WO2015119119A1

WO2015119119A1 - Air conditioning system, air conditioning device, air conditioning control method and program

Info

Publication number: WO2015119119A1
Application number: PCT/JP2015/053003
Authority: WO
Inventors: 清高松江; 和人久保田; 明弘長岩; 酢山　明弘; 恭介片山; 卓久和田; 俊昭枝広
Original assignee: 株式会社東芝
Priority date: 2014-02-07
Filing date: 2015-02-03
Publication date: 2015-08-13
Also published as: JP2015148417A

Abstract

The air conditioning system of this embodiment can be used in buildings in which energy is managed by an energy management system. The air conditioning system is equipped with an acquisition unit, an estimation unit, and a control unit. The acquisition unit acquires information that can be collected by the energy management system. The estimation unit estimates the heat load in an air conditioning area on the basis of the acquired information. The control unit controls an air conditioning device in the air conditioning area on the basis of the estimated heat load.

Description

Air conditioning system, air conditioner, air conditioning control method, and program

Embodiment of this invention is related with an air-conditioning control technique.

In recent years, the need for a comfortable living environment has increased. Indices such as PMV (Predicted Mean Vote) that expresses the comfort felt by people are becoming known. Air conditioning control technology has attracted attention (see Non-Patent Document 1).

For example, an air conditioning control technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 is known. In Patent Document 1, the movement of a resident is detected by a human detection sensor, and the mode of air conditioning operation is changed based on the result. For example, when the movement of the occupant in the door direction and the presence of the survivor are detected at the same time, the operation mode of the air conditioner is changed from the normal operation to the exit operation. After a certain period of time has elapsed, the operation mode is returned from the exit-response operation to the normal operation.

JP 2012-52769 A

In Patent Document 1, since air conditioning is controlled only for a certain period of time based on the presence / absence of a resident, it is difficult to follow a change in room temperature, and sufficient comfort for the resident is not always obtained. . In the existing technology, the air conditioner is controlled by feedback control that reduces the difference between the sensor value of the indoor temperature sensor and the target value. Therefore, if the location of the temperature sensor and the occupant's location are separated, the desired comfort is achieved. Sexuality may not be obtained. In the first place, even if the fact that the room temperature has changed is fed back, it takes a considerable amount of time for the room temperature to reach a desired value. Some technological innovation is awaited.

The purpose is to provide an air conditioning system, an air conditioner, an air conditioning control method, and a program that further enhance comfort.

According to the embodiment, the air conditioning system can be applied to a building whose energy is managed by the energy management system. The air conditioning system includes an acquisition unit, an estimation unit, and a control unit. The acquisition unit acquires information that can be collected by the energy management system. An estimation part estimates the heat load in an air-conditioning area based on the acquired information. The control unit controls the air conditioner in the air conditioning area based on the estimated heat load.

Drawing 1 is a figure showing an example of an air-conditioning system concerning an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram illustrating an example of the home gateway 122 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure related to estimation of heat load by the home gateway 122. FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure related to determination of the air conditioning control amount by the home gateway 122. FIG. 5 is a diagram schematically showing the flow of heat and various information in the home 101. FIG. 6 is a flowchart schematically showing a processing flow in the embodiment. FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram illustrating an example of an air conditioning system according to the second embodiment. FIG. 8 is a diagram schematically showing the flow of information in the second embodiment. FIG. 9 is a functional block diagram illustrating an example of an air conditioner according to the third embodiment.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of an air conditioning system according to an embodiment. In FIG. 1, electric power (AC voltage) supplied from an electric power system 6 as a distribution network is distributed to each user's home (home) 101 through a transformer 61 of a utility pole. The distributed power is connected to a distribution board 113 via a watt-hour meter (smart meter) 112. The watt-hour meter 112 has a function of measuring various types of power. The amount of power that can be measured includes the amount of power generated by the renewable energy power generation system provided in the home 101, the amount of power consumed by the home 101, the amount of power flowing from the power system 6 to the home 101, or the reverse power flow from the home 101 to the power system 6. The amount of power to be (reverse flow) can be mentioned.

The distribution board 113 supplies power to home appliances (air conditioner 123, lighting 124, refrigerator 125, television 126, heat pump type water heater (not shown), etc.) and power conditioner (Power パワー Conditioning System: PCS) 114 via the power line 111. Supply. The distribution board 113 may include a measuring device that measures the amount of power for each feeder.

The PV unit 115 is installed on the roof or outer wall of the home 101. The DC power generated by the PV unit 115 is supplied to the power conditioner 114. The power conditioner 114 applies this DC power to the storage battery 116 in order to charge the storage battery 116.

Incidentally, the home 101 includes a home gateway (Home Gateway: HGW) 122 as a main device. With the home gateway 122 as a core, a HEMS (Home Energy Management System) is formed as an energy management system. The HEMS manages the energy of the home 101. The home gateway 122 can be understood as being almost synonymous with HEMS. Alternatively, the home gateway 122 can be understood as part of the HEMS.

