Design support system

Abstract

To provide a design assistance system which allows for intuitively inputting information regarding loads to be installed in a building.SOLUTION: A design assistance system is provided, comprising an input unit 11 for inputting load information, representing loads 730 to be installed in a building 700, for each floor of the building 700, a display unit 12 configured to separately display the load information of each floor of the building 700, and a determination unit 13 configured to determine specifications of high-voltage power receiving equipment 710 to be installed in the building 700 according to the inputted load information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a design support system for designing electrical equipment in a building.

Background Art

[0002] In relatively large-scale buildings, high-voltage power reception equipment is installed. The high-voltage power reception equipment is equipment for transforming high-voltage power supplied from an electric power company into low-voltage power and distributing and supplying the power to each floor of the building. The power from the high-voltage power reception equipment is supplied to each load via a distribution board installed in the building. The "load" here refers to, for example, an air conditioner, a lighting device, a power outlet for connecting an electric device, and the like.

[0003] The high-voltage power reception equipment may be installed indoors in a building, or may be installed outdoors in a metal box. Patent Document 1 below discloses a specific configuration of the high-voltage power reception equipment.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] When installing high-voltage power reception equipment in a building, it is necessary to预先 determine the specifications of the high-voltage power reception equipment based on, for example, the magnitude of the power consumption of the loads installed in the building. The "specifications of the high-voltage power reception equipment" refer to, for example, the size and weight of the high-voltage power reception equipment, the capacity of the transformer provided in the high-voltage power reception equipment, and the like.

[0006] The specifications for high-voltage power receiving equipment are often determined through the exchange of necessary information between the building contractor who designs the building and the electrical equipment contractor who provides the equipment. For example, the building contractor first determines the specifications of the load and presents these specifications to the electrical equipment contractor. The electrical equipment contractor, having received the load specifications, determines the specifications of the high-voltage power receiving equipment necessary to supply power to the load and communicates these specifications to the building contractor. The building contractor, having received the specifications for the high-voltage power receiving equipment, designs the installation location and other details of the high-voltage power receiving equipment based on the size and other details indicated in those specifications.

[0007] However, in building design, load specifications and other factors can frequently change. When load specifications change, the specifications of the high-voltage power receiving equipment must also be re-determined accordingly, requiring further information exchange between the building contractor and the electrical equipment contractor. For this reason, it often took a relatively long time before the configuration of the electrical equipment, including the high-voltage power receiving equipment, was finally decided.

[0008] Therefore, in order to solve the above problems, the inventors are investigating a design support system for designing electrical equipment for buildings. According to the design support system, it is possible to automatically determine the specifications of high-voltage power receiving equipment based on the load specifications and other information input by the building contractor and present these specifications to the building contractor. As a result, the building contractor does not need to wait for a response from the electrical equipment contractor, and the design of the building's electrical equipment can be completed in a shorter time than before.

[0009] In design support systems like the one described above, if workers inputting load-related information can intuitively perform the input process while concretely visualizing the load distribution on each floor of the building, it is believed that input errors will be reduced. However, until now, no concrete consideration has been given to the interface necessary to achieve such intuitive input.

[0010] This disclosure aims to provide a design support system that allows for intuitive input of information regarding loads installed in a building. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] To achieve the above objective, the invention described in claim 1 of the present invention is a design support system for designing electrical equipment for a building, characterized in that it comprises: an input unit into which load information, which is information relating to loads installed in the building, is input in association with the floors of the building; a display unit that associates the load information with the floors of the building and displays a floor display in which the load information is grouped for each floor; and a determination unit that determines the specifications of the high-voltage power receiving equipment to be installed in the building based on the input load information. The invention described in claim 2 is characterized in that, in the invention described in claim 1, the display unit displays an additional button for adding the load information to the floor display. The invention described in claim 3 is characterized in that, in the invention described in claim 1 or 2, the floor display is arranged vertically for each floor on the display unit. The invention described in claim 4 is characterized in that, in the invention described in claim 3, the floor display is arranged in descending order of the floors of the building on the display unit.

[0012] Furthermore, in a design support system for designing the electrical equipment of a building, it is also conceivable to adopt a first configuration comprising: an input unit into which load information, which is information regarding loads installed in the building, is input in association with the floor of the building; a display unit that displays the load information for all floors on a single screen; and a determination unit that determines the specifications of the high-voltage power receiving equipment to be installed in the building based on the input load information. In a system employing such a first configuration, the system includes an input unit into which load information, which is information about the loads installed in the building, is input in association with the floors of the building; a display unit that displays the load information for all floors on a single screen; and a determination unit that determines the specifications of the high-voltage power receiving equipment installed in the building based on the input load information. Therefore, it can provide a design support system that allows for intuitive input of information about the loads installed in the building.

