JP7543200B2 - Refrigerated warehouse management system, management method, and program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to management technology for refrigerated warehouses.

In cold storage warehouses where food and other items are stored, the temperature inside the warehouse is kept low by controlling the cooling equipment. Unlike household refrigerators, in commercial cold storage warehouses, an operating plan is created in advance, for example the day before the operation day, and on that day the cold storage warehouse is operated based on the previously created operating plan.

As a technology related to low-temperature warehouses, Patent Document 1 (WO 2020/008550) states that "The energy saving management device estimates the temperature distribution in the low-temperature warehouse by performing airflow analysis and an operation simulation of the air conditioner. The energy saving management device determines improvements to the air conditioner for energy saving based on the estimated temperature distribution. The energy saving management device estimates the power consumption of the air conditioner after the improvement points are applied by performing airflow analysis and an operation simulation of the air conditioner after the improvement points are applied. The energy saving management device calculates the electricity bill reduced by applying the improvement points as the energy saving effect based on the power consumption of the air conditioner before the improvement, the estimated power consumption of the air conditioner after the improvement, and the fee table information, which is information on the electricity fee table" (see abstract).

International Publication No. 2020/008550

In commercial freezer warehouses, the temperature inside is set to a certain value or lower to prevent the quality of products from deteriorating due to temperature rise , compared to household refrigerators. In the past, excessive cooling was often used to prevent the temperature inside the warehouse from rising due to defrosting around the cooling unit or when goods were taken in and out of the warehouse. As a result, energy conservation was not sufficient.

Patent Document 1 discloses a technology that uses information on the layout of low-temperature warehouse air conditioners and information on the incoming and outgoing cargo entering and leaving the low-temperature warehouse to perform airflow analysis and air conditioner simulation to estimate the temperature distribution in the low-temperature warehouse, identify improvements to the air conditioners to save energy, and calculate the energy saving effect based on the power consumption before and after the improvements are applied. Fresh-free warehouses are also considered as low-temperature warehouses.

However, the invention described in Patent Document 1 identifies improvements to air conditioners to save energy, and calculates the energy saving effect based on power consumption before and after the improvements are applied. It does not take into consideration the possibility of accurately improving the energy consumption efficiency of the entire cold storage warehouse by controlling the entire warehouse based on meteorological information and making local adjustments based on incoming and outgoing information.

The aim of the present invention is to improve the energy consumption efficiency of the entire cold storage facility with greater precision than ever before.

To solve the above problems, the cold storage management system of the present invention is characterized by controlling the entire cold storage based on meteorological information including outside temperature information, and also performing local adjustments based on information on incoming and outgoing shipments from the cold storage.

An example of the "refrigerated warehouse management system" of the present invention is as follows:
A management system for a cold storage facility that adjusts the temperature in the cold storage facility by controlling a cooling means,
The method is characterized in that a first control amount for the cooling means is determined based on meteorological information including at least hourly predicted temperature information around the cold storage warehouse , a second control amount for modifying the first control amount is determined based on loading/unloading information of goods being loaded/unloaded into the cold storage warehouse, and the first control amount is modified by the second control amount to determine the hourly control amount for the cooling means.

In addition, an example of the "refrigerated warehouse management method" of the present invention is as follows:
A method for managing a cold storage facility in which a temperature in the cold storage facility is adjusted by controlling a cooling means using a management system, comprising:
determining a first control amount for the cooling means on the basis of meteorological information including at least predicted hourly temperature information around the freezer warehouse;
determining a second control amount for correcting the first control amount based on information on carrying in and out of the refrigerated warehouse;
a step of correcting the first control amount for each time period by the second control amount to obtain an overall control amount of the cooling means;
operating the cooling means according to an overall control amount of the cooling means;
It is equipped with the following.

According to the present invention, by controlling the entire cold storage facility based on meteorological information and making local adjustments based on incoming and outgoing information, it is possible to improve the energy consumption efficiency of the entire cold storage facility with a higher degree of accuracy than before.

Problems, configurations and advantages other than those mentioned above will become clear from the description of the embodiments below.

1 is an image diagram of a refrigerated warehouse system in which the refrigerated warehouse management system of the present invention is used. 1 is an image diagram of a refrigerated warehouse in which the refrigerated warehouse management system of the present invention is used. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a block diagram including a refrigerated warehouse management system according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a weather information table stored in a storage means of the refrigerated warehouse management system of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of an incoming/outgoing information table stored in a storage means of the refrigerated warehouse management system of the present invention. 4 is a flowchart showing a method for specifying a control amount in the cold storage management system of the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a cold storage warehouse management database stored in a storage means of the cold storage warehouse management system of the first embodiment. 13 is a flowchart showing a method for specifying a control amount in the cold storage management system of the second embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a cold storage management database before change, which is stored in the storage means of the cold storage management system of the second embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a changed cold storage warehouse management database stored in the storage means of the cold storage warehouse management system of the second embodiment.

The following describes an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention should not be interpreted as being limited to the description of the embodiment shown below. It will be easily understood by those skilled in the art that the specific configuration can be changed without departing from the concept or spirit of the present invention.

