Energy Management System

Abstract

To acquire the amount of energy consumed in a plurality of second ranges included in a first range while suppressing an increase in a total number of parts.SOLUTION: An energy management system comprises: an energy consumption acquisition device including a consumption detection unit that detects information regarding a first energy consumption that is periodically generated by an energy consumption meter and outputs this information as a consumption detection signal, and a consumption transmission unit; a facility operation information acquisition device including a timing information detection unit that outputs a start timing of processing by a production facility included in the second range as a first signal, and a timing information transmission unit; and an information management device including a first energy information generation unit that generates first energy information, a facility operation information generation unit that generates facility operation information including at least one of production quantity and operating time, and a second energy information generation unit that calculates second energy consumption consumed in each of the plurality of second ranges by multiple regression analysis and generates second energy information including the second energy consumption.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to energy management systems. [Background technology]

[0002] An electric power meter with a communication function is known (for example, Patent Document 1). This electric power meter is equipped with a first communication module for providing meter reading data of electric power consumption to an electric utility company, and a second communication module for transmitting the electric power consumption data via wireless communication to a management device possessed by a consumer for energy management at the consumer's facility. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-76813 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When a consumer owns multiple production facilities, there are cases where the consumer wants to know the amount of energy consumption, such as the amount of power consumption, for each production facility owned by the consumer, for each production line including multiple production facilities, etc. However, if a device for acquiring the amount of energy consumption, such as a power meter, is provided for each of the multiple production facilities or each production line, there is a problem that the number of parts increases. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The present disclosure can be realized in the following forms.

[0006] (1) According to one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an energy management system for managing the energy consumption status of a plurality of production facilities. The energy management system includes an energy consumption acquisition device, which is retrofitted to an energy consumption meter that measures a first energy consumption consumed in a predetermined first range that includes the plurality of production facilities, and includes a consumption detection unit that detects information about the first energy consumption periodically generated by the energy consumption meter and outputs the information as a consumption detection signal, and a consumption transmission unit that transmits the consumption detection signal; and an equipment operation information acquisition device, which is retrofitted to at least one production facility included in each of a plurality of second ranges that divide the first range into a plurality of predetermined ranges, and includes a timing information detection unit that detects a start timing of a process by the one production facility and outputs the start timing as a first signal, and a timing information transmission unit that transmits the first signal. and a transmission unit; and an information management device including: a first energy information generation unit that generates first energy information including the first energy consumption using the consumption detection signal received from the energy consumption acquisition device; an equipment operation information generation unit that generates equipment operation information including at least one of the number of products to be processed by the production equipment and the operating time during which the production equipment can process the products, using the first signal received from the equipment operation information acquisition device; and a second energy information generation unit that calculates second energy consumptions consumed in each of the plurality of second ranges by multiple regression analysis using the generated first energy information and the equipment operation information, and generates second energy information including the second energy consumptions. According to this form of energy management system, multiple regression analysis using first energy information and equipment operation information can be performed to obtain the second energy consumption amount consumed in each of the multiple second ranges without installing a device for obtaining energy consumption amounts, such as a power meter, in the second range. (2) In the energy management system of the above aspect, the first energy information generation unit may further use the generated first energy consumption amount as the first energy information to calculate a first emission amount of greenhouse gases emitted in the first range. According to the energy management system of this aspect, the first amount of greenhouse gas emissions can be acquired by using an energy consumption acquisition device and a facility operation information acquisition device that are different from the energy consumption meter. (3) In the energy management system of the above aspect, the second energy information generation unit may further use the first energy information or the second energy consumption amount as the second energy information to calculate a second emission amount of greenhouse gases emitted in each of the plurality of second ranges. According to this form of energy management system, it is possible to obtain the amount of greenhouse gas emitted in a plurality of second ranges without providing a dedicated device in each of the second ranges. (4) In the energy management system of the above aspect, the equipment operation information generating unit may generate both the production number and the operating time as the equipment operation information. The second energy information generating unit may calculate the second energy consumption amount by multiple regression analysis using the first energy information, the production number, and the operating time. According to the energy management system of this aspect, it is possible to improve the accuracy of estimating the second energy consumption amount. (5) In the energy management system of the above aspect, the information management device may further include an index generation unit that uses the calculated second energy consumption amount and the equipment operation information to calculate at least one of a ratio of the second energy consumption amount to the production volume and a ratio of the second energy consumption amount to the operating time. According to this energy management system, by expressing the ratio of the second energy consumption amount to the equipment operation information as an index, it is possible to easily grasp the production efficiency of the production equipment with respect to the second energy consumption amount. (6) In the energy management system of the above aspect, the timing information detection unit may further acquire a stop timing of the process by the production equipment and output the acquired timing as a second signal. The equipment operation information generation unit may further generate the equipment operation information using the second signal. According to this type of energy management system, by obtaining the timing of when production equipment is stopped, it is possible to more accurately calculate equipment operation information such as the cycle time and stop time of the production equipment, and it is possible to grasp the production status of the production equipment in more detail. The present disclosure may be realized in various forms other than an energy management system, such as an energy consumption status management method, an energy consumption amount acquisition device, an energy consumption status management device, a control method for an energy management system, a control method for an energy consumption amount acquisition device, a control method for an energy consumption status management device, a computer program for implementing these control methods, a non-transitory recording medium on which the computer program is recorded, etc. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an energy management system according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] A bird's-eye view showing the overall structure of the factory. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the internal functional configuration of the information management device. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the energy consumption acquisition device. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the arrangement of an energy consumption acquisition device including a consumption detection unit. [Figure 6] 10 is a flowchart showing a processing routine of first energy information generation processing. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the equipment operation information acquisition device. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the arrangement of a facility operation information acquisition device including an optical sensor as a detection unit. [Figure 9] 10 is a flowchart showing a processing routine of facility operation information generation processing. [Figure 10] 4 is a timing chart showing the relationship between a detection signal from the facility operation information acquisition device and a processing routine by the facility operation information generation unit. [Figure 11] 4 is a flowchart showing a processing routine executed by the information management device. [Figure 12] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of facility operation information and first energy information. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of display data of a CO2 emission index as an example of an index. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] A. First embodiment: FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an energy management system 100 according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. The energy management system 100 (hereinafter also referred to as "management system 100") is used to manage the energy consumption status of multiple production facilities. In this disclosure, the "energy consumption status of the production facilities" includes information on the consumption of various energy sources, such as electricity, gas, and liquid fuels including kerosene and heavy oil, by the production facilities (hereinafter also referred to as "consumption information"), and information on the amount of greenhouse gas emissions, such as carbon dioxide and methane, generated by the consumption of the energy (hereinafter also referred to as "emissions information"). In addition, in this disclosure, the term "production facilities" may include not only the production facilities themselves, but also a wide range of areas, such as manufacturing lines, factories, and buildings that include production facilities.

[0009] In addition to the energy consumption status of the production equipment, the management system 100 also generates and manages equipment operation information for the production equipment. "Equipment operation information" refers to information related to the operation status of the production equipment. "Operation status of the production equipment" includes the start and stop of processing of workpieces in the production equipment. In this disclosure, equipment operation information includes at least one of the production volume and the operating time. The production volume and the operating time are significant factors influencing fluctuations in energy consumption. "Production volume" refers to the total number of workpieces that the production equipment has completed processing after starting operation. In this disclosure, "operating time" refers to the period during which the production equipment is available to process workpieces during its operating hours. The operation status of the production equipment may further include operations and manipulations related to processing, as well as the start, ongoing, stop, and completion status of the operations and manipulations.

[0010] Equipment operation information is not limited to production volume and operating time, but may also include various other information, such as the start time, end time, cycle time, and downtime of the production equipment. Cycle time refers to the period from when the production equipment starts processing the workpieces to when it completes the processing. Downtime refers to the period during operation when the production equipment is not contributing to the processing of the workpieces. Downtime is included in operation time, but not in cycle time.

