Demand Response Control System

Abstract

This system provides a demand response control system that enables production in response to a demand response to begin in a short time after the demand response is triggered. [Solution] The demand response control system comprises a storage device that stores a basic production plan in which jobs are arranged in chronological order, and a processing device. Before a demand response is activated, the processing device performs a prediction process to obtain or calculate a prediction period that is expected to be the period subject to the demand response, a planning process to create at least one backup production plan from the basic production plan based on the prediction period, and a storage process to store the at least one backup production plan in the storage device. After the demand response is activated, the processing device performs a corresponding process to select an applicable production plan from the at least one backup production plan stored in the storage device and output information regarding the applicable production plan.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a demand response control system.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 below discloses an industrial demand response realization system that starts a determination process for whether demand response can be realized when a demand response request is received from a power provider. That is, in the industrial demand response realization system described in Patent Document 1, the determination process for whether demand response can be realized is started only after a demand response is requested from the power provider.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, the time from when demand response is activated until the target period of demand response starts is short. Therefore, if consideration of changing the production plan starts after demand response is activated, there is a risk that production corresponding to demand response cannot be started by the time the target period of demand response starts.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a demand response control system that can start production corresponding to demand response in a short time after demand response is activated.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] To solve the above problems, a demand response control system according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a storage device that stores a basic production plan in which jobs are arranged in chronological order, and a processing device, wherein the processing device performs a prediction process to obtain or calculate a prediction period that is expected to be the target period of the demand response before the demand response is activated, a planning process to create at least one backup production plan from the basic production plan based on the prediction period, and a storage process to store the at least one backup production plan in the storage device, and after the demand response is activated, it performs a corresponding process to select an applicable production plan from the at least one backup production plan stored in the storage device and output information regarding the applicable production plan. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] A demand response control system according to one aspect of this disclosure has the effect of enabling production in response to a demand response to begin in a short time after the demand response is triggered. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a block diagram of the demand response control system. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is an illustrative diagram of the basic production plan. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a scatter plot of actual power consumption data. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a flowchart of the pre-program. [Figure 5] Figure 5 illustrates the method for creating a reserve production plan. [Figure 6] Figure 6 is a flowchart of the post-event program. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] In recent years, facilities with high electricity consumption, such as factories, have been required to implement demand response. Demand response is a method of adjusting demand to match the supply of electricity, rather than adjusting supply to match demand. For example, if there is a concern about a power shortage, a power company or an intermediary business called an aggregator may issue a demand response to a factory, and the factory will respond by reducing its electricity demand, i.e., its electricity consumption, during the period covered by the demand response (for example, a few hours during the day).

[0010] In factories equipped with production facilities, significant reductions in power consumption can be achieved not only by controlling the power consumption of lighting and air conditioning equipment, but also by reducing the power consumption of the production facilities themselves. However, reducing the power consumption of production facilities requires changes to the production plan. The problem is that the time between the activation of demand response measures and the start of the period covered by those measures is short. Therefore, if production plans are formulated after demand response measures are activated, there is a risk that production adapted to the demand response may not be able to start before the period covered by those measures begins.

[0011] Therefore, the demand response control system according to the first aspect of the present disclosure comprises a storage device for storing a basic production plan in which jobs are arranged in chronological order, and a processing device, wherein the processing device performs a prediction process to obtain or calculate a prediction period that is expected to be the target period of the demand response before the demand response is activated, a planning process to create at least one backup production plan from the basic production plan based on the prediction period, and a storage process to store the at least one backup production plan in the storage device, and after the demand response is activated, it performs a corresponding process to select an applicable production plan from the at least one backup production plan stored in the storage device and output information regarding the applicable production plan.

[0012] This demand response control system creates at least one preliminary production plan before the demand response is triggered, and after the demand response is triggered, it selects the actual production plan to be adopted from at least one preliminary production plan. Therefore, this demand response control system eliminates the need to formulate a production plan after the demand response is triggered, and allows production to start in response to the demand response in a short time after the demand response is triggered.

