JP5312286B2 - Air conditioner control device, refrigeration device control device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an air conditioner control apparatus that controls a plurality of air conditioners, and a control apparatus for a refrigeration apparatus that controls a plurality of refrigeration apparatuses.

  In order to reduce the power consumption of a system consisting of multiple air conditioners (hereinafter also referred to as “air conditioners”) or refrigeration equipment (hereinafter also referred to as “refrigerators”), empirical rules and planning methods (actual In some cases, the control elements of the air conditioner or the refrigerator are controlled by obtaining cooperative operation conditions by a plan or a metaheuristic method.

  For example, in the operation technique of a plurality of refrigerators described in Patent Document 1, an approximate expression that models the relationship between the refrigeration capacity and power consumption of the plurality of refrigerators is obtained, and the center of gravity of operation performance data is compared to compare the change in relative value. Based on the above, the approximate expression is corrected, the total power consumption of the plurality of refrigerators is calculated based on the corrected approximate expression, and the refrigeration capacity of each refrigerator when the power consumption is reduced is set to control the operation state.

  For example, in the air conditioner operation control apparatus described in Patent Document 2, the optimum operation condition of the air conditioner in an apparatus in which a large number of air conditioners are combined is determined by a genetic algorithm and a mutually integrated neuro.

  For example, in the operation control method described in Patent Document 3, when a plurality of air conditioners are provided in one room (air conditioning zone), an air conditioner to be operated with priority from the operation efficiency of each air conditioner is set. Gives an operation start instruction or an output increase instruction, and performs central control by a control computer for improving energy saving, durability and reliability.

JP 2007-85601 A (page 3, lines 27 to 39, FIG. 4) JP-A-8-5126 (page 3, left 49 to right 33, FIG. 1) JP 2008-57818 A (3 pages 45 to 5 lines, FIG. 10)

  When multiple air conditioners (or refrigerators) are installed in the same space for air conditioning, if each air conditioner individually controls operation, some air conditioners have excessive air conditioning capacity, Operation control is performed such that the air conditioning capacity of the air conditioner becomes too low, and it is impossible to reduce the energy consumption of the entire system. For this reason, it is desired to reduce energy consumption by performing cooperative control of a plurality of air conditioners.

  In the conventional technology, there is a problem that efficient control for determining appropriate air conditioning capacity or refrigeration capacity cannot be performed in order to reduce the overall power consumption of a system including a plurality of air conditioners or refrigerators. there were.

For example, in Patent Document 1, the air conditioning capacity is determined by allocating according to the capacity ratio of the air conditioner that is operating the entire air conditioning load, and the power consumption for the allocated air conditioning capacity is shown as the relationship between the air conditioning capacity and the power consumption. Evaluated from approximate model formula.
However, in the allocation based on the capacity ratio, there is an allocation of the air conditioning capability that further reduces the power consumption, or the air conditioning capability that reduces the power consumption cannot always be determined.
Originally, it is necessary to determine the air conditioning capacity capable of reducing the power consumption from the relationship between the air conditioning capacity and the power consumption.

Also, since the amount of air conditioning capacity allocated to the overall air conditioning load varies depending on the number of air conditioners to be operated, the amount of power consumption due to this air conditioning capacity distribution is closely related to the selection of the number of operating air conditioners. The selection of the number of operating units is indispensable for reducing the power consumption of the entire system.
When the prior art is viewed from such a viewpoint, there is a problem in that it is not possible to perform efficient control in which the determination of the air conditioning capacity and the selection of the number of operating units are determined in an integrated manner.

  In addition, in the prior art example, there are cases where the calculation load of the calculation method is high or there are many reference data required for the calculation, and due to practical restrictions, the calculation capacity is low and it can not be mounted on a microcomputer with limited memory There was a point.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and reduces the total power consumption while maintaining a balance between the total air conditioning load in the air conditioning target space and the total air conditioning capacity of the air conditioner. It aims at obtaining the control apparatus of the air conditioner which can do.

  It is another object of the present invention to provide a control device for a refrigeration apparatus that can reduce the total power consumption while maintaining a balance between the total refrigeration load in the refrigeration target space and the total cooling capacity of the refrigerator.

A control device for an air conditioner according to the present invention includes:
A control device for an air conditioner that controls a plurality of air conditioners installed in the same space for air conditioning,
For each of the plurality of air conditioners, the power consumption, data storage means and the information of the coefficients of the quadratic function that approximates the air-conditioning capacity as a variable, performance model data including the information about the range of the air conditioning capacity is stored When,
An overall air conditioning load calculating means for obtaining an overall air conditioning load that is a total value of the air conditioning loads of the plurality of air conditioners;
Based on the performance model data and the overall air conditioning load, air conditioning capacity distribution calculating means for obtaining the air conditioning capacity of each of the plurality of air conditioners,
Control signal sending means for sending a control signal related to the air conditioning capability to each of the plurality of air conditioners,
The air conditioning capacity distribution calculating means includes:
The sum of the air conditioning capabilities of the plurality of air conditioners is the total air conditioning load as a multivariable function that approximates the sum of power consumption of the plurality of air conditioners by adding the quadratic function for each air conditioner. In the second multivariable function obtained by adding intermediate variables having equal constraint conditions as coefficients, the intermediate variable that satisfies the condition that each air conditioning capability of the second multivariable function has an extreme value is the total air conditioning load. A first calculation formula expressed by the coefficient of the quadratic function;
Under the constraint condition, a second calculation formula representing the air conditioning capacity of each air conditioner in which the multivariable function is an extreme value by the intermediate variable and the coefficient of the quadratic function;
Is preset,
Based on the first calculation formula using the overall air conditioning load obtained by the overall air conditioning load calculating means and the coefficient information of the quadratic function of the performance model data, the intermediate variable is obtained,
Based on the second calculation formula using the intermediate variable and information on the coefficient of the quadratic function of the performance model data, the air conditioning capacity of each air conditioner is obtained,
The air conditioning capacity of the air conditioner that does not belong to the range of the air conditioning capacity among the air conditioning capacity is set as a limit value of the range of the air conditioning capacity,
For the air conditioner belonging to the range of the air conditioning capacity, again determine the intermediate variable, and based on the second calculation formula using the intermediate variable and information on the coefficient of the quadratic function of the performance model data, The air conditioning capacity of each air conditioner belonging to the range of the air conditioning capacity is obtained.

