JP2006331372A - Agent device, management manager device, and environment energy management system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an environment energy management system and a device for structuring the system capable of achieving comfort of an indoor condition and optimizing energy consumption in a general personal residence and small store or the like. <P>SOLUTION: This system is structured of a device and system applying agent technology in order to solve an above problem, and realizes both of optimization of an indoor warmer environment and minimization of the energy consumption by an autonomous control function included in the agent device, a logical group function and hierarchical function, a data collection function from the agent device included in the management manager device, a function for collectively managing and controlling the agent device, a function for warmer environment calculation and energy optimization calculation, and a control function of an air conditioning facility based on obtained calculation results. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention realizes the indoor environment (temperature, humidity, wind speed, air pollution, etc.) of a small-scale store such as a general private house and a store or a convenience store under conditions desired by a resident or a resident. The present invention relates to an environmental energy management system that realizes an indoor environment at a minimum energy cost by calculating and optimizing a thermal environment and energy consumption, and an apparatus constituting the system.

  With the entry into force of the Kyoto Protocol to reduce greenhouse gas emissions such as carbon dioxide, social interest in environmental and energy conservation is increasing. It is an important theme to be solved for the industrial world to achieve both indoor thermal environment and energy saving in individual houses and small stores where the number of individual generations is small. Therefore, in recent years, devices and systems that save energy by calculating a comfortable thermal environment in a room, determining the air conditioning load necessary for this, and displaying and selecting the optimal environmental conditions for the user have been developed. Various proposals have been made. Examples of such devices and systems include an air conditioning load calculation device (for example, Patent Document 1) and an energy control system (for example, Patent Document 2).

In addition to the presentation of environmental conditions, examples of systems that have been proposed up to control that actually realizes the environment and energy saving include an air conditioning system (for example, Patent Document 3) and an energy supply system (for example, Patent Document 4).
JP 2003-343894 A JP 2001-296904 A JP 2003-287366 A JP 2001-295700 A

  However, with the devices and systems that have been proposed in the past, the indoor air conditioning load calculation is calculated based on various data that has been input in advance, and the thermal environment and energy consumption obtained as a result of the calculation are displayed to the residents. The controller of the desired air conditioner etc. is set. However, when the calculated value and the next measured value are different, or when an event or condition that is different from the calculated precondition is generated, it is impossible to obtain and control the optimum method instantaneously.

  For example, Patent Document 1 is characterized by providing means for inputting information on how to use air conditioning when calculating the air conditioning load of a house in order to reflect an individual's lifestyle. However, because energy-saving measures are not taken into account and the actual control is manual, there are many situations that are different from the original calculation conditions during actual air-conditioning control, and it is difficult to respond dynamically. is there.

  Next, Patent Document 2 proposes a system that manages and controls energy sources such as gas, water, and electricity so as to select and control the optimum energy source for the energy consumption required by the user. ing. However, there is no detailed explanation about the energy requirement for the air conditioning required by the user, and it is unclear how to calculate the amount of energy necessary for the air conditioning.

  On the other hand, Patent Document 3 proposes a method for receiving air quality environmental conditions desired by the user from the Internet and performing air conditioning control based on the air quality environmental conditions. It deviates from the viewpoint of balancing the environment and energy saving, and it is a problem only in terms of energy saving.

  Patent Document 4 proposes a method for optimizing operation that minimizes the energy cost by simulating operation methods of a large number of energy supply facilities for energy demand such as heating, cooling, and hot water supply. . However, even in this proposal, the optimum operating condition is calculated in advance, and control is normally performed according to the obtained operating condition. However, when the calculated value is different from the actual value, load tracking control is performed, so it was performed. It is unclear whether tracking control ensures minimum energy consumption.

Means for Solving the Invention

  In order to solve the above problems, the present invention is configured by a system to which an agent technology is applied, and includes an autonomous control function, a logical grouping function and a hierarchization function that the agent has, a data collection function from the agent that the manager has, and an agent Achieving both optimization of indoor thermal environment and minimization of energy consumption through integrated management and control functions, thermal environment analysis and energy consumption optimization calculation function, and control function of air conditioning equipment based on the obtained calculation results Realize. Specifically, it is described in each claim.

  First, claim 1 describes an agent device constituting the system. That is, an agent device that has a function of connecting a plurality of detectors and sensors or controllers and autonomously operating or controlling the controller according to the values of the detectors and sensors, and a communication processing unit that performs communication via a network; , A sensor I / F unit that communicates with a plurality of sensors, a control I / F unit that controls a plurality of devices, and the purpose of the operation, operating conditions, control information, data acquired from a program or sensor, etc. A data recording unit, and a group processing unit having a function of configuring a logical group by selecting an agent device having a common operation purpose, operation condition, control information, or sensor type from the plurality of agent devices. Deciding the upper and lower hierarchies from among a plurality of agent devices in the logical group A hierarchization processing unit having means and hierarchization information, an autonomous processing unit that autonomously determines and executes an operation for realizing the purpose, and controls or controls each unit to realize the purpose The agent apparatus includes an object processing unit that controls the operation of the entire agent apparatus in cooperation or controls an operation corresponding to an external request.

  Claim 2 describes a management manager device that cooperates with the plurality of agent devices in the present system. That is, means for communicating with a plurality of agent devices according to claim 1 via a network, means for receiving and recording weather forecast data transmitted from a weather information site on the Internet, said weather forecast data, house or store Means for calculating and predicting the indoor thermal environment based on the architectural design data and heat transfer related data, and means for calculating and predicting the power consumption of the air-conditioning equipment, lighting fixtures and home appliances, and obtained by the calculation An optimization processing means for optimizing a relationship between a thermal environment and power consumption obtained by the calculation, and a means for controlling the plurality of air-conditioning equipment, lighting fixtures, and home appliances are provided. Management manager device.