The home gateway 122 is connected to a cloud computing system (hereinafter abbreviated as “cloud”) 200. The cloud 200 is a distributed processing system formed using an information communication network such as the Internet or VPN (Virtual Private Network). The cloud 200 includes a server device 10 and a database 20. The home gateway 122 can communicate with the server device 10 of the cloud 200 and exchange data with the database 20.

Furthermore, the home gateway 122 is connected to the terminal 105. The terminal 105 may be, for example, a general-purpose portable information device, a personal computer, or a tablet terminal in addition to a touch panel. The terminal 105 displays the operating status and power consumption of each home appliance, fuel cell 119, storage battery 116, and PV unit 115 on, for example, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or informs the user by voice guidance or the like. The terminal 105 includes an operation panel and accepts various operations and setting inputs by the user.

The home 101 is formed with a home network 121 such as a LAN (Local Area Network). The home gateway 122 can communicate with the watt hour meter 112, the distribution board 113, the power conditioner 114, and each home appliance via the home network 121.

The home network 121 may be a wired link or a wireless link. Further, an image sensor 127 that acquires indoor image data is connected to the home network 121. The image sensor 127 can be supplied with power from a home network 121 by wire, for example. The image sensor 127 also has a function of analyzing the acquired image data. With this function, the image sensor 127 calculates, for example, information indicating the presence / absence of a person in a room (referred to as person presence / absence information).

ECHONET (registered trademark), ECHONET Lite (registered trademark), ZigBee (registered trademark), Z-Wave (registered trademark), KNX (registered trademark), or the like can be used as a home communication protocol in the home 101. For the lower layer of the protocol, a wired LAN such as Ethernet (registered trademark), power line communication (PLC), wireless LAN, Bluetooth (registered trademark), or the like can be used. The cloud 200 can include a wireless or wired communication infrastructure for forming a bidirectional communication environment between the home gateway 122 and the server device 10.

The HEMS in the embodiment has a function of collecting information related to home appliances (such as an air conditioner 123, a lighting 124, a refrigerator 125, and a television 126) provided in the home 101. In the embodiment, the air conditioning environment of the home 101 is made comfortable by controlling the air conditioner 123 using the function of the HEMS.

That is, the air conditioner 123 is an air conditioner that is provided in the air conditioning area and performs air conditioning in the air conditioning area. In particular, in the embodiment, it is also possible to assume a whole-building air conditioner including a duct connected to each room and a blower fan as the air conditioner 123. Furthermore, the air conditioner 123 in the embodiment has not only a temperature control function but also a humidity control function. That is, the air conditioner 123 also has functions as a humidifier and a dehumidifier. Next, a plurality of embodiments will be described based on the above configuration.

[First Embodiment]
FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram illustrating an example of the home gateway 122 according to the first embodiment. In FIG. 2, the home gateway 122 is a computer including a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 12. In addition to the communication function with the cloud 200, a software module for realizing the function according to the embodiment is installed in the home gateway 122.

The home gateway 122 includes a communication unit 11, a CPU 12, a program memory 13, and a storage unit 14. That is, the home gateway 122 is a computer that realizes its function through arithmetic processing of the CPU 12 based on programs and data stored in hardware.

The communication unit 11 is connected to the home network 121 and the cloud 200, and functions as a communication interface. That is, the communication unit 11 has functions for communicating with the server device 10, exchanging data with the database 20, and communicating with home appliances connected to the HEMS.

The program memory 13 stores an acquisition program 13a, an estimation program 13b, and a control program 13c as programs including instructions necessary for processing functions according to this embodiment. The acquisition program 13a, the estimation program 13b, and the control program 13c can be recorded on a removable medium (recording medium) such as a CD-ROM. Alternatively, these programs can be downloaded to the home gateway 122 via a communication line.

The CPU 12 reads each program from the program memory 13 and performs arithmetic processing by hardware. The CPU 12 includes an acquisition unit 12a, an estimation unit 12b, and a control unit 12c as processing functions.

The acquisition unit 12a acquires information that can be collected by the HEMS via the home network 121.
The estimation unit 12b estimates the heat load in the air-conditioning area based on the information acquired by the acquisition unit 12a.

The control unit 12c controls the air conditioner 123 based on the thermal load estimated by the estimation unit 12b.

The storage unit 14 is a storage device such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or a semiconductor memory, and stores the chassis information 14a, the PV power generation history 14b, and the parameter group 14c.

躯 Body information 14a is information indicating the characteristics of the building of the home 101, and its contents are diverse. In the embodiment, information such as the material of the outer wall, the material of the inner wall, the material of the roof, or the heat insulating performance of the window glass is considered as the contents of the frame information 14a. Information such as the structure, design, and material of the building of the home 101 is also included in the housing information 14a. Further, the frame information 14a includes, for example, structural information such as ceiling height, width, and depth of each room, the material and orientation of the window glass, the heat transmission rate of the glass, the outer wall area, the roof area, the wall thickness, and the member. Includes information. Of course, the information is not limited to this.