[0013] Furthermore, in the configuration adopting the first configuration described above, a second configuration may be adopted in which an additional button for adding the load information is displayed on the display unit. Furthermore, in a configuration employing the first or second configuration described above, a third configuration may be adopted in the display unit, which allows the load information to be displayed separately for each floor of the building. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] According to the present invention, the system includes an input unit into which load information, which is information about loads installed in a building, is input in association with the floors of the building; a display unit that associates the load information with the floors of the building and displays a floor display that groups the load information for each floor; and a determination unit that determines the specifications of the high-voltage power receiving equipment installed in the building based on the input load information. Therefore, it is possible to provide a design support system that allows for the intuitive input of information about loads installed in a building. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0015] [Figure 1] This diagram schematically shows the configuration of the design support system according to this embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of electrical equipment in a building. [Figure 3] This figure shows an example of a project information screen displayed by a design support system. [Figure 4]It is a diagram showing an example of a usage product information screen displayed by a design support system. [Figure 5] It is a diagram showing an example of an equipment editing screen displayed by a design support system. [Figure 6] It is a diagram showing an example of a panel specification editing screen displayed by a design support system. [Figure 7] It is a diagram showing an example of a floor area input screen displayed by a design support system. [Figure 8] It is a flowchart showing the flow of processing executed by a design support system.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0016] Hereinafter, this embodiment will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. To facilitate understanding of the description For this purpose, the same reference numerals are attached to the same components in each drawing as much as possible, and duplicate explanations are omitted.

[0017] The configuration of the design support system 10 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 1. The design support system 10 is configured as a system for designing the electrical equipment of a building. The plurality of terminals 20 shown in FIG. 1 are computer devices used as interfaces when a user uses the design support system 10. Each terminal 20 is connected to the design support system 10 via a network system NW and can perform two-way communication with the design support system 10. From the perspective of the user operating the terminal 20, the design support system 10 is a server device installed on the cloud.

[0018] Terminal 20 may be a stationary computer device, or it may be a portable communication terminal carried by the user. The "user" assumed here is, for example, a building contractor who designs at least the layout of electrical equipment in a building. The user can access the design support system 10 via terminal 20 and design the building's electrical equipment with the support of the design support system 10. Multiple terminals 20 may be provided, as in the example in Figure 1, but only one terminal may be used.

[0019] The design support system 10 is configured as a system consisting of one or more computers. The design support system 10 includes, as elements represented as functional blocks, an input unit 11, a display unit 12, a decision unit 13, a storage unit 14, and a communication unit 15.

[0020] The input unit 11 is the part where load information is input via the terminal 20. "Load information" refers to information about loads installed in the building. "Loads" refer to things like air conditioners, lighting fixtures, and electrical outlets for connecting electrical equipment. The form of the screen display that serves as the interface for receiving load information input, and the details of the load information to be input will be described later.

[0021] The display unit 12 is responsible for processing load information and displaying it on the screen of the terminal 20. The manner in which the load information is displayed will be described later.

[0022] The determination unit 13 is the part that processes the determination of the specifications of the high-voltage power receiving equipment to be installed in the building based on the load information input to the input unit 11. The determination unit 13 determines the specifications of the high-voltage power receiving equipment so as not to hinder the supply of power to the loads installed in the building. High-voltage power receiving equipment is, for example, a cubicle installed outdoors of the building. The "specifications" of the high-voltage power receiving equipment determined by the determination unit 13 include, for example, the capacity of the transformer installed in the high-voltage power receiving equipment (i.e., the maximum power that can be output from the transformer), the size and weight of the high-voltage power receiving equipment, etc.

[0023] The memory unit 14 is a non-volatile storage device provided in the design support system 10, such as a hard disk. The memory unit 14 stores various types of information related to electrical equipment, including the load information mentioned above, which is input from the user via the terminal 20. The memory unit 14 also pre-stores information necessary for the calculation processing performed by the decision unit 13 and the like.

[0024] The communication unit 15 is a communication interface for enabling communication between the design support system 10 and the terminals 20. The network system NW connecting the communication unit 15 and each terminal 20 may be a wired communication network or a wireless communication network. Furthermore, the network system NW may be a public communication network used for multiple purposes, such as the Internet, or it may be a dedicated communication line established for the design support system 10.

[0025] Before explaining the functions of the design support system 10, namely its function of supporting the design of the building's electrical equipment, we will first describe the overview of the building's "electrical equipment." Figure 2 schematically shows an example of a building in which electrical equipment is installed. The building 700 shown in Figure 2 is a three-story building, and high-voltage power receiving equipment 710 is installed outside it.