In the following embodiments, the "input/output unit" includes one or more interfaces. The one or more interfaces may be one or more homogeneous interface devices or two or more heterogeneous interface devices.

In the following examples, a "storage unit" includes one or more memories. At least one memory in the storage means may be a volatile memory. The storage unit is mainly used during processing by the processor unit. In addition to the memory, the storage unit may also include one or more non-volatile storage devices (e.g., a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid state drive (SSD)).

In the following embodiments, the "control unit" includes one or more processors. At least one processor is typically a microprocessor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), but may be other types of processors such as a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). Each of the one or more processors may be single-core or multi-core. The processor may include a hardware circuit that performs some or all of the processing.

In the following examples, the functions performed by the cold storage management system may be realized by one or more computer programs being executed by a control unit, or may be realized by one or more hardware circuits (e.g., FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) or ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit)). When a function is realized by a program being executed by a processor unit, the function may be at least a part of the processor unit, since the specified processing is performed using a storage unit and/or an interface unit, etc., as appropriate. Processing described with a function as the subject may be processing performed by a processor unit or a device having the processor unit. The program may be installed from a program source. The program source may be, for example, a program distribution computer or a computer-readable recording medium (e.g., a non-transitory recording medium). The description of each function is an example, and multiple functions may be combined into one function, or one function may be divided into multiple functions.

In the following explanation, information that produces an output for an input may be described using expressions such as "xxx table" or "xxx database", but the information may be data of any structure, or may be a learning model such as a neural network that produces an output for an input. Therefore, a "xxx table" can be called "xxx information". In the following explanation, the structure of each table is an example, and one table may be divided into two or more tables, or two or more tables may all or partly be one table.

Figure 1 is an image diagram of a cold storage system in which the cold storage management system of the present invention is used. The cold storage system 100 has a cold storage 110, which is provided with an entrance/exit 120, which is a door through which goods are carried in and out by a transport means 130. The entrance/exit 120 is also simply called an entrance/exit. In addition, information on the time when the transport means 130 carries in and out goods to the cold storage 110 and the transport targets is stored and managed by a transport management unit 160. The transport means 130 may be a truck or a trailer.

The management system 140 controls the turbo compressor, which is the cooler (cooling device) 115 installed in the cold storage warehouse 110. Hereinafter, the cooler 115 may be a cooler such as a screw compressor other than a turbo compressor. Although a turbo compressor will be used as a representative example, it may be simply called a cooler. The management system 140 can be implemented by a workstation or a general-purpose computer. In addition, some functions and configurations of the management system 140 can be implemented via a network or a mobile phone communication network. The cooler 115 can be controlled by a control device such as an inverter built into or external to the cooler, and the control device can collect data using monitoring devices such as an IoT (Internet of Things) controller, a PLC (Programmable Logic Controller), or an IoT gateway, and the data can be aggregated and managed by the management system 140.

The control of the turbo compressor by this management system 140 is based on temperature sensors and humidity sensors installed inside the freezer warehouse 110, or frost detection means installed around the turbo compressor, as well as meteorological information 150 and inbound/outbound information stored in the transport management unit 160. Specific control methods will be described later.

Figure 2 is an image diagram of a refrigerated warehouse in which the present invention is used. This diagram is for explaining in more detail the refrigerated warehouse 110 and the loading/unloading entrance 120 described in Figure 1. Inside the refrigerated warehouse 110, there is a low-temperature area 250 in which frozen goods are stored.

A goods handling room 220 is provided at the loading/unloading entrance 120. The goods handling room 220 is provided with a berth 210 where the transport means 130 arrives and departs to transport goods to and from the refrigerated warehouse 110, and a temporary storage area 230 where goods are temporarily stored from the berth 210. A loading/unloading opening 240 is provided between the goods handling room 220 and the low-temperature area 250, and goods can be transported by transport means such as a forklift AGV (Automated Guided Vehicle). The refrigerated warehouse 110 is open to the outside air or the goods handling room 220, making it difficult for the temperature to rise.

Conventionally, the berth 210 is opened every time the transport means 130 arrives, and when it is opened, the material handling room 220 is exposed to outside air, causing the temperature and humidity inside the material handling room 220 to rise. In addition, as the temperature and humidity inside the material handling room 220 rises, when goods are transported from the material handling room 220 to the low-temperature area 250, the temperature and humidity in the low-temperature area 250 also rises. Therefore, it is advisable to reduce the number of times and the time for which the berth 210 and the loading/unloading opening 240 are opened.

The doors to the berth 210 and the loading/unloading entrance 240 may be left open when entering or leaving the warehouse, or may be closed as appropriate.

Next, the configuration including the cold storage management system of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 3. The management system 140 has an input/output unit 330, a control unit 310, and a memory unit 320. The input/output unit 330 may be a separate unit consisting of an input means such as a keyboard or mouse and a device that displays information on a screen such as a display. The input/output unit 330 may also be a tablet terminal that combines a touch panel and a display.

Meteorological information 150, which is information from the transport management unit 160 that manages the incoming and outgoing information of the transport means 130, information from temperature, humidity, frost sensors, etc. installed in the freezer warehouse 110, and forecast or actual information on the temperature, humidity, or amount of rainfall at a specific point where the freezer warehouse is located, is input via the input/output unit 330 of the management system 140. The weather information 150 may be forecast information provided by a weather forecasting company.

