JP5951529B2 - Air conditioning control device, system, and method - Google Patents

Description

  Embodiments described herein relate generally to an air conditioning control device, a system, and a method.

  Conventionally, an air conditioning control system has been used to manage the temperature of a room such as a building. In the air conditioning control system, since the environment differs for each room to be controlled, it is necessary to perform efficient operation according to the room environment. In order to perform such an operation, a technique for performing an automatic operation using a computer or the like has been proposed.

  Furthermore, in recent years, a technique has been proposed in which air conditioning is controlled to start and stop before the set time so that the temperature is set at the set time.

JP 2002-206785 A

  However, in the prior art, it has been proposed to perform air conditioning control based on weather forecasts, maximum / minimum outside temperature, etc., or to perform air conditioning control using the amount of heat generated by a person in the room as a parameter. It is difficult to calculate the amount of heat generated by an actual person.

  For this reason, even when performing control to start and stop air conditioning from before the set time so as to reach the set temperature at the set time, depending on the state (heat generation amount) of the person in the room Therefore, the start and stop control of the air conditioning control is not performed. Therefore, due to the influence of people in the room, the temperature will not reach the set temperature at the set time, or the temperature will be set earlier than expected, resulting in increased fuel consumption. Etc. had occurred.

The air conditioning control device according to the embodiment includes an acquisition unit, a control unit, and a storage unit . The acquisition unit detects from the detection device that detects a person existing in the predetermined area where the air conditioner is installed, the number of persons existing in the predetermined area, and the degree of movement of the person according to the time transition in the predetermined area Get the amount of activity indicated. The control unit, at the start time calculated based on the change information indicating the change in temperature after starting the air conditioner previously in the predetermined area, the number of people acquired by the acquisition unit, and the amount of activity, The air conditioner is activated, and control is performed to set a predetermined region to a preset temperature at a preset first set time. The storage unit includes change information indicating a temperature change when the air conditioner is activated before, the number of persons existing in the predetermined area when the air conditioner is activated before, and the air conditioner is activated before And the amount of activity of the person existing in the predetermined area at the time. Furthermore, the control unit is configured to acquire the number of people stored in the storage unit, the activity amount stored in the storage unit, the change information stored in the storage unit, and the acquisition unit. The air conditioner in the predetermined area is activated at a start time determined based on the number of people and the amount of activity acquired by the acquisition unit.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an air conditioning control system according to the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a table showing the amount of activity used in the air conditioning control system according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an operation time of the air conditioner controlled by the controller according to the embodiment via the remote I / O. FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the controller according to the embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a table structure of the previous day information storage unit according to the embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a table structure of a weighting factor correspondence table related to the number of people stored in the weighting factor storage unit according to the embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a table structure of a weighting coefficient correspondence table related to the amount of activity stored in the weighting coefficient storage unit according to the embodiment. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating start control of the air conditioner by the controller according to the embodiment. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating stop control of the air conditioner by the controller according to the embodiment. FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of start control of the air conditioner in the controller according to the embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a first example of a room that is subject to air conditioning control by the controller according to the embodiment. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a second example of a room that is subject to air conditioning control by the controller according to the embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a third example of a room that is subject to air conditioning control by the controller according to the embodiment.

  An air conditioning control system for a building or the like controlled by the air conditioning control device, system, and method according to the present embodiment will be described.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an air conditioning control system according to the embodiment. The air conditioning control system shown in FIG. 1 includes a controller 100, a server 150, a monitoring terminal 155, a gateway server 160, a HUB 161, human sensors 170_1 to 170_n, a first remote I / O 180_1, 2 remote I / O 180_2 and 3rd remote I / O 180_3.

  The first remote I / O 180_1, the second remote I / O 180_2, and the third remote I / O 180_3 are interfaces for remotely operating air conditioners provided in each room such as a building. The controller 100 can control the air conditioner installed in each room through the first remote I / O 180_1, the second remote I / O 180_2, and the third remote I / O 180_3.

  The air conditioning device is a device that adjusts the temperature, humidity, and the like of each room, and any device that can be operated from the outside may be used.

  The monitoring terminal 155 is a terminal for the administrator to centrally monitor each facility of the air conditioning control system according to the present embodiment.