The PV power generation amount history 14 b is data indicating a history of the power generation amount of the PV unit 115. The power generation amount of the PV unit 115 is measured from time to time by a power conditioner 114 at predetermined intervals (1 minute interval, 30 minute interval, 1 hour interval, etc.), for example. The power conditioner 114 stores this measured value in the storage unit of the home gateway 122 as the PV power generation history 14b.
The parameter group 14c includes various setting information, constants, coefficients, and other values necessary for the arithmetic processing of the CPU 12. Next, the operation of the above configuration will be described in detail.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure related to estimation of thermal load by the home gateway 122. In FIG. 3, the acquisition part 12a acquires the information required for calculating the thermal load in the air-conditioned space from the HEMS via the home network 121 (step S1). Information to be acquired includes, for example, PV power generation amount, home appliance power consumption amount, person presence / absence information, temperature information (room temperature, target temperature), humidity information, and housing information (outer wall, inner wall, roof, window glass Various information). Each piece of information is acquired periodically, irregularly, or in real time based on its nature (real time value). For example, the power consumption of home appliances can be collected from the distribution board 113 and acquired.

PV power generation amount (PV) is the power generation amount of the PV unit 115. The PV power generation amount PV is acquired from the power conditioner 114, for example. The PV power generation amount may be expressed as PV (t) as a function of time t. The unit of time t is hour, minute, second, and the like.

The home appliance power consumption is the power consumption of each home appliance. In the embodiment, home appliance power consumption is denoted as _PAP . The subscript AP indicates appliances (home appliance). P _AP home appliances power consumption is information that can be obtained from the HEMS. That is Appliances power P _AP communication function and provided in home appliances, electrical outlets (outlet) to provided a communication function, or by the power management functions for each tap of the distribution board 113, possible that the home gateway 122 acquires the real-time Information. In addition, by analyzing the current (or voltage) of the power line 111 by harmonic analysis, it is possible to grasp in real time which home appliance is operating at what power level.

The home appliance power consumption _PAP is known as a specification value (specification) for each home appliance, and may be stored in the storage unit 14 as a parameter. In this way, the home appliance power consumption _PAP can be acquired simply by reading it from the storage unit 14 without measuring the actual value, and thus there is an effect of shortening the processing time.

Person presence / absence information can be acquired from the image sensor 127. Note that the presence / absence information may be generated by obtaining image data from the image sensor 127 and processing the image data by the home gateway 122.

The temperature information is, for example, outside air temperature and room temperature. The outside air temperature can be measured by a temperature sensor (such as a Peltier element) attached to the outer wall, and the room temperature can be measured by a temperature sensor provided in the air conditioner 123, for example. In particular, the acquisition unit 12a also acquires a target temperature as a control target value (step S2). The target temperature is a set value given to the system using the terminal 105, for example, and is stored in the storage unit 14 of the home gateway 122, for example. Humidity information is indoor humidity and can be measured by a humidity sensor.

Next, the estimation unit 12b estimates the heat load of a space (such as a room) that is subject to air conditioning control. In the embodiment, four types of heat loads are considered: a heat load from the window glass, a heat load from the outer wall / roof, a heat load from the inner wall / ceiling / floor, and an internal heat load.

First, the estimation part 12b estimates the heat load from a window glass (step S3). The procedure will be described in detail below.
<Estimation of heat load from window glass>
There are two possible heat loads from the window glass: a once-through heat load transmitted from the outside to the room through the window glass, and a solar heat load. Of these, the once-through heat load q _GK (unit [W]) is expressed by any one of the formulas (1) to (3).

Equation (1) shows the once-through heat load when the room temperature is lower than the outside air (that is, during cooling operation). Equation (2) shows the once-through heat load when the room temperature is higher than the outside air (that is, during heating operation). Expression (3) is an expression in which a term considering radiation cooling is added to Expression (2).

It is preferable to use a real-time value as the outside air temperature t _{0 in the} expressions (1) to (3). On the other hand, the glass heat transfer rate K _G , the glass area A _G , the indoor set temperature t _R , the orientation coefficient k ₁ , the extra coefficient k ₂ due to the ceiling height, and the temperature Δt _n due to radiative cooling of the air are given as parameters. Can be done. These parameters are stored in advance in the storage unit 14 of the home gateway 122, and are read out to the register of the CPU 12 at the time of calculation.

The heat transfer coefficient K _G of the glass, the single-layer glass about 6.3, the insulating glass can be applied a value of about 3.5. As the orientation coefficient k ₁ , values such as 1.1 for the north, northwest and west, 1.05 for the southeast, east, northeast and southwest, 1.0 for the south, and the like can be applied.

As the extra coefficient k ₂ due to the ceiling height, a value of about 1.0 can be applied under the condition of a ceiling height of 5 m and natural convection heating. The coefficient k ₂ can be handled as an option.
The temperature Δt _n due to radiative cooling of the air is a term considering radiative cooling. For example, a value of 0 can be applied to windows and outer walls on the third floor and below.

