmits various information and control signals to the built-in controllers, the meters 61 to 63, and the monitor 52.

  The comprehensive diagnosis unit 74 captures and processes data received by the communication unit 71 via the information acquisition unit 72, and issues transmission commands such as various signals and control signals from the communication unit 71 via the information notification unit 73.

  The storage unit 77 stores various control programs and past accumulated data (power generation status, energy consumption status, self-diagnosis information of each built-in controller, detection information transmitted from each sensor, weather information, etc.). All the accumulated data is converted into a database in the database unit 78, and the database unit 78 holds accumulated data for the past several years.

  The comprehensive diagnosis unit 74 reads the control program stored in the storage unit 77, and stores the accumulated past data, information transmitted from each built-in controller, information transmitted from each of the meters 61 to 63 and sensors, and the like. Processing to create a database is also performed. This database processing is performed in chronological order including the time obtained from the timer unit 75 and the date information obtained from the calendar unit 76, and the weather at that time is also stored in an associated state. Is. For example, an energy consumption pattern, a standard operation pattern of each energy system corresponding to these, and the like can be created by a database. In addition, the initial value until each database is generated is stored in advance in the storage unit 77 according to the installation environment of the building 10, and until the accuracy of the power generation pattern obtained from each database is improved, The initial value is provisionally used for comprehensive diagnosis such as failure. On the other hand, when the database becomes sufficient (for example, when data for one year is accumulated), comprehensive diagnosis based on the database is performed by the comprehensive diagnosis unit 74 instead of the initial value.

  The storage unit 77 of the management controller 51 is also provided with a control program for appropriately displaying information stored in a database on the monitor screen 53. The management controller 51 can display information picked up from the database on the monitor screen 53 in response to a user request.

  A representative one of the monitor screens 53 displayed on the monitor 52 will be described. 3 shows an initial screen, FIG. 4 shows a power monitor screen, FIG. 5 shows a power integration display screen, FIG. 6 shows a fuel cell monitor screen, FIG. 7 shows a maintenance display screen, and FIG.

  First, the initial screen shown in FIG. 3 will be described. This screen is displayed so that the entire energy flow can be grasped, such as all energy supply systems of power, gas, water, and hot water, and representative loads that consume the energy. In the screen, an electric power screen button 81, a gas screen button 82, a water screen button 83, a fuel cell screen button 84, a solar heat screen button 85, a solar cell screen button 86 and the like are displayed in an icon form. Information corresponding to the operated buttons 81 to 86 is transmitted from the management controller 51 by performing a touch operation on .about.86. In addition, as a button displayed on the initial screen, a button for displaying another screen such as a saving screen showing a result saved by selling power or generating power may be added. it can.

  When the power screen button 81 is touched on the initial screen, the power monitor screen shown in FIG. 4 is displayed on the monitor screen 53. On the power monitor screen, the power generation amount 91 of the power generation unit 11 (fuel cell), the single-phase power generation amount 92 and the three-phase power generation amount 93 of the solar cell 16, the power consumption amount 94 of the entire house, and purchase A power amount 95 (a value obtained by subtracting a power consumption amount from a total power generation amount of the power generation unit 11 and the solar cell 16) and a traded power amount 96 (amount of power sold to a power company) are displayed. The displayed numerical values are those when the screen is displayed, and the user can grasp each numerical value in real time.

  When the integrated display tab shown on the left side of FIG. 4 is touch-operated from the state of the power monitor screen, the integrated power display screen shown in FIG. 5 is displayed. On the power integration display screen, the user selects one of the buttons “Today” 101, “This month” 102, and “This year” 103 by touch operation, and thereby the power consumption of the entire house in the selected period is displayed. An integrated value 104 and an integrated value 105 of the total power generation amount of the power generation unit 11 and the solar cell 16 are shown. At the same time, a graph 106 showing either power consumption or total power generation (here, the horizontal axis indicates time, and the vertical axis indicates power consumption. When the lower power generation amount button is touched, the vertical axis indicates the total. Is the amount of power generation.) As a result, the user can know the amount of power consumption during a desired period, the integrated value of the total power generation amount, and the change over time of the power consumption amount and the total power generation amount.

