Monitoring Control System for Distributed Power Sources

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional monitoring-control systems for distributed power sources face challenges in reducing operational costs due to factors beyond communication traffic and delay, such as execution fees and penalty charges, making it difficult to efficiently manage multiple distributed power sources connected to a network.

Innovation Solution

The monitoring-control system determines the optimal information processing system to execute the monitoring-control service based on operational costs, including execution fees and penalty charges, by calculating and comparing costs across different systems, such as cloud and multi-access edge computing environments, to allocate resources effectively and minimize overall costs.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Speed

If monitoring-control service is allocated at a place closer to distributed power source to improve real-time performance, then real-time performance is improved, but execution cost increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvereal-time performanceVSAvoidexecution cost
Core Design Contradiction:
SpeedVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements dynamic allocation of monitoring-control services between cloud and edge computing environments based on real-time requirements. The system evaluates multiple factors including real-time performance needs, communication costs, and execution fees to determine the optimal allocation position, allowing the system to adapt between centralized cloud processing and distributed edge processing dynamically

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes the allocation parameter from fixed location-based rules to a multi-factor optimization model that considers communication cost, communication delay, execution fee, and penalty charge. This parameter transformation enables comprehensive cost optimization by evaluating total operational cost rather than single-factor metrics

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Loss of time

If monitoring-control service is allocated to minimize communication cost and delay, then communication efficiency is improved, but overall operational cost may increase due to execution fees and penalty charges

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecommunication delayVSAvoidoverall operational cost
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of timeVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The patent creates a universal allocation framework that simultaneously evaluates multiple cost components (communication cost, execution fee, penalty charge) rather than optimizing for a single factor. The allocation decision-making unit integrates diverse metrics into a comprehensive operational cost assessment, making the system universally applicable to various distributed power source scenarios with different cost structures

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The system incorporates feedback mechanisms that monitor actual operational costs and performance metrics, using this information to refine allocation decisions. The allocation decision-making unit continuously evaluates the trade-offs between communication efficiency and execution costs based on feedback from system performance and cost data

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentEP3813228A1Monitoring-control system, monitoring-control method, and monitoring-control computer program product
Publication Date: 2021.04.28 KK TOSHIBA
  • EP3813228A1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3813228A1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3813228A1 patent drawingFigure 3~4

AI summary

According to an arrangement, a monitoring-control system (10) includes a control target determination unit (46) and an execution target determination unit (48B). The control target determination unit (46) determines a target distributed power source (16) that is the monitoring-control target the distributed power source (16) in accordance with electrical-power control requirement information indicating electrical-power control requirements for the distributed power source connected to a network. The execution target determination unit (48B) determines, as an execution target system that executes a monitoring-control service for the target distributed power source (16), an information processing system (13) for which an operational cost of the monitoring-control service in accordance with the electrical-power control requirement information is equal to or lower than a given cost among a plurality of information processing systems (13) connected communicably to the target distributed power source (16).