Patent ID: 12210362

Identical parts represented in the figures are identified by identical numerical references.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The invention finds an application in the field of passenger transport vehicles supplied by an electricity network, in rail transport vehicles, whether they be dedicated to traveling long distances or short distances, such as vehicles for urban rail transport, for example such as subways and tramways.

The invention applies to a fleet or set of passenger transport vehicles, each vehicle comprising at least one air conditioning system.

In general, a rail type passenger transport vehicle is equipped with several air conditioning systems. Below, by air conditioning system is meant a system able to cool or heat the cabin or cabins of a rail vehicle. The air conditions of each cabin of the passenger transport vehicle are regulated by an air conditioning system. For example, in a rail vehicle, each wagon has an air conditioning system regulating its own air conditions. In other examples, a same air conditioning system can regulate the air conditions of several vehicles.

In the interest of simplicity, it is considered in this document that each passenger transport vehicle of a fleet of vehicles comprises a single air conditioning system. Nevertheless, as indicated above, a vehicle may comprise several air conditioning systems. For example, a vehicle could comprise as many air conditioning systems as cabins.

Therefore, in what follows, an air conditioning system of a vehicle refers to an air conditioning system associated with at least one vehicle cabin. Furthermore, the temperature of a vehicle refers to the temperature of at least one cabin of the vehicle.

FIG.1shows the context of use of the method for confirming an execution of a command for reducing consumption of the electrical power of a fleet or set of passenger transport vehicles20.

In the illustrated embodiment, the confirming method is implemented on a management device10for managing the energy consumption placed on the ground. In other embodiments, the energy consumption management device10may be on board one or more passenger transport vehicles of the fleet of vehicles.

The energy consumption management device10comprises a server or servers comprising means required for the implementation of the method for confirming an execution of a command for reducing electrical power consumption of at least one passenger transport vehicle which will be described below with reference toFIG.2.

The energy consumption management device10may communicate with servers of the company30managing the electricity network40via communication means, as well as with the passenger transport vehicles of the fleet20.

In certain situations, for example when the electrical energy consumption of the set of electricity consumers50is greater than the forecasts of a given moment, the company30managing the electricity network40issues an instruction (or directives) for load-shedding or load management to the electricity consumers50.

In particular, the management company30instructs each electricity consumer50to reduce the energy consumption to have a predefined value.

The energy consumption management device10receiving that request from the management company30, is configured to implement a method for reducing consumption of the electrical power to implement, if possible, the load management directives requested.

In the case of a fleet of passenger transport vehicles, the management company30of the electricity network40instructs the company exploiting the fleet of vehicles20to reduce the consumption of the fleet to a predefined consumption value.

In one embodiment, local control devices are placed on board the passenger transport vehicles. These local control devices are respectively associated with air conditioning systems (not shown). Each local control device is configured to measure the electricity consumption of the associated air conditioning system, and to send it to the management device10.

In one embodiment, it is possible for the consumption reduction to concern only one vehicle, a subset of vehicles or the set of vehicles, according to the load management strategy established by the company operating the fleet. Thus, the company operating the vehicles20, can choose which vehicles are integrated into a load management strategy in response to load management directives issued by the management company30.

These local control devices comprise conventional means for measuring the electrical energy consumption and do not need to be described here.

For example, the electrical energy consumption is measured by monitoring the activation cycles of the actuators (or contactors) of the air conditioning system. More particularly, as the power consumed by the actuators, such as the heating resistors, the fans or the compressors is known, the electrical energy consumption is known by monitoring the activation cycles of the actuators. By way of example, a heating resistor of nominal power 10 kW with an activation cycle of 30% consumes 3 kW as a smoothed average.

In this embodiment, the management device10and the local control devices form an electrical energy consumption management system for a set of passenger transport vehicles20. Such an electricity consumption management system may receive a command signal from the server/servers and increase or reduce the power consumed by the air conditioning means in response to that command.

FIG.2illustrates the method for confirming an execution of a command for reducing electrical power consumption of at least one passenger transport vehicle.

The method is implemented by the management device10. An embodiment of the management device10will be described with reference toFIG.4.

When the management device10receives a load management instruction or request from the management company30managing the electricity network40, a command signal considering these load management directives is issued to the vehicles of the rail fleet.

As explained earlier, the load management is directed to reducing the power consumed by the air conditioning system on board each of the rail vehicles of the fleet. Each air conditioning system comprises air conditioning means, a temperature regulation system and a temperature sensor. A regulation system is associated with each of the air conditioning means and is configured to maintain the temperature of a cabin of one of the vehicles at a setpoint temperature according to a temperature measured in the cabin by a temperature sensor.

To reduce the power consumed by the air conditioning means, the management device10of the system for managing the electricity consumption of the fleet of vehicles may issue a command for reducing consumption of the electrical power, to at least one of the passenger transport vehicles.