[0026] The high-voltage receiving equipment 710 is a device that transforms the high-voltage power supplied from the power company's transmission network TL into low-voltage power and distributes that power to each floor of the building 700. The high-voltage receiving equipment 710 is equipped with a transformer 711 for performing the above-mentioned voltage transformation, as well as capacitors (not shown), etc.

[0027] Each floor of the building 700 is equipped with one or more distribution boards 720. In the example shown in Figure 2, there are two distribution boards 720 on each floor, but the number of distribution boards 720 may differ. The high-voltage power receiving equipment 710 and each distribution board 720 are connected by a main line 740. In Figure 2, a single main line 740 extending from the transformer 711 of the high-voltage power receiving equipment 710 is depicted as branching into multiple lines connected to each distribution board 720, but the configuration of the main line 740 may differ. For example, the high-voltage power receiving equipment 710 and the distribution boards 720 may be connected by individual main lines 740 provided for each distribution board 720.

[0028] In Figure 2, the loads installed on each floor are schematically depicted as blocks labeled with the symbol 730. Hereafter, each load will also be referred to as "Load 730". In the example in Figure 2, four Load 730s are depicted on each floor, but the actual number of Load 730s may differ.

[0029] Each distribution panel 720 distributes the power supplied from the main line 740 to its respective load 730. The distribution panel 720 is equipped with a main circuit breaker 721 and branch circuit breakers 722. Both the main circuit breaker 721 and the branch circuit breakers 722 are circuit breakers, and are configured to automatically interrupt the circuit when the value of the power passing through them exceeds a predetermined breaking capacity.

[0030] As is well known, the larger the capacity of the loads 730 installed in building 700, i.e., the greater the power consumption, the larger the breaking capacity of the branch breakers 722 and the main breaker 721 must be. Also, as the number of loads 730 increases and the total power consumed by building 700 increases, the capacity of the transformer 711 must also be larger. The design support system 10 has a function to automatically determine the specifications of the high-voltage power receiving equipment 710, including the capacity of the transformer 711, based on the "load information" input as information about the loads 730. Therefore, the building contractor designing building 700 can obtain the specifications of the high-voltage power receiving equipment 710 simply by operating the design support system 10, without having to exchange information with the electrical equipment supplier that provides the high-voltage power receiving equipment 710.

[0031] The following describes the functions of the design support system 10, including examples of screens displayed on the terminal 20. In this embodiment, the design support system 10 manages various information regarding the electrical equipment of multiple buildings 700, grouped together for each building 700. A set of information corresponding to one building 700 is stored as "project information" in the storage unit 14 of the design support system 10.

[0032] When a user logs into the design support system 10 via terminal 20, the project information screen 100 shown in Figure 3 is displayed on the terminal 20 screen. The project information screen 100 consists of an upper project information registration section 110 and a lower project list display section 120.

[0033] The case information registration unit 110 is the part that the user operates to register new case information. The user enters a name that identifies the case information, for example, the name of building 700, in the "Subject" input field. In addition to the subject input field, the case information registration unit 110 also displays a floor number setting unit 111, a registration button 112, and a cancel button 113.

[0034] The floor setting unit 111 is where the user inputs the number of floors in building 700. The user sets the top floor and bottom floor of building 700 in the floor setting unit 111. In the example in Figure 2, if building 700 has three floors, "3" will be entered as the top floor and "1" as the bottom floor.

[0035] In addition to the above, the project information registration unit 110 displays numerous input fields for entering project-related information, but individual explanations of these will be omitted. After entering the necessary information, the user clicks the registration button 112. This sends the newly entered project information to the design support system 10, where it is added and stored in the memory unit 14. If the cancel button 113 is clicked instead of the registration button 112, the information entered in each input field of the project information registration unit 110 is cleared.

[0036] The case list display unit 120 displays a list display unit 121, a load information input button 122, and a delete button 123.

[0037] The list display unit 121 displays a list of case information registered by the currently logged-in user. As described above, when the registration button 112 of the case information registration unit 110 is clicked and new case information is added, a string representing that case information is added as a new row in the list display unit 121. In the example in Figure 3, three case information entries consisting of Case A, Case B, and Case C are displayed in the list display unit 121. The strings such as "Case A" displayed here are the names entered in the "Subject" field of the case information registration unit 110.

[0038] The user can select a case by clicking on the name of the case information displayed in the list display unit 121. After selecting a specific case, if the user clicks the delete button 123, the case information is deleted from both the list display unit 121 and the storage unit 14.

