CN116324292A - Air conditioner control device - Google Patents

Abstract

The air conditioner control device comprises: a storage device for storing a plurality of analysis conditions to which priorities are respectively given and a result of airflow analysis for each analysis condition; and a computing device for controlling the air conditioner, wherein the computing device comprises: an airflow analysis unit that sequentially analyzes the airflow from an analysis condition having a high priority among the plurality of analysis conditions; an air flow control availability determination unit that determines whether or not air flow control can be started for the air conditioner based on the generation state based on the analysis result of the air flow analysis unit; and an operation state determination unit that determines the operation state of the air conditioner based on the analysis result by the airflow analysis unit when the airflow control availability determination unit determines that the airflow control can be started.

Description

Air conditioner control device

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to an air conditioner control device that controls an air conditioner.

Background

In order to control an air conditioner in consideration of the distribution of indoor environments, an air conditioner control device that controls an air conditioner using a fluid analysis method has been proposed (for example, refer to patent literature 1).

The air conditioner control device of patent document 1 includes a room temperature distribution estimating unit, a candidate control amount calculating unit, a controllable amount extracting unit, and an air conditioner control unit, and controls an air conditioner having a plurality of discharge ports provided in an indoor unit. The room temperature distribution estimating unit divides the modeled building into a plurality of grids, supplies initial conditions necessary for calculation of the pressure, temperature, air volume, and the like of the air to each grid, and analyzes the temperature of each grid for all combinations of the air volumes at the plurality of outlets. The candidate control amount calculation unit extracts a candidate control amount, which is a combination of the air volumes of the discharge ports, based on the simulation result, the heat load information, the target temperature, and the target portion by the room temperature distribution estimation unit. The controllable amount extraction unit obtains a controllable amount indicating the control amount of the opening/closing valve of each outlet from an interaction table in which the air volume value based on the combination of the control amounts of the opening/closing valves provided in the outlets is recorded and the candidate control amounts. The air conditioner control unit performs air conditioner control based on the controllable amount.

Prior art literature

Patent literature

Patent document 1: japanese patent laid-open publication 2016-61447

Disclosure of Invention

However, in the air conditioner control device disclosed in patent document 1, when conditions such as the air volume relating to the outlet are large, the combination of conditions becomes huge, and it takes a long time to analyze the air flow before the air flow control is started. Therefore, there is a problem in that it takes time from the start of the air conditioner to the start of the air flow control.

The present disclosure has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present disclosure is to provide an air conditioner control device capable of starting air flow control at an early stage after an air conditioner is started.

The present disclosure provides an air conditioner control device, comprising: a storage device for storing a plurality of analysis conditions to which priorities are respectively given and a result of airflow analysis for each of the analysis conditions; and a computing device for controlling the air conditioner, wherein the computing device comprises: an airflow analysis unit that sequentially analyzes the airflow from the analysis condition having the higher priority among the plurality of analysis conditions; an air flow control availability determination unit that determines whether or not air flow control can be started for the air conditioner, based on a generation state based on an analysis result of the air flow analysis unit; and an operation state determination unit configured to determine an operation state of the air conditioner based on an analysis result by the airflow analysis unit when the airflow control availability determination unit determines that the airflow control can be started.

According to the present disclosure, by giving priority to each of a plurality of analysis conditions and sequentially performing airflow analysis from the analysis condition to which a high priority is given, airflow control can be started at an early stage of completion of airflow analysis of the analysis condition having a high priority, and a comfortable environment can be provided to a user at an early stage.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of an air conditioning system including an air conditioning control device according to embodiment 1.

Fig. 2 is a refrigerant circuit diagram showing one configuration example of the air conditioner shown in fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing one configuration example of the air conditioner control device according to embodiment 1.

Fig. 4 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of the analysis condition list shown in fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of the blowing conditions related to the operation state of the air conditioner among the analysis conditions shown in fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of the load condition among the analysis conditions shown in fig. 4.

Fig. 7 is a conceptual diagram in the case where the priority is managed by a numerical range.

Fig. 8 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of pattern data shown in fig. 3.

Fig. 9 is a hardware configuration diagram showing an example of the configuration of the arithmetic device shown in fig. 3.

