Energy consumption simulation device, energy consumption simulation method, and energy consumption simulation program

Abstract

The energy consumption simulation device comprises a section motor energy calculation unit, a capacitor charging energy calculation unit, a section amplifier energy calculation unit, and an energy consumption calculation unit. The section motor energy calculation unit calculates the section motor energy value, which is the energy consumed by the motor for each time section, based on motor operation information in which multiple time sections are set. The capacitor charging energy calculation unit calculates the capacitor charging energy value for each time section based on the section motor energy value and the reusable energy value charged in the capacitor, within a range of 0 or more and less than or equal to the upper limit of chargeable by the capacitor. The section amplifier energy calculation unit calculates the section amplifier energy value for each time section by comparing the section motor energy value and the capacitor charging energy value. The energy consumption calculation unit calculates the energy consumption value for each time section by accumulating the section amplifier energy values ​​from the first time section to the next time section.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an energy consumption simulation apparatus, an energy consumption simulation method, and an energy consumption simulation program. [Background Art]

[0002] Technologies have been proposed for estimating the power consumption required to operate an industrial machine, that is, energy consumption, through simulation. Conventional energy consumption simulation apparatuses use a supplied power calculation method for calculating power supplied from a primary power source (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In the supplied power calculation method described in Patent Document 1, first, the electrostatic energy stored in a smoothing capacitor is calculated, thereby calculating the power supplied from the primary power source to a machine driven by a motor. Next, a loss generated due to the operation of the machine, to which power is supplied from the primary power source to the motor, is calculated. Then, the power supplied by the primary power source is calculated according to the electrostatic energy of the smoothing capacitor including the calculated loss. [Prior Art Documents] [Patent Documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2025-012104 [Summary of the Invention] [Problem to be Solved by the Invention]

[0004] In the technology described in Patent Document 1, each loss is calculated during the calculation process, and the PN voltage, i.e., the DC bus voltage, is used for this calculation. However, when the motor accelerates and decelerates, the value of the DC bus voltage fluctuates greatly, so it is necessary to simulate this fluctuation in order to accurately calculate each loss. Without simulating the fluctuation of the DC bus voltage, the accuracy of calculating the power supplied from the primary power supply was insufficient. Here, in order to accurately simulate the DC bus voltage, it is conceivable to simulate the amplifier, including the behavior of the regenerative transistor, and perform a simulation, but there was a problem that shortening the calculation cycle would increase the amount of computation required to calculate the power.

[0005] This disclosure is made in view of the above, and aims to provide an energy consumption simulation device that can reduce the amount of computation required for simulation and calculate the energy consumption of industrial machinery with greater accuracy. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] To solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the objective, the energy consumption simulation device of this disclosure simulates the energy consumption of an industrial machine comprising a motor, an amplifier having a capacitor inserted between DC busbars to drive the motor and dissipating part or all of the regenerative energy with a regenerative resistor, and a machine driven by the motor, when the motor or machine operates according to an operating profile. The energy consumption simulation device comprises a section motor energy calculation unit, a capacitor charge energy calculation unit, a section amplifier energy calculation unit, and an energy consumption calculation unit. The section motor energy calculation unit calculates an instantaneous power value for each time section based on motor operation information with multiple time sections set from the operating profile, and integrates the instantaneous power values ​​over the time section to calculate the motor Input to or regenerated from the motor The unit calculates the interval motor energy value, which is energy. The capacitor charging energy calculation unit calculates the interval motor energy value for each time interval, In the time interval preceding the time interval being calculated Reusable energy value stored in the capacitor The capacitor charging energy valueBased on that, within the range of 0 or more and less than or equal to the upper limit of the capacitor that can be charged. In this time zone The capacitor charge energy value, which is the energy stored in the capacitor, is calculated. The section amplifier energy calculation unit compares the section motor energy value and the capacitor charge energy value for each time section. Based on the calculation formula selected according to the result , in the time interval From AC power amplifier Entered into The unit calculates the interval amplifier energy value, which is the energy consumed. For each time interval, the unit calculates the energy consumed by accumulating the interval amplifier energy values ​​from the first time interval to the time interval in which the interval amplifier energy value was calculated. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] The energy consumption simulation device described herein has the effect of reducing the amount of computation required for simulation and calculating the energy consumption of industrial machinery with greater accuracy. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This figure shows an example of the configuration of an industrial machine whose energy consumption value is estimated by the energy consumption simulation device according to Embodiment 1. [Figure 2] Block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the energy consumption simulation device according to Embodiment 1. [Figure 3] A diagram showing an example of motor operation information. [Figure 4] A flowchart showing an example of the procedure for the energy consumption simulation method according to Embodiment 1. [Figure 5] Block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a computer system that realizes the energy consumption simulation device according to Embodiment 1. [Figure 6] This figure shows an example of the configuration of an industrial machine having multiple motors for which the energy consumption simulation device estimates the energy consumption values ​​through simulation in Embodiment 2. [Figure 7] Diagram showing an example of operation pattern signals for a plurality of motors [Figure 8] Flowchart showing an example of the procedure of an energy consumption simulation method according to Embodiment 2 [Figure 9] Diagram showing another example of the configuration of an industrial machine having a plurality of motors that are targets for which the energy consumption simulation apparatus estimates an energy consumption value through simulation in Embodiment 2 [Figure 10] Block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an energy consumption simulation apparatus according to Embodiment 3 [Figure 11] Diagram showing an example of changes over time in a regenerative resistor energy consumption value and a total regenerative resistor energy consumption value [Figure 12] Block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an energy consumption simulation apparatus according to Embodiment 4 [Figure 13] Block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an energy consumption simulation apparatus according to Embodiment 5 [Figure 14] Block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an energy consumption simulation apparatus according to Embodiment 6 Description of Embodiments

[0009] Hereinafter, an energy consumption simulation apparatus, an energy consumption simulation method, and an energy consumption simulation program according to embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail based on the drawings.

[0010] Embodiment 1. Figure 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an industrial machine whose energy consumption value is estimated by the energy consumption simulation device according to Embodiment 1. The industrial machine 100 shown in Figure 1 comprises a motor 101, a machine 102 driven by the motor 101, and an amplifier 200 that controls the motor 101. Embodiment 1 describes an example in which the energy consumption simulation device determines the energy consumption when the industrial machine 100 with the configuration shown in Figure 1 operates using the motor 101.

[0011] In Figure 1, the industrial machine 100 is assumed to be a positioning control device. In the industrial machine 100 shown in Figure 1, the machine 102 is driven by the motor 101. Specific examples of the machine 102 include a ball screw, rack and pinion, and rotary table.

[0012] The motor 101 has an encoder 103 that outputs a detection signal DS indicating the detection results of the position and rotational speed of the motor 101's rotor. The command generation unit 110 generates an operation pattern signal OPS indicating the operation pattern of the motor 101 or the machine 102, and outputs the operation pattern signal OPS to the amplifier 200 that drives the motor 101. The operation pattern signal OPS includes a position command value, a speed command value, etc. In this example, the position command value is information indicating the position of the movable part, the table, at a certain time, and the speed command value is information indicating the moving speed of the table at a certain time.

[0013] The amplifier 200 supplies current IM to the motor 101 so that the detection signal DS follows the operation pattern signal OPS, that is, so that the operation of the motor 101 and machine 102 indicated by the detection signal DS follows the operation indicated by the operation pattern signal OPS.

[0014] Amplifier 200 converts the AC voltage Vac supplied from the AC power supply 120 into power and outputs a current IM. Amplifier 200 includes a rectifier 201, a capacitor 202, a regenerative resistor 203, a regenerative transistor 204, an inverter 205, and a servo control unit 220. The rectifier 201 is composed of diodes and the like and rectifies the AC voltage Vac. The capacitor 202 smooths the voltage after it has been rectified by the rectifier 201. The regenerative resistor 203 consumes regenerative power when excess regenerative power is generated and the DC bus voltage Vb reaches a specified value. The DC bus voltage Vb is the voltage between DC buses 210a and 210b. The regenerative transistor 204 turns on when the DC bus voltage Vb reaches a specified value and consumes power through the regenerative resistor 203. The inverter 205 generates the current IM supplied to the motor 101. The rectifier 201 and the inverter 205 are connected by a positive DC bus 210a and a negative DC bus 210b. A capacitor 202 is connected between the positive DC bus 210a and the negative DC bus 210b, and a regenerative resistor 203 and a regenerative transistor 204 are connected in series between the positive DC bus 210a and the negative DC bus 210b. The servo control unit 220 generates a voltage command CV to be supplied to the inverter 205 based on the operation pattern signal OPS input from the command generation unit 110. Specific examples of the capacitor 202 include, for example, an electrolytic capacitor and an electric double-layer capacitor.

[0015] The operation of amplifier 200 when generating the current IM supplied to motor 101 will be explained. First, rectifier 201 half-wave rectifies the AC voltage Vac supplied from AC power supply 120, and then capacitor 202 smooths the voltage half-wave rectified by rectifier 201 and converts it into a DC voltage, which is the DC bus voltage Vb. Servo control unit 220 performs feedback control such as PID (Proportional Integral Derivative) control so that the detection signal DS input from encoder 103 follows the operation pattern signal OPS input from command generation unit 110, and calculates the voltage command CV. Inverter 205 performs PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) calculation on the DC bus voltage Vb and converts the power so that the voltage command CV is applied to motor 101, thereby supplying the current IM to motor 101. In other words, the generated voltage command CV is sent to inverter 205, and inverter 205 applies voltage to motor 101.

[0016] Specific examples of amplifier 200 include a servo amplifier or general-purpose inverter that has a regenerative resistor for consuming regenerative power and a circuit for consuming regenerative power using the regenerative resistor. Amplifiers that have a circuit for consuming regenerative power using a regenerative resistor have the advantage of being cheaper than amplifiers that have a power regeneration converter that returns regenerative power to the power supply when it is generated.

[0017] Figure 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an energy consumption simulation device according to Embodiment 1. The energy consumption simulation device 10 is a device that simulates the energy consumption of an industrial machine 100, which includes a motor 101, a capacitor 202 inserted between DC buses 210a and 210b to drive the motor 101, an amplifier 200 that consumes part or all of the regenerative energy with a regenerative resistor 203, and a machine 102 driven by the motor 101, when the motor 101 or the machine 102 operates according to an operating profile. The energy consumption simulation device 10 includes: a motor operation information generation unit 11 that generates motor operation information showing the operation of motor 101 having multiple time intervals from the operation profile of motor 101 or machine 102; a section motor energy calculation unit 12 that calculates section motor energy value EM for each time interval based on the motor operation information; a capacitor charge energy calculation unit 13 that calculates capacitor charge energy value EC for each time interval based on the section motor energy value EM; a section amplifier energy calculation unit 14 that calculates section amplifier energy value EA, which is the energy actually consumed for each time interval, based on the section motor energy value EM and the capacitor charge energy value EC; and an energy consumption calculation unit 15 that calculates the total energy consumption value ES for the entire time interval by integrating the section amplifier energy value EA. Note that Figure 2 is an example, and the energy consumption simulation device 10 does not necessarily have to include the motor operation information generation unit 11. In other words, the energy consumption simulation device 10 may be configured to obtain motor operation information with set time intervals from an external source.

[0018] The motor operation information generation unit 11 generates motor operation information from the operation profile of the motor 101 or machine 102. The motor operation information includes the speed information of the motor 101 and the torque information or thrust information of the motor 101. If the motor 101 is a rotary motor, the motor operation information will be the speed information and torque information of the motor 101. If the motor 101 is a linear motor, the motor operation information will be the speed information and thrust information of the motor 101. An example of an operation profile is the operating pattern of the motor 101 or machine 102. In one example, the operation profile is specified by the user. The motor operation information generation unit 11 also sets multiple time intervals in the motor operation information. Multiple time intervals can be set in the motor operation information by any method. In one example, multiple time intervals can be set in the motor operation information by instruction from the user of the energy consumption simulation device 10. Alternatively, if multiple time intervals are set in the operation profile, the set time intervals can be set directly in the motor operation information.