  The human sensors 170_1 to 170_n include an imaging unit, and are sensors that detect a person (hereinafter also referred to as an occupant) based on image data captured by the imaging unit. There are various modes for the installation positions and installation methods of the imaging units included in the human sensors 170_1 to 170_n. For example, as with a surveillance camera, the imaging units are installed so that an image is taken at an angle overlooking the indoor space from the upper end of the room to be controlled. Or a fish-eye lens or a super-wide-angle lens attached, and the indoor space can be taken from the center of the indoor ceiling.

  Then, the human sensors 170_1 to 170_n acquire the captured image data captured by the imaging unit in time series. Then, the human sensors 170_1 to 170_n extract difference image data between captured image data acquired in time series, and generate multi-value cumulative difference image data accumulated by superimposing the extracted difference image data. . Accordingly, the human sensors 170_1 to 170_n generate feature amount data in which a change with time series of the space to be imaged is expressed based on the generated multi-value cumulative difference image data.

  In the present embodiment, parameters for generating difference image data (for example, an interval for extracting difference image data and a cumulative number for generating accumulated difference image data) are set according to the environment and action content. Therefore, the description is omitted assuming that an appropriate value is set. Note that the above parameters may be variable according to the environment.

  For example, it is possible to increase the difference interval and cumulative number in a room where there is little movement of people, such as in an office, and to reduce the difference interval and cumulative number in a space where there is much movement of people, such as a department store. .

  The human sensors 170_1 to 170_n use the identification model used for identifying the person with respect to the feature amount data, and the number of occupants existing in the space to be imaged and the occupant's Calculate the amount of activity. Furthermore, the human sensors 170_1 to 170_n may calculate an average activity amount in the region imaged by the imaging unit.

  Any model may be used as the identification model used to identify the amount of activity of the occupants from the feature quantity. For example, as an identification model, SVM (Support Vector Machine) which is a typical pattern recognition technique is used. ), Neural networks, Bayesian classification, etc. can be applied.

  The amount of activity indicates the degree of movement of a person according to time transition in an arbitrary room (arbitrary region). In the present embodiment, the occupant is not moving (for example, doing deskwork), is walking, or is running based on whether or not the movement is greater than a predetermined reference. A value indicating is set.

  FIG. 2 is a table showing the amount of activity used in the air conditioning control system according to the embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, in this embodiment, when the occupant is not moving, the activity amount is “small”, and when the occupant is walking, the activity amount is “medium”, and the occupant is traveling. If so, set the activity amount to “Large”.

  Then, the human sensors 170_1 to 170_n calculate the amount of activity of each occupant and the average amount of activity in the region imaged by the imaging unit.

  When calculating the amount of activity of each occupant, after extracting the person part from the image information of the captured image data, the activity amount may be estimated based on the feature amount of the surrounding area, or the captured image The person part is not extracted from the data, but the distribution of the action content identified based on the feature quantity for the motion of the entire room is subjected to processing such as clustering to estimate the position of the person and the amount of each activity May be calculated. At that time, considering the fact that the size on the image differs depending on the positional relationship between the imaging unit and the subject, set a frame on the image to specify the area for calculating the amount of activity. Alternatively, the amount of activity of each occupant may be calculated based on the identification result in this frame.

  In addition, when calculating the average activity amount in the imaged area, the average activity amount of each occupant calculated by the above-described method, or the identification result obtained from the entire image without extracting the person part The average amount of activity in the room may be estimated from the relationship with the shooting area.

  The human sensors 170_1 to 170_n indicate the number of occupants calculated in a room (for example, an office) that is subject to air conditioning control, the amount of activity of the occupant, the average amount of activity in the room, the HUB 161, and the gateway server. The data is output to the server 150 via 160.

  The server 150 includes a sensor detection result storage unit 151. The sensor detection result storage unit 151 stores the number of people in the room, the amount of activity of the room people, and the average amount of activity in the room input from the human sensors 170_1 to 170_n. Remember me.

  Based on the number of occupants, the amount of activity of the occupants, and the average amount of activity, which is the detection result of the human sensors 170_1 to 170_n stored in the sensor detection result storage unit 151, the controller 100 The air conditioner provided in each room is controlled using the remote I / O 180_1, the second remote I / O 180_2, and the third remote I / O 180_3.