A control device for a refrigeration apparatus according to the present invention includes:
A control device for a refrigeration apparatus that controls a plurality of refrigeration apparatuses installed in the same space as a cooling target,
For each of the plurality of refrigeration system, the power consumption, and the information of the coefficients of the quadratic function that approximates the refrigeration capacity as a variable, a data storage means for performance model data is stored containing information as to the scope of the refrigerating capacity ,
An overall refrigeration load calculating means for obtaining an overall refrigeration load that is a total value of the refrigeration loads of the plurality of refrigeration apparatuses;
Refrigeration capacity distribution calculating means for determining the refrigeration capacity of each of the plurality of refrigeration devices based on the performance model data and the total refrigeration load;
Control signal sending means for sending a control signal related to the refrigerating capacity to each of the plurality of refrigeration apparatuses,
The refrigeration capacity distribution calculating means is
Constraint that the sum of the refrigeration capacities of the plurality of refrigeration devices is equal to the total refrigeration load, in a multivariable function that approximates the sum of the power consumption of the plurality of refrigeration devices by adding the quadratic function for each refrigeration device In a second multivariable function obtained by adding an intermediate variable having a condition as a coefficient, the intermediate variable satisfying the condition that each refrigeration capacity of the second multivariable function becomes an extreme value is expressed as the total refrigeration load and the secondary A first calculation formula expressed by the coefficient of the function;
Under the constraint condition, a second calculation formula representing the refrigeration capacity of each refrigeration apparatus in which the multivariable function is an extreme value by the intermediate variable and the coefficient of the quadratic function;
Is preset,
Based on the first calculation formula using the total refrigeration load obtained by the total refrigeration load calculation means and information on the coefficient of the quadratic function of the performance model data, the intermediate variable is obtained,
Based on the second calculation formula using the intermediate variable and information on the coefficient of the quadratic function of the performance model data, the refrigeration capacity of each refrigeration device is determined,
Among the refrigeration capacities, the refrigeration capacity of the refrigeration apparatus that does not belong to the range of the refrigeration capacity, the limit value of the range of the refrigeration capacity,
For the refrigeration apparatus belonging to the range of the refrigeration capacity, again determine the intermediate variable, based on the second calculation formula using the intermediate variable and information on the coefficient of the quadratic function of the performance model data, The refrigeration capacity of each refrigeration apparatus belonging to the range of refrigeration capacity is obtained.

The present invention relates to an air conditioning capability in which the air conditioning capabilities of a plurality of air conditioners belong to the range of the air conditioning capability, respectively, and the sum of the air conditioning capabilities of the plurality of air conditioners is an overall air conditioning load, and the plurality of air conditioners The air conditioning capacity of each of the plurality of air conditioners that minimizes the sum of the power consumptions of the air conditioners is obtained.
For this reason, it is possible to reduce the total power consumption while keeping the balance between the total air conditioning load and the total air conditioning capacity of the air conditioner while keeping the air conditioning capacity of the plurality of air conditioners within the range of the air conditioning capacity.

Further, the refrigeration capacities of the plurality of refrigeration apparatuses belong to the range of the refrigeration capacities, and the sum of the refrigeration capacities of the plurality of refrigeration apparatuses is the total refrigeration load, and the sum of the power consumption of the plurality of refrigeration apparatuses. The refrigerating capacity of each of a plurality of refrigeration apparatuses that minimizes the above is obtained.
For this reason, it is possible to reduce the total power consumption while keeping the balance between the total refrigeration load and the total refrigeration capacity of the refrigeration apparatus while keeping the refrigeration capacity of the plurality of refrigerators within the range of the refrigeration capacity.

1 is an overall configuration diagram of an air conditioner according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of a control device according to Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows schematically the refrigerant circuit of the air conditioner which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a typical graph showing the relationship between an air-conditioning capability and power consumption. 6 is a diagram showing a data format of performance model data according to Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows the data format of the driving information data which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows the data format of the air-conditioning load data which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an operation of cooperative control processing according to the first embodiment. Is a diagram for explaining a process performed when that does not satisfy the constraint Q ^min ≦ Q ≦ Q ^max according to the first embodiment.