[0019] Figure 3 shows an example of motor operation information. In Figure 3, the motor operation information includes an example of speed information and torque information for motor 101 in Figure 1. The first graph in Figure 3 shows the speed information of motor 101, with the horizontal axis representing time and the vertical axis representing the speed of motor 101. In other words, in this example, the speed information of motor 101 shows the change in speed of motor 101 over time. The second graph in Figure 3 shows the torque information of motor 101, with the horizontal axis representing time and the vertical axis representing the torque of motor 101. In other words, in this example, the torque information of motor 101 shows the change in torque of motor 101 over time.

[0020] In Figure 3, time intervals (1) to (6) are set for the period from time ts to time te, during which the motor 101 is operating. Operating states are defined for time intervals (1) to (6). Specifically, in time interval (1), the motor 101 accelerates; in time interval (2), the motor 101 maintains a constant speed; in time interval (3), the motor 101 decelerates; in time interval (4), the motor 101 stops; in time interval (5), the motor 101 accelerates again; and in time interval (6), the motor 101 performs a deceleration operation. An example of the torque information required for the motor 101 and machine 102 to follow the speed in response to this series of acceleration and deceleration operations is shown in the second graph. In this example, the time intervals are integers starting from 1. As shown in Figure 3, multiple time intervals are set for the speed information and torque information of the motor 101 so as not to be missed or overlapping during the period in which the operation is performed. The length of each time interval does not need to be constant; they may be different lengths.

[0021] Returning to Figure 2, the section motor energy calculation unit 12 calculates the instantaneous power value for each time section based on the motor operation information of the motor 101, which has multiple time sections set, obtained from the operation profile. By integrating the instantaneous power values ​​over the time sections, it calculates the section motor energy value EM, which is the energy consumed by the motor 101.

[0022] The capacitor charge energy calculation unit 13 calculates the capacitor charge energy value EC for each time interval, based on the interval motor energy value EM and the reusable energy value charged in the capacitor 202. This value is between 0 and the upper limit of the chargeable value of the capacitor 202. When the amplifier 200 is powered on and voltage is applied to the DC buses 210a and 210b, energy is charged to the capacitor 202. When energy is charged to the capacitor 202, the DC bus voltage Vb takes a steady value if no current flows to the motor 101. When regenerative energy is generated, such as when the motor 101 is decelerating, the DC bus voltage Vb rises from its steady value, and the energy charged to the capacitor 202 increases accordingly. This increase in DC bus voltage Vb corresponds to the energy that can be reused by the motor 101. When the DC bus voltage value is in a steady state, the reusable energy is 0. Furthermore, if the DC bus voltage is at the upper limit of what can be charged to capacitor 202 from a steady state, then the reusable energy will also be at the upper limit. The capacitor charge energy value EC corresponds to calculating this reusable energy value.

[0023] The section amplifier energy calculation unit 14 calculates the section amplifier energy value EA, which is the energy consumed by the amplifier 200 in each time section, by comparing the section motor energy value EM with the capacitor charging energy value EC for each time section.

[0024] The energy consumption calculation unit 15 calculates the energy consumption value ES by integrating the interval amplifier energy values ​​EA from the first time interval to the time interval in which the interval amplifier energy value EA was calculated for each time interval.

[0025] Next, the energy consumption simulation method, which details the operation of each processing unit in the energy consumption simulation device 10, will be explained with reference to a flowchart. Figure 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the procedure for the energy consumption simulation method according to Embodiment 1. The procedure for estimating the energy consumption value will be explained using this flowchart. In the following, the case in which the motor 101 is a rotary motor will be used as an example.

[0026] First, the motor operation information generation unit 11 generates speed information and torque information for motor 101 from the operation profile of motor 101 or machine 102 (step S11). The speed information and torque information for motor 101 are motor operation information. In one example, the speed information for motor 101 is generated from information of the operating pattern specified by the user. The torque information for motor 101 is generated by calculating the torque value when motor 101 and machine 102 operate according to the operating pattern, based on the equation of motion.

[0027] Furthermore, the motor operation information generation unit 11 sets multiple time intervals for the speed information and torque information of the motor 101 (step S12). Here, N is set as an integer of 2 or more. Also, below, i is an integer between 1 and N, and the i-th time interval is denoted as time interval (i). The time intervals are designated as time interval (1), time interval (2), ..., time interval (N) in the order in which the time of the speed information and torque information of the motor 101 elapses. Note that if the energy consumption simulation device 10 does not have a motor operation information generation unit 11, the processing in steps S11 and S12 is omitted. In this case, for example, the energy consumption simulation device 10 will acquire motor operation information with set time intervals, i.e., speed information and torque information of the motor 101 in a state where time intervals have been set, from an external source using a data acquisition unit (not shown).

[0028] Next, the section motor energy calculation unit 12 sets the index representing the time interval (i) to i=1 (step S13). Then, the section motor energy calculation unit 12 obtains the motor speed and motor torque from the speed information and torque information of the motor 101 in the time interval (i) (step S14). The section motor energy calculation unit 12 also calculates the section motor energy value EM[i] in the time interval (i) from the motor speed and motor torque (step S15). To do this, the section motor energy calculation unit 12 first calculates the instantaneous power value, which is the power per unit time, based on the product of the motor speed and the motor torque. As a specific example, in the time interval (i), the instantaneous power value is calculated using the following equation (1).

[0029] Instantaneous power value = motor speed × motor torque + loss ... (1)

[0030] Note that in the time intervals (1), (3), (5), and (6) in Figure 3, where the motor 101 accelerates and decelerates, the speed is not constant. In such cases, the motor speed used is a representative value of the speed within time interval (i). The representative value may be the average value, the maximum value, or the minimum value. Alternatively, any motor speed that can be calculated from the speed information within time interval (i) may be used as the representative value. Furthermore, the speed information may be the speed in the operating profile itself, or any speed information obtained from the operating profile may be used, such as using a signal obtained by passing the operating profile through a low-pass filter equivalent to the response delay of the motor 101, taking into account the response delay of the motor 101.

[0031] Regarding motor torque, if the motor torque within time interval (i) is not constant, then, as with motor speed, a representative value of the motor torque obtained from the torque information within time interval (i) can be calculated. Examples of representative values ​​include the average value, maximum value, and minimum value. As an example of loss calculation, the copper loss of motor 101 can be given. The copper loss is calculated using the current I of motor 101 and the winding resistance R of motor 101, using the following equation (2).

[0032] Copper loss = R I 2 ...(2)

[0033] The current I of motor 101 can be calculated using the torque constant Kt of motor 101 by the following equation (3).

[0034] I = Torque / Kt ... (3)

[0035] The calculation of losses is not limited to copper losses; iron losses may also be included, as may the losses of the power semiconductors used in the inverter 205 of the amplifier 200. Losses are not limited to those that can be expressed by a mathematical formula, such as the copper loss described above; a table of loss data corresponding to speed or torque may be built into the energy consumption simulation device 10, and losses may be calculated by referring to this table.

[0036] Using the instantaneous power values ​​obtained above, the interval motor energy value EM[i], which is the energy consumed by the motor 101 in the time interval (i), is calculated by the following equation (4).

[0037] EM[i] = instantaneous power value × time interval (i) ... (4)

[0038] Next, the capacitor charging energy calculation unit 13 calculates the capacitor charging energy value EC[i], which is a variable value representing the energy further charged to the capacitor 202 from the steady state of the DC bus voltage Vb in the time interval (i) (step S16). Specifically, the capacitor charging energy value EC[i] is calculated by the following equation (5) using the interval motor energy value EM[i] calculated in step S15 and the capacitor charging energy value EC[i-1], which represents the amount of charge to the capacitor 202 in the previous time interval (i-1). However, EC[0]=0. The previous time interval (i-1) is the time interval (i-1) immediately preceding the selected time interval (i).

[0039] EC[i] = EC[i-1] - EM[i] ... (5)

[0040] Thus, when the motor 101 is consuming power, specifically when the interval motor energy value EM[i] is positive, the capacitor charging energy value EC[i] decreases. Also, when the motor 101 is generating power, specifically when the interval motor energy value EM[i] is negative, the capacitor charging energy value EC[i] increases. In this case, if the capacitor charging energy value EC[i] calculated by equation (5) is less than 0, or if the DC bus voltage Vb is greater than the upper limit of energy that can be charged from a steady state ECMAX, the capacitor charging energy calculation unit 13 calculates the capacitor charging energy value EC[i] as shown in the following equations (6) and (7).

[0041] • If EC[i] < 0: EC[i] = 0 ... (6) • If EC[i] > ECMAX: EC[i] = ECMAX ... (7)

[0042] In other words, equations (6) and (7) indicate that the calculation is performed assuming that the capacitor charge energy value EC[i] is greater than or equal to 0 and less than or equal to the upper limit ECMAX. Note that a steady state of the DC bus voltage Vb refers to the steady state DC bus voltage Vb when there is no load on the motor torque and the motor 101 is stopped. Furthermore, the upper limit ECMAX is expressed by equation (8) below, where V0 is the steady state DC bus voltage Vb of the amplifier 200, V1 is the DC bus voltage Vb when the regenerative transistor 204 turns on, and C is the capacitance of the capacitor 202.

[0043] ECMAX = 1 / 2·C·V1 2 -1 / 2·C·V0 2 ...(8)

[0044] Here, a specific example of the value V0 of the DC bus voltage Vb is that if the power supply voltage is 200V, then the peak value is V0 = 200 × 2 1 / 2=283[V]. As another example, the upper limit value ECMAX may be calculated by the following equation (9) using a constant a that is greater than 0 and less than 1.

[0045] ECMAX=a·(1 / 2·C·V1 2 -1 / 2·C·V0 2 ) ···(9)

[0046] In equations (8) and (9), which are calculation formulas for the upper limit value ECMAX, V0 and V1 represent fixed DC bus voltage values, so the DC bus voltage value of amplifier 200 that changes moment by moment during operation is not used. That is, the upper limit value ECMAX can be calculated without calculating the DC bus voltage value that changes moment by moment. As described above, the capacitor charging energy calculation unit 13 calculates the capacitor charging energy value EC[i] within a range that the capacitor 202 can actually charge. The chargeable range is not less than 0 and not more than the upper limit value ECMAX obtained from the DC bus voltage Vb when the amplifier 200 is in a steady state and when the regenerative transistor 204 is turned on.

[0047] Next, the section amplifier energy calculation unit 14 calculates the section amplifier energy value EA[i] in the time interval (i) based on the section motor energy value EM[i] and the capacitor charging energy value EC[i] in the time interval (i) (step S17). Specifically, the section amplifier energy value EA[i] is calculated according to the following equations (10) to (13).

[0048] ·When EM[i]<0: EA[i]=0 ···(10) ·When EM[i]≧0 and EC[i]=0: EA[i]=EM[i] ···(11) ·When EM[i]≧0, EC[i]>0 and EM[i]≧EC[i]: EA[i]=EM[i]-EC[i] ···(12) ·When EM[i]≧0, EC[i]>0 and EM[i]<EC[i]: EA[i]=0 ···(13)

[0049] It should be noted that the processing of the calculation formulas from formula (10) to formula (13) is equivalent to calculation using the following formulas (14) and (15) summarized by using the condition that EC(i)≧0 holds.

[0050] ·When EM[i]≧EC[i]: EA[i] = EM[i]-EC[i] ···(14) ·When EM[i]<EC[i]: EA[i] = 0 ···(15)

[0051] The energy consumption calculation unit 15 calculates an energy consumption value ES[i] by integrating the interval amplifier energy value EA[i] for the time interval (i) (step S18). Specifically, the energy consumption value ES[i] is calculated by the following formula (16). Here, the energy consumption value ES[i] represents the total amount of energy consumed from the time interval (1) to the time interval (i).

[0052] ES[i]=ES[i-1]+EA[i] ···(16)

[0053] Next, the energy consumption calculation unit 15 determines whether the index i representing the time interval (i) corresponds to the final interval (step S19). When there are N time intervals (i), the interval is the final interval if i=N, and is not the final interval if i<N. If the index i does not correspond to the final interval (No in step S19), the interval motor energy calculation unit 12 increases the index i representing the time interval (i) by +1 (step S20). That is, i=i+1 is set. Then, the process returns to step S14, and the processes from step S14 onward are executed again. If the index i corresponds to the final interval (Yes in step S19), the process ends. At the time of completion, the energy consumption value ES[i] obtained when the industrial machine 100 driven by the motor 101 operates according to a certain operation pattern is obtained.