Fig. 10 is a hardware configuration diagram illustrating another configuration example of the arithmetic device shown in fig. 3.

Fig. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation procedure of the air conditioner control device according to embodiment 1.

Fig. 12 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation sequence in step ST11 shown in fig. 11.

Fig. 13 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation sequence in step ST15 shown in fig. 11.

(symbol description)

1: an air conditioner control device; 2: an air conditioner; 3. 3-1 to 3-n: a sensor; 4: a network; 11: a receiving device; 12: a transmitting device; 13: a storage device; 14: an arithmetic device; 21: an outdoor unit; 22: an indoor unit; 23: a controller; 36: air conditioning operation data; 37: sensor data; 41: an airflow control availability determination unit; 42: an operation state determination unit; 43: a control instruction conversion unit; 50: a refrigerant circuit; 51: a compressor; 52: a four-way valve; 53: a heat source side heat exchanger; 54: a throttle device; 55: a load side heat exchanger; 56: refrigerant piping; 57: an outdoor fan; 58: an indoor fan; 59: a wind direction adjusting unit; 61: left and right baffles; 62: an upper baffle and a lower baffle; 80: a processing circuit; 81: a processor; 82: a memory; 83: a bus; 131: analyzing the condition list; 132: equipment and spatial information; 133: an airflow analysis model; 134: pattern data; 135: a target condition; 136: measuring data; 141: a model making part; 142: an airflow analysis unit; 143: a pattern generation unit; 144: and an airflow control unit.

Detailed Description

Embodiment 1.

Embodiments of an air conditioner control device of the present disclosure are described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of an air conditioning system including an air conditioning control device according to embodiment 1. The air conditioning system comprises: an air conditioner 2 for conditioning air in an air-conditioned space, an air conditioner control device 1 for controlling the air conditioner 2, and a sensor 3 for measuring at least the environment of the air-conditioned space. The air conditioner control device 1 is connected to the air conditioner 2 and the sensor 3 via the network 4.

Fig. 2 is a refrigerant circuit diagram showing one configuration example of the air conditioner shown in fig. 1. As shown in fig. 1, the air conditioner 2 includes an outdoor unit 21, an indoor unit 22, and a controller 23. The indoor unit 22 is provided in a room that is a space to be air-conditioned. As shown in fig. 2, the outdoor unit 21 is connected to the indoor unit 22 via a refrigerant pipe 56.

The outdoor unit 21 includes a compressor 51, a four-way valve 52, a heat source side heat exchanger 53, a throttle device 54, and an outdoor fan 57. The indoor unit 22 includes a load side heat exchanger 55, an indoor fan 58, and a wind direction adjusting unit 59. The compressor 51, the heat source side heat exchanger 53, the expansion device 54, and the load side heat exchanger 55 are connected by a refrigerant pipe 56 to constitute a refrigerant circuit 50 in which a refrigerant circulates. In embodiment 1, the case where the heat medium circulating between the outdoor unit 21 and the indoor unit 22 is the refrigerant is described, but a heat medium heat exchanger (not shown) for exchanging heat between water and the refrigerant may be provided in the outdoor unit 21, and water may circulate between the outdoor unit 21 and the indoor unit 22.

The wind direction adjusting unit 59 is provided at the outlet of the air of the indoor unit 22. The wind direction adjusting portion 59 has left and right baffles 61 and upper and lower baffles 62. The left and right baffles 61 change the angle clockwise or counterclockwise with reference to the front direction of the discharge port of the indoor unit 22, and thereby change the direction of the air flow sent from the indoor unit 22 in parallel with the ground. The direction of the air flow changing in accordance with the angle of the left and right baffles 61 is the left and right wind direction. The following describes the angle of the horizontal wind direction, and the clockwise angle is represented by a positive value and the counterclockwise angle is represented by a negative value with respect to the front direction of the outlet of the indoor unit 22.