[0039] After selecting a specific case information displayed on the list display unit 121, the user clicks the load information input button 122, and the terminal 20 screen displays the product usage information screen 200 shown in Figure 4. The product usage information screen 200 is a screen where load information for the building 700 corresponding to the case information selected as described above is entered. Below, an example will be described where the building 700 is a 10-story building.

[0040] The product information screen 200 displays floor frames 210 and panel blocks 211. The floor frames 210 are roughly rectangular frames, and the same number as the number of floors in the building 700 are displayed in a vertical arrangement. Each floor frame 210 corresponds to one of the floors in the building 700. The design support system 10 displays the same number of floor frames 210 as the number of floors in the building 700, based on the number of floors entered in the floor setting unit 111 in Figure 3.

[0041] In Figure 4, only two floor frames 210 are shown: one corresponding to the 10th floor and another to the 9th floor. These are only a portion of the 10 floor frames 210 available. The user can display any of the floor frames 210 corresponding to each floor of the building 700 on the screen by operating the scroll bar on the far right. The number of floor frames 210 that can be displayed simultaneously may be different from 2.

[0042] The panel block 211 is an icon representing a panel installed on the floor of building 700. In the example in Figure 2, "panel" refers to the distribution panel 720, but the panel block 211 may also represent a control panel or an equipment panel. In Figure 4, the strings of characters such as "LP-10-01" written inside the panel block 211 are symbols used to identify each panel and can be arbitrarily set by the user.

[0043] Each panel block 211 placed inside a floor frame 210 represents one panel installed on the floor corresponding to that floor frame 210. As shown in the example in Figure 3, if two distribution boards 720 are placed on each floor, two panel blocks 211 will be displayed inside one floor frame 210. However, when the product information screen 200 is displayed for the first time after new project information has been registered, that is, when the panels for each floor have not yet been registered, no panel blocks 211 will be displayed inside the floor frame 21. Alternatively, a predetermined number of panel blocks 211 may be displayed inside the floor frame 210 as default initial information.

[0044] An add button 212 is displayed on the upper part of each floor frame 210. When adding a panel block 211 or performing other actions, the user clicks this add button 212. When the user clicks the add button 212, the terminal 20 screen displays the equipment editing screen 300 as shown in Figure 5. Figure 5 shows an example of the equipment editing screen 300 that is displayed when the add button 212 of the floor frame 210 corresponding to the 10th floor is pressed.

[0045] As shown in Figure 5, the device editing screen 300 displays a list display section 310, an add row button 320, a delete row button 330, a register button 301, and a cancel button 302.

[0046] The list display unit 310 displays a list of each panel installed on the floor. Each row in the list display unit 310 lists information about one panel, specifically information such as "equipment type," "installation location," and "panel name." Users can edit this information using a mouse or keyboard. "Equipment type" refers to the type of distribution board, and it is possible to select and input one of "distribution board," "control board," or "equipment board." "Installation location" is information indicating the floor number on which the panel is installed. In the example in Figure 5, as described above, the add button 212 for the floor frame 210 corresponding to the 10th floor is pressed, so "Installation location" in all rows is displayed as "10F." "Panel name" is a symbol arbitrarily set to identify the panel, and is a string of characters such as "LP-10-01" displayed inside the panel block 211 as shown in Figure 4.

[0047] To add a new row, that is, to add a new panel to be installed on the relevant floor, the user should click the Add Row button 320 and enter the necessary information in the newly added row. To delete an existing row, check the checkbox at the far right of the relevant item and then click the Delete Row button 330 below it.

[0048] By entering the necessary information into the equipment editing screen 300 as described above, users can proceed with the design of the electrical equipment while placing panels on each floor.

[0049] Once the editing is complete, the user clicks the registration button 301. When the user clicks the registration button 301, the equipment editing screen 300 closes, and the product information screen 200 shown in Figure 4 is displayed again. At this time, the arrangement of the panel blocks 211 in each floor frame 210 matches the arrangement in the list display unit 310 that was edited immediately before. The arrangement of the panel blocks 211 in each floor frame 210 is also transmitted to the input unit 11 of the design support system 10 and stored in the storage unit 14. In other words, the arrangement of the panels in the project information stored in the storage unit 14 is updated to reflect the arrangement entered by the user.

[0050] An add button 220 is displayed in the upper right corner of the product information screen 200. Like the add button 212, the add button 220 is clicked to add a panel block 211, etc. When the user clicks the add button 220, the equipment editing screen 300, similar to that in Figure 5, is displayed on the terminal 20 screen. However, the list display section 310 of the equipment editing screen 300 displayed at this time does not list only the panels installed on a specific floor, but lists all the panels installed throughout the building 700. In other words, not only panels with the "installation location" set to "10F" as in the example in Figure 5, but also panels set to "1F", panels set to "2F", etc., are all listed.