  By the way, the air conditioner performs control so that the room temperature becomes the set temperature. However, it takes time until the room temperature reaches the set temperature after the air conditioner is activated. Therefore, the controller 100 performs the forward operation of the air conditioner so that the room temperature reaches the comfortable temperature at the set time when the air conditioner should be operated (time when the schedule is registered by the administrator).

  Similarly, when the controller 100 stops the air conditioner, the controller 100 moves forward so long as the occupants are not uncomfortable.

  The forward running time for starting and stopping varies depending on the indoor and outdoor environments. Therefore, in the present embodiment, today's control is performed in consideration of the temperature change when the previous day's control of the target area is performed.

  Furthermore, the controller 100 according to the present embodiment also determines the air conditioning cooling / heating mode from the room temperature and the set temperature when the forward operation is performed.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the operating time of the air conditioner controlled by the controller 100 via the first remote I / O 180_1, the second remote I / O 180_2, and the third remote I / O 180_3. In the example shown in FIG. 3, it is assumed that the interval between 8 am and 6 pm is set to 28 degrees. Thereby, the controller 100 performs control so that the temperature of the room to be controlled falls below 28 degrees from 8 am to 6 pm.

  By the way, the stop time and start time of an air-conditioning apparatus are calculated | required by the arithmetic processing performed regularly. Conventionally, the parameters used to calculate the start time and stop time are mainly the room temperature of the previous day and the rate of change in the room temperature, and the amount of activity due to the number of people in the room, the movement of people in the room, etc. has not been considered. For this reason, if the difference in the number of people and the amount of activity from the previous day is large, the rate of change in room temperature will also be different, and even if start control of the air conditioning equipment is started at the same time as the previous day, the set room temperature cannot be reached at the target time, There was a risk of impairing comfort. Moreover, although stop control was started at the same time as the previous day, the room temperature changed more severely than the previous day, and the room temperature changed to an uncomfortable level, which might impair the comfort of the occupants.

  Therefore, the controller 100 according to the present embodiment calculates the room temperature change rate in consideration of the difference in the number of people and the amount of activity from the previous day. Thereby, more accurate start time and stop time can be calculated. In addition, by periodically calculating the room temperature change rate, it is possible to consider changes in the number of people and the amount of activity in the room based on the time transition.

  In the example shown in FIG. 3, the controller 100 according to the present embodiment realizes that it reaches 28 degrees at 8 pm by starting the air conditioner at a room temperature of 31 degrees at 7:30 am. .

  Similarly, the controller 100 according to the present embodiment maintains the room temperature of 28 degrees until 6 pm by stopping the air conditioner at the time of room temperature of 26 degrees at 5:40 pm.

  For example, when the cooling start is performed, if the number of persons (or the amount of activity) is twice the previous day, a room temperature change rate lower than the previous day is calculated. In this case, the air conditioner is started at a time earlier than the previous day based on the room temperature change rate.

  Also, if the number of people (or amount of activity) is half the previous day, a higher room temperature change rate than the previous day is calculated. In this case, the air conditioner is started at a later time than the previous day based on the room temperature change rate. Next, the configuration of the controller 100 will be described.

  The controller 100 only needs to have the same configuration as that of a normal information processing device (for example, a PC). For example, the controller 100 includes a control device such as a CPU and a storage device such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a RAM. , An external storage device such as an HDD or a CD drive device, a display device such as a display device, and a communication I / F, and has a hardware configuration using a normal computer.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the controller 100 according to the present embodiment. In the example illustrated in FIG. 4, the controller 100 includes a previous day information storage unit 301, a setting information storage unit 302, a weight coefficient storage unit 303, a timer 304, an acquisition unit 305, a calculation unit 306, and a determination unit 307. And a control unit 308. The previous day information storage unit 301, the setting information storage unit 302, and the weight coefficient storage unit 303 are realized on the HDD, and the acquisition unit 305, the calculation unit 306, the determination unit 307, and the control unit 308 are installed on the RAM as a software configuration. Realized. The timer 304 measures the current time.