The principle of reducing the consumption of the air conditioning means is to bias the sensors on board in the cabins, to modify the temperature measured so as to reduce the temperature present in the passenger rooms in winter or increase it ins summer. Thus, the power consumed required to attain the setpoint temperature gets reduced, therefore making it possible reduce the consumption of the air conditioning means.

Reducing the consumption of the air conditioning means is based on the sending of a signal to bias the sensor on board the vehicle whose consumption is reduced. This signal is thus a variation of temperature according to time. At each time t, the value of the signal is added to the temperature measured in each of the cabins, to obtain a reduction in the electrical power consumption in accordance with the load management directives.

The bias signal is here called the command signal for reducing consumption and is obtained from the signal governing the variation in the electrical power consumed, resulting from the load management directives, and from what is referred to as a reference signal.

The sending step S1of the method as illustrated inFIG.2is directed to sending a command signal for reducing consumption to the regulation system of each vehicle, the command signal being modulated by a reference signal.

Obtaining the command signal315for reducing consumption is illustrated inFIG.3. The modulated command signal is obtained by modulating a signal310for governing the variation in the electrical power consumed by a reference signal305.

In a first phase, the load management directives are transcribed into a signal that can be sent and uses subsequently in the electricity consumption management system of the fleet of vehicles. Thus, based on the load management request issued by the management company30there is obtained the signal310for governing the variation in electrical power consumed: this is a temperature variation according to time, of which the value at each time that, is used to bias the sensors of the vehicles integrated in the load management strategy. Thus, in each of the vehicles integrated into the load management strategy, the value of the command signal at a time t is added to the temperature measured at the same time t by the temperature sensor.

As can be seen, the temperature of the signal310for governing the variation in the electrical power consumed can vary over short periods, of the order of 30 minutes. Although not illustrated in the present example, the temperature may be negative, when the air conditioning means105a,105b,105c,105d,105eand105f(e.g., air conditioning systems) are configured to cool.

This signal310for governing the variation in the electrical power consumed is next modulated with a reference signal305. By modulation here is meant a transformation of the signal310for governing the variation in the electrical power consumed from its initial non-periodic timeslot form into a form configured for its transmission, then for the identification of its signature in the total power consumed by the fleet of vehicles. Here, the transformation is the sum of the signal310for governing the variation in the electrical power consumed with the reference signal305.

The reference signal305is a signal used to introduce, into the command signal, a signature, that is to say a specific mark or form, able to be found again in the signal of power consumed by the set of vehicles.

The reference signal305is here by way of example a sinusoidal signal, whose characteristics, period and amplitude, are selected as follows:Amplitude: this must be sufficiently small. This is because, as the reference signal305is added to the signal for governing the variation in the electrical power consumed, it is necessary for the amplitude of the reference signal, which is a temperature, to be the smallest possible such that the amplitude has no effect on the comfort of the passengers. It must also be sufficiently high for the reference signal to be compatible with the resolution of the system, measurable and identifiable by the system for management of the electricity consumption of the fleet of vehicles. The reference signal305is chosen with an amplitude comprised between [0° C.; 1° C.], preferably between [0.2° C.; 0.5° C.], and preferably is equal to 0.2° C.Period: the period must be dimensioned to be greater than the reactivity time of the air conditioning means105a,105b,105c,105d,105eand105f. Furthermore, the frequency associated with this period must not exist in the system in advance. For example, as the day/night alternation is a very visible frequency in the consumed power spectrum, the selected period must therefore be different therefrom. Furthermore, the frequency must be sufficiently high for the integration time for the demodulation of the power consumed by the vehicles at the server not to be too high. A period of the order of 2500 s makes it possible to satisfy the criteria as set out above. In particular, the value of 2504 s has been selected in tests.

The consumption reduction command signal315is then obtained. This is sent to the vehicles integrated into the load management strategy by the wireless transmission means for example. As illustrated inFIG.3, the consumption reduction command signal is sent to all the vehicles of the fleet.

The obtaining step S2ofFIG.2is directed to obtaining a signal of the power consumed by the air conditioning means105a,105b,105c,105d,105eand105fof the set of vehicles in response to the reference signal305.

For this, in a first phase, the signal of the total electrical power consumed by the set of vehicles in response to the command signal is determined.

The fleet of vehicles may be organized into sub-sets320,325and330, for which are determined signals335,340and345of electrical power consumed for the sub-sets320,325and330of vehicles in response to the command signal315. The signal350of total electrical power consumed by the set of vehicles is obtained by summing all the consumed powers335,340and345of the sub-sets320,325and330.

Once the signal350of total electrical power consumed by the set of vehicles in response to the command signal315has been obtained, it is demodulated.