Embodiment 1 FIG.
1 is an overall configuration diagram of an air conditioner according to Embodiment 1. FIG.
In FIG. 1, the air conditioner control device (hereinafter referred to as “control device 10”) according to the present embodiment includes a plurality of airs that are installed in the same space (hereinafter referred to as “air-conditioning target space 1”). It controls the harmony machine.
Each of the plurality of air conditioners (hereinafter also referred to as “air conditioners”) includes an indoor unit 2 and an outdoor unit 3. Each indoor unit 2 is arranged in the air conditioning target space 1. Each outdoor unit 3 is arranged outside the air-conditioning target space 1. The indoor unit 2 and the outdoor unit 3 are connected by refrigerant piping.
This air conditioner performs the air conditioning of the air-conditioning target space 1 by changing the pressure of the refrigerant flowing in the refrigerant pipe under the control of the control device 10 to absorb and release the refrigerant.
In addition, although the whole structure of the air-conditioner system which consists of four air conditioners is shown here as an example, generally N (> = 2) air conditioners may be sufficient.
In addition, in the following description, when distinguishing four air conditioners, it shows by air conditioner No1-No4.

The control device 10 is connected to each indoor unit 2 via a communication line. The control device 10 receives measurement data sensed by a sensor or the like installed in the indoor unit 2 and the outdoor unit 3 and information related to an operation state as input information.
In addition, the control device 10 sends setting information related to the air conditioner set by the user, result data calculated inside the control device 10, and the like to the indoor unit 2 and the outdoor unit 3 as control signals.
The control device 10 may be configured by a remote controller or the like that also has a normal control function when the present invention is not applied, or may be provided separately from the normal remote controller.
The control device 10 may be a computer or the like. The communication between the control device 10 and each indoor unit 2 may be wireless communication.

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the control device according to the first embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 2, the control device 10 includes a data storage unit 101, a data storage unit 102, a data setting unit 103, an overall air conditioning load calculation unit 104, an air conditioning capacity distribution calculation unit 105, and a control signal sending unit 106. Yes.

The “data storage unit 101” corresponds to the “data storage unit” in the present invention.
The “data storage unit 102” corresponds to the “data storage unit” in the present invention.
The “total air conditioning load calculation unit 104” corresponds to “total air conditioning load calculation means” in the present invention.
The “air conditioning capacity distribution calculation unit 105” corresponds to “air conditioning capacity distribution calculation means” in the present invention.
The “control signal sending unit 106” corresponds to “control signal sending means” in the present invention.

  The data storage unit 101 stores setting data input from the user, air conditioning load data and operation information data input through a communication line, intermediate data being calculated by the calculation unit, and output data for control obtained after the calculation is completed. Store. The contents of each data will be described later.

The data storage unit 102 stores basic definition data used by the overall air conditioning load calculation unit 104 and the air conditioning capacity distribution calculation unit 105 for reference, and is referred to when necessary for the calculation.
The data stored in the data storage unit 102 includes, for example, coefficient data of a function representing a performance model that defines the relationship between air conditioning capacity and power consumption, and maximum air conditioning capacity / minimum air conditioning capacity (hereinafter referred to as “performance model data”). Etc.) are stored for each air conditioner. The contents of the data will be described later.

  The data setting unit 103 sets various data necessary for calculation and executes initialization processing.

  The overall air conditioning load calculation unit 104 refers to the capacity value (air conditioning load) of each air conditioner at the next control timing from the data storage unit 101. Then, an overall air conditioning load that is the total value of the air conditioning loads of the respective air conditioners at the next control timing is calculated and obtained. Then, the entire air conditioning load data obtained after execution is written in the data storage unit 101.

  The air conditioning capacity distribution calculation unit 105 refers to the entire air conditioning load data from the data storage unit 101. Further, the performance model data is referred from the data storage unit 102. And the process which calculates | requires the air-conditioning capability which maintains a balance with the whole air-conditioning load and reduces power consumption by calculating the allocation amount allocated to each outdoor unit in consideration of the performance model is executed. Then, the air conditioning capacity value obtained after execution is written in the data storage unit 101. Details will be described later.

  The control signal sending unit 106 reads out the air conditioning capability of each air conditioner obtained as a calculation result from the data storage unit 101, and executes a process of sending a control signal instructing the air conditioning capability to each air conditioner through a communication line. .

  The overall air conditioning load calculation unit 104, the air conditioning capacity distribution calculation unit 105, and the control signal transmission unit 106 can be realized by hardware such as a circuit device that realizes these functions, or an arithmetic device such as a microcomputer or a CPU. It can also be realized as software executed on a (computer).

  The data storage unit 101, the data storage unit 102, and the data setting unit 103 can be configured by a storage device such as a flash memory, for example.

3 is a diagram schematically showing a refrigerant circuit of the air conditioner according to Embodiment 1. FIG.
As shown in FIG. 3, in each air conditioner, an indoor unit 2 and an outdoor unit 3 are connected via a liquid connection pipe and a gas connection pipe.
In addition, although the case where the indoor unit 2 and the outdoor unit 3 of one air conditioner are one is demonstrated here, this invention is not restricted to this, The structure provided with multiple may be sufficient.

The indoor unit 2 includes an indoor heat exchanger 21, an indoor blower 22, and a temperature sensor 23.
The outdoor unit 3 includes a compressor 31, a four-way valve 32, an outdoor heat exchanger 33, an outdoor blower 34, and a throttle device 35. The compressor 31, the outdoor heat exchanger 33, the expansion device 35, and the indoor heat exchanger 21 are connected in an annular shape to form a refrigerant circuit.

  The indoor heat exchanger 21 is composed of, for example, a cross fin type fin-and-tube heat exchanger composed of heat transfer tubes and a large number of fins. The indoor heat exchanger 21 functions as a refrigerant evaporator during cooling operation to cool indoor air. The indoor heat exchanger 21 functions as a refrigerant condenser during heating operation, and heats indoor air.