  The previous day information storage unit 301 stores information when the air conditioner on the previous day is controlled. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a table structure of the previous day information storage unit 301 according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 5, the previous day information storage unit 301 is a region unit to be imaged by the human sensors 170_1 to 170_n, and the room temperature change rate of the previous day, the number of people of the previous day, Are stored in association with the average amount of activity. The room temperature change rate of the previous day indicates the change rate of the room temperature after starting the previous day air conditioning in the room (predetermined area), or the change rate of the room temperature after stopping the air conditioning in the room (predetermined area) the previous day. Information.

  The setting information storage unit 302 stores a set time and a set temperature set by the administrator.

  The weighting coefficient storage unit 303 stores the weighting coefficient used when calculating the room temperature change rate today based on the number of people in the room and the amount of activity from the room temperature change rate on the previous day.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a table structure of a weighting coefficient correspondence table related to the number of people stored in the weighting coefficient storage unit 303. As shown in FIG. 6, the coefficient correspondence table stores the number of people and the weighting coefficient in association with each other.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a table structure of a weighting coefficient correspondence table related to the amount of activity stored in the weighting coefficient storage unit 303. As illustrated in FIG. 7, the weighting coefficient correspondence table stores activity amounts and weighting coefficients in association with each other.

  Then, the controller 100 according to the present embodiment periodically starts the air conditioner using the timer 304 when the calculation start time (for example, one hour before) before the set time is reached. The stop time at which the device is stopped is calculated. In the present embodiment, the start time (or end time) is calculated in consideration of the number of people present in the room and the amount of activity in addition to the indoor and outdoor environments. In addition, about the method which considers indoor and outdoor environment, description is abbreviate | omitted that what is necessary is just to use the method similar to the past.

  The acquisition unit 305 starts the calculation for calculating the start time and the stop time by the timer 304, and is periodically detected by the human sensors 170_1 to 170_n from the server 150 via the communication I / F. The amount of activity indicating the number of people present in each area and the degree of movement of the person according to the time transition in the area is acquired.

  The calculation unit 306 calculates the current room temperature based on the number of people and the amount of activity for each region acquired by the acquisition unit 305 and the room temperature change rate, the number of people and the amount of activity for the previous day for each region stored in the previous day information storage unit 301. Calculate the rate of change. First, for ease of explanation, a case where one human sensor and one air conditioner are provided in one room will be described. The following formula (1) for calculating the room temperature change rate α ′ used when starting the air conditioner is shown.

  α ′ = α * (N_yesterday / N_today) * (A_yesterday / A_today) (1)

  N_today is a weighting coefficient for the number of people today. In this embodiment, the weighting coefficient N_today associated with the detected number of persons can be acquired by referring to the weighting coefficient correspondence table regarding the number of persons. Note that the weighting coefficient N_yesterday of the number of people on the previous day can be acquired from the previous day information storage unit 301.

  A_today is a weighting coefficient of today's average activity amount. In this embodiment, the weighting coefficient A_today associated with the detected activity amount can be acquired by referring to the weighting coefficient correspondence table regarding the activity amount. Note that the weighting coefficient A_yesterday of the activity amount for the previous day can be acquired from the previous day information storage unit 301.

  In the case of cooling control, as shown in Equation (1), when the number of people in the room increases or the amount of activity increases compared to the previous day, the current room temperature change rate is higher than the room temperature change rate α calculated at the start day. Lower.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, by considering the amount of activity and the number of people as described above, it is possible to reach a preset temperature at the start time of the setting and provide a comfortable environment for the occupants.

  Equation (1) is the room temperature change rate α ′ used when starting the cooling, and the room temperature change rate α ″ used when stopping the cooling calculates the room temperature change rate using a different method. Equation (2) for calculating the room temperature change rate α ″ used when stopping the air conditioner is shown below.

  α ″ = α * (N_today / N_yesterday) * (A_today / A_yesterday) (2)

  As shown in Expression (2), when the number of people in the room increases from the previous day, the actual room temperature change rate α is higher than the room temperature change rate α at the time of stop calculated on the previous day.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, by considering the amount of activity and the number of people as described above, it is possible to prevent the room temperature from becoming uncomfortable before reaching the setting end time.