[0054] In the above explanation, steps S14 and S15 correspond to the section motor energy calculation step. Step S16 corresponds to the capacitor charging energy calculation step. Step S17 corresponds to the section amplifier energy calculation step. Step S18 corresponds to the energy consumption calculation step.

[0055] Next, the hardware configuration of the energy consumption simulation device 10 will be described. The energy consumption simulation device 10 functions as a computer system when a computer program, which describes the processing in the energy consumption simulation device 10, is executed on the computer system.

[0056] Figure 5 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a computer system that realizes the energy consumption simulation device according to Embodiment 1. As shown in Figure 5, this computer system 90 comprises a control unit 901, an input unit 902, a storage unit 903, a display unit 904, a communication unit 905, and an output unit 906, which are connected via a system bus 907.

[0057] In Figure 5, the control unit 901 is, in one example, a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a system LSI (Large Scale Integration), and executes a program that describes the processing in the energy consumption simulation device 10 of Embodiment 1. In the example of Embodiment 1, the program describes the processing of the energy consumption simulation method shown in Figure 4. The input unit 902 is, in one example, composed of a keyboard, mouse, etc., and is used by the user of the computer system 90 to input various information. The storage unit 903 includes various memories such as RAM (Random Access Memory) and ROM (Read Only Memory), and storage devices such as a hard disk, and stores the program that the control unit 901 should execute, necessary data obtained in the process of processing, etc. The storage unit 903 is also used as a temporary storage area for the program. The display unit 904 is composed of a display, liquid crystal display panel, etc., and displays various screens to the user of the computer system 90. In one example, the input unit 902 and the display unit 904 may be configured as a touch panel in which the input unit 902 and the display unit 904 are integrally formed. The communication unit 905 consists of a receiver and transmitter that perform communication processing. The output unit 906 consists of a printer, speaker, etc. Note that Figure 5 is an example, and the configuration of the computer system 90 is not limited to the example in Figure 5.

[0058] Here, an example of the operation of the computer system 90 until the program becomes executable will be described. In the computer system 90 with the configuration described above, for example, a program is installed in the storage unit 903 from a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM set in a CD (Compact Disc)-ROM drive or DVD (Digital Versatile Disc)-ROM drive (not shown). When the program is executed, the program read from the storage unit 903 is stored in the main memory area of ​​the storage unit 903. In this state, the control unit 901 performs processing as the energy consumption simulation device 10 of Embodiment 1 according to the program stored in the storage unit 903.

[0059] In the above explanation, a program describing the processing in the energy consumption simulation device 10 is provided using a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM as the recording medium. However, the explanation is not limited to this, and depending on the configuration of the computer system 90, the capacity of the program to be provided, for example, a program provided via a transmission medium such as the Internet via the communication unit 905 may be used.

[0060] Next, the effects of Embodiment 1 will be explained. In step S15 of the flowchart in Figure 4, the interval motor energy value EM[i] is calculated, which corresponds to calculating the energy consumed by the motor 101 in that time interval (i). However, the energy consumed by the motor 101 is not necessarily equal to the energy consumed by the amplifier 200. Also, the interval motor energy value EM[i] can be a negative value when the signs of velocity and torque are opposite, such as when performing a deceleration operation. Hereafter, the interval motor energy that becomes a negative value will be referred to as regenerative energy. This means that the motor 101 is not consuming power, but rather generating power. The regenerative energy generated by the motor 101 is charged into the capacitor 202 of the amplifier 200 in Figure 1. This corresponds to calculating the capacitor charge energy value EC[i] in step S16 of Figure 4, and EC[i] is the energy that is charged into the capacitor 202 in the time interval (i) and is reusable.

[0061] According to equation (5), if the motor 101 consumes energy in time interval (i), i.e., EM[i] > 0, then the capacitor energy value EC[i] charged to the capacitor 202 in time interval (i) is less than the capacitor energy value EC[i-1] charged to the capacitor 202 in the previous time interval (i-1). Conversely, if the motor 101 generates power in time interval (i), i.e., EM[i] < 0, then the capacitor energy value EC[i] charged to the capacitor 202 in time interval (i) is more than the capacitor energy value EC[i-1] charged to the capacitor 202 in the previous time interval (i-1).

[0062] Furthermore, if the calculation in equation (5) results in the capacitor charge energy value EC[i] exceeding the upper limit ECMAX, the capacitor charge energy value EC[i] is set to the upper limit ECMAX as shown in equation (7). This indicates that the capacitor 202 cannot be charged with more energy than its upper limit. The reason the upper limit ECMAX is calculated as shown in equation (8) is that when the DC bus voltage Vb becomes equal to or greater than the ON voltage V1 of the regenerative transistor 204, the amplifier 200 consumes the regenerative energy with the regenerative resistor 203 instead of charging the capacitor 202 with it. Therefore, since the capacitor 202 can be charged with energy until the DC bus voltage Vb becomes V1, the amount of energy that can be charged from the steady-state voltage value V0 of the DC bus voltage Vb to the ON voltage value V1 of the regenerative transistor 204 is calculated using equation (8). Also, in equation (9), it was explained as an example that ECMAX can be calculated by multiplying equation (8) by a constant a greater than 0 and less than 1. This assumes, for example, that the capacitance C of capacitor 202 decreases due to factors such as aging of capacitor 202. When equations (8) and (9) are combined, the constant a is a number greater than 0 and less than or equal to 1. Furthermore, equation (6) sets the lower limit of the capacitor charge energy value EC[i] to 0 when it becomes a negative value. This indicates that when the DC bus voltage Vb falls below the steady-state voltage value V0, energy is supplied by the AC power supply 120 and the rectifier 201, which work to return the DC bus voltage Vb to the steady-state voltage value V0. In summary, regenerative energy can be charged into capacitor 202 from 0 to the upper limit ECMAX, and this phenomenon of reusing the energy is represented by equations (5) to (9).

[0063] In step S17 of Figure 4, the interval amplifier energy value EA[i] is calculated, which shows the energy consumed in each time interval (i) considering the reuse of the energy charged in capacitor 202. Equation (10) is for the case where the interval motor energy value EM[i] is negative. This corresponds to the case where motor 101 is generating energy rather than using power, and therefore amplifier 200 is not using energy.

[0064] Equation (11) represents the situation where there is no available energy stored in capacitor 202, that is, when the capacitor energy value EC[i] is 0. In this case, it corresponds to a situation where the interval motor energy value EM[i] consumed by motor 101 is directly the energy consumed by amplifier 200.

[0065] Equation (12) shows the case where the interval motor energy value EM[i] is positive, there is available capacitor energy value EC[i] charged in capacitor 202, and the interval motor energy value EM[i] is greater than or equal to the capacitor energy value EC[i]. In such a case, the amplifier 200 does not consume the interval motor energy value EM[i] consumed by the motor 101 as energy, but first uses the available capacitor energy value EC[i] charged in capacitor 202, and then consumes the remaining amount, i.e., EM[i]-EC[i], of energy. In this situation, the capacitor energy value EC[i] is partially reused.

[0066] Equation (13) shows the case where the interval motor energy value EM[i] is 0 or greater, there is available capacitor charge energy value EC[i] charged in capacitor 202, and the interval motor energy value EM[i] is less than the capacitor charge energy value EC[i]. In such a case, the energy consumed by motor 101 can be supplied by the capacitor charge energy value EC[i] alone, so the energy consumed by amplifier 200 is 0. In this situation, it corresponds to the fact that the entire capacitor charge energy value EC[i] is reused.

[0067] Thus, in Embodiment 1, the capacitor charge energy value EC[i], which is a variable value representing the energy further charged to the capacitor 202 from a steady state of the DC bus voltage Vb, is used to accurately simulate the phenomena of regenerative energy being charged to the capacitor 202 and the charged regenerative energy being reused, and the energy consumption value ES[i] is calculated based on these. As a result, the energy required for the operation of the motor 101 and the machine 102 connected to the motor 101 can be calculated with a small computational load without having to simulate the DC bus voltage Vb of the amplifier 200 which changes moment by moment.

[0068] Note that the time intervals (i) do not need to be equally spaced; some time intervals (i) may be long, while others may be short. Furthermore, in this example, the time intervals (i) are defined as acceleration time, constant speed time, deceleration time, and stopping time, but they are not limited to these, and the same can be achieved even with smaller time intervals. In one example, a time interval (i) performing the same operation may be further divided into multiple time intervals (i). Although a rotary motor was used as an example for motor 101 in this explanation, the same can be applied to a linear motor. When applied to a linear motor, thrust information is used instead of torque information, which is the input to the section motor energy calculation unit 12 in Figure 2, and also instead of torque information in steps S11 and S12 in Figure 4. In addition, motor thrust is used instead of motor torque in steps S14 and S15 in Figure 4. In this way, the energy consumption value ES[i] can be calculated for a linear motor as well as a rotary motor.

[0069] Furthermore, for each time interval (i), the interval motor energy value EM[i], interval amplifier energy value EA[i], capacitor charging energy value EC[i], and energy consumption value ES[i] are obtained, and at least one of these can be displayed as a time-series graph together with the speed information of the motor 101 or machine 102. In one example, in the configuration of Figure 2, the energy consumption simulation device 10 may further include a display processing unit that displays at least one of the interval motor energy value EM[i], capacitor charging energy value EC[i], interval amplifier energy value EA[i], and energy consumption value ES[i] for each time interval (i) as a time-series graph together with the speed information of the motor 101 or machine 102 on a display unit not shown in Figure 2. By performing such a graph display, it becomes possible to visually understand what kind of movement of the motor 101 or machine 102 will increase the energy consumption value ES[i]. These are also the same in other embodiments described below.

[0070] As described above, the energy consumption simulation device 10 according to Embodiment 1 simulates the energy consumption of an industrial machine 100, which includes a motor 101, an amplifier 200 having a capacitor 202 inserted between DC buses 210a and 210b to drive the motor 101 and which consumes part or all of the regenerative energy with a regenerative resistor 203, and a machine 102 driven by the motor 101, when the motor 101 or the machine 102 operates according to an operating profile. The energy consumption simulation device 10 includes a section motor energy calculation unit 12, a capacitor charging energy calculation unit 13, a section amplifier energy calculation unit 14, and an energy consumption calculation unit 15. The section motor energy calculation unit 12 calculates an instantaneous power value for each time section based on motor operation information with multiple time sections set from the operating profile, and calculates the section motor energy value EM[i], which is the energy consumed by the motor 101, by integrating the instantaneous power values ​​over the time sections. The capacitor charging energy calculation unit 13 calculates the capacitor charging energy value EC[i] for each time interval, based on the interval motor energy value EM[i] and the reusable energy value charged in the capacitor 202, within a range of 0 or more and less than or equal to the upper limit of chargeable by the capacitor 202. The interval amplifier energy calculation unit 14 calculates the interval amplifier energy value EA[i] for each time interval, which is the energy consumed by the amplifier 200 in that time interval, by comparing the interval motor energy value EM[i] and the capacitor charging energy value EC[i]. The energy consumption calculation unit 15 calculates the energy consumption value ES[i] for each time interval by integrating the interval amplifier energy values ​​EA[i] from the first time interval to the time interval in which the interval amplifier energy value EA[i] was calculated. As described above, this configuration eliminates the need to simulate the constantly changing DC bus voltage Vb, thus enabling the calculation of the energy consumption value ES[i] of the industrial machine 100, which includes the motor 101 and the machine 102, with less computational effort and higher accuracy compared to conventional methods.In other words, this reduces the amount of computation required for the simulation and allows for more accurate calculation of the energy consumption of the industrial machine 100.

[0071] Furthermore, the motor operation information includes speed information and torque information or thrust information of the motor 101. This makes it possible to accurately calculate the instantaneous power value for a time interval due to the operation of the motor 101 and the machine 102 based on information according to the operating pattern of the motor 101 and the machine 102.