  The indoor blower 22 is attached to the indoor heat exchanger 21 and includes a fan that can vary the flow rate of air supplied to the indoor heat exchanger 21. The indoor blower 22 sucks room air into the indoor unit 2 and supplies the air that has been heat-exchanged with the refrigerant by the indoor heat exchanger 21 into the air-conditioning target space 1 as supply air.

  The temperature sensor 23 is composed of, for example, a thermistor. This temperature sensor 23 detects the temperature of the refrigerant in the gas-liquid two-phase state in the indoor heat exchanger 21. That is, the condensation temperature during the heating operation and the evaporation temperature during the cooling operation are detected.

The compressor 31 can vary its operating capacity, and for example, a positive displacement compressor driven by a motor (not shown) controlled by an inverter is used. The compressor 31 is controlled by the control device 10.
In the present embodiment, a case where only one compressor 31 is provided will be described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and two or more compressors 31 are connected in parallel according to the number of indoor units 2 connected. It may be what was done.

  The four-way valve 32 is a valve for switching the direction of refrigerant flow. In the cooling operation, the four-way valve 32 connects the discharge side of the compressor 31 and the outdoor heat exchanger 33 and connects the refrigerant flow path so as to connect the suction side of the compressor 31 and the indoor heat exchanger 21. Switch. The four-way valve 32 connects the discharge side of the compressor 31 and the indoor heat exchanger 21 and connects the suction side of the compressor 31 and the outdoor heat exchanger 33 during the heating operation. Switch.

  The outdoor heat exchanger 33 is composed of, for example, a cross fin type fin-and-tube heat exchanger composed of heat transfer tubes and a large number of fins. The outdoor heat exchanger 33 has a gas side connected to the four-way valve 32 and a liquid side connected to the expansion device 35. The outdoor heat exchanger 33 functions as a refrigerant condenser during the cooling operation, and functions as a refrigerant evaporator during the heating operation.

  The outdoor blower 34 is attached to the outdoor heat exchanger 33 and includes a fan that can vary the flow rate of air supplied to the outdoor heat exchanger 33. The outdoor blower 34 sucks outdoor air into the outdoor unit 3 and discharges the air heat-exchanged with the refrigerant by the outdoor heat exchanger 33 to the outside.

  The expansion device 35 is connected to the liquid side piping of the outdoor unit 3. The throttle device 35 has a variable throttle opening and adjusts the flow rate of the refrigerant flowing in the refrigerant circuit.

  The temperature sensor 36 is composed of, for example, a thermistor. This temperature sensor 36 detects the temperature of the refrigerant in the gas-liquid two-phase state in the outdoor heat exchanger 33. That is, the condensation temperature during the cooling operation and the evaporation temperature during the heating operation are detected.

The configuration of the air conditioner control device 10 according to the present embodiment has been described above.
Next, various data stored in the data storage unit 101 and the data storage unit 102 will be described.

[Performance model data]
FIG. 4 is a representative graph showing the relationship between air conditioning capability and power consumption.
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a data format of the performance model data according to the first embodiment.
The power consumption of the air conditioner mainly includes compressor power consumption, electronic board input power, indoor / outdoor fan input power, and the like. The relationship between the air conditioning capacity and the power consumption in the air conditioner is as shown in FIG. 4, for example, and can be sufficiently approximated by a quadratic expression such as the following (Equation 1).

Here, Wk (kW) indicates the power consumption of the air conditioner k (k = 1, 2, 3,...). Q _k (kW) indicates the air conditioning capability of the air conditioner k. a _k , b _k and c _k indicate coefficient data.

The coefficient data of (Formula 1) for each air conditioner is defined as performance model data together with the minimum capacity value Q ^min (kW) and the maximum capacity value Q ^max (kW) of the air conditioner.
The performance model data is stored in the data storage unit 102 for each air conditioner, for example, in the data format shown in FIG.

Note that the minimum capacity value Q ^min and the maximum capacity value Q ^max of the air conditioner may be values set in advance according to the air conditioner, or may be dynamically set according to the operating state.
In the case of setting according to the operation state, for example, a predetermined initial value is set so that the maximum capacity value Q ^max is decreased as the operation time elapses, or the minimum capacity value Q ^min is decreased as the outdoor temperature decreases. Try to raise. By setting dynamically according to such an operating state, it is possible to ensure an appropriate refrigerant circulation amount according to the outside air temperature.

[Operation information data]
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a data format of the driving information data according to the first embodiment.
The operation information data for each air conditioner includes control information from the outside (main power off by the user, etc.) at the current operation state and next control timing, and control judgment by the air conditioner (for equipment protection after the air conditioner thermo-off) This represents the operation state at the next control timing set based on the forced stop time or the like.
For example, “1” when driving by cooperative control to be described later, “0” when stopping operation by cooperative control, “−1” when the power supply of the air conditioner is OFF, and excluding the target of cooperative control “−2” is stored in the data storage unit 101 in the data format shown in FIG.

This driving information data is handled as follows in the cooperative control, for example.
When the operation information data for a certain air conditioner is “1”, the air conditioner is in a state of being operated by cooperative control at the next control timing (hereinafter referred to as “balanced operation”). The state can be changed to OFF as required.
When the operation information data for a certain air conditioner is “0”, the air conditioner is in a state where the operation is stopped by cooperative control at the next control timing (hereinafter referred to as “balance stop”). The state can be changed to ON / OFF as necessary.
In the balance stop state, only the compressor 31 may be temporarily stopped.
The above two states are states to be subjected to cooperative control.