The solar heat load q _GI only needs to be considered during cooling operation, and is expressed by equation (4).

As the glass shielding coefficient SC, a value of about 1.0 to 0.58 can be applied to a single layer glass, and about 0.89 to 0.56 can be applied to a double layer glass. This coefficient SC can also be given as a parameter as described above.
Standard solar heat gain I _G of a glass window of the formula (5), is calculated using (6) and Table 1. The estimation unit 12b first calculates the PV power generation ratio PV _RATE based on the equation (5).

As shown in Equation (5), the PV power generation rate PV _RATE can be used as an indicator for estimating the weather. That is, it can be inferred that the PV power generation ratio PV _RATE is close to 1.0 when it is clear, cloudy at 0.5, and when it is 0, it is rainy or nighttime. This information can be used to calculate the once-through heat load q _GK and the solar heat load q _GI . Further, by using Expression (5), it is possible to cope with a change in the installation capacity of the PV panel, aged deterioration of the PV panel, and the like.

The PV power generation amount PV of the numerator of Formula (5) can be obtained from the power conditioner 114 of HEMS. The maximum PV power generation value PV _MAX shown in the denominator of Expression (5) can be acquired from the PV power generation history stored in the storage unit 14. Any of the maximum value of annual power generation, the maximum value of seasonal power generation, and the maximum value of each month can be used as PV _MAX . PV _RATE may be expressed as PV _RATE (t) as a function of time (t).

Solar heat gain coefficient I _G can be obtained by equation (6) using the PV power ratio PV _RATE.

The basic value I _{G_Para} of the solar heat acquisition coefficient in equation (6) can be given as a parameter. The basic value I _{G_Para varies depending} on the location, time, direction, time, material of the window glass, and the like. As an example of the basic value I _{G_Para,} the values shown in Table 1 can be used.

The correction coefficient k ₃ and the correction coefficient k ₄ in Expression (6) are correction coefficients for adjusting the calculated values in accordance with conditions such as the installation location. Either can be given as a parameter. These correction coefficients can also be expressed as a correction coefficient k ₃ (t) and a correction coefficient k ₄ (t) as a function of time (t).

Next, the estimation part 12b estimates the heat load from an outer wall and a roof (step S4). The procedure will be described in detail below.
<Estimation of heat load on outer wall / roof>
The thermal load q _{W on the} outer wall / roof can be calculated using any one of formulas (7) to (9).

ETD shown in Equation (7) means (Equivalent Temperature Difference) and is called effective temperature difference. ETD is a temperature difference that takes into account the effects of solar radiation and time delays. As shown in Tables 2 and 3, the ETD varies depending on the region, season, orientation, and wall type.

In Table 2, d is the wall thickness. The wall can be divided into, for example, four types, type I to type IV, and the wall thickness d varies depending on the material (ordinary concrete, cellular concrete).

As shown in Table 3, the effective temperature difference ETD varies depending on, for example, time (season), wall type, orientation, and time.

The area A _W of the outer wall / roof can be given as a parameter. The heat passage rate K _W is calculated using Equation (10).

The outer surface heat transfer coefficient α ₀ in equation (10) can be given as a parameter. The value of the outer surface heat transfer coefficient α ₀ varies depending on the surface position and season. For example, if the surface position is “vertical outer wall surface” and the season is “summer”, 17 can be applied, and if it is “winter”, 23 can be applied. If the surface position “roof surface” is “summer”, 23 can be applied, and if “winter”, 35 can be applied.

The thickness d _i of the member i can be given as a parameter.
Thermal conductivity lambda _i members i may be given as a parameter. The value varies depending on the member. For example, 1.4 can be applied to ordinary concrete, 1.5 to mortar, 0.17 to gypsum, 1.3 to tile, 0.17 to wood, and so on.

The heat transfer coefficient α _i of the inner surface can be given as a parameter. The value of the heat transfer coefficient α _{i on} the inner surface varies depending on the surface position and the heat transfer direction. For example, the value 9 can be applied to the heat transfer coefficient of the surface position “horizontal” and “upward”. A value of 6 can be applied to the heat transfer coefficient of the surface position “horizontal” and “downward”. A value of 8 can be applied to the heat transfer coefficient in the “horizontal” direction at the surface position “vertical”.

As described above, the heat transfer rate K _W and the heat load q _W of the outer wall / roof can be obtained by calculation using only parameters given in advance.

Next, the estimation unit 12b estimates the heat load from the inner wall, ceiling, and floor (step S5). That is, the estimation unit 12b estimates at least one of the heat load from the inner wall, the heat load from the ceiling, and the heat load from the floor (step S5). The procedure will be described in detail below.

<Estimation of heat load on inner wall, ceiling, and floor>
The once-through heat load qIW of the inner wall / ceiling / floor can be calculated using Equation (11).