  When the user returns to the initial screen of FIG. 3 and touches the fuel cell screen button 84, the fuel cell monitor screen shown in FIG. 6 is displayed. On the fuel cell monitor screen, the amount of gas used 111 supplied to the power generation unit 11 (fuel cell), the power generation efficiency 112 of the fuel cell, the power generation amount 113 of the fuel cell, the heat recovery efficiency 114, and the heat recovery amount 115 are shown. By referring to these, it is possible to grasp how effectively the power generation unit 11 (fuel cell) in the building 10 is used.

  Further, the display on the monitor screen 53 includes a screen displayed by a notification from the management controller 51, such as a maintenance warning display screen shown in FIG. 7 and an abnormality warning display screen shown in FIG. In these screens, the initial screen and the basic image are the same. The example of the maintenance warning display screen shown in FIG. 7 is to urge the solar cell 16 to remove the deposits such as fallen leaves. The message display area 121 at the bottom of the screen displays “attach solar cell”. The message “Please remove the kimono” is displayed, and the solar cell screen button 86 blinks. The example of the abnormality warning display screen shown in FIG. 8 is for urging the problem to be solved when a problem of unknown cause occurs in the power generation unit 11 (fuel cell), and the message display area 121 at the bottom of the screen displays “ The message “FC has an unknown problem. Please call for service” is displayed, and the fuel cell screen button 84 blinks.

  Here, in the energy monitoring system, the above-described built-in controllers communicate with each other. For example, in a situation where the power generation unit 11 and the solar cell 16 are simultaneously operated, each can complementarily generate power. Then, if only the power generation amount of the power generation unit 11 (fuel cell) is reduced, for example, if the power generation amount of the solar cell 16 is large, the power generation amount of the solar cell 16 is large, so that it is suppressed by the complementary function. It becomes difficult to judge whether it is. Therefore, the management controller 51 accurately grasps the cause of the decrease in the amount of power generation by performing processing for database construction and various diagnostic processing exemplified below.

  Therefore, the flow of processing by the management controller 51 will be described with reference to the flowcharts in FIG.

  First, as shown in FIG. 9, the comprehensive diagnosis unit 74 of the management controller 51 constantly monitors whether information such as data and signals from the outside is input. If it is determined in step S101 that information has been input, the process proceeds to step S102. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S101 that there is no information input, this process ends. After the end of this process, this process is executed again every few ms.

  The information input to the comprehensive diagnosis unit 74 of the management controller 51 includes the power generation unit 11, the hot water storage tank 12, the solar heat collector 13, the hot water storage unit 14, the solar battery 16, the electric power meter 61 for commercial power, and city gas. For example, maintenance data from the gas meter 62 for water and the water meter 63 for tap water, self-diagnosis information such as failure, and various data such as power generation, hot water temperature, power consumption, etc. The command signal based on this is also included.

  In step S102, a process for registering various information input by the comprehensive diagnosis unit 74 in the database is executed. The comprehensive diagnosis unit 74 temporarily stores the information input this time in the storage unit 77 prior to the database registration process. Then, the registration processing in the database is performed by temporarily storing information obtained by associating the time obtained from the timer unit 75, the date information obtained from the calendar unit 76, the weather at the time, and the like. Registered in the section 78. By performing registration in the database unit 78 for all input information, an energy consumption pattern, a standard operation pattern of each energy system corresponding to these, and various statistics can be created. By registering information in the database unit 78 in this way, management data as shown in FIGS. 4 to 6 can be displayed.

  When the process of step S102 ends, the process proceeds to step S103, and the comprehensive diagnosis process by the comprehensive diagnosis unit 74 is executed. The accuracy of this comprehensive diagnosis process is also improved by using a database obtained by the database registration process sequentially executed in step S102. When this comprehensive diagnosis process is completed, this process is temporarily ended.

  The comprehensive diagnosis process in step S103 is executed based on information such as self-diagnosis information and power amount data input in step S101, and which built-in controller is the source of the information input this time. There are many types of processing depending on the type of processing. Therefore, in the following, an example of the comprehensive diagnosis process when the power generation amount of the solar cell 16 is reduced will be described based on FIG. 10, and the comprehensive diagnosis process when the power generation amount of the power generation unit 11 (fuel cell) is reduced will be described. An example will be described with reference to FIG.

