How to check the execution of the consumption reduction command

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for verifying the execution of a command to reduce the power consumption of at least one passenger transport vehicle, the method comprising: - a step (S1) of transmitting a consumption reduction command signal to the coordination system of each vehicle, the command signal being modulated by a reference signal; - obtaining (S2) a signal of the power consumed by the air conditioning means of the vehicle in response to a reference signal; - a step (S3) of checking the execution of a consumption reduction command according to the characteristics of said signal of the power consumed by the air conditioning means of the vehicle.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for checking the execution of commands for reducing consumption in a fleet of passenger transport vehicles, such as rail vehicles.

[0002] The invention applies in particular to fleets of vehicles for rail transport, such as trains, subways, trams, trolleybuses, etc., which are supplied by an electricity network. [Background technology]

[0003] Ideally, the amount of electricity produced by an energy production center should be equal to the amount of electricity consumed by all electricity consumers. To this end, forecasts of electricity consumption are made, for example on a daily basis, especially for major electricity consumers such as the transport sector or steel manufacturing. According to the forecasts, the production of the amounts of electricity by the energy production centers, as well as the management of the deviations of the consumption from the forecasted consumption, are planned by the company that manages the electricity network.

[0004] When the company that manages the electricity network, tasked with maintaining a balance between electricity supply and electricity demand, identifies one or more peak periods during which consumption is greater than electricity production, or a situation in which electricity consumption is slightly greater than electricity production, leading to the unnecessary activation of additional production units, the company establishes a load management strategy. This strategy consists of temporarily reducing electricity consumption, for example with a time step of 30 minutes, in order to restore a balance between electricity production and consumption. Thus, in response to load management commands that transcribe the orders issued by the management company, industrial operators that are large consumers of electricity are asked to reduce their electricity consumption, for example by shutting down part of their electrical installations.

[0005] Passenger transport, and especially rail transport, is currently one of the largest electricity consumers in France.

[0006] In passenger transport vehicles, such as rail cars, the air conditioning system is the second largest consumer of electricity after the vehicle propulsion system. The electricity consumed by the air conditioning varies with seasonal and weather changes at a particular time of year, so it can be difficult to predict the electricity consumption of an entire fleet of vehicles. Therefore, if the fleet of vehicles consumes more electricity than predicted, especially if the overconsumption occurs during critical periods such as peak consumption periods, the company operating the fleet is penalized by the company that manages the electricity network.

[0007] Systems such as that described in document FR3011912 exist that allow the consumption of the air conditioning systems of a fleet of rail cars to be reduced remotely and in real time. Nevertheless, one of the requirements imposed on industrial operators to be able to integrate into a load management strategy is to be able to provide evidence of the execution of load management commands that transcribe the orders issued by the management company. Summary of the Invention

[0008] The present invention aims at providing a technical solution that makes it possible to check the execution of commands for reducing consumption in response to load management directives issued by a management company.

[0009] In this context, the present invention relates according to a first aspect to a method for checking the execution of a command for reducing the power consumption of at least one passenger transport vehicle, each vehicle being equipped with a temperature regulation system and a temperature sensor, the regulation system being associated to the air conditioning means and configured to maintain the temperature of the cabin of said vehicle at a set temperature according to the temperature measured in the cabin by the temperature sensor, the method comprising the steps of: - transmitting a command signal to a coordination system of each vehicle, the command signal being modulated by a reference signal; - obtaining a signal of the power consumed by the air conditioning means of the vehicle in response to a reference signal; - checking the execution of a consumption reduction command according to a characteristic of said signal of the power consumed by the air conditioning means of the vehicle.

[0010] The method thus makes it possible to verify the execution of the commands to reduce the power consumed by the air conditioning means by using a command signal modulated with a reference signal. More specifically, if it is possible to isolate a component having a similar form to the reference signal in the signal of the power consumed by the air conditioning means of the entire railcar, this constitutes a verification that the power consumed has indeed been made in response to the command signal modulated by the reference signal. Thus, if the command signal comprises a signal for controlling the fluctuations of the power, i.e. a load management signal, the method makes it possible to verify the reception and execution of the commands for load management and to provide evidence to the management company.

[0011] The step of obtaining a signal of the power consumed by the air conditioning means in response to the reference signal comprises: - determining a signal of the total power consumed by the fleet of vehicles in response to the command signal; - demodulating a signal of the total power consumed by the fleet of vehicles.

[0012] Demodulation of the signal of the power consumed by the fleet of vehicles in response to a reference signal makes it possible to identify the components of the power that have the same predetermined characteristics as the reference signal (contained in the transmitted command signal). Demodulation can, for example, consist of multiplying the reference signal by the sum of the power consumption of the fleet of vehicles previously obtained.