[0051] Thus, the design support system 10 allows information from panels installed on each floor of the building 700 to be displayed for each floor of the building 700 and edited individually by the user, or it can display and edit information for all floors at once on a single screen.

[0052] In the product information screen 200 shown in Figure 4, when the user clicks on one of the multiple panel blocks 211 displayed, the panel specification editing screen 400 shown in Figure 6 is displayed. The panel specification editing screen 400 displays various information, including the electrical specifications of all loads 730 connected to the panel corresponding to the panel block 211, and allows the user to edit this information. Figure 6 shows an example of the panel specification editing screen 400 that is displayed when the panel block 211 labeled "LP-10-01" on the 10th floor in Figure 4 is clicked.

[0053] The control panel specification editing screen 400 consists of an upper control panel specification display section 410, a middle section trunk line information display section 420, and a lower section load display section 430.

[0054] The panel specification display section 410 is the part that displays information about the panel corresponding to the panel block 211 that was clicked earlier. The panel specification display section 410 displays the installation location display section 411 and the panel name display section 412. The installation location display section 411 displays the floor number on which the panel is installed. The panel name display section 412 displays a string of characters such as "LP-10-01" that has been set as the name of the panel.

[0055] Furthermore, the panel specification editing screen 400 displays numerous input fields for entering information about the panel, but individual explanations of these will be omitted. Similarly, for the trunk line information display unit 420 and load display unit 430, which will be described next, only some of the fields shown in Figure 6 will be explained, and explanations of the others will be omitted.

[0056] The main line information display unit 420 is the part that displays information about the main line 740 connected from the high-voltage power receiving equipment 710 to the control panel. The main line information display unit 420 displays the breakup capacity display unit 421 and the main line specification display unit 422.

[0057] The breaking capacity display section 421 is the part that displays the breaking capacity of the main circuit breaker 721 installed in the panel. The letters "AT" displayed on the left side of the breaking capacity display section 421 mean "ampere trip". For example, if "125" is displayed on the breaking capacity display section 421, it means that the main circuit breaker 721 of the panel is one that will trip when a current of 125A flows through it. The breaking capacity displayed on the breaking capacity display unit 421 is automatically entered by the design support system 10 based on the electrical specifications (specifically, power consumption) of the load 730 displayed on the load display unit 430, which will be described later. The larger the total power consumption of the load 730, the larger the value displayed on the breaking capacity display unit 421. However, the user can manually rewrite the automatically entered "AT" value as needed.

[0058] The main line specification display unit 422 is the section that displays a numerical value indicating the thickness of the main line 740 connected to the panel. The numerical value displayed in the main line specification display unit 422 is automatically entered by the design support system 10 based on the electrical specifications (specifically, power consumption) of the load 730 displayed in the load display unit 430, which will be described later. The larger the total power consumption of the load 730, the larger the numerical value displayed in the main line specification display unit 422 will be. However, the user can also manually change the automatically entered numerical value as needed.

[0059] The load display unit 430 is the part that displays the electrical specifications of the loads 730 that are connected to the panel and receive power supply. Each of the loads 730 connected to the panel is listed in the load display unit 430. Each row in the load display unit 430 lists information about one load 730, specifically information such as "load name," "power consumption," "breaker type," and "AT."

[0060] The user can edit this information using a mouse or keyboard. "Load Name" is a string of characters that can be arbitrarily set to identify load 730. "Power Consumption" is the section that displays the power consumption of load 730 as a numerical value in units of "W" or "VA". "Breaker Type" is the type of branch breaker 722 installed between load 730 and the panel, and it is possible to select and input one of "MCCB", "ELB", or "TB". Note that "TB" refers to a terminal block. If the panel and load 730 are directly connected without going through a branch breaker 722, "TB" is selected as the "Breaker Type". "AT" is the so-called "ampere trip", and is the breaking capacity of the branch breaker 722.

[0061] Of the information displayed on the load display unit 430, at least the "load name" and "power consumption" are manually entered by the user. The "AT" value on the load display unit 430 is automatically entered by the design support system 10 according to the entered "power consumption" value. The larger the power consumption value, the larger the value displayed in the "AT" field. However, the user can also manually change the automatically entered "AT" value as needed.

[0062] To add a new row to the load display unit 430, that is, to add a new load 730 connected to the panel, the user should click the load add button 401. To delete an existing row, the user should check the checkbox at the far right of the row and then click the load delete button 402 below it. The user can rewrite the information of the loads 730 connected to the panel by editing the load display unit 430 as needed.