The demodulation of the signal350of total electrical power consumed by the set of vehicles is carried out by multiplying the signal with the reference signal305. An intermediate signal360is then obtained.

The confirming step S3ofFIG.2of the method is directed to confirming the execution of the consumption reduction command according to the characteristics of said signal of the power consumed by the air conditioning means of the set of vehicles.

For this, the intermediate signal360is filtered, and the result output from the filter is compared to a threshold, to confirm whether the command signal has been received.

When the command signal received by the air conditioning means105a,105b,105c,105d,105eand105fof the vehicles100a,100b,100c,100d,100eand100fis modulated with the reference signal305of the following form:
ref_signal=2 sin(α)  [Equation #1]

The electrical power consumed by the air conditioning means105a,105b,105c,105d,105eand105f, in response to the command signal will then be of the following form:
poweraircon=Asin α  [Equation #2]

Thus, the total electrical power consumed350by the set of vehicles100a,100b,100c,100d,100eand100fcomprises a component equal to the expression of poweraircon.

The total electrical power consumed350by the set of vehicles100a,100b,100c,100d,100eand100fmay be expressed as the sum of the power consumed by the air conditioning means, poweraircon, of the set of vehicles100a,100b,100c,100d,100eand100f, and of the power, powerothers, consumed by the other systems of the vehicles100a,100b,100c,100d,100eand100f(for example traction, the on-board and other equipment, etc.).

The total electrical power consumed by the set of vehicles100a,100b,100c,100d,100eand100f, multiplied by the reference signal305is then equal to an intermediate signal360which is then of the following form:

powe⁢rt⁢o⁢t⁢a⁢l×refs⁢i⁢g⁢n⁢a⁢l=pow⁢e⁢raircon×refsignal+p⁢o⁢w⁢e⁢ro⁢thers×refsignal=2⁢A⁢sin2⁢α+powe⁢ro⁢thers×refsignal=A+A⁢cos⁢2⁢α+powe⁢ro⁢thers×refsignal⁢with⁢2⁢sin2⁢α=1-cos⁡(2⁢a)2[Equation⁢#3]

The intermediate signal360is then filtered, such that on output from the filter, the high frequency components are eliminated. This may, for example, be filtering365with the use of a low pass filter. If the command received by the air conditioning means is indeed modulated by the reference signal305, the high frequency components, expressed as componentshigh frequencies=A cos 2α+powerother×refsignal, are removed from the signal, such that a continuous signal is obtained as output equal to A, which is the power consumed370by the air conditioning means105a,105b,105c,105d,105eand105fin response to the reference signal305.

When the command signal received by the air conditioning means does not comprise the reference signal, by modulation, output from the low pass filter, the signal is zero or equal to the system noise. As a matter of fact, the component equal to A sin α representing the power consumed by the air conditioning means in response to the command signal modulated by the reference signal is not found. Without this component, it is not possible to obtain a continuous component output from the filter.

Confirmation depends on the result of the comparison of the power370consumed by the air conditioning means105a,105b,105c,105d,105eand105fin response to the references signal305at a predetermined threshold.

Thus, it is possible to choose a threshold representing the noise level output from the system. It is also possible, by calculating upstream the average value of the power consumed in response to the command signal to use that value (or neighboring values) as threshold. This makes it possible to have a reliable confirmation level.

Thus, obtaining a continuous signal equal to the power370consumed by the air conditioning means105a,105b,105c,105d,105eand105fin response to the reference signal305, greater than a predetermined threshold, makes it possible to confirm that the command signal315, that is to say the signal governing the variation in electrical power310modulated by the reference signal305, has indeed been received and executed by the air conditioning means, provided that the form of the signal of the power consumed is as expected, that is to say comprising a component of the form poweraircon=A sin α.

To be sure to have the most accurate confirmation possible, it is necessary to have a sufficiently long integration period.

In the example presented here, with a reference signal305with a period equal to 2504 s, in an example representing the signal of power consumed by a fleet of 1000 trains each comprising 4 wagons, an integration period of one day makes it possible to have an accuracy of 10%, while an integration period of 10 days makes it possible to have an accuracy of 1%.

For this, the reference signal305is sent continuously to the air conditioning means, although the signal for governing the variation in electrical power310is zero, that is to say that no load management directive has been issued by the management company30.

As already referred to, the reference signal305has an amplitude which is not very great, equal to 0.2° C. in the example, such that, although used as bias on the sensor, this variation does not affect the comfort of the passengers.

In the example, the sub-sets320,325,330of the vehicles100a,100b,100c,100d,100eand100may be constituted according to their geographical positioning and the climate conditions of those geographical positions. Indeed, according to whether the weather is mild or not, and thus according to whether the air conditioning means are activated or not, the reduction in consumption may be higher or lower. As a matter of fact, when the weather is null, the air conditioning means are used little or even not at all, thus the reduction in consumption in response to load management directives is limited. It may be said that the load management potential is low. It may be evaluated according to the power consumed, before the execution of the load management directives, using as a basis the duration of activation of the contactors (or actuators) of the air conditioning means.