[0013] A second aspect of the demand response control system of the first aspect of this disclosure is a demand response control system in which the processing device, in the planning process, selects jobs to be moved from the jobs in the basic production plan that fall within the forecast period, and moves the jobs to be moved to create at least one preliminary production plan from the basic production plan.

[0014] This demand response control system creates a backup production plan by shifting jobs that fall within the forecast period of the basic production plan. Therefore, this demand response control system makes it easy to create a backup production plan.

[0015] A third aspect of the demand response control system of the present disclosure, in the demand response control system of the second aspect, wherein the processing device, in the planning process, extracts job candidates for relocation, which are jobs in the basic production plan that fall within the forecast period, and determines whether or not to select the job candidates for relocation as a job to be relocated, based on the estimated suppression power that is estimated to be suppressed when the job candidates for relocation are canceled.

[0016] As described above, in the demand response control system of the second aspect, a preliminary production plan is created by moving the jobs to be moved in the basic production plan. Then, in the demand response control system of the second aspect, the jobs to be moved are selected based on the estimated suppression power. Therefore, according to this demand response control system, appropriate jobs to be moved can be selected from the perspective of suppression power.

[0017] In the demand response control system of the fourth aspect of the present disclosure, in the demand response control system of the third aspect, in the planning process, the processing device calculates the estimated suppression power based on the power consumption performance data indicating the relationship between the operating time and power consumption of the equipment used in the candidate jobs to be moved.

[0018] As described above, in the demand response control system of the third aspect, jobs to be moved are selected based on the estimated suppression power. Then, in the demand response control system of the fourth aspect, this estimated suppression power is calculated based on the power consumption performance data indicating the relationship between the operating time and power consumption of the equipment. Since the estimated suppression power is calculated based on past performance in this way, the estimated suppression power can be calculated with high accuracy.

[0019] In the demand response control system of the fifth aspect of the present disclosure, in the demand response control system of the fourth aspect, in the planning process, the processing device creates a regression equation representing the power consumption of the production equipment with the operating time of the production equipment as a variable based on the power consumption performance data of the production equipment used in the candidate jobs to be moved, and calculates the estimated suppression power using the regression equation.

[0020] In this demand response control system, since the estimated suppression power is calculated using the regression equation created based on the power consumption performance data, the estimated suppression power can be easily calculated.

[0021] In the demand response control system according to the sixth aspect of the present disclosure, in the demand response control system according to the first aspect, when the processing device transmits an approval request to an approval processing terminal operated by an approver of the preliminary production plan in the storage process and receives an approved notice transmitted in response to the approval request from the approval processing terminal, the processing device stores the preliminary production plan in the storage device.

[0022] In this demand response control system, in order to store the preliminary production plan approved by the approver in the storage device, all the preliminary production plans stored in the storage device become approved production plans. Therefore, according to this demand response control system, the approval work of the production plan after the demand response is activated can be omitted, and production corresponding to the demand response can be started in a short time after the demand response is activated.

[0023] In the demand response control system according to the seventh aspect of the present disclosure, in the demand response control system according to the first aspect, in the corresponding process, the processing device selects, as the applicable production plan, a preliminary production plan in which the target period and the prediction period of the activated demand response match among the at least one preliminary production plan stored in the storage device.

[0024] As described above, in the demand response control system according to the first aspect, the applicable production plan is selected from at least one preliminary production plan stored in the storage device. And in the demand response control system according to the seventh aspect, a preliminary production plan in which the target period and the prediction period of the activated demand response match is selected as the applicable production plan. Therefore, an appropriate preliminary production plan can be selected as the applicable production plan.

[0025] An eighth aspect of the demand response control system of the first aspect of this disclosure includes a processing device which, in the corresponding processing, identifies unused work areas in which jobs are not performed in the applicable production plan, and changes the air conditioning control mode of the air conditioning equipment in the unused work area from a normal air conditioning control mode to a suppressed air conditioning control mode in which the output of the air conditioning equipment is lower than that of the normal air conditioning control mode.