Based on the input information, the control unit 310 creates control data (control amount) for controlling the cooler 115 and stores it in the memory unit 320. Then, based on the control data stored in the memory unit 320, the management system 140 controls the operation of the cooler 115, which cools the inside of the freezer warehouse 110, through the input/output unit 330.

Next, the weather information 150 will be described with reference to FIG. 4. The weather information 150 is, for example, forecast information provided by a weather forecasting company. As the weather information 150, information on an observation location 411, a forecast flag 412, a date and time 413, a temperature 414, a humidity 415, and a rainfall amount 416 shown in a weather information table 410 is stored. Among the information stored in the weather information 150, the location where the weather information was predicted or observed is shown in the observation location 411, and the time is shown in the date and time 413. In addition, if the column of the forecast flag 412 is "0", it means that the data is actually observed, and if it is "1", it means that the data is predicted. Similarly, the humidity 415 and the rainfall amount 416 indicate the humidity (%) and the rainfall amount (mm) predicted or actually observed at the observation location 411. The weather information 150 is not limited to the information stored in the weather information table 410 shown in the figure, but other information may be stored as long as it is information that can be used to predict the weather information 150, such as wind speed (m), solar radiation (kW/ ^m2 ), and infrared radiation (solar radiation).

In the figure, for example, the actual measured values at observation location A at 00:00 on August 8th are temperature 24°C, humidity 70%, and rainfall 3mm. Also, the predicted values at observation location A at 13:00 on August 8th are temperature 35°C, humidity 57%, and rainfall 0mm.

If, for example, forecast information for the previous day is used as the weather information 150, all columns of the forecast flag 412 will be set to "1".

The inbound/outbound information 510 will be described using FIG. 5. The inbound/outbound information 510 is, for example, inbound and outbound information provided by the transport management unit 160, and is stored in advance in the storage unit 320. The inbound/outbound information table 510 stores at least a freezer warehouse ID 511, transport means 512, status flag 513, date and time 514, certificate 515, and product 516. The freezer warehouse ID 511 is information written on the certificate 515 that indicates the freezer warehouse to which the product 516 to be inbound or outbound is to be inbound or outbound. The transport means 512 is information that indicates the transport means 130 (for example, a truck or trailer) that transports the product written on the product 516.

Status flag 513 is information indicating that product 516 will be stored or removed at the time described in date and time 514 of arrival of transport means 512. Date and time 514 indicates the time when transport means 512 arrives at the freezer warehouse that is the subject of freezer warehouse ID 511. Certificate 515 is information indicating that product 516 to be stored or removed will be transported to the freezer warehouse described in freezer warehouse ID 511 by the transport means described in transport means 512. Certificate 515 may be used or managed as a separate voucher, order form, specification, or instruction sheet by the management company of the freezer warehouse or the company managing transport means 130, and such voucher related to the freezer warehouse described in freezer warehouse ID 511 may be registered in advance in transport management unit 160 as a voucher.

In the figure, for example, voucher a shows that information is recorded indicating that products a1 and b1 will be removed from cold storage AAA by transport means aa at 11:30 on August 8th. Also, voucher b shows that information is recorded indicating that products a2, b2, and c2 will be received from cold storage AAA by transport means ab at 12:00 on August 8th.

Here, a method of controlling the cooler 115 that cools the cold storage warehouse 110 will be described. First, the amount of heat _Qp [J] generated by the cooler is expressed as Equation 1 using _H1 : the temperature difference between the hot and cold water inlet and outlet, V: the cooler's cold water flow rate [ ^m3 /h], g: water density (=1000) [kg/ ^m3 ], c: water specific heat (=4187) [J/(kg·K)], _tp : time (=1/60) [h], _kp : variable control amount (=0.01 to 1), and further, since _H1 ×V×g×c× _tp is the cooling performance when the cooler is operated at the rated load rate, it is replaced with _C0 . Detailed explanations such as unit conversion are omitted.

Next, the heat loss of the freezer warehouse 110 is Q _div [J], which is the sum of the cold air leaking from the outer wall of the freezer warehouse and the cold air leaking from the loading/unloading door. Q _div is calculated from q: heat loss from the outer shell, S ₀ : area of the freezer warehouse in contact with the outside air, H ₀ : difference between the air temperature inside the freezer warehouse and the outside air temperature, and S _d : area of the loading/unloading door of the freezer warehouse, as shown in Equation 2. Note that for more accurate calculation, the calculation can be performed even if the heat loss is calculated using the average heat transfer coefficient of the outer shell, the area of the outer shell, and the air temperature difference inside and outside the freezer warehouse 110.

In order to maintain the temperature of the freezer, the amount of heat generated by the cooler Q _p ≧Q _div must be satisfied, and this can be expressed by Equation 3.

The control quantity from Equation 3 can be expressed as Equation 4.

Several examples of control methods will be described using Equation 4.
First, there is a case where qS ₀ in H ₀ (qS ₀ +S _d ) is sufficiently larger than S _d . In other words, this is a case where the heat loss due to the opening and closing of the loading/unloading opening is smaller than the heat loss of the freezer warehouse 110 .

