JP2006112680A - Air conditioning method, and air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an indoor temperature at a comfortable temperature of a person without giving a feeling of extreme heat or cold to the person in regard to an air conditioning method, and an air conditioner carrying out air conditioning in a room or the like. <P>SOLUTION: It is characterized by that change of skin temperature of the person is predicted from a temperature difference between a present skin temperature of the person and a present indoor temperature, and the indoor temperature is controlled such that the indoor temperature becomes the comfortable temperature for the person on the basis of the predicted change of skin temperature. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an air conditioning method and an air conditioning apparatus for air-conditioning indoor air.

Conventionally, as an improvement in the air-conditioning environment of a human (hereinafter referred to as an air-conditioned person) in an air-conditioned room, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-12089 (hereinafter referred to as Patent Document 1) and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-99476 (hereinafter referred to as Patent Document). 2) is known.
Patent Document 1 discloses an air conditioner that senses physiological measurements (body temperature, heart rate, etc.) and adjusts the indoor environment (sleep environment).

Patent Document 2 discloses an air conditioner that aims at a more comfortable air conditioning and living environment in consideration of the weather and seasons.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-120989 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-99476

However, since the conventional air conditioner does not actively take into account the thermal sensation of human beings, there is a problem that the air-conditioned person needs to frequently adjust the set temperature of the air conditioner.
That is, in a conventional air conditioner, for example, immediately after entering a room from a hot outdoor room where the temperature exceeds 30 ° C., a strong cooling is performed so as to lower the room temperature as soon as possible. However, this time, it feels cold and loosens the cooling. However, it feels a little hot again, and the degree of cooling is slightly increased. As described above, in the conventional technology, the human must repeatedly adjust the set temperature of the cooling.

As a result of intensive studies to solve such conventional problems, the present inventor has found the following points.
That is, the room temperature is normally kept at a constant environmental temperature by air conditioning. However, the human body shows various reactions such as blood vessel dilation to this constant environmental temperature, so that the constant environmental temperature feels "cool" at first, but eventually feels "cold" Thus, the set temperature of the air conditioning is changed many times.

  Further, when there is a large difference between the environmental temperature and the body temperature, as shown in FIG. 9, it was found that the human deep body temperature and heart rate do not change so much, but the skin temperature shows a large change. That is, FIG. 9 shows changes in deep body temperature, heart rate, and skin temperature when the environmental temperature is set to 5 ° C. More specifically, if the difference between the environmental temperature and the body temperature is 100%, the skin temperature is reduced by 17% in 10 minutes. It was also found that changes in neurotransmitters (serotonin / dopamine) in the brain temperature center (hypothalamus) showed almost the same changes.

Then, this information is made into a database, the comfortable temperature for each individual is set, and considering the change of the skin temperature by 17% in 10 minutes, the time until the initial skin temperature reaches the set comfortable temperature is predicted. The room temperature was adjusted based on the prediction.
A subjective evaluation was made on the “comfort” between adjusting the environmental temperature using the database and when the environmental temperature was kept constant. The "comfort" was statistically significantly higher when the temperature was adjusted.

  It was also found that children under 5 years of age are quickly affected by environmental temperature. That is, FIG. 10 shows the change in skin temperature between a 3-year-old infant and a 40-year-old adult when the environmental temperature is changed from 20 ° C. to 35 ° C. It can be seen that the skin temperature changes greatly. Thus, when an infant is a target, it is effective to make the setting larger than the setting of 17% for 10 minutes.

  The present invention has been made on the basis of such knowledge, and provides an air conditioning method and an air conditioning apparatus capable of setting the room temperature to a comfortable temperature of the air-conditioned person without causing the air-conditioned person to feel extreme thermal sensation. The purpose is to provide.

The air conditioning method according to claim 1 predicts a change in the skin temperature of the air-conditioned person from a temperature difference between the current skin temperature of the air-conditioned person and the current room temperature, and based on the predicted change in the skin temperature. The room temperature is controlled so that the room temperature becomes a comfortable temperature of the air-conditioned person.
The air conditioner according to claim 2 is a temperature difference measuring means for obtaining a temperature difference between an outdoor temperature and a room temperature, a comfortable temperature of the air-conditioned person, and a change or change equation of the skin temperature of the air-conditioned person with respect to the temperature difference. Storing means for storing; and predicting means for predicting an arrival time at which the skin temperature of the air-conditioned person reaches a predetermined temperature based on a change or change equation of the skin temperature of the air-conditioned person stored in the storage means; And control means for controlling the room temperature so as to reach the comfortable temperature based on the arrival time.

