JP7836077B2 - Energy information estimation system and energy information estimation method - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to an energy information estimation system and an energy information estimation method.

A power meter is known that includes a first communication module equipped with communication capabilities for providing meter reading data of power consumption as energy information to the electric utility company, and a second communication module for transmitting power consumption data wirelessly to a management device owned by the user for the user's energy management (for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Publication No. 2016-76813

There are times when it is necessary to track energy consumption, such as electricity consumption, for each production facility or for each production line containing multiple production facilities, within a predetermined range. In such cases, installing energy consumption acquisition devices, such as electricity meters, for each production facility or production line presents problems, such as an increase in the number of components.

This disclosure can be implemented in the following forms:

(1) According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, an energy information estimation system is provided that estimates energy information including at least one of the amount of energy consumed and greenhouse gas emissions generated by the production of a production facility. The energy information estimation system comprises an operating status acquisition device, which is an operating status acquisition device having a detection unit that is retrofitted to the production facility or retrofitted to the vicinity of the production facility and has a detection unit that outputs a detection signal indicating the operating status of the production facility and a transmission unit for transmitting the detection signal; and a production management device having a processing energy information storage unit that stores processing energy information acquired during a test run of the production facility, which is processing energy information generated during a processing time when the production facility performs a predetermined processing on a processing target; an equipment operation information acquisition unit that acquires equipment operation information of the production facility, including processing time, using the detection signal received from the operating status acquisition device during a production period in which the production of the production facility is carried out; and an energy information estimation unit that estimates production energy information generated by the processing of the production facility during the production period using the processing energy information and the equipment operation information.
According to this form of energy information estimation system, it is possible to estimate the energy information generated during production by the processing of production equipment during the production period without having to provide equipment for acquiring energy consumption during the production period, or without acquiring energy consumption during the production period.
(2) In the energy information estimation system of the above form, the production management device may further include a standby energy information storage unit that stores standby energy information acquired during a test run of the production equipment, which is standby energy information generated during the standby time when the production equipment is waiting to perform the processing. The equipment operation information acquisition unit may further acquire the standby time of the production period as equipment operation information using the detection signal. The energy information estimation unit may further estimate production loss energy information generated due to the standby of the production equipment during the production period using the standby energy information and the standby time acquired as equipment operation information.
This type of energy information estimation system allows for the estimation of energy loss information during production caused by the standby status of production equipment during the production period, without requiring any equipment to acquire energy consumption during the production period, nor without acquiring energy consumption during the production period.
(3) In the energy information estimation system of the above form, the standby energy information storage unit may store the standby power generated during the standby time when the production equipment is being tested as standby energy information. The energy information estimation unit may estimate the amount of CO2 emissions lost during production due to the standby of the production equipment during the production period as production loss energy information. The production management device may further include an index generation unit that generates a graph showing the correspondence between the CO2 emissions lost during production, the standby power, and the standby time of the production equipment during the production period.
This type of energy information estimation system makes it easy to determine whether to improve standby power or standby time in production equipment when trying to reduce CO2 emissions lost during production.
(4) In the energy information estimation system of the above form, the detection unit may output as the detection signal a first signal corresponding to the start of processing on the object to be processed by the production equipment, and a second signal different from the first signal, which corresponds to the stop of processing.
This type of energy information estimation system allows for more accurate calculation of equipment operation information, such as processing time and waiting time, by acquiring the start and stop timings of production equipment, and enables a more detailed understanding of the energy information estimation results.
This disclosure can also be implemented in various forms other than an energy information estimation system. For example, it can be implemented in the form of a production management device, an energy information estimation method, a control method for the production management device or energy information estimation system, a computer program that implements the control method, or a non-temporary recording medium that stores the computer program.

A schematic diagram showing an energy information estimation system according to the first embodiment of this disclosure. A block diagram showing the internal functional configuration of the production control system. A block diagram showing the functional configuration of the operating status acquisition device. An explanatory diagram showing an example of the arrangement of an operating status acquisition device equipped with an optical sensor as a detection unit. A flowchart illustrating the energy information estimation method according to the first embodiment. A flowchart illustrating the detailed process for obtaining energy consumption data during testing. A flowchart illustrating the processing routine for acquiring equipment operation information. A timing chart showing the relationship between detection signals from the operational status acquisition device and the processing routines performed by the equipment operation information acquisition unit. A second timing chart showing the relationship between the detection signal from the operating status acquisition device and the processing routine by the equipment operation information acquisition unit. A flowchart illustrating the energy information estimation process in detail. The first explanatory diagram shows an example of an index generated by the index generation unit. A second explanatory diagram showing an example of an index generated by the index generation unit.

A. First embodiment:
Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing an energy information estimation system according to the first embodiment of this disclosure. The energy information estimation system (hereinafter also simply referred to as "estimation system 100") estimates energy information generated by the processing or standby of production equipment. In this disclosure, "energy information" includes information on the consumption of various energy sources by the production equipment 30, such as electricity, gas, and liquid fuels including kerosene and heavy oil, and information on the emission of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) generated by the consumption of such energy. In this embodiment, electricity consumption is used as the energy consumption amount, and CO2 emissions are used as the greenhouse gas emissions. "Production equipment" may include not only the production equipment itself, but also a wider range of things than the production equipment, such as production lines including the production equipment, conveying equipment, factories, buildings, etc.

The estimation system 100 generates and manages equipment operation information for the production equipment 30, in addition to energy information. "Equipment operation information" refers to information related to the operating status of the production equipment. "Production equipment operating status" includes, for example, the start and stop of processing for the production equipment's processing targets, such as products. The production equipment operating status may also include actions and operations related to processing, and states such as the start, execution, stop, and completion of such actions and operations.