At this time, since the area of the loading/unloading opening, _Sd , is sufficiently smaller than _S0 , _Sd can be ignored, but since the impact on the internal air temperature of the freezer warehouse 110 when the loading/unloading opening is not zero, a correction is made to the control amount centered on _S0 , and control can be performed so that the temperature inside the freezer warehouse 110 is lower than the target value rather than the desired temperature. In other words, the control amount of the cooler is controlled based on meteorological information and loading/unloading information, and the control amount based on meteorological information is greater than the control amount based on loading/unloading information.

Here, when the influence of _Sd is small, that is, when the influence of general arrival/departure information is sufficiently small compared to the influence of meteorological information, a method of treating the control amount _kp1 to correct the control amount is shown in Equation 6.

In other words, since H ₀ qS ₀ /C ₀ is sufficiently larger than C ₁ , its effect on the controlled variable is dominant, and H ₀ qS ₀ /C ₀ can be treated as the main controlled variable (first controlled variable) and C ₁ as the auxiliary controlled variable (second controlled variable).

In other words, it is advisable to perform rounding such as rounding up to a predetermined number of digits or less so that the value of H ₀ qS ₀ /C ₀ changes in increments of 0.1 or 0.05 so that the controlled variable k _p1 falls within the range of 0 to 1. When S _d is small, its influence can be ignored by arithmetic processing such as rounding up or rounding down, and since the temperature inside the freezer warehouse 110 will not fall below the target value even if it rises due to the influence of S _d , which is the area of the loading/unloading opening, this value can be treated as the recommended load factor of the cooler. The controlled variable that has been rounded up or rounded up is a controlled variable that takes into account changes in temperature inside the freezer warehouse due to loading/unloading information.

Next, more accurate control will be described. The influence of the area S _d of the loading/unloading port varies depending on the opening time of the loading/unloading port and the number of times it is opened. Therefore, in the case where the influence of S _d in H ₀ (qS ₀ +S _d ) in formula 4 becomes large and cannot be ignored, the temperature of the freezer warehouse 110 can be adjusted with high accuracy since the influence of S _d is taken into consideration. The influence of S _d can be calculated per unit time instead of an instantaneous value to operate the freezer warehouse 110 without frequently changing the control amount, and it is advisable to calculate it by integrating or averaging the opening time of the loading/unloading port and the number of times it is opened for about 15 minutes, for example. This enables highly accurate control.

In addition, the sum of the recommended load rate specified above and the control amount for the area _Sd of the loading/unloading opening can be treated as the control amount. In this case, the control amount for the area _Sd of the loading/unloading opening can be treated as the local recommended load rate, and the cooler can be controlled according to the open area and time of the loading/unloading opening. In this case, by setting the number of digits for rounding the recommended load rate, such as rounding up or rounding down, to a smaller number, the temperature can be maintained closer to the target value, and the energy saving efficiency of the freezer warehouse 110 can be improved.

In this way, by using the controlled variables k _p and k _p1 appropriately, it is possible to switch between more accurate temperature management and stable operation of the cooler.

Using FIG. 6, the method of determining the recommended load rate and local load rate described above will be explained using a flowchart. First, the target temperature information, weather information, cooler information, and entry/exit information for the cold storage warehouse that have been stored in advance in the memory unit 320 are acquired (S600a). The target temperature information is the temperature for maintaining the condition of the items stored in the cold storage warehouse. The cooler information is information on the performance of the cooler for calculating the amount of heat Q generated by the cooler described above, and is specified by a data sheet or the like provided by the cooler manufacturer.

Next, the amount of heat _Qp generated by the cooler and the heat loss _Qdiv of the cold storage are calculated using the acquired cooler information and target temperature, and a recommended load factor _kp is determined from these (S600b).

Thereafter, the manager of the cold storage warehouse is asked whether it is acceptable to operate the cold storage warehouse by controlling the coolers according to the identified recommended load factor _kp (S610a). At this time, the operational status of the cold storage warehouse may be displayed on a display means to prompt the manager to make a decision. By showing the operational status rather than simply displaying the recommended load factor _kp , the manager can make a decision more easily. If the calculation requires a long time, it is advisable to perform a simulation of the operational status for times when the temperature and humidity are high or low based on appropriate weather information, and for times that are shorter than those in the detailed operational plan.

A case will be described where the manager does not select high-precision control, i.e., selects NO in S610a. A detailed operation plan for the cold storage warehouse is calculated mainly using the recommended load factor _kp (S610b). At this time, in order to prevent the temperature inside the cold storage warehouse from rising above the target temperature due to the entry and exit of goods when the cold storage warehouse is operated strictly using the recommended load factor _kp as described above, it is advisable to create an operation plan for the cold storage warehouse using the recommended load factor _kp1 described in Equation 6 (S610c).

Next, a case where the administrator selects high-precision control, that is, selects YES in S610a, will be described. A local load factor, which is an auxiliary control amount of the cooler, is specified (S620a). For the local load factor, a detailed control amount _kp can be specified by using _Sd / _C0 shown in Equation 5.

Then, the detailed control amount _kp is used to calculate an operation plan for the cold storage warehouse (S620b).