[0011] As shown in FIG. 1, in this embodiment, the management system 100 is provided in a factory 200. The factory 200 is provided with multiple production lines L1 to Ln, a power meter 50, a power distribution line 70, and a distribution board 60. The "n" attached to the production line Ln is a natural number equal to or greater than 2 and indicates the number of production lines. In this embodiment, for example, the number of production lines is 30, and n=30. Hereinafter, when the multiple production lines L1 to Ln are described without distinction, they will be referred to as "production lines Ln."

[0012] The production line Ln includes, for example, a plurality of production facilities 30 and a conveying mechanism 41. The conveying mechanism 41 conveys workpieces such as processed parts and workpieces. The conveying mechanism 41 includes, for example, a belt conveyor, a conveying machine that moves on a predetermined track, and the like.

[0013] The production equipment 30 is, for example, a metal processing machine, a welding machine, a resin molding machine, a coating machine, a hot forging machine, a finished product recovery machine, a processed parts supply machine, or the like. The production equipment 30 is equipped with a programmable logic controller (PLC) for executing production processing and processing on the workpieces, and various sensors connected to the PLC. The various sensors are arranged in advance when the production line Ln and the production equipment 30 are installed and positioned in order to operate the production line Ln and the production equipment 30. Note that the number of production equipment 30 provided per production line Ln is not limited to multiple, and may be single, and in cases where the production line Ln is equipped with a single production equipment 30, the conveying mechanism 41 may be omitted.

[0014] The power meter 50 is a watt-hour meter conforming to Japanese Industrial Standards, such as JIS C 1216. In this embodiment, a model number WP3EP-S16R manufactured by Mitsubishi Electric Corporation is used. The power meter 50 is an example of an energy consumption meter for measuring the amount of energy consumed by the production facility 30. The power meter 50 may be configured to be accessible to a server owned by an electric utility company via a wide area network (WAN) such as the Internet.

[0015] The power distribution line 70 draws power from an external power source such as a system power supply into the factory 200. The power supplied to the power distribution line 70 is transformed, for example, by a transformer (not shown) provided in the power meter 50, from extra-high voltage of 33 kV to low voltage of 110 V, and also transformed from a current of 200 A to a current of 5 A, before being supplied to the factory 200. The power supplied to the factory 200 is distributed by the distribution board 60 to each of the multiple production lines Ln.

[0016] FIG. 2 is an overhead view showing the overall configuration of a factory 200. FIG. 2 shows a first range AR1 and multiple second ranges AR2. The first range AR1 is a predetermined range that includes multiple production facilities 30, and is the maximum range over which the power meter 50 can acquire power consumption data. In the example of FIG. 2, the first range AR1 is the factory 200. The total amount of energy consumed in the first range AR1 is also referred to as the "first energy consumption amount," and the total amount of greenhouse gas emissions emitted in the first range AR1 is also referred to as the "first emissions amount."

[0017] The second range AR2 is a range obtained by dividing the first range AR1 into a plurality of predetermined ranges. The second range AR2 is the smallest range for which the management system 100 of the present disclosure can estimate the energy consumption status of the production equipment 30. The second range AR2 includes at least one production equipment 30. The amount of energy consumed in the second range AR2 is also referred to as the "second energy consumption amount," and the amount of greenhouse gas emissions emitted in the second range AR2 is also referred to as the "second emission amount."

[0018] The first range AR1 can be arbitrarily set according to the range of energy consumption obtainable by the power meter 50, assuming that it can be divided into multiple second ranges AR2. For example, by providing a power meter 50 for each of multiple production lines L1 to Ln, each of the multiple production lines L1 to Ln can be set as the first range AR1. In this case, for example, each of multiple production facilities 30 included in the production line Ln can be set as the second range AR2. Furthermore, by providing a power meter 50 for each of multiple buildings included in the factory 200, each of the multiple buildings can be set as the first range AR1. In this case, each of the multiple production lines L1 to Ln or each of multiple production facilities 30 included in one building can be set as the second range AR2. In this way, the management system 100 can grasp the energy consumption status for each of the predetermined arbitrary ranges.

[0019] In this embodiment, the first range AR1 is the factory 200, and the second range AR2 is each of the multiple production lines L1 to Ln included in the factory 200. The power meter 50 measures the amount of power consumption in the factory 200. The management system 100 uses the amount of energy consumption in the factory 200 measured by the power meter 50, i.e., the first energy consumption, to estimate the energy consumption of each of the multiple production lines L1 to Ln, i.e., the second energy consumption.

[0020] 1 , the management system 100 includes an energy consumption acquisition device 20a, an equipment operation information acquisition device 20b, and an information management device 10. The energy consumption acquisition device 20a is attached to a power meter 50 or its vicinity as a retrofit, and the equipment operation information acquisition device 20b is attached to a production facility 30 or its vicinity as a retrofit. In the present disclosure, "attached" means that the energy consumption acquisition device 20a is not attached to or incorporated in the power meter 50 and the production facility 30 when the power meter 50 and the production facility 30 are installed and disposed, and is not connected to a PLC that controls the operation of the power meter 50 and the production facility 30, and is attached to and disposed on the power meter 50 and the production facility 30 independently of the operation and control of the power meter 50 and the production facility 30.

[0021] The energy consumption acquisition device 20a functions as an energy consumption acquisition device that acquires a first energy consumption amount consumed in a first range AR1. In this embodiment, the energy consumption acquisition device 20a is retrofitted to the power meter 50 to acquire the amount of power consumed in the factory 200. As will be described later, the energy consumption acquisition device 20a detects information related to the first energy consumption amount per predetermined unit that is periodically generated by the power meter 50, and outputs the information to the information management device 10 as a consumption detection signal.

[0022] The equipment operation information acquisition device 20b is retrofitted to at least one production facility 30 included in each of the multiple second ranges AR2. The equipment operation information acquisition device 20b may also be retrofitted to the production line Ln, etc. The equipment operation information acquisition device 20b functions as an equipment operation information acquisition device that detects the start and stop of processing by the production facility 30. In this embodiment, the equipment operation information acquisition device 20b transmits detection signals to the information management device 10, including a first signal corresponding to the start timing of processing by the production facility 30 and a second signal corresponding to the stop timing of processing the workpiece by the production facility 30. In this embodiment, the period from the first signal to the reception of the next first signal is acquired as the cycle time. Note that the period from the second signal to the reception of the next second signal may also be acquired as the cycle time.

[0023] The information management device 10 cooperates with the energy consumption acquisition device 20a and the equipment operation information acquisition device 20b to manage the energy consumption status of the factory 200 and the multiple production lines L1 to Ln included in the factory 200, as well as equipment operation information for the multiple production lines L1 to Ln. The information management device 10 acquires the power consumption of the factory 200 using a consumption detection signal acquired from the energy consumption acquisition device 20a, and calculates the carbon dioxide emission amount of the factory 200 using the acquired power consumption of the factory 200. The information management device 10 also acquires the equipment operation information of the multiple production lines L1 to Ln using a first signal and a second signal acquired from the equipment operation information acquisition device 20b. In this embodiment, the information management device 10 further estimates the power consumption and carbon dioxide emission amount of each of the multiple production lines L1 to Ln using the power consumption and carbon dioxide emission amount of the factory 200 and the equipment operation information. Furthermore, the estimated carbon dioxide emission amount and the equipment operation information are used to generate at least one index of the ratio of the second energy consumption amount to the production volume and the ratio of the second energy consumption amount to the operating time.

[0024] The information management device 10, the energy consumption acquisition device 20a, and the equipment operation information acquisition device 20b can transmit and receive data via wireless communication. For example, the information management device 10 can transmit the generated equipment operation information and indicators to the information processing device PC and the terminal devices PD1 and PD2 via wireless communication in response to requests from the information processing device PC and the terminal devices PD1 and PD2.