  Claim 3 describes a basic configuration for realizing the present system. That is, a plurality of air conditioning equipment that performs indoor air conditioning, a plurality of detectors or sensors, a controller that sets and controls the operation of the plurality of air conditioning equipment, and a plurality of indoor home appliances or lighting fixtures A plurality of monitor terminals capable of inputting data to the system and displaying system status or calculation results; and a plurality of detectors, sensors, or controllers. The agent device, the management manager device according to claim 2, and the weather information Web site on the Internet, and the plurality of agent devices and the management manager device connected to the network receive sensor data and weather information. Collect and calculate thermal environment and energy consumption to control air conditioning equipment By Rukoto, the user is an environmental energy management system, characterized in that to achieve in an optimal energy consumption of the indoor thermal environment you want.

  Next, claim 4 describes a case where the solar cell power generation equipment is added to the system in order to reflect the current situation that the solar power generation equipment is beginning to spread in ordinary houses. That is, in addition to claim 3, the power generation operation is performed by the solar cell power generation facility, the power generation amount sensor that measures the power generation amount by the solar cell, and the surplus power amount that is sold to the electric power company among the power generation amount by the solar cell is measured. The environmental energy management system is characterized in that a power purchase amount sensor for measuring and a power purchase amount sensor for measuring a power purchase amount purchased from an electric power company are connected to the plurality of agent devices.

  Claim 5 describes a case where a fuel cell power generation facility, which is expected to be installed in general households and small-scale stores in the future, is added to the system. That is, in addition to claim 3 and claim 4, a power generation amount sensor that performs power generation operation by the fuel cell power generation facility and measures the power generation amount by the fuel cell, and a gas flow rate that measures the gas flow rate input to the fuel cell power generation facility An environmental energy management system characterized in that a water temperature sensor, a hot water temperature sensor, and a water amount sensor for measuring a heat recovery amount of waste heat from a sensor and a fuel cell power generation facility are connected to the agent device.

  Claim 6 describes the event notification function of the agent device. That is, the agent device processes the measurement data from the plurality of sensors into an IP packet and transmits it to the management manager device via an IP network, and when the values from the plurality of sensors change, or The function of notifying a management manager device with an IP packet when a value from a plurality of sensors exceeds a preset threshold value or when a combination condition of a plurality of threshold values is met, An environmental energy management system according to any one of the above.

  Next, claim 7 also describes the function of the agent device. That is, the agent device has a function of changing the operation setting recorded in the data recording unit in the agent device in response to the operation setting change request from the management manager device, and the identification requested from the management manager device. A function of transmitting the sensor data to the management manager device, and a function of controlling the specific air-conditioning equipment or lighting equipment or home appliance or power generation equipment requested from the management manager device via the controller. It is an environmental energy management system in any one of Claim 1 to 6.

  Claim 8 also describes the autonomous processing function of the agent device. That is, when the values from the plurality of sensors change, when the values from the plurality of sensors exceed a preset threshold, or when a combination condition of a plurality of thresholds is met, The function of controlling each controller connected according to the processing program stored in the data recording part of this, and controlling these air conditioning equipment, a lighting fixture, household appliances, or power generation equipment is provided. An environmental energy management system according to any one of the above.

  Claim 9 describes the thermal analysis function provided in the management manager device. That is, the management manager device calculates the indoor thermal environment in a state where the air conditioning equipment is not used based on the weather forecast data and the indoor thermal environment based on the use conditions of the plurality of air conditioning equipment. A means for calculating the environment, a means for determining whether the thermal environment calculated based on the use conditions of the plurality of air-conditioning equipment is compatible with the environmental conditions set by the user, And a means for recording the use condition of the air conditioning equipment in a recording device, and a means for calculating the indoor thermal environment at the time of controlling the air conditioning equipment and recording the result of the calculation in the recording device if not matched in the determination. The environmental energy management system according to claim 1, further comprising a thermal environment calculation function.

  Claim 10 describes the energy consumption optimization calculation function of the management manager device. That is, the management manager device, based on the weather forecast data, means for calculating the power generation amount of the solar cell power generation facility, and the amount of power consumed by the plurality of air conditioning facilities used in the calculation of the thermal environment , Means for calculating the total amount of power consumed by the lighting fixtures, home appliances and power generation equipment, means for calculating the purchased power amount from the consumed power amount and the solar cell power generation amount, and fuel from the purchased power amount Means for calculating the power generation capacity of the battery power generation facility, means for calculating the amount of gas required for the fuel cell power generation amount and the amount of gas used in the gas appliance, and the minimum value of the total of the purchased power charge and gas charge The environmental energy management according to any one of claims 1 to 9, further comprising an energy consumption optimization calculation function, characterized by an optimization means for calculating and a means for recording the calculation result in a recording device. It is a stem.

  The eleventh aspect describes the device control function of the management manager device. That is, the management manager device controls each controller via the agent device based on the result of the thermal environment calculation and the result of the energy consumption optimization calculation, and a plurality of air conditioning facilities, lighting fixtures, and home appliances It is an environmental energy management system in any one of Claim 1 to 10 provided with the apparatus control function which controls.