Then, if necessary, the manager may make corrections to the proposed cold storage warehouse operation plan or calculate offsets for the pre-set inbound and outbound information (S620c). The time it takes to inbound and outbound goods may vary depending on the manager and the situation at the site, so the manager can make corrections by checking the situation.

In this way, an operation plan for the cold storage warehouse is created based on the recommended load rate and the local load rate, and the manager is allowed to select the operation plan to use. However, the cold storage warehouse operation plan can be flexibly selected depending on whether or not more precise control is required, which contributes to energy conservation.

Next, the database stored in the storage unit 320 of the cold storage warehouse management system 140 will be described with reference to FIG. 7. The cold storage warehouse management database 710 is a database generated based on the weather information 410 described in FIG. 4 and the inbound/outbound information 510 described in FIG. 5, and by further performing the processing of the flowchart in FIG. 6.

Of the information registered in the freezer management database 710, the freezer ID 711 and date and time 712 may be copied from the corresponding information registered in the weather information 410 and the entry/exit information 510. The actual temperature 713 is the actual temperature value at the point corresponding to the location of the freezer warehouse listed in the freezer warehouse ID, and may be copied from the temperature 414 information with the prediction flag 412 set to "0". The predicted temperature 714 is the predicted temperature value at the corresponding point, and may be copied from the temperature 414 information with the prediction flag 412 set to "1". Similarly, the entry/exit information 715 information may be registered with corresponding information in relation to the transport means 512, status flag 513, and product 516. As a representative example, only the status of incoming and outgoing goods is shown, but for example, by placing the cursor on incoming and outgoing goods information 715 in the input/output unit 330 and waiting for a specified time, selecting, or touching a touch panel, information 516 of incoming and outgoing goods, information on the conveyance means 512, and related certificates 515 can be displayed and registered together. This reduces the amount of content displayed and allows you to check the information when necessary, which is convenient as you can check the information without having to access a separate database.

The column for initial load factor 716 shows the conventional setting value for controlling the load factor of the cooling unit to a constant value. In addition, the column for predicted temperature (°C) at initial load factor 717 shows the temperature inside the freezer warehouse when the load factor of the cooling unit is constant. In other words, the example in the figure shows that when operating with an initial load factor of 70%, the temperature inside the freezer warehouse at 00:00 on August 8th is predicted to be -20°C, and the temperature inside the freezer warehouse at 11:00 on August 8th is predicted to be -19°C.

A freezer warehouse with AAA in the freezer warehouse ID column 711 only needs to be able to maintain -10°C, but in reality, this means that it is possible to reduce the load factor of the cooling unit during times other than 13:00 on August 8th. A freezer warehouse is subject to temperature increases due to the outside air temperature and items entering and leaving the warehouse. By performing rough control over the outside air and local control due to items entering and leaving the warehouse, and by flexibly responding to these two types of temperature changes, it is possible to maintain a temperature lower than the target temperature inside the freezer warehouse. In other words, by controlling the temperature to a level that maintains the quality of the goods in the freezer warehouse without excessive cooling, energy savings can be achieved.

In other words, at 00:00 on August 8th, when the outside temperature is low, a temperature below -10°C can be maintained even if the load factor of the cooler is 40%. The control amount of the cooler is shown in the control amount in column 718 for the recommended load factor (%). In addition, the temperature inside the freezer that the cooler will cool based on that control amount is shown in column 719 for the predicted temperature (°C) at the recommended load factor.

Next, the effect of temperature rise caused by the transport means 130 transporting goods in and out of the warehouse is shown in the column 720 for recommended local load factor, and it is advisable to lower the temperature of the freezer warehouse from the time period before the transport takes place. In the example shown in the figure, for the transport to be taken out at 11:30 on August 8, it is advisable to control the load factor of the cooler to be increased by 2% from 11:15 on August 8 as shown in the column for recommended local load factor (%). The load factor is also increased by 1% at 11:30 when the goods are taken out and at 11:45 after the goods are taken out. In addition, for the transport to be taken out at 13:00 on August 8, which is a time period when the temperature is high, it is advisable to increase the control amount of the cooler by 4% from 12:45 on August 8. In this case, the goods are taken in at 12:30 and taken out at 12:45, so the control amount is greater than in other time periods.

Column 721 shows the corrected load rate obtained by correcting the recommended load rate in column 718 with the recommended local load rate in column 720. Column 722 shows the predicted temperature taking into account entry and exit when the cooler is controlled with the load rate shown in corrected load rate 721. The predicted temperatures at the time of entry and exit are corrected to account for the temperature rise caused by entry and exit. By controlling the cooler with corrected load rate 721 corrected with recommended local load rate 720 based on entry and exit information 715, it becomes possible to control the temperature inside the freezer with high accuracy. In addition, since temperature changes inside the freezer are less likely to occur, energy savings can also be expected.

The time it takes to enter and leave the warehouse varies depending on the quantity and type of goods, so the value of the recommended local load factor can be changed depending on the quantity and type of goods that are known in advance. This allows for more appropriate operation.

