Equipment Control System, Control Device and Control Program

Abstract

An equipment control system for equipment such as a refrigeration device, its control device, and its control program are provided in which defrosting operation start time can be changed appropriately. The integrated controller controls a defrosting operation to remove frost adhered to the equipment, in which the defrosting operation is started at a fixed or varying time interval. The integrated controller stores past data based on required time for past defrosting operations for different environmental conditions. The integrated controller includes an environmental condition acquisition unit for obtaining environmental conditions; a database control unit for obtaining required time for a defrosting operation based on the past record data corresponding to the present environmental conditions from the stored past data; and a start time changing unit for changing start time of the present-round defrosting operation based on the obtained required time.

1 . An equipment control system for a controlling a defrosting operation comprising:
 a refrigeration device for cooling a space to be cooled;   a control device for controlling the defrosting operation to remove frost adhered to the refrigeration device, the defrosting operation being started at a fixed or varying time interval;   a past record data memory unit for storing past record data based on required time for past defrosting operations for different environmental conditions;   an environmental condition acquisition unit for obtaining present environmental conditions;   a required time prediction unit for estimating, at the time of or before starting a present-round defrosting operation, required time for a present-round defrosting operation based on the past record data corresponding to the present environmental conditions from among the past record data stored in the past record data memory unit; and   a start time changing unit for changing start time of the present-round defrosting operation based on the estimated required time obtained at the required time prediction unit from start time that was scheduled based on the time interval,   wherein the start time changing unit changes the start time of the present-round defrosting operation from the scheduled start time such that the defrosting operation time period does not overlap with a prohibition time period in which the defrosting operation is prohibited, and wherein the prohibition time is set unrelated to an operation cycle of the refrigeration device.   
     
     
         2 . The equipment control of  claim 1 ,
 wherein the start time changing unit delays the start time of the present-round defrosting operation from the scheduled start time when the estimated required time obtained at the required time prediction unit falls below a predetermined amount of time, and   wherein the start time changing unit advances the start time of the present-round defrosting operation from the scheduled start time when the estimated required time obtained at the required time prediction unit exceeds a predetermined amount of time.   
     
     
         3 . (canceled) 
     
     
         4 . (canceled) 
     
     
         5 . (canceled) 
     
     
         6 . The equipment control system of  claim 1 ,
 wherein the refrigeration device includes a first refrigeration device and a second refrigeration device that is different from the first refrigeration device, and   wherein when the start time of the present-round defrosting operation for the first refrigeration device is changed, the start time changing unit sets the start time of the present-round defrosting operation for the first refrigeration device to be different from the start time of the defrosting operation for the second refrigeration device.   
     
     
         7 . The equipment control system of  claim 1 , further comprising a notification unit for notifying to a user an effect that the start time of the present-round defrosting operation was changed from the scheduled start time or an effect that there is no change in the start time. 
     
     
         8 . A control device for controlling a defrosting operation to remove frost adhered to a refrigeration device for cooling a space to be cooled, the defrosting operation being started at a fixed or varying time interval, comprising:
 a past record data memory unit for storing past record data based on required time for past defrosting operations for different environmental conditions; an environmental condition acquisition unit for obtaining present environmental conditions;   a required time prediction unit for estimating, at the time of or before starting a present-round defrosting operation, required time for the present-round defrosting operation based on the past record data corresponding to the present environmental conditions from among the past record data stored in the past record data memory unit; and   a start time changing unit for changing start time of the present-round defrosting operation based on the estimated required time obtained at the required time prediction unit from start time that was scheduled based on the time interval,   wherein the start time changing unit changes the start time of the present-round defrosting operation from the scheduled start time such that the defrosting operation time period does not overlap with a prohibition time period in which the defrosting operation is prohibited, and wherein the prohibition time is set unrelated to an operation cycle of the refrigeration device.   
     
     
         9 . A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium for controlling a defrosting operation to remove frost adhered to a refrigeration device for cooling a space to be cooled, the defrosting operation being started at a fixed or varying time interval, the computer-readable storage medium causing the computer to execute procedures for:
 storing past record data based on required time for past defrosting operations for different environmental conditions;   obtaining present environmental conditions;   estimating, at the time of or before starting a present-round defrosting operation, required time for the present-round defrosting operation based on the past record data corresponding to the present environmental conditions from among the past record data stored in the past record data memory unit; and   changing start time of the present-round defrosting operation based on the estimated required time obtained at the required time prediction unit from start time that was scheduled based on the time interval,   wherein the changing start time of the present-round defrosting operation from the scheduled start time such that the defrosting operation time period does not overlap with a prohibition time period in which the defrosting operation is prohibited, and wherein the prohibition time is set unrelated to an operation cycle of the refrigeration device.