  First, the diagnosis process based on the power generation amount of the solar cell 16 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The integrated diagnosis unit 74 of the management controller 51 executes the solar cell diagnosis process of FIG. 10 when the input information is transmitted from the built-in controller provided in the solar cell 16. The cell power generation amount and the total power generation amount for each cell 16a, 16b,... Are transmitted from the built-in controller of the solar cell 16 at a time.

  In step S201, the comprehensive diagnosis unit 74 determines whether or not the total power generation input this time has decreased. This determination is made in consideration of the installation location of the building 10 (latitude, existence of real estate that blocks sunlight, etc.), time, weather, and season. This is because it is also affected by the position of the sun and clouds. These various data to be considered are stored in the storage unit 77. A determination is made by comparing the power generation threshold generated by the comprehensive diagnosis unit 74 with the total power generation input this time.

  If the total power generation amount exceeds the current power generation threshold, the present process is terminated because there is no problem in the solar cell 16. On the other hand, when it is determined that the total power generation amount is equal to or less than the power generation threshold, the process proceeds to step S202, and the power generation amounts between the cells 16a, 16b,. Here, the power generation amount of each of the cells 16a, 16b,... Is the same time input at this time.

  As a result of the comparison, if the difference in power generation amount (machine difference) for each cell is within a predetermined allowable range, YES is determined in step S203, and the problem with respect to the specific cells 16a, 16b,. If not, the process proceeds to step S207, and another diagnosis process is executed. On the other hand, if the difference in power generation amount (machine difference) for each cell is not within a predetermined allowable range, NO is determined in step S203, and the process proceeds to step S204.

  In step S204, the past power generation amount data for each cell 16a, 16b,... Stored in the database unit 78 of the management controller 51 is acquired. In this embodiment, the power generation amount data at the same time on the previous day is acquired. However, as the past power generation amount data, standard values calculated from the power generation amount data of the cells 16a, 16b,... Accumulated in the past are stored in the database unit 78 as standard power generation amount data, and this standard power generation amount is stored. Data may be used.

  If the same amount of power generation difference is present in the past power generation amount data acquired in step S204, it is determined as YES in step S205, and it is not a problem with respect to the specific cells 16a, 16b,. And execute other diagnostic processing. Even if there is a certain difference (machine difference) in the power generation amount of each cell 16a, 16b,... Input this time, if it is the same in the past, it is an individual difference and the problem of the specific cell 16a, 16b,. Therefore, the comparison determination in step S205 is performed.

  On the other hand, if it is determined as NO in step S205, for example, there is a problem that the leaves of trees or bird droppings have accumulated in the specific cell 16a where the power generation amount has decreased and the sunlight has been blocked. Conceivable. Accordingly, in this case, it is determined in step S206 that the cell 16a whose power generation amount has decreased is abnormal, a warning notification for transmitting an abnormal signal to the monitor 52 is executed, and this processing is terminated. As shown in FIG. 7, the monitor 52 displays a screen 53 urging removal of the deposits such as fallen leaves on the solar cell 16. Specifically, a message “Please remove the deposits of solar cells” is displayed in the message display area 121 at the bottom of the screen 53, and the solar cell screen button 86 is blinked. At the same time, it is even better to issue a warning to the user by sending voice or machine sound from the speaker.

  Thereby, when there is a deposit on a specific cell 16 a of the solar battery 16, the management controller 51 can grasp it by the diagnosis process by the comprehensive diagnosis unit 74 and inform the user via the monitor 52. .

  According to the built-in controller of the solar battery 16, it is possible to grasp an abnormality such as disconnection or the necessity of regular maintenance by the self-diagnosis function. However, it is difficult to grasp whether or not fallen leaves or the like have adhered to the surface as described above. In this embodiment, by comparing the current power generation amounts of the respective cells 16a, 16b,... And comparing the past data stored in the database unit 78, the built-in controller of the solar cell 16 can detect any failure or the like. Even if the diagnostic information is not obtained, it is possible to grasp and notify the probability that the deposit is present in the specific cell 16a.