When the operation information data for a certain air conditioner is “−1”, the power supply of the air conditioner is OFF. The power OFF is an open state of the main power switch by the user, and there is no return to the thermo ON / OFF state or the state other than the cooperative control unless the user switches to the closed state of the main power switch.
When the operation information data for a certain air conditioner is “−2”, the main power switch is in the closed state and the thermo ON / OFF state, but the cooperative control is performed according to the setting by the user or the judgment by the control function. It leaves | separates from the air conditioner group used as object, and will be in the state outside the object of cooperative control.

[Air conditioning load data]
The air conditioning load data for each air conditioner determines the air conditioning capacity to be output at the next control timing based on the measurement information from the sensors provided in each air conditioner.
However, air conditioning load data cannot be obtained from an air conditioner that is in a power-off state or an air conditioner that is not subject to cooperative control.

In the present embodiment, the air conditioning capacity is the air conditioning load (kW) of each air conditioner at the next control timing. For example, the rotational speed (Hz) of the compressor 31 is determined according to the difference (ΔT _j ) between the set temperature of the air conditioner and the room temperature, and the air conditioning capacity (kW) is determined according to this rotational speed, Let it be the air conditioning load (kW) of the air conditioner.

  The air conditioning load data is transmitted to the control device 10 through the communication line, and is stored in the data storage unit 101 in the data format shown in FIG.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a data format of air conditioning load data according to the first embodiment.
In FIG. 7, for example, the air conditioning load data obtained based on the operation information data illustrated in FIG. 6 represents the air conditioning load (≧ 0) other than the air conditioner No 4 that is in the power-off state.
For example, the air conditioning load is expressed as “−1” for an air conditioner that is in a power OFF state. Moreover, what is necessary is just to express an air-conditioning load as "-2" with respect to the air conditioner which is a state outside a cooperative control object.

Next, the contents of cooperative control processing by the plurality of air conditioners of Embodiment 1 will be described.
Using the relationship between the air conditioning capacity and the power consumption expressed by the secondary expression of the above (Equation 1), the air conditioner operating at the next control timing (in this case, the air conditioners No 1, 2, 3, 4 The air conditioning capacity for reducing the power consumption is assigned to the four units as follows.

For a certain overall air conditioning load L, the power consumption W _k (k = 1, 2, 3) while maintaining a balance between the total air conditioning load L and the total air conditioning capacity Q _k (k = 1, 2, 3,...) During operation. Consider the problem of minimizing the sum of (...).
Here, Q ^min and Q ^max are the minimum capacity and maximum capacity of the air conditioner.

  That is, the sum of the power consumption of each air conditioner is a multivariable function with the air conditioning capability Q of each air conditioner as a variable. Then, under the constraint that the sum of the air conditioning capacities Q of the respective air conditioners becomes the total air conditioning load L, the air conditioning capacities Q of the respective air conditioners where the above multivariable functions are extreme values are obtained.

The solution of the problem of (Formula 2) can be obtained analytically.
Here, for example, a case where the Lagrange's undetermined multiplier method is used will be described. Note that the present invention is not limited to this as long as it seeks a solution to the above problem.

  First, an intermediate variable μ whose coefficient is a constraint condition that the sum of the air conditioning capacities Q of the respective air conditioners becomes the overall air conditioning load L is added to the above (Equation 2), and a second multiplicity like Consider a variable function F.

  Next, the following (Formula 4) is obtained from the extreme value condition of the above (Formula 3).

  By arranging the above (Equation 4), an intermediate variable μ that satisfies the condition that each variable of the second multivariable function F is an extreme value is given by the following (Equation 5).

In other words, using the intermediate variable μ, which is a Lagrange multiplier in (Expression 2), which is a constraint expression representing the balance maintenance of the total air conditioning load L and the sum of the air conditioning capacity Q _k , the air conditioning capacity Q of each air conditioner is Is given by an algebraic expression.

  In this way, by obtaining the air conditioning capability Q of each air conditioner based on the intermediate variable μ and the performance model data, the plurality of air conditioners subject to cooperative control meet the overall air conditioning load L with the minimum power consumption. Only air conditioning capability can be sought.

  Next, the operation of the cooperative control process in the first embodiment will be specifically described.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the operation of the cooperative control process according to the first embodiment.
Hereinafter, a description will be given along the flowchart of FIG.

(S101)
With the start process S101, the control device 10 starts a series of arithmetic processes according to the flow.

(S102)
First, in the initial data reading process S102, the data setting unit 103 refers to the performance model data D101 stored in advance in the data storage unit 102.
In addition, the data setting unit 103 is the air conditioning at the next control timing measured by each air conditioner that is stored in the data storage unit 101 and is a target of cooperative control and is in a measurable state (balance operation and balance stop state). Reference is made to the load data D102.
Further, the data setting unit 103 refers to the air conditioner operation information data D103 in the balance operation and balance stop states at the next control timing.
Then, the data setting unit 103 sets the referenced performance model data D101, the air conditioning load data D102, and the operation information data D103 as initial data, and initializes the calculation.

Specifically, the data setting unit 103 sets the number of operation targets to be controlled from the operation information data D103 to a variable on the memory, and sets performance model data for the number of operation units to a variable on the memory for each air conditioner No. To do.
At this time, a variable for the overall air conditioning load L, an intermediate variable μ, and a variable for the air conditioning capacity Q _k (k = 1, 2, 3,...) Of each air conditioner are initialized to “0”.