[0025] The information management device 10 may be placed in the factory as a local server, or may be placed in a location other than the factory 200 as a remote server. When the information management device 10 is installed as a remote server, the detection signals from the energy consumption acquisition device 20a and the equipment operation information acquisition device 20b, and the equipment operation information and indicators to the terminal devices PD1, PD2 and the information processing device PC are transmitted and received by the information management device 10 via wireless access points in the factory and a network such as an intranet or the Internet.

[0026] In this embodiment, the information management device 10 also functions as a display control device for transmitting the generated energy consumption status, production equipment operation information, and display data using the indexes to the display unit of the information management device 10, an information processing device PC such as a personal computer, and terminal devices PD1 and PD2, etc., and displaying them on the display units provided therein. The terminal devices PD1 and PD2 include, for example, smartphones, mobile phones, PHS, slate terminals, and tablet terminals.

[0027] 3 is a block diagram showing the internal functional configuration of the information management device 10. The information management device 10 includes a CPU 11 as a central processing unit, a storage device 12, a transmission / reception unit 13, a display unit 14, an input device 15, and a timer 16 for measuring time, which are interconnected via a bus 17 so as to be able to communicate with each other. The information management device 10 is a device different from the PLC that controls the operation of the production equipment 30, and the operation of the production equipment 30 is controlled by the PLC even when the information management device 10 is not used.

[0028] The CPU 11 executes various programs stored in the storage device 12 to function as a first energy information generating unit 110, a second energy information generating unit 112, an equipment operation information generating unit 114 that generates equipment operation information, and an index generating unit 116. The first energy information generating unit 110 generates first energy information including a first energy consumption amount using a consumption detection signal received from the energy consumption acquisition device 20a. The "first energy information" refers to various consumption information and emission amount information within a first range AR1. The first energy information may include, in addition to the first energy consumption amount, a first emission amount, which is the amount of greenhouse gases emitted within the first range AR1, and an energy usage fee incurred based on the first energy consumption amount. In this embodiment, the first energy information generating unit 110 further calculates a first emission amount using the generated first energy consumption amount.

[0029] The second energy information generation unit 112 performs multivariate analysis (multiple regression analysis in this embodiment) using the first energy information generated by the first energy information generation unit 110 and the equipment operation information generated by the equipment operation information generation unit 114 to calculate second energy consumption amounts for each of the multiple second ranges AR2. "Second energy information" refers to various consumption information and emission amount information in the second range AR2. The second energy information may include, in addition to the second energy consumption amounts, second emission amounts, which are the emission amounts of greenhouse gases emitted in the second range AR2, and energy usage fees incurred based on the second energy consumption amounts. In this embodiment, the second energy information generation unit 112 further calculates second emission amounts using the generated second energy consumption amounts.

[0030] The index generation unit 116 generates an index using the equipment operation information, the first energy information, and the second energy information. In this embodiment, the index generation unit 116 generates at least one of the ratio of the first energy information to the equipment operation information and the ratio of the second energy information to the equipment operation information as the index. Examples of the index include the ratio of the first energy consumption to the production number in a first range AR1 and the ratio of the second energy consumption to the production number in a plurality of second ranges AR2. Instead of or in addition to this, the index generation unit 116 may calculate the ratio of the first energy consumption to the operating time and the ratio of the second energy consumption to the operating time as the index. The index makes it easy to evaluate the production efficiency in the first range AR1 and the second range AR2 from the perspective of the first energy information and the second energy information. In this embodiment, the index generation unit 116 also generates display data for displaying graphs and the like related to the generated index on the display unit.

[0031] The storage device 12 is, for example, a RAM, a ROM, or a hard disk drive (HDD). The HDD or ROM stores various programs for realizing the functions provided in this embodiment. The various programs read from the HDD or ROM are expanded on the RAM and executed by the CPU 11. The readable / writable area of ​​the storage device 12 includes a first energy information storage unit 121 for storing first energy information, a second energy information storage unit 122 for storing second energy information, an equipment operation information storage unit 124 for storing equipment operation information, and an index storage unit 126 for storing generated indexes. The storage device 12 temporarily stores the consumption detection signal, the first signal, and the second signal received from the energy consumption acquisition device 20a and the equipment operation information acquisition device 20b.

[0032] The transmitter-receiver 13 functions as a consumption detection signal acquirer for acquiring a consumption detection signal from the energy consumption acquisition device 20a. The first energy information generator 110 acquires a first energy consumption using the consumption detection signal. The transmitter-receiver 13 further functions as a processing timing acquirer for acquiring the start timing of processing by the production facility 30 and the stop timing of processing by the production facility 30 from the equipment operation information acquisition device 20b. Specifically, the transmitter-receiver 13 acquires the start timing of processing by the production facility 30 and the stop timing of processing by the production facility 30 by receiving the first signal and the second signal transmitted from the equipment operation information acquisition device 20b.

[0033] The transmitter-receiver 13 may transmit various execution commands to the energy consumption acquisition device 20a and the equipment operation information acquisition device 20b. The transmitter-receiver 13 may also transmit display data to the terminal devices PD1 and PD2 and the information processing device PC. The transmitter-receiver 13 may transmit various information such as consumption information, emission information, equipment operation information, and indicators instead of or together with the display data. The transmitter-receiver 13 may receive command signals requesting the execution of various processes from the terminal devices PD1 and PD2 and the information processing device PC.

[0034] The transmitter-receiver 13 can acquire the consumption detection signal from the energy consumption acquisition device 20a and the first signal and the second signal from the equipment operation information acquisition device 20b without being connected to the energy consumption acquisition device 20a and the equipment operation information acquisition device 20b by wire. This configuration allows the management system 100 to be introduced into an existing factory or the like by simply attaching or disposing the energy consumption acquisition device 20a and the equipment operation information acquisition device 20b to the production equipment 30 and the power meter 50. For example, if the transmitter-receiver 13 is an input / output interface (I / F) with wireless communication capabilities, the transmitter-receiver 13 may receive wireless radio waves from the energy consumption acquisition device 20a and the equipment operation information acquisition device 20b via a wireless repeater (access point) (not shown) installed in the factory. Alternatively, the transmitter-receiver 13 itself may be located in a place where it can receive wireless radio waves from the energy consumption acquisition device 20a and the equipment operation information acquisition device 20b as a wireless access point. The transmitter / receiver 13 may be connected to a wireless repeater by wire. Wireless communication can be achieved, for example, by a wireless connection through a wireless local network (LAN) conforming to the IEEE802.11 standard or wireless communication using Bluetooth (registered trademark).

[0035] The display unit 14 is a display for displaying display data. The display unit 14 may further display processing contents when operating the management system 100. The input device 15 is a device used to input data to the management system 100. The input device 15 is, for example, a keyboard, a mouse, a touch panel, etc.

[0036] 4 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the energy consumption acquisition device 20a. The energy consumption acquisition device 20a is attached or placed on the power meter 50 as an add-on. The energy consumption acquisition device 20a includes a consumption detection unit 25a, a transmission / reception unit 21a, and a controller 23a. The consumption detection unit 25a and the transmission / reception unit 21a are connected to the controller 23a so as to be able to communicate with each other.

[0037] The consumption amount detection unit 25a is, for example, a pulse detector attached to the power meter 50. In this embodiment, a model PC-11B manufactured by Mitsubishi Electric Corporation is used. In this embodiment, the consumption amount detection unit 25a is separate from the energy consumption acquisition device 20a, and the energy consumption acquisition device 20a is connected to the output terminal of the non-voltage contact of the consumption amount detection unit 25a via a signal line. However, the consumption amount detection unit 25a does not necessarily have to be separate from the energy consumption acquisition device 20a, and may be provided integrally with the energy consumption acquisition device 20a.