The cold storage management system 140 controls the cooler 115 of the cold storage 110 based on the cold storage management database 710 stored in the memory unit 320. In other words, for the cold storage indicated in the cold storage ID 711, the cooler 115 is operated at the time indicated in the date and time 712 with a control amount obtained by correcting the control amount indicated in the recommended load rate 718 (first control amount) by the control amount indicated in the recommended local load rate 720 (second control amount).

When an actual temperature is observed during operation on the day, the cold storage management database 710 with the actual temperature 713 entered is displayed on the display, and the manager makes corrections in steps S610c and S620c of FIG. 6, and subsequent operations are performed based on the corrected cold storage management database 710.

In this way, efficient temperature control and energy savings in a cold storage warehouse can be achieved through two-stage control: rough control for changes in outside temperature, and local control for in- and out-of-store operations that take into account high and low outside temperatures. Here, rough control means control at a greater rate than local control. In other words, rough control has a larger control amount than local control, and the first control amount, which is a rough control amount, is a larger control amount than the second control amount, which is a local control amount. In other words, the load rate of the cooler is controlled by two different control amounts based on weather information and in- and out-of-store information.

The recommended load rate 718 of the cooler described in the above-mentioned cold storage management database 710 is an example and can be changed as appropriate. Also, for convenience of explanation, the control amount of one cooler has been explained, but the cold storage may handle multiple coolers, and the control amounts of the multiple coolers may each be different. In this case, if a balancing process of the control amount is performed to maximize the efficiency of the coolers, the efficiency of the energy consumed in the cold storage can be further improved. Also, if a cooler whose efficiency decreases due to frost formation around the air outlet is identified or expected, the load rate of the cooler that is not being defrosted can be increased during the defrosting process to remove the frost.

The program of the present invention is a program that is incorporated into a computer and causes the computer to operate as the above-mentioned cold storage management system. That is, the program is a program for controlling a cooling means to adjust the temperature in the cold storage, and causes the computer to execute the steps of: determining a first control amount for each hour of the cooling means based on meteorological information including at least hourly predicted temperature information around the cold storage; determining a second control amount for correcting the first control amount based on information on carrying in and out of the cold storage; correcting the first control amount for each hour using the second control amount to determine an overall control amount of the cooling means; and operating the cooling means using the overall control amount of the cooling means. The above-mentioned program can be stored in a storage medium and executed or distributed by a computer.

The second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 8 to 10.

When cargo is loaded from trucks or trailers into the freezer warehouse 110, if the temperature or humidity outside the freezer warehouse 110 is high, the temperature and humidity may increase due to the influence of the outside air in the cargo handling room 220, which is the front room of the freezer warehouse 110. Furthermore, when cargo is brought in, high temperatures and humidity may be brought into the freezer warehouse 110 via the cargo handling room 220. Also, on days with heavy rain or due to condensation, water droplets may adhere to the cargo, causing the humid cargo to be brought into the freezer warehouse 110, and the water droplets may evaporate inside the freezer warehouse 110, causing an increase in frost inside the freezer warehouse 110.

In addition, if frost forms on the fins arranged around the cooler in the freezer warehouse 110, the operating efficiency of the cooler will decrease. Therefore, if defrosting is performed during times when the loading/unloading opening is frequently open, the cooling efficiency inside the freezer warehouse 110 will decrease, which is undesirable. Therefore, it is necessary to operate the freezer warehouse 110 in a way that prevents frost from forming.

To address this issue, we will explain an embodiment that reduces the effects of outside air and increases energy saving effects.

When considering the operation of the cold storage warehouse 110, it is possible to set constraints that prevent the delivery of goods during times when the humidity or temperature is higher than a specified value among the acquired weather information. In other words, a transport plan is created that changes the time when goods are delivered or the order in which the goods are transported, and further, the recommended load rate and local load rate, which are the control amounts of the cooler 115 of the cold storage warehouse 110 corresponding to the changed transport plan, are recalculated. This makes it possible to determine the control amount of the cooler before and after the change in the transport plan, and therefore to determine the energy saving efficiency of the cold storage warehouse 110. This allows the manager to select an efficient operation of the cold storage warehouse 110 from the actual transport plan and energy saving efficiency.

Figure 8 shows a flowchart of the method for determining the recommended load rate and the local load rate in Example 2. The method for determining the control amount based on the recommended load rate (S600a to S610c) and the method for determining the control amount based on the local load rate (S620a to S620c) are the same as the method in Figure 6.

In this flowchart, following the determination of the local load factor (S620a), it is determined whether the transportation plan of the transportation means of the warehousing/receiving information can be changed (S810a). If the transportation plan cannot be changed, the operation plan of the cold storage warehouse is calculated using the detailed control amount _kp (S620b) in the same manner as in FIG. 6.

A case where the transportation plan can be changed will be described below. As constraints for changing the transportation plan, it is advisable to set the inbound and outbound times of the transportation means that can be changed in advance, changes to the route that the transportation means takes to travel around multiple cold storage warehouses, and time periods during which the number of times or duration for which the inbound and outbound gates are opened during periods of high humidity or high temperature can be reduced. By inputting parameters that can be changed in logistics in advance, it is possible to contribute to energy conservation in the entire operation plan for the cold storage warehouse and the transportation plan for goods. Using these parameters, the operation plan for the cold storage warehouse with the inbound and outbound information changed is calculated (S810b).