The upper and lower baffles 62 change the direction of the airflow sent from the indoor unit 22 by changing the angle from the gravity direction to the horizontal direction with reference to the gravity direction at the outlet of the indoor unit 22. In this case, when the gravity direction is set to 0 °, the horizontal direction is 90 °. The direction of the air flow changing in accordance with the angle of the up-down damper 62 is the up-down wind direction. The method of expressing the angle of the upwind and downwind direction is not limited to the case where the gravity direction is set to 0 ° and the horizontal direction is set to 90 °, and the gravity direction may be set to 90 ° and the horizontal direction may be set to 0 °. That is, when the horizontal direction is set to 0 °, the depression angle corresponds to an angle indicating the vertical direction.

The controller 23 is, for example, a microcomputer. The controller 23 is connected to the compressor 51, the four-way valve 52, the outdoor fan 57, the throttle device 54, the indoor fan 58, and the wind direction adjusting unit 59 via signal lines not shown. The controller 23 is a device for switching on and off the indoor unit 22 by a user or a manager, or manually changing settings such as a set temperature and an air volume. The controller 23 may also be a remote controller.

The controller 23 controls a refrigeration circuit of the refrigerant circulating in the refrigerant circuit 50. The controller 23 controls the four-way valve 52 so as to switch the flow direction of the refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit 50 in accordance with the operation modes of the heating operation and the cooling operation. The controller 23 controls the operating frequency of the compressor 51, the opening degree of the throttle device 54, and the rotational speed of the outdoor fan 57 so that the temperature and the humidity in the room measured by the sensor 3 are in a predetermined range and match the respective set values. The set values of the indoor temperature and humidity are set by the user. The controller 23 transmits air-conditioning operation data indicating the operation state of the air conditioner 2 to the air-conditioning control device 1 via the network 4 at regular time intervals. The certain time interval is for example 5 minutes.

When receiving a control command from the air conditioning control device 1, the controller 23 controls the rotation speed of the indoor fan 58, the angles of the left and right dampers 61 and the angles of the upper and lower dampers 62 of the wind direction adjusting unit 59 in accordance with the control command. The air volume and the air speed are adjusted in accordance with the rotation speed of the indoor fan 58. The left and right wind directions are adjusted in accordance with the angles of the left and right baffles 61, and the up and down wind directions are adjusted in accordance with the angles of the up and down baffles 62.

When the operation mode is the heating operation, the refrigerant absorbs heat in the heat source side heat exchanger 53, exchanges heat with the indoor air in the load side heat exchanger 55, and releases heat, so that the indoor air is heated. On the other hand, when the operation mode is the cooling operation, the refrigerant releases heat in the heat source side heat exchanger 53, and the refrigerant exchanges heat with the indoor air in the load side heat exchanger 55, whereby the indoor air is cooled.

Next, an application example of the air conditioner 2 shown in fig. 1 will be described. In a residential air conditioning system, there are many cases where 1 indoor unit 22 is provided for 1 room. For example, a room air conditioner is a representative example of the air conditioner 2. The air conditioner 2 may be a room air conditioner in which a plurality of indoor units 22 are connected to 1 outdoor unit.

The air conditioner 2 may be a multi-air conditioner for buildings used in office buildings or the like. The air conditioning system may be a central air conditioning system used in a house air conditioner of a large-scale building. The air conditioning system may be an air conditioning system installed in a server room, a warehouse, or the like to perform object air conditioning. These configurations are examples of the air conditioner 2 and an air conditioning system including the air conditioner 2, and the type of the air conditioner 2 is not limited to the above-described configuration. The space to be conditioned is not limited to the room, the building, and the like.

Next, the sensor 3 shown in fig. 1 will be described. The sensor 3 is a sensor that measures a physical quantity. The sensor 3 transmits sensor data as measured values to the air conditioning control device 1 via the network 4 at regular time intervals. The certain time interval is for example 5 minutes. The number of the sensors 3 may be 1 or plural. Fig. 1 shows a case where the sensor 3 has a plurality of sensors 3-1 to 3-n (n is an integer of 2 or more). The sensor 3 acquires information of indoor and outdoor environments. The sensor 3 is a sensor that measures temperature, humidity, radiation temperature, thermal image, air flow speed, and the like. In the case where the sensor 3 includes an infrared sensor, a thermal image is acquired by the infrared sensor.