The heat transfer rate _KIW of the inner wall / ceiling / floor in equation (11) can be calculated in the same manner as equation (10). It is preferable to use a real-time value as the outside air temperature t ₀ . The inner wall / ceiling / floor area A _IW and the indoor set temperature t _R can be given as parameters. The temperature difference coefficient f _IW can also be given as a parameter. For example, in an environment of a non-air-conditioned room, 0.9 can be applied to the temperature difference coefficient f _IW during the cooling operation and 0.6 to the value during the heating operation. Moreover, 0.7 can be applied during the cooling operation in the hallway, and 0.6 can be applied during the heating operation.

Next, the estimation part 12b estimates the heat load by a draft (step S6). The procedure will be described in detail below.
<Calculation of heat load due to draft air>
The sensible heat load q _IFS caused by the draft air can be divided into a sensible heat load during cooling and a sensible heat load during heating, and can be calculated using equations (12) and (14), respectively. The latent heat load q _IFL caused by the draft air can also be divided into a latent heat load during cooling and a latent heat load during heating, and can be calculated using equations (13) and (15), respectively. Note that the air volume Q _IF of the clearance air can be calculated by Expression (16).

The specific heat C _pa of air, the specific weight ρ _{a of} air, and the latent heat of vaporization r ₀ of water vapor at 0 ° can all be included in the parameter group 14 c stored in the storage unit 14. The volume VR of the room (air-conditioning area) can be included in the enclosure information 14a. The outside air temperature t ₀ , the indoor temperature t _R , the absolute humidity x _{0 of} the outdoor air, and the absolute humidity x _{R of the} room are all information that can be collected by the HEMS and are acquired by the acquisition unit 12a. The coefficient 1000/3600 can also be included in the parameter group 14c.

Next, the estimation part 12b estimates an internal heat load (step S7). The procedure will be described in detail below.
<Calculation of internal heat load>
The internal heat load includes three items: a heat load generated from a resident (person) (a person's heat load), a heat load generated from a home appliance, and a heat load generated from a gas appliance. Of these, the human thermal load q _H is expressed by the equation (17). Estimating unit 12b calculates the thermal load q _H people using Equation (17).

The values of the human latent heat load SH and the human sensible heat load LH in the equation (17) can be determined based on the work contents of the person and the room temperature. Table 4 shows an example of the amount of heat generated by a person. In Table 4, the values of SH and LH in the sitting state are shown for several room temperatures.

The number of persons P in Expression (17) can be calculated by analyzing image data acquired by the image sensor 127, for example. In addition, the number P can be estimated based on the operating state of the home appliance.

The thermal load q _EM of the home appliance is expressed by Expression (18). The estimation unit 12b calculates the thermal load q _EM of the home appliance using Equation (18).

The heat generation ratio _fAP of the home appliance has a different value for each home appliance and can be given as a parameter. If unknown, 1.0 can be applied. The ratio Φ _H radiated from the hooded home appliance (such as hooded lighting) into the room as radiation can be given as a parameter. For devices without a hood, 1.0 can be applied.

The thermal load q _G of the gas appliance is expressed by Expression (19). The estimation unit 12b calculates the thermal load q _G of the gas appliance using the equation (19).

The amount G of gas used can be obtained from HEMS. The heating rate f _G of the gas appliance has a different value for each gas appliance and can be given as a parameter. If unknown, 1.0 can be applied.

The ratio Φ _HG radiated as radiation from a hooded appliance (such as a gas stove directly under the range hood) into the room can be given as a parameter. For devices without a hood, 1.0 can be applied. The internal heat load is calculated by the estimation unit 12b based on the above formula.

Next, the estimation unit 12b determines the necessary heat quantity Q _ALL (step S8). The required heat quantity Q _ALL means the total amount of heat load generated from the heat source in the room. As shown in the equation (20), the once-through heat load q _GK , the solar heat load q _GI , the heat load q _{W on} the outer wall / roof, Internal wall / ceiling / floor heat load qIW, sensible heat load q _IFS by draft air, latent heat load q _IFL by draft air, human heat load q _H , home appliance heat load q _EM , and gas appliance heat load q _G Given as a sum.

The control unit 12c compares the necessary heat amount Q _ALL with the set temperature, and generates a control instruction for generating a heat amount (cooling amount) necessary to cancel the necessary heat amount Q _ALL . This control instruction is given to the air conditioner 123 via the HEMS. As a result, the air conditioner 123 starts to blow the amount of heat required to cancel the heat load, and the control for bringing the indoor temperature close to the set temperature is realized.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure related to determination of the air conditioning control amount by the home gateway 122. The control unit 12c acquires the necessary heat quantity Q _ALL from the estimation unit 12b (step S10). Next, the control unit 12c compares the acquired necessary heat amount Q _ALL with the set temperature of the air conditioning area, and determines the control amount (air conditioning control amount) of the air conditioner 123 necessary to cancel the necessary heat amount Q _ALL (step S11). ).

