Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

Panasonic Corporation

Shigeaki Matsubayashi

Yoshikazu Tanaka

Sachio Nagamitsu

Tsuneko Imagawa

Masataka Ozeki

Masami Funakura

Osamu Ito

Makoto Gotou

Hisashi Kodama

Yasuyuki Shintani

Etsuko Kanai

Tomoko Kitamura

Masaru Matsui

A control unit operates a fuel-cell power generation apparatus efficiently according to power consumption and supplied hot-water heat consumption which are different in each home. A generated-power command-pattern creation section creates a plurality of generated-power command patterns which are obtained from a combination of a start time and a stop time of the fuel-cell power generation apparatus, based on a power-consumption prediction value. A hot-water storage-tank heat-quantity calculation section calculates a stored hot-water heat quantity for a predetermined period in a hot-water storage tank, based on a supplied hot-water heat-consumption prediction. A fuel-cell system-energy calculation section calculates fuel-cell system energy which indicates the energy of a fuel required in hot-water supply equipment and electricity required in electric equipment when the fuel-cell power generation apparatus is operated in each generated-power command pattern. Additionally, an optimum command-pattern selection section operates the fuel-cell power generation apparatus in a generated-power command pattern which minimizes the fuel-cell system energy.

Control unit for fuel-cell power generation apparatus, and control method, control program and computer-readable record medium with control program for the same

A post-control electric power amount curve generating portion generates plural pieces of running control information indicating a changeable running method for each device and plural post-control electric power amount curves indicating an amount of main electric power. A post-control hot water storage amount curve generating portion generates post-control hot water storage amount curves each indicating an accumulated amount of hot water generated in a case where the fuel cell generates electric power based on the plural post-control electric power amount curves. A hot water storage completion determining portion determines whether the accumulated amounts exceed a specific heat capacity. A reduction amount calculating portion calculates plural energy cost reduction amounts produced before and after the change using the post-control hot water storage amount curves determined as not exceeding the specific heat capacity. A running method determining portion determines the running control information corresponding to the largest energy cost reduction amount.

Load controlling device, load controlling method, load controlling circuit, load controlling program, and computer-readable recording medium where load controlling program is recorded

A fuel-cell power generation system includes a fuel-cell power generator, a power measurement section for measuring an actual power-consumption value in a household appliance, and a power-consumption estimation section for estimating a future power-consumption value over a given time-period after a given time point, in accordance with the actual power-consumption value measured by the power measurement section. Moreover, the system includes a power-generation instruction section for determining the need of startup/stop of the fuel-cell power generator in accordance with the estimated power-consumption value from the power-consumption estimation section.

Fuel-cell power generation system and control method therefor

An operating condition determiner compares an operation starting time (t) of network-connected first consuming apparatuses received by a schedule information receiver and a consumption starting time (t) predicted by a predicting system based on a total consumption amount of the first consuming apparatuses and a second consuming apparatus, which is not network-connected, and determines the operation starting time (t) as an operation starting time of a fuel cell if the operation starting time (t) is earlier than the consumption starting time (t) while determining the consumption starting time (t) as such if the operation starting time (t) is later than the consumption starting time (t), so that the fuel cell can stably generate power. The fuel cell can stably supply power at a time when the consuming apparatuses start consuming power. The merit of introducing a cogeneration facility can be sufficiently exhibited even if both consuming apparatuses provided with a network connecting function and those provided with no such function exist.

Cogeneration system, operation controller for cogeneration facility, and operation program for cogeneration facility

An energy management system is provided which is capable of calculating, based on equipment information on electrical equipment which is used by a resident, a power consumption estimated when a replacement is made with energy-saving equipment, then comparing and displaying it and the power consumption of the electrical equipment owned by the resident, and thereby, allowing the resident to become aware of how the replacement helps save energy.

Energy management system, energy management method, and unit for providing information on energy-saving recommended equipment

In a room exit determination, a determination of presence of a body in a room is made if a movement pattern vector consisting of a room ID of movement origin, a room ID of movement destination and a movement period of time is not received from the a non-specified room response sensor within a predetermined period of time. A determination of exit from the room of a body is made only when the movement period of time in the movement pattern vector agrees with a movement period of time of past exits from the room stored in the a movement time storage if this vector is received from the non-specified room response sensor.

Object state sensing apparatus, object state sensing method, home electronic appliance, network adapter and medium

Complaint rate calculation means for calculating complaint rates in consideration of thermal feeling entered from vote value input means, a data storage unit for storing complaint rates together with indoor thermal conditions, updating means for calculating a function representing the relationship between thermal conditions and complaint rates in accordance with stored data, and predicted thermal condition calculation means for calculating thermal setting values by substituting entered control information into the function representing the relationship between thermal conditions and complaint rates, can convert a complaint vote of each inhabitant to a characteristic thermal feeling of a group so as to directly reflect the feeling on air-conditioning control.

Air-conditioning control unit

In an adaptive control system, an input of an object to be controlled is varied by a small value, and a resultant output is detected. The small value is changed on the basis of the difference between the output and an aimed value, and trials are repeated. The small value is determined on the basis of a qualitative model which is composed of a boundary function including the input and boundary parameters of the object. If the trend in the difference between the output and the aimed value is to make it larger, the qualitative model is changed so that the trend is to make it smaller.

Adaptive control system

In an adaptive control electrophotographic apparatus, input voltages such as illumination power source voltage and electrostatic charge voltage are varied by a small value, and a resultant density of toner image on a photoconductive substance is detected. Then the above-mentioned small value is changed on the basis of a difference between the resultant density and a target density. After several repetitions of the above, the small value is determined on the basis of a qualitative model which is composed of a boundary function including the input voltages and boundary parameters of the apparatus. If the trend in the difference between the resultant density and the target density is an increase, the qualitative mode is changed to effect a decreasing trend.

Electrophotographic copier having image density control

A control system has a detecting block for obtaining a detected signal corresponding to a controlled variable of a controlled system and a controlling block for supplying the controlled system with a control signal corresponding to the detected signal. The controlling block comprises an error block for producing an error signal corresponding to the detected signal at a detecting block, a memorizing block having a plurality of memorized values corresponding to the error signal, an output block for producing the control signal by mixing the error signal and one or more memorized values of the memorizing block and a adapting block for changing the number of a plurality of memorized values of the memorizing block according to a frequency of fluctuation of a disturbance source. The memorizing block renews the memorized values sequentially and periodically with a value corresponding to a mixed value of the error signal and a set of N memorized values, the N memorized values having been renewed at intervals of L renewing cycle periods, where each of N and L is an integer at least equal to 2.

Growing community of inventors

Ikoma, Japan

Shigeaki Matsubayashi