[0026] This demand response control system controls the air conditioning equipment in unused work areas where no jobs are being performed, using a low-output suppression air conditioning control mode. Therefore, this demand response control system can reduce not only the power consumption of production equipment but also the power consumption of air conditioning equipment.

[0027] The following describes specific examples of the above embodiments of this disclosure with reference to the attached drawings. The specific examples described below are all examples of the above embodiments of this disclosure. Therefore, the shapes, numerical values, components, arrangement positions of components, and connection configurations shown below do not limit the scope of the claims unless they are described in the claims.

[0028] Furthermore, among the components described below, those not described in the independent claim representing the highest-level concept of this disclosure will be described as optional components. Also, in the drawings, components with the same reference numeral may not be described. The drawings are schematic representations of each component for ease of understanding, and the shape and dimensional ratios may not be accurately represented.

[0029] Furthermore, in the operation of the apparatus, the order of the processes may be changed or known processes may be added as needed.

[0030] (Overall system configuration) First, the overall configuration of the demand response control system 100 according to this embodiment will be described. The demand response control system 100 according to this embodiment is a system for promptly starting production in response to a demand response after the demand response has been activated. Figure 1 is a block diagram of the demand response control system 100.

[0031] As shown in Figure 1, the demand response control system 100 according to this embodiment comprises a processing unit 10 and a storage device 20. The processing unit 10 and the storage device 20 will be described in order below.

[0032] <Processing device> The processing unit 10 includes a processor, volatile memory, non-volatile memory, and an I / O interface. The non-volatile memory of the processing unit 10 stores various programs, including "pre-programs" and "post-programs" described later, and the processor performs arithmetic processing using the volatile memory based on each program. The processing unit 10 may consist of one device or multiple devices.

[0033] As shown in Figure 1, the processing unit 10 is communicatively connected to the storage device 20, the demand response prediction system 101, the demand response activation system 102, the approval processing terminal 103, the production plan notification system 104, and the air conditioning control system 105. These devices and systems are as follows:

[0034] [Storage device] The storage device 20 is a device that stores various types of data. The processing device 10 can retrieve data stored in the storage device 20 and can also store various types of data in the storage device 20. Details of the storage device 20 will be described later.

[0035] [Demand Response Prediction System] The demand response forecasting system 101 is a system operated by an external organization, such as the Japan Meteorological Association, and can provide demand response forecasting data to others. The processing unit 10 can acquire demand response forecasting data from the demand response forecasting system 101. The demand response forecasting data includes whether or not the demand response predicted by the external organization will be activated, and the period covered by the demand response predicted by the external organization.

[0036] [Demand Response Activation System] The demand response activation system 102 is a system operated by power companies and aggregators. When there is a concern about power shortages, a demand response command is transmitted from the demand response activation system 102. By receiving the demand response command transmitted from the demand response activation system 102, the processing unit 10 can obtain information regarding the activation of the demand response, as well as information regarding the period covered by the activated demand response.

[0037] [Approval Processing Terminal] The approval processing terminal 103 is a terminal used by the approver to approve the preliminary production plan devised by the processing unit 10, and is operated by the approver. The approval processing terminal 103 is, for example, a personal computer, a tablet computer, or a smartphone. The processing unit 10 can send an approval request to the approval processing terminal 103 and receive an approval notification from the approval processing terminal 103. Approval requests and approval notifications will be described later.

[0038] [Production Plan Notification System] The production plan notification system 104 is a system for notifying workers of the production plan. The processing unit 10 can output (transmit) production plan information to the production plan notification system 104. When the production plan notification system 104 receives the production plan information, it can, for example, display the production plan on a display or print out a sheet of paper containing the production plan. This allows workers to check the latest production plan.

[0039] [Air Conditioning Control System] The air conditioning control system 105 is a system that controls the air conditioning equipment 106 in each work area within the factory. By controlling each air conditioning equipment 106, the air conditioning control system 105 of this embodiment can adjust the temperature and humidity of each work area. Furthermore, the air conditioning control system 105 of this embodiment controls each air conditioning equipment 106 using multiple air conditioning control modes. The processing device 10 can instruct the air conditioning control system 105 on which air conditioning control mode to use to control each air conditioning equipment 106 by transmitting an air conditioning control command to the air conditioning control system 105.