Equipment operation information includes at least processing time. "Processing time" refers to the period during which the production equipment performs a predetermined process on a processing target, or the period during which it is estimated that such a process was performed. "Processing time" is included in the operating time and cycle time. In this embodiment, the production equipment 30 processes one processing target during the processing time. However, it is not limited to this; the production equipment 30 may process two or more processing targets during the processing time.

In this embodiment, the equipment operation information may include, in addition to processing time, standby time, cycle time, operating time, production quantity, operational time, and availability rate. "Standby time" means the period during which the production equipment is waiting to process. Standby time is included in operating time and cycle time, but does not include the period during which power is not supplied to the production equipment. Standby time can be said to be the period during operating time during which the production equipment is not contributing to the processing of the target, a period during which so-called energy loss occurs. "Cycle time" means the period from the start of processing for a target to the start of processing for the next target. Cycle time is the sum of processing time and standby time. "Operating time" means the time from the start of operation of the production equipment to the end of operation. Operating time corresponds to the sum of cycle times, and also corresponds to the sum of the cumulative processing time and the cumulative standby time. "Production quantity" means the total number of targets that the production equipment has completed processing during a predetermined period. "Operational time" means the cumulative period during operating time during which the production equipment is performing processing on the target. Operational time corresponds to the cumulative processing time. "Availability rate" refers to the percentage of operating time relative to total operating time.

As shown in Figure 1, the estimation system 100 is installed in the factory 200. The factory 200 is equipped with multiple production lines L1 to Ln, a power distribution line 70, and a distribution board 60. The "n" in production line Ln is a natural number greater than or equal to 2, indicating the number of production lines. Hereafter, when describing multiple production lines L1 to Ln without distinction, they will be referred to simply as "production line Ln".

The production line Ln comprises, for example, multiple production equipment 30 and a conveying mechanism 41. The conveying mechanism 41 transports, for example, processed parts or workpieces. The conveying mechanism 41 includes, for example, a belt conveyor or a conveyor that moves along a predetermined track. The production line Ln may consist of a single production equipment 30, and may not include a conveying mechanism 41.

The production equipment 30 includes, for example, metalworking machines, welding machines, resin molding machines, painting machines, hot forging machines, finished product recovery machines, and processed parts supply machines. The production equipment 30 is equipped with a programmable logic controller (PLC) for executing production and processing operations on the target material, and various sensors connected to the PLC. These sensors are pre-positioned when the production line Ln and production equipment 30 are installed and positioned to operate the production line Ln and production equipment 30.

The power distribution line 70 draws power from an external power source, such as the grid power supply, into the factory 200. The power supplied to the power distribution line 70 is transformed, for example, by a transformer (not shown), from 33kV extra-high voltage to 110V low voltage, and a current of 200A is transformed to a current of 5A before being supplied to the factory 200. The power supplied to the factory 200 is then distributed to each of the multiple production lines Ln by the distribution board 60.

As shown in Figure 1, the estimation system 100 comprises an operating status acquisition device 20 and a production management device 10. The operating status acquisition device 20 is retrofitted to or near the production equipment 30. In this disclosure, "retrofitted" means that it is not installed or incorporated into or near the production equipment 30 at the time of installation and placement of the production equipment 30, is not connected to the PLC that controls the operation of the production equipment 30, and is installed and placed on the production equipment 30 independently of the operation and control of the production equipment 30. The operating status acquisition device 20 may also be installed on the production line Ln or the transport mechanism 41, provided that it can detect the operating status of the production equipment 30.

The operational status acquisition device 20 detects the start timing of processing on the target object by the production equipment 30, generates a first signal as a detection signal, and transmits it to the production management device 10. In this embodiment, the operational status acquisition device 20 further detects the stop timing of processing by the production equipment 30, generates a second signal as a detection signal, and transmits it to the production management device 10.

The production management device 10, in cooperation with the operating status acquisition device 20, acquires equipment operation information of the production equipment 30 and estimates the production energy information of the production equipment 30 using the acquired equipment operation information. "Production energy information" refers to energy information generated by processing the target object by the production equipment during the period in which production is carried out using the production equipment (hereinafter also referred to as the "production period"). In this embodiment, the production management device 10 estimates the amount of electricity consumed and CO2 emissions generated by processing the target object by the production equipment as production energy information. The production management device 10 acquires equipment operation information of the production equipment 30 using the first and second signals acquired from the operating status acquisition device 20.

In this embodiment, the production management device 10 further estimates the production-time energy loss information of the production equipment 30. "Production-time energy loss information" refers to energy information (in this embodiment, power consumption and CO2 emissions) generated during the production period due to the standby state of the production equipment 30. Note that if production-time energy information and production-time energy loss information for the production line Ln are to be obtained instead of for the production equipment 30, this can be obtained by acquiring and summing the production-time energy information and production-time energy loss information for each of the multiple production equipment 30s and transport mechanisms 41 that constitute the production line Ln.

The production management device 10 and the operating status acquisition device 20 are capable of sending and receiving data via wireless communication. Furthermore, the production management device 10 can transmit generated equipment operation information and energy information to the information processing device PC and terminal devices PD1 and PD2 via wireless communication in response to requests from these devices. In this embodiment, the production management device 10 also functions as a display control device for transmitting generated energy information, equipment operation information, and display data using indicators to the display unit of the production management device 10, the information processing device PC (such as a personal computer), and terminal devices PD1 and PD2, and displaying them on the display units provided in these devices. Terminal devices PD1 and PD2 are, for example, smartphones, mobile phones, PHS phones, slate terminals, and tablet terminals.

Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the internal functional configuration of the production management device 10. The production management device 10 comprises a CPU 11 as a central processing unit, a storage device 12, a communication unit 13, a display unit 14, and a timer 16 for time measurement. These components are interconnected via a bus 17 for communication. The production management device 10 is a separate device from the PLC that controls the operation of the production equipment 30; the production equipment 30 is controlled by the PLC even without the production management device 10. The display unit 14 is a display for showing display data.

The CPU 11 functions as an equipment operation information acquisition unit 110, an energy information estimation unit 112, and an indicator generation unit 114 by executing various programs stored in the storage device 12. The equipment operation information acquisition unit 110 generates equipment operation information for the production equipment 30 using detection signals received from the operating status acquisition device 20 during the production period.

The energy information estimation unit 112 estimates production energy information using processing energy information and equipment operation information. "Processing energy information" refers to energy information generated during processing time during a test run of the production equipment. "Test run" refers to a state in which the production equipment is operated during a period other than the production period for which energy information is estimated. Test run does not necessarily mean that the equipment is actually processing the target material. In this embodiment, the processing energy information is power consumption, and the unit is "kWh/item" or "kWh". Power consumption as processing energy information can be obtained, for example, by operating the production equipment 30 during a period before production by the production equipment 30 begins, and measuring the amount of power consumed during the processing time of the production equipment 30 using a known measuring instrument such as a clamp meter. From the viewpoint of improving the estimation accuracy of production energy information, it is preferable to have a large number of measurements, or N, for power consumption as processing energy information.

In this embodiment, the energy information estimation unit 112 further estimates production-time energy loss information using standby energy information and equipment operation information. "Standby energy information" refers to energy information generated during the standby time of the production equipment during test operation. In this embodiment, standby energy information is power, and the unit is kW. Standby energy information as power is also called "standby power." Standby power can be obtained, for example, by operating the production equipment 30 before production by the production equipment 30 begins, and measuring the power of the production equipment 30 in a standby state (not performing any processing) using a known power meter. Processing energy information and standby energy information are measured at all production equipment 30 for which energy information is to be estimated before production by the production equipment 30 begins. Processing energy information and standby energy information are collectively referred to as "test-time energy information."

The indicator generation unit 114 generates energy-related indicators using production energy information, production energy loss information, and equipment operation information. In this embodiment, the indicator generation unit 114 generates display data, such as graphs related to the generated indicators, for display on the display unit 14.

The storage device 12 is, for example, RAM, ROM, or a hard disk drive (HDD). The HDD or ROM stores various programs for realizing the functions provided in this embodiment. The programs read from the HDD or ROM are loaded onto the RAM and executed by the CPU 11. The read/write area of the storage device 12 includes an equipment operation information storage unit 120 for storing equipment operation information, a processing energy information storage unit 122 for storing processing energy information, a standby energy information storage unit 124 for storing standby energy information, a CO2 emission coefficient storage unit 126, and an index storage unit 128 for storing generated indexes.

The CO2 emission factor storage unit 126 stores CO2 emission factors for deriving CO2 emissions. The "CO2 emission factor" is the amount of carbon dioxide emitted per unit of activity, meaning the amount of carbon dioxide emitted per predetermined unit amount of energy consumption. In this embodiment, the CO2 emission factor corresponds to the amount of carbon dioxide emitted to generate 1 kWh of electricity, and the unit is, for example, g/kWh. In this embodiment, the emission factor is pre-stored in the CO2 emission factor storage unit 126 using the emission factors for each electric utility company published by the Ministry of the Environment and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry based on the Act on Promotion of Global Warming Countermeasures. However, the CO2 emission factor is not limited to being pre-stored as a fixed value; it may also be updated sequentially via a wide-area network such as the Internet. This configuration allows for the deriving of CO2 emissions using the latest CO2 emission factor.

The communication unit 13 acquires the start timing and stop timing of processing by the production equipment 30 by receiving the first and second signals transmitted from the operating status acquisition device 20 via wireless communication. The communication unit 13 can acquire the first and second signals from the operating status acquisition device 20 without being connected to the operating status acquisition device 20 by a wired connection. This configuration allows the estimation system 100 to be introduced into existing factories 200, etc., using a simple method of retrofitting or installing the operating status acquisition device 20 to the production equipment 30. The communication unit 13 may also transmit various execution commands to the operating status acquisition device 20. Furthermore, the communication unit 13 may transmit display data to terminal devices PD1, PD2 and the information processing device PC. The communication unit 13 may also receive command signals requesting the execution of various processes from terminal devices PD1, PD2 and the information processing device PC.

Figure 3 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the operating status acquisition device 20. The operating status acquisition device 20 comprises a detection unit 25, a first transmitting/receiving unit 21, a second transmitting/receiving unit 22, and a controller 23. The detection unit 25, the first transmitting/receiving unit 21, and the second transmitting/receiving unit 22 are interconnected and can communicate with each other to the controller 23.

The detection unit 25 consists of various sensors mounted on the production equipment 30. In this embodiment, the detection unit 25 is an optical sensor. The sensors used as the detection unit 25 can also include sound sensors, heat sensors, current sensors, distance sensors, atmospheric pressure sensors, acceleration sensors, rotational speed sensors, humidity sensors, magnetic sensors, and pressure sensors. Each sensor is used to detect the operating status of the production equipment 30.