  And in the solar cell 16, when there exists deposits, such as a fallen leaf, on each cell 16a, 16b, ..., there exists a problem that a cell will deteriorate. In the case of relying on the self-diagnosis function by the conventional built-in controller, the situation cannot be grasped until the cell is deteriorated. Significance to grasp existence is great.

  By the way, in the building 10 as in the present embodiment, there are a plurality of power generation or power supply means such as commercial power, a power generation unit 11 (fuel cell), and a solar cell 16, which operate in a complementary manner. Alternatively, it is difficult to accurately grasp the situation such as failure or maintenance only by the self-diagnosis performed by the built-in controller of the power supply means. In particular, in the present embodiment, the power generation unit 11 (fuel cell) is particularly difficult to grasp because it is used as an auxiliary to the solar cell 16. Processing for accurately grasping such a situation by the comprehensive diagnosis unit 74 of the management controller 51 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 9 taking as an example a case where the power generation amount of the power generation unit 11 is reduced.

  When the power generation data is transmitted from the built-in controller provided in the power generation unit 11 (fuel cell), the overall diagnosis unit 74 of the management controller 51 executes the fuel cell diagnosis process of FIG.

  In step S301, the comprehensive diagnosis unit 74 determines whether or not the output of the power generation unit 11 (fuel cell) input this time has decreased. This determination is made based on changes in the output of the power generation unit 11 accumulated in the database unit 78 up to the present. For example, the output reduction is determined based on whether or not an output decrease of a certain level or more is observed as compared with the output of the power generation unit 11 one hour ago.

  If the output of the power generation unit 11 has not decreased more than a certain level, this processing is terminated because there is no problem with the power generation unit 11. On the other hand, if it is determined that the output has decreased by a certain level or more, the process proceeds to step S302, and the current and past self-diagnosis information of the power generation unit 11 is acquired from the database unit 78.

  Next, in step S303, the comprehensive diagnosis unit 74 checks whether or not a failure can be determined from current and past self-diagnosis information of the power generation unit 11. For example, when self-diagnosis information such as fuel cell temperature abnormality or disconnection is obtained, if the same abnormality has been output as self-diagnosis information in the past and the abnormality diagnosis is correct, comprehensive diagnosis The unit 74 similarly determines that a failure has occurred this time. If it is determined that there is a failure, the process proceeds to step S304, a failure notification process is performed to the monitor 52, and this process ends. Upon receiving the failure notification, the monitor 52 displays on the screen 53 the fact that the fuel cell has failed and its cause (temperature abnormality, etc.), and informs the user of the situation.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S303 that there is no failure or a possibility that there is no failure, the process proceeds to step S305, and the entire power consumption in the current building 10 is acquired from the database unit 78. In step S306, it is determined whether or not the acquired total power consumption exceeds the rated output of the power generation unit 11. If it is determined that the total power consumption does not exceed the rated output of the power generation unit 11, the present process is terminated because there is no problem. This is because when the total power consumption is less than the rated output, it is not necessary for the power generation unit 11 to fully operate, and therefore it can be considered that the output is intentionally reduced by the built-in controller of the power generation unit 11.

  If it is determined in step S306 that the total power consumption exceeds the rated output of the power generation unit 11, the process proceeds to step S307 in order to further pursue the cause of the output decrease of the power generation unit 11. In step S307, it is determined whether or not the solar cell 16 or other power supply system preferentially supplies power.

  As described above, the solar cell 16 has a higher priority than the power generation unit 11, and the commercial power has a higher priority or a lower priority than the power generation unit 11 depending on various situations. Therefore, the current priority order is acquired from the database unit 78, and the output (power amount) of the solar cell 16 or the like with the priority order higher than that of the power generation unit 11 is acquired. Then, if it is determined that the output of the power generation unit 11 itself is lowered due to the output from the power supply system having a higher priority than the power generation unit 11, YES is determined in step S307. To end this process. This is because it can be regarded as a decrease in output due to a complementary action between the power generation unit 11 and another power supply system such as the solar cell 16.

  If it is determined in step S307 that the output of the power generation unit 11 is not reduced due to priority output from another power supply system, the previous maintenance information of the power generation unit 11 is acquired from the database unit 78 in step S308. Then, the process proceeds to step S309.