When the air conditioning control amount is calculated, the control unit 12c determines in detail air conditioning operation amounts such as the air conditioner blowout temperature, air flow rate, and air blowing direction of the air conditioner 123 based on the air conditioning control amount (step S12). A control command is issued to the air conditioner based on the amount (step S13). The air conditioner 123 given this control command starts an operation for canceling the indoor heat load.

Next, the control unit 12c determines the control amount of the humidifier / dehumidifier provided in the air conditioner 123 based on the acquired necessary heat amount Q _ALL and humidity information (step S14). When the control amount is determined, the control unit 12c determines the operation amount of the humidifier / dehumidifier such as the air blower humidity of the air conditioner 123, the air flow rate, and the air blowing direction (step S15), and controls the humidifier and the dehumidifier. (Step S16).

FIG. 5 is a diagram schematically showing the flow of heat and various information in the home 101. In FIG. 5, the HEMS acquires information such as the amount of PV power generation and the amount of power consumed by home appliances. Further, the HEMS acquires the chassis information, the target temperature set by the user, and the like as information necessary for determining the control amount. Further, the HEMS acquires the presence / absence information of a human (which may include a pet or the like) from an image sensor or an infrared sensor.

When the necessary information is acquired, the HEMS estimates the heat load generated in the air-conditioning area. The HEMS is, for example, the heat load from the window glass, the heat load from the outer wall / roof, the heat load from the inner wall / ceiling / floor, and the internal heat load (from the heat generated by the lighting 124 and the TV 126, humans / pets, etc. Fever) is estimated individually. These values are summed to obtain the total heat load. The HEMS determines a control amount for the air conditioner 123 based on the total heat load, and gives a control command corresponding to the control amount to the air conditioner 123.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart schematically showing a processing flow in the embodiment. First, the target temperature is set by the user (step S20). On the other hand, the amount of PV power generation, the amount of electric power consumption of home appliances, the presence / absence information of the person, and the body information are collected by the HEMS (step S21). Next, the thermal load is estimated based on the collected information and various setting values and parameters stored in the storage unit 14 (step S22). Next, the control amount (temperature, air volume, etc.) of the air conditioner is determined based on the heat load (step S23), and the air conditioner (entire air conditioner (including ducts, fans, etc.) to be controlled) is controlled. A control command based on the quantity is given (step S24). The temperature of the air conditioning area and the temperature of the air outlet are appropriately measured and utilized for the next heat load estimation process (step S25).

The existing technology did not have Steps S21 and S22. Therefore, the control amount in step S23 is only determined based on the temperature, the air volume, or the humidity as a result of the control (feedback control).

On the other hand, according to the first embodiment, for example, the heat load in the air-conditioning area is estimated based on information such as the PV power generation amount, the home appliance power consumption amount, and the presence / absence information collected in step S21. The air conditioning control amount is determined based on these estimated values. That is, according to the embodiment, a control system is constructed in which the existing feedback control is combined with the feedforward control based on the thermal load estimation. Therefore, it is possible to determine a more accurate air conditioning control amount and realize the targeted air conditioning control.

That is, in the first embodiment, the heat load in the room due to heat generation from home appliances or solar radiation from sunlight is estimated, and the air conditioner is controlled based on the estimated value. Therefore, control (so-called feedforward control) for controlling the air conditioner before the room temperature fluctuates is realized. Therefore, the comfort of the occupants can be improved. Therefore, it is possible to provide an air conditioning system, an air conditioner, an air conditioning control method, and a program that further enhance the comfort.

[Second Embodiment]
FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram illustrating an example of an air conditioning system according to the second embodiment. In FIG. 7, parts common to those in FIGS. 1 and 2 are given the same reference numerals, and only different parts will be described here.

In the second embodiment, a part of the function of the home gateway 122 in the first embodiment is implemented in the air conditioner 123 as an air conditioner. In addition, the housing information 14 a of the home 101, the PV power generation history 14 b, and the parameter group 14 c are stored in the database 20 of the cloud 200.

In FIG. 7, the home gateway 122 can communicate with the air conditioner 123 via the home network 121. The home gateway 122 includes a notification unit 12d as a control function realized by the notification program 13d stored in the program memory 13. The notification unit 12d notifies the information acquired by the acquisition unit 12a from the communication unit 11 to the air conditioner 123 via the home network 121.

The air conditioner 123 includes a mechanical part 123a and a substrate part 123b. The machine unit 123a has a function as an air conditioning unit that performs air conditioning in an air conditioning area, and includes a refrigerator, a heat source unit, a humidifier, a dehumidifier, and the like. The substrate unit 123b is mounted with the CPU 30, the program memory 40, the communication unit 50, and the like.

The communication unit 50 receives the information notified from the home gateway 122. The estimation unit 12b estimates the heat load in the air-conditioning area by the same calculation as that of the first embodiment based on the received information. The housing information 14a, the PV power generation history 14b, and the parameter group 14c necessary for the calculation are acquired from the database 20 by the home gateway 122 and notified to the air conditioner 123.