The detection unit 25 detects the start timing of processing on the target object by the production equipment 30. In this embodiment, the detection unit 25 further detects the stop timing of processing on the target object by the production equipment 30. For example, when the detection unit 25 detects the start of processing by the production equipment 30, it generates a pulse signal that rises from the reference state (on), and when it detects the stop of processing by the production equipment 30, it generates a pulse signal that falls from the on state (off). The generated pulse signals are output to the controller 23. The detection unit 25 may also generate a pulse signal that falls from the on state to the reference state (off) when it detects the start of processing by the production equipment 30, and a pulse signal that rises from the reference state (on) when it detects the stop of processing by the production equipment 30.

The controller 23 includes a central processing unit (CPU) and a memory device (not shown). The controller 23 generates a first signal and a second signal using the pulse signal received from the detection unit 25, and distributes and outputs them to the first transmitting/receiving unit 21 and the second transmitting/receiving unit 22, respectively. In this embodiment, the controller 23 detects the rising edge (on) of the pulse signal received from the detection unit 25, generates a first signal, and outputs it to the first transmitting/receiving unit 21. When it detects the falling edge (off) of the pulse signal received from the detection unit 25, it generates a second signal and outputs it to the second transmitting/receiving unit 22. In addition, when the start of processing by the production equipment 30 is detected, the detection unit 25 generates a pulse signal that falls from the ON state to the reference state (off), and when the stop of processing by the production equipment 30 is detected, it generates a pulse signal that rises from the reference state (on). In this case, the first signal may be generated by detecting the falling edge of the pulse signal and output to the first transmitting/receiving unit 21, and the second signal may be generated by detecting the rising edge of the pulse signal and output to the second transmitting/receiving unit 22. Alternatively, the detection unit 25 may generate the first and second signals and output them to the controller 23 instead of the controller 23.

The first transceiver unit 21 and the second transceiver unit 22 function as transmitting units that transmit a first signal and a second signal to the production management device 10 via wireless communication according to an arbitrary communication protocol. In this embodiment, the first transceiver unit 21 functions as the first transmitting unit that transmits the first signal to the production management device 10, and the second transceiver unit 22 functions as the second transmitting unit that transmits the second signal to the production management device 10. If the operating status acquisition device 20 only detects the start timing of processing, the second transceiver unit 22 may be omitted.

Figure 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the arrangement of an operating status acquisition device 20 equipped with an optical sensor as the detection unit 25. A housing 310 containing a PLC is arranged adjacent to the production equipment 30. The housing 310 is equipped with a signal tower 40 that indicates the operating status of the production equipment 30 using three-color signal lights. The operating status indicated by the signal tower 40 is, for example, green for processing, yellow for processing stopped, and red for abnormal stop.

The optical sensor used as the detection unit 25 can be a photoelectric conversion element capable of detecting the on/off state of a signal light, such as a photodiode or phototransistor. The detection unit 25 is mounted, for example, on the light-emitting surface of the green signal light of the signal tower 40. By mounting the detection unit 25 on the signal tower 40, the start or stop of processing of the target object processed by the production equipment 30, as indicated by the signal tower 40, can be easily detected. In this embodiment, the detection unit 25 detects the start of processing by the production equipment 30 when the green signal light is on, and detects the stop of processing by the production equipment 30 when the green signal light is off. When the start of processing by the production equipment 30 is detected, the controller 23 generates a first signal using the pulse waveform from the detection unit 25 and outputs it to the first transmitting/receiving unit 21. When the stop of processing by the production equipment 30 is detected, the controller 23 generates a second signal using the pulse waveform from the detection unit 25 and outputs it to the second transmitting/receiving unit 22.

Figure 5 is a flowchart showing the energy information estimation method according to the first embodiment. Step S10 is the energy information acquisition step, in which the energy consumption during testing is acquired and stored in the processing energy information storage unit 122 and the standby energy information storage unit 124.

Figure 6 is a flowchart showing the details of the process for acquiring energy consumption during testing. In step S100, the user or manager of the estimation system 100 measures the amount of electricity consumed during the processing time of the production equipment 30 using a power meter or the like, before production by the production equipment 30 begins. In this embodiment, the average value of 12 measurements of the amount of electricity generated during the processing time of the production equipment 30 is acquired as processing energy information.

In step S110, the user or administrator of the estimation system 100 measures the power consumption of the production equipment 30 during its standby time. In this embodiment, the average value of the power consumption of the production equipment 30 in standby mode measured over a 5-minute period is acquired as standby energy information. In step S120, the user or administrator stores the acquired processing energy information and standby energy information in the processing energy information storage unit 122 and the standby energy information storage unit 124.

Returning to Figure 5, in step S20, the production equipment 30 starts operating, production by the production equipment 30 begins, and the estimation system 100 acquires equipment operation information. Figure 7 is a flowchart of the processing routine for the equipment operation information acquisition process. This flow can be repeatedly executed from the start to the end of operation of the estimation system 100.

In step S200, the operating status acquisition device 20 confirms the input of a pulse signal from the detection unit 25. If the controller 23 does not receive a pulse signal from the detection unit 25 (S200: NO), it waits for the input of a pulse signal. When the controller 23 receives a pulse signal from the detection unit 25 (step S200: YES), it proceeds to step S210 and detects the rising edge (on) or falling edge (off) of the detected pulse signal. In this embodiment, if the controller 23 detects the rising edge of the pulse signal (S210: YES), it proceeds to step S211 and generates a first signal corresponding to the start timing of processing of the object to be processed by the production equipment 30 and outputs it to the first transmitting/receiving unit 21. The first transmitting/receiving unit 21 then transmits the acquired first signal to the production management device 10. If the controller 23 detects a falling edge in the pulse signal (S210: NO), it proceeds to step S212 and outputs a second signal corresponding to the timing of the stop of processing of the object being processed by the production equipment 30 to the second transceiver unit 22. The second transceiver unit 22 then transmits the acquired second signal to the production management device 10. The first and second signals transmitted from the operating status acquisition device 20 are received by the communication unit 13 of the production management device 10 via wireless communication.