[0013] The transmitting step may include a step in which a value of the command signal at time t is added to a temperature measured at the same time t by a temperature sensor.

[0014] It is noted that, in a known manner, the air conditioning system comprises regulating means configured to maintain the temperature of the cabin at a set temperature, regardless of whether the cabin is heated or cooled. Typically, a temperature sensor measures the temperature of the cabin. This measured temperature is then compared with the set temperature, and depending on the result of the comparison, it is possible to activate or deactivate actuators of the air conditioning system, possibly heating or cooling the cabin to reach the set temperature. Here, the temperature sensor is biased such that at time t the temperature measured by the temperature sensor is increased or decreased by the temperature value of the command signal at time t. Of course, the signal value can be positive or negative, allowing to increase or decrease the temperature. This therefore makes it possible to reduce the power consumption by the air conditioning means, for example, by increasing the temperature measured by the temperature sensor if the air conditioning means are configured to heat, or by decreasing the temperature measured by the temperature sensor if the air conditioning means are configured to cool. The value of the command signal is therefore selected accordingly. The reference signal serving to modulate the command signal is selected so that its influence on this system for biasing the temperature sensor is limited when not used in combination with a load management signal. The amplitude of the signal is therefore selected so that its influence does not affect the comfort of the passengers.

[0015] The modulated command signal may be the sum of a signal for controlling the variation of the consumed power and a reference signal.

[0016] The signal for controlling the variations in the power, also called the load management signal, is a signal which transcribes the load management commands sent by the management company. Before being sent to the air conditioning means, the signal for controlling the variations in the power is modulated by a reference signal, by summing, in order to obtain a command signal which can be sent to the air conditioning means. In particular, this modulation makes it possible, thanks to the properties of the reference signal, to distinguish components having the same properties within the total power consumed.

[0017] The acquisition step is - obtaining an intermediate signal by multiplying a signal of the total power consumed by the set of vehicles with a reference signal; - filtering the intermediate signal.

[0018] In addition to demodulating the total power consumed by multiplying the reference signal, a sum of a continuous signal and a signal of high frequency components is obtained, the amplitude of which is equal to the power consumed by the conditioning means according to the reference signal. In order to limit the obtained signal to the signal of the power consumed according to the reference signal, a filtering operation is performed to remove the signal of high frequency components. The filtering can be performed, for example, by a low-pass filter.

[0019] If the filtered intermediate signal has an amplitude greater than a predefined threshold, reception of the command signal may be confirmed. The predefined threshold is selected to be greater than 0 so as to avoid false confirmations due to detection of system noise. Furthermore, the predefined threshold is selected to match the expected power consumed by the air conditioning means, taking into account the number of vehicles in the fleet receiving the command, as well as the amplitude of the command signal.

[0020] As output from the low-pass filter, only the signal of the power consumed according to the reference signal is obtained. The amplitude of this signal is therefore the power consumed by the air conditioning means according to the reference signal. If the signal obtained as output from the low-pass filter is zero or has an amplitude smaller than a predefined threshold (symbolizing the limit at which the signal is or is not considered noise), this means that there is no component of the signal of the total power consumed that corresponds to the power of the reference signal. In other words, this means that no commands to reduce consumption have been received and / or executed by the air conditioning means.

[0021] The decision step is - determining a signal of power consumed by a subset of the vehicles in response to the command signal; - estimating a signal of the total power consumed by the fleet of vehicles by summing the power signals of the subset.

[0022] Indeed, in the particular case where a fleet of rail transport vehicles is organised in subsets, the power consumed in the subsets is calculated, which makes it possible, in an alternative embodiment, to obtain confirmation of the execution of commands to reduce the consumption per subset.

[0023] The reference signal may be a sinusoidal signal or a certain signal with temporal characteristics that can be characterized. In other words, the reference signal has a shape that changes over time that can be characterized. This sinusoidal signal may have a period selected so that the signal is not confused with periods and alternations resulting from the use of the system, for example day / night alternations. Preferably, the period may be 2504 seconds. Advantageously, the period of the reference signal is selected so that it is not confused with harmonics of the day / night alternation, which has characteristic differences in the power consumption. The signal is selected with an amplitude comprised between 0°C and 1°C, preferably between 0.2°C and 0.5°C, and also preferably equal to 0.2°C. The amplitude is selected low enough so as not to significantly change the temperature of the cabin or compartment of the transport vehicle, so as not to affect the comfort of the passengers (i.e. so that it is not perceptible by the passengers). Nevertheless, the amplitude must be high enough to be visible to the system and not to confuse the reference signal with system noise.