  Claim 12 describes the dynamic device control function of the management manager device. That is, the management manager device notifies the agent that the condition and result of the thermal environment calculation and the condition and result of the energy consumption optimization calculation differ from each other when controlling the air conditioning equipment, lighting fixtures, and home appliances. Means for receiving from the device, means for changing the calculation condition of the thermal environment calculation to a value from the sensor, means for executing the thermal environment calculation again under the changed calculation condition, and energy based on the result of the new thermal environment calculation A means for re-executing the consumption optimization calculation, a means for recording the results of the thermal environment calculation and the energy consumption optimization calculation in the recording device, and controlling each controller via the agent device based on the recalculation result. The environmental energy according to any one of claims 1 to 11, comprising a function of controlling a plurality of air-conditioning equipment, lighting equipment and home appliances. It is over management systems.

  Claim 13 describes a case where the system is expanded, a management site is installed on the Internet, and a general manager is incorporated in the system. That is, in addition to any one of claims 1 to 12, a general management manager device having a function of remotely monitoring, managing, and controlling the plurality of management manager devices via the Internet is provided. It is an environmental energy management system.

  Claim 14 describes a function of accessing and acquiring a corresponding operation when an event occurs in the system. That is, the management manager device searches for whether the event content notified from the agent device is the same as the content registered in advance in the recording device, and the corresponding operation of the event registered as a result of the search Means for controlling the agent device to execute the operation of the related device, and if the result of the search is not registered, the relevant website is accessed via the Internet and necessary. 14. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: means for acquiring information, recording the information in a recording apparatus, controlling the agent apparatus to execute an operation of a related device, and notifying a user. It is an environmental energy management system.

  The fifteenth aspect describes an extended function of the system. That is, the management manager device has a function of collecting measurement data from the plurality of sensors and each sensor of the power generation facility via the plurality of agent devices and recording the data in a recording device. Is an environmental energy management system described in 1.

The invention's effect

  With this system, it is possible to accurately predict or calculate the indoor thermal environment as described in claim 9 in a general house or small store, and as described in claim 10 based on the calculation result, It is possible to optimize the operation of air conditioning equipment, lighting equipment, home appliances, etc., and the equipment control method described in claim 11 can realize both the realization of the thermal environment desired by the resident and energy saving.

  In addition, the agent group that has the autonomous control function, logical group function, and hierarchization function that is the feature of this system allows the logical group related to the event to respond dynamically and in real time to unexpected events and events. Since the manager device performs the optimum thermal environment and energy calculation again in conjunction with the agent device, the changed condition can be changed in real time.

  Furthermore, many control methods have been proposed so far for controlling air conditioners and home appliances for homes and stores, but the specifications have not yet been standardized and are currently different for each manufacturer. . However, as one of the device control methods proposed in this system, the most popular infrared remote control method has been proposed. If this method is used, it can be immediately incorporated into the system, and the price is low. Can build a system.

  Next, this system also takes into account solar cell power generation facilities and fuel cell power generation facilities that have begun to spread in recent private houses or stores, etc., realizing a comfortable thermal environment such as individual houses equipped with both power generation facilities And energy allocation optimization, energy saving can be greatly expected.

  Further, regarding the agent device constituting the system, the main function is a semiconductor product, so that the cost of the entire system can be reduced and the reliability of the entire system can be improved.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described through embodiments of the invention. However, the following embodiments do not limit the claimed invention, and all combinations of features described in the embodiments are invented. It is not always essential to the solution.

  An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 shows a model of the system configuration when the environmental energy management system of the present invention is applied to a private house or small-scale store. In order to measure the indoor thermal environment, a plurality of environmental sensors 23 such as a temperature sensor 231, a humidity sensor 232, an air flow rate sensor 233, an atmospheric pressure sensor, a heat flow sensor, and a solar radiation amount sensor are connected to the agent apparatus 11, and the agent apparatus 11 is installed in each room in a house or at a measurement point in a store and connected to the LAN 20.

  When calculating the thermal environment, it is necessary to also measure the outdoor environment, and weather-related data such as temperature, humidity, wind speed, atmospheric pressure, solar radiation, and rainfall are measured. A weather sensor 26 for measuring these data is connected to the agent device 11, and the agent device 11 is connected to the home LAN 20.

  On the other hand, since various types of air-conditioning equipment, home appliances 29, lighting fixtures 30 and the like use power, when calculating and optimizing energy consumption, it is necessary to measure the power consumption of these devices. Therefore, an electric energy sensor 24 is installed for each device to be measured, and each electric energy sensor 24 is connected to a plurality of agent devices 11. The agent device 11 is installed in a distribution board or the like and connected to the home LAN 20.

  Here, the air conditioning equipment includes an air conditioner 28 such as an air conditioner, a ventilator 32 such as an automatic opening / closing window and a ventilation fan, and a solar shading device 33 capable of adjusting the amount of solar radiation from the sun by opening / closing control of an automatic curtain or automatic blind. However, these are not all, and there are various other devices.

  In addition, in terms of energy consumption, it is necessary to consider gas, and in order to measure the gas amount of the gas device 31 such as a gas stove or a gas water heater, the gas amount sensor 25 is installed in the gas device 31 and the gas amount sensor 25 is set. The agent device 11 is connected. The agent device 11 is connected to the home LAN 20 like the others.

  Next, it is necessary to control the air conditioner 28, the ventilation device 32, and the solar light shielding device 33 in order to realize a comfortable thermal environment in a room desired by a user such as a resident. Therefore, the controller 27 of each device and the agent device 11 are connected, and the agent device 11 is connected to the home LAN 20. Here, the controller 27 of the air conditioner 28 is generally an infrared remote controller, and controls the air conditioner 28 with a wireless infrared ray 34. On the other hand, the controllers 27 of the ventilation device 32 and the solar light shielding device 33 often control the devices with the wire 35. The contents of the control include simple on / off control such as turning on / off the ventilation fan and fully opening / closing the curtain, but there are cases where the degree of opening of the blind can be adjusted in a plurality of stages.