In the configuration example shown in fig. 1, the sensor 3 is shown to be provided separately from the air conditioner 2, but the sensor 3 may be provided to the air conditioner 2. For example, the sensor 3 for measuring the room temperature, which is the temperature of the indoor air, may be provided to the indoor unit 22, and the sensor 3 for measuring the outside air temperature, which is the temperature of the outdoor air, may be provided to the outdoor unit 21. The outside air temperature is not limited to the case where the sensor 3 transmits the outside air temperature to the air conditioning control device 1. The information of the outside air temperature may be transmitted to the air conditioner control device 1 by a server (not shown) that provides weather information via a network such as the internet.

The network 4 is a communication network connecting the air conditioner control device 1 and the air conditioner 2 and the sensor 3. The communication method in the network 4 may be wired, wireless, or a combination of wired and wireless. The communication protocol of the communication via the network 4 is not particularly limited, and may be a general-purpose protocol generally disclosed. The communication range of the network 4 may be a narrow range such as a LAN (Local Area Network ) or a wide range such as the internet. In the case where the network 4 is a dedicated line used by a manufacturer of the air conditioner 2, the communication protocol used in the network 4 may be a dedicated protocol.

The configuration of the air conditioning control device 1 will be described with reference to fig. 1 and 3. Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing one configuration example of the air conditioner control device according to embodiment 1. The air conditioner control device 1 is an information processing device that controls the air conditioner 2. The air conditioning control device 1 includes a storage device 13, an arithmetic device 14, a receiving device 11, and a transmitting device 12.

The receiving device 11 acquires air-conditioning operation data from the air conditioner 2 at regular time intervals, and stores the acquired data in the storage device 13. The receiving device 11 acquires sensor data from the sensor 3 at regular time intervals, and stores the acquired data in the storage device 13. The certain time interval is for example 5 minutes. In embodiment 1, the description is given of the case where the time intervals at which the receiving device 11 acquires data from the air conditioner 2 and the sensor 3 are the same, but the time intervals at which data is acquired from the air conditioner 2 and the sensor 3 may be different. When the arithmetic device 14 determines a control command to the air conditioner 2, the transmitting device 12 transmits the determined control command to the air conditioner 2.

The storage device 13 stores a analysis condition list 131, equipment and space information 132, an airflow analysis model 133, pattern data 134, target conditions 135, and measurement data 136 including air conditioning operation data 36 and sensor data 37. The storage device 13 is, for example, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive). The storage device 13 may be a semiconductor memory.

The information stored in the storage device 13 shown in fig. 3 will be described with reference to fig. 4 to 6. Fig. 4 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of the analysis condition list shown in fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of the blowing conditions related to the operation state of the air conditioner among the analysis conditions shown in fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of the load condition among the analysis conditions shown in fig. 4.

The analysis condition list 131 is set with a plurality of analysis conditions including a combination of a blowing condition and a load condition. In the example shown in fig. 4, the pattern name, the operation mode, the priority, the load condition, the blowing condition, and the pattern generation state are described in association with the identifier of the analysis condition. The pattern generation state indicates whether or not the airflow analysis is performed according to the analysis conditions, and pattern data is generated based on the result of the airflow analysis. The pattern data will be described in detail later.

As shown in fig. 4, each analysis condition is given priority. In embodiment 1, the priority is expressed by a positive integer. For example, 1 is assigned to the highest priority and 10 is assigned to the lowest priority. As the priority, each analysis condition may be given a unique integer which is not repeated, or may be given a repeated integer. For example, the number of analysis conditions having a priority of 1 may be plural, and the number of analysis conditions having a priority of 1 may be 1.

The priority to be given to each analysis condition is set, for example, based on the air conditioning operation data 36. The higher the frequency of occurrence of the operation state in the past operation state of the air conditioner 2, the higher the priority is given to the analysis condition corresponding to the operation state. The frequency of occurrence is calculated from actual performance data of the operation state stored in the storage device 13 for a predetermined period such as a fixed period (3 months) in the past. Specific examples of the occurrence frequency will be described. For simplicity of explanation, the condition that affects the occurrence frequency of the operation state greatly is the blowing condition, and the occurrence frequency is obtained as follows, for example. The number of occurrences of the actual result data, in which each of the variables for the temperature at the outlet, the air volume, and the air direction matches the set value, is counted. Then, the occurrence frequency of each of the 3 variables among the occurrence numbers is set to be equal to the set value. When the indoor unit 22 has a plurality of discharge ports, the occurrence frequency is calculated for each discharge port.