[0063] By writing the necessary information to the load display unit 430 as described above, the user can proceed with the design of the electrical equipment while arranging the loads 730 connected to the control panel on each floor.

[0064] Once the editing is complete, the user clicks the save button 403. This sends the entered load 730 information to the input unit 11 of the design support system 10, where it is stored in the memory unit 14. In other words, the placement of load 730 in the project information stored in the memory unit 14 is updated to reflect the information entered by the user.

[0065] Furthermore, even before the save button 403 is clicked, if the user updates any of the information on the load display unit 430, that information is transmitted to the input unit 11 of the design support system 10. Based on the updated information, the design support system 10 updates the values ​​displayed in "AT" on the load display unit 430 and the values ​​displayed in the break-off capacity display unit 421 and the trunk line specification display unit 422 of the trunk line information display unit 420 each time. For example, if the "power consumption" of some loads 730 is changed to a larger value than before, the "AT" value of those loads 730 will be changed to a larger value, and the values ​​displayed in the break-off capacity display unit 421 and the trunk line specification display unit 422 will also be changed to larger values.

[0066] To enable the automatic modification of these values, the memory unit 14 pre-stores the following: the correspondence between the power consumption of the load 730 and the breaking capacity of the branch breaker 722; the correspondence between the total power consumption of the loads 730 connected to the panel and the breaking capacity of the main breaker 721; and the correspondence between the total power consumption of the loads 730 connected to the panel and the diameter of the main line 740. The design support system 10 automatically modifies each of these values ​​by referring to these correspondences.

[0067] When the user clicks the save button 403 and the information of the load 730 stored in the memory unit 14 is updated, the decision unit 13 of the design support system 10 determines the specifications of the high-voltage power receiving equipment 710 to be installed in the building 700 based on that information. Specifically, the decision unit 13 of the design support system 10 determines the capacity of the transformer 711 that the high-voltage power receiving equipment 710 should have so as not to interfere with the power supply to each load 730 in the building 700. The decision unit 13 also calculates the external dimensions of the high-voltage power receiving equipment 710 necessary to accommodate components such as the transformer 711 and capacitors, and also calculates the weight of the high-voltage power receiving equipment 710.

[0068] To enable the above-mentioned decision, the memory unit 14 has in advance a correspondence between the total power consumption of all loads 730 in the building 700 and the specifications of the high-voltage power receiving equipment 710. The decision unit determines the specifications of the high-voltage power receiving equipment 710 by referring to this correspondence.

[0069] The specifications of the high-voltage power receiving equipment 710 determined by the determination unit 13 are stored in the storage unit 14. Users of the design support system 10 can display the specifications of the high-voltage power receiving equipment 710 on the screen of the terminal 20 by performing the necessary recall operation.

[0070] Furthermore, if the disc specification editing screen 400 is closed without clicking the save button 403, all information entered by the user up to that point will be reverted to the state it was in before the disc specification editing screen 400 was displayed.

[0071] As described above, in the design support system 10 according to this embodiment, the specification determination unit 13 can automatically determine the specifications of the high-voltage power receiving equipment 710 based on load information entered by the user. In this embodiment, the load information entered by the user to determine the specifications of the high-voltage power receiving equipment 710 is the electrical specifications of the load 730, specifically the power consumption value entered on the panel specification editing screen 400 in Figure 6.

[0072] As explained with reference to Figure 4, the user can place panel blocks 211 inside each floor frame 210, which is displayed corresponding to each floor of the building 700. Each panel block 211 is an icon representing a distribution board 720 or similar panel installed on each floor. When a panel block 211 is clicked, information about the load 730 connected to that panel, i.e., load information, is displayed as shown in Figure 6. In other words, a panel block 211 can be said to be an icon that contains and represents load information.

[0073] In the product information screen 200 of Figure 4, instead of each panel block 211 being displayed inside each floor frame 210, the electrical specifications of each load 730 may be displayed in a list inside each floor frame 210.

[0074] The user can input load information for each floor by clicking on the panel block 211, which is displayed separately for each floor of the building 700, and operating the displayed panel specification editing screen 400. The input load information is then entered into the input unit 11 of the design support system 10, as described above. Thus, the input unit 11 is configured as the part into which load information, which is information about the loads installed in the building 700, is entered for each floor of the building 700.

[0075] In the product information screen 200 shown in Figure 4, the panel blocks 211, which are icons representing load information, are displayed inside each floor frame 210. This product information screen 200 can be described as a screen that displays load information separately for each floor of the building 700.

