KR101286596B1 - Demand Controller of an electric system - Google Patents

Abstract

The demand control device of the electric machine system of the present invention sets a control frequency for demand control per predetermined time to a plurality of air conditioners, and controls each air conditioner so as not to exceed a predetermined control frequency. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the control that is biased to the specific air conditioner, and to create the air conditioning environment desired by the user in a range that does not impair the comfort of the user of the specific area.

Demand control, estimated power, inverter compressor

Description

Demand Controller of an electric system

The present invention relates to a demand control device for an electric machine system, and more particularly, to control each air conditioner by setting a control frequency for demand control per predetermined time in each or a group of the plurality of air conditioners. It relates to a demand control device of an electrical system that controls the demand so as not to exceed the frequency.

In general, the demand control device of an electric system system is a randomly selected air conditioner selected from a plurality of air conditioners or an air conditioner selected according to a predetermined period in order to control the operation rate of the multi-type air conditioner within the allowable power amount. A device that controls power by turning the device on or off.

Such a demand control system focuses on power control rather than the convenience of the user, and proceeds in a manner of suppressing power consumption by sequentially turning off the power consumption load.

However, the demand control device of the conventional electric machine system is controlled in such a way that the air conditioner is sequentially selected to cut off or input the power regardless of the user's convenience. There is a problem in that the comfort that a user actually feels is poor.

The present invention sets a control frequency for demand control per predetermined time in each or a group of a plurality of air conditioners, and the demand control device of the electric machine system for demand control of each air conditioner so as not to exceed a predetermined control frequency. The purpose is to provide.

The demand control device of the electric machine system of the present invention includes an electric device including a plurality of air conditioners, a predicted power amount sensing unit for detecting a predicted power amount of the electric devices, and a predicted power amount detected from the predicted power amount sensing unit. And a demand controller for controlling an operation state of the electric devices when the set amount of power is exceeded, wherein the demand controller sets a control frequency for demand control per predetermined time in the plurality of air conditioners, respectively. The frequency at which the air conditioner is demand controlled is controlled so as not to exceed the corresponding control frequency. Here, the demand controller may set a priority to each of the air conditioners and control the air conditioners based on the priority within a range not exceeding the corresponding control frequency.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a demand control apparatus for an electric system of the present invention includes: electrical devices including a plurality of air conditioning devices, a predicted power amount sensing unit configured to detect an estimated power amount of the electrical devices, and When the amount of predicted power detected by the predicted power detection unit exceeds a set power amount, and includes a demand control unit for controlling the operating state of the electrical device, the plurality of air conditioning devices include at least one indoor unit, the indoor units Grouped into a plurality of groups, the demand controller sets a control frequency for demand control per predetermined time in each of the groups, and controls the frequency at which each group is demand controlled so as not to exceed the corresponding control frequency. . Here, the demand controller may set priorities to the respective groups and control the groups according to the priorities within a range not exceeding the corresponding control frequency. At this time, the demand control unit sets a priority to indoor units belonging to each group, and belongs to each group and each group based on the priority of each group and the priority of each indoor unit belonging to each group. Each indoor unit can be controlled.

In the demand control apparatus of the electric machine system according to the present invention, a control frequency for demand control per predetermined time is set in each or a group of the plurality of air conditioning apparatuses so that each air conditioning apparatus does not exceed a predetermined control frequency. By the demand control, it is possible to prevent the control that is biased to the specific air conditioner, and to create the air conditioning environment desired by the user in a range that does not impair the comfort of the user in the specific area.

1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an electrical equipment system 190 including a demand control device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 1, an electrical equipment system 190 includes air conditioners 141, ventilators 142, and lighting devices 143. Each air conditioner 141 includes a plurality of indoor units (not shown) and a plurality of outdoor units (not shown). The indoor units (not shown) are respectively disposed in the indoor spaces, and the outdoor units (not shown) are disposed in the outdoor space. However, the configuration of the air conditioner 141 is not limited to that described above.

The electrical equipment system 190 includes a first local control device 161 for controlling the air conditioning devices 141, a second local control device 162 for controlling the ventilation devices 142, and a lighting device 143 And a third local control unit 163 for controlling the second local control unit 163. However, the first local controller 161 may control not only the air conditioners 140 but also at least some of the ventilation devices 142 and at least some of the lighting devices 143. That is, the first, second, and third local control devices 141, 142, and 143 may control electrical devices of different types. The demand control device 100 and the first, second, and third local control devices 161, 162, and 163 are connected to a network 164.

