Degradation determination method and device

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing degradation determination methods for cooling facilities fail to accurately distinguish between power consumption increases due to aging degradation and those caused by disturbances such as door openings or temperature changes, leading to incorrect degradation assessments.

Innovation Solution

A method and device that utilize correlation curves between power consumption and ambient temperature data to isolate power consumption data from disturbances, focusing on energy-saving operation modes to determine accurate degradation by comparing reference and determination periods.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If degradation determination is performed based on power consumption amount data alone, then degradation can be assessed, but power consumption increases due to disturbances (door openings, temperature changes) cannot be distinguished from those due to aging degradation

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedegradation assessment accuracyVSAvoiddisturbance influence
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts and removes the influence of disturbances from power consumption data by comparing operation periods with similar ambient temperature conditions. This isolation technique separates disturbance-related power consumption from degradation-related power consumption, enabling accurate degradation assessment without contamination from external factors.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent performs preliminary selection of reference operation periods that have similar ambient temperature conditions to the determination period before conducting degradation calculation. This preliminary filtering ensures that temperature-related disturbances are minimized, allowing for more accurate degradation determination.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Quantity of substance

If all operation data is used for degradation determination, then sufficient data is available for analysis, but data containing disturbance influences reduces determination accuracy

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedata quantityVSAvoiddegradation determination accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
Quantity of substanceVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments operation data into multiple reference operation periods and selects specific periods with similar ambient temperature conditions to the determination period. This segmentation approach allows sufficient data quantity while filtering out periods with significant disturbance influences, thereby maintaining high determination accuracy.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

3Reliability

If degradation determination includes all operation periods, then comprehensive assessment is achieved, but calculation complexity increases due to disturbance filtering requirements

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveassessment comprehensivenessVSAvoidcalculation process complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the selection criteria for reference operation periods from arbitrary or chronological selection to selection based on ambient temperature similarity. This parameter change simplifies the filtering process by providing a clear, objective criterion for selecting appropriate reference periods, reducing calculation complexity while maintaining comprehensive and reliable degradation assessment.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentEP4105568B1Degradation determination method and device
Publication Date: 2025.09.03 PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO LTD
  • EP4105568B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4105568B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4105568B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Data including a power consumption amount and an ambient temperature of a heat exchanger that discharges heat to an outside of a cooling facility in an operation mode in which the facility is operated in an operation state that requires less power consumption than usual is extracted as degradation determination reference data before degradation determination, and data including the power consumption amount and the ambient temperature in the operation mode in which the cooling facility is operated in the operation state that requires less power consumption than usual is extracted as determination data, whereby the increase in the power consumption amount due to the influence of the disturbance that changes a temperature of an inside of a box-shaped housing can be excluded, and the degradation of the cooling facility can be correctly determined by grasping the increase in the power consumption amount due to aging degradation.