[0076] Furthermore, in the panel specification editing screen 400 shown in Figure 6, a list of power consumption, which is the electrical specification of loads 730 installed on a specific floor, is displayed together on a single screen. Such a panel specification editing screen 400 can also be described as a screen that displays load information separately for each floor of the building 700.

[0077] As described above, in the design support system 10, load information is displayed on the screen separately for each floor of the building 700. This allows the user to intuitively perform tasks such as adding panels or loads 730 to specific floors while concretely visualizing which loads 730 will be installed on which floors of the building 700. The processing for displaying the load information on the screen separately for each floor of the building 700 is realized by the display unit 12 of the design support system. The display unit 12 can be described as the part that processes the display of load information separately for each floor of the building 700.

[0078] Furthermore, the "electrical specifications" of load 730, which are entered by the user as load information, may be the power consumption value as in this embodiment, but they may also be the voltage and current values ​​separately.

[0079] In this embodiment, as described above, the power consumption values ​​in each row of the load display section 430 on the panel specification editing screen 400 are input to the input section 11 as load information. Alternatively, the load information may be input to the input section 11 as information indicating the breaking capacity of the main breaker 721 of each panel installed on each floor of the building 700. The value of the breaking capacity of the main breaker 721 is determined so as not to interfere with the power supply to the load 730, and can be used as load information for determining the specifications of the high-voltage power receiving equipment 710. In this case, in the panel specification editing screen 400 of Figure 6, only the breaking capacity displayed in the breaking capacity display section 421 may be directly input by the user as load information. In this case, the load display section 430 does not need to be displayed on the panel specification editing screen 400.

[0080] When load information is input to the input unit 11 as information indicating the breaking capacity of the main breaker 721 as described above, the determination unit 13 should sum the breaking capacity values ​​of the main breaker 721, that is, the breaking capacity values ​​displayed on the breaking capacity display unit 421, for all panels, and determine the specifications of the high-voltage power receiving equipment 710 based on the obtained total value. In addition, the storage unit 14 should pre-store the correspondence between the sum of the breaking capacities of all main breakers 721 and the specifications of the high-voltage power receiving equipment 710.

[0081] Even with the configuration described above, load information will be input to the input unit 11 for each floor of the building 700. In this case, instead of each panel block 211 being displayed inside each floor frame 210 on the product information screen 200 in Figure 4, the breaking capacity of each main breaker 721 may be displayed in a list inside each floor frame 210.

[0082] Alternatively, instead of the above configuration, the load information may be input to the input unit 11 as information indicating the breaking capacity of the branch breakers 722 of each panel installed on each floor of the building 700. The value of the breaking capacity of the branch breakers 722 is determined so as not to interfere with the power supply to the load 730, and can be used as load information for determining the specifications of the high-voltage receiving equipment 710. In this case, in the panel specification editing screen 400 of Figure 6, only the numerical value in the AT column displayed in the load display unit 430 may be directly input by the user as load information.

[0083] When load information is input to the input unit 11 as information indicating the breaking capacity of the branch breakers 722 as described above, the determination unit 13 should sum the breaking capacity values ​​of the branch breakers 722 for all branch breakers 722 installed in the building 700, and determine the specifications of the high-voltage power receiving equipment 710 based on the obtained total value. In addition, the storage unit 14 should pre-store the correspondence between the sum of the breaking capacities of all branch breakers 722 and the specifications of the high-voltage power receiving equipment 710.

[0084] Even with the configuration described above, load information will be input to the input unit 11 for each floor of the building 700. In this case, instead of each panel block 211 being displayed inside each floor frame 210 on the product information screen 200 in Figure 4, the breaking capacity of each branch breaker 722 may be displayed in a list inside each floor frame 210.

[0085] In this embodiment, in the panel specification editing screen 400 of Figure 6, instead of the user manually entering information into each row of the load display unit 430, it is also possible to automatically input the initial values ​​for each piece of information.

[0086] As shown in Figure 6, an automatic input button 404 is displayed in the lower part of the panel specification editing screen 400. When the user clicks the automatic input button 404, the floor area input screen 500 shown in Figure 7 is displayed. The floor area input screen 500 displays an installation location display section 510, an area input section 520, an input button 501, and a cancel button 502.

[0087] The installation location display unit 510 is the part that displays the floor number of the floor on which each load 730 shown in Figure 6 is installed. The floor number value displayed here is the same as the floor number value displayed on the installation location display unit 411 in Figure 6.

[0088] The area input section 520 is where the user inputs the floor area corresponding to the display on the installation location display section 411. After the user enters the floor area value into the area input section 520, they click the input button 501. If the user wishes to interrupt the input and return to the panel specification editing screen 400 in Figure 6, they click the cancel button 502.