[0072] Furthermore, the DC bus voltage Vb when the capacitor 202 is charged with energy and no current flows to the motor 101 is defined as the steady state. When the DC bus voltage Vb is in the steady state, the capacitor charge energy value EC[i] is 0, and when the DC bus voltage Vb is at the upper limit of what can be charged to the capacitor 202 from the steady state, the capacitor charge energy value EC[i] is the upper limit. By defining it in this way, it is possible to calculate the energy value that can be reused as the capacitor charge energy value EC[i].

[0073] Furthermore, the capacitor charge energy calculation unit 13 calculates the capacitor charge energy value EC[i] for the time interval (i) being calculated based on the capacitor charge energy value EC[i-1] for the time interval (i-1) preceding the time interval (i) being calculated and the interval motor energy value EM[i] for the time interval (i) being calculated. This makes it possible to determine whether the capacitor 202 has reusable energy or is in a rechargeable state during the time interval (i) being calculated.

[0074] Further, the interval amplifier energy calculation unit 14, letting i be an integer not less than 1 and not more than the total number of time intervals, letting EM[i] be the interval motor energy value of time interval (i), letting EC[i] be the capacitor charging energy value, letting EA[i] be the interval amplifier energy value, sets EA[i] = EM[i] - EC[i] if EM[i] ≧ EC[i], and sets EA[i] = 0 if EM[i] < EC[i]. By doing this, it has the effect of being able to calculate the energy consumed by the amplifier 200 in the time interval (i) in consideration of whether the motor 101 is using electric power or generating energy.

[0075] Further, the capacitor charging energy calculation unit 13, letting i be an integer not less than 1 and not more than the total number of time intervals, letting EM[i] be the interval motor energy value of time interval (i), letting EC[i] be the capacitor charging energy value, letting EC[i-1] be the capacitor charging energy value of the previous time interval i-1, letting ECMAX be the upper limit value of the capacitor charging energy value EC[i], sets EC[i] = 0 if EC[i-1] < EM[i], sets EC[i] = EC[i-1] - EM[i] if EC[i-1] > EM[i], and further sets EC[i] = ECMAX if EC[i] > ECMAX. By doing this, it has the effect of being able to calculate the energy consumed by the amplifier 200 in consideration of the capacitor charging energy value EC[i-1] of the capacitor 202 in the previous time interval (i-1).

[0076] Further, the energy consumption simulation apparatus 10 according to Embodiment 1 further comprises a display processing unit that displays, for each time interval, at least one of the interval motor energy value EM[i], the capacitor charging energy value EC[i], the interval amplifier energy value EA[i], and the energy consumption value ES[i] as a time-series graph together with speed information of the motor 101 or the machine 102. By doing this, it has the effect of enabling the user to visually grasp the relationship between the movement of the motor 101 or the machine 102 and the magnitude of the energy consumption value ES[i].

[0077] Furthermore, the energy consumption simulation method according to Embodiment 1 simulates the energy consumption of an industrial machine 100, which includes a motor 101, an amplifier 200 having a capacitor 202 inserted between DC buses 210a and 210b to drive the motor 101 and dissipating part or all of the regenerative energy with a regenerative resistor 203, and a machine 102 driven by the motor 101, when the motor 101 or the machine 102 operates according to an operating profile. The energy consumption simulation method includes a section motor energy calculation step, a capacitor charging energy calculation step, a section amplifier energy calculation step, and an energy consumption calculation step. The section motor energy calculation step calculates an instantaneous power value for each time section based on motor operation information with multiple time sections set obtained from the operating profile, and calculates the section motor energy value EM[i], which is the energy consumed by the motor 101, by integrating the instantaneous power values ​​over the time sections. The capacitor charging energy calculation step calculates the capacitor charging energy value EC[i] for each time interval, based on the interval motor energy value EM[i] and the reusable energy value charged in the capacitor 202, within the range of 0 or more and less than or equal to the upper limit of chargeable value in the capacitor 202. The interval amplifier energy calculation step calculates the interval amplifier energy value EA[i] for each time interval, which is the energy consumed by the amplifier 200 in that time interval, by comparing the interval motor energy value EM[i] and the capacitor charging energy value EC[i]. The energy consumption calculation step calculates the energy consumption value ES[i] for each time interval by integrating the interval amplifier energy values ​​EA[i] from the first time interval to the time interval in which the interval amplifier energy value EA[i] was calculated. As described above, this configuration eliminates the need to simulate the DC bus voltage Vb which changes moment by moment, and has the effect of being able to calculate the energy consumption value ES[i] of the industrial machine 100 equipped with the motor 101 and machine 102 with less computation and higher accuracy compared to conventional methods. In other words, this reduces the amount of computation required for the simulation and allows for more accurate calculation of the energy consumption of the industrial machine 100.

[0078] Furthermore, the energy consumption simulation program according to Embodiment 1 simulates the energy consumption of an industrial machine 100, which includes a motor 101, an amplifier 200 having a capacitor 202 inserted between DC buses 210a and 210b to drive the motor 101 and dissipating part or all of the regenerative energy with a regenerative resistor 203, and a machine 102 driven by the motor 101, when the motor 101 or the machine 102 operates according to an operating profile. The energy consumption simulation program causes the computer to execute a section motor energy calculation step, a capacitor charge energy calculation step, a section amplifier energy calculation step, and an energy consumption calculation step. The section motor energy calculation step calculates an instantaneous power value for each time section based on motor operation information with multiple time sections obtained from the operating profile, and calculates the section motor energy value EM[i], which is the energy consumed by the motor 101, by integrating the instantaneous power values ​​over the time sections. The capacitor charging energy calculation step calculates the capacitor charging energy value EC[i] for each time interval, based on the interval motor energy value EM[i] and the reusable energy value charged in the capacitor 202, within the range of 0 or more and less than or equal to the upper limit of chargeable value in the capacitor 202. The interval amplifier energy calculation step calculates the interval amplifier energy value EA[i] for each time interval, by comparing the interval motor energy value EM[i] and the capacitor charging energy value EC[i], which is the energy consumed by the amplifier 200 in that time interval. The energy consumption calculation step calculates the energy consumption value ES[i] for each time interval by accumulating the interval amplifier energy values ​​EA[i] from the first time interval to the time interval in which the interval amplifier energy value EA[i] was calculated. As described above, this configuration eliminates the need to simulate the constantly changing DC bus voltage Vb, thus enabling the calculation of the energy consumption value ES[i] of the industrial machine 100, which includes the motor 101 and the machine 102, with less computational effort and higher accuracy compared to conventional methods.In other words, this reduces the amount of computation required for the simulation and allows for more accurate calculation of the energy consumption of the industrial machine 100.

[0079] Embodiment 2. Embodiment 1 showed an example of simulating the energy consumption value ES[i] when one motor 101 is controlled by one amplifier 200. However, the energy consumption value ES[i] when multiple motors 101 are operated with a common DC bus voltage Vb can also be simulated using the same configuration of the energy consumption simulation device 10 as in Embodiment 1. Embodiment 2 will explain this example.

[0080] Figure 6 shows an example of the configuration of an industrial machine having multiple motors, which the energy consumption simulation device in Embodiment 2 estimates the energy consumption value of through simulation. The same reference numerals are used for components identical to those in Figure 1, and their descriptions are omitted. However, Figure 6 shows an example in which the industrial machine 100A has two motors 101a and 101b. By changing the motor 101 in Figure 1 to two motors 101a and 101b, components that now consist of two parts are distinguished by adding "a" and "b" to the end of their respective reference numerals, corresponding to motors 101a and 101b. Accordingly, the inverter 205 in Figure 1 becomes two inverters 205a and 205b in Figure 6, and the servo control unit 220 in Figure 1 becomes two servo control units 220a and 220b in Figure 6, and is therefore labeled as amplifier 200A in Figure 6. Furthermore, the signals and currents are also represented by adding "a" and "b" to the end of their respective symbols, in accordance with motors 101a and 101b.

[0081] In Figure 6, the command generation unit 110 generates operation pattern signals OPSa and OPSb, which are command signals for multiple motors 101a and 101b. Figure 7 is a diagram showing an example of operation pattern signals for multiple motors. In Figure 7, the operation pattern signals OPSa and OPSb for motors 101a and 101b are speed command signals. The first graph in Figure 7 shows the speed command signal for motor 101a, with the horizontal axis representing time and the vertical axis representing the speed of motor 101a. The second graph in Figure 7 shows the speed command signal for motor 101b, with the horizontal axis representing time and the vertical axis representing the speed of motor 101b. In Figure 7, nine time intervals (i) are defined. That is, time intervals (1) to (9) are set for the period from time ts to time te when motor 101a is operating. Operating states are defined for time intervals (1) to (9). In each time interval (i), motors 101a and 101b are in one of the following states: accelerating, constant speed, decelerating, or stopped. The operation pattern signals OPSa and OPSb in Figure 7 are examples of speed information for motors 101a and 101b, respectively.

[0082] Returning to Figure 6, the operation pattern signals OPSa and OPSb of motors 101a and 101b are transmitted to servo control units 220a and 220b, respectively. Servo control unit 220a performs feedback control so that the detection signal DSa input from encoder 103a follows the operation pattern signal OPSa input from command generation unit 110, and calculates the voltage command CVa. Similarly, servo control unit 220b performs feedback control so that the detection signal DSb input from encoder 103b follows the operation pattern signal OPSb input from command generation unit 110, and calculates the voltage command CVb.

[0083] Inverter 205a supplies current IMa to motor 101a by converting the DC bus voltage Vb into power so that a voltage command CVa is applied to motor 101a. Similarly, inverter 205b supplies current IMb to motor 101b by converting the DC bus voltage Vb into power so that a voltage command CVb is applied to motor 101b. In other words, the generated voltage commands CVa and CVb are sent to inverters 205a and 205b, respectively, and inverters 205a and 205b use the DC bus voltage Vb as a common value to apply voltage to motors 101a and 101b, respectively.

[0084] Even in the configuration of the industrial machine 100A illustrated in Figure 6, it is possible to estimate the energy consumption value ES[i] using the configuration of the energy consumption simulation device 10 shown in Figure 2. However, the processing of the motor operation information generation unit 11, the section motor energy calculation unit 12, and the capacitor charging energy calculation unit 13 differs from that described in Embodiment 1.

[0085] The motor operation information generation unit 11 generates motor operation information for multiple motors 101a, 101b from the operation profiles of multiple motors 101a, 101b or multiple machines 102a, 102b. In this example, the motor operation information is assumed to be speed information and torque information for motors 101a, 101b.

[0086] The section motor energy calculation unit 12 calculates section motor energy values ​​EM[i] corresponding to multiple motors 101a, 101b from the motor operation information of multiple motors in each time section.

[0087] The capacitor charging energy calculation unit 13 calculates the upper limit of charge that can be applied to capacitor 202 from the capacitance of capacitor 202 in amplifier 200A, which shares DC buses 210a and 210b.

[0088] Figure 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the procedure for the energy consumption simulation method according to Embodiment 2. The flowchart in Figure 8 shows the process when there are multiple motors 101. The process in the flowchart shown in Figure 8 is similar to the process in the flowchart shown in Figure 4. For common processes, the same step numbers as in Figure 4 are used, and the explanation is omitted. The difference from the case with one motor 101 in Figure 4 is that steps S31, S34, and S35 are performed instead of steps S11, S14, and S15 in the flowchart of Figure 4.

[0089] In step S31, the motor operation information generation unit 11 generates speed information and torque information for multiple motors 101 from the operation profiles of multiple motors 101 or multiple machines 102.

[0090] In step S34, the section motor energy calculation unit 12 obtains motor speed and motor torque from the speed information and torque information of multiple motors 101a and 101b in the time section (i). For example, if the industrial machine 100A has two motors 101a and 101b, the speed of multiple motors can be obtained using the speed command signals of motors 101a and 101b as shown in Figure 7. As for motor torque, the torque values ​​obtained when motors 101a and 101b and machines 102a and 102b are operating are obtained according to the operating patterns of motors 101a and 101b. The section motor energy calculation unit 12 can calculate the motor energy from the equations of motion of the industrial machine 100A even when there are multiple motors 101a and 101b, similar to the case where there is one motor 101 as described in Embodiment 1.