In step S220, the equipment operation information acquisition unit 110 generates equipment operation information using the first signal and the second signal. The equipment operation information acquisition unit 110 generates equipment operation information each time it receives the first signal and the second signal.

In this embodiment, the equipment operation information acquisition unit 110 generates cycle time, production quantity, operating time, processing time, standby time, operational time, and operational rate as equipment operation information. In this embodiment, the equipment operation information acquisition unit 110 acquires the period from the first signal to the reception of the next first signal as the cycle time. Alternatively, the period from the second signal to the reception of the next second signal may be acquired as the cycle time. In this embodiment, for example, the equipment operation information acquisition unit 110 counts the number of times the cycle time has been acquired, and acquires the production quantity by multiplying the counted result by the number of processing targets processed by the production equipment 30 during the cycle time (1 in this embodiment). Alternatively, the production quantity may be the result of counting the number of times the processing time has been acquired. In this embodiment, for example, the equipment operation information acquisition unit 110 takes the timing when the first first signal is received after the production management device 10 is started as the start time of operation of the production equipment 30, and acquires the elapsed time until the timing when the first or second signal is received for the last time as the operating time. Furthermore, the timing at which the first or second signal is last received when the production control device 10 is stopped can be used as the end-of-operation time.

The method for acquiring cycle time, processing time, and waiting time will be explained using Figures 8 and 9. Figure 8 is a timing chart showing the relationship between the detection signal from the operating status acquisition device 20 and the processing routine by the equipment operation information acquisition unit 110. The horizontal axis in Figure 8 represents the time axis, and the vertical axis schematically shows the generation timing of the ON and OFF signals by the detection unit 25. Figure 8 shows the cycle time CT1, processing time PT1, cycle time reference value TG, and threshold value TS for determining the waiting time.

The timing chart shown by the solid line G1 represents an example where the production equipment 30 completes processing normally without generating any waiting time. In the example in Figure 8, at time T1, the detection unit 25 detects the start of processing by the production equipment 30, and the controller 23 generates the first signal. At time T2, the detection unit 25 detects the stop of processing by the production equipment 30, and the controller 23 generates the second signal. At time T3, the production equipment 30 starts processing the next target, and the controller 23 generates the next first signal. The equipment operation information acquisition unit 110 acquires the period from receiving the first signal at time T1 to receiving the next first signal at time T3 as the cycle time CT1, and also accumulates the production quantity. Furthermore, in the example in Figure 8, since no waiting time occurs, the cycle time CT1 is acquired as the processing time PT1.

Figure 9 is a second timing chart showing the relationship between the detection signal from the operating status acquisition device 20 and the processing routine of the equipment operation information acquisition unit 110. The vertical and horizontal axes in Figure 9 are the same as in Figure 8. Figure 9 shows the cycle time CT2, processing time PT2, cycle time reference value TG, threshold value TS, and waiting time ST.

The solid line G2 in Figure 9 is an example of a timing chart when a waiting period occurs in the production equipment 30. More specifically, the production equipment 30 stops at a predetermined timing after completing processing at time T2, and resumes processing for the next processing target at time T6, which is after time T5. In this case, the equipment operation information acquisition unit 110 estimates the processing time and waiting time using the first signal and the second signal.

In this embodiment, the equipment operation information acquisition unit 110 determines that a waiting time has occurred because the threshold TS has been exceeded at time T5, and calculates the waiting time. In this case, the equipment operation information acquisition unit 110 acquires the period from the time T1 when the first signal was first received to the time T6 when the first signal was received again as the cycle time CT2. The equipment operation information acquisition unit 110 also estimates the cycle time reference value TG (from time T1 to time T4) as the processing time PT2, and estimates the period from the cycle time reference value TG (time T4) to time T6 as the waiting time ST. Note that the method for calculating the waiting time is not limited to this and may be arbitrarily set according to the processing content of the production equipment 30. For example, the period from time T5 when the threshold TS has been exceeded to time T6 may be taken as the waiting time, in which case the period up to the threshold TS (from time T1 to time T5) may be estimated as the processing time. Alternatively, the period from time T2 when the second signal was received to time T6 may be taken as the waiting time. In this case, the processing time may be estimated as the period from time T1 to time T2 until the second signal is received. The waiting time may also be calculated using the following formula (1).
Waiting time = Operating time - Production quantity × Processing time ... Equation (1)

The equipment operation information acquisition unit 110 acquires the cumulative processing time as the operational time. The equipment operational time may be calculated, for example, by subtracting the cumulative standby time from the operational time. The equipment operation information acquisition unit 110 acquires the operational rate by dividing the operational time by the operational time.

Returning to Figure 5, in step S30, the energy information estimation unit 112 estimates the energy information generated by the processing or standby of the production equipment. Figure 10 is a flowchart showing the details of the energy information estimation process. In the following example, we will explain using an example where energy information is estimated from the start of operation of the production equipment 30 until the operating time TTp has elapsed.