Referring to FIG. 1, the demand control apparatus 100 may include a predicted power amount detector 170, a demand controller 110, an input unit 120, a demand database 130, and a display unit 150. The input unit 120 receives a user's operation signal and includes a plurality of input keys (not shown). However, the input unit 120 may have a touch panel method.

The demand database 130 stores a plurality of demand control methods. Demand control methods are methods for demand control of the electrical equipment system 190 based on the method of charging the electric power charges according to the countries. The demand control unit 110 demand-controls the first, second, and third local control devices 161, 162, and 163 according to a demand control method selected from the demand database 130. Therefore, the demanded control device 100 can control the air conditioners 141, the ventilation devices 142, and the lighting devices 143 in a demand-controlled manner.

The display unit 150 displays image data. The display unit 150 may be a user interface (UI) screen, and may be a GUI (Graphic User Interface) screen to improve user's operational convenience.

The predicted power amount sensing unit 170 is connected to a power meter 171 connected to a plurality of electrical devices, receives data about the power amount measured for a predetermined time from the power meter 171, and predicts the amount of power after a predetermined time, and predicts It detects whether the amount of power exceeds a predetermined demand power amount, and transmits the detected information to the demand controller 110. The demand control unit 110 is connected to each of the outdoor unit (not shown) and the indoor unit (not shown) of the predictive power amount sensing unit 170 and the air conditioner 141, and when the predicted power amount exceeds the set power amount, the outdoor unit ( Control the operation of the indoor unit (not shown) and the indoor unit (not shown).

As an example of a demand control method according to a country, a demand control method in a Japanese country is as follows. In Japan, the total amount of electricity used is measured for one month in units of 30 minutes, the maximum of which is the maximum amount of electricity for the month, and the maximum value of any amount of electricity for any 30 minutes of the previous year including the month is 1 The contract electricity usage for a year. That is, the electric power charge for this year is a value obtained by multiplying the contract electricity consumption by the unit price. And, when the user consumes more power than the contract electricity consumption amount, it imposes a surcharge. Therefore, if the amount of electric power used increases during a specific 30-minute period of the previous year, there is a problem that the electric power consumption of the year is unnecessarily increased. In view of the above, the demand control method of the Japanese country is to limit the total amount of electricity used for 30 minutes or less to the set power amount in order to limit the monthly electric charge unit price next year. The specific method of limiting the total electricity usage for 30 minutes or less to the set power amount may be variously selected. The demand control device 100 may reduce the amount of electricity used by stopping the operation of some air conditioners 141 of the air conditioners 141 or by increasing the set temperature of the indoor units that are cooled and operated. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 2000-131688 and 2000-182920 disclose specific control methods. The method of calculating the electric power charge of the Republic of Korea is similar to the method of calculating the electric power charge of the Japanese government, and the above-mentioned demand control method of Japan can be similarly applied to the Republic of Korea.

In a country that limits the total amount of electricity consumed during the year, the demand control device 100 uses a demand control method for restricting the total amount of electricity consumed during the year to be less than or equal to the set power amount. In addition, in a country in which a power fee is premium only in a specific month, the demand control apparatus 100 uses a demand control method of limiting the amount of electricity used to the specific power amount or less only in the specific month.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an internal configuration of a demand controller of the demand control device 100 shown in FIG. 1. Referring to FIG. 2, the demand control unit 110 controls the priority setting unit 111 for setting priorities of the plurality of air conditioners 141, and demand demand control for the plurality of air conditioners 141. Frequency setting unit 112 for setting the control frequency to be, and the operation of controlling the operation of the air conditioners 141 so that the frequency of each air conditioner 141 is a demand control does not exceed the corresponding control frequency The control unit 113 is included.

The priority setting unit 111 may sequentially set the priority to each of the plurality of air conditioners 141 by the user's input through the input unit 120 or automatically. However, since the operating environment of the room is different for each area where the indoor units of the air conditioner 141 are installed, it is preferable to set the priority based on the driving conditions.