[0038] As described below, the consumption detection unit 25a functions as a consumption detection unit that acquires information about the first energy consumption periodically generated by the power meter 50 for each predetermined energy unit, generates a pulse signal as a consumption detection signal, and outputs the pulse signal to the controller 23a. The "information about the first energy consumption periodically generated by the energy consumption meter" is, for example, a pulse signal transmitted by the power meter 50 for each fixed amount of power consumption. In this embodiment, the consumption detection unit 25a detects the pulse signal transmitted by the power meter 50 for each fixed amount of power consumption, converts the period of the detected pulse signal, and outputs the converted signal. The energy consumption acquisition device 20a may include a sequencer for converting the pulse period instead of or in addition to the consumption detection unit 25a. If the power meter 50 is an integrating watt-hour meter (induction watt-hour meter) that does not output a pulse signal and uses a so-called Arago disk, the "information about the first energy consumption periodically generated by the energy consumption meter" may be the number of revolutions of the disk, instead of the pulse signal.

[0039] The controller 23a includes a central processing unit (CPU) and a storage device (not shown). The controller 23a outputs a consumption detection signal received from the consumption detection unit 25a to the transmission / reception unit 21a. Note that instead of the consumption detection unit 25a, the controller 23a may generate a consumption detection signal and output it to the transmission / reception unit 21a.

[0040] The transmitter / receiver 21a functions as a consumption amount transmitter that transmits a consumption amount detection signal to the information management device 10 via wireless communication in accordance with an arbitrary communication protocol. In this embodiment, the transmitter / receiver 21a can transmit, for example, a pulse signal with a pulse period of 3 seconds or more. The transmitter / receiver 21a may generate the consumption amount detection signal in accordance with a command from the controller 23a. The transmitter / receiver 21a may also receive an execution command from the information management device 10.

[0041] 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the arrangement of an energy consumption acquisition device 20a including a consumption detection unit 25a. The energy consumption acquisition device 20a is attached to a power meter 50.

[0042] The power meter 50 includes a power metering unit 52. The power metering unit 52 measures the total amount of power consumption in the factory 200 based on the current and voltage passing through the power distribution line 70. The power metering unit 52 can periodically generate a pulse signal each time the amount of power consumption in the factory 200 reaches a predetermined unit. In this embodiment, the power metering unit 52 is a meter with a transmitter, and generates a pulse signal at, for example, 50,000 pulses / kWh.

[0043] In this embodiment, the consumption detection unit 25a of the energy consumption acquisition device 20a is connected to a pulse output terminal provided in the power metering unit 52. If the power meter 50 is owned by another party, such as an electric utility company, permission to connect the consumption detection unit 25a to the power meter 50 is obtained from the electric utility company as necessary. The consumption detection unit 25a acquires power consumption in predetermined units by detecting periodic pulses generated by the power metering unit 52. In this embodiment, the consumption detection unit 25a converts the pulse constant from 50,000 pulses / kWh to 1 pulse / kWh and outputs the converted pulse constant to the controller 23a. The consumption detection signal generated by the consumption detection unit 25a is output to the controller 23a and then output to the transceiver 21a. The controller 23a may generate a consumption detection signal using the pulse waveform from the consumption detection unit 25a and output the signal to the transceiver 21a. The consumption detection signal is transmitted to the information management device 10 by the transceiver 21a. The converted pulse constant can be set arbitrarily. The converted pulse constant is preferably set based on the magnitude of the power consumption in the factory 200, the resolution of the power consumption measurement value required for the energy management system 100, the pulse constant that can be transmitted by the energy consumption acquisition device 20a, etc. If the conversion ratio of the pulse period is reduced, for example, a sequencer or the like can be omitted, and the number of parts can be reduced.

[0044] 6 is a flowchart showing a processing routine of the first energy information generation process. This flow can be repeatedly executed from the time when the energy consumption obtaining device 20a and the information management device 10 are started up until the operation of the energy consumption obtaining device 20a and the information management device 10 is stopped.

[0045] In step S100, the controller 23a of the energy consumption acquisition device 20a checks whether a consumption detection signal is input as a pulse signal from the consumption detection unit 25a. If the consumption detection signal is not input from the consumption detection unit 25a (S100: NO), the controller 23a waits for the input of the consumption detection signal.

[0046] When the consumption detection signal is input from the consumption detection unit 25a (step S100: Yes), the controller 23a outputs the consumption detection signal to the transmission / reception unit 21a, and the transmission / reception unit 21a transmits the acquired pulse signal to the information management device 10 (step S102).

[0047] In step S110, the first energy information generation unit 110 generates first energy information. The consumption detection signal transmitted from the energy consumption acquisition device 20a is received by the transmitter / receiver unit 13 of the information management device 10 via wireless communication. The first energy information generation unit 110 integrates the power consumption each time a consumption detection signal is received. In this embodiment, the first energy information generation unit 110 integrates the number of times the consumption detection signal is input from the energy consumption acquisition device 20a, and calculates the power consumption by multiplying the sum of the integrated number of inputs by the reciprocal of the pulse constant after conversion by the consumption detection unit 25a (1 kWh / pulse in this embodiment). In this embodiment, the first energy information generation unit 110 calculates the integrated value of the power consumption per predetermined unit time (10 minutes in this embodiment) as the first energy information. The first energy information generating unit 110 records the generated integrated value of the amount of power consumption per unit time in the first energy information storage unit 121 in association with date and time information.

[0048] In this embodiment, the first energy information generation unit 110 further calculates the amount of carbon dioxide emission per unit time as the first energy information. Specifically, the first energy information generation unit 110 calculates the amount of carbon dioxide emission per unit time by multiplying the integrated value of the amount of power consumption per unit time stored in the first energy information storage unit 121 by an emission coefficient. The "emission coefficient" refers to the amount of carbon dioxide emission per activity amount, and refers to the amount of carbon dioxide emission per predetermined unit amount of energy consumption. In this embodiment, the emission coefficient corresponds to the amount of carbon dioxide emission emitted to generate 1 kWh of electricity. The unit of carbon dioxide emission is, for example, t·CO2 / kWh. In this embodiment, the emission coefficient is set in advance using emission coefficients for each electric utility published by the Ministry of the Environment and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry based on the Act on Promotion of Global Warming Countermeasures (Global Warming Act), and is pre-stored in the storage device 12. However, the emission coefficient is not limited to being pre-stored in the storage device 12 as a fixed value, and may be updated as appropriate using values ​​successively acquired via a wide area network such as the Internet. By configuring in this way, even if the emission coefficient fluctuates, the carbon dioxide emission amount can be derived using the latest value. The first energy information generation unit 110 records the generated integrated value of the carbon dioxide emission amount per unit time in the first energy information storage unit 121 in association with date and time information.

[0049] FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the equipment operation information acquisition device 20b. The equipment operation information acquisition device 20b is attached to or placed on one production facility 30 included in the production line Ln as an add-on and acquires equipment operation information for the entire production line Ln. The equipment operation information acquisition device 20b may be attached to or placed on multiple production facilities 30 included in the production line Ln to improve the measurement accuracy of the equipment operation information. The equipment operation information acquisition device 20b includes a timing information detection unit 25b, a first transmission / reception unit 21b1, a second transmission / reception unit 21b2, and a controller 23b. The timing information detection unit 25b will also be simply referred to as the "detection unit 25b" below. The equipment operation information acquisition device 20b differs from the energy consumption acquisition device 20a in that it has two transmission / reception units and the configuration of the detection unit is different, but the other configurations are the same as those of the energy consumption acquisition device 20a. The detector 25b, the first transmitter / receiver 21b1, and the second transmitter / receiver 21b2 are communicably connected to the controller 23b.