[0040] <Storage device> Next, the storage device 20 will be described. As mentioned above, the storage device 20 is a device for storing various types of data and is connected to the processing unit 10 in a communicative manner. In this embodiment, the storage device 20 is a separate device from the processing unit 10, but the storage device 20 may constitute a part of the processing unit 10. For example, the storage device 20 may be the non-volatile memory of the processing unit 10.

[0041] The storage device 20 in this embodiment stores the basic production plan, the backup production plan, actual power consumption data, and worker data. These data are as follows:

[0042] [Basic Production Plan] The basic production plan is the production plan implemented when demand response is not activated. Figure 2 is an illustrative diagram of the basic production plan. Figure 2 shows the basic production plan for one week (5 days). In the basic production plan shown in Figure 2, jobs using the first production facility, the second production facility, and the third production facility are arranged in chronological order. The jobs using the first production facility, the second production facility, and the third production facility are carried out in the first work area, the second work area, and the third work area, respectively.

[0043] In the basic production plan shown in Figure 2, jobs 11 through 17, which are performed using the first production facility, are scheduled sequentially from Day 1 to Day 5. Similarly, jobs 21 through 26, which are performed using the second production facility, are scheduled sequentially from Day 1 to Day 5, and jobs 31 through 37, which are performed using the third production facility, are scheduled sequentially from Day 1 to Day 5. Furthermore, the basic production plan shown in Figure 2 includes "empty slots" in the latter half of Day 5 where no jobs are scheduled. Note that in this embodiment, "jobs" include not only complete sets of tasks such as Job 11 and Job 12 shown in Figure 2, but also partial tasks that make up sets of tasks such as Job 11 and Job 12.

[0044] Furthermore, the basic production plan shown in Figure 2 also shows the workers performing each job in chronological order. In the basic production plan shown in Figure 2, six workers, from worker A to worker F, perform each job. Specifically, workers A, B, and C perform their respective jobs from Day 1 to the first half of Day 5, while workers D, E, and F perform their respective jobs from Day 1 to the second half of Day 4.

[0045] [Pre-production plan] The reserve production plan is a production plan created by the processing unit 10 before the demand response is activated. The reserve production plan is created from the basic production plan. In other words, the reserve production plan is a modified version of the basic production plan. The method for creating the reserve production plan will be described later.

[0046] [Power Consumption Actual Data] The power consumption data represents the relationship between operating time and power consumption for each production facility (the first, second, and third production facilities in the basic production plan shown in Figure 2) during past operations. Figure 3 is a scatter plot of the power consumption data plotting the relationship between operating time and power consumption for a particular production facility during past operations. In Figure 3, the horizontal axis represents operating time and the vertical axis represents power consumption. In this embodiment, the power consumption data is updated periodically or irregularly. For example, the processing unit 10 may acquire data on operating time and power consumption from each production facility each time it operates and update the power consumption data based on that data. The method of using the power consumption data will be described later.

[0047] [Worker Data] Worker data is data relating to each worker. In this embodiment, the worker data includes the quantified work efficiency of each worker. The worker data may also include the types of jobs each worker can perform and their estimated weekly work hours. In this embodiment, the worker data is updated periodically or irregularly. The above is the overall configuration of the demand response control system 100 according to this embodiment.

[0048] (Pre-program) Next, the pre-program executed by the processing unit 10 will be described. The pre-program is a program that plans a preliminary production schedule and stores it in the storage device 20 before the demand response is activated. In other words, the pre-program is executed before the demand response is activated. In this embodiment, the processing unit 10 executes the pre-program once a week (there are 5 working days in a week), but the frequency of executing the pre-program is not limited; for example, it may be executed daily or once a month.