The recommended load rate and local load rate corresponding to the cold storage operation plan before and after the change are recalculated based on the incoming and outgoing information, and an operation plan for the cold storage is created (S810c). The energy saving efficiency of each of the cold storage operation plans before and after the change and the changed incoming and outgoing information are proposed to the manager (S810d).

Based on the proposed information, the manager selects an operation plan for the cold storage facility to be operated (S810e). At this time, the manager can also make corrections as described in S620c.

An example of determining the recommended load rate and local load rate based on this flowchart is shown in Figures 9 and 10.

Figure 9 is an example of a freezer warehouse management database stored in the memory unit 320 of the freezer warehouse management system 140. The freezer warehouse management database 910 is a database generated based on the weather information 410 described in Figure 4 and the inbound/outbound information 510 described in Figure 5, and by further performing the processing of the flowchart in Figure 8.

Of the information registered in the cold storage management database 910, the cold storage ID 911 and date and time 912 should be copied from the corresponding information registered in the weather information 410 and the inbound/outbound information 510.

The predicted temperature 913 is a predicted value of the temperature at a point corresponding to the location of the freezer warehouse described in the freezer warehouse ID, and it is preferable to copy the information of the temperature 414 whose prediction flag 412 is "1". Moreover, the predicted humidity 914 is a predicted value of the humidity at a point corresponding to the location of the freezer warehouse described in the freezer warehouse ID 911, and it is preferable to copy the information of the humidity 415 whose prediction flag 412 is "1".

Similarly, for the information on the inbound/outbound information 915, it is advisable to register information corresponding to the relationship with the transport means 512, the status flag 513, and the product 516. Column 916 is the initial load factor. Column 917 is the predicted temperature in the freezer at the initial load factor. Column 918 is the recommended load factor for maintaining the temperature in the freezer. Column 919 is the predicted temperature at the recommended load factor. Column 920 is the recommended local load factor for correction according to inbound and outbound. For example, at 11:00 on August 9, the local load factor is increased by +4% from the recommended load factor of 65%, so that the temperature at the time of inbound is not raised. Then, at 11:15 when the product is inbound, the local load factor is increased by +2%. Column 921 shows the corrected load factor obtained by correcting the recommended load factor in column 918 with the recommended local load factor in column 920. Column 922 shows the predicted temperature in the freezer taking into account inbound and outbound when the cooler is operated based on the corrected load factor 921.

Figure 9 shows the database before the storage time period was shifted compared to Figure 10. In Figure 9, storage took place at 11:15 on August 9, when the predicted temperature and humidity were high.

Figure 10 shows a cold storage management database 1010 in which the transportation plan of the transportation means of the inbound and outbound information is changed from the cold storage management database 910 in Figure 9. In the cold storage management database 1010 in Figure 10, the inbound operation is performed at 08:15 on August 9, and the time period selected for this operation is lower than that for 11:15 on the same day. This causes the recommended load factor in column 918 and the recommended local load factor in column 920 to be recalculated. By shifting the inbound and outbound operations to times when the predicted temperature and humidity are lower, the recommended local load factor associated with the inbound and outbound operations can be lowered, and energy conservation effects can be expected. In the example shown, the increase in the local load factor in Figure 9 for inbound at 11:15 is a total of +6%, while the increase in the local load factor in Figure 10 for inbound at 8:15 is a total of +3%, and energy conservation is achieved. In addition, by controlling the cooler with a corrected load rate corrected by the recommended local load rate, even if goods are being brought into or taken out of the warehouse, the temperature inside the freezer can be maintained at or below a specified temperature, as shown in the predicted temperature taking into account the incoming and outgoing goods shown in column 1022.

According to the cold storage management system or management method of this embodiment, recommended carry-in/out information is identified based on carry-in/out information and hourly predicted humidity information, which recommends carrying in/out the item during a time period when the amount of moisture (humidity) entering the cold storage due to the opening of the cold storage carry-in/out opening is smaller, and the identified recommended carry-in/out information is displayed on the display unit. Then, the manager changes the carry-in/out information using change information input from the input means, and the cooler is operated using the changed control amount. When identifying the recommended carry-in/out information that recommends carrying in/out the item during a time period when the amount of moisture (humidity) entering the cold storage due to the opening of the cold storage carry-in/out opening is smaller, the manager may input a specified condition, or may input it as a constraint condition regarding the change of the carry-in/out information.

By using the information on the predicted temperature 1013 and predicted humidity 1014 in the cold storage management database 1010 to shift to a time period when there is less deviation between the temperature and humidity inside the cold storage and the outside air, the recommended load rate 1018 and the recommended local load rate 1020 can be reduced, resulting in greater energy savings.