  In addition, in order to enable control of home appliances 29 such as kotatsu and stove, and home appliances 29 such as TV and lighting fixture 30, the controller 27 of each device is connected to the agent device 11, and the agent device 11 is connected to the home LAN 20 Connect to. In addition, a plurality of monitor terminals 40 that can input to the system and display the system status or calculation results are also connected to the home LAN 20.

  Next, by connecting the management manager device 10 to the home LAN 20, communication with the plurality of agent devices 11 becomes possible, and data measured from various sensors connected to the agent device 11 can be collected. In addition, the air conditioner 28, the ventilation device 32, the home appliance 29, the lighting device 30, and the like can also be controlled via the connected controller 27 by controlling the agent device 11.

  Furthermore, the management manager device can access the Internet 37 via the indoor LAN 20 and the router 36 so that outdoor weather forecast data necessary for thermal environment analysis can be acquired from a weather information website established on the Internet. By using an environment, the requirements for configuring this system will be met.

  In recent years, there are many examples in which the solar cell power generation equipment 41 or the fuel cell power generation equipment 42 is installed in a general private house or a store due to an increase in awareness of the environment and energy saving. From such a background, in this system, the solar cell power generation equipment 41 or the fuel cell power generation equipment 42 is incorporated in the system, and the calculation considering the power generation amount by the solar cell or the fuel cell is performed when calculating the optimization of energy consumption. To be able to. FIG. 2 is a model diagram of an expansion system incorporating the solar cell power generation equipment 41 or the fuel cell power generation equipment 42.

  In the extended system, in order to measure the amount of power generated by the solar cell power generation equipment 41, an additional power generation amount sensor 241 and a power purchase amount sensor 242 that is measured when surplus power generation amount is sold to an electric power company are connected to the agent device 11. The agent device 11 is connected to the home LAN 20 so that the management manager device 10 can manage it.

  Similarly, the fuel cell power generation facility 42 also includes a gas amount sensor 25, a water amount sensor and temperature sensor 231 for measuring the amount of water entering the heat exchanger and a water temperature, and a temperature sensor 231 for measuring the temperature of the hot water coming out of the heat exchanger. The connected agent device 11 is connected to the home LAN 20 so that the management manager device 10 can manage it.

  Next, an agent device that is an important component in this system will be described with reference to FIG. The agent device 11 includes a communication processing unit 13 that performs communication via a network such as the indoor LAN 20, a sensor I / F unit 14 that communicates with a plurality of sensors, and a control I / F unit 15 that controls a plurality of devices. An operation purpose, operation conditions, control information, a program and a data recording unit 19 for recording and holding data acquired from the sensor, and an operation purpose, operation conditions, control information or sensor from the plurality of agent devices 11 A group processing unit 18 having a function of selecting a common agent device 11 to form a logical group and a plurality of agent devices 11 in the logical group are determined as upper and lower hierarchies. A tiering processing unit 17 having means and tiering information, and an autonomously determining and executing operation for realizing the purpose. A processing unit 16 and a purpose processing unit 12 that controls the respective units in order to realize the purpose or controls the operation of the entire agent device in cooperation with the respective units, or controls the operation corresponding to the request from the outside. Has been.

  Here, two features of the agent device include a group processing unit 18 and a hierarchy processing unit 17. First, the group processing unit 18 of one agent device 11 exchanges information with the group processing unit 18 of another agent device 11 via the network, and the purpose, operation condition, control information, or sensor type of each agent device 11 has. A table that can list attribute data such as the above is created including its own, and a plurality of agent devices 11 that are common in attribute data units are grouped.

  However, the agent devices constituting the group are not in a physical relationship such as a plurality of agent devices 11 connected in the same room or a plurality of agent devices 11 installed on the first floor of the house, but in the living space of the master. In the case of the control information for controlling the temperature to 22 degrees, it means a logical group such as the agent device 11 in the living room on the first floor and the agent device in the bedroom on the second floor. Therefore, even if the addresses are different in the sub-network configuration, if the agent device 11 has the same attribute data, a logical group is formed across subnets.

  The logical group will be further described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 5, there are nine agent devices 11, and a temperature sensor 231, a humidity sensor 232, an airflow sensor 233, and an electric energy sensor 24 are connected to each agent device 11. Here, logical grouping is performed according to the type of sensor, and the agent device 11 to which the temperature sensor 231 is connected is the agent device A111, agent device C113, agent device E115, and agent device H118, and these are logical groups. Is configured. On the other hand, the agent device 11 to which the airflow sensor 233 is connected is an agent device B112, an agent device C113, an agent device D114, an agent device G117, and an agent device H118, and these constitute another logical group.

  However, since both sensors are connected to the agent device C113 and the agent device H118, they belong to both logical groups. In this way, the logical grouping of the agent device can form a very flexible group.

  In the table created by the group processing unit 18, the MAC addresses of a plurality of agent devices 11 constituting the logical group and identification numbers such as product identification IDs assigned by manufacturers are recorded.

Next, the function of the hierarchy processing unit 17 will be described. The logical group created by the group processing unit 18 is composed of a plurality of agent devices 11, and when controlled or managed from the management manager device, the same request is made to a plurality of agent devices and operation conditions are set. In some cases, by requesting or setting a representative of the logical group, that is, usually one, the load on the management manager device side can be greatly reduced, and the efficiency of control of the entire system requiring real-time processing can be improved. You can plan.