The conditions such as the state of the compressor 51, the air velocity at the outlet of the indoor unit 22, and the air direction are set in the air blowing condition. The state of the compressor 51 refers to a state of being started or shut down. The blow-out wind direction is information including a horizontal wind direction and a vertical wind direction. The blowing conditions may include the blowing air volume and the blowing temperature. The number of discharge ports provided in the indoor units 22 may be 1 or plural, and a plurality of indoor units 22 may be provided in a room which is a shared space to be air-conditioned. When the indoor unit 22 is provided with a plurality of discharge ports, the blowout condition is constituted by a combination of the blowout conditions set for each discharge port. When a plurality of indoor units 22 are provided in a room, the blowout conditions are constituted by a combination of blowout conditions set for each discharge port of each indoor unit 22.

The load condition is a condition related to inflow of heat into the chamber and outflow of heat from the chamber. For example, a boundary condition, a heat passing condition, and a heat generating condition are set in the load condition. The boundary conditions are conditions related to inflow and outflow of heat generated by a temperature difference between the indoor and the outdoor, etc., from an edge interface such as a wall surface in a room where the air conditioner 2 is installed. The heat passing condition is a condition related to inflow and outflow of heat from openings such as windows and doors into a room. The heat generation condition is a condition related to the amount of heat generated indoors due to a human body, OA equipment, and the like.

Fig. 6 is a table showing, as an example of the load condition, a condition related to inflow of heat into and outflow from the air-conditioning target space. The load conditions shown in fig. 6 show a boundary condition, a heat passing condition, and a part of a heat generating condition. In the table of the load conditions, the values of the surface temperature of the wall, the surface temperature of the ceiling, and the surface temperature of the floor are set in correspondence with the identifiers of the load conditions. In fig. 6, the surface temperature of the wall is represented as a wall temperature Tw, the surface temperature of the ceiling is represented as a ceiling temperature Tc, and the surface temperature of the floor is represented as a floor temperature Tf. In the case of the load condition H1, the wall temperature tw=15 ℃, the ceiling temperature tc=25 ℃ and the floor temperature tf=15 ℃ are set. In fig. 6, for example, the expression tw=15 ℃ is not limited to the case where the wall temperature coincides with 15 ℃, but may be the case where the wall temperature falls within the allowable range of ±Δt with 15 ℃ as the center value. Δt is, for example, 2 ℃.

Fig. 7 is a conceptual diagram in the case where the priority is managed by a numerical range. In the example shown in fig. 7, the priorities are set and managed separately from the necessary conditions and the additional conditions. The upper limit priority and the lower limit priority are set for the necessary condition and the additional condition, respectively. The range of the priority of the analysis conditions under which the airflow control can be started is set as the necessary conditions. Specifically, the required condition means that the air flow control can be started when the air flow analysis is performed from the analysis condition to which the upper limit priority is given to the analysis condition to which the lower limit priority is given. The priority range of the analysis conditions for airflow analysis after the airflow control is started is set in the additional conditions. Specifically, the additional condition means that after the air flow control is started, the air flow analysis and the accumulation of analysis results thereof can be performed in parallel with the air flow control from the analysis condition to which the upper limit priority is given to the analysis condition to which the lower limit priority is given.

In the example shown in fig. 7, an integer 1 is set for the upper limit priority and an integer 3 is set for the lower limit priority as the necessary conditions. In this case, when the airflow analysis is completed for the analysis condition to which the priority of 1 or more and 3 or less is given, the airflow control can be started. Further, as an additional condition, an integer 4 is set for the upper limit priority, and an integer 10 is set for the lower limit priority. In this case, the analysis conditions to which the priority of 4 or more and 10 or less is given can be subjected to the airflow analysis and the accumulation of the analysis results in parallel with the airflow control after the airflow control is started. In the example shown in fig. 7, the case where the upper limit priority of the necessary condition is 1 and the lower limit priority is 3 is shown, but the lower limit priority may be 1 the same as the upper limit priority.