  In step S309, it is determined whether or not a maintenance-necessary period has elapsed from the previously acquired previous maintenance information (auxiliary machine maintenance information, filter replacement information, etc.). In making this determination, the operating status of the power generation unit 11 is also taken into consideration. That is, since there is a power supply system having a complementary action such as the solar battery 16, not only the operation period of the power generation unit 11 but also the output status, the total power generation amount, and the like are determined. This period is also determined by referring to the past data stored in the database unit 78.

  If it is determined that the period required for maintenance has been exceeded, the process proceeds to step S310 to perform a maintenance notification process to the monitor 52, and the process is terminated. Upon receiving the maintenance notification, the monitor 52 displays on the screen 53 that the fuel cell needs to be maintained. Specifically, on the screen 53, “Please maintain the fuel cell auxiliary machine”, “Replace the fuel cell filter”, and the like are displayed. Thereby, the user can perform maintenance according to the maintenance information displayed on the screen 53.

  On the other hand, if it is determined that the period required for maintenance has not been exceeded, the process proceeds to step S311 to perform a warning notification process to the monitor 52, and this process is terminated. This warning is performed because it is considered that the cause of the decrease in the output of the power generation unit 11 is a situation that can only be understood by an expert such as a malfunction of the built-in controller. In the monitor 52 that has received the warning notification, as shown in FIG. 8, since a problem of unknown cause has occurred, a screen 53 that prompts the user to call a fuel cell maintenance / inspection company is displayed. Specifically, in the message display area 121 in the lower part of the screen 53, a message “There is a problem with unknown cause in FC. Please call the service” is displayed, and the fuel cell screen button 84 is blinked. At the same time, it is even better to issue a warning to the user by sending voice or machine sound from the speaker.

  Thereby, even when the cause of the output decrease of the power generation unit 11 is unknown, the user is informed through the monitor 52 that a problem other than that normally considered has occurred in the power generation unit 11.

  According to the built-in controller of the power generation unit 11, the self-diagnosis function can grasp abnormalities such as abnormal heat generation and disconnection, and the necessity of regular maintenance. However, it is difficult to grasp the output reduction due to the complementary action with other power supply systems as described above. In the present embodiment, the comprehensive diagnosis unit 74 compares and refers to the current operation status of other power supply systems accumulated in the database unit 78 and the operation status of the power generation unit 11 in the past. The cause of output reduction can be determined without relying solely on self-diagnosis information from the built-in controller. In such a system that has a plurality of power supply systems and operates in a complementary manner, the comprehensive diagnosis by the comprehensive diagnosis unit 74 of this embodiment is significant.

  Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above, and can be implemented, for example, in the form shown as another example below.

  In the above embodiment, the power generation unit 11, the hot water tank 12, the solar heat collector 13, the hot water storage unit 14, the solar cell 16 and the like are illustrated as the configuration that forms the basis of the energy supply system. Sometimes, a power supply from a hybrid vehicle may be included, and for a hot water supply system, for example, a gas hot water supply may be included.

  In the above embodiment, information such as maintenance based on the comprehensive diagnosis result is displayed on the monitor 52 fixedly installed in the building 10, but the portable terminal (communicator) carried by the resident of the building 10 ) May be configured to transmit wirelessly.

  In the above embodiment, only the general diagnosis process for the power generation unit 11 (fuel cell), the solar cell 16 and the like as the power supply device has been described, but such a diagnosis is similarly performed in the hot water supply system and the like. be able to.

  A plurality of fuel cells provided in the power generation unit 11 may exist. In this case, if the diagnosis process is performed by grasping the machine difference between the fuel cells from the past power generation data following the solar cell diagnosis process described in FIG. Can be grasped.