[0049] <Predictive Processing> Figure 4 is a flowchart of the pre-program. As shown in Figure 4, when the pre-program is started, the processing unit 10 performs a prediction process (step S10). The prediction process is the process of obtaining or calculating the period that is predicted to be the target period for demand response in the future (hereinafter referred to as the "prediction period"). In this embodiment, the processing unit 10 obtains the prediction period from the demand response prediction system 101 (see Figure 1). At that time, the processing unit 10 obtains, for example, a prediction period of one week. However, the processing unit 10 may calculate the prediction period instead of obtaining it from the demand response prediction system 101. For example, the processing unit 10 may calculate the prediction period based on historical data such as temperature and timing when demand response was triggered in the past and future weather forecasts.

[0050] <Planning Process> After performing the prediction process in step S10, the processing unit 10 performs a planning process (step S20). The planning process is the process of creating a preliminary production plan based on the prediction period obtained or calculated in step S10.

[0051] When the processing unit 10 executes the planning process, it first obtains the basic production plan from the storage device 20 (step S21). An illustrative diagram of the basic production plan is shown in Figure 2.

[0052] Next, the processing unit 10 extracts candidate jobs for relocation (step S22). Candidate jobs for relocation are jobs that are candidates for the jobs to be relocated, as described later. In this embodiment, all jobs in the basic production plan that fall within the forecast period are extracted as candidate jobs for relocation. Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating the method for creating a preliminary production plan from the basic production plan shown in Figure 2. For example, as shown in Figure 5, if a portion of Day 2 in the basic production plan is the forecast period, the processing unit 10 extracts all three jobs corresponding to the shaded portions of Job13, Job23, and Job34 that fall within this forecast period as candidate jobs for relocation.

[0053] Next, the processing unit 10 calculates the estimated suppression power for each candidate job to be moved that was extracted in step S22 (step S23). The estimated suppression power here refers to the power consumption of the production equipment that is estimated to be suppressed if each candidate job to be moved is canceled during the prediction period. In this embodiment, the estimated suppression power of the candidate jobs to be moved is calculated based on actual power consumption data of the production equipment used by the candidate jobs to be moved. In other words, the estimated suppression power of the candidate jobs to be moved is calculated using actual power consumption data of the production equipment as shown in Figure 3.

[0054] Using Figure 3 as an example, the processing unit 10 first creates a regression equation representing the power consumption of the production equipment, using the operating time of the production equipment as a variable, based on the actual power consumption data of the production equipment. The straight line in Figure 3 represents an example of a regression equation. Then, using this regression equation, the processing unit 10 calculates the power consumption (hereinafter referred to as "power consumption during job execution") from the operating time of the production equipment when the production equipment is operated according to the basic production plan, that is, when the candidate job to be moved is carried out without being stopped. Similarly, using the regression equation, the processing unit 10 calculates the power consumption (hereinafter referred to as "power consumption during job cancellation") from the operating time of the production equipment when the candidate job to be moved is canceled. Then, the processing unit 10 takes the value obtained by subtracting the power consumption during job cancellation from the power consumption during job execution as the estimated suppression power (see the white arrow in Figure 3). However, the estimated suppression power may be calculated by a method other than the one described above. For example, the estimated suppression power may be calculated by substituting the forecast period (the period during which the candidate job to be moved is canceled) into the operating time of the regression equation described above.

[0055] Next, the processing unit 10 selects a job to be moved from among the candidate jobs extracted in step S22 (step S24). In this embodiment, the job with the largest estimated suppression power is selected from among the candidate jobs to be moved. However, the job to be moved may be selected based on criteria other than estimated suppression power, or the job to be moved may be selected based on criteria other than estimated suppression power in addition to estimated suppression power. For example, the job that produces the product with the latest delivery date among the candidate jobs to be moved may be selected as the job to be moved.

[0056] Next, the processing unit 10 determines whether the total estimated suppression power of the jobs to be moved is greater than the target suppression power (step S25). The target suppression power here refers to the target value of power to be suppressed by stopping production equipment, etc., when demand response is activated. The target suppression power may be the same as the total suppression power of the entire factory contracted with the power company or aggregator, or it may be a part of it. In step S25, as will be described later, if multiple jobs to be moved are selected, the processing unit determines whether the total estimated suppression power of the multiple jobs to be moved is greater than the target suppression power. On the other hand, if only one job to be moved is selected, the processing unit determines whether the estimated suppression power of that job to be moved is greater than the target suppression power.