[0024] According to a second aspect, the invention is directed to an apparatus for managing power consumption, comprising means for checking the execution of a command to reduce power consumption, configured to implement the method described above.

[0025] Further particularities and advantages of the invention will appear in the following description.

[0026] According to an exemplary embodiment, the invention will be fully understood and its advantages will become more apparent on reading the following detailed description, given by way of illustrative and in no way limiting example with reference to the attached drawings, in which: [Brief description of the drawings]

[0027] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 shows a schematic diagram of the use of a method for verifying the execution of a command for reducing the power consumption of at least one vehicle for passenger transportation according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 illustrates method steps for verifying execution of a command to reduce power consumption according to one embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 shows a loop of steps from sending a command signal to checking the execution of the command signal to reduce power consumption. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 illustrates a management system in which the method according to the invention can be implemented. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0028] Identical parts shown in the previous figures are identified by identical numerical references.

[0029] The invention finds application in the field of passenger transport vehicles supplied by an electrical power network, in particular in the field of rail transport vehicles, whether these vehicles are dedicated to long-distance or short-distance travel, such as vehicles for urban rail transport, for example subways and trams.

[0030] The invention applies in particular to a fleet or train of passenger transport vehicles, each of which is equipped with at least one air conditioning system.

[0031] Typically, rail-type passenger transport vehicles are equipped with several air conditioning systems. Hereinafter, by air conditioning system is meant a system capable of cooling or heating one or several cabins of a rail vehicle. The air condition in each cabin of a passenger transport vehicle is regulated by an air conditioning system. For example, in a rail vehicle, each wagon has an air conditioning system that regulates its own air condition. In other examples, the same air conditioning system can regulate the air condition in several carriages.

[0032] For simplicity, in this document, each passenger transport vehicle in the fleet of vehicles is considered to be equipped with a single air conditioning system. Nevertheless, as indicated above, a vehicle may be equipped with several air conditioning systems. For example, a vehicle could be equipped with as many air conditioning systems as there are cabins.

[0033] Thus, in the following, a vehicle air conditioning system refers to an air conditioning system associated with at least one vehicle cabin, and further, a vehicle temperature refers to the temperature of the at least one cabin of the vehicle.

[0034] FIG. 1 illustrates the use of a method for verifying the execution of a command to reduce the power consumption of a fleet or a group of passenger transport vehicles 20 .

[0035] In the illustrated embodiment, the verification method is implemented in a management device 10 for managing electrical power consumption located on the ground. In other embodiments, the electrical power consumption management device 10 may be mounted on one or more passenger transport vehicles of a fleet of vehicles.

[0036] The power consumption management device 10 comprises one or more servers equipped with the means necessary to implement the method for verifying the execution of a command for reducing the power consumption of at least one passenger transport vehicle, as described below with reference to FIG. 2.

[0037] The power consumption management device 10 can communicate with a server of a company 30 managing a power network 40 as well as a fleet of passenger transport vehicles 20 via communication means.

[0038] In certain circumstances, for example when the power consumption of a set of power consumers 50 is greater than expected at a given moment, the company 30 managing the power network 40 issues instructions (or directives) to the power consumers 50 for load shedding or load management.

[0039] In particular, the management company 30 instructs each power consumer 50 to reduce its power consumption to have a predetermined value.

[0040] The power consumption management device 10, which receives the request from the management company 30, is configured to implement, if possible, a method for reducing power consumption in order to implement the requested load management command.

[0041] In the case of a fleet of passenger transport vehicles, the management company 30 of the power network 40 instructs the companies using the fleet 20 of vehicles to reduce the fleet's consumption to a predefined consumption value.

[0042] In one embodiment, the local controllers are installed on passenger transport vehicles. Each of the local controllers is associated with an air conditioning system (not shown). Each local controller is configured to measure the power consumption of the associated air conditioning system and transmit the power consumption to the management device 10.

[0043] In one embodiment, it is possible that the reduction in consumption concerns only one vehicle, a portion of vehicles, or a set of vehicles, according to a load management strategy established by the company operating the fleet. Thus, the company operating the vehicles 20 can choose which vehicles to integrate into the load management strategy, depending on the load management orders issued by the management company 30.

[0044] These local controllers are equipped with conventional means for measuring power consumption, which need not be described here.