[0091] In step S35, the section motor energy calculation unit 12 calculates the section motor energy value EM[i] corresponding to the multiple motors 101a and 101b in the time section (i) from the motor speeds and motor torques of the multiple motors. To do this, the instantaneous power value is calculated using the following equation (17) based on the motor speeds and motor torques of the multiple motors 101a and 101b.

[0092]

number

[0093] Here, N represents the total number of motors 101 that share a common DC bus voltage Vb, and k is an index for identifying a motor 101, which is an integer between 1 and N, inclusive. In the example in Figure 6, N=2. In the example in Figure 6, all motors 101 that share a common DC bus voltage Vb are motors 101a and 101b connected to inverters 205a and 205b that share DC buses 210a and 210b.

[0094] From step S16 onward, the same process as in the flowchart in Figure 4 is performed. Once all processing is complete, the energy consumption value ES[i] of the industrial machine 100A, which consists of multiple motors 101a, 101b sharing a common DC bus voltage Vb, is obtained when the motors 101a, 101b and machines 102a, 102b operate according to a certain operating pattern.

[0095] Figure 9 shows another example of the configuration of an industrial machine having multiple motors, for which the energy consumption simulation device estimates energy consumption values ​​through simulation in Embodiment 2. Components identical to those in Figure 1 or Figure 6 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and their descriptions are omitted. However, the industrial machine 100B in Figure 9 shows an example in which two motors 101a and 101b are provided. In the configuration of Figure 6, one amplifier 200A drives both motors 101a and 101b, whereas in the configuration of Figure 9, two amplifiers 200Ba and 200Bb are connected so that the DC bus voltage Vb is common, and each amplifier 200Ba and 200Bb drives the motors 101a and 101b. The point that the DC bus voltage Vb is common to the two amplifiers 200Ba and 200Bb via the rectifier 201 is the same as in Figure 6. The difference from Figure 6 is that each of the amplifiers 200Ba and 200Bb is provided with capacitors 202a and 202b, regenerative resistors 203a and 203b, and regenerative transistors 204a and 204b. Capacitors 202a and 202b are connected in parallel to the DC buses 210a and 210b.

[0096] In a configuration where multiple amplifiers 200Ba and 200Bb, which share the DC bus voltage Vb shown in Figure 9, are provided, the energy consumption value ES[i] generated when machines 102a and 102b and motors 101a and 101b are operating can also be calculated similarly using the flowchart in Figure 8.

[0097] However, in step S16, the formula for calculating ECMAX, which is the upper limit of the capacitor charge energy value EC[i] that indicates the energy further charged in capacitors 202a and 202b from a steady state of the DC bus voltage Vb used, is changed. Assuming a common DC bus voltage Vb and the capacitances of M capacitors 202 connected in parallel are C1, ..., CM respectively, the total capacitance C of the M capacitors 202 connected in parallel is calculated by the following equation (18). In other words, the total capacitance C of capacitor 202 is the sum of the individual capacitances of the M capacitors 202. Here, M is an integer greater than or equal to 1. Then, based on this total capacitance C of capacitor 202, the upper limit ECMAX is calculated by the following equation (19) using a constant a that is greater than 0 and less than or equal to 1.

[0098] C = C1 + ... + CM ... (18) ECMAX = a·(1 / 2·C·V1) 2 -1 / 2·C·V0 2 ) ···(19)

[0099] Figure 9 illustrates an example where two amplifiers 200Ba and 200Bb are connected so that the DC buses 210a and 210b are common. Equation (18) corresponds to summing the capacitors 202a and 202b of amplifiers 200Ba and 200Bb, with M=2. However, the number of capacitors 202a and 202b that share the DC bus voltage Vb does not necessarily correspond one-to-one with amplifiers 200Ba and 200Bb. In one example, if another capacitor 202 is connected in parallel to the DC bus voltage Vb in the configurations of Figures 6 and 9, the total capacitance of capacitors 202 is calculated using equation (18), including the capacitance of this other capacitor 202. In other words, the total capacitance C is calculated by summing the capacitances of all capacitors 202 connected in parallel with a common DC bus voltage Vb. This also applies to the case where there is one motor 101 and one amplifier 200 as shown in Figure 1. Regardless of the number of motors 101 and amplifiers 200, if there are M capacitors 202 connected in parallel to the DC buses 210a and 210b, the total capacitance C of the capacitors 202 is calculated by equation (18), and the upper limit ECMAX of the capacitor charge energy value EC[i] is calculated by equation (19).

[0100] Next, we will explain why, in Embodiment 2, the energy consumption value ES[i] of industrial machines 100A and 100B, in which multiple motors 101a and 101b share common DC buses 210a and 210b, can be calculated with high accuracy. As shown in Figure 6, in motors 101a and 101b that share a common DC bus voltage Vb, energy can be shared through the DC bus voltage Vb. For example, the regenerative energy generated by one motor 101a can be used by another motor 101b that shares the same DC bus voltage Vb. As in step S35, the sharing of energy can be considered by summing the instantaneous power values ​​for each motor 101a and 101b.

[0101] In fact, in a configuration with two motors 101a and 101b, when calculating the interval motor energy value EM[i], consider the case where the instantaneous power value of motor 101a is negative and the instantaneous power value of motor 101b is positive. Here, the instantaneous power value of motor 101a is expressed as "motor speed of motor 101a × motor torque of motor 101a + loss of motor 101a". Also, the instantaneous power value of motor 101b is expressed as "motor speed of motor 101b × motor torque of motor 101b + loss of motor 101b". In this case, by performing the calculation of the instantaneous power value in equation (17), they cancel each other out, and the total instantaneous power value for motors 101a and 101b is smaller than the instantaneous power value of motor 101a by the amount of "motor speed of motor 101a × motor torque of motor 101a + loss of motor 101a".

[0102] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 9, when multiple capacitors 202a and 202b are connected in parallel between DC buses 210a and 210b, in one example, the regenerative energy generated by a motor 101a is not only charged to capacitor 202a of amplifier 200Ba connected to this motor 101a. Since multiple capacitors 202a and 202b are connected in parallel, the regenerative energy generated by a motor 101a is charged to all capacitors 202a and 202b connected between DC buses 210a and 210b. Equation (18) or (19) calculates ECMAX, which is the upper limit of the capacitor charge energy value EC[i], based on the total capacity C of capacitors 202a and 202b, and then calculates the capacitor charge energy value EC[i], which is the energy that can be charged to capacitors 202a and 202b, based on this. Therefore, it is possible to simulate the phenomenon in which all capacitors 202a and 202b connected between the DC buses 210a and 210b are charged.

[0103] Therefore, even when driving multiple motors 101a and 101b that share a common DC bus voltage Vb, this method has the effect of being able to calculate the energy consumption value ES[i] required for operation with a small amount of computation, while considering the behavior in which regenerative energy generated by a motor 101a is charged into capacitors 202a and 202b, consumed by regenerative resistors 203a and 203b, and further reused from the energy charged into capacitors 202a and 202b.

[0104] Figures 6 and 9 illustrate the example of driving two motors 101a and 101b with a common DC bus voltage Vb. This is just one example; if the DC bus voltage Vb is common, the energy consumption simulation device 10, energy consumption simulation method, and energy consumption simulation program according to Embodiments 1 and 2 can be applied similarly to industrial machines 100A and 100B with a configuration of N motors 101 where N is an integer of 2 or more.

[0105] In Embodiment 1, it was explained that at least one time-series data of interval motor energy value EM[i], capacitor charging energy value EC[i], interval amplifier energy value EA[i], and energy consumption value ES[i] is displayed together with time-series data of motor 101 speed information. In Embodiment 2, the display processing unit may also display time-series data of speed information of multiple motors 101a, 101b or multiple machines 102a, 102b, along with at least one time-series data of interval motor energy value EM[i], capacitor charging energy value EC[i], interval amplifier energy value EA[i], and energy consumption value ES[i]. This has the effect of allowing users to visually understand how much energy is consumed when a particular operation is performed.

[0106] In the energy consumption simulation device 10 according to Embodiment 2, the industrial machines 100A and 100B have multiple motors 101a and 101b, and one or more amplifiers 200A, 200Ba, and 200Bb that share DC buses 210a and 210b. The section motor energy calculation unit 12 calculates the section motor energy value EM[i] corresponding to the multiple motors 101a and 101b from the motor operation information of the multiple motors in each time section. The capacitor charging energy calculation unit 13 calculates the upper limit of charge that can be charged by capacitors 202, 202a, and 202b from the capacitance of capacitors 202, 202a, and 202b that have one or more amplifiers 200A, 200Ba, and 200Bb that share DC buses 210a and 210b. As described above, this configuration has the effect of being able to calculate the energy consumption value ES[i] of the industrial machine 100 equipped with a motor 101 and a machine 102 with less computational effort and higher accuracy than conventional methods, even when one or more amplifiers 200A, 200Ba, and 200Bb are connected with a common DC bus 210a and 210b, or more specifically, when one or more capacitors 202, 202a, and 202b are connected in parallel with a common DC bus 210a and 210b, without simulating the moment-to-moment changing DC bus voltage Vb.

[0107] Furthermore, amplifiers 200A, 200Ba, and 200Bb also have regenerative transistors 204, 204a, and 204b that turn on when the DC bus voltage Vb reaches a specified value, and dissipate power through regenerative resistors 203, 203a, and 203b. Let M be an integer greater than or equal to 1, the number of capacitors 202, 202a, and 202b connected in parallel to the DC buses 210a and 210b. Let C1, ..., CM be the capacitances of the M capacitors 202, 202a, and 202b, respectively. Let V0 be the steady-state DC bus voltage Vb of amplifiers 200A, 200Ba, and 200Bb. Let V1 be the on-voltage of the regenerative transistors 204, 204a, and 204b that initiate current flow through the regenerative resistors 203, 203a, and 203b. Let a be a constant greater than 0 and less than or equal to 1. Then, the capacitor charge energy calculation unit 13 calculates the total capacitance C of capacitors 202, 202a, and 202b using equation (18), and calculates the upper limit ECMAX of the capacitor charge energy value EC[i] using equation (19). This allows us to simulate the phenomenon where all capacitors 202, 202a, and 202b connected between DC buses 210a and 210b are charged. As a result, when driving multiple motors 101a and 101b that share a common DC bus voltage Vb, it is possible to calculate the energy consumption value ES[i] required for operation with a small amount of computation, taking into account the behavior in which regenerative energy generated by a certain motor 101a is charged into capacitors 202a and 202b, consumed by regenerative resistors 203a and 203b, and further reused from the energy charged into capacitors 202a and 202b.

[0108] Embodiment 3. Embodiments 1 and 2 described how to estimate the energy consumption value ES[i] associated with operation. Embodiment 3 describes a method for calculating the regenerative energy consumed by regenerative resistors 203, 203a, and 203b in addition to this energy consumption value ES[i].

[0109] Figure 10 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an energy consumption simulation device according to Embodiment 3. Note that the same reference numerals are used for components identical to those in Figure 2, and their descriptions are omitted. The energy consumption simulation device 10a according to Embodiment 3 differs from the energy consumption simulation device 10 in that it includes a capacitor charging energy calculation unit 13a instead of a capacitor charging energy calculation unit 13, and further includes a regenerative resistance energy consumption calculation unit 16.

[0110] The capacitor charging energy calculation unit 13a calculates and outputs the capacitor charging energy value EC[i] in the time interval (i), and also calculates and outputs the regenerative resistor energy consumption value ER[i], which is the energy consumed by the regenerative resistors 203, 203a, and 203b in the time interval (i).

[0111] Specifically, the capacitor charging energy calculation unit 13a, similar to the capacitor charging energy calculation unit 13 in Figure 2, first calculates the capacitor charging energy value EC[i] according to equations (5), (6), and (7). Then, if the condition in equation (7), i.e., the result of the calculation in equation (5), is EC[i] > ECMAX, the regenerative resistance consumption energy value ER[i], which represents the energy consumed by the regenerative resistors 203, 203a, and 203b in the time interval (i), is calculated by the following equation (20).