[0057] If the processing unit 10 determines in step S25 that the total estimated suppression power of the jobs to be moved is not greater than the target suppression power (NO in step S25), it returns to step S24 and selects the jobs to be moved again. In this embodiment, when returning to step S24, the processing unit selects the job with the largest estimated suppression power among the candidate jobs that have not yet been selected as jobs to be moved. In other words, each time the process returns to step S24, a job to be moved is selected, and the number of jobs to be moved increases.

[0058] On the other hand, if the processing unit 10 determines in step S25 that the total estimated suppression power of the jobs to be moved is greater than the target suppression power (YES in step S25), it creates a backup production plan (step S26). For example, as shown in Figure 5, if three jobs corresponding to the shaded areas of Job13, Job23, and Job34 are extracted as candidate jobs to be moved, and two of these jobs corresponding to the shaded areas of Job13 and Job23 are selected as jobs to be moved, a backup production plan is created by moving these two jobs to available slots. In this case, the two jobs corresponding to the shaded areas of Job13 and Job23 will not be performed on Day 2 but will be performed on Day 5, while the job corresponding to the shaded area of ​​Job34 will be performed on Day 2 as is.

[0059] Furthermore, in creating the preliminary production plan, the processing unit 10 also assigns workers. In this embodiment, the processing unit 10 obtains worker data from the storage device 20 and assigns workers to the target jobs in order of their work efficiency. However, the processing unit 10 may also assign workers based on the types of jobs each worker can perform and their estimated weekly work time.

[0060] In this embodiment, a backup production plan was created in step S26 by moving the jobs to be moved in the basic production plan to available slots. However, the method for creating a backup production plan is not limited to this. For example, a backup production plan may be created by moving the jobs to be moved in the basic production plan to immediately after the forecast period, and sliding all jobs that are after the forecast period to the back.

[0061] The above is a description of the planning process in step S20. The planning process described above is performed for all forecast periods. For example, if the processing unit 10 obtains or calculates two forecast periods in step S10, it creates two preliminary production plans corresponding to each forecast period in step S20.

[0062] Furthermore, even if all candidate jobs for relocation are selected as jobs to be relocated in step S24, if the total estimated suppression power of the jobs to be relocated in step S25 does not exceed the target suppression power, a backup production plan does not need to be created. Also, in step S26, if it is not possible to create a backup production plan, such as when the implementation period of the jobs to be relocated is longer than the period of the available slot, a backup production plan does not need to be created.

[0063] <Memory Processing> After executing the planning process in step S20, the processing unit 10 performs a storage process (step S30). The storage process involves storing the preliminary production plan created in step S20 in the storage device 20. In this embodiment, the processing unit 10 stores the preliminary production plan in the storage device 20 only after obtaining approval from the approver.

[0064] When the processing unit 10 performs storage processing, it first sends an approval request to the approval processing terminal 103 (step S31). The approval request is data that includes the preliminary production plan created in step S20 and an approval request notification to inform the approver that approval has been requested. The approver checks the approval request sent to the approval processing terminal 103, and if they approve the preliminary production plan, they operate the approval processing terminal 103 to send an approval notification from the approval processing terminal 103 to the processing unit 10. The approval notification is data that informs the approver that they have approved the preliminary production plan.

[0065] Next, the processing unit 10 determines whether or not it has received the approval notification sent from the approval processing terminal 103 (step S32). If the processing unit 10 determines in step S32 that it has not received the approval notification (NO in step S32), that is, if the preliminary production plan has not been approved by the approver, it repeats step S32.