[0045] For example, the power consumption is measured by monitoring the activation cycles of the actuators (or contactors) of an air conditioning system. More specifically, the power consumed by actuators such as heating resistors, fans or compressors is known, so the power consumption is known by monitoring the activation cycles of the actuators. As an example, a heating resistor with a nominal power of 10 kW with an activation cycle of 30% consumes 3 kW as a running average.

[0046] In this embodiment, the management device 10 and the local control devices form a power consumption management system for a fleet of passenger transport vehicles 20. Such a power consumption management system can receive command signals from one or more servers and, depending on the commands, increase or decrease the power consumed by the air conditioning means.

[0047] FIG. 2 illustrates a method for verifying execution of a command to reduce power consumption of at least one passenger transit vehicle.

[0048] The method is implemented by a management device 10. An embodiment of the management device 10 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0049] When the management device 10 receives load management instructions or requests from a management company 30 managing a power network 40, command signals taking into account these load management instructions are issued to the fleet of rail vehicles.

[0050] As explained above, load management aims at reducing the power consumed by the air conditioning systems installed on each of the fleet of rail cars, each air conditioning system comprising air conditioning means, a temperature regulation system and a temperature sensor. A regulation system is associated to each of the air conditioning means and is configured to maintain the temperature of one of the cabins of the cars at a set temperature according to the temperature measured in the cabin by the temperature sensor.

[0051] In order to reduce the power consumed by the air conditioning means, a management device 10 of the system for managing the power consumption of a fleet of vehicles is able to issue a command to at least one of the passenger transport vehicles to reduce its power consumption.

[0052] The principle of reducing the consumption of the air conditioning means is to bias the sensors installed in the cabin in order to modify the measured temperature to lower the cabin temperature in winter or to raise it in summer, thereby reducing the consumed power required to reach the set temperature and therefore making it possible to reduce the consumption of the air conditioning means.

[0053] The reduction of the consumption of the air conditioning means is based on sending a signal that biases a sensor installed in the vehicle where the consumption is reduced. This signal is therefore the variation of temperature with time. At each time t, the value of the signal is added to the temperature measured in each of the cabins such that the power consumption is reduced according to the load management command.

[0054] Here, the bias signal is derived from a signal called a command signal for reducing consumption, which controls the variations in the consumed power due to load management commands, and a called reference signal.

[0055] The transmitting step S1 of the method as shown in FIG. 2 is directed to transmitting a command signal to the coordination system of each vehicle for reducing consumption, the command signal being modulated by a reference signal.

[0056] Obtaining a command signal 315 for reducing the consumption is shown in Fig. 3. The modulated command signal is obtained by modulating a signal 310 for controlling the variation of the power consumed by the reference signal 305.

[0057] In a first aspect, the load management commands are transcribed into a signal that is transmitted and can then be used in the power consumption management system of the fleet of vehicles. Thus, based on the load management requests issued by the management company 30, a signal 310 is obtained for controlling the variation of the consumed power. It is the temperature variation with time, the value of which is then used to bias the sensors of the vehicles integrated in the load management strategy. Thus, in each of the vehicles integrated in the load management strategy, the value of the command signal at time t is added to the temperature measured at the same time t by the temperature sensor.

[0058] As can be seen, the temperature of the signal 310 for controlling the variations in the consumed power can vary over short periods of time, of the order of 30 minutes. Although not shown in this example, the temperature can become negative, especially if the air conditioning means 105a, 105b, 105c, 105d, 105e and 105f are configured for cooling.

[0059] This signal 310 for controlling the variations of the consumed power is then modulated with the reference signal 305. Modulation here means the transformation of the signal 310 for controlling the variations of the consumed power from its original non-periodic time slot format to the format in which it is configured for transmission, then the transformation is the sum of the signal 310 for controlling the variations of the consumed power with the reference signal 305 for the identification of its signature in the total power consumed by the fleet of vehicles.

[0060] The reference signal 305 is notably a signal used to introduce a signature, ie a particular symbol or format, into the command signal, and can be found again in the signals of the power consumed by the series of vehicles.

[0061] The reference signal 305 is here, by way of example, a sinusoidal signal whose characteristics, period and amplitude are chosen as follows: - Amplitude: the amplitude must be small enough. This is because the reference signal 305 is added to the signal for controlling the variations in the consumed power, so the amplitude of the reference signal, which is the temperature, must be as small as possible so as not to affect the comfort of the passengers. It must also be high enough so that the reference signal is compatible with the resolution of the system, i.e. measurable and identifiable by the system for managing the power consumption of the fleet of vehicles. The reference signal 305 is chosen with an amplitude comprised between 0°C and 1°C, preferably between 0.2°C and 0.5°C, and preferably equal to 0.2°C. - Period: the period must be dimensioned to be longer than the reaction time of the air conditioning means 105a, 105b, 105c, 105d, 105e and 105f. Furthermore, the frequency associated with this period must not exist in the system beforehand. For example, the day / night alternation is a frequency that is very visible in the consumed power spectrum, therefore the period selected must be different from it. Furthermore, the frequency must be high enough for the integration time of the demodulation of the power consumed by the vehicle at the server not to be too high. A period of the order of 2500 seconds makes it possible to meet the above criteria. In particular, a value of 2504 seconds is chosen in the tests.