  Further, when the heating control is activated, the calculation unit 306 calculates that the room temperature change rate of today is lower than the room temperature change rate at the start of the previous day when there are fewer people in the room than the previous day. In addition, when heating control is stopped, the calculation unit 306 calculates that the room temperature change rate today is higher than the room temperature change rate at the stop of the previous day when there are fewer people in the room than the previous day.

  And the calculation part 306 calculates the starting time which starts an air conditioner, or the stop time which stops an air conditioner based on today's calculated room temperature change rate.

  As described above, the calculation unit 306 according to the present embodiment stores, for each room, the number of people stored in the previous day information storage unit 301, the amount of activity stored in the previous day information storage unit 301, and the previous day information storage unit 301. The start time for starting the air conditioner or the stop time for stopping the air conditioner is calculated based on the changed rate, the number of people acquired by the acquiring unit 305, and the amount of activity acquired by the acquiring unit 305. .

  The calculation unit 306 according to the present embodiment calculates a start time for starting the air conditioner or a stop time for stopping the air conditioner for each room. In addition, if there are multiple human sensors in one room, any method may be used.For example, the total number of people calculated for each human sensor and the average calculated for each human sensor It is conceivable that the calculation unit 306 calculates the room temperature change rate of the room based on the average value of the activity amount.

  The determination unit 307 determines whether or not the current time measured by the timer 304 is a start time or a stop time calculated by the calculation unit 306. The determination unit 307 according to the present embodiment determines whether it is the start time or the stop time for each room.

  When the determination unit 307 determines that the activation time is the activation time, the control unit 308 performs control to activate the air conditioner in the corresponding room. Moreover, the control part 308 performs control which stops the air conditioner of a corresponding room, when the determination part 307 determines with a stop time.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the start control of the air conditioning equipment by the controller 100 according to the present embodiment. In the example illustrated in FIG. 8, the control is performed so that the room temperature (for example, 28 degrees) set by the set time: 8 am is set for both the previous day and today. Note that conditions other than the number of people in the room and the amount of activity (such as indoor and outdoor temperatures) are substantially the same on the previous day and today and will not be described.

  The day before, when the number of people is “10” and the average activity is “medium” by the human sensor, the air conditioner is started at 7:40 am based on the room temperature change rate, so that the set time: 8 am Assume that the set room temperature has been reached. It is assumed that the number of people is detected by a human sensor as “20 people” and the average activity amount is “large” today.

  As a result, the calculation unit 306 recognizes that there are more people today and the average amount of activity is larger than the previous day, and thus calculates a room temperature change rate lower than the previous day. Then, as a result of calculating the start time based on the calculated room temperature change rate, it is determined that the calculation unit 306 needs to be activated at a time earlier than the previous day. Note that the calculation of the start time is periodically performed until the start time is reached.

  Accordingly, in the example illustrated in FIG. 8, the calculation unit 306 calculates 7:30 am earlier than the previous day as the start time of activation. Accordingly, the control unit 308 performs start control of the indoor air conditioner at 7:30 am.

  On the other hand, in the case of heating control, when the number of people or the amount of activity is large compared to the previous day, the room temperature is also likely to rise, so the calculation unit 306 calculates a room temperature change rate higher than the previous day. Therefore, the time when the control unit 308 starts to control the air conditioner is delayed.

  Thereby, the control unit 308 according to the present embodiment includes a room temperature change rate indicating a change in temperature after starting the air conditioner before in the room, the number of people present in the room acquired by the acquisition unit 305, The air conditioner in the room is activated at the start time determined based on the activity amount of the person existing in the room, and the control is performed to set the temperature at a preset time at the set time set for the room. .

  FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating stop control of the air conditioner by the controller 100 according to the present embodiment. In the example illustrated in FIG. 9, the control is performed so as to maintain the set time: room temperature (for example, 28 degrees) set at 6:00 pm on both the previous day and today. Note that conditions other than the number of people in the room and the amount of activity (such as indoor and outdoor temperatures) are substantially the same on the previous day and today and will not be described.

  The day before, when the number of people is “9” and the average amount of activity is “small” by the human sensor, the air conditioning equipment is stopped at 5:30 pm based on the room temperature change rate, until the set time: 6 pm It is assumed that the set room temperature can be maintained. Today, it is assumed that the number of persons is detected by the human sensor as “17 people” and the average activity amount is “medium”.