[0066] On the other hand, if the processing unit 10 determines in step S32 that it has received an approval notification (YES in step S32), that is, if the preliminary production plan has been approved by the approver, it stores the preliminary production plan in the storage device 20 (step S33). Thus, in this embodiment, the processing unit 10 stores the preliminary production plan in the storage device 20 when it receives an approval notification. Therefore, the preliminary production plan stored in the storage device 20 is a production plan that has been approved by the approver.

[0067] Furthermore, if the processing unit 10 has created multiple pre-production plans in step S20, it may repeat steps S31 to S33 for each pre-production plan, or it may execute steps S31 to S33 for all pre-production plans at once.

[0068] After the processing unit 10 has executed steps S10 to S30 described above, the pre-program is terminated. This concludes the explanation of the pre-program. As described above, in the demand response control system 100 according to this embodiment, the creation and approval of the production plan, which would normally be carried out after the demand response is activated, is performed before the demand response is activated.

[0069] (Post-event program) Next, the post-processing program executed by the processing unit 10 will be described. The post-processing program is a program that, after a demand response has been triggered, selects a production plan corresponding to the triggered demand response and notifies the worker.

[0070] Figure 6 is a flowchart of the post-program. The post-program is executed after the pre-program shown in Figure 4 has been executed, and during the implementation period of the preliminary production plan stored in the memory device 20.

[0071] As shown in Figure 6, when the post-program is started, the processing unit 10 determines whether or not a demand response has been activated (step S40). The processing unit 10 can determine whether or not a demand response has been activated based on the demand response command transmitted from the demand response activation system 102. In addition, by receiving the demand response command from the demand response activation system 102, the processing unit 10 also obtains information regarding the target period of the activated demand response.

[0072] If the processing unit 10 determines in step S40 that a demand response has not been triggered (NO in step S40), it repeats step S40. On the other hand, if the processing unit 10 determines in step S40 that a demand response has been triggered (YES in step S40), it executes the corresponding process (step S50). In other words, the corresponding process is executed after the demand response has been triggered.

[0073] [Processing] When the processing unit 10 executes the corresponding processing, it first obtains the preliminary production plan from the storage device 20 (step S51). As mentioned above, the preliminary production plan stored in the storage device 20 is a production plan approved by the approver.

[0074] Next, the processing unit 10 selects an applicable production plan (step S52). Specifically, the processing unit 10 compares the forecast period of each reserve production plan with the target period of the activated demand response, and selects a reserve production plan with a forecast period that matches the target period of the activated demand response as the applicable production plan. If there is no reserve production plan with a forecast period that matches the target period of the activated demand response, the processing unit 10 may terminate the post-program and notify the demand response activation system 102 that it will not respond to the demand response.

[0075] Next, the processing unit 10 transmits the information of the applicable production plan selected in step S52 to the production plan notification system 104 (step S53). As a result, the production plan notification system 104 notifies each worker of the applicable production plan, and each worker can perform their work according to the applicable production plan. In addition to notifying each worker of the applicable production plan, the production plan notification system 104 may also send control signals to each production equipment to operate in accordance with the applicable production plan.

[0076] Next, the processing unit 10 determines whether or not there are unused work areas where no jobs are performed during the demand response period (step S54). For example, if the preliminary production plan shown in Figure 5 is selected as the applicable production plan, then the first and second work areas will be unused work areas during the demand response period (the predicted period in Figure 5). In other words, if the preliminary production plan shown in Figure 5 is selected as the applicable production plan, the processing unit 10 determines in step S54 that there are unused work areas.

[0077] If the processing unit 10 determines in step S54 that there are no unused work areas (NO in step S54), it terminates the corresponding processing and ends the post-program.

[0078] On the other hand, if the processing unit 10 determines in step S54 that there is an unused work area (YES in step S54), it changes the air conditioning control mode of that unused work area from normal air conditioning control mode to suppressed air conditioning control mode (step S55). Specifically, the processing unit 10 sends an air conditioning control command to the air conditioning control system 105 to control the air conditioning equipment 106 of the unused work area in suppressed air conditioning control mode.