The control unit 12c controls the mechanical unit 123a based on the estimated heat load to adjust the air environment in the air-conditioning area. The function of the estimation unit 12b is realized by the estimation program 13b of the program memory 40, and the function of the control unit 12c is realized by the control program 13c of the program memory 40.

As shown in FIG. 8, the HEMS notifies the air conditioner 123 of information collected from the sensors of the home 101, the cloud 200, and the like. Calculation of the internal heat load generated from the lighting 124 and the television 126 is executed by the CPU 30 of the air conditioner 123.

According to such a configuration, the same effect as that of the first embodiment can be obtained, and the processing load of the home gateway 122 can be reduced. In addition, since some data is stored on the cloud side, hardware resources in the home 101 can be reduced.

[Third Embodiment]
FIG. 9 is a functional block diagram illustrating an example of an air conditioner according to the third embodiment. In FIG. 9, parts that are the same as those in FIGS. 1, 2, and 8 are given the same reference numerals, and only different parts will be described here.

In the third embodiment, the function of the home gateway 122 in the first embodiment is implemented in the air conditioner 123. The housing information 14a of the home 101, the PV power generation history 14b, and the parameter group 14c are stored in the database 20 of the cloud 200, as in the second embodiment.

In FIG. 9, the air conditioner 123 can communicate with the cloud 200 via the home network 121. The air conditioner 123 includes an acquisition unit 12a, an estimation unit 12b, and a control unit 12c as processing functions of the CPU 30. These functions are realized by the acquisition program 13a, the estimation program 13b, and the control program 13c in the program memory 40.

The acquisition unit 12a acquires sensor data collected by the HEMS from the home network 121, and acquires parameters and setting information necessary for calculation from the database 20 of the cloud 200. The estimation unit 12b estimates the heat load in the air-conditioning area by the same calculation as in the first embodiment based on the acquired information. The control part 12c controls the machine part 123a based on the estimated heat load, and adjusts the air environment of an air-conditioning area.

According to such a configuration, in addition to obtaining the same effect as in the first embodiment, it is possible to further reduce the processing load of the home gateway 122 than in the second embodiment.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, it is possible to eliminate any term on the right side of Expression (20) or add a new term depending on the environmental condition where the home 101 is placed.

Also, as shown in FIG. 5, it is possible to include not only humans but also animals such as pets as one of the heat sources that cause heat load. In short, it is possible to handle the presence / absence of a thermostat having a body temperature, the body temperature, and the like through information related to arithmetic processing. In particular, it can be said that sensing of animal body temperature is compatible with an infrared sensor.

Also, the average number of stays (number of people) of animals including humans can be stored in advance in the storage unit 14 as one of the parameters, and this can be read to estimate the internal heat load.

Furthermore, the position information of the heat source can be used as information for air conditioning control. For example, since a human sensor that is installed near the door can detect a person entering and exiting a room (air-conditioning area), the sensor data can be used to calculate the internal heat load. In addition, the wearable sensor attached to a human arm or the like can be used to grasp the position and number of people.

ほか In addition to moving humans, the location of home appliances that are almost fixed is also important as location information for heat sources. For example, the installation location of the home appliance can be roughly determined by measuring the power in the branch circuit unit of the distribution board 113. Moreover, if an outlet (smart tap) provided with a sensor function is used, it is possible to identify a connected home appliance and grasp its position. Furthermore, the location of the home appliance can be specified by setting the use location of the home appliance to the user and storing it in the storage unit 14, for example. If you can identify which home appliances are in which places, you can greatly help in calculating the heat load.

Each function described in the above embodiment can be implemented in one or a plurality of processing circuits. The processing circuit may be realized as a processor including an electronic circuit. The processing circuit includes a processor that functions by a program. In addition, the processing circuit can include an ASIC (application specific integrated circuit) or a conventional circuit element for executing the above functions.

Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described, this embodiment is presented as an example and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. The novel embodiment can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. This embodiment and its modifications are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the invention described in the claims and the equivalents thereof.