In step S300, the energy information estimation unit 112 estimates the energy information during production. The energy information estimation unit 112 uses the energy information during processing stored in the energy information storage unit 122 and the processing time acquired as equipment operation information to calculate the energy information during production using the following formula (2).
Energy information during production: TEpt1 = Ept・PN ...Equation (2)
Ept: Energy information during processing (unit: kWh/piece)
PN: Production quantity per operating time TTp (unit: pieces)
In this embodiment, the processing energy information Ept is the amount of electricity consumed per processing time (unit: kWh/item), and the energy information estimation unit 112 calculates the production energy information TEpt1 as the amount of electricity consumed (unit: kWh) using the above formula (2).

In this embodiment, the energy information estimation unit 112 further uses the CO2 emission coefficient stored in the CO2 emission coefficient storage unit 126 to calculate the production energy information TEpt2 as CO2 emissions (unit: kg) using the following formula (3).
Energy information during production: TEpt2 = TEpt1・CC ...Equation (3)
CC: CO2 emission factor (unit: kg/kWh)

In step S310, the energy information estimation unit 112 estimates the energy loss information during production. The energy information estimation unit 112 calculates the energy loss information TEloss1 during production using the following formula (4), which uses the standby energy information stored in the standby energy information storage unit 124 and the standby time acquired as equipment operation information.
Energy loss information during production: TEloss1 = Eloss・Twt ...Equation (4)
Eloss: Standby energy information (unit: kW)
Twt: Total waiting time within the total operating time TTp (unit: hours)
In this embodiment, the standby energy information is power (unit: kW), and the energy information estimation unit 112 calculates the production-time loss energy information TEloss1 as power consumption (unit: kWh) using the above formula (4). The production-time loss energy information TEloss1 is also called "production-time loss power consumption".

The energy information estimation unit 112 calculates the total waiting time Twt using the following formula (5).
Total waiting time Twt = TTp - PT・PN ...Equation (5)
TTp: Operating hours (unit: hours)
PT: Processing time (unit: hours)
The total waiting time Twt may be obtained by acquiring and accumulating the waiting time for each cycle time of the production equipment 30.

In this embodiment, the energy information estimation unit 112 further uses the CO2 emission coefficient stored in the CO2 emission coefficient storage unit 126 to calculate the production-time loss energy information TEloss2 as CO2 emissions (unit: kg) using the following formula (6). The production-time loss energy information TEloss2 is also called "production-time loss CO2 emissions".
Energy loss information during production: TEloss2 = TEloss1・CC ...Equation (6)
CC: CO2 emission factor (unit: kg/kWh)

In step S320, the energy information estimation unit 112 calculates the total energy information for the operating time TTp using the following equations (7) and (8).
Total energy information: Etotal1 = TEpt1 + TEloss1 ...Equation (7)
Total energy information: Etotal² = TEpt² + TEloss² ...Equation (8)
Note that Total Energy Information Etotal1 represents the total amount of electricity consumed (in kWh), and Total Energy Information Etotal2 represents the total amount of CO2 emissions (in g).

Returning to Figure 5, in step S40, the indicator generation unit 114 generates indicators related to energy information. The indicators may be generated with the aim of improving energy information. Examples of energy information indicators include the correspondence between processing time or production quantity and energy information, or the correspondence between waiting time and energy information. From the viewpoint of suppressing or preventing waste in the production performance of the production equipment 30, it is preferable that the indicators use production-time loss power consumption and production-time loss CO2 emissions as energy information. In step S50, the indicator generation unit 114 outputs and displays the generated indicators on the display unit 14.

Figure 11 is a first explanatory diagram showing an example of an indicator generated by the indicator generation unit 114. Table TB shown in Figure 11 shows an example of the results generated when the operating time TTp has elapsed. Table TB is generated by the indicator generation unit 114 and displayed on the screen by the display unit 14.

Table TB shows the energy information during processing, energy information during standby, equipment operation information, energy information, and indicators related to energy information for each of the production facilities A to C, which are examples of production equipment 30. Table TB makes it easy to compare the energy information results between production facilities A to C, and facilitates the consideration of improving energy information. Alternatively, results for each production line may be shown instead of results for each production facility.

Table TB shows the acquisition results of equipment operation information, including production quantity, processing time, operating time, and availability rate. The processing time column shows the average processing time acquired during operating time TTp. Equipment operation information may also include cycle time and the total waiting time during operating time TTp. Energy information includes the total power consumption (Etotal1, as described above) and production-time energy loss information (TEloss1), and the total CO2 emissions (Etotal2, as described above) and production-time energy loss information (TEloss2, as described above). By displaying production-time energy loss information as well, improvement targets for each production facility can be clearly defined.

Table TB shows the CO2 emissions per product as an indicator of energy information. By showing the energy information per product, the correlation between production performance at production equipment 30 and CO2 emissions can be easily understood. Both the target value and the actual value of CO2 emissions per product are displayed. The target value for CO2 emissions per product can be obtained, for example, by multiplying the processing energy information by the CO2 emission coefficient. The best value from past performance may also be used as the target value for CO2 emissions per product. The actual value for CO2 emissions per product can be obtained, for example, by dividing the total energy information (Etotal2) by the number of products produced. Furthermore, loss CO2 emissions per product may also be used as an indicator of energy information. Displaying both target and actual values can stimulate motivation for improvement.

Figure 12 is a second explanatory diagram showing an example of an indicator generated by the indicator generation unit 114. The screen DP1 shown in Figure 12 displays an example of an indicator generated using data for seven working days. Screen DP1 is generated by the indicator generation unit 114 and displayed on the screen by the display unit 14.