[0050] The detection unit 25b is a variety of sensors attached to the production facility 30. The sensors used as the detection unit 25b include an optical sensor, a sound sensor, a heat sensor, a current sensor, a distance sensor, an air pressure sensor, an acceleration sensor, a rotational speed sensor, a humidity sensor, a magnetic sensor, and a pressure sensor. Each of these sensors is used to detect the operating state of the production facility 30.

[0051] The detection unit 25b detects the timing when the production equipment 30 starts processing the workpiece, and generates a pulse signal. In this embodiment, the detection unit 25b further detects the timing when the production equipment 30 stops processing the workpiece, and generates a pulse signal. For example, the detection unit 25b generates a pulse signal that rises (ON) from a reference state when it detects the start of processing by the production equipment 30, and falls (OFF) from the ON state when it detects the stop of processing by the production equipment 30. The generated pulse signal is output to the controller 23b. The detection unit 25b may also generate a pulse signal that falls (OFF) from the ON state to the reference state when it detects the start of processing by the production equipment 30, and rises (ON) from the reference state when it detects the stop of processing by the production equipment 30. The other configuration of the detection unit 25b is similar to that of the consumption detection unit 25a, and therefore description thereof will be omitted.

[0052] Controller 23b includes a central processing unit (CPU) and a storage device (not shown). Controller 23b generates a first signal and a second signal using the pulse signal received from detector 25b, and distributes and outputs the first and second signals to first transceiver 21b1 and second transceiver 21b2, respectively. In this embodiment, controller 23b detects the rising edge (ON) of the pulse signal received from detector 25b, generates a first signal, and outputs it to first transceiver 21b1. Controller 23b generates a second signal and outputs it to second transceiver 21b2 when it detects the falling edge (OFF) of the pulse signal received from detector 25b. In addition, if detector 25b generates a pulse signal that falls (OFF) from the ON state to the reference state when it detects the start of processing by production equipment 30, and that rises (ON) from the reference state when it detects the stop of processing by production equipment 30, controller 23b may generate a first signal and output it to first transceiver 21b1 when it detects the falling edge of the pulse signal, and generate a second signal and output it to second transceiver 21b2 when it detects the rising edge of the pulse signal. Alternatively, instead of the controller 23b, the detector 25b may generate the first signal and the second signal and output them to the controller 23b.

[0053] The first transmitter / receiver 21b1 and the second transmitter / receiver 21b2 function as timing information transmitters that transmit a first signal and a second signal to the information management device 10 via wireless communication in accordance with an arbitrary communication protocol. More specifically, the first transmitter / receiver 21b1 functions as a first transmitter that transmits a first signal to the information management device 10, and the second transmitter / receiver 21b2 functions as a second transmitter that transmits a second signal to the information management device 10. When the equipment operation information acquisition device 20b detects only the start timing of processing, the second transmitter / receiver 21b2 may be omitted.

[0054] 8 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the arrangement of an equipment operation information acquisition device 20b equipped with an optical sensor as the detection unit 25b. A housing 310 that houses a PLC is arranged adjacent to the production equipment 30. The housing 310 is equipped with a signal tower 40 that indicates the operation status of the production equipment 30 with three-colored signal lights. The signal light is a display unit that indicates the operation status of the production equipment 30. The operation status indicated by the signal tower 40 is, for example, green for in-process, yellow for stopped processing, and red for abnormal stop.

[0055] The optical sensor serving as the detector 25b may be a photoelectric conversion element, such as a photodiode or phototransistor, capable of detecting whether a signal light is on or off. The detector 25b is attached, for example, to the light-emitting surface of a green signal light on the signal tower 40. By attaching the detector 25b to the signal tower 40, it is possible to easily detect the start or stop of processing of workpieces by the production facility 30, as indicated by the signal tower 40. In this embodiment, the detector 25b detects the start of processing by the production facility 30 when the green signal light is on, and detects the stop of processing by the production facility 30 when the green signal light is off. When the start of processing by the production facility 30 is detected, the controller 23b generates a first signal using the pulse waveform from the detector 25b and outputs the first signal to the first transceiver 21b1. When the stop of processing by the production facility 30 is detected, the controller 23b generates a second signal using the pulse waveform from the detector 25b and outputs the second signal to the second transceiver 21b2. The detector 25b may generate a first signal and a second signal and output them to the controller 23b.

[0056] 9 is a flowchart showing a processing routine for generating facility operation information. This flow can be repeatedly executed from the time when the facility operation information acquisition device 20b and the information management device 10 are started up until the operation of the facility operation information acquisition device 20b and the information management device 10 is terminated.

[0057] In step S200, the equipment operation information acquisition device 20b checks whether a pulse signal has been input from the detection unit 25b. If a pulse signal has not been input from the detection unit 25b (S200: NO), the controller 23b waits for the input of a pulse signal.

[0058] When a pulse signal is input from detection unit 25b (step S200: YES), controller 23b detects the rising edge (ON) or falling edge (OFF) of the detected pulse signal (step S210). In this embodiment, when controller 23b detects the rising edge (ON) of the pulse signal (S210: YES), controller 23b generates a first signal corresponding to the start timing of processing the workpiece by production equipment 30 and outputs it to first transceiver 21b1, and first transceiver 21b1 transmits the acquired first signal to information management device 10 (step S211). When controller 23b detects the falling edge (OFF) of the pulse signal (S210: NO), controller 23b outputs a second signal corresponding to the stop timing of processing the workpiece by production equipment 30 to second transceiver 21b2, and second transceiver 21b2 transmits the acquired second signal to information management device 10 (step S212).

[0059] In step S220, the facility operation information generation unit 114 generates facility operation information using the first signal and the second signal. The first signal and the second signal transmitted from the facility operation information acquisition device 20b are received by the transmitter-receiver 13 of the information management device 10 via wireless communication. The facility operation information generation unit 114 generates facility operation information each time it receives the first signal and the second signal.

[0060] In this embodiment, the equipment operation information generating unit 114 acquires the production number as the equipment operation information. For example, the equipment operation information generating unit 114 can acquire the production number by counting the number of times the cycle time is acquired, where the cycle time is defined as the period from the detection of a first signal to the detection of the next first signal. The equipment operation information generating unit 114 may acquire not only the production number but also the operating time. The acquired equipment operation information is preferably a significant factor in fluctuations in energy consumption, from the viewpoint of improving the estimation accuracy of the second energy information by multiple regression analysis (described later). The operating time can be calculated, for example, by subtracting the downtime from the operating time from the operation start time to the operation end time. The operating time refers to the time from the start of operation of the production equipment 30 to the completion of operation. For example, the timing when the first signal is first received on the day the information management device 10 is started can be defined as the operation start time of the production equipment 30, and the timing when the last second signal is received can be defined as the operation end time.

[0061] Fig. 10 is a timing chart showing the relationship between the detection signal from the equipment operation information acquisition device 20b and the processing routine by the equipment operation information generation unit 114. The horizontal axis in Fig. 10 is the time axis, and the vertical axis schematically shows the generation timing of the ON signal and OFF signal by the detection unit 25b. Fig. 10 also shows a cycle time CT1.

[0062] In the example of FIG. 10 , at time T1, the detection unit 25b detects the start of processing by the production equipment 30, and the controller 23b generates a first signal as an ON signal that rises from a reference state. At time T2, the detection unit 25b detects the stop of processing by the production equipment 30, and generates a second signal as an OFF signal that falls from an ON state. At time T3, the production equipment 30 starts processing the next workpiece, and the controller 23b generates a first signal. The equipment operation information generation unit 114 acquires the period from receiving the first signal at time T1 to receiving the next first signal at time T3 as the cycle time CT1 and integrates the number of products produced. The equipment operation information generation unit 114 calculates the integrated value of the number of products produced per predetermined unit time (10 minutes in this embodiment) as the equipment operation information. The generated equipment operation information is associated with date and time information and stored in the equipment operation information storage unit 124.