[0112] ER[i]=(EC[i-1]-EM[i])-ECMAX =EC[i]-ECMAX ···(20)

[0113] Furthermore, if the condition in equation (7) is not met, that is, if the result of the calculation in equation (5) is EC[i] ≤ ECMAX, the regenerative resistance energy consumption value ER[i] is calculated by the following equation (21).

[0114] ER[i]=0 ···(21)

[0115] The regenerative resistance energy consumption calculation unit 16 calculates the total regenerative resistance energy consumption value, which is the total energy consumed by the regenerative resistances 203, 203a, and 203b over all time intervals (i), by summing up the regenerative resistance energy consumption values ​​ER[i] consumed by the regenerative resistances 203, 203a, and 203b over all time intervals (i).

[0116] Next, we will explain why the regenerative resistance energy consumption value ER[i], which is consumed by regenerative resistors 203, 203a, and 203b, can be calculated accurately by performing the calculation as described above. If the result of the calculation in equation (5) is EC[i] > ECMAX, it means that the regenerative energy generated in motors 101, 101a, and 101b exceeds the upper limit ECMAX of energy that can be charged into capacitors 202, 202a, and 202b. The amount exceeding the upper limit ECMAX is consumed by regenerative resistors 203, 203a, and 203b. Equation (20) represents this. Conversely, if the result of the calculation in equation (5) is EC[i] ≤ ECMAX, all of the regenerative energy is fully charged into capacitors 202, 202a, and 202b, so there is no energy consumed by regenerative resistors 203, 203a, and 203b, and the regenerative resistance energy consumption value ER[i] is 0 as shown in equation (21).

[0117] By calculating the regenerative energy consumed by regenerative resistors 203, 203a, and 203b, it is possible to calculate the amount of heat generated by regenerative resistors 203, 203a, and 203b without selecting the appropriate capacity of the regenerative resistors 203, 203a, and 203b, or without actually operating the motors 101, 101a, and 101b and the machines 102, 102a, and 102b.

[0118] Note that the configuration of machine 102 operated by a single motor 101 in Figure 1 is different from the configuration of machines 102a and 102b operated by multiple motors 101a and 101b sharing a common DC bus voltage Vb, as shown in Figure 6 or Figure 9. However, the method of calculating the energy consumption value ES[i] is the same, using the reusable energy charged to capacitors 202a and 202b connected between DC buses 210a and 210b as a variable value, EC[i], which is between 0 and the upper limit ECMAX, to calculate the energy consumption value ES[i]. For this reason, even when the DC buses 210a and 210b of multiple motors 101a and 101b are common, as shown in Figure 6 or Figure 9, the regenerative energy consumed by the regenerative resistors 203a and 203b can be calculated in the same way as in the case of a single motor 101.

[0119] Figure 11 shows an example of the change over time between the regenerative resistance energy consumption value and the total regenerative resistance energy consumption value. In Figure 11, an example of motor speed information for motor 101 is shown as motor operation information. The first graph in Figure 11 shows the speed information for motor 101, with the horizontal axis representing time and the vertical axis representing the speed of motor 101. The second graph in Figure 11 shows the regenerative resistance energy consumption value ER[i] for each time interval (i), with the horizontal axis representing time and the vertical axis representing the regenerative resistance energy consumption value ER[i]. The third graph in Figure 11 shows the total regenerative resistance energy consumption value, which is the cumulative value of the regenerative resistance energy consumption value ER[i] from time interval (1), with the horizontal axis representing time and the vertical axis representing the total regenerative resistance energy consumption value. Also, in Figure 11, as in Figure 3, six time intervals (1) to (6) are set during the period when motor 101 is operating.

[0120] In one example, as shown in Figure 11, the display processing unit can display the calculated regenerative resistance energy consumption value ER[i] and the total regenerative resistance energy consumption value consumed by the regenerative resistance 203 in the time interval (i) described in Figure 10, simultaneously with the motor 101 speed information. By displaying the calculated regenerative resistance energy consumption value ER[i] and the total regenerative resistance energy consumption value consumed by the regenerative resistance 203 simultaneously with the motor 101 speed information, the user can visually understand how much regenerative energy is consumed by the regenerative resistance 203 at what time. Figure 11 shows an example where the motor 101 speed information and the energy consumed by the regenerative resistance 203 are displayed simultaneously, but the speed information of the machine 102 driven by the motor 101 may be displayed instead of the motor 101 speed information, and the same effect as when the motor 101 speed information is displayed can be obtained. In other words, the display processing unit may display time-series data of speed information of the motor 101 or machine 102, and at least one time-series data of the section motor energy value EM[i], capacitor charging energy value EC[i], section amplifier energy value EA[i], regenerative resistor energy consumption value ER[i], total regenerative resistor energy consumption value, and energy consumption value ES[i]. This has the effect of allowing users to visually understand how much energy is consumed when a particular operation is performed.

[0121] In Embodiment 3, the capacitor charging energy calculation unit 13a uses ECMAX as the upper limit of charge that can be charged by capacitors 202, 202a, and 202b, and further calculates the regenerative resistor consumption energy value ER[i] for each time interval consumed by regenerative resistors 203, 203a, and 203b using equations (20) and (21). As a result, the energy consumption value ES[i] of industrial machines 100, 100A, and 100B also includes the energy consumed by regenerative resistors 203, 203a, and 203b, thus improving the accuracy of the further calculated energy consumption value ES[i] compared to Embodiments 1 and 2.

[0122] Furthermore, the energy consumption simulation device 10a according to Embodiment 3 further includes a regenerative resistance energy consumption calculation unit 16 that calculates the total regenerative resistance energy consumption value, which is the total energy consumed by the regenerative resistors 203, 203a, and 203b, by integrating the interval amplifier energy value EA[i] from the first time interval to the time interval in which the regenerative resistance energy consumption value ER[i] was calculated. This allows the cumulative value of the regenerative resistance energy consumption in each time interval to be determined, and the total regenerative resistance energy consumption value for one operating pattern to be known.

[0123] Furthermore, the energy consumption simulation device 10a according to Embodiment 3 further includes a display processing unit that displays the regenerative resistance energy consumption value ER[i] or the total regenerative resistance energy consumption value as a time-series graph for each time interval, together with the speed information of the motors 101, 101a, 101b or the machines 102, 102a, 102b. This has the effect of allowing the user to visually understand how much regenerative energy is consumed by the regenerative resistances 203, 203a, 203b at what time the motors 101, 101a, 101b are operating.

[0124] Embodiment 4. In Embodiment 2, an example was described in which, in order to drive multiple motors 101a and 101b, the energy consumed by machines 102a and 102b driven by motors 101a and 101b is simulated using either a single amplifier 200A or multiple amplifiers 200Ba and 200Bb that share a common DC bus voltage Vb. In both Figure 6 and Figure 9, there is a single DC bus voltage Vb.

[0125] In Embodiment 4, the industrial machine 100 has multiple DC bus voltages Vb, but the energy consumption value ES[i] of the industrial machine 100 can be estimated in the same way as in Embodiments 1 to 3. Here, as an example of having multiple DC bus voltages Vb, we take the case where the industrial machine 100 has four motors 101. Specifically, we take the case where there are two motors 101a and 101b driven by one amplifier 200A, as shown in the configuration of Figure 6, and two motors 101a and 101b driven by two amplifiers 200Ba and 200Bb connected so that the DC bus voltage Vb is common, as shown in the configuration of Figure 9. In other words, this is a case where a single amplifier 200A or multiple amplifiers 200Ba and 200Bb with a common DC bus voltage Vb are treated as one amplifier group, and multiple amplifier groups are provided for each different DC bus voltage Vb to drive multiple motors 101. In this example, since one 200A amplifier and two 200Ba and 200Bb amplifiers each have different DC bus voltages Vb, the number of amplifier groups is 2.

[0126] To simulate the energy consumption value ES[i] for such an industrial machine 100, the energy consumption value ES[i] is calculated for each of the amplifier groups that share a common DC bus voltage Vb, as described in Embodiments 1 and 2. Then, the total energy consumption value is calculated by summing the energy consumption values ​​ES[i] corresponding to each amplifier group.

[0127] Figure 12 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an energy consumption simulation device according to Embodiment 4. The energy consumption simulation device 10b has multiple amplifier group energy consumption simulation units 20-1, 20-2 that estimate the energy consumption value ES[i] for each of the multiple amplifier groups, and a total energy consumption calculation unit 17. Each of the amplifier group energy consumption simulation units 20-1, 20-2 has the same configuration as the energy consumption simulation device 10 in Figure 2. That is, the amplifier group energy consumption simulation units 20-1, 20-2 are provided in correspondence with the number of amplifier groups, and calculate the energy consumption value ES[i] for each amplifier group from motor operation information including speed information and torque information or thrust information of the motors 101a, 101b included in each amplifier group. Components having the same function as the energy consumption simulation device 10 in Figure 2 are assigned different sub-numbers for each amplifier group with the same reference numeral, and their explanations are omitted.

[0128] In this example, the amplifier group energy consumption simulation unit 20-1 calculates and outputs a first energy consumption value, which is the energy consumption value ES[i] for an amplifier group that drives two motors 101a and 101b with one amplifier 200A, as shown in the configuration in Figure 6. The first energy consumption value is the energy consumption value ES[i] when two motors 101a and 101b are operated with one amplifier 200A. The amplifier group energy consumption simulation unit 20-1 includes a motor operation information generation unit 11-1, a section motor energy calculation unit 12-1, a capacitor charging energy calculation unit 13-1, a section amplifier energy calculation unit 14-1, and an energy consumption calculation unit 15-1, which have the same functions as the motor operation information generation unit 11, section motor energy calculation unit 12, capacitor charging energy calculation unit 13, section amplifier energy calculation unit 14, and energy consumption calculation unit 15 in Figure 2, respectively.

[0129] The amplifier group energy consumption simulation unit 20-2 calculates and outputs a second energy consumption value, which is the energy consumption value ES[i] for an amplifier group that drives two motors 101a and 101b with two amplifiers 200Ba and 200Bb connected so that the DC bus voltage Vb is common, as shown in the configuration in Figure 9. The second energy consumption value is the energy consumption value ES[i] when the two amplifiers 200Ba and 200Bb are connected so that the DC bus voltage Vb is common and the two motors 101a and 101b are operated. The amplifier group energy consumption simulation unit 20-2 includes a motor operation information generation unit 11-2, a section motor energy calculation unit 12-2, a capacitor charging energy calculation unit 13-2, a section amplifier energy calculation unit 14-2, and an energy consumption calculation unit 15-2, each having the same functions as the motor operation information generation unit 11, section motor energy calculation unit 12, capacitor charging energy calculation unit 13, section amplifier energy calculation unit 14, and energy consumption calculation unit 15 in Figure 2.

[0130] The total energy consumption calculation unit 17 sums the first energy consumption value and the second energy consumption value calculated by each of the multiple amplifier group energy consumption simulation units 20-1 and 20-2 to calculate the total energy consumption value, which is the overall energy consumption value ES[i] for the industrial machine 100.

[0131] Since the energy consumption value ES[i] is calculated by combining the configurations described in Embodiments 1 and 2, the effects described in Embodiments 1 and 2 can also be obtained in Embodiment 4. That is, for a single amplifier 200A or a group of amplifiers 200Ba, 200Bb having a common DC bus voltage Vb, the energy consumption value ES[i] is calculated using the amplifier group energy consumption simulation units 20-1 and 20-2, which are based on the configuration shown in Figure 2, and the total energy consumption value is obtained by summing the energy consumption values ​​ES[i] of these amplifier groups. As a result, the energy consumption value ES[i] for industrial machines 100A and 100B with configurations that include multiple DC bus voltages Vb can be calculated accurately with a small amount of computation. In the example, industrial machines 100A and 100B, which have two DC bus voltages Vb, were used as an example. However, even if the industrial machine 100 has a configuration where L is an integer of 2 or more and has DC bus voltages Vb greater than or equal to L, the total energy consumption value can be similarly estimated using the energy consumption simulation device 10b, and the same effect can be obtained. In this case, the energy consumption simulation device 10b will be provided with as many amplifier group energy consumption simulation units 20-1, ..., 20-L as there are amplifier groups L.