At the top of screen DP1, graphs G11 to G14 are displayed, showing the CO2 emissions (in kg) during production for each production facility P to S. Graphs G11 to G14 allow for easy comparison of production facility energy loss information by displaying it graphically for each facility.

At the bottom of screen DP1, graphs G21 to G24 are shown, illustrating the correspondence between CO2 emissions during production, standby power, and standby time as a percentage of operating time TTp. More specifically, graphs G21 to G24 show the results of plotting standby time for 7 days against standby power, which is standby energy information Eloss1, for each of production equipment P to S, which are examples of production equipment 30. Graphs G31 to G33 are graphs that show CO2 emissions during production as so-called contour lines at predetermined intervals. According to graphs G21 to G24 and graphs G31 to G33, for example, production equipment P shows good results with low standby power and low CO2 emissions during production, but it is possible to identify an area for improvement in that the standby time is inconsistent. Furthermore, while production equipment Q and production equipment S show little variation in standby time, it is possible to recognize an area for improvement in that their standby power is higher than that of production equipment P and their CO2 emissions during production are higher. Production equipment R exhibits significant variability in standby time and high standby power consumption, resulting in the highest CO2 loss during production. This highlights an area for improvement.

As described above, according to the energy information estimation system 100 of this embodiment, the production management device 10 includes: a processing energy information storage unit 122 that stores processing energy information Ept acquired during the test run of the production equipment 30; an equipment operation information acquisition unit 110 that acquires equipment operation information of the production equipment 30 using detection signals received from the operation status acquisition device 20 during the production period in which the production equipment 30 is in operation; and an energy information estimation unit 112 that estimates the production energy information TEpt1 and TEpt2 generated by the processing of the production equipment 30 during the production period using the processing energy information Ept and processing time. The energy information estimation system 100 can estimate the production energy information generated by the processing of the production equipment 30 during the production period, more specifically, the production energy information TEpt1 as power consumption and the production energy information TEpt2 as CO2 emissions, without requiring a device for acquiring energy consumption during the production period, and without acquiring energy consumption during the production period.

According to the energy information estimation system 100 of this embodiment, the energy information estimation unit 112 further estimates the production-time energy loss information TEloss1 and TEloss2 generated by the standby energy information Eloss1 and the total standby time Twt during the production period. Therefore, the energy information estimation system 100 can estimate production-time energy loss information, more specifically, production-time energy loss information TEloss1 as power consumption and production-time energy loss information TEloss2 as CCO2 emissions, generated by the standby energy information of the production equipment 30 during the production period, without requiring a device for acquiring energy consumption during the production period, nor without acquiring energy consumption during the production period.

According to the energy information estimation system 100 of this embodiment, the production management device 10 further includes an index generation unit 114 that generates a graph G11 showing the correspondence between production-time CO2 loss emissions, standby power, and the standby time ST of the production equipment 30 during the production period. Therefore, when improving production-time CO2 loss emissions, it is easy to determine whether to improve standby power or the standby time generated by the production equipment 30.

B. Other embodiments:
(B1) In the above embodiment, the operating status acquisition device 20 transmits a first signal corresponding to the start timing of processing by the production equipment 30 and a second signal corresponding to the stop timing of processing to the production management device 10, and the production management device 10 uses the first signal and the second signal to generate equipment operation information and indicators. In contrast, the production management device 10 may be configured to acquire only the start timing of processing by the production equipment 30, i.e., only the first signal, and generate equipment operation information and indicators using only the start timing. In this case, the detection unit 25 of the operating status acquisition device 20 detects the start timing of processing by the production equipment 30, and the controller 23 may generate only the first signal using the pulse signal received from the detection unit 25. The operating status acquisition device 20 may be equipped with only one of the first transmitting/receiving unit 21 and the second transmitting/receiving unit 22 for transmitting the first signal to the production management device 10. By doing so, the operating status acquisition device 20 can be made simpler in configuration, and the processing in the production management device 10 can be simplified. The production management device 10 may be configured to acquire only the second signal and generate equipment operation information and indicators using only the stop timing. When generating equipment operation information and indicators using only the start timing, the equipment operation information acquisition unit 110 may acquire the period from the first signal to the reception of the next first signal as the cycle time.

(B2) In the above embodiment, the energy consumption status of the production equipment was explained using the amount of electricity consumed by the production equipment 30 as an example. However, the energy to be detected is not limited to electricity; it may include various other energies such as gas, kerosene, and heavy oil. For example, when detecting the amount of gas consumed by the production equipment 30, the same effects as in the above embodiment can be obtained by acquiring energy information during processing and energy information during standby by using a gas consumption meter to measure gas consumption instead of a power meter or clamp meter.