[0062] A reduction consumption command signal 315 is then obtained, which is transmitted, for example by wireless transmission means, to the vehicles integrated in the load management strategy. As shown in Figure 3, the reduction consumption command signal is transmitted to all vehicles in the fleet.

[0063] The acquiring step S2 of FIG. 2 aims at acquiring signals of the power consumed by the set of vehicle air conditioning means 105a, 105b, 105c, 105d, 105e and 105f as a function of the reference signal 305.

[0064] To this end, in a first aspect, a signal of the total power consumed by the fleet of vehicles in response to a command signal is determined.

[0065] The fleet of vehicles can be organized into subsets 320, 325, and 330, and in response to a command signal 315, signals 335, 340, and 345 of power consumed by the subsets 320, 325, and 330 of vehicles are determined. A signal 350 of total power consumed by the fleet of vehicles is obtained by summing all consumed powers 335, 340, and 345 of the subsets 320, 325, and 330.

[0066] Once a signal 350 of the total power consumed by the fleet of vehicles in response to the command signal 315 has been obtained, the signal 350 is demodulated.

[0067] Demodulation of the signal 350 of the total power consumed by the fleet of vehicles is performed by multiplying the signal by a reference signal 305. An intermediate signal 360 is then obtained.

[0068] The checking step S3 of FIG. 2 of this method is directed to checking the execution of a consumption reduction command according to the characteristics of said signal of the power consumed by the air conditioning means of the vehicle.

[0069] To this end, the intermediate signal 360 is filtered and the result output from the filter is compared to a threshold to see if a command signal has been received.

[0070] In fact, the command signals received by the air conditioning means 105a, 105b, 105c, 105d, 105e and 105f of the vehicles 100a, 100b, 100c, 100d, 100e and 100f are demodulated with a reference signal 305 of the following form: Formula 1 ref_signal=2sin(α)

[0071] Then, in response to the command signal, the power consumed by the air conditioning means 105a, 105b, 105c, 105d, 105e and 105f will be in the following manner: Formula 2 power aircon = Asin(α)

[0072] Thus, the total power 350 consumed by the series of vehicles 100a, 100b, 100c, 100d, 100e and 100f is aircon ) contains components equal to the formula:

[0073] The total power 350 consumed by the series of vehicles 100a, 100b, 100c, 100d, 100e and 100f is calculated by dividing the total power 350 by the air conditioning means, power air conditioners (power aircon ), and power consumed by other systems of the vehicles 100a, 100b, 100c, 100d, 100e, and 100f (e.g., towing, onboard, and other equipment, etc.), power other (power others )

[0074] The total power consumed by the set of vehicles 100a, 100b, 100c, 100d, 100e and 100f multiplied by the reference signal 305 is then equal to the intermediate signal 360 which is in the following form:

[0075] Formula 3 power total ×ref signal =power aircon ×ref signal +power others ×ref signal =2Asin2α+power others ×ref signal =A+Acos2α+power others ×ref signal 2sin 2 α-=(1-cos(2α)) / 2,

[0076] The intermediate signal 360 is then filtered such that high frequency components are removed at the output from the filter. Low Pass · Filtering using filters (365) GusiIf the commands received by the air conditioning means are in fact modulated by the reference signal 305, then the components high frequencies =Acos2α+power others ×ref signal The high frequency components, denoted as , are removed from the signal so that a continuous signal is obtained with a power equal to A. This is the power 370 consumed by the air conditioning means 105a, 105b, 105c, 105d, 105e and 105f in response to the reference signal 305.

[0077] If the command signal received by the air conditioning means does not contain the reference signal output by the low-pass filter due to modulation, the signal is equal to zero or to the system noise. In fact, no component equal to Asinα, which represents the power consumed by the air conditioning means in response to the command signal modulated by the reference signal, has been found. Without this component, it is not possible to obtain the continuous component output by the filter.

[0078] The verification depends on the result of a comparison of the power 370 consumed by the air conditioning means 105a, 105b, 105c, 105d, 105e and 105f in response to the reference signal 305 at a predefined threshold value.