  As a result, the calculation unit 306 recognizes that the number of people today is larger and the average amount of activity is larger than the previous day, and thus calculates a room temperature change rate higher than the previous day. Then, as a result of calculating the stop time based on the calculated room temperature change rate, it is determined that the calculation unit 306 needs to stop at a time later than the previous day. The calculation of the stop time is performed periodically until the stop time is reached.

  Accordingly, in the example illustrated in FIG. 9, the calculation unit 306 calculates 5:40 pm, which is later than the previous day, as the stop time. Along with this, the control unit 308 performs stop control of the air conditioner in the room at 5:40 pm.

  On the other hand, in the case of heating control, when the number of people is large or the amount of activity is large compared to the previous day, the room temperature is also difficult to decrease, so the calculation unit 306 calculates a room temperature change rate lower than the previous day. Therefore, the time when the control unit 308 starts to control the air conditioner is earlier.

  Thereby, the control unit 308 according to the present embodiment, for each room, the rate of change in room temperature when the air conditioner is stopped the previous day, the number of people when the air conditioner is stopped the previous day, and when the air conditioner is stopped the previous day. Control is performed to stop the air conditioner in the room at the stop time determined based on the average activity amount, the number of persons acquired by the acquisition unit 305, and the average activity amount acquired by the acquisition unit 305. Thus, the preset temperature is held until the set time set for the room.

  Next, start control of the air conditioner in the controller 100 according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the above-described start control procedure in the controller 100 according to the present embodiment. In addition, the flowchart shown in FIG. 10 shall be performed for every room used as the object of air-conditioning control.

  First, the controller 100 determines whether or not it is the calculation start time for starting the calculation of the set time (step S1001). If it is not the calculation start time (step S1001: No), the processing is performed again from step S1001.

  On the other hand, when the controller 100 determines that it is the calculation start time for starting the calculation of the set time (step S1001: Yes), the calculation unit 306 determines from the previous day information storage unit 301 the room temperature change rate of the previous day, the start of the previous day. The number of people present at the time calculation and the average amount of activity detected at the start time calculation of the previous day are acquired (step S1002).

  Next, the acquisition unit 305 acquires the current number of persons and the average amount of activity from the server 150 from the human sensors 170_1 to 170_n provided in the air-conditioning target room (step S1003).

  Next, the calculation unit 306 calculates the room temperature change rate of the previous day, the number of people who existed when calculating the start time of the previous day, the average activity amount detected when calculating the start time of the previous day, the current number of people, and the current average activity amount. Based on this, the current room temperature change rate is calculated (step S1004).

  Then, the calculation unit 306 calculates a start time for starting control of air conditioning based on the calculated current room temperature change rate, current room temperature, set time, and set temperature (step S1005).

  Thereafter, the determination unit 307 determines whether it is a start time according to the current time measured by the timer 304 (step S1006). When it is determined that it is not the start time (step S1006: No), it is determined whether a predetermined time (for example, 10 minutes) has elapsed since the previous start time was calculated (step S1007). When it determines with not having passed (step S1007: No), a process is started from step S1006. On the other hand, if it is determined that a predetermined time (for example, 10 minutes) has elapsed since the previous start time was calculated (step S1007: Yes), the process may be started again from step S1003 because the situation may have changed.

  On the other hand, when it is determined by the determination unit 307 that the start time is determined in step S1006 (step S1006: Yes), the control unit 308 starts control of the air conditioner in the room (step S1008).

  With the processing procedure described above, it is possible to control the air conditioner for each room in consideration of the number of people in the room and the amount of activity.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a first example of a room that is subject to air conditioning control by the controller 100. In the example illustrated in FIG. 11, it is assumed that one human sensor 1170 and one air conditioner 1180 are provided in one room. The human sensor 1170 can detect a person in the room from the entire area 1101 of the room. For this reason, the controller 100 can control the air conditioner 1180 based on the number of people in the room, which is the detection result of the human sensor 1170, and the amount of activity.