According to the load management potential, subsets may thus be created, and a governing signal310of the variation in electrical power may be determined for each sub-group taking into consideration that load management potential.

FIG.4is a diagrammatic representation of an example of a management device10of the electrical energy consumption able to implement the method for confirming the proper execution of a consumption reduction command according to the invention.

The management device10for managing electrical energy consumption is for example one or more servers incorporating the means necessary for implementing the method for confirming the proper execution of a command for consumption reduction of a fleet of vehicles20in accordance with the invention.

The management device10comprises a communication bus100to which are connected:a processing unit11, denoted CPU (for “Central Processing Unit”) in the drawing and able to comprise one or more processors;a non-volatile memory12, for example a ROM (for “Read Only Memory”), an EEPROM (for “Electrically Erasable Read Only Memory”) or a Flash memory.a volatile memory13or RAM (for “Random Access Memory”);an Input/Output interface14, denoted I/O in the drawing, for example a screen, a keyboard, a mouse or another pointing device such as a touch screen or a remote control enabling a user to interact with the system via a graphical interface; anda communication interface or communication means15, denoted COM in the drawing, configured to communicate, via a network, with servers of the company30managing the electricity network40and with the passenger transport vehicles of the fleet20

According to one embodiment, the communication means15of the management device10comprise means for receiving data from the company30managing the electricity network40and from the passenger transport vehicles, such as a transceiver. This data may for example be consumption information representing the electrical energy consumed by the vehicles of the set, requests, or directives for load management from the company30managing the electricity network40, or information on the temperature of at least one cabin of the vehicle.

Furthermore, the communication means15of the management device10comprise transmission means for sending a command for reduction of the power consumption to at least one passenger transport vehicle or to all the vehicles of the fleet (e.g., a transmitter, antenna, etc.).

The volatile memory13comprises registers configured for the recording of the variables and parameters created and modified during the execution of a computer program comprising instructions for the implementation of a confirming method according to the invention. The codes for instructions of the program stored in non-volatile memory12are loaded into RAM memory13for them to be executed by the processing unit CPU110.

The non-volatile memory12is for example a re-writable memory of EEPROM type or Flash memory able to constitute a medium according to the meaning of the invention, to comprise a computer program comprising instructions for the implementation of the confirming method.

The electrical energy consumption management device10further comprises determining means (e.g., one or more processors) configured to determine a total electrical power consumed by the set of vehicles in response to a command signal (in other words an overall consumption at a given time), based on all the consumption information received, and generating means configured to generate a set of commands respectively for a subset of vehicles selected from among the vehicles of the set20, this being in response or not being in response to load management directives.

According to one embodiment, the generating means (e.g., the same or different processors as described above) are configured to generate commands according to the group of vehicles for which the commands are provided. For example, according to the geographical position of the vehicles, if the climate conditions are either mild, for which the consumption of the air conditioning means is low, or very cold or very hot, for which the consumption of the air conditioning means are high, the commands may be different, the consumption reduction potential being different in these two situations. Also, when no load management directive has been issued by the management company30, the generating means may be configured to continue to generate a command equal to the reference signal.

The management device10further comprises means (e.g., the same or different processors as described above) for generating a signal for governing the variation in the electrical power consumed (load management signal) according to the load management directives received from the management company. The management company sends load management directives, in the form of reduction percentage for example, or a target consumption power to attain by the vehicle fleet. The generating means are thus configured to transcribe load management directives of the management company into a signal that can be used by the electrical energy consumption management system.

The management device10also comprises modulation means16and demodulation means17for a signal (e.g., the same or different processors as described above). As explained earlier, these modulation means16may perform modulation of the signal for governing the variation in the electrical power consumed using the reference signal. These modulation means16may be for example an adder configured to sum the reference signal with the signal for governing the variation in the electrical power consumed. The demodulation means17may perform demodulation of the signal of power consumed by the set of vehicles of the fleet. These demodulation means17may for example be a multiplier which multiplies the signal of total electrical power consumption of the set of vehicles by the reference signal.

Furthermore, the management device10comprises filtering means18(e.g., the same or different processors as described above), able to filter the intermediate signal to remove therefrom the high frequency components. This is for example a low pass filter, of which the cut-off frequency is dimensioned to attenuate the high frequency components of the intermediate signal.

Thus, by virtue of the means described above, the management device10can implement the method for managing electrical energy consumption. By implementing this method, the air conditioning system of all the vehicles of a fleet are controlled considering the state or situation of use of the vehicles, so as to reduce the overall electrical consumption of the fleet in real-time in response to a load management request coming from the company managing the electricity network.