(S103)
Next, the overall air conditioning load calculation unit 104 obtains the overall air conditioning load L from the air conditioning load data D102.
Specifically, the calculation is performed as follows.
First, based on the operation information data D103, an air conditioner (an air conditioner in a balance operation and balance stop state) that is a target for cooperative control is obtained. Then, the air conditioning load of the air conditioner that is the object of cooperative control is obtained from the air conditioning load data D102, and the total value is obtained as the overall air conditioning load L.

For example, assuming that the operation information data D103 is, for example, FIG. 6 and the air conditioning load data D102 is, for example, L ₁ , L ₂ , L ₃ , −1 as shown in FIG. The total air conditioning load obtained from the air conditioners No. _{1 to 3} in a state where the air conditioning load can be measured is L = L ₁ + L ₂ + L ₃ .

(S104)
Subsequently, the air conditioning capability distribution calculation unit 105 obtains the intermediate variable μ from the performance model data D101, the air conditioning load data D102, and the operation information data D103 according to the above (Formula 5).
Then, the result is stored in a variable of the data storage unit 101.

(S105)
Next, the air conditioning capacity distribution calculation unit 105 selects one of the first air conditioners (for example, the one having the smallest air conditioner No.) among the air conditioners that are operating.

(S106)
The air conditioning capacity distribution calculation unit 105 determines the air conditioning capacity Q for the air conditioner selected in step S105 from the intermediate variable μ stored in the data storage unit 101 and the performance model data D101 according to the above (Equation 6). _{Find k} .
Then, the result is stored in a variable of the data storage unit 101.

Here, there may be a case where the air conditioning capability Q _k of each air conditioner obtained by the above calculation does not belong to the range of the constraint condition Q ^min ≦ Q ≦ Q ^max .
The recovery calculation in this case will be described.

FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining processing when the constraint condition Q ^min ≦ Q ≦ Q ^max is not satisfied according to the first embodiment. The horizontal axis in FIG. 9 indicates the air conditioning capability, and the vertical axis indicates the intermediate variable obtained by the above (Formula 5).
For example, if the operation information data D103 is FIG. 6, the air conditioners in the balance operation state are the air conditioners No. 1 and No. 3. At this time, the air conditioning capability Q ₁ of the air conditioner No ₁ and the air conditioning capability Q 3 of the air conditioner No ₃ are obtained by the above-described processing.
For example, as shown in FIG. 9, it is assumed that the air conditioning capability Q ₁ (point A3) is within the range of Q ^min (point A2) to Q ^max (point A1).
Further, it is assumed that the air conditioning capability Q ₃ (point B3) is outside the range from Q ^min (point B2) to Q ^max (point B1) (Q ^min or less).

The air conditioning capacity distribution calculation unit 105 performs the following processing.
First, the air conditioning capacity Q _k of an air conditioner that does not belong to the air conditioning capacity range (Q ^min ≦ Q ≦ Q ^max ) set in the performance model data D103 is set to the limit value (Q ^min or Q ^max ) of the air conditioning capacity range. To do. For example, when the air conditioning capability Q _k falls below the minimum capability value Q ^min , the air conditioning capability Q _k is set as the minimum capability value Q ^min . When the air conditioning capability Q _k exceeds the maximum capability value Q ^max , the air conditioning capability Q _k is set as the maximum capability value Q ^max .
In the example of FIG. 9, the air conditioning capacity Q ₃ of the air conditioner No3, fixed to the minimum capacity value Q ₃ ^min and equivalence of Q ₃ '(point B2).

Next, the air conditioning capacity is obtained again for the air conditioners other than the air conditioner not belonging to the range of the air conditioning capacity.
At this time, the second overall air conditioning load L ′ obtained by excluding the air conditioning capability of the air conditioner that does not belong to the range of the air conditioning capability from the overall air conditioning load L is obtained.
Then, using this second overall air conditioning load L ′, an intermediate variable μ ′ is obtained again according to the above (Formula 5). From the intermediate variable μ ′ and the performance model data D101, the air conditioning capability of the air conditioner belonging to the range of the air conditioning capability is obtained according to the above (Equation 6).
That is, air conditioning is performed so that the sum of air conditioning capacities of air conditioners belonging to the range of air conditioning capacities becomes the second overall air conditioning load L ′ and the sum of power consumption of air conditioners belonging to the range of air conditioning capacities is minimized. Find the air conditioning capacity of an air conditioner that belongs to the capacity range.

In the example of FIG. 9, a second overall air conditioning load L ′ obtained by removing the air conditioning capability Q ₃ ′ of the air conditioner 3 from the overall air conditioning load L is obtained. In this example, since there is one air conditioner belonging to the range of the air conditioning capacity, the air conditioning capacity Q ₁ of the air conditioner No. ₁ becomes Q ₁ ′ (point A4) equivalent to the second overall air conditioning load L ′. That is, since the air conditioning capability Q ₃ has increased to Q ₃ ′, Q ₁ ′ will decrease from Q ₁ .

Also, for example, if four air conditioners are subject to cooperative control and one of them falls outside the constraint condition Q ^min ≦ Q ≦ Q ^max , the air conditioning capacity of the air conditioner that deviates from the constraint condition The limit value is fixed, and the intermediate variable μ is calculated again with the remaining three units.

  In addition, in FIG. 9, although the case where one constraint condition was removed was described, even when a plurality of units were removed, the air conditioners that deviated from the constraint condition were fixed within the constraint condition (limit value) one by one, Each intermediate variable μ is calculated again.