The air conditioner according to a third aspect of the present invention is the air conditioner according to the second aspect, further comprising input means for inputting a plurality of age modes, and the storage means changes in the skin temperature of the air-conditioned person with respect to the temperature difference. Are stored corresponding to the age mode, and the predicting means predicts the arrival time based on a change in skin temperature corresponding to the input age mode.
The air conditioner according to a fourth aspect is the air conditioner according to the third aspect, wherein the age mode is a child mode and an adult mode.

An air conditioner according to a fifth aspect is the air conditioner according to the second aspect, further comprising input means for inputting a plurality of identification modes, wherein the comfortable temperature of the air-conditioned person corresponds to the identification mode in the storage means. The control means controls the room temperature so that the comfortable temperature corresponding to the input identification mode is reached.
An air conditioner according to a sixth aspect is the air conditioner according to the fifth aspect, wherein the identification mode is a mode for distinguishing individuals.

The air conditioner according to a seventh aspect is the air conditioner according to the fifth aspect, wherein the identification mode is a mode for distinguishing gender.
An air conditioner according to an eighth aspect of the present invention is the air conditioner according to the fifth aspect, wherein the identification mode is a mode for distinguishing a physique.
The air conditioner according to claim 9 is the air conditioner according to any one of claims 2 to 8, wherein the change equation stored in the storage means is T for the temperature difference and T for the temperature difference T. It is characterized by H = T × a, where H is the change in skin temperature per unit time and a is a predetermined coefficient.

  In the air conditioning method and the air conditioning apparatus of the present invention, the room temperature is controlled so that the room temperature becomes the comfortable temperature of the air-conditioned person based on the predicted change in skin temperature. The room temperature can be set to a comfortable temperature for the air-conditioned person without causing a feeling of warmth and coolness.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of an air conditioner of the present invention.
In the air conditioner of this embodiment, an outdoor heat exchanger 3 is connected to the discharge port of the compressor 1 via a four-way valve 2, and the indoor heat exchanger 5 is connected to the outdoor heat exchanger 3 via an expansion valve 4. It is connected. The intake port of the compressor 1 is connected to the indoor heat exchanger 5 via the four-way valve 2. By these connections, a heat pump refrigeration cycle capable of cooling operation and heating operation is configured.

That is, during the cooling operation, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 1 flows in the direction of the solid arrow, the outdoor heat exchanger 3 functions as a condenser, and the indoor heat exchanger 5 functions as an evaporator. During the heating operation, switching of the four-way valve 2 causes the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 1 to flow in a broken arrow, so that the indoor heat exchanger 5 functions as a condenser and the outdoor heat exchanger 3 functions as an evaporator.
An outdoor fan 6 is provided for the outdoor heat exchanger 3, and an indoor fan 7 is provided for the indoor heat exchanger 5. An indoor temperature sensor 8 and an indoor humidity sensor 9 are provided in the flow path of indoor air sucked by the indoor fan 7.

The outdoor-side compressor 1, the four-way valve 2, the outdoor heat exchanger 3, the expansion valve 4, and the outdoor fan 6 are provided in the outdoor unit. The indoor heat exchanger 5, the indoor fan 7, the indoor temperature sensor 8, and the indoor humidity sensor 9 on the indoor side are provided in the indoor unit.
The compressor 1 is a variable speed type (capacity variable type), and operates at a speed corresponding to the frequency of the AC power supplied from the inverter 11. The inverter 11 rectifies the voltage of the commercial AC power supply 10, converts the rectified DC voltage into an AC voltage having a frequency corresponding to a command from the control unit 12, and outputs the AC voltage.

The control unit 12 controls the entire air conditioner. A four-way valve 2, an outdoor fan 6, an indoor fan 7, an indoor temperature sensor 8, an indoor humidity sensor 9, and an inverter 11 are connected to the control unit 12. An outdoor temperature sensor 13 for measuring the outdoor temperature is connected.
The control unit 12 is connected to an input unit 15 for setting operating conditions and the like.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing details of the control unit 12.

In this embodiment, the entire air conditioner is controlled by the CPU 17 of the microcomputer.
The input unit 15 is provided with an operation mode selection button 19, an age mode selection button 21, and a temperature setting button 23. By pressing the operation mode selection button 19, it is possible to select any one of the cooling mode, the heating mode, and the comfort mode. By selecting the comfort mode with the operation mode selection button 19 and pressing the age mode selection button 21, it is possible to select either the child mode or the adult mode. By selecting the cooling mode or the heating mode with the operation mode selection button 19 and pressing the temperature setting button 23, the cooling temperature or the heating temperature can be set.