The equipment and space information 132 is information necessary for creating the airflow analysis model 133, and is composed of space information and equipment information. The space information is information on the air-conditioning target space in which the air conditioner 2 is provided. For example, the space information is information about the shape of a room including an air-conditioning target space, the arrangement of windows, doors, furniture, and the like, and the heat insulating performance indicating the thermal characteristics of the wall surface. The device information is information on the performance of the air conditioner 2. For example, the equipment information includes the position of the outlet of the air conditioner 2, the capacity and efficiency of the air conditioner 2, and the settable blow-out temperature, air volume, and wind direction. The information listed here is an example, and the device and space information 132 is not limited to this information.

The airflow analysis model 133 is a model used in, for example, a CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics: numerical fluid dynamics) analysis method or the like. The airflow analysis model 133 is created based on the equipment and spatial information and the analysis conditions in the analysis condition list.

Fig. 8 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of the pattern data shown in fig. 3. The pattern data is created from the results of airflow analysis, and is data representing the trend of the distribution of the environment such as the temperature and the wind speed in the space to be conditioned. The pattern data 134 shown in fig. 3 is information such as a table in which a plurality of pattern data are recorded. The pattern data generation method shown in fig. 8 will be described later.

The target condition 135 is a setting condition related to a target of the environment formed in the air-conditioning target space by the operation of the air conditioner 2. The target conditions 135 are, for example, an upper limit value and a lower limit value of an allowable range to be satisfied by the air-conditioning target space with respect to the elements of the temperature and the wind speed. The target condition 135 may be a set condition related to 1 element or a set condition related to a plurality of elements. For example, the target condition 135 may be set with respect to the blowout condition in which a plurality of elements are combined. The target condition 135 may be a target value determined in advance for each element, and may be set by a user via a remote controller (not shown).

Here, the difference between the target condition 135 and the analysis condition to which a high priority is given will be described. The target condition 135 is a setting condition for creating a desired environment derived from the air-conditioning target space or a desired environment that the user considers comfortable. On the other hand, the analysis condition to which the high priority is given is an analysis condition for preferentially performing the airflow analysis in order to perform the airflow control necessary for the environment in which the target condition 135 is formed in correspondence with the current environment of the air-conditioning target space.

The air-conditioning operation data 36 is, for example, information on the operation state such as a set value such as a set temperature, an air volume, a left-right air direction, and a vertical air direction, and information for air-conditioning control such as room temperature, outside air temperature, refrigerant temperature, and refrigerant flow rate. The information for air conditioning control is measured by a sensor 3 provided in the air conditioner 2.

The sensor data 37 is data measured by the sensor 3 such as a temperature sensor provided in the room. In the case where the sensor 3 is provided in the air conditioner 2, the air-conditioning operation data 36 may include sensor data 37.

Next, the configuration of the arithmetic device 14 shown in fig. 3 will be described. The arithmetic device 14 includes: the model creating unit 141, the airflow analyzing unit 142 that analyzes the airflow for each analysis condition, the pattern generating unit 143 that generates pattern data from the analysis result, and the airflow control unit 144 that controls the airflow of the air conditioner 2 based on the pattern data or the analysis result.

The model creation unit 141 creates a model for airflow analysis. First, the model creation unit 141 creates shape data specifying the room shape, the arrangement of windows and furniture, and the position of the outlet of the air conditioner 2 from the equipment and space information, and performs a process of dividing the analysis target area into a plurality of small spaces. Further, the model creation unit 141 sets conditions concerning the inflow and outflow of heat from the wall surface into the analysis target area, heating conditions based on the heat generation of the human body and the heat generation of the OA equipment, taking into consideration the position of the furniture, intake conditions of the inflow temperature and the 3-dimensional inflow wind speed at the position of the intake port, and blow-out conditions such as the outflow air volume at the exhaust port, according to the analysis conditions.

The airflow analysis unit 142 calculates an airflow analysis model as an object by using a CFD analysis method or the like, and obtains a distribution of the indoor temperature and the wind speed in the space to be conditioned. For example, the airflow analysis unit 142 divides the air-conditioning target space into a large number of minute areas, and calculates the temperature and wind speed of each minute area using an airflow analysis model.

The governing equation of the fluid for CFD analysis is shown below, for example.