  Here, the function of the hierarchy processing unit 17 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6. The hierarchy processing unit 17 refers to the identification IDs of the agent devices constituting the logical group recorded in the table of the group processing unit, and the agent device A111, agent device C113, agent device E115, and agent device that are the same logical group in FIG. Of the agent devices H118, the agent device A with the smallest identification ID is determined as the higher agent device. The other agent device C113, agent device E115, and agent device H118 are automatically determined as lower agent devices. Although the decision rule here is the size of the identification ID, another rule such as a failure rate or a memory capacity may be used.

  Next, the agent device A111 determined as the higher agent device notifies the management manager device 10 that it is a higher agent device, and transmits various information. The management manager device 10 creates a table in which the address, identification ID, group attribute information, etc. of the upper agent device are written on its recording device, and thereafter normal management and control are performed on the upper agent device.

  Further, the upper agent device A111 plays a central role with respect to the agent device C113, the agent device E115, and the agent device H118, which are lower agent devices in the same logical group. Since the management manager device 10 sends a request to the agent device 11, setting of operating conditions, change of control information, etc. only to the upper agent device A111, the upper agent device A111 multicasts the contents to the agent that is the lower agent device. By transmitting to the device C113, the agent device E115, and the agent device H118, efficient management and control can be performed.

  In addition to the logical grouping function and the hierarchization function, the agent device 11 has three functions that are important in configuring this system: an event notification function, a request response function, and an autonomous control function. . First, the event notification function will be described. When the values of a plurality of sensors connected to the agent device 11 change, when the values from the plurality of sensors exceed a preset threshold value, or when a combination condition of a plurality of threshold values is met, A function of notifying the management manager device 10 by an IP packet is provided.

  Next, the request response function will be described. In response to the operation setting change request from the management manager device 10, the agent device 11 has a function of changing the operation setting recorded in the data recording unit 19 in the agent device 11 and the identification requested from the management manager device 10. A function of transmitting the sensor data to the management manager device 10 and a function of controlling the specific air-conditioning equipment, the lighting fixture 30 or the home appliance 29 requested from the management manager device 10 via the controller 27.

  Further, the autonomous control function will be described. When the values from the plurality of sensors change, when the values from the plurality of sensors exceed a preset threshold value, or when the combination condition of the plurality of threshold values is met, the agent device 11 In accordance with a processing program stored in the data recording unit 19, each connected controller 27 is controlled, and a plurality of air-conditioning equipment, a lighting fixture 30, and a home appliance 29 are controlled.

  Next, the management manager device 10 will be described with reference to FIG. The management manager device 10 includes eight software groups for managing and controlling the system, a recording device 61 for storing and recording data and logs, an OS 58, a LAN-I / F 60 connected to a network, and the like.

  The software group includes thermal environment calculation software 53 that calculates the indoor thermal environment based on indoor and outdoor environmental data, architectural design data, various heat transfer coefficients, etc., in conjunction with the air flow and temperature, solar cells and fuel. Energy optimization that optimizes energy distribution in a given thermal environment by predicting and calculating the amount of power generated by batteries, power consumption of air conditioning equipment, home appliances, lighting equipment, etc., and gas consumption of fuel cells and gas appliances Control software 55, device control software 55 for controlling devices with the setting conditions obtained by the thermal environment calculation software 53 and the energy optimization software 54, calculation conditions and calculation results, collected sensor values, device control setting values, etc. Log storage software 56 to record, security function to notify approach or intrusion of suspicious person, pulse, heart rate or blood pressure etc. measured with vital sensors From the extension software 57 that provides services such as notification to the person, the manager software 51 that controls, monitors, and controls the agent software, and the general management manager at the remote management site. If the management manager apparatus operates as an agent, the agent software 52 that operates in response to a request from the overall management manager, and the overall coordinator 50 that coordinates the manager software 51 and the agent software 52 and also manages the entire system. Consists of.

  Next, the operation and control flow of this system will be described using the flowcharts of FIGS.

  First, the operation flow of the entire system will be described with reference to FIG. When the system is activated, the overall coordinator 50 of the management manager device 10 confirms the current status based on the log information in the recording device 61 and starts environment setting (S1) necessary for operating the system. In the environment settings (S1), access to the weather information website on the Internet and check the weather forecast data of the system operation day, specifically the temperature, humidity, wind speed, solar radiation, rainfall, etc. after 1 hour get.

  Subsequently, in the environment setting (S1), the relative relationship between the indoor environment and the energy saving is divided into a plurality of levels in advance, and the thermal environment calculation software 53 that receives a command from the overall coordinator 50 performs initial conditions corresponding to each level. The indoor thermal environment is calculated a plurality of times using the boundary condition (S2).

  Next, based on the calculation results at each level obtained in the thermal environment calculation (S2), the energy optimization software 54 optimizes the solar cell power generation, the fuel cell power generation, and the power consumption of home appliances at each level. The energy distribution to be performed and the device control pattern are calculated (S3). This flow is repeated for the number of levels (S4).

  Next, the overall coordinator 50 displays the calculation results of each level obtained by the thermal environment calculation (S2) and the energy optimization calculation (S3) to the resident of the house or the manager of the store (S5). When the resident of the house or the manager of the store selects one desired level from the displayed results (S5), the overall coordinator 50 gives the device control pattern of the selected level to the manager software 51.

  The manager software 51 starts system control, collects sensor measurement data and device control setting data using the log storage software 56, and records the data in the recording device 61 (S6).