Claims

An air conditioning system applicable to a building whose energy is managed by an energy management system,
An acquisition unit for acquiring information that can be collected by the energy management system;
An estimation unit for estimating a heat load in the air-conditioning area based on the acquired information;
An air conditioning system comprising: a control unit that controls the air conditioner in the air conditioning area based on the estimated thermal load.
The acquisition unit is configured to determine the amount of power generated by a photovoltaic power generation device provided in the building, the amount of power consumed by the home appliances provided in the building, the location information indicating the installation position of the home appliances, and the presence / absence of a constant temperature animal in the air conditioning area. Presence / absence information indicating, position information indicating the position of the thermostatic animal, temperature information indicating temperature in the air-conditioned area, humidity information indicating humidity in the air-conditioned area, housing information of the building, and target temperature for the air-conditioned area The air conditioning system according to claim 1, wherein at least one piece of information is acquired.
The estimation unit includes a heat load from a window glass, a heat load from at least one of an outer wall and a roof, a heat load from at least one of an inner wall, a ceiling, and a floor, a heat load due to a draft, and The air conditioning system according to claim 2, wherein at least one of the internal heat loads is estimated based on the acquired information.
Furthermore, it comprises a storage unit that stores history data of the power generation amount,
The acquisition unit acquires history data of the power generation amount from the storage unit,
The air conditioning system according to claim 3, wherein the estimating unit calculates a solar heat load from the window glass based on the acquired history data.
The acquisition unit acquires a real-time value of the power generation amount,
The air conditioning system according to claim 3, wherein the estimating unit calculates a solar heat load from the window glass based on a real-time value of the power generation amount.
Furthermore, it comprises a storage unit that stores history data of the power generation amount,
The acquisition unit acquires history data of the power generation amount from the storage unit,
The acquisition unit acquires a real-time value of the power generation amount,
The air conditioning system according to claim 3, wherein the estimating unit calculates a solar heat load from the window glass based on the acquired history data and the acquired real-time value.
Furthermore, it comprises a storage unit that stores the specification value of the power consumption for each home appliance,
The acquisition unit acquires a specification value of the power consumption from the storage unit,
The air conditioning system according to claim 3, wherein the estimation unit calculates the internal heat load based on the acquired specification value.
The acquisition unit acquires a real-time value of the power consumption amount,
The air conditioning system according to claim 3, wherein the estimating unit calculates the internal heat load based on a real-time value of the power consumption.
The air conditioner includes at least one of a humidifier and a dehumidifier,
The acquisition unit acquires the humidity information,
The air conditioning system according to claim 2, wherein the control unit controls at least one of the humidifier and the dehumidifier based on the acquired humidity information.
An air conditioning system applicable to a building whose energy is managed by an energy management system,
A main device and an air conditioner capable of communicating with the main device;
The main unit is
An acquisition unit for acquiring information that can be collected by the energy management system;
A notification unit for notifying the air conditioner of the acquired information,
The air conditioner
An air conditioning unit for air conditioning in the air conditioning area;
A receiving unit for receiving the notified information;
An estimation unit for estimating a heat load in the air-conditioning area based on the received information;
An air conditioning system comprising: a control unit that controls the air conditioning unit based on the estimated thermal load.
An air conditioner applicable to a building whose energy is managed by an energy management system,
An air conditioning unit for air conditioning in the air conditioning area;
An acquisition unit for acquiring information that can be collected by the energy management system;
An estimation unit for estimating a heat load in the air-conditioning area based on the acquired information;
An air conditioner comprising: a control unit that controls the air conditioning unit based on the estimated thermal load.
An air conditioning control method for controlling an air conditioning apparatus applicable to a building whose energy is managed by an energy management system by a computer,
The computer obtains information that can be collected by the energy management system;
The computer estimates the heat load in the air-conditioning area based on the acquired information,
The air conditioning control method, wherein the computer controls the air conditioner based on the estimated thermal load.
The acquisition includes the amount of power generated by a photovoltaic power generation device provided in the building, the amount of power consumed by home appliances provided in the building, the presence / absence information indicating the presence / absence of a constant temperature animal in the air-conditioned area, The temperature information indicating the temperature, the humidity information indicating the humidity in the air-conditioning area, the building body information of the building, and the target temperature for the air-conditioning area are acquired. Air conditioning control method.
The estimation includes the heat load from the window glass, the heat load from at least one of the outer wall and the roof, the heat load from at least one of the inner wall, the ceiling, and the floor, the heat load from the draft air, The air conditioning control method according to claim 13, wherein at least one of the internal heat load and the internal heat load is estimated based on the acquired information.
The obtaining acquires the power generation amount history data from a storage unit storing the power generation amount history data;
The air conditioning control method according to claim 14, wherein the estimating calculates a solar heat load from the window glass based on the acquired history data.
The obtaining acquires a real-time value of the power generation amount,
The air conditioning control method according to claim 14, wherein the estimating calculates a solar heat load from the window glass based on a real-time value of the power generation amount.
The obtaining acquires the power generation amount history data from a storage unit storing the power generation amount history data;
The obtaining acquires a real-time value of the power generation amount,
The air conditioning control method according to claim 14, wherein the estimating calculates a solar heat load from the window glass based on the acquired history data and the acquired real-time value.
The obtaining acquires the specification value of the power consumption amount from a storage unit that stores the specification value of the power consumption amount for each home appliance,
The air conditioning control method according to claim 14, wherein the estimating calculates the internal heat load based on the acquired specification value.
Obtaining the real-time value of the power consumption,
15. The air conditioning control method according to claim 14, wherein the estimating calculates the internal heat load based on a real-time value of the power consumption.
The air conditioner includes at least one of a humidifier and a dehumidifier,
Acquiring the humidity information;
The air conditioning control method according to claim 13, wherein the controlling controls at least one of the humidifier and the dehumidifier based on the acquired humidity information.
A program comprising instructions for causing the computer to execute the method according to any one of claims 12 to 20.