Instead of using the hourly predicted humidity information, the system determines a recommended loading/unloading time for loading/unloading the goods during a time period when the temperature change caused by contact with the outside air temperature around the freezer warehouse due to the opening of the loading/unloading opening of the freezer warehouse is smaller, based on the loading/unloading information and the hourly predicted temperature information, and displays the specified recommended loading/unloading information for loading/unloading on the display unit. The system may then change the loading/unloading information using change information inputted from the input means by the manager, and operate the cooler using the changed control amount.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but includes various modified examples and equivalent configurations within the spirit of the appended claims. For example, the above-described embodiments have been described in detail to clearly explain the present invention, and the present invention is not necessarily limited to having all of the configurations described. Furthermore, part of the configuration of one embodiment may be replaced with the configuration of another embodiment. Furthermore, the configuration of another embodiment may be added to the configuration of one embodiment. Furthermore, part of the configuration of each embodiment may be added, deleted, or replaced with other configurations.

100... Refrigerated warehouse system 110... Refrigerated warehouse 115... Cooler 120... Intake/outlet gate 130... Transport means 140... Management system 150... Weather information 160... Transport management section 210... Berth 220... Handling room 230... Temporary storage area 240... Intake/outlet gate 250... Low temperature area 310... Control section 320... Memory section 330... Input/output section 410... Weather information table 510... Intake/out information table 710, 910, 1010... Refrigerated warehouse management database

Claims (12)

A management system for a cold storage facility that adjusts the temperature in the cold storage facility by controlling a cooling means,
A cold storage management system comprising: determining a first control variable for the cooling means for each hour based on meteorological information including at least hourly predicted temperature information around the cold storage ; determining a second control variable for modifying the first control variable based on information on goods being transported in and out of the cold storage; and determining the hourly control variable for the cooling means by modifying the first control variable using the second control variable . In the cold storage management system according to claim 1 ,
A management system for a cold storage warehouse, wherein the first control amount is greater than the second control amount. In the cold storage management system according to claim 1 ,
A cold storage warehouse management system characterized in that the second control amount is a control amount that takes into consideration the influence of temperature change caused by contact between the loading/unloading entrance of the cold storage warehouse, which is opened based on the loading/unloading information, and the outside air temperature around the cold storage warehouse, which is included in the meteorological information. In the cold storage management system according to claim 1,
A management system for a cold storage warehouse, wherein the weather information further includes predicted humidity information for each hour around the cold storage warehouse. In the cold storage management system according to claim 4 ,
Based on the loading/unloading information and the hourly predicted humidity information, recommended loading/unloading information is identified that recommends loading/unloading the item during a time period when the amount of moisture entering the item due to the loading/unloading opening of the freezer warehouse is smaller;
A management system for a cold storage warehouse, characterized in that the specified recommended carrying-in/out information is displayed on a display unit. In the cold storage management system according to claim 1 ,
Based on the loading/unloading information and the hourly predicted temperature information, recommended loading/unloading information is identified that recommends loading / unloading the item during a time period when a temperature change caused by contact with the outside air temperature around the freezer warehouse due to the opening of the loading/unloading opening of the freezer warehouse is smaller;
A management system for a cold storage warehouse, characterized in that the specified recommended carrying-in/out information is displayed on a display unit. In the cold storage management system according to claim 5 or 6 ,
A management system for a cold storage warehouse, further comprising changing the control amount of the cooling means based on the specified recommended loading/unloading information. A method for managing a cold storage facility in which a temperature in the cold storage facility is adjusted by controlling a cooling means using a management system, comprising:
determining a first control amount for the cooling means on the basis of meteorological information including at least predicted hourly temperature information around the freezer warehouse;
determining a second control amount for correcting the first control amount based on information on carrying in and out of the refrigerated warehouse;
a step of correcting the first control amount for each time period by the second control amount to obtain an overall control amount of the cooling means;
operating the cooling means according to an overall control amount of the cooling means;
A method for managing a cold storage facility. The method for managing a cold storage facility according to claim 8 , further comprising:
displaying at least the meteorological information, the loading/unloading information, and the total control amount of the cooling means per hour;
modifying the overall control amount based on an input from an input means and operating the cooling means ;
A method for managing a cold storage facility. The method for managing a cold storage facility according to claim 8 , further comprising:
The weather information includes hourly predicted humidity information around the cold storage warehouse ,
changing the carrying -in/out information based on the carrying-in/out information and the hourly predicted humidity information by input from an input means so that the goods are carried in and out during a time period when the amount of moisture entering the goods due to the carrying-in/out opening of the freezer warehouse being open is smaller;
modifying the total control amount based on the changed loading/unloading information and operating the cooling means ;
A method for managing a cold storage facility. The method for managing a cold storage facility according to claim 8 , further comprising:
changing the carrying -in/out information based on the carrying-in/out information and the hourly predicted temperature information by input from an input means so that the goods are carried in and out during a time period when a temperature change caused by contact with the outside air temperature around the freezer warehouse due to the opening of the carrying-in/outlet of the freezer warehouse is smaller;
modifying the total control amount based on the changed loading/unloading information and operating the cooling means ;
A method for managing a cold storage facility. On the computer,
A program for controlling a cooling means to adjust a temperature in a cold storage facility,
determining a first control amount for the cooling means on the basis of meteorological information including at least predicted hourly temperature information around the freezer warehouse;
determining a second control amount for correcting the first control amount based on information on carrying in and out of the refrigerated warehouse;
a step of correcting the first control amount for each time period by the second control amount to obtain an overall control amount of the cooling means;
operating the cooling means according to an overall control amount of the cooling means;
A program for executing.

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