[0079] Therefore, a threshold can be chosen that represents the noise level coming from the system, or, by calculating upstream the average value of the power consumed in response to the command signal, this value (or a nearby value) can be used as the threshold, thus making it possible to have a reliable verification level.

[0080] Thus, by obtaining a continuous signal equal to the power 370 consumed by the air conditioning means 105a, 105b, 105c, 105d, 105e and 105f in response to the reference signal 305, greater than a predefined threshold, the command signal 315, i.e. the signal controlling the variations of the power 310 modulated by the reference signal 305, ensures that the manner of the signal of the consumed power is as expected, i.e. power airconIt can be confirmed that the command is actually received and executed by the air conditioning means, provided that the command contains a component of the form =Asinα.

[0081] A sufficiently long integration period is necessary to ensure as accurate a determination as possible.

[0082] In the example shown, a reference signal 305 with a period of 2504 seconds is used, representing a signal of the power consumed by a fleet of 1000 trains each with 4 wagons, an integration period of 1 day makes it possible to have an accuracy of 10%, while an integration period of 10 days makes it possible to have an accuracy of 1%.

[0083] For this reason, even though the signal for controlling the fluctuations in the power 310 is zero, i.e. no load management command has been issued by the management company 30, the reference signal 305 is continuously sent to the air conditioning means.

[0084] As already mentioned, the reference signal 305 has a not very large amplitude, in the example equal to 0.2° C., so that it is used as a bias for the sensor, the variations of which do not affect the comfort of the passengers.

[0085] In this example, the subsets 320, 325, 330 of the vehicles 100a, 100b, 100c, 100d, 100e and 100 can be configured according to their geographical location and the climatic conditions of their geographical location. Indeed, depending on whether the weather is calm or not and therefore depending on whether the air conditioning means are operating or not, the reduction in consumption can be higher or lower. In fact, if the weather is uncharacteristic, the air conditioning means are hardly or not used at all, so that the reduction in consumption in response to a load management command is limited. The probability of load management can be said to be low. It can be evaluated according to the power consumed, using as a basis the operating time of the contactors (or actuators) of the air conditioning means, before the execution of the load management command.

[0086] Thus, depending on the load management possibilities, subsets can be created and the control signal 310 for the power variation can be determined for each subgroup, taking into account its load management possibilities.

[0087] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of an example of a device 10 for managing power consumption capable of implementing the method for checking the correct execution of a consumption reduction command according to the invention.

[0088] The management device 10 for managing the power consumption is, for example, one or more servers incorporating the means necessary to implement the method for checking the correct execution of commands for reducing the consumption of a fleet 20 of vehicles according to the invention.

[0089] The management device 10 - a processing unit 11, indicated in the drawings as CPU ("Central Processing Unit"), which may include one or more processors; - a non-volatile memory 12, such as for example a ROM ("read only memory"), an EEPROM ("electrically erasable read only memory") or a flash memory; - volatile memory 13 or RAM ("random access memory"); an input / output interface 14, denoted I / O in the drawings, by which a user can interact with the system through a graphical interface, for example a screen, a keyboard, a mouse or another pointing device such as a touch screen or a remote control; - comprising a communication bus 100 configured to communicate via the network with a server of a company 30 managing the power network 40 and with a fleet of passenger transport vehicles 20, connected to a communication interface or communication means 15, indicated as COM in the drawing.

[0090] According to one embodiment, the communication means 15 of the management device 10 comprise means for receiving data from the company 30 managing the power network 40 and from the passenger transport vehicles. This data can be, for example, consumption information representative of the electricity consumed by a fleet of vehicles, load management requests or orders from the company 30 managing the power network 40, or information regarding the temperature of at least one cabin of the vehicles.

[0091] Furthermore, the communication means 15 of the management device 10 comprise transmission means for transmitting a command to reduce the power consumption to at least one passenger transport vehicle or to the entire fleet of vehicles.

[0092] The volatile memory 13 comprises registers arranged for recording variables and parameters created and modified during the execution of a computer program containing instructions for the implementation of the verification method according to the invention. The instruction codes of the program stored in the non-volatile memory 12 are loaded into the RAM memory 13 in order for them to be executed by the processing unit CPU 110.

[0093] The non-volatile memory 12 is, for example, a rewritable memory of the EEPROM type, or a flash memory which may constitute a medium within the meaning of the present invention, i.e. which may contain a computer program comprising instructions for the implementation of the verification method.