  Next, the manager software 51 gives a device control pattern to the device control software 55, and the device control software 55 controls the agent device 11 along the device control pattern and sends a signal to the controller 27 to control the device (S7).

  Using the log storage software 56, sensor data and the like after device control are collected from the agent device 11 and recorded in the recording device 61 (S8).

  Next, when the sensor data collected by the log storage software 56 is different from the calculated value, or when the setting conditions used in the thermal environment calculation (S2) and the energy optimization calculation (S3) are different, or an unexpected event occurs. In the case (S9), the agent apparatus 11 dynamically controls the device according to a preset processing procedure or program (S11). The manager software 51 also changes the boundary conditions for thermal environment calculation (S11), performs thermal environment calculation (S2), and energy optimization calculation (S3) again, and calculates the device control pattern calculated under the changed conditions. To do. After that, the flow is the same.

  The system repeats the above process, but when the device control process ends for one day (S10), the calculation result is recorded in the recording device, and the actually measured data of the outdoors and indoors are set as the initial conditions (S12). To set the outdoor boundary conditions necessary for calculating the thermal environment of the next day, access the weather information website on the Internet, and tomorrow's weather forecast data, specifically the temperature after one hour Then, humidity, wind speed, solar radiation amount, rainfall amount, etc. are acquired (S12). Thereafter, these flows are repeated every day.

  Next, the processing flow of the thermal environment calculation will be described with reference to FIG. After setting initial conditions and boundary conditions using indoor and outdoor environment data, indoor environment prediction calculation is performed (S21). At this stage, a boundary condition that does not use windows, ventilation devices, or sunlight shielding devices such as curtains and blinds is set. The thermal calculation is obtained by discretizing the thermal fluid equation in natural convection in consideration of the air flow. The thermal fluid equation is composed of a continuity equation, a Navier-Stokes equation which is an equation of motion, and an energy conservation equation. The degree of discretization is determined in consideration of the balance between the calculation accuracy and the calculation time because the calculation amount becomes enormous if it is too fine. When the calculation load is large, there is a case where approximation is performed by a modeled simple calculation.

  Next, the environmental data such as indoor temperature, humidity, and air flow rate obtained by calculation conforms to the desired thermal environment for each occupant without using windows, ventilators or solar shading devices. It is determined whether or not to perform (S22). A thermal index such as a new effective temperature, a new standard effective temperature, or a PMV value that is generally known in academic societies and industries can be used as an evaluation formula in the judgment, or a completely new thermal index may be used. .

  If the environment desired by the resident can be realized in the window / ventilation determination (S22), the calculation result is stored as the proposed condition as it is (S26). On the other hand, if the environment desired by the resident is not realized in the window / ventilation determination (S22), boundary conditions corresponding to the condition in which the window is opened, the condition for using the ventilator, and the condition for using the solar shading device are used. Change to, and calculate the indoor thermal environment. In this case, the air flow in the room is assumed to be a turbulent model rather than natural convection, and the pressure and flow velocity are first calculated by the continuous equation and equation of motion, which are equations for the flow, and are substituted into the energy conservation equation. To obtain the temperature (S23). Here too, the degree of discretization is determined in consideration of the balance between calculation accuracy and calculation time because the amount of calculation becomes enormous if it is too fine.

  Next, regarding the environmental data such as indoor temperature, humidity, and air flow rate obtained by calculation, it matches the thermal environment desired by each occupant with windows, ventilators or solar shading devices. It is determined whether or not to perform (S24). A thermal index such as a new effective temperature, a new standard effective temperature, or a PMV value that is generally known in academic societies and industries can be used as an evaluation formula in the judgment, or a completely new thermal index may be used. .

  Next, in the air-conditioning control determination (S24), if the environment desired by the resident can be realized in the previous calculation (S23), the calculation result is stored as the proposed condition as it is (S26). On the other hand, when the environment desired by the resident is not realized in the air conditioning control determination (S24), the boundary condition corresponding to the air conditioning control is changed to calculate the indoor thermal environment. In this case, the air flow in the room is assumed to be a turbulent model rather than natural convection, and the pressure and flow velocity are first calculated by the continuous equation and equation of motion, which are equations for the flow, and are substituted into the energy conservation equation. To obtain the temperature (S25). Here too, the degree of discretization is determined in consideration of the balance between calculation accuracy and calculation time because the amount of calculation becomes enormous if it is too fine.

  The calculation result is recorded in the recording device 61 of the management manager device 10 and presented as a proposal condition to the resident (S27). When this is finished, the process proceeds to the next energy optimization calculation.

  Next, a processing flow for energy optimization calculation will be described with reference to FIG. First, the power generation amount in the solar cell power generation equipment 41 is calculated (S31). In solar cell power generation, the rated output of the amount of power generation is determined by the capacity of the installed solar cell panels and the number of panels, and the amount of power generation varies depending on the amount of daily solar radiation. In addition, since the panel installation method, the influence of shadows, the loss factor of equipment, conversion efficiency, etc. are related, it is necessary to calculate the amount of power generation taking these into account. The daily solar radiation amount is acquired from the solar radiation amount prediction of the calculation target day from the weather information website 38 on the Internet.

  Next, based on the environmental conditions obtained by the thermal environment calculation, the setting conditions of the equipment or the usage time, etc., the air conditioner, the ventilator, the solar shading device to be operated, the home appliances such as the TV, the washing machine, the refrigerator and the lighting The power consumption of the appliance is predicted and calculated (S32).