[ number 1]

[ number 2]

[ number 3]

Here, u is a 3-dimensional velocity vector, t is time, p is pressure, ρ is density, μ is viscosity coefficient, ρ ₀ Is the reference density, g is the gravitational acceleration, C _p The constant pressure specific heat, T is temperature, k is thermal conductivity, and Q is internal heat generation.

Equation (1) is a continuous equation showing the conservation of mass of a fluid. Equation (2) is a non-compressive Navie-Stokes equation representing conservation of momentum. Equation (3) is an energy equation. The airflow analysis unit 142 calculates the temperature, wind speed, and the like of each divided region by solving these equations (1) to (3) under appropriate initial values and boundary conditions. In this case, the air-conditioning operation data 36 and the sensor data 37 of the air conditioner 2 are used as initial values and boundary condition values in the airflow analysis.

The analysis conditions included in the airflow analysis model are given priority, and the airflow analysis unit 142 performs airflow analysis in the order of the priority. After the completion of the airflow analysis to which the analysis condition of the predetermined priority is given, the airflow control can be started. Thereafter, the airflow control unit 144 performs airflow control at regular intervals (for example, at 5-minute intervals), but during this period, the airflow analysis unit 142 may temporarily interrupt calculation for analysis conditions under which airflow analysis is not performed, or may continue calculation by parallel processing.

For example, when a high priority is given to the analysis condition corresponding to the operation state having a high frequency of occurrence among the past operation states of the air conditioner 2, the airflow control unit 144 can start the airflow control using the airflow analysis at an early stage with respect to the operation state having a high operation performance. In this case, the air conditioner 2 can be started to operate with the highest efficiency in the operation state in which the operation performance has been achieved in the past at an early stage. On the other hand, for the operation state of low performance, the airflow analysis unit 142 continues airflow analysis after the airflow control is started, and accumulates analysis results based on the analysis conditions corresponding to the operation state of low performance. Then, the airflow control unit 144 can include the operation state with the low performance in the selection item of the airflow control.

The pattern generation unit 143 performs statistical processing on the airflow analysis result to generate pattern data expressing a trend of the distribution of the environment of the air-conditioning target space with fewer variables than the airflow analysis result. The storage device 13 stores the generated pattern data, and can reduce the data capacity stored compared with the case of storing the pattern data in the state of the airflow analysis result. Fig. 8 is a diagram showing an example of pattern data. As an example of the variables, a case of temperature will be described, and the pattern generation unit 143 generates pattern data as follows.

First, the pattern generation unit 143 divides a room, which is a space to be air-conditioned, into a plurality of small areas, and extracts a measured value of the temperature of an area where an occupant may exist from among measured values of the temperatures of the small areas. The area where the occupants may be present is for example the area from the ground to a height of 1.1m above the ground. Next, the pattern generation unit 143 sets a plurality of temperature ranges based on the preset upper limit value and lower limit value of the temperature and the number of divisions of the temperature range. Then, the pattern generation unit 143 projects the small areas included in each temperature range onto a surface parallel to the floor surface, and generates pattern data indicating the temperature distribution so that the total of the areas of the projected surfaces becomes 100%.

In the explanation of fig. 8, when the lower limit of the temperature range is 20 ℃, the upper limit is 30 ℃, and the unit of division of the temperature is 1 ℃, 10 partitions are set, each including a 1 st partition of 20 ℃ or more and less than 21 ℃, a 2 nd partition of 21 ℃ or more and less than 22 ℃, a … nd partition of 29 ℃ or more and less than 30 ℃. The pattern data indicates the occurrence rate (%) of the ratio of the degree of the small area belonging to each temperature range among the areas where the resident may exist in the case where the temperature range is divided into 10 zones.

Referring to fig. 8, a case where pattern data differs according to a pattern will be described. For pattern data with pattern name pattern001, the incidence of partition 5 was 44.43% and the incidence of partition 7 was 9.7%. In contrast, with respect to pattern data having a pattern name of pattern002, the occurrence rate of the 5 th division was 5.26%, and the occurrence rate of the 7 th division was 40.16%. It was found that the room temperature of the pattern named pattern002 was higher than the pattern named pattern 001.