By performing the recovery calculation as described above, the air conditioning capability Q _k of each air conditioner belongs to the range of the air conditioning capability (Q ^min ≦ Q ≦ Q ^max ), and the sum of the air conditioning capabilities Q _k of each air conditioner is Each air conditioning capability Q _k that is the air conditioning capability that becomes the overall air conditioning load L and that minimizes the sum of the power consumption W _k of each air conditioner can be obtained.

(S107)
Subsequently, in the air conditioner selection end determination process S107, the air conditioning capacity distribution calculation unit 105 determines whether or not the process has been completed for all the air conditioners in operation.

(S108)
If not completed, the process proceeds to the unselected air conditioner selection process S108, and the air conditioning capacity distribution calculation unit 105 selects the next air conditioner from the unselected air conditioners, returns to process S106, and repeats the process. .
When all the air conditioners are selected and the calculation of the air conditioning capacity is completed, the process proceeds to the control signal transmission process S109.

(S109)
In the control signal transmission process S109, the control signal transmission unit 106 reads out from the data storage unit 101, as output data, the air conditioning capability value obtained as a result of a series of calculations for each air conditioner.
And the control signal which implement | achieves the said air-conditioning capability value is sent to each air conditioner through a communication line according to the following control timing.

(S110)
A series of arithmetic processing is ended by the end processing S110.

  By such cooperative control, it is possible to distribute and operate the capacity sufficient for the required overall air conditioning load L to reduce power consumption to each air conditioner that is the target of cooperative control during operation. The air conditioner can be controlled by obtaining an operating condition that reduces power consumption as an air conditioning system.

As described above, in the present embodiment, based on the performance model data and the overall air conditioning load L, the sum of the air conditioning capabilities Q of the plurality of air conditioners becomes the overall air conditioning load L, and the power consumption of the plurality of air conditioners The air conditioning capability Q of each of the plurality of air conditioners is obtained so that the sum of W is minimized.
Therefore, it is possible to reduce the overall air conditioning load L of the air-conditioning target space 1, the total sum of power consumption W _k while keeping the balance of the sum of air conditioning capability Q _k of air conditioners in operation.

In addition, in the process of obtaining the air conditioning capacity Q of each of the plurality of air conditioners, the air conditioning capacity of the air conditioner that does not belong to the range of the air conditioning capacity is set as the limit value of the range of the air conditioning capacity. Ask for air conditioning capacity.
As a result, while the air conditioning capacity of each air conditioner is within the range of the air conditioning capacity, the sum of the air conditioning capacity of each air conditioner is the air conditioning capacity that becomes the overall air conditioning load, and the sum of the power consumption of each air conditioner is minimized. The air conditioning capability of each air conditioner to be performed can be obtained.
Therefore, even when the air conditioning capacity is out of the range from the minimum capacity value to the maximum capacity value of each air conditioner, there is an effect that more detailed energy saving can be achieved while responding to the actual operation status. .

Further, an intermediate variable μ is obtained based on (Equation 5) using the overall air conditioning load L and the performance model data, and based on this intermediate variable μ and the performance model data, the air conditioning capacity of each air conditioner is obtained according to (Equation 6). seek Q _k, respectively.
Therefore, the total air conditioning capacity of the air conditioner becomes the total air conditioning load, and the air conditioning capacity that minimizes the total power consumption can be calculated from the total air conditioning load L and the performance model data.

  In the first embodiment, the contents of cooperative control processing by a plurality of air conditioners have been described using the flowchart shown in FIG. 8, but this flowchart may be realized by a program that substantially executes the contents of cooperative control processing. good. This program is installed in the microcomputer of the remote controller as the control device 10, but when it is configured by a computer without using the remote controller as the control device 10, for example, it is stored in a hard disk or the like as a recording medium Can be considered.

In addition to the hard disk, the computer-readable medium on which the program is recorded may be a CD-ROM, MO, or the like.
Furthermore, the program itself can be acquired via an electric communication line without using a recording medium.

In the first embodiment, the air conditioner control device 10 that controls a plurality of air conditioners has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a refrigerating system that controls a plurality of refrigeration devices installed in the same space as a cooling target. Even the control device of the apparatus can apply the operation of the first embodiment.
For example, in a system including a plurality of refrigeration apparatuses that cool the interior of a refrigeration showcase or the like with the indoor heat exchanger 21, similarly, the relationship between the refrigeration capacity and the power consumption for each of the plurality of refrigeration apparatuses, Performance model data including information on the range is stored, and an overall refrigeration load that is the total value of the refrigeration loads of a plurality of refrigeration apparatuses is obtained.
Based on the performance model data and the total refrigeration load, the refrigeration capacities of the plurality of refrigeration apparatuses belong to the range of refrigeration capacities, and the sum of the refrigeration capacities of the plurality of refrigeration apparatuses is the total refrigeration load. Thus, by obtaining the refrigerating capacity of each of the plurality of refrigeration apparatuses that minimizes the sum of the power consumption of the plurality of refrigeration apparatuses, it is possible to perform cooperative control similar to that of the first embodiment. Thus, the total power consumption can be reduced while keeping the balance between the total refrigeration load and the total refrigerating capacity of the refrigerating apparatus while keeping the refrigerating capacity of each refrigerating apparatus within the range of the refrigerating capacity.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Air-conditioning object space, 2 indoor unit, 3 outdoor unit, 10 control apparatus, 21 indoor heat exchanger, 22 indoor air blower, 23 temperature sensor, 31 compressor, 32 four-way valve, 33 outdoor heat exchanger, 34 outdoor air blower, 35 A throttle device, 36 temperature sensors, 100 operation control means, 101 data storage section, 102 data storage section, 103 data setting section, 104 overall air conditioning load calculation section, 105 air conditioning capacity distribution calculation section, 106 control signal sending section.