[0063] 11 is a flowchart showing a processing routine executed by the information management device 10. In step S300, the equipment operation information generation unit 114 reads and acquires the integrated value of the production volume per unit time from the equipment operation information storage unit 124. In step S310, the first energy information generation unit 110 reads and acquires first energy information per unit time, specifically, the integrated value of the power consumption per unit time within a first range AR1 and the integrated value of the carbon dioxide emission per unit time within the first range AR1, from the first energy information storage unit 121. The integrated value of the carbon dioxide emission may be calculated using the integrated value of the power consumption and an emission coefficient in step S300 instead of step S110.

[0064] In step S320, the second energy information generation unit 112 checks whether the acquisition of the first energy information and the equipment operation information has ended. The conditions for ending the acquisition of the first energy information and the equipment operation information include, for example, that a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of acquisition, that a predetermined date and time has arrived since the start of acquisition, or that the number of acquisitions of the first energy information and the equipment operation information per unit time has reached a predetermined value. If the ending condition is not satisfied (S320: NO), the process returns to step S300. If the ending condition is satisfied (S320: YES), the process proceeds to step S330.

[0065] In step S330, the second energy information generation unit 112 generates second energy information. More specifically, the second energy information generation unit 112 calculates a second energy consumption amount consumed in each of the plurality of second ranges by multivariate analysis using the generated first energy information and equipment operation information, and generates the calculated second energy information.

[0066] In this embodiment, the second energy information generating unit 112 calculates the second energy consumption amount for each of the plurality of second ranges AR2 by multiple regression analysis using the following regression equation (1) as the multivariate analysis. Et=a1·p1+a2·p2+···+an·pn+E0···Formula (1)

[0067] Et is a so-called objective variable. For Et, the first energy information acquired by the first energy information generating unit 110 is used. Below, formula (1) will be described using an example in which the first energy information is power consumption as the first energy consumption. pn is an explanatory variable. n is a natural number equal to or greater than 2 and represents the number of the second range AR2, i.e., the number of production lines Ln. p1 to pn correspond to the numerical values ​​1 to n assigned to the multiple production lines L1 to Ln, and use the equipment operation information of each of the multiple production lines L1 to Ln acquired by the equipment operation information generating unit 114. In this embodiment, the production volume is used as the equipment operation information, and the production volume of each of the production lines L1 to Ln is used as p1 to pn.

[0068] an is a coefficient and is a value obtained as a result of the multiple regression analysis of the present disclosure. n is a natural number equal to or greater than 2, similar to the n in pn. an corresponds to an estimated value of the second energy consumption for each of the second ranges AR2. E0 is an intercept and is a value obtained as a result of the multiple regression analysis of the present disclosure. E0 is derived as an estimated value of the total amount of power consumption in the factory 200 outside of operating time, such as a third energy consumption including energy consumption by equipment other than the production equipment in the factory 200, such as power consumption by equipment other than the production line Ln, and power consumption by the production line Ln in standby mode during times when the production line Ln is stopped.

[0069] In this embodiment, the amount of carbon dioxide emission per unit time in a second range AR2 is further calculated as the second energy information. The amount of carbon dioxide emission in the second range AR2 may be derived by multiple regression analysis using the amount of carbon dioxide emission in the first range AR1 and the equipment operation information, or may be derived by multiplying each of the power consumption amounts in the second range AR2 obtained in step S330 by an emission coefficient.

[0070] In step S340, the index generation unit 116 generates an index using the calculated second energy consumption and the equipment operation information. The index generation unit 116 calculates a CO2 emission index as the index. The "CO2 emission index" means the ratio of carbon dioxide emissions to the generated equipment operation information. In this embodiment, the index generation unit 116 calculates the CO2 emission index using the production volume from the equipment operation information. Specifically, the index generation unit 116 calculates the CO2 emission index using the following formula (2). CO2 emission index (g CO2 / unit) = carbon dioxide emissions (g CO2) / production quantity ··· Equation (2)

[0071] Instead of or in addition to the CO2 emission index using the production number, the ratio of the second energy consumption to the operating time may be calculated as the CO2 emission index. Also, the CO2 emission index may be calculated using the production value instead of the production number in the above formula (2). The production value corresponds to the sales amount when all the produced number of products are sold. The production value can be calculated, for example, by the following formula (3). Production value = production quantity × unit price of processed goods Equation (3) By using the production value, which is a monetary index, as the CO2 emission index, the ratio of carbon dioxide emissions to equipment operation information can be visually correlated with monetary value, which can motivate users to make improvements. Instead of the production value, the CO2 emission index may use, for example, the operating time of the production equipment 30, or various equipment operation information related to the production capacity of the production equipment 30.

[0072] 11, in step S350, the index generation unit 116 uses the generated indexes to generate numerical values ​​and graphs statistically indicating the indexes as display data to be displayed on the display unit 14. The generated display data is output to the display unit 14, terminal devices PD1 and PD2, and information processing device PC, and this flow ends. Screens based on the generated display data are displayed on the display unit 14, terminal devices PD1 and PD2, and information processing device PC.

[0073] FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the equipment operation information and the first energy information acquired by the equipment operation information generating unit 114 and the first energy information generating unit 110. Table TB1 shown in FIG. 12 shows an example of date and time information for weekdays in a specific week, the equipment operation information and the first energy information acquired at the corresponding date and time, and the calculation results of the second energy information by multiple regression analysis. Table TB1 may be displayed as display data on the display unit 14, the terminal devices PD1 and PD2, and the information processing device PC. Note that some data in Table TB1 has been omitted for ease of illustration.

[0074] Table TB1 is divided into multiple display areas DC1 to DC6. Display area DC1 displays the date and time when the equipment operation information generating unit 114 and the first energy information generating unit 110 acquired the equipment operation information and the first energy information. Display area DC2 displays the equipment operation information for each of the multiple production lines L1 to Ln. In this embodiment, display area DC2 displays the production quantity as the equipment operation information, and the unit of production is, for example, "pieces." Display area DC3 displays the total production quantity for the multiple production lines L1 to Ln.

[0075] Display area DC4 displays the amount of power consumption in a first range AR1 for each predetermined unit time (10 minutes in this embodiment) calculated by the first energy information generation unit 110. Display area DC5 displays the amount of carbon dioxide emission in the first range AR1 for each predetermined unit time (10 minutes in this embodiment) calculated by the first energy information generation unit 110. The second energy information generation unit 112 performs multiple regression analysis using the numbers of products produced by the production lines L1 to Ln shown in display area DC2 and the amount of power consumption shown in display area DC4, out of the data shown in table TB1, to calculate the amount of power consumption and the amount of carbon dioxide emission as second energy consumption for each of the production lines L1 to Ln.

[0076] Display area DC6 shows the carbon dioxide emissions for each of the production lines L1-Ln as the second energy consumption obtained by multiple regression analysis. Specifically, this is the total carbon dioxide emissions for five weekdays in a specific week. Furthermore, the power consumption of each of the production lines L1-Ln may be shown. Display area DC6 also shows, as "Other," the intercept value corresponding to the third energy consumption obtained by multiple regression analysis and the total second energy consumption. The total second energy consumption corresponds to the first energy consumption. Information on the power consumption per workpiece and the carbon dioxide emissions per workpiece for each of the production lines L1-Ln may also be displayed in display area DC6 or another display area. By making it easier to see the production efficiency relative to the second energy consumption for each of the production lines L1-Ln, it is possible to stimulate the motivation of workers and others to make improvements.