3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the air conditioner 141 shown in FIG. Referring to FIG. 3, the plurality of air conditioners 141 include a plurality of indoor units 141b and at least one outdoor unit 141a for controlling the indoor units 141b. Each of the plurality of indoor units 141b includes an indoor temperature detection unit 141c for detecting an indoor temperature.

The priority setting unit 111 sets the priority based on the indoor temperature detected by each indoor temperature detection unit 141c. Among the indicators showing various operating environments in the area where the indoor units 141b are installed, the difference between the indoor temperature of the area where each indoor unit 141b is installed and the desired temperature set by the user is different from each air conditioner 141. It means the load of, and sets the priority based on the load. Here, the load is not limited to the difference between the room temperature and the desired temperature of each region, and may be variously set such as the rate of change of the room temperature per predetermined time in the region where the indoor unit 141b is installed. The priority set in each air conditioner 141 means the priority set in each indoor unit 141b. If the priority is set, during demand control, the operation control unit 113 suppresses the operation rate of the indoor unit sequentially from the indoor unit having a lower priority.

The frequency setting unit 112 sets a control frequency for demand control per predetermined time to the plurality of air conditioners 141. When demand control of the plurality of air conditioners 141 occurs, a particular air conditioner is frequently controlled. In this case, the user of the region in which the specific air conditioner is installed feels dissatisfaction with comfort. In particular, the user of the area where the air conditioner with the lowest priority is installed is more comfortable than the user of the area where the other air conditioner is installed because the operation rate of the air conditioner is first controlled when the demand control based on the priority is performed. You will feel dissatisfaction and unfairness about Tao. Therefore, a predetermined control frequency is set in each air conditioner 141 to compensate for demand control based on priority.

The control frequency indicates the number of times the demand control is performed per predetermined time, and the predetermined time may be set to 24 hours as a daily basis, but may be set to one week or one month. Each air conditioner 141 is controlled so as not to exceed the number of times of demand control set for each predetermined time.

The input unit 120 performs a function of receiving a user's manipulation signal, and includes a plurality of input keys (not shown) or a touch panel method. The user may input an operation signal through the input unit 120 to set the control frequency. When an input window for inputting the control frequency is displayed on the display unit 150, the user may input the control frequency value of each air conditioner 141 through the input keys.

In order to set the control frequency, the user may directly input an operation signal through the input unit 120, but may set the control frequency of each air conditioner 141 based on the history stored in the demand database 130. . Here, the control frequency set in each air conditioner 141 may mean a control frequency set in each indoor unit 141b. The demand database 130 stores a history of demand control of each air conditioner 141. The history refers to the air conditioner 141 which has been most recently demand controlled or the frequency of demand control for a predetermined time. For example, the predetermined time is set to one month, and the demand database 130 records the demand-controlled frequency of each air conditioner 141 for the last month, and uses the recorded frequency to generate a frequency table. Write. Based on the control history for the past month, the largest control frequency can be set for the demand control of this month in the air conditioner 141, which had the lowest frequency recorded on the frequency table.

When it is determined that the estimated power amount exceeds the set power amount, the operation control unit 113 controls each air conditioner 141 so that the frequency at which each air conditioner 141 is demand controlled does not exceed the set control frequency. . In addition, by reflecting the above-described priority, the operation controller 113 controls the plurality of air conditioners 141 based on the priority within a range not exceeding the control frequency of each air conditioner 141. . In this case, the operation rate of the low priority air conditioner is first reduced.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process in which the demand control apparatus 100 illustrated in FIG. 1 performs demand control based on a control frequency and priority. In FIG. 4, a control frequency is set for each indoor unit 141b of each air conditioner 141, and a priority is set to perform demand control. Referring to FIG. 4, the frequency setting unit 112 sets the control frequency of each air conditioner 141 based on a user's operation signal through the input unit 120 or based on a history stored in the demand database 130. (Step S100). The predicted power amount sensing unit 170 receives data about the amount of power measured for a predetermined time from the power meter 171, estimates the amount of power after a predetermined time (S200), and determines whether the predicted amount of power exceeds a predetermined demand power amount. (Step S300). If it is determined that the estimated power amount exceeds the set power amount, the demand database 130 calculates and stores a difference between the room temperature detected by each room temperature detector 141c and the desired temperature set by the user (step S400). Here, the difference between the room temperature and the desired temperature detected by the room temperature detector 141c means a load. The priority setting unit 111 sets a low priority to the indoor unit 141b having a small difference between the indoor temperature and the desired temperature based on the difference between the room temperature and the desired temperature, which are the loads of the indoor units 141b. (S500 step). When the priority is set, the operation controller 112 determines whether the frequency of demand control for each air conditioner 141 exceeds the control frequency of each air conditioner 141 at step S600. If the air conditioner 141 exceeding the control frequency exists, the air conditioner 141 exceeding the control frequency is excluded from the demand control target (step S700). After determining the presence or absence of the air conditioner 141 exceeding the control frequency, it is sequentially suppressed from the operation rate of the low priority air conditioner (step S800).