The system diagram which shows the principal part structure of the energy monitoring system of the building in this embodiment. The functional block diagram of a management controller. The figure which shows an initial screen. The figure which shows an electric power monitor screen. The figure which shows an electric power integration display screen. The figure which shows a fuel cell monitor screen. The figure which shows a maintenance warning display screen. The figure which shows an abnormality warning display screen. The flowchart which shows the basic process of a management controller. The flowchart which shows a solar cell diagnostic process. The flowchart which shows a fuel cell diagnostic process.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Building, 11 ... Power generation unit (fuel cell) which comprises electric power supply apparatus, 12 ... Hot water tank, 13 ... Solar heat collector, 14 ... Hot water storage unit, 15 ... Mixer, 16 ... The sun which comprises electric power supply equipment Battery: 51 ... Management controller constituting management device 52 ... Monitor 53 ... Screen 71 ... Communication unit 72 ... Information acquisition unit constituting collection means 73 ... Information notification part constituting notification means 74 ... General Comprehensive diagnostic unit constituting diagnostic means, 75... Timer part, 76... Calendar part, 77... Storage part, 78... Database part constituting collecting means, 121.

Claims (11)

A system applied to a building having a plurality of power supply devices for supplying power to each electrical load installed in the building,
A management device that collectively manages each of the power supply devices and a monitor that displays notification contents from the management device;
The management device is a collection unit that collects operation information of each power supply device, and a comprehensive diagnosis unit that diagnoses a failure or necessity of maintenance of each power supply device from each piece of information collected by the collection unit; Notification means for notifying the monitor of the result of diagnosis by the comprehensive diagnosis means ,
The comprehensive diagnosis means determines whether or not the output of the predetermined power supply device is in a reduced state when diagnosing the predetermined power supply device among the power supply devices. If it is determined that the predetermined power supply device further determines whether or not a period of time required for maintenance has elapsed,
The notification means performs a maintenance notification process for displaying on the monitor when the comprehensive diagnosis means determines that the required maintenance period has been exceeded, while the comprehensive diagnosis means performs the maintenance notification process. When it is determined that the necessary period of time has not been exceeded, the maintenance notification process is not performed, and a warning notification process is performed with a warning about the occurrence of a problem of unknown cause . Each of the power supply devices includes self-diagnosis means that performs self-diagnosis and outputs a self-diagnosis result to the management device,
2. The building power monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the management device accumulates each self-diagnosis result by the collecting means and reflects the result in the diagnosis by the comprehensive diagnosis means.   The comprehensive diagnosis unit is configured to perform a diagnosis on a failure or maintenance necessity of a specific power supply device, past operation information collected by the collection unit, or current information on another power supply device. The building power monitoring system according to claim 1 or 2, which is performed by comparing with at least one of the operation information.   The comprehensive diagnosis unit is configured to perform a diagnosis on a failure or maintenance necessity of a specific power supply device, past operation information collected by the collection unit, or current information on another power supply device. The building power monitoring system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the building power monitoring system is performed after grasping the machine difference of each power supply device by comparing with at least one of the operation information.   The comprehensive diagnosis means performs a diagnosis on the failure of the specific power supply device or the necessity of maintenance by comparing the rated output of the specific power supply device with the current power consumption collected by the collection means, When the power is lower than the rated output, it is determined that there is no need for failure or maintenance of the specific power supply device even if the output obtained from the operation information of the specific power supply device is reduced. The building power monitoring system according to any one of claims 1 to 4.   Each of the power supply devices is set with an operation priority order that varies according to environmental changes, and the comprehensive diagnosis means operates with priority given to the power supply device having a higher current priority than the specific power supply device. If it can be determined that the operation of the specific power supply device has been reduced, it is determined that there is no need for failure or maintenance of the specific power supply device. 5. The building power monitoring system according to any one of 5 above.   The power monitoring of a building according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein each power supply device includes a plurality of power generation devices, and the operation information from each power generation device includes at least power generation data. system.   8. The building according to claim 7, wherein each of the power generating devices includes at least a fuel cell and a solar cell, and the priority order is set so that the solar cell operates in preference to the fuel cell. Power monitoring system.   The building power monitoring system according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the collection unit includes a database that accumulates various information such as the collected operation information.   The building according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein a warning is displayed on the screen indicating a failure of the power supply device or the necessity of maintenance based on the information notified from the notification means. Power monitoring system.   Operation means for performing a request notification requesting the management apparatus for various types of information to be displayed on the monitor, and the management apparatus extracts necessary information from the collection means and notifies the monitor by operation by the operation means The building power according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the monitor displays an individual or entire operating status of each power supply device or a power consumption status of the entire building in accordance with the request notification content. Monitoring system.

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