Claims (3)

A control device for an air conditioner that controls a plurality of air conditioners installed in the same space for air conditioning,
For each of the plurality of air conditioners, the power consumption, data storage means and the information of the coefficients of the quadratic function that approximates the air-conditioning capacity as a variable, performance model data including the information about the range of the air conditioning capacity is stored When,
An overall air conditioning load calculating means for obtaining an overall air conditioning load that is a total value of the air conditioning loads of the plurality of air conditioners;
Based on the performance model data and the overall air conditioning load, air conditioning capacity distribution calculating means for obtaining the air conditioning capacity of each of the plurality of air conditioners,
Control signal sending means for sending a control signal related to the air conditioning capability to each of the plurality of air conditioners,
The air conditioning capacity distribution calculating means includes:
The sum of the air conditioning capabilities of the plurality of air conditioners is the total air conditioning load as a multivariable function that approximates the sum of power consumption of the plurality of air conditioners by adding the quadratic function for each air conditioner. In the second multivariable function obtained by adding intermediate variables having equal constraint conditions as coefficients, the intermediate variable that satisfies the condition that each air conditioning capability of the second multivariable function has an extreme value is the total air conditioning load. A first calculation formula expressed by the coefficient of the quadratic function;
Under the constraint condition, a second calculation formula representing the air conditioning capacity of each air conditioner in which the multivariable function is an extreme value by the intermediate variable and the coefficient of the quadratic function;
Is preset,
Based on the first calculation formula using the overall air conditioning load obtained by the overall air conditioning load calculating means and the coefficient information of the quadratic function of the performance model data, the intermediate variable is obtained,
Based on the second calculation formula using the intermediate variable and information on the coefficient of the quadratic function of the performance model data, the air conditioning capacity of each air conditioner is obtained,
The air conditioning capacity of the air conditioner that does not belong to the range of the air conditioning capacity among the air conditioning capacity is set as a limit value of the range of the air conditioning capacity,
For the air conditioner belonging to the range of the air conditioning capacity, again determine the intermediate variable, and based on the second calculation formula using the intermediate variable and information on the coefficient of the quadratic function of the performance model data, An air conditioner control device, wherein the air conditioner capacity of each air conditioner belonging to the range of the air conditioner capacity is obtained . The air conditioning capacity distribution calculating means includes:
Obtaining a second overall air conditioning load excluding the air conditioning capacity of the air conditioner that does not belong to the range of the air conditioning capacity from the overall air conditioning load;
Based on the first calculation formula using the second overall air conditioning load and information on the coefficient of the quadratic function of the performance model data of the air conditioner belonging to the range of the air conditioning capacity , the intermediate variable is Seeking
The air conditioning capacity of the air conditioner belonging to the range of the air conditioning capacity is obtained based on the second calculation formula using the intermediate variable and information on the coefficient of the quadratic function of the performance model data. The control apparatus of the air conditioner of Claim 1 . A control device for a refrigeration apparatus that controls a plurality of refrigeration apparatuses installed in the same space as a cooling target,
For each of the plurality of refrigeration system, the power consumption, and the information of the coefficients of the quadratic function that approximates the refrigeration capacity as a variable, a data storage means for performance model data is stored containing information as to the scope of the refrigerating capacity ,
An overall refrigeration load calculating means for obtaining an overall refrigeration load that is a total value of the refrigeration loads of the plurality of refrigeration apparatuses;
Refrigeration capacity distribution calculating means for determining the refrigeration capacity of each of the plurality of refrigeration devices based on the performance model data and the total refrigeration load;
Control signal sending means for sending a control signal related to the refrigerating capacity to each of the plurality of refrigeration apparatuses,
The refrigeration capacity distribution calculating means is
Constraint that the sum of the refrigeration capacities of the plurality of refrigeration devices is equal to the total refrigeration load, in a multivariable function that approximates the sum of the power consumption of the plurality of refrigeration devices by adding the quadratic function for each refrigeration device In a second multivariable function obtained by adding an intermediate variable having a condition as a coefficient, the intermediate variable satisfying the condition that each refrigeration capacity of the second multivariable function becomes an extreme value is expressed as the total refrigeration load and the secondary A first calculation formula expressed by the coefficient of the function;
Under the constraint condition, a second calculation formula representing the refrigeration capacity of each refrigeration apparatus in which the multivariable function is an extreme value by the intermediate variable and the coefficient of the quadratic function;
Is preset,
Based on the first calculation formula using the total refrigeration load obtained by the total refrigeration load calculation means and information on the coefficient of the quadratic function of the performance model data, the intermediate variable is obtained,
Based on the second calculation formula using the intermediate variable and information on the coefficient of the quadratic function of the performance model data, the refrigeration capacity of each refrigeration device is determined,
Among the refrigeration capacities, the refrigeration capacity of the refrigeration apparatus that does not belong to the range of the refrigeration capacity, the limit value of the range of the refrigeration capacity,
For the refrigeration apparatus belonging to the range of the refrigeration capacity, again determine the intermediate variable, based on the second calculation formula using the intermediate variable and information on the coefficient of the quadratic function of the performance model data, A control device for a refrigerating apparatus, wherein the refrigerating capacity of each refrigerating apparatus belonging to a range of refrigerating capacity is obtained .

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