[0077] The number of data items (so-called N number) used in the multiple regression analysis can be set arbitrarily. From the viewpoint of improving the estimation accuracy of the second energy information, the larger the number, the better. For example, it is preferable that the number be 10 times or more the number of explanatory variables. In this embodiment, the number of production lines Ln in the factory 200 is 30, and the N number used in the multiple regression analysis is preferably 300 or more. In the example of FIG. 12, the N number is determined by the unit time for acquiring the equipment operation information and the first energy information and the acquisition period. More specifically, the factory 200 operates on weekdays from 5:30 on Monday, November 22nd to 24:00 on Friday, November 26th, and the production volume, power consumption, and carbon dioxide emissions are acquired every 10 minutes. The number of data items is N=687, which is a sufficient number of data items to obtain sufficient estimation accuracy by the multiple regression analysis.

[0078] The period for acquiring the first energy information and the equipment operation information is preferably set to a period in which there is no statistically significant difference between them. In this embodiment, the period for acquiring the first energy information and the equipment operation information is divided into holidays and weekdays, when there is a significant difference in the operation status of the production line Ln, and multiple regression analysis is performed for each of the holiday and weekday periods. This allows the second energy information to be estimated for each time period in which the operation status of the production line Ln differs, thereby improving the estimation accuracy of the second energy information.

[0079] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of display data TB2 of a CO2 emission index as an example of an index generated by the index generation unit 116. The display data TB2 shown in FIG. 13 includes multiple areas DA1 to DA3. Area DA1 shows the daily transition of carbon dioxide emissions in a specific month. By displaying the daily transition, it is possible to easily check the power consumption and carbon dioxide emissions on a specific day or day of the week. In the example of FIG. 13, it is easy to visually see that the carbon dioxide emissions on December 4th (Saturday) and December 5th (Sunday) are low. Area DA2 shows the transition of carbon dioxide emissions per unit time (10 minutes in this embodiment) on a specific day.

[0080] In area DA3, the vertical axis represents the CO2 emission index, and the horizontal axis displays the names of the manufacturing processes corresponding to the manufacturing lines L1 to Ln. For ease of illustration, the names of the manufacturing processes are indicated using the symbols A to U. The manufacturing processes are arranged in descending order of CO2 emission index. In other words, area DA3 displays the manufacturing processes in descending order of priority for improvement of the CO2 emission index. In the example of FIG. 13, it can be seen that the production efficiency in terms of carbon dioxide emissions in manufacturing process A and manufacturing process B is poor. In this way, display data TB2 makes it easy to see which manufacturing processes should be prioritized for improvement.

[0081] As described above, the energy management system of this embodiment includes an energy consumption acquisition device 20a, an equipment operation information acquisition device 20b, and an information management device 10. The energy consumption acquisition device 20a is retrofitted to a power meter 50 serving as an energy consumption meter that measures a first energy consumption amount consumed in a first range AR1, and includes a consumption detection unit 25a that detects pulses periodically generated by the energy consumption meter and outputs the pulses as a consumption detection signal, and a consumption transmission unit for transmitting the consumption detection signal. The equipment operation information acquisition device 20b is retrofitted to at least one production facility 30 included in each of the plurality of second ranges AR2, and includes a timing information detection unit 25b that acquires the start timing of processing by the production facility 30 and outputs the acquired pulses as a first signal, and a timing information transmission unit for transmitting the first signal. The information management device 10 includes a first energy information generation unit 110 that generates first energy information including a first energy consumption amount using a consumption detection signal received from the energy consumption acquisition device 20a, an equipment operation information generation unit 114 that generates equipment operation information including at least one of a production volume and an operating time using a first signal received from the equipment operation information acquisition device 20b, and a second energy information generation unit 112 that calculates a second energy consumption amount consumed in each of a plurality of second ranges AR2 through multiple regression analysis using the generated first energy information and the equipment operation information, and generates second energy information including the second energy consumption amount. According to the energy management system 100 of this embodiment, the second energy consumption amount consumed in each of a plurality of second ranges AR2 can be acquired through multiple regression analysis using the first energy information and the equipment operation information, without providing a device for acquiring energy consumption amounts, such as a power meter, in the second range AR2. Furthermore, energy consumption in an existing production line Ln can be acquired and managed by a simple method of retrofitting the energy consumption acquisition device 20a to the production equipment 30.

[0082] According to the energy management system 100 of this embodiment, the first energy information generation unit 110 further calculates the amount of carbon dioxide emissions emitted in the first range AR1 using the generated first energy consumption as the first energy information. Therefore, information on the amount of carbon dioxide emissions, which has not conventionally been acquired by the power meter 50, can be easily acquired by using the simple energy consumption acquisition device 20a and equipment operation information acquisition device 20b, which are different from the power meter 50.

[0083] According to the energy management system 100 of this embodiment, the second energy information generation unit 112 calculates the amount of carbon dioxide emission emitted in each of the plurality of second ranges AR2 by further using the first energy information or the second energy consumption as the second energy information. Therefore, it is possible to obtain the amount of carbon dioxide emission emitted in the plurality of second ranges AR2 without providing a device for detecting the amount of carbon dioxide emission in each of the second ranges AR2.

[0084] The energy management system 100 of this embodiment further includes an index generation unit 116 that calculates at least one of the ratio of the second energy consumption to the production volume and the ratio of the second energy consumption to the operating time using the calculated second energy consumption and the equipment operation information. The energy management system 100 of this embodiment expresses the ratio of the carbon dioxide emission amount to the equipment operation information as an index, making it possible to easily grasp the production efficiency of the production equipment 30 with respect to the carbon dioxide emission amount.

[0085] According to the energy management system 100 of this embodiment, the equipment operation information generation unit 114 further generates equipment operation information using the stop timing. By acquiring the stop timing of the production equipment 30, equipment operation information such as the cycle time and stop time of the production equipment 30 can be calculated more accurately, and the production status of the production equipment 30 can be understood in more detail.

[0086] B. Other Embodiments: (B1) In the above embodiment, an example was shown in which only the consumption detection unit 25a functions as the consumption detection unit. However, the consumption detection unit may be realized by the consumption detection unit 25a and the controller 23a. The controller 23a may store the pulse signal received from the consumption detection unit 25a in a storage device, and may execute a process of transmitting the consumption detection signal to the information management device 10 in response to an execution command received from the information management device 10.

[0087] (B2) In the above embodiment, the information management device 10, the energy consumption acquisition device 20a, and the equipment operation information acquisition device 20b communicate with each other via wireless communication, but they may also communicate via wired communication. For example, if a wired local area network (LAN) connection port is provided near the production equipment 30, the connection port can be used to eliminate the need for new wiring, and the energy management system 100 can be easily introduced in the same way as with wireless communication.

[0088] (B3) In the above embodiment, the equipment operation information acquisition device 20b transmits a first signal corresponding to the start timing of processing by the production equipment 30 and a second signal corresponding to the stop timing of processing to the information management device 10, and the information management device 10 generates equipment operation information and indicators using the first and second signals. Alternatively, the information management device 10 may acquire only the start timing of processing by the production equipment 30, i.e., only the first signal, and generate equipment operation information and indicators using only the start timing. In this case, in the equipment operation information acquisition device 20b, the detector 25b may detect the start timing of processing by the production equipment 30, and the controller 23b may generate only the first signal using the pulse signal received from the detector 25b. The equipment operation information acquisition device 20b may include only either the first transmitter / receiver 21b1 or the second transmitter / receiver 21b2 for transmitting the first signal to the information management device 10. This allows the equipment operation information acquisition device 20b to have a simple configuration, thereby simplifying the processing in the information management device 10. The information management device 10 may be configured to acquire only the second signal and generate equipment operation information and indicators using only the stop timing. When generating equipment operation information and indicators using only the start timing, the equipment operation information generator 114 may acquire the period from the first signal to the reception of the next first signal as the cycle time.