[0089] When the input button 501 is clicked, the floor area value entered in the area input unit 520 is sent to the input unit 11 of the design support system 10. The design support system 10 displays the panel specification editing screen 400 of Figure 6 again and, based on the entered floor area, inputs information indicating the specifications of the load 730 as initial values ​​into each row of the load display unit 430. This information includes at least the load name and power consumption of the load 730.

[0090] The memory unit 14 of the design support system 10 stores in advance the correspondence between the numerical value of the floor area and a list of loads 730 that are likely to be installed on that floor. The design support system 10 automatically inputs the loads 730 as described above by referring to this correspondence. The processing performed thereafter is the same as described above.

[0091] The floor area value entered on the floor area input screen 500 is used as information for inputting the initial value (or estimated value) of the load 730 installed on the floor. Therefore, it can be called "load information," which is information related to the load 730 installed on the building 700. In this way, the load information can also be input into the input unit 11 as information indicating the area of ​​each floor of the building 700.

[0092] In this case as well, load information will be entered into the input unit 11 for each floor of the building 700. When load information is entered from the floor area input screen 500 in this way, the product usage information screen 200 in Figure 4 may also display a numerical value indicating the area of ​​the floor inside each floor frame 210.

[0093] The flowchart shown in Figure 8 illustrates the general flow of processes executed in the design support system 10 to realize the functions described above. The series of processes shown in Figure 8 begin when the load information input button 122 is clicked by the user on the project information screen 100 in Figure 3.

[0094] In the first step S01 of this process, the product information screen 200 shown in Figure 4 is displayed on the screen of the terminal 20. After that, the user can perform processes such as adding panels to each floor or adding loads connected to those panels. As a result, various load information is input to the input unit 11.

[0095] In this embodiment, the user interface screens, such as the product information screen 200, the equipment editing screen 300, and the panel specification editing screen 400, are designed so that load information is input to the input unit 11 by the user for each floor of the building 700. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the design of each of the above screens is further refined so that the load information set so far is displayed to the user separately for each floor of the building 700.

[0096] As mentioned earlier, the load information entered by the user for each floor may be the electrical specifications of each load 730, such as power consumption; the breaking capacity of the main circuit breaker 721 installed on each floor; the breaking capacity of the branch circuit breaker 722 installed on each floor; or the floor area of ​​each floor. In any case, the entered load information will be displayed on the screen of the terminal 20 by the display unit 12, separated by floor of the building 700.

[0097] In step S02, following step S01, it is determined whether the user has performed an operation to input load information. If the registration button 301 is clicked on the equipment editing screen 300 in Figure 5, and a panel is added, or if the save button 403 is clicked on the panel specification editing screen 400 in Figure 6, and a load is added, the process proceeds to step S03. In other words, if an operation is performed to update the load information, the process proceeds to step S03. Otherwise, the series of processes shown in Figure 8 is terminated.

[0098] In step S03, a process is performed to update the load information stored in the storage unit 14 based on the load information entered by the user. In step S04, which follows step S03, the determination unit 13 performs a process to determine the specifications of the high-voltage power receiving equipment 710 based on the updated load information as described above.

[0099] As mentioned earlier, the user of the design support system 10 can display the specifications of the high-voltage power receiving equipment 710, as determined above, on the screen of the terminal 20 by performing the necessary call operation.

[0100] The embodiments have been described above with reference to specific examples. However, this disclosure is not limited to these specific examples. Modifications made to these specific examples by those skilled in the art are also included within the scope of this disclosure, as long as they retain the features of this disclosure. The elements, their arrangement, conditions, shapes, etc., of each of the aforementioned specific examples are not limited to those illustrated and can be modified as appropriate. The elements of each of the aforementioned specific examples can be combined in different ways as appropriate, as long as no technical inconsistencies arise. [Explanation of symbols]

[0101] 10...Design support system, 11...Input unit, 12...Display unit, 13...Decision unit, 700...Building, 710...High-voltage power receiving equipment, 730...Load.

Claims

1. A design support system for designing the electrical equipment of a building, Load information, which is information regarding loads installed in the aforementioned building, is input to an input unit that is associated with the floor of the building. A display unit that associates the load information with the floors of the building and displays a floor display that groups the load information for each floor, A design support system characterized by comprising a determination unit that determines the specifications of high-voltage power receiving equipment to be installed in the building based on the input load information.

2. The design support system according to claim 1, characterized in that the display unit displays an add button for adding the load information to the floor display.

3. The design support system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the floor display is arranged vertically for each floor on the display unit.

4. The design support system according to claim 3, characterized in that the floor display is arranged in descending order of the building's floors in the display unit.

Images