Here, the comfortable mode predicts a change in the skin temperature of the air-conditioned person from the temperature difference between the current skin temperature of the air-conditioned person and the current room temperature, and the room temperature based on the predicted change in the skin temperature. Is a mode for controlling the room temperature so that the skin temperature of the air-conditioned person becomes a comfortable temperature.
The memory card 25 is connected to the CPU 17 via an interface (I / F) 27. In this memory card 25, as shown in FIG. 3, predicted change values a1 to an and b1 to bn per unit time (minute) of the skin temperature of the air-conditioned person correspond to the temperature difference between the outdoor temperature and the indoor temperature. And remembered. In this embodiment, the skin temperature of the toes is the target skin temperature. The predicted change in skin temperature increases as the temperature difference between the outdoor temperature and the room temperature increases. Moreover, the predicted change value of the skin temperature is stored separately for the child and the adult, and the predicted change values a1 to an of the child are larger than the predicted change values b1 to bn of the adult. The comfortable temperature of the skin temperature is stored separately for the child and the adult, and the comfortable temperature of the child's skin temperature is higher than that of the adult. In this embodiment, the comfortable temperature is a temperature at which the skin temperature of the toe is the most comfortable temperature.

In the above-described air conditioner, when the cooling mode or the heating mode is selected by the operation mode selection button 19, normal control is performed so that the temperature set in the temperature setting button 23 is obtained.
On the other hand, when the comfortable mode is selected by the operation mode selection button 19, control in the child mode or the adult mode is performed.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation in the comfort mode.
In step S1, a temperature difference between the outdoor temperature and the room temperature is obtained based on signals from the outdoor temperature sensor 13 and the room temperature sensor 8. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, when the current indoor temperature is 20 ° C. and the outdoor temperature is 30 ° C., the temperature difference is 10 degrees. Here, it is considered that the skin temperature of a human toe that has entered the room is equal to the outdoor temperature.

In step S2, it is determined whether the mode by the age mode selection button 21 is a child mode or an adult mode. The child mode is set by the adult when, for example, an adult is already in the room and the child returns from school.
In the child mode, in step S3, the predicted change value of the child and the comfortable temperature corresponding to the temperature difference are acquired from the data stored in the memory card 25.

In step S4, an arrival time until the child's skin temperature reaches a predetermined temperature, for example, 20 ° C., is obtained. For example, as shown by a dotted line in FIG. 5, it is assumed that the child's skin temperature reaches 20 ° C. after 15 minutes. This skin temperature of 20 ° C. is the temperature immediately before the child feels “cold”.
Next, in step S5, it is determined whether the arrival time has elapsed.

When the arrival time has elapsed, in step S6, the room temperature is changed to the comfort temperature side of the child. For example, as shown by a dotted line in FIG.
Next, in step S7, a temperature difference between the comfortable skin temperature of the child and the current room temperature is obtained.

Then, by repeating step S3 to step S7, the room temperature converges to the comfortable temperature of the child's skin temperature.
In the adult mode, in step S8, an adult change predicted value and a comfortable temperature corresponding to the temperature difference are acquired from the data stored in the memory card 25.
In step S9, an arrival time until the adult skin temperature reaches a predetermined temperature, for example, 20 ° C., determined in advance at the current indoor temperature is obtained. For example, as shown by a solid line in FIG. 5, it is assumed that the skin temperature of an adult reaches 20 ° C. after 30 minutes. This skin temperature of 20 ° C. is the temperature immediately before an adult feels “cold”.

In step S10, it is determined whether the arrival time has elapsed.
When the arrival time has elapsed, the room temperature is changed to the adult comfortable temperature side in step S11. For example, as indicated by a solid line in FIG. 5, the room temperature is controlled so that the comfortable temperature for adults is 25 ° C.
Next, in step S12, the temperature difference between the comfortable skin temperature of the adult and the current room temperature is obtained after a predetermined time has elapsed from step S11.

Then, by repeating step S8 to step S12, the room temperature converges to the adult comfortable temperature.
In the air conditioning method and the air conditioning apparatus described above, the room temperature is controlled so that the room temperature becomes the comfortable temperature of the air-conditioned person based on the predicted change in skin temperature. The room temperature can be set to a comfortable temperature for the air-conditioned person without a feeling of warmth and coldness.