  However, since the detection range of the human sensor has an upper limit, it is necessary to install a plurality of human sensors when the room is large. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a second example of a room that is subject to air conditioning control by the controller 100. In the example shown in FIG. 12, a plurality of human sensors 1270_1 and 1270_2 are provided in one room, and a plurality of air conditioners 1280_1 and 1280_2 are provided. Human sensors 1270_1 and 1270_2 are assigned to each partial area included in the room. Specifically, the human sensor 1270_1 sets the area 1201 as a detection target, and the human sensor 1270_2 sets the area 1202 as a detection target, whereby the entire room can be set as the detection target.

  When a plurality of human sensors 1270_1 and 1270_2 are used in one room in this way, the calculation unit 306 calculates the total number of persons acquired from each of the human sensors 1270_1 and 1270_2 and the human sensors 1270_1 and 1270_2. The room temperature change rate and the start time (or stop time) in the room are calculated using the average value of the acquired average activity amount. Then, the control unit 308 controls the air conditioners 1280_1 and 1280_2 according to the calculated start time (or stop time).

  Further, in this embodiment, when calculating the number of people in a room, it is not necessary to make the whole room a detection target of the people in the room. For example, a person passing through a passage in a room immediately moves to another place. For this reason, since it is thought that the person detected from the passage etc. has little influence on the room temperature change of the room, the passage may be excluded from the detection target.

  FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a third example of a room for which the controller 100 is subject to air conditioning control. In the example illustrated in FIG. 13, a plurality of human sensors 1370_1 and 1370_2 are provided in one room, and a plurality of air conditioners 1380_1, 1380_2, and 1380_3 are provided.

  Human sensors 1230_1 and 1370_2 are assigned to each partial area of the office space excluding the passage in the room. Specifically, the human sensor 1370_1 sets the area 1301 as the detection target, and the human sensor 1370_2 sets the area 1302 as the detection target, so that the office space excluding the passage in the entire room is the detection target. be able to.

  In the example illustrated in FIG. 13, the control unit 308 controls the air conditioners 1380_1, 1380_2, and 1380_3 according to the start time (or stop time) calculated by the same processing as in the example illustrated in FIG.

  In addition, although this embodiment demonstrated the example in which the controller 100 controls an air conditioner based on the number of occupants calculated by the human sensitive sensors 170_1 to 170_n and the amount of activity of the occupants, It is not limited to calculating the number of persons and the amount of activity on the human sensor 170_1 to 170_n side, and the number of people in the room and the amount of activity may be calculated on the controller 100 side. For example, only the imaging camera is installed in each room, the captured image data captured by the installed imaging camera is stored in the server 150, and the controller 100 determines the number of people in the room and the activity based on the captured image data. It is conceivable to calculate the quantity. As another aspect, the number of people in the room and the amount of activity may be calculated on the server 150 side.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the start control and stop control of the air conditioner with higher accuracy than conventional can be performed by considering the number of people present in the room and the amount of activity of the person in the room. It can be carried out. Thereby, even when the difference in the number of people and the amount of activity from the previous day is large, the comfort of the occupants can be maintained. Furthermore, since appropriate temperature management is possible, the energy consumption by an air conditioner can be suppressed.

  The control program executed by the controller 100 according to the present embodiment is a file in an installable format or an executable format, and is a computer such as a CD-ROM, a flexible disk (FD), a CD-R, a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk). It is recorded on a readable recording medium and provided.

  Further, the control program executed by the controller 100 of the present embodiment may be provided by being stored on a computer connected to a network such as the Internet and downloaded via the network. The control program executed by the controller 100 of the present embodiment may be provided or distributed via a network such as the Internet.

  Further, the control program of the present embodiment may be provided by being incorporated in advance in a ROM or the like.

  The control program executed by the controller 100 according to the present embodiment has a module configuration including the above-described units (acquisition unit, calculation unit, determination unit, control unit), and CPU (processor) is used as actual hardware. By reading and executing the control program from the storage medium, the above-described units are loaded onto the RAM, and an acquisition unit, a calculation unit, a determination unit, and a control unit are generated on the RAM.

  Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. These embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the invention described in the claims and the equivalents thereof.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Controller, 150 ... Server, 151 ... Sensor detection result memory | storage part, 155 ... Monitoring terminal, 160 ... Gateway server, 170_1-170_n ... Human sensor, 180_1 ... 1st remote I / O, 180_2 ... 2nd remote I / O, 180_3 ... third remote I / O, 301 ... previous day information storage unit, 302 ... setting information storage unit, 303 ... weight coefficient storage unit, 304 ... timer, 305 ... acquisition unit, 306 ... calculation unit, 307 ... determination unit 308: Control unit.