5 is a timing chart of an embodiment of performing demand control for a predetermined time, according to the flowchart shown in FIG. 4. Referring to FIG. 5, a case where a predetermined time is set to 24 hours and five demand controls are performed for 24 hours is illustrated. At this time, the control frequency of the first indoor unit is set to 2, the control frequency of the second indoor unit to 3, the control frequency of the third indoor unit to 3, and the control frequency of the second indoor unit to 2, and between each indoor unit. The priority of is set by increasing the priority by one step so that the first indoor unit is the lowest, the fourth indoor unit is the highest. In the first demand control section A, the operation rate of the first indoor unit is first controlled based on the priority. If it is insufficient only by the control of the first indoor unit, the second indoor unit is additionally controlled based on the priority. In the second demand control section B, the operation rate of the first indoor unit is controlled based on the priority, and when the control of the first indoor unit is insufficient, the second indoor unit and the third indoor unit are additionally controlled. However, when the first indoor unit is controlled according to the priority in the third demand control section C, the control frequency is exceeded three times within 24 hours. Therefore, the operation rate of the second indoor unit is controlled based on the priority, except for the first indoor unit as the demand control target. As described above, since the second indoor unit is a target of demand control in the first, second, and third demand control sections A, B, and C, when the second indoor unit is controlled in the fourth demand control section, the control frequency is 3 times. Will be exceeded. Therefore, in the fourth demand control section D, the second indoor unit is excluded from the demand control target, and demand control is performed from the third indoor unit according to the priority. When the predetermined time elapses, a history of each indoor unit demand-controlled is recorded in the demand database 130.

Meanwhile, the plurality of air conditioners 141 may be grouped into a plurality of groups including at least one indoor unit. 6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an air conditioner according to another embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 6, each air conditioner 141 includes at least one indoor unit 141b. Each air conditioner 141 may include at least one outdoor unit 141a for controlling the indoor units 141b. The indoor units 141b may be grouped into a plurality of groups G1, G2, and G3. Here, although the indoor units 141b included in the same air conditioner 141 may be grouped into the same group, it is also possible to set the indoor units 141b included in the different air conditioners 141 into the same group.

The priority setting unit 111 sets priorities of the groups G1, G2, and G3 based on the indoor temperature detected by the respective indoor temperature detection units 141c. As described above, the difference between the indoor temperature of the area where each indoor unit 141b is installed and the desired temperature set by the user means the load of each indoor unit 141b, and the priority is based on the load. Set it. Here, the load is not limited to the difference between the room temperature and the desired temperature of each region, and the change rate of the room temperature per predetermined time in the region where the indoor unit 141b is installed can be variously set as described above. If the priority is set, during demand control, the operation control unit 113 suppresses the operation rate of the indoor unit sequentially from the indoor unit having a lower priority. Specifically, the difference between the room temperature and the desired temperature of each region is calculated for each of the indoor units 141b of the groups G1, G2, and G3, and the calculated value is integrated for each group G1, G2, and G3. The group with the largest integrated value is determined to be the group with the highest load, and the highest priority is set. Here, priority may also be set to the indoor units 141b belonging to each of the groups G1, G2, and G3, and the priority may be set based on the indoor temperature of each indoor unit 141b as described above. Can be set.

The frequency setting unit 112 sets a control frequency for demand control per predetermined time in each of the groups. Similarly to the control frequency set in the indoor units 141b of the plurality of air conditioners 141 described above, the control frequency is set in each group G1, G2, and G3, and each group G1, G2, and G3 is used. The demand-controlled frequency does not exceed the control frequency. Here, the method for setting the control frequency, as described above, the user inputs the operation signal through the input unit 120, or the demand-controlled history for each group (G1, G2, G3) stored in the demand database 130 The control frequency of each group G1, G2, and G3 can be set based on.