[0094] The power consumption management device 10 further comprises a determination means configured to determine, based on all the consumption information received, the total power consumed by the set of vehicles in response to the command signal (in other words the total consumption at a given time), and a generation means configured to generate a set of commands respectively for a selected portion of the set of vehicles 20, which respond or do not respond to the load management command.

[0095] According to an embodiment, the generating means are configured to generate the commands according to the group of vehicles to which the commands are provided. For example, depending on the geographical location of the vehicles, the commands may be different, particularly if the weather conditions are mild and the consumption of the air conditioning means is low, or if it is very cold or very hot and the consumption of the air conditioning means is high, and the possibilities for reducing the consumption are different in these two situations. Also, if no load management command is issued by the management company 30, the generating means may be configured to continue generating a command equal to the reference signal.

[0096] The management device 10 further comprises means for generating a signal (load management signal) for controlling the variation of the consumed power according to a load management command received from a management company. The management company transmits the load management command, for example in the form of a curtailment rate or in the form of a target consumption power to be achieved by the fleet of vehicles. The generating means is therefore configured to transcribe the load management command of the management company into a signal that can be used by the power consumption management system.

[0097] The management device 10 also comprises modulation means 16 and demodulation means 17 for signals. As explained above, these modulation means 16 are capable of carrying out a modulation of the signal for controlling the variations in the consumed power using a reference signal. These modulation means 16 may for example be an adder arranged to sum the signal for controlling the variations in the consumed power and the reference signal. The demodulation means 17 are capable of carrying out a demodulation of the signal of the power consumed by the fleet of vehicles. These demodulation means 17 may for example be a multiplier multiplying the signal of the total power consumption of the fleet of vehicles with the reference signal.

[0098] Furthermore, the management device 10 comprises filtering means 18 capable of filtering the intermediate signal so as to remove high frequency components from it, for example a low pass filter, the cut-off frequency of which is adjusted to attenuate the high frequency components of the intermediate signal.

[0099] Thus, thanks to the above means, the management device 10 is able to implement a method for managing the power consumption, by which the air conditioning systems of the fleet of vehicles are controlled in such a way that the overall power consumption of the fleet is reduced in real time, taking into account the usage and operating conditions of the vehicles, and according to load management requests coming from the company managing the power network. Some aspects of the invention are described below. [Aspect 1] 1. A method for verifying execution of a command for reducing the consumption of electricity (315) in at least one passenger transport vehicle (100a, 100b, 100c, 100d, 100e, 100f), each vehicle (100a, 100b, 100c, 100d, 100e, 100f) comprising a temperature regulation system and a temperature sensor, said regulation system being associated to an air conditioning means (105a, 105b, 105c, 105d, 105e, 105f) and configured to maintain the temperature of a cabin of said vehicle (100a, 100b, 100c, 100d, 100e, 100f) at a set temperature depending on a temperature measured in said cabin by said temperature sensor, said method comprising: - a step (S1) of transmitting a consumption reduction command signal (315) to said coordination system of each vehicle (100a, 100b, 100c, 100d, 100e, 100f), said command signal (315) being modulated by a reference signal (305), - obtaining (S2) a signal of the power consumed by the air conditioning means (105a, 105b, 105c, 105d, 105e, 105f) of the set of vehicles (100a, 100b, 100c, 100d, 100e, 100f) in response to the reference signal (305); - a step (S3) of validating said execution of said consumption reduction command (315) according to a characteristic of said signal of the power consumed by said air conditioning means (105a, 105b, 105c, 105d, 105e, 105f) of said set of vehicles (100a, 100b, 100c, 100d, 100e, 100f). [Aspect 2] The step (S2) of acquiring the signal of the power consumed by the air conditioning means (105a, 105b, 105c, 105d, 105e, 105f) in response to the reference signal (305) comprises: - determining a signal (350) of the total power consumed by said set of vehicles (100a, 100b, 100c, 100d, 100e, 100f) in response to said command signal; - demodulating the signal (350) of total power consumed by the fleet of vehicles. [Aspect 3] 3. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the transmitting step (S1) comprises adding a value of the command signal (315) at time t to the temperature measured by the temperature sensor at the same time t. [Aspect 4] 4. The method according to any one of aspects 1 to 3, wherein the modulated command signal (315) is the sum of a signal for controlling the variation of the consumed power (310) and the reference signal (305). [Aspect 5] The acquiring step (S2) - obtaining an intermediate signal (360) by multiplying said signal (350) of the total power consumed by said series of vehicles (100a, 100b, 100c, 100d, 100e, 100f) by said reference signal (305); - filtering (365) the intermediate signal (360). [Aspect 6] 6. The method of embodiment 5, wherein the receipt of the command signal (315) is confirmed if the filtered intermediate signal (370) has an amplitude greater than a predetermined threshold. [Aspect 7] 7. The method of claim 5 or 6, wherein the filtering (365) is performed by a low-pass filter. [Aspect 8] The determining step includes: - determining said signals (335, 340, 345) of consumed power of a subset (320, 325, 330) of vehicles in response to said command signals (305); - estimating the signal (650) of total power consumed by the fleet of vehicles by the sum of the power signals (335, 340, 345) of the subsets (320, 325, 330). [Aspect 9] 9. The method of any one of aspects 1 to 8, wherein the reference signal (305) is a sinusoidal signal. [Aspect 10] 10. The method of embodiment 9, wherein the reference signal (305) has a period on the order of 2504 seconds. [Aspect 11] 11. The method according to aspect 9 or 10, wherein the reference signal (305) has an amplitude comprised between 0°C and 1°C, preferably between 0.2°C and 0.5°C, and preferably equal to 0.2°C. [Aspect 12] An apparatus (10) for managing power consumption, comprising means for checking execution of a command for reducing power consumption, configured to implement the method according to one of aspects 1 to 11.