  That is, for example, in the summer when the outdoor temperature is high, the skin temperature is high, for example, 30 ° C. when outside, for example, when the room temperature is 20 ° C., it feels comfortable, but after a certain time has passed. When the skin temperature drops to 20 ° C., it feels “cold”. Therefore, before the user feels “cold”, the room temperature is increased and automatically changed to a comfortable temperature of the air-conditioned person's skin temperature, so that the air-conditioned person can change the room temperature without changing the temperature by the temperature setting button 23. Can be set to a comfortable temperature for the air-conditioned person.

Moreover, in the air conditioning apparatus mentioned above, optimal control for a child or an adult can be performed by selecting a child mode or an adult mode with the age mode selection button 21.
(Second Embodiment)
FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a second embodiment of the air-conditioning apparatus of the present invention.
In this embodiment, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

In this embodiment, the input unit 15 is provided with an identification mode selection button 31 instead of the age mode selection button 21. By selecting the comfort mode with the operation mode selection button 19 and pressing the identification mode selection button 31, it is possible to select any one of Mr. A mode, Mr. B mode, Mr. C mode or Mr. D mode. is there.
As shown in FIG. 7, the memory card 25 has a skin temperature of Mr. A, Mr. B, Mr. C, and Mr. D corresponding to the Mr. A mode, Mr. B mode, Mr. C mode and Mr. D mode. Predicted change values A1 to An, B1 to Bn, C1 to Cn, and D1 to Dn of unit time (minutes) are stored corresponding to the temperature difference between the outdoor temperature and the indoor temperature.

  In this embodiment, Mr. A, Mr. B, Mr. C and Mr. D are families, Mr. A is a father, Mr. B is a mother, Mr. C is an 8-year-old boy, and Mr. D is a 3-year-old girl. . In addition, the predicted changes in the skin temperature of Mr. A, Mr. B, Mr. C, and Mr. D are based on changes in the skin temperature of the toes obtained by actual measurement. Therefore, the predicted change value is very reliable. And the comfortable temperature of the skin temperature of Mr. A, Mr. B, Mr. C, and Mr. D is stored. This comfortable temperature is the temperature at which the skin temperature of the toes of A, B, C, and D is the most comfortable temperature.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the operation in the comfort mode.
In step S1, a temperature difference between the outdoor temperature and the room temperature is obtained based on signals from the outdoor temperature sensor 13 and the room temperature sensor 8.
In step S2, the identification mode selection button 31 identifies which mode is selected among Mr. A, Mr. B, Mr. C, and Mr. D. For example, when Mr. B is already in the room and Mr. C returns from school, Mr. B sets Mr. C.

In step S <b> 3, the predicted change value and comfortable temperature of the person in the selected mode corresponding to the temperature difference are acquired from the data stored in the memory card 25.
In step S4, an arrival time until the skin temperature of the selected mode person reaches a predetermined temperature, for example, 20 ° C., is obtained.
Next, in step S5, it is determined whether the arrival time has elapsed.

When the arrival time has elapsed, the room temperature is changed to the comfortable temperature side of the person in the selected mode in step S6.
Next, in step S7, a temperature difference between the comfortable temperature of the person in the mode selected after the elapse of a predetermined time from step S6 and the current indoor temperature is obtained.
Then, by repeating step S3 to step S7, the room temperature converges to the comfortable temperature of the person in the selected mode.

In this embodiment, substantially the same effect as the first embodiment can be obtained, but in this embodiment, optimal control can be performed for each of Mr. A, Mr. B, Mr. C, and Mr. D. .
(Supplementary items of the embodiment)
As mentioned above, although this invention was demonstrated by embodiment mentioned above, the technical scope of this invention is not limited to embodiment mentioned above, For example, the following forms may be sufficient.

  (1) In the first embodiment described above, an example in which the adult mode and the child mode can be selected by the age mode selection button 21 has been described. For example, the infant mode, the child mode, the adult mode, the middle-age mode, An elderly person mode or the like may be provided so that these can be selected. Alternatively, the age can be directly input to the input unit, and the change predicted value and the comfortable temperature corresponding to the age may be stored in the memory card.

  (2) In the second embodiment described above, the example in which the identification mode selection button 31 enables identification of Mr. A, Mr. B, Mr. C, and Mr. D has been described. For example, sex is identified by the identification mode selection button. In addition, the memory card may store the predicted change value and the comfortable temperature corresponding to the sex. In other words, women are generally more likely to feel “cold” than men, but the memory card is used to set the optimal comfortable temperature for men and women by storing the predicted change value and comfortable temperature according to gender. Can do.