Claims (6)

Activity that shows the number of people in the predetermined area and the degree of movement of the person according to the time transition in the predetermined area from the detection device that detects the person in the predetermined area where the air conditioner is installed An acquisition unit for acquiring an amount, and
At a start time calculated based on change information indicating a change in temperature after the air conditioner was previously activated in the predetermined area, the number of persons acquired by the acquisition unit, and the amount of activity. A controller that activates the air conditioner and controls the predetermined region to a preset temperature at a preset first set time;
Change information indicating a temperature change when the air conditioner was activated before, the number of persons existing in the predetermined area when the air conditioner was activated before, and the air conditioner when the air conditioner was activated before A storage unit for storing the amount of activity of a person existing in a predetermined area,
The control unit includes the number of persons stored in the storage unit, the amount of activity stored in the storage unit, the change information stored in the storage unit, and the number of persons acquired by the acquisition unit. An air- conditioning control apparatus that activates the air-conditioning equipment in the predetermined area at a start time determined based on the activity amount acquired by the acquisition unit. The control unit includes change information indicating a change in temperature after the air conditioner was previously stopped in the predetermined area, the number of persons acquired by the acquisition unit, and the activity amount acquired by the acquisition unit. And by stopping the air conditioner in the predetermined area at a stop time determined based on the above, the temperature set in advance in the predetermined area is held until the second set time set in advance.
The air conditioning control device according to claim 1. The acquisition unit further includes, from each of the detection devices assigned to each partial area representing the area included in the predetermined room, the number of persons existing in the partial area and a person corresponding to a time transition in the partial area. Activity amount indicating the degree of movement of
The control unit activates an air conditioner in the predetermined room at a start time determined based on the change information, the plurality of persons acquired by the acquisition unit, and the plurality of activity amounts.
The air conditioning control device according to claim 1 or 2 . The control unit further activates a plurality of air conditioners installed in the predetermined room,
The air conditioning control device according to claim 3 . In an air conditioning control system including an air conditioning control device, a detection device that detects a person existing in a predetermined region, an air conditioning device installed in the predetermined region, and an air conditioning control device that controls the air conditioning device,
The air conditioning control device
An acquisition unit that acquires, from the detection device, the number of people present in the predetermined area and the amount of activity indicating the degree of movement of the person according to the time transition in the predetermined area;
At a start time calculated based on change information indicating a change in temperature after the air conditioner was previously activated in the predetermined area, the number of persons acquired by the acquisition unit, and the amount of activity. A controller that activates the air conditioner and controls the predetermined region to a preset temperature at a preset first set time;
Change information indicating a temperature change when the air conditioner was activated before, the number of persons existing in the predetermined area when the air conditioner was activated before, and the air conditioner when the air conditioner was activated before A storage unit for storing the amount of activity of a person existing in a predetermined area,
The control unit includes the number of persons stored in the storage unit, the amount of activity stored in the storage unit, the change information stored in the storage unit, and the number of persons acquired by the acquisition unit. An air conditioning control system that activates the air conditioner in the predetermined area at a start time determined based on the activity amount acquired by the acquisition unit . Activity that shows the number of people in the predetermined area and the degree of movement of the person according to the time transition in the predetermined area from the detection device that detects the person in the predetermined area where the air conditioner is installed An acquisition step to acquire an amount; and
At a start time calculated based on change information indicating a change in temperature after the air conditioner was previously activated in the predetermined area, the number of persons acquired by the acquisition step, and the amount of activity. A control step of starting the air conditioner and performing control to set the predetermined area to a preset temperature at a preset first set time ,
In the control step,
The number of people who existed in the predetermined area when the air conditioner was activated before, the amount of activity of the person who existed in the predetermined area when the air conditioner was activated before, and the air conditioner activated before At the start time determined based on the change information indicating the temperature change at the time of the acquisition, the number of persons acquired by the acquisition unit, and the amount of activity acquired by the acquisition unit. An air conditioning control method that activates air conditioning equipment .

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