Claims

1. A method for checking the execution of a command to reduce the consumption of electricity in a set of passenger transport vehicles (100a, 100b, 100c, 100d, 100e, 100f) comprising at least one passenger transport vehicle, each vehicle (100a, 100b, 100c, 100d, 100e, 100f) comprising a temperature regulation system and a temperature sensor, said regulation system being associated to an air conditioning means (105a, 105b, 105c, 105d, 105e, 105f) and configured to maintain a set temperature depending on a temperature measured in the cabin by said temperature sensor of said vehicle (100a, 100b, 100c, 100d, 100e, 100f), said method comprising the steps of: - a step (S1) of transmitting a consumption reduction command signal (315) to said coordination system of each vehicle (100a, 100b, 100c, 100d, 100e, 100f), said consumption reduction command signal (315) being modulated by a reference signal (305), - obtaining (S2) a signal of the power consumed by said air conditioning means (105a, 105b, 105c, 105d, 105e, 105f) of said series of vehicles (100a, 100b, 100c, 100d, 100e, 100f) in response to said reference signal (305); - a step (S3) of checking the execution of said command corresponding to said consumption reduction command signal (315) according to a characteristic of said signal of the power consumed by said air conditioning means (105a, 105b, 105c, 105d, 105e, 105f) of said set of vehicles (100a, 100b, 100c, 100d, 100e, 100f).

2. The step (S2) of acquiring a signal of the power consumed by the air conditioning means (105a, 105b, 105c, 105d, 105e, 105f) in response to the reference signal (305) comprises: - determining a signal (350) of the total power consumed by said set of vehicles (100a, 100b, 100c, 100d, 100e, 100f) in response to said command; The method of claim 1, comprising the step of demodulating said signal (350) of the total power consumed by said fleet of vehicles.

3. 3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the transmitting step (S1) comprises a step in which the value of the reduce consumption command signal (315) at a time t is added to the temperature measured at the same time t by the temperature sensor.

4. 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the modulated reduction command signal (315) is the sum of a signal for controlling the variation of the consumed power (310) and the reference signal (305).

5. The acquiring step (S2) - obtaining an intermediate signal (360) by multiplying said signal (350) of the total power consumed by said series of vehicles (100a, 100b, 100c, 100d, 100e, 100f) by said reference signal (305); - filtering (365) said intermediate signal (360).

6. 6. The method of claim 5, wherein the receipt of the reduce consumption command signal (315) is confirmed if the filtered intermediate signal (370) has an amplitude greater than a predefined threshold.

7. The method according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the filtering (365) is performed by a low-pass filter.

8. The determining step includes: - determining said signals (335, 340, 345) of consumed power of a subset (320, 325, 330) of vehicles in response to said consumption reduction command signal (315); - estimating said signal (350) of the total power consumed by said fleet of vehicles by the sum of said signals (335, 340, 345) of the power consumed of said subsets (320, 325, 330).

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the reference signal (305) is a sinusoidal signal.

10. 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the reference signal (305) has a period on the order of 2504 seconds.

11. The method according to claim 9 or 10, wherein said reference signal (305) has an amplitude comprised between 0°C and 1°C, preferably between 0.2°C and 0.5°C, and preferably equal to 0.2°C.

12. A device (10) for managing power consumption, comprising means for checking the execution of a command for reducing power consumption, configured to implement the method according to one of the claims 1 to 11.

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