  Next, the power generation amount obtained in the solar cell power generation prediction calculation (S31) is subtracted from the power consumption obtained in the power consumption prediction calculation (S32) in minutes or hours. Set as a quantity. The total amount of purchased power in minutes or hours is summed for one day, and the purchased electricity charge is calculated for each day and night time zone (S34).

  The power generation amount by the fuel cell power generation facility 42 is predicted from the purchased power amount obtained in the purchased power amount prediction calculation (S33). Since fuel cell power generation requires gas and is related to hot water supply through waste heat exchange, prediction calculation is performed in consideration of the gas charge and the amount of hot water supply (S35).

  Pre-solar cell power generation prediction calculation (S31), power consumption prediction calculation (S32), purchased power amount prediction calculation (S33) and fuel cell power generation prediction calculation (S34), power generation amount, required power consumption, purchased electricity charge, Optimization calculation is performed in consideration of gas charges and the like (S35). Evaluation targets can be selected to minimize energy charges, maximize power sales charges, minimize generated carbon dioxide, minimize equivalent oil consumption, etc., and optimize these evaluation targets. As a specific calculation method, the case of Lagrange's undetermined multiplier method or nonlinear programming method or the variational method is generally used instead of the extreme value problem of a multivariable function.

  The optimized energy condition is stored as a proposal condition to the resident (S36).

  It is a system block diagram which modeled this environmental energy management system.   It is the block diagram which expanded this environmental energy management system.   It is a functional block diagram of an agent apparatus.   It is a functional block diagram of a management manager device.   It is the figure which illustrated the dynamic logical group function of the agent apparatus.   It is the figure which illustrated the dynamic hierarchization function of the agent apparatus.   It is a main processing flowchart in this system.   It is a flowchart of the thermal environment calculation in this system.   It is a flowchart of the energy optimization calculation in this system.

Explanation of symbols

1 Energy Environment Management System FIG. 2 Extended Energy Environment Management System FIG. 3 Agent Device 4 Management Manager Device 10 Management Manager Device 11 Agent Device 12 Purpose Processing Unit 13 Communication Processing Unit 14 Sensor I / F Unit 15 Control I / F Unit 16 Autonomous processor 17 Hierarchical processor 18 Group processor 20 LAN
21 Dynamic logical group 1
22 Dynamic logical group 2
23 Environmental Sensor 24 Electricity Sensor 25 Gas Sensor 26 Weather Sensor 27 Controller 28 Air Conditioner 29 Home Appliance 30 Lighting Equipment 31 Gas Appliance 32 Ventilator 33 Solar Shielding Device 34 Infrared Communication 35 Wired Communication 36 Router 37 IP Network 38 Weather Information Web site 39 Management Web site 40 Monitor terminal 41 Solar cell power generation facility 42 Fuel cell power generation facility 50 Overall coordinator 51 Manager software 52 Agent software 53 Thermal environment calculation software 54 Energy optimization software 55 Device control software 56 Log storage software 57 Expansion software 58 Operation system 59 Device driver 60 LAN-I / F
61 Recording device 111 Agent device A
112 Agent device B
113 Agent device C
114 Agent device D
115 Agent device E
116 Agent device F
117 Agent device G
118 Agent device H
119 Agent device J
231 Temperature sensor 232 Humidity sensor 233 Airflow sensor 241 Power generation amount sensor 242 Power purchase amount sensor 271 Air conditioning controller

Claims (15)