[0079] The suppression air conditioning control mode is an air conditioning control mode in which the output of the air conditioning equipment 106 is lower than that of the normal air conditioning control mode. For example, in the normal air conditioning control mode, the air conditioning control system 105 controls the air conditioning equipment 106 so that the temperature and humidity of the target work area reach predetermined target temperatures and humidity levels. In contrast, in the suppression air conditioning control mode, if the difference between the temperature of the work area and the target temperature is smaller than a predetermined threshold, and the difference between the humidity and the target humidity is also smaller than a predetermined threshold, the air conditioning equipment 106 is controlled to operate at 30-50% of its maximum output for a certain period (e.g., 30 minutes), and then the same control as in the normal air conditioning control mode is performed. As a result, the output of the air conditioning equipment 106 is suppressed during the demand response period, and consequently, the power consumption of the air conditioning equipment 106 can be reduced. However, the control performed by the suppression air conditioning control mode is not limited to the control described above.

[0080] After executing step S54, the corresponding processing is terminated and the post-program is terminated. This concludes the explanation of the post-program. As described above, in the demand response control system 100 according to this embodiment, the creation and approval of production plans after a demand response is activated can be omitted, so that production corresponding to the demand response can be started in a short time after the demand response is activated. [Industrial applicability]

[0081] One aspect of this disclosure can be used in a demand response control system that can initiate production in response to a demand response shortly after the demand response is triggered. [Explanation of symbols]

[0082] 10: Processing unit 20: Storage device 100: Demand Response Control System 101: Demand Response Prediction System 102: Demand Response Activation System 103: Approval Processing Terminal 104: Production Plan Notification System 105: Air conditioning control system 106: Air conditioning equipment

Claims

1. A memory device that stores a basic production plan in which jobs are arranged chronologically, A processing unit, and The aforementioned processing apparatus is Before the demand response is activated, the following processes are performed: a prediction process to obtain or calculate a predicted period that is expected to be the period subject to the demand response; a planning process to create at least one backup production plan from the basic production plan based on the predicted period; and a storage process to store the at least one backup production plan in the storage device. A demand response control system that, after the aforementioned demand response is activated, selects an applicable production plan from the at least one preliminary production plan stored in the memory device and performs corresponding processing to output information related to the applicable production plan.

2. The demand response control system according to claim 1, wherein the processing device, in the planning process, selects a job to be moved from among the jobs in the basic production plan that fall within the forecast period, and moves the job to be moved to create at least one preliminary production plan from the basic production plan.

3. The demand response control system according to claim 2, wherein the processing device, in the planning process, extracts candidate jobs for relocation that are jobs in the basic production plan that fall within the forecast period, and determines whether or not to select the candidate jobs for relocation as jobs to be relocated based on the estimated suppression power that is estimated to be suppressed when the candidate jobs for relocation are canceled.

4. The demand response control system according to claim 3, wherein the processing device calculates the estimated suppressed power based on actual power consumption data showing the relationship between the operating time and power consumption of production equipment used in the candidate job move, in the planning process.

5. The demand response control system according to claim 4, wherein the processing device, in the planning process, creates a regression equation representing the power consumption of the production equipment with the operating time of the production equipment as a variable, based on the actual power consumption data of the production equipment used in the candidate job to move, and calculates the estimated suppressed power using the regression equation.

6. The demand response control system according to claim 1, wherein the processing device, in the storage process, transmits an approval request to an approval processing terminal operated by the approver of the pre-production plan, and when it receives an approved notification transmitted from the approval processing terminal in response to the approval request, it stores the pre-production plan in the storage device.

7. The demand response control system according to claim 1, wherein the processing device, in the corresponding processing, selects as the applicable production plan a preliminary production plan from among the at least one preliminary production plans stored in the storage device in which the target period of the activated demand response matches the forecast period.

8. The demand response control system according to claim 1, wherein the processing device, in the corresponding processing, identifies unused work areas in which jobs are not performed in the applied production plan, and changes the air conditioning control mode of the air conditioning equipment in the unused work areas from the normal air conditioning control mode to a suppressed air conditioning control mode in which the output of the air conditioning equipment is lower than that of the normal air conditioning control mode.

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