(B3) In the above embodiment, the processing energy information is obtained as a single processing energy information by taking the average value of 12 measurements of the amount of electricity generated during the processing time of the production equipment 30 in the period before production by the production equipment 30 starts, and the standby energy information is obtained as a single standby energy information by operating the production equipment 30 before production by the production equipment 30 starts and taking the average value of the power of the production equipment 30 in the standby state for 5 minutes using a known power meter. In contrast, the processing energy information and standby energy information may be obtained at any timing during the test run of the production equipment. Furthermore, the processing energy information and standby energy information are not limited to one, and multiple processing energy information and standby energy information may be obtained for each factor that causes fluctuations in the processing energy information and standby energy information. Examples of "factors that cause fluctuations in processing energy information and standby energy information" include the following.
(1) Weekdays and holidays (2) Daytime and nighttime (3) Season (4) Weather at factory 200, including sunshine hours and temperature (5) Operational plan of factory 200 (6) Type of object to be processed "Operational plan of factory 200" may include, for example, information such as rest and working hours of employees working at factory 200, long-term shutdown of factory 200, and operational plans for production line Ln and production equipment 30. Multiple processing energy information and standby energy information may be acquired for each piece of information that includes at least a part of the above various pieces of information. Furthermore, when production energy information and production loss energy information for production line Ln are prepared instead of production equipment 30, it is preferable to consider the operational plan for each of the multiple pieces of production equipment 30 that constitute production line Ln. For example, if the operational plan is such that only some of the production equipment 30 are in a standby state during certain time periods such as rest periods, it is preferable to acquire processing energy information and standby energy information for production line Ln during rest periods and processing energy information and standby energy information for production line Ln during working hours separately. Furthermore, if multiple processing energy information and standby energy information are acquired at different time intervals, the energy information estimation unit 112 estimates production energy information and production energy loss information for each time interval by relating the time intervals during which the processing energy information and standby energy information were acquired with the time intervals during which the acquired equipment operation information was acquired. This configuration suppresses the problem of reduced estimation accuracy of production energy information and production energy loss information due to fluctuations in processing energy information and standby energy information caused by the above factors.

This disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above, and can be implemented in various configurations without departing from its spirit. For example, the technical features in the embodiments corresponding to the technical features in each form described in the summary of the invention can be replaced or combined as appropriate to solve some or all of the above-described problems, or to achieve some or all of the above-described effects. Furthermore, if a technical feature is not described as essential in this specification, it can be deleted as appropriate.

10…Production management device, 11…CPU, 12…Storage device, 13…Communication unit, 14…Display unit, 16…Timer, 17…Bus, 20…Operating status acquisition device, 21…First transmitting/receiving unit, 22…Second transmitting/receiving unit, 23…Controller, 25…Detection unit, 30…Production equipment, 40…Signal tower, 41…Transportation mechanism, 60…Distribution board, 70…Power distribution line, 100…Energy information estimation system, 110…Equipment operation information acquisition unit, 112…Energy information estimation unit, 114…Indicator generation unit, 120…Equipment operation information storage unit, 122…Processing energy information storage unit, 124…Standby energy information storage unit, 126…CO2 emission coefficient storage unit, 128…Indicator storage unit, 200…Factory, 310…Enclosure, DP1…Screen, L1-Ln…Production line, PC…Information processing device, PD1, PD2…Terminal device, TB…Table

Claims (4)

An energy information estimation system that estimates energy information including at least one of the energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions generated by the production of production equipment,
A device for acquiring operating status,
A detection unit that is retrofitted to production equipment or retrofitted to the vicinity of said production equipment, the detection unit that outputs a detection signal indicating the operating status of said production equipment,
An operating status acquisition device having a transmitting unit for transmitting the detection signal,
It is a production control device,
Processing energy information storage unit that stores processing energy information acquired during a test run of the production equipment, which is generated during a processing time when the production equipment performs a predetermined processing on the object to be processed.
During the production period in which the production equipment is manufactured, the equipment operation information acquisition unit acquires equipment operation information of the production equipment, including processing time, using the detection signal received from the operating status acquisition device.
A production management device comprising : an energy information estimation unit that estimates the energy information generated by the processing of the production equipment during the production period using the processing energy information and the equipment operation information,
The production management device further includes a standby energy information storage unit that stores standby energy information acquired during a test run of the production equipment, which is standby energy information generated during the standby time when the production equipment is waiting to perform the processing.
The equipment operation information acquisition unit further acquires the waiting time during the production period as equipment operation information using the detection signal.
The energy information estimation unit further estimates the energy loss information generated during production due to the standby of the production equipment during the production period, using the standby energy information and the standby time acquired as equipment operation information.
Energy information estimation system. An energy information estimation system according to claim 1 ,
The standby energy information storage unit stores the standby power generated during the standby time when the production equipment is being tested as standby energy information.
The energy information estimation unit estimates the amount of CO2 emissions generated during production due to the standby status of the production equipment during the production period as production-time loss energy information.
The production management device further includes an indicator generation unit that generates an indicator graph showing the correspondence between the CO2 emissions lost during production, the standby power, and the standby time of the production equipment during the production period.
Energy information estimation system. An energy information estimation system according to claim 1,
The detection unit outputs a first signal corresponding to the start of processing on the object to be processed by the production equipment, and a second signal different from the first signal, which corresponds to the stop of processing, as the detection signals.
Energy information estimation system. An energy information estimation method for estimating energy information that includes at least one of the energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions generated by the production of production equipment,
During a test run of the production equipment, an energy information acquisition step is performed to acquire processing energy information generated during the processing time when the production equipment performs a predetermined processing on the object to be processed.
During the production period in which the production equipment is manufactured, a process for acquiring equipment operation information of the production equipment, including processing time, is performed using a detection signal indicating the operating status of the production equipment.
The system includes an energy information estimation step that estimates the energy information generated during the production period by the processing of the production equipment using the processing energy information and the equipment operation information .
The energy information acquisition step further includes a step of acquiring standby energy information generated during the waiting time when the production equipment is waiting to perform the processing during a test run of the production equipment.
The equipment operation information acquisition step further includes a step of acquiring the waiting time during the production period as equipment operation information using the detection signal,
The energy information estimation step further includes a step of estimating production-time energy loss information generated during the production period due to the standby of the production equipment, using the standby energy information and the standby time acquired as equipment operation information.
Energy information estimation method.