Connect multiple detectors and sensors or controllers,
Function to control the operation and controller autonomously by the value of detector and sensor,
And the function to control the operation and controller according to the request from the outside,
An agent device comprising:
A communication processing unit that performs communication via a network;
A sensor I / F unit that communicates with a plurality of sensors;
A control I / F unit for controlling a plurality of devices;
A data recording unit that records and holds data obtained from the purpose of the operation, operating conditions, control information, program or sensor;
A group processing unit having a function of configuring a logical group by selecting an agent device having a common operation purpose, operation condition, control information, or sensor type from the plurality of agent devices;
A hierarchization processing unit having hierarchization information and means for determining upper and lower hierarchies from among a plurality of agent devices in the logical group;
An autonomous processing unit that autonomously determines and executes an operation for realizing the purpose;
And an objective processing unit for controlling the operation of the entire agent device in cooperation with the respective units in order to realize the purpose, or for controlling the operation corresponding to the request from the outside,
An agent device comprising: Means for communicating with a plurality of agent devices according to claim 1 via a network;
Means for receiving and recording weather forecast data transmitted from an Internet weather information site;
Means for calculating and predicting the indoor thermal environment based on the weather forecast data, the architectural design data of the house or store and the heat transfer related data;
Means for calculating and predicting power consumption of the air-conditioning equipment, lighting equipment and home appliances;
Optimization processing means for optimizing the relationship between the thermal environment obtained by the calculation and the power consumption obtained by the calculation;
Means for recording the calculation conditions and results and data of optimization processing in a recording device;
And means for controlling the plurality of air-conditioning equipment, lighting equipment and home appliances,
A management manager device characterized by comprising: A plurality of air conditioning equipment for indoor air conditioning;
Multiple detectors or multiple sensors;
A plurality of controllers for setting and controlling operation of the plurality of air-conditioning facilities;
A plurality of controllers for controlling a plurality of home appliances or lighting equipment in the room;
A plurality of monitor terminals capable of inputting to the system and displaying the system status or the calculation results;
A plurality of agent devices according to claim 1 connected to the plurality of detectors and sensors or controllers;
A management manager device according to claim 2;
And a weather information website on the Internet,
The plurality of agent devices and the management manager device connected to the network collect sensor data and weather information, calculate the thermal environment and energy consumption, and control the air conditioning equipment, thereby controlling the indoor thermal temperature desired by the user. An environmental energy management system characterized by realizing the environment with optimal energy consumption. In addition to claim 3, a power generation amount sensor that performs a power generation operation by a solar cell power generation facility and measures a power generation amount by the solar cell;
Among the amount of power generated by solar cells, a power sales sensor that measures the surplus power sold to the power company,
A power purchase amount sensor for measuring the amount of power purchased from an electric power company is connected to the plurality of agent devices,
Environmental energy management system characterized by In addition to claim 3 and claim 4, a power generation amount sensor that performs power generation operation by the fuel cell power generation facility and measures the power generation amount by the fuel cell;
A gas flow sensor for measuring a gas flow rate to be introduced into the fuel cell power generation facility;
A water temperature sensor, a hot water temperature sensor, and a water volume sensor for measuring the heat recovery amount of waste heat from the fuel cell power generation facility are connected to the agent device;
Environmental energy management system characterized by The agent device is:
A function of processing measurement data from the plurality of sensors into an IP packet, and transmitting the packet to the management manager device via an IP network;
When the values from the plurality of sensors change, when the values from the plurality of sensors exceed a preset threshold value, or when a combination condition of a plurality of threshold values is met, the management manager device uses an IP packet. With the ability to notify
An environmental energy management system according to any one of claims 1 to 5. The agent device is:
A function of changing the operation setting recorded in the data recording unit in the agent device in response to the operation setting change request from the management manager device;
A function of transmitting specific sensor data requested from the management manager device to the management manager device;
And a function of controlling the specific air-conditioning equipment or lighting equipment or home appliance or power generation equipment requested from the management manager device via the controller,
An environmental energy management system according to any one of claims 1 to 6. The agent device is:
When the values from the plurality of sensors change, when the values from the plurality of sensors exceed a preset threshold value, or when a combination condition of a plurality of threshold values is met, it is stored in its own data recording unit. A function to control each connected controller according to the processing program, and to control the plurality of air-conditioning equipment, lighting equipment, home appliances or power generation equipment,
An environmental energy management system according to any one of claims 1 to 7. The management manager device includes:
Based on the weather forecast data, means for calculating the indoor thermal environment in a state where the air conditioning equipment is not used,
A means for calculating the indoor thermal environment based on the use conditions of a plurality of air conditioning equipment;
Means for determining whether the thermal environment calculated based on the use conditions of the plurality of air-conditioning equipment conforms to the environmental conditions set by the user;
If it is determined in the determination, means for recording the use conditions of a plurality of air conditioning equipment in a recording device;
And if not suitable in the determination, characterized by calculating the indoor thermal environment at the time of controlling the air conditioning equipment, and recording the calculation results in a recording device,
The environmental energy management system according to any one of claims 1 to 8, comprising a thermal environment calculation function. The management manager device includes:
Based on the weather forecast data, means for calculating the power generation amount of the solar cell power generation facility,
Means for calculating the total amount of power consumed by a plurality of air-conditioning equipment used in the calculation of the thermal environment and the amount of power consumed by lighting equipment, home appliances, and power generation equipment;
Means for calculating the purchased power amount from the power consumption amount and the solar cell power generation amount;
Means for calculating the power generation amount of the fuel cell power generation facility from the purchased power amount;
Means for calculating the amount of gas required for the fuel cell power generation amount and the amount of gas used in the gas appliance;
Means for calculating a minimum value of the total of the purchased power charge and gas charge;
And means for recording the calculation result in a recording device,
The environmental energy management system according to claim 1, comprising an energy consumption optimization calculation function. The management manager device includes:
Based on the result of the thermal environment calculation and the result of the energy consumption optimization calculation,
Each controller is controlled via the agent device, and has a device control function for controlling a plurality of air-conditioning equipment, lighting equipment, home appliances and power generation equipment,
The environmental energy management system according to any one of claims 1 to 10. The management manager device includes:
Means for receiving from the agent device a notification that the condition and result of the thermal environment calculation and the condition and result of the energy consumption optimization calculation are different when controlling the air-conditioning equipment, the lighting fixture, and the home appliance;
Means for changing the calculation condition of the thermal environment calculation to a value from a sensor;
Means for performing thermal environment calculation again under the changed calculation conditions;
Based on the result of the new thermal environment calculation, a means for executing the energy consumption optimization calculation again,
Means for recording results of thermal environment calculation and energy consumption optimization calculation in a recording device;
Control each controller via the agent device based on the recalculated results,
It has a function to control a plurality of air conditioning equipment, lighting equipment, home appliances and power generation equipment,
The environmental energy management system according to any one of claims 1 to 11. In addition to any one of claims 1 to 12, a function of remotely monitoring, managing, and controlling the plurality of management manager devices via the Internet is provided.
An environmental energy management system characterized by having a general management manager device. The management manager device includes:
Means for searching for the content of the event notified from the agent device if it is the same as the content registered in advance in the recording device;
As a result of the search, means for retrieving the corresponding action of the registered event;
Means for controlling the agent device to execute the operation of the related device;
If it is not registered as a result of the search, the relevant website is accessed via the Internet, the necessary information is acquired and recorded in the recording device, and the agent device is controlled to operate the associated device. And means for notifying the user,
The environmental energy management system according to claim 1. The management manager device includes:
Means for collecting measurement data from the plurality of sensors and each sensor of the power generation facility according to the device control via the plurality of agent devices;
With the function of recording in a recording device,
The environmental energy management system according to any one of claims 1 to 14.

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