  (3) In the second embodiment described above, the example in which A, B, C, and D can be identified by the identification mode selection button 31 has been described. For example, the physique is identified by the identification mode selection button The predicted change value and the comfortable temperature may be stored in the memory card corresponding to the physique. In other words, in general, a “thin person” is more likely to feel “cold” than a “fat person”, but by storing a predicted change value and a comfortable temperature corresponding to the physique in a memory card, Comfortable temperature can be set optimally for “people who are” and “people who are fat”.

(4) In the above-described embodiment, the example in which the change in the skin temperature of the air-conditioned person is obtained using the table has been described. However, for example, the change in the skin temperature may be obtained using a change equation. According to the experiments by the present inventor, when the temperature difference is T and the change in skin temperature for 10 minutes at this temperature difference T is H, it is optimal to express the change equation as H = T × 0.17. .
(5) In the above-described embodiment, an example in which the present invention is applied to air conditioning in a building interior has been described. However, the present invention can be widely applied to air conditioning of, for example, cars.

  (6) In the above-described embodiment, the example in which the predicted change value and the comfortable temperature are stored in the memory card 25 has been described. However, for example, it may be stored in a personal computer or the like. Thus, rewriting (updating) of data in each mode can be easily performed by using the memory card 25 or the like. Also, the memory type can be a card type or a USB key type. A data bank can be easily constructed by mounting a physiological database on a memory card or the like.

  (7) In the above-described embodiment, the example in which the temperature of the person who entered the room is the outdoor temperature has been described. However, for example, a non-contact type sensor such as an infrared sensor that measures the human skin temperature in the room is used. It may be provided and the skin temperature may be directly measured by a sensor.

It is explanatory drawing which shows 1st Embodiment of the air conditioning apparatus of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the control part 12 of the air conditioning apparatus of FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the table memorize | stored in the memory card 25 of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement of the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of control of the room temperature by the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows 2nd Embodiment of the air conditioning apparatus of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the table memorize | stored in the memory card 25 of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement of the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the change of the skin temperature which this inventor calculated | required by experiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows the change of the skin temperature of the infant and adult which this inventor calculated | required by experiment.

Explanation of symbols

8 Indoor temperature sensor 13 Outdoor temperature sensor 15 Input unit 19 Operation mode selection button 21 Age mode selection button 31 Identification mode selection button

Claims (9)

  Based on the temperature difference between the current skin temperature of the air-conditioned person and the current indoor temperature, a change in the skin temperature of the air-conditioned person is predicted, and the indoor temperature is determined based on the predicted change in the skin temperature. An air conditioning method, wherein the room temperature is controlled to be a comfortable temperature. A temperature difference measuring means for obtaining a temperature difference between the outdoor temperature and the indoor temperature;
Storage means for storing a change or change formula of the skin temperature of the air-conditioned person with respect to the comfortable temperature of the air-conditioned person and the temperature difference;
Predicting means for predicting an arrival time at which the skin temperature of the air-conditioned person reaches a predetermined temperature based on a change or change formula of the skin temperature of the air-conditioned person stored in the storage means;
Control means for controlling the room temperature so as to reach the comfortable temperature based on the arrival time;
An air conditioner characterized by comprising: In the air conditioning apparatus according to claim 2,
It has input means to input multiple age modes,
In the storage means, changes in the skin temperature of the air-conditioned person with respect to the temperature difference are stored corresponding to the age mode,
The air conditioner characterized in that the predicting means predicts the arrival time based on a change in skin temperature corresponding to the input age mode. The air conditioner according to claim 3,
The air conditioner is characterized in that the age mode is a child mode and an adult mode. In the air conditioning apparatus according to claim 2,
Comprising an input means for inputting a plurality of identification modes;
In the storage means, the comfortable temperature of the air-conditioned person is stored corresponding to the identification mode,
The said control means controls the said room temperature so that it may become the comfortable temperature corresponding to the input identification mode, The air conditioning apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned. In the air conditioning apparatus according to claim 5,
The air conditioning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the identification mode is a mode for distinguishing individuals. In the air conditioning apparatus according to claim 5,
The air conditioning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the identification mode is a mode for distinguishing gender. In the air conditioning apparatus according to claim 5,
The air conditioning apparatus characterized in that the identification mode is a mode for distinguishing a physique. The air conditioner according to any one of claims 2 to 8,
The change equation stored in the storage means is expressed as H = T × a, where T is the temperature difference, H is the change in skin temperature per unit time at the temperature difference T, and a is a predetermined coefficient. An air conditioner characterized by.

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