[0132] Furthermore, for industrial machines 100A and 100B configured to have multiple DC bus voltages Vb, the regenerative resistance energy consumption value ER[i] consumed by the regenerative resistors 203a and 203b for each time interval, and the total regenerative resistance energy consumption value consumed by the regenerative resistors 203a and 203b can be calculated in the same manner as described in Embodiment 3. In this case, each of the amplifier group energy consumption simulation units 20-1 and 20-2 is equipped with the capacitor charging energy calculation units 13a-1 and 13a-2 shown in Figure 10 instead of the capacitor charging energy calculation units 13-1 and 13-2, and further equipped with regenerative resistance energy consumption calculation units 16-1 and 16-2. Moreover, such an energy consumption simulation device 10b can obtain the same effects as in Embodiment 3.

[0133] Furthermore, in Embodiment 1, the display processing unit displayed at least one time-series data of the interval motor energy value EM[i], capacitor charging energy value EC[i], interval amplifier energy value EA[i], and energy consumption value ES[i] together with the time-series data of the motor 101 speed information. In Embodiment 4, the display processing unit may also display as a graph the time-series data of the speed information of multiple motors 101a, 101b or machines 102a, 102b, at least one time-series data of the interval motor energy value EM[i], capacitor charging energy value EC[i], interval amplifier energy value EA[i], and energy consumption value ES[i] for each of the multiple amplifier groups, and the time-series data of the total energy consumption value. This has the effect of allowing users to visually understand how much energy is consumed when a particular operation is performed.

[0134] In the energy consumption simulation device 10b according to Embodiment 4, the industrial machines 100A and 100B are equipped with a plurality of motors 101a and 101b, and a plurality of amplifiers 200A, 200Ba, and 200Bb, and have a plurality of amplifier groups, where one or more amplifiers 200A, 200Ba, and 200Bb share a common DC bus voltage Vb. Furthermore, the energy consumption simulation device 10b according to Embodiment 4 further includes a plurality of amplifier group energy consumption simulation units 20-1 and 20-2 that calculate the energy consumption value ES[i] for each amplifier group, and a total energy consumption calculation unit 17. Each of the multiple amplifier group energy consumption simulation units 20-1 and 20-2 has a section motor energy calculation unit 12-1 and 12-2, a capacitor charging energy calculation unit 13-1 and 13-2, a section amplifier energy calculation unit 14-1 and 14-2, and an energy consumption calculation unit 15-1 and 15-2 for each amplifier group. The total energy consumption calculation unit 17 calculates the total energy consumption value, which is the energy consumption value for industrial machines 100A and 100B, by summing the energy consumption values ​​ES[i] output from the multiple amplifier group energy consumption simulation units 20-1 and 20-2. This makes it possible to obtain the same effects as in embodiments 1 and 2 even in the case of industrial machines 100A and 100B, which are configured to drive multiple motors 101a and 101b using a single amplifier 200A or multiple amplifiers 200Ba and 200Bb that share a common DC bus voltage Vb, with multiple amplifier groups provided for each different DC bus voltage Vb.

[0135] Embodiment 5. The energy required to operate the industrial machine 100 is not limited to the energy required to drive the motor 101. For example, there is an industrial machine 100 that includes a servo motor to drive the workpiece and packaging material, and a heater to seal the packaging material, such as a packaging machine. In this packaging machine, not only the servo motor but also the heater consumes energy, i.e., electricity. This section describes an energy consumption simulation device that estimates the energy consumption value ES[i] in such an industrial machine 100.

[0136] Figure 13 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an energy consumption simulation device according to Embodiment 5. The energy consumption simulation device 10c according to Embodiment 5 includes an energy consumption calculation unit 15c instead of the energy consumption calculation unit 15 in Figure 2, and further includes an external motor energy consumption calculation unit 18. The same reference numerals are used for components that are the same as those described in Figure 2, and their descriptions are omitted.

[0137] The motor-external energy consumption calculation unit 18 calculates the motor-external energy consumption value, which is the energy consumed by power consumption parts other than the motor 101 that drive the industrial machine 100, based on the motor-external energy consumption information, which is the operation information of power consumption parts other than the motor 101 of the industrial machine 100. Here, the motor-external energy consumption information, in the example of the heater in the packaging machine mentioned above, corresponds to the time profile of when the heater is on or off while the industrial machine 100 is in operation. The motor-external energy consumption information is not limited to this example, and can be any operation information of components other than the motor 101 that consume energy.

[0138] The energy consumption calculation unit 15c calculates the energy consumption value for the entire time period when the motor 101 operates according to the operating profile, as well as the energy consumption value for the entire time period when power consumption units other than the motor 101 operate according to the operating profile. Then, it calculates the total energy consumption value by adding the energy consumption value related to the driving of the motor 101 and the energy consumption value by power consumption units other than the motor 101 for the entire time period.

[0139] In other words, the energy consumption calculation unit 15c calculates not only the energy required to drive the motor 101 as described in Embodiments 1 to 4, but also the total energy consumed by the industrial machine 100. The total energy consumption value used by the industrial machine 100 is calculated by the following equation (22).

[0140] The total energy consumption of industrial machinery = energy consumption related to motor operation + energy consumption not related to motor operation ... (22)

[0141] In the packaging machine example above, the energy not related to the motor 101's operation corresponds to the energy consumption of the heater, which is a power-consuming component. The heater's energy consumption can be calculated as the heater's rated power multiplied by the operating time of the industrial machine 100.

[0142] Thus, the energy consumption simulation device 10c of Embodiment 5 has the effect of being able to grasp the total energy consumption value used by the industrial machine 100 by adding the energy consumption value of power consumption units that are not involved in driving the motor 101 to the energy consumption value related to driving the motor 101. Although a heater was given as an example of a power consumption unit that is not involved in driving the motor 101, it is not limited to this. Various controllers, display panels, etc. can be given as power consumption units that are not involved in driving the motor 101. Then, the energy consumption value of this power consumption unit can be added to the energy consumption value related to driving the motor 101 to calculate the total energy consumption value.

[0143] Furthermore, in the above explanation, the energy consumption simulation device 10 in Figure 2 is provided with an external motor energy consumption calculation unit 18, by replacing the energy consumption calculation unit 15 with an energy consumption calculation unit 15c. However, the energy consumption simulation device 10a in Figure 10 may also be provided with an external motor energy consumption calculation unit 18, by replacing the energy consumption calculation unit 15 with an energy consumption calculation unit 15c. Also, in the amplifier group energy consumption simulation units 20-1 and 20-2 of the energy consumption simulation device 10b in Figure 12, the energy consumption calculation units 15-1 and 15-2 may be replaced with energy consumption calculation units 15c-1 and 15c-2, and external motor energy consumption calculation units 18-1 and 18-2 may be provided.

[0144] Furthermore, similar to Embodiment 1, a display processing unit (not shown) may display at least one time-series data of the section motor energy value EM[i], capacitor charging energy value EC[i], section amplifier energy value EA[i], energy consumption value by power consumption units other than the motor 101, and energy consumption value ES[i] together with the time-series data of the motor 101's speed information. This has the effect of allowing users to visually understand how much energy is consumed when a particular operation is performed.

[0145] The energy consumption simulation device 10c according to Embodiment 5 further includes an external motor energy consumption calculation unit 18 that calculates the external motor energy consumption value, which is the energy consumption value of power consumption parts other than the motors 101, 101a, and 101b of the industrial machines 100, 100A, and 100B. The energy consumption calculation unit 15c takes the energy consumption value as the sum of the energy consumption value due to the operation of the motors 101, 101a, and 101b, which are obtained by integrating the interval amplifier energy value EA[i] from the first time interval to the time interval in which the interval amplifier energy value EA[i] was calculated, and the external motor energy consumption value. This makes it possible to accurately estimate the energy consumption value of industrial machines 100, 100A, and 100B that have power consumption parts other than the motors 101, 101a, and 101b.

[0146] Embodiment 6. In the above description of the embodiments, the energy consumption simulation devices 10a-10c are used to calculate the energy consumption value ES[i]. However, the calculated energy consumption value ES[i] may also be converted into other energy consumption conversion indicators such as electricity rates, CO2 (carbon dioxide) emissions, and greenhouse gas emissions and displayed.

[0147] Figure 14 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an energy consumption simulation device according to Embodiment 6. The energy consumption simulation device 10d according to Embodiment 6 further includes an energy consumption conversion index calculation unit 19 that converts the energy values ​​calculated by each processing unit of the energy consumption simulation device 10d into other energy consumption conversion indices. Note that the same reference numerals are used for components that are the same as those described in Figure 2, and their descriptions are omitted.

[0148] As described above, the energy consumption conversion index calculation unit 19 converts the energy consumption value ES[i] calculated by the energy consumption simulation device 10d into other energy consumption conversion indices such as electricity rates, CO2 emissions, and greenhouse gas emissions. In one example, the energy consumption conversion index calculation unit 19 converts the energy consumption value ES[i] calculated by the energy consumption calculation unit 15 into other energy consumption conversion indices such as electricity rates, CO2 emissions, and greenhouse gas emissions. In one example, to convert the energy consumption value ES[i] into electricity rates, the electricity rates can be calculated by multiplying the calculated energy consumption value ES[i] by the electricity rates per unit energy, such as 1 J or 1 kWh. CO2 emissions and greenhouse gas emissions can be calculated similarly using the emissions per unit energy. Furthermore, the section motor energy value EM[i] calculated by the section motor energy calculation unit 12, the capacitor charging energy value EC[i] calculated by the capacitor charging energy calculation unit 13, and the section amplifier energy value EA[i] calculated by the section amplifier energy calculation unit 14 may be converted into other energy consumption conversion indicators such as electricity charges, CO2 emissions, and greenhouse gas emissions. This allows for an understanding of electricity charges, and thus has the effect of understanding the costs required for the operation of the industrial machine 100 or the burden it places on the environment.

[0149] Furthermore, in the above description, the energy consumption simulation device 10 in Figure 2 is further equipped with an energy consumption conversion index calculation unit 19. However, the energy consumption simulation device 10a in Figure 10, the energy consumption simulation device 10b in Figure 12, and the energy consumption simulation device 10c in Figure 13 may also be further equipped with an energy consumption conversion index calculation unit 19.

[0150] In the case of the energy consumption simulation device 10a shown in Figure 10, the energy consumption conversion index calculation unit 19 may convert the regenerative energy value for each time interval calculated by the capacitor charging energy calculation unit 13a, or the total regenerative resistance energy consumption value calculated by the regenerative resistance energy consumption calculation unit 16, into other energy consumption conversion indices such as electricity charges, CO2 emissions, and greenhouse gas emissions.

[0151] In the case of the energy consumption simulation device 10b shown in Figure 12, the energy consumption conversion index calculation unit 19 may convert the total energy consumption value calculated by the total energy consumption calculation unit 17 into other energy consumption conversion indices such as electricity charges, CO2 emissions, and greenhouse gas emissions.

[0152] In the case of the energy consumption simulation device 10c shown in Figure 13, the energy consumption conversion index calculation unit 19 may convert the motor-external energy consumption value calculated by the motor-external energy consumption calculation unit 18, or the sum of the energy consumption value calculated by the energy consumption calculation unit 15c for the operation of the motor 101 and the motor-external energy consumption value, into other energy consumption conversion indices such as electricity charges, CO2 emissions, and greenhouse gas emissions.

[0153] Furthermore, the energy consumption simulation device 10d may further include a display processing unit (not shown) that displays other energy consumption conversion indicators on a display unit (not shown). In this case, the display processing unit may, similar to Embodiment 1, display at least one time-series data of the interval motor energy value EM[i], capacitor charging energy value EC[i], interval amplifier energy value EA[i], and energy consumption value ES[i], as well as time-series data of the energy consumption conversion indicator and time-series data of the motor 101 speed information. This has the effect of allowing users to visually understand how much energy is consumed when a certain operation is performed, and how much electricity costs, CO2 emissions, or greenhouse gas emissions will result.