When it is determined that the predicted power amount exceeds the set power amount, the operation controller 113 controls each group G1, G2, and G3 so that the frequency at which each group G1, G2, G3 is demand controlled does not exceed the set control frequency. To control. In addition, in consideration of the above-described priority, the operation controller 113 controls the plurality of groups G1, G2, and G3 based on the priority within a range not exceeding the control frequency of each group. In this case, the operation rate of the lower priority groups G1, G2, G3 is first reduced. When the group targeted for demand control is determined, the indoor units 141b are controlled by reflecting the priority set for each indoor unit 141b belonging to the group targeted for demand control.

While the present invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. Accordingly, the true scope of the present invention should be determined by the technical idea of the appended claims.

The present invention can prevent the control that is biased to a specific air conditioner, and can create a desired air conditioning environment in a range that does not impair the user's comfort in a specific area, the demand control device of the electric machine system Can be used.

1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an electric machine system including a demand control device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an internal configuration of a demand controller of the demand controller shown in FIG. 1.

3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the air conditioner shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process in which a demand control apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1 performs a demand control based on a control frequency and priority.

5 is a timing chart of an embodiment of performing demand control for a predetermined time, according to the flowchart shown in FIG. 4.

6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an air conditioner according to another embodiment of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG.

100: demand controller 110: demand controller

111: priority setting unit 112: frequency setting unit

113: operation control unit 120: input unit

130: demand database 141: air conditioner

141a: outdoor unit 141b: indoor unit

141c: room temperature detector 142: ventilation device

143: illuminating device 150:

161,162,163: 1st, 2nd, 3rd local control device

164: network 170: predicted power amount sensing unit

171: power meter 190: electrical system

Claims (11)

Electrical devices including a plurality of air conditioners; A predicted power amount sensing unit for sensing a predicted power amount of the electric devices; And a demand controller to control an operation state of the electric devices when the amount of predicted power detected by the predicted power amount sensing unit exceeds a set power amount. The demand control unit sets a control frequency for demand control per predetermined time to the plurality of air conditioners, and controls the frequency at which each air conditioner is demand controlled so as not to exceed the corresponding control frequency. Demand control of The method according to claim 1, Further comprising an input unit for receiving a user's operation signal, And the control frequency is set based on a user's manipulation signal through the input unit. The method according to claim 1, Each air conditioner further comprises a demand database for storing the demand-controlled history, And the demand control unit sets a control frequency of each air conditioner based on a history stored in the demand database. The method according to claim 1, The demand control unit sets a priority to each air conditioner and controls the air conditioners based on the priority within a range not exceeding the corresponding control frequency. The method of claim 4, The plurality of air conditioners include a plurality of indoor units, and each indoor unit includes an indoor temperature detector for detecting an indoor temperature. And the demand control unit sets a priority based on the room temperature detected by the respective room temperature detection units. The method of claim 5, And the demand control unit first reduces an operation rate of an indoor unit having a lower priority if it is determined that the amount of predicted power exceeds a set amount of power. Electrical devices including a plurality of air conditioners; A predicted power amount sensing unit for sensing a predicted power amount of the electric devices; And a demand controller to control an operation state of the electric devices when the amount of predicted power detected by the predicted power amount sensing unit exceeds a set power amount. The plurality of air conditioners includes at least one indoor unit, the indoor units are grouped into a plurality of groups, The demand control unit sets a control frequency for demand control per predetermined time in each of the groups, and controls the frequency at which each group is demand controlled so as not to exceed the corresponding control frequency. The method of claim 7, Further comprising an input unit for receiving a user's operation signal, And the control frequency is set based on a user's manipulation signal through the input unit. The method of claim 7, Each group further includes a demand database for storing the demand-controlled history, And the demand control unit sets a control frequency of each group based on a history stored in the demand database. The method of claim 7, And the demand control unit sets a priority to each group and controls the groups according to the priority within a range not exceeding the corresponding control frequency. The method of claim 10, The demand control unit sets a priority to indoor units belonging to each group, and based on the priority of each group and the priority of each indoor unit belonging to each group, the indoor unit belonging to each group and each group. Demand control device for controlling electrical system.

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