[0089] (B4) In the above embodiment, the consumption detection unit 25a is a pulse detector attached to the power meter 50. However, the consumption detection unit 25a may be a detector other than a pulse detector. For example, if the power meter 50 is an integrating watt-hour meter (induction watt-hour meter) that does not output a pulse signal and uses a so-called Arago disk, the consumption detection unit 25a detects the number of rotations of the disk to obtain the power consumption for each predetermined energy unit that is periodically generated by the power meter 50. The consumption detection unit 25a may be a magnetic sensor, and for example, a metal piece or a magnet may be attached to the disk or the disk's rotation axis, thereby detecting the rotation of the disk to detect the power consumption. Furthermore, if a slit is provided in the disk, the consumption detection unit 25a may be used as an infrared sensor to detect the power consumption.

[0090] (B5) In the above embodiment, the power consumption by the production facility 30 was described as an example of the energy consumption status of the production facility. However, the energy to be detected is not limited to electricity, and various types of energy may be used, such as gas, kerosene, and liquid fuels including heavy oil. For example, when detecting the gas consumption by the production facility 30, the same effect as in the above embodiment can be achieved by connecting the consumption detection unit 25a to a gas consumption meter for measuring gas consumption instead of the power meter 50. If the gas consumption meter has a pulse transmission function, a pulse signal output from the gas consumption meter for each predetermined flow rate can be acquired as a consumption detection signal by the consumption detection unit 25a.

[0091] (B6) In the above embodiment, an example was shown in which data on first energy information and equipment operation information for weekdays in a specific week was acquired in 10-minute units to estimate second energy information for a specific week. However, the second energy information can also be estimated for any period, such as one day, one month, or one year, rather than one week. Furthermore, the unit time for acquiring the first energy information and equipment operation information is not limited to 10 minutes, but may be any period, such as one minute, one hour, or one day. The unit time for acquiring the first energy information and equipment operation information is preferably set according to the number of explanatory variables and the period for estimating the second energy information by multiple regression analysis. Furthermore, the first energy information and equipment operation information are not limited to being acquired separately for weekdays and holidays. For example, factors with different trends in energy consumption, such as weekdays and holidays, downtime periods of the production line Ln for maintenance, and factory operation plans, may be extracted in advance, and multiple regression analysis may be performed for each period showing different trends. The information management device 10 may determine whether there is a statistically significant difference using data acquired over a certain period, and then perform multiple regression analysis for each cluster with different significant differences.

[0092] (B7) In the above embodiment, the second energy information generation unit calculates the second energy consumption amount by multiple regression analysis using the first energy information and the production number. Alternatively, the second energy information generation unit may calculate the second energy consumption amount by multiple regression analysis using not only the first energy information and the production number but also the operating time. In this case, the equipment operation information generation unit may generate both the production number and the operating time as equipment operation information. Furthermore, the second energy information generation unit may use equipment operation information other than the production number and the operating time in addition to the first energy information, the production number, and the operating time. In a production equipment 30 that heats workpieces, power consumption may be higher when the temperature of the production equipment 30 is low than when the temperature is high. Therefore, for example, the temperature of the production equipment 30 can be considered a significant factor in fluctuations in energy consumption and can be acquired as equipment operation information. When multiple types of equipment operation information are used, the second energy information generation unit can calculate the second energy consumption amount Ek for each of the multiple second ranges AR2 by multiple regression analysis using, for example, the following equation (4):

[0093]

number

[0094] According to the management system 100 of this embodiment, the estimation accuracy of the second energy consumption can be improved by increasing the factors of the multiple regression analysis.

[0095] The control unit and the method described herein may be implemented by a special-purpose computer configured by configuring a processor and memory programmed to perform one or more functions embodied in a computer program. Alternatively, the control unit and the method described herein may be implemented by a special-purpose computer configured by configuring a processor with one or more dedicated hardware logic circuits. Alternatively, the control unit and the method described herein may be implemented by one or more special-purpose computers configured by combining a processor and memory programmed to perform one or more functions with a processor configured with one or more hardware logic circuits. Furthermore, the computer program may be stored as instructions executed by a computer on a computer-readable non-transitory tangible storage medium.

[0096] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments and can be realized in various configurations without departing from the spirit thereof. For example, the technical features in the embodiments corresponding to the technical features in each aspect described in the Summary of the Invention section can be appropriately replaced or combined to solve some or all of the above-described problems or achieve some or all of the above-described effects. Furthermore, if a technical feature is not described as essential in this specification, it can be appropriately deleted. [Explanation of symbols]

[0097] AR1...first range, AR2...second range, DA1 to DA3...area, DC1 to DC6...display area, L1 to Ln...production line, PC...information processing device, PD1, PD2...terminal device, TB1...table, TB2...display data, 10...information management device, 11...CPU, 12...storage device, 13...transmitting / receiving unit, 14...display unit, 15...input device, 16...timer, 17...bus, 20a...energy consumption acquisition device, 20b...equipment operation information acquisition device, 21a...transmitting / receiving unit, 21b1...first transmitting / receiving unit, 21b2...second transmitting / receiving unit, 23a, 23b...computer controller, 25a...consumption amount detection unit, 25b...timing information detection unit, 30...production equipment, 40...signal tower, 41...transport mechanism, 50...power meter, 52...power measurement unit, 60...distribution board, 70...power distribution line, 100...energy management system, 110...first energy information generation unit, 112...second energy information generation unit, 114...equipment operation information generation unit, 116...index generation unit, 121...first energy information storage unit, 122...second energy information storage unit, 124...equipment operation information storage unit, 126...index storage unit, 200...factory, 310...casing

Claims

1. An energy management system for managing energy consumption status of a plurality of production facilities, An energy consumption acquisition device, a consumption amount detection unit that is retrofitted to an energy consumption meter that measures a first energy consumption amount consumed in a predetermined first range that includes the plurality of production facilities, and that detects information regarding the first energy consumption amount that is periodically generated by the energy consumption meter and outputs the information as a consumption amount detection signal; an energy consumption acquisition device including a consumption transmission unit for transmitting the consumption detection signal; An equipment operation information acquisition device, a timing information detection unit that is retrofitted to at least one piece of production equipment included in each of a plurality of second ranges obtained by dividing the first range into a plurality of predetermined ranges, and that acquires a start timing of a process by the one piece of production equipment and outputs the acquired timing information as a first signal; an equipment operation information acquisition device including a timing information transmission unit for transmitting the first signal; An information management device, a first energy information generating unit that generates first energy information including the first energy consumption using the consumption detection signal received from the energy consumption acquisition device; an equipment operation information generating unit that generates equipment operation information including at least one of the number of workpieces produced by the production equipment and the operating time during which the production equipment can perform processing on the workpieces, using the first signal received from the equipment operation information acquiring device; and a second energy information generation unit that calculates second energy consumption amounts consumed in each of the plurality of second ranges by multiple regression analysis using the generated first energy information and the equipment operation information, and generates second energy information including the second energy consumption amounts. Energy management systems.

2. The energy management system of claim 1 , the first energy information generation unit further calculates a first emission amount of greenhouse gases emitted in the first range by using the generated first energy consumption amount as the first energy information; Energy management systems.

3. The energy management system according to claim 1 or 2, the second energy information generation unit further calculates second emissions of greenhouse gases emitted in each of the plurality of second ranges by using the first energy information or the second energy consumption amount as the second energy information; Energy management systems.

4. The energy management system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, the facility operation information generating unit generates both the production volume and the operating time as the facility operation information; the second energy information generation unit calculates the second energy consumption amount by multiple regression analysis using the first energy information, the production volume, and the operating time. Energy management systems.

5. The energy management system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, the information management device further includes an index generation unit that calculates, using the calculated second energy consumption and the equipment operation information, at least one of a ratio of the second energy consumption to the production volume and a ratio of the second energy consumption to the operating time. Energy management systems.

6. The energy management system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, The timing information detection unit further acquires a stop timing of the process by the production equipment and outputs the stop timing as a second signal; The facility operation information generation unit further generates the facility operation information using the second signal. Energy management systems.

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