[0154] The energy consumption simulation device 10d according to Embodiment 6 further comprises an energy consumption conversion index calculation unit 19 that converts the energy values ​​calculated by each processing unit of the energy consumption simulation device 10d into other energy consumption conversion indices, and a display processing unit that displays other energy consumption conversion indices. This has the effect of allowing users to visually understand how much electricity costs, CO2 emissions, or greenhouse gas emissions will be incurred for each operation.

[0155] The configurations shown in the above embodiments are merely examples, and it is possible to combine them with other known technologies, combine different embodiments, and omit or modify parts of the configuration without departing from the gist of the invention. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0156] 10,10a,10b,10c,10d Energy consumption simulation device, 11,11-1,11-2 Motor operation information generation unit, 12,12-1,12-2 Section motor energy calculation unit, 13,13-1,13-2,13a,13a-1,13a-2 Capacitor charging energy calculation unit, 14,14-1,14-2 Section amplifier energy calculation unit, 15,15-1,15-2,15c,15c-1,15c-2 Energy consumption calculation unit, 16,16-1,16-2 Regenerative resistance energy consumption calculation unit, 17 Total energy consumption calculation unit, 18,18-1,18-2 Motor external energy consumption calculation unit, 19 Energy consumption conversion index calculation unit, 20-1,20-2,20-L Amplifier group energy consumption simulation unit, 100,100A,100B Industrial machinery, 101, 101a, 101b Motor, 102, 102a, 102b Machinery, 103, 103a, 103b Encoder, 110 Command generation unit, 120 AC power supply, 200, 200A, 200Ba, 200Bb Amplifier, 201 Rectifier, 202, 202a, 202b Capacitor, 203, 203a, 203b Regenerative resistor, 204, 204a, 204b Regenerative transistor, 205, 205a, 205b Inverter, 210a, 210b DC bus, 220, 220a, 220b Servo control unit, CV, CVa, CVb Voltage command, DS, DSa, DSb Detection signal, IM, IMa, IMb Current, OPS, OPSa, OPSb Operation pattern signal, Vac AC voltage, Vb DC bus voltage.

Claims

1. An energy consumption simulation device for an industrial machine comprising a motor, an amplifier having a capacitor inserted between DC buses to drive the motor and dissipating part or all of the regenerative energy with a regenerative resistor, and a machine driven by the motor, which simulates the energy consumption when the motor or the machine operates according to an operating profile, A section motor energy calculation unit calculates a section motor energy value, which is the energy input to or regenerated from the motor, by calculating an instantaneous power value for each of the time sections based on motor operation information set for multiple time sections obtained from the aforementioned operation profile, and integrating the instantaneous power values ​​over the time sections. A capacitor charging energy calculation unit calculates, for each of the aforementioned time intervals, a capacitor charging energy value which is the energy to be charged in the capacitor during the current time interval, based on the motor energy value for the interval and the capacitor charging energy value which is the reusable energy value charged in the capacitor during the time interval preceding the time interval being calculated, within a range of 0 or more and less than or equal to the upper limit of the value that can be charged in the capacitor. For each of the aforementioned time intervals, a section amplifier energy calculation unit calculates a section amplifier energy value, which is the energy input to the amplifier from the AC power supply during that time interval, based on a calculation formula selected according to the comparison result between the section motor energy value and the capacitor charging energy value. For each of the aforementioned time intervals, the energy consumption calculation unit calculates the energy consumption value by accumulating the interval amplifier energy values ​​from the first time interval to the time interval in which the interval amplifier energy value was calculated, An energy consumption simulation device characterized by comprising the following features.

2. The industrial machine comprises a plurality of motors and one or more amplifiers sharing the DC bus. The section motor energy calculation unit calculates the section motor energy value corresponding to the multiple motors from the motor operation information of the multiple motors in each of the time sections, The energy consumption simulation device according to claim 1, characterized in that the capacitor charging energy calculation unit calculates the upper limit that can be charged by the capacitor from the capacitance of the capacitors having one or more amplifiers that share the DC bus.

3. The energy consumption simulation device according to claim 1, characterized in that the motor operation information includes motor speed information and torque information or thrust information.

4. The DC bus voltage when the capacitor is charged with energy and no current flows to the motor is defined as the steady state. When the DC bus voltage is in the steady state, the reusable capacitor charge energy value is 0. The energy consumption simulation device according to claim 1, characterized in that the capacitor charging energy value is the upper limit when the DC bus voltage is at the upper limit value that can charge the capacitor.

5. The energy consumption simulation device according to claim 1, characterized in that the capacitor charging energy calculation unit calculates the capacitor charging energy value for the time period being calculated based on the capacitor charging energy value for the time period preceding the time period being calculated and the motor energy value for the time period being calculated.

6. The industrial machine comprises a plurality of motors and a plurality of amplifiers, The industrial machine has multiple amplifier groups, where one or more of the amplifiers that share a common DC bus voltage are grouped together as one amplifier group. A plurality of amplifier group energy consumption simulation units are provided, each having the aforementioned section motor energy calculation unit, the capacitor charging energy calculation unit, the section amplifier energy calculation unit, and the energy consumption calculation unit, and each amplifier group calculates the energy consumption value for each amplifier group. A total energy consumption calculation unit calculates a total energy consumption value, which is the energy consumption value of the industrial machine, by summing the energy consumption values ​​output from multiple amplifier group energy consumption simulation units. The energy consumption simulation device according to claim 1, further comprising the features described above.

7. The interval amplifier energy calculation unit sets i to an integer between 1 and the total number of time intervals, sets the interval motor energy value of time interval (i) to EM[i], the capacitor charging energy value to EC[i], the interval amplifier energy value to EA[i], and sets the capacitor charging energy value when i=0 to EC[0]=0. If EM[i]≧EC[i], EA[i]=EM[i]-EC[i] year, If EM[i] < EC[i], then EA[i] = 0 The energy consumption simulation device according to claim 1, characterized in that it is provided as described above.

8. The capacitor charging energy calculation unit sets i to an integer between 1 and the total number of time intervals, sets the interval motor energy value of time interval (i) to EM[i], sets the capacitor charging energy value to EC[i], sets the capacitor charging energy value of the previous time interval i-1 to EC[i-1], sets the upper limit of the capacitor charging energy value to ECMAX, and sets the capacitor charging energy value when i=0 to EC[0]=0. If EC[i-1] < EM[i], then EC[i] = 0 year, If EC[i-1]>EM[i], EC[i]=EC[i-1]-EM[i] And further If EC[i] > ECMAX, then EC[i] = ECMAX. The energy consumption simulation device according to claim 1, characterized in that it is provided as described above.

9. The energy consumption simulation apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a display processing unit that displays, for each time interval, at least one of the interval motor energy value, the capacitor charging energy value, the interval amplifier energy value, and the energy consumption value as a time-series graph together with the speed information of the motor or the machine.

10. The amplifier further includes a regenerative transistor that turns on when the DC bus voltage reaches a specified value and dissipates power through the regenerative resistor. Let M be an integer of 1 or more, the number of capacitors connected in parallel to the DC bus, the capacitances of the M capacitors be C1, ..., CM, respectively, let V0 be the steady-state DC bus voltage of the amplifier, let V1 be the on-voltage of the regenerative transistor at which the regenerative resistor begins to energize, and let a be a constant greater than 0 and less than or equal to 1. The capacitor charging energy calculation unit, The energy consumption simulation device according to claim 1, characterized in that the total capacitance C of the capacitor is calculated by the following formula (1), and the upper limit value ECMAX of the capacitor charging energy value is calculated by the following formula (2). C=C1+...+CM...(1) ECMAX=a・(1 / 2・C・V1 2 -1 / 2・C・V0 2 ) ・・・(2)

11. The energy consumption simulation device according to claim 1, characterized in that the capacitor charging energy calculation unit further calculates the regenerative resistance energy consumption value ER[i] for each time interval consumed by the regenerative resistor using the following equations (3) and (4), with ECMAX being the upper limit of the chargeable value of the capacitor. If EC[i] > ECMAX, then ER[i] = EC[i] - ECMAX ... (3) If EC[i] ≤ ECMAX, then ER[i] = 0 ... (4)

12. The energy consumption simulation device according to claim 11, further comprising a regenerative resistance energy consumption calculation unit that calculates a total regenerative resistance energy consumption value, which is the total energy consumed by the regenerative resistance, by integrating the interval amplifier energy values ​​from the first time interval to the time interval in which the regenerative resistance energy consumption value was calculated.

13. The energy consumption simulation device according to claim 12, further comprising a display processing unit that displays the regenerative resistance energy consumption value or the total regenerative resistance energy consumption value as a time-series graph together with the speed information of the motor or the machine for each of the aforementioned time intervals.

14. The system further includes an external motor energy consumption calculation unit that calculates an external motor energy consumption value, which is the energy consumption value of the power consumption unit other than the motor of the industrial machine. The energy consumption simulation device according to claim 1, characterized in that the energy consumption calculation unit takes the sum of the energy consumption value due to the operation of the motor, which is obtained by integrating the interval amplifier energy values ​​from the first time interval to the time interval in which the interval amplifier energy value was calculated, and the energy consumption value outside the motor as the energy consumption value.

15. The energy consumption simulation device includes an energy consumption conversion index calculation unit that converts the energy values ​​calculated by each processing unit into other energy consumption conversion indices, A display processing unit that displays the aforementioned other energy consumption conversion index, An energy consumption simulation device according to any one of 1 to 14, further comprising the above.

16. An energy consumption simulation method for an industrial machine comprising a motor, an amplifier having a capacitor inserted between DC buses to drive the motor and dissipating part or all of the regenerative energy with a regenerative resistor, and a machine driven by the motor, wherein the motor or the machine operates according to an operating profile, A section motor energy calculation step is performed to calculate a section motor energy value, which is the energy input to or regenerated from the motor, by calculating an instantaneous power value for each of the time sections based on motor operation information set for multiple time sections obtained from the operation profile, and integrating the instantaneous power values ​​over the time sections. A capacitor charging energy calculation step for each of the aforementioned time intervals, based on the interval motor energy value and the capacitor charging energy value, which is the reusable energy value charged in the capacitor in the time interval preceding the time interval being calculated, calculates the capacitor charging energy value, which is the energy to be charged in the capacitor in the current time interval, within a range of 0 or more and less than or equal to the upper limit of chargeable by the capacitor. For each of the aforementioned time intervals, a section amplifier energy calculation step is performed to calculate the section amplifier energy value, which is the energy input to the amplifier from the AC power source during the aforementioned time interval, based on a calculation formula selected according to the comparison result between the section motor energy value and the capacitor charging energy value. For each of the aforementioned time intervals, the energy consumption calculation step involves accumulating the interval amplifier energy values ​​from the first time interval to the time interval in which the interval amplifier energy value was calculated to calculate the energy consumption value, A method for simulating energy consumption, characterized by including the following:

17. An energy consumption simulation program for an industrial machine comprising a motor, an amplifier having a capacitor inserted between DC buses to drive the motor and dissipating part or all of the regenerative energy with a regenerative resistor, and a machine driven by the motor, which simulates the energy consumption when the motor or the machine operates according to an operating profile, On the computer, A step to calculate a section motor energy value, which is the energy input to or regenerated from the motor, by calculating an instantaneous power value for each of the time intervals based on motor operation information set for multiple time intervals obtained from the operation profile, and integrating the instantaneous power values ​​over the time intervals; A capacitor charging energy calculation step for each of the aforementioned time intervals, based on the interval motor energy value and the capacitor charging energy value, which is the reusable energy value charged in the capacitor in the time interval preceding the time interval being calculated, calculates the capacitor charging energy value, which is the energy to be charged in the capacitor in the current time interval, within a range of 0 or more and less than or equal to the upper limit of chargeable by the capacitor. For each of the aforementioned time intervals, a section amplifier energy calculation step is performed to calculate the section amplifier energy value, which is the energy input to the amplifier from the AC power supply during the aforementioned time interval, based on a calculation formula selected according to the comparison result between the section motor energy value and the capacitor charging energy value. For each of the aforementioned time intervals, the energy consumption calculation step involves calculating the energy consumption value by accumulating the interval amplifier energy values ​​from the first time interval to the time interval in which the interval amplifier energy value was calculated, An energy consumption simulation program characterized by executing the following:

Images