Heat Source Restart Control Using Nonvolatile Machine Count

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional heat source systems face challenges in swiftly restoring the correct number of operational heat source machines after a power failure without an uninterruptible power supply, leading to potential mismatches in control states and increased costs.

Innovation Solution

A heat source system with a nonvolatile storage unit that stores the number of operational heat source machines before a power failure, allowing for automatic restart and matching the number of machines in operation, even in the absence of an uninterruptible power supply, by reading stored information to determine the correct number of machines to start upon power recovery.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If an uninterruptible power supply is used to maintain control during power failure, then the control state is preserved, but the installation cost and maintenance cost increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontrol state preservationVSAvoidinstallation cost and maintenance cost

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the essential function of state preservation from the uninterruptible power supply system. Instead of using a complex UPS to maintain control, the invention stores only the critical control state information (number of operational machines) in nonvolatile memory, separating the state preservation function from the power supply system.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes the state representation from continuous control signals to discrete stored parameters. By storing the number of operational machines as a parameter in nonvolatile memory, the system can restore control state without requiring continuous power supply to the control apparatus.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

2Ease of manufacture

If manual restoring operation is performed without an uninterruptible power supply, then the installation cost is reduced, but the restoration time increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveinstallation costVSAvoidrestoration time

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent performs preliminary action by storing the control state information (number of operational machines) in nonvolatile memory before power failure occurs. This pre-stored information enables automatic restoration without manual intervention, eliminating the time loss associated with manual restoring operations while avoiding the cost of uninterruptible power supplies.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Ease of manufacture

If the control apparatus is not connected to an uninterruptible power supply, then the maintenance cost is reduced, but the control state may be reset during power failure

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemaintenance costVSAvoidcontrol state continuity

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent provides beforehand cushioning by storing the control state information in nonvolatile memory that can withstand power failures. This creates a protective buffer against control state loss during power interruptions, maintaining reliability without requiring continuous power supply or expensive uninterruptible power supplies.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #11Beforehand cushioning (Prior cushioning)

4Productivity

If automatic restart function is used for heat source machines, then the restoration speed is improved, but a mismatch may occur between control state and actual machine count

Engineering Contradiction:

Improverestoration speedVSAvoidcontrol state accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements feedback by having the control apparatus read the stored number of operational machines from nonvolatile memory after power recovery, compare it with the actual machine count, and issue appropriate start commands to heat source machines. This feedback mechanism ensures the control state matches the actual system state, preventing mismatches while maintaining fast automatic restoration.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentUS10006725B2Heat source system and method for controlling number of machines to be started at time of power recovery in heat source system

Publication Date: 2018.06.26 MITSUBISHI HEAVY IND THERMAL SYST

AI summary

To swiftly start, at the time of power recovery after a power failure, heat source machines, the number of which is equal to the number of machines before the power failure, without including an uninterruptible power supply in an apparatus for controlling the number of machines that is adapted to control the number of heat source machines. There is provided a heat source system, in which a host control device (20) includes a nonvolatile first storage unit (22) that stores the number of heat source machines in operation immediately before the power failure. When power is recovered, control on the number of heat source machines at the time of power recovery is performed in accordance with the number of heat source machines stored in the first storage unit (22).