The pattern data generation method described with reference to fig. 8 is an example, and other methods are also possible. The variable is not limited to the case of temperature, and the pattern generation unit 143 may generate pattern data for other elements such as the wind speed, humidity, and comfort index as in the case of the variable being temperature. The number of variables is not limited to 1, and may be plural. The pattern data is expressed by a frequency distribution based on any one or more of the indoor temperature, humidity, wind speed, and comfort index in the analysis result. By replacing the result of the airflow analysis with pattern data, the data size of the analysis result can be reduced, and the storage capacity of the storage device 13 can be reduced.

The airflow control unit 144 includes an airflow control availability determination unit 41, an operation state determination unit 42, and a control command conversion unit 43. The air flow control availability determination unit 41 determines whether or not air flow control can be started, based on the generation state of pattern data based on the pattern generation unit 143. Pattern data is generated in accordance with the analysis condition to which the priority is given. The airflow control availability determination unit 41 determines that airflow control can be started when generation of pattern data corresponding to analysis conditions for which the priority is set to be high is completed.

When it is determined by the airflow control availability determination unit 41 that airflow control can be started, the operation state determination unit 42 determines the operation state by selecting, from among the plurality of pattern data generated, a pattern that realizes the environment closest to the target condition, based on the measurement data 136.

The control command conversion unit 43 converts the operation state determined by the operation state determination unit 42 into a control command for actually giving a command to the air conditioner 2. Then, the control command conversion unit 43 transmits the control command to the air conditioner 2.

In embodiment 1, the case where the airflow control availability determination unit 41 determines based on the generation state of the pattern data when determining whether or not the airflow control can be started has been described, but the determination may be based on the generation state based on the analysis result of the airflow analysis unit 142.

The method of using the frequency of occurrence of the operation state for a certain period is described as a method of setting the priority, but the method is not limited thereto. Among the plurality of operation states, an operation state having a high priority may be selected by the user. In addition, the operation state with high priority may be set randomly, such as by setting the operation state with high priority at equal intervals in advance for the range in which the air conditioner 2 can operate.

An example of another method for setting the priority will be described further. For example, the selectable ranges of the operation states of the air conditioner 2 are divided into a plurality of ranges in advance, and it is considered that a high priority is given to a representative 1 operation state in each divided range, and a relatively lower priority is given to other operation states than the priority of the representative operation state. In this case, the optimum operation state can be determined from among representative conditions at an early stage, and the range of selectable operation states can be gradually expanded to other conditions.

An example of an optional range of operating conditions is described. Here, the case where the operation state is the up-down direction of the discharge port of the indoor unit 22 will be described. The vertical wind direction can be set in 1 ° units by setting the gravity direction to an angle of 0 °, the horizontal direction to an angle of 90 °, and the selectable range of the vertical wind direction to a range of 0 ° to 90 °. In this case, the selectable range of the operation state is divided into 3 partitions. The 3 partitions are a 1 st partition of 0 ° or more and less than 30 °, a 2 nd partition of 30 ° or more and less than 60 °, and a 3 rd partition of 60 ° or more and 90 ° or less. In the 1 st partition, a high priority is assigned to the angle 15 ° as a representative value, and a priority relatively lower than the priority of the representative value is assigned to the other angle. In the 2 nd division, a high priority is assigned to 45 ° as a representative value, and a priority relatively lower than the priority of the representative value is assigned to other angles. In the 3 rd partition, a high priority is assigned to 75 ° as a representative value, and a priority relatively lower than the priority of the representative value is assigned to other angles.

In this example, the airflow analysis unit 142 preferentially performs airflow analysis under analysis conditions in which the angles of the upwind direction and the downwind direction are 15 °, 45 °, and 75 °. Then, the airflow analysis unit 142 performs airflow analysis on analysis conditions in which the angles of the upwind direction and the downwind direction are other than 15 °, 45 °, and 75 °. In each of the divided ranges, the airflow control can be started after the airflow analysis stage is completed for the representative operation state, and the operation with the best efficiency from among the representative operation states can be performed.

Here, an example of hardware of the arithmetic unit 14 of the air conditioner control device 1 shown in fig. 3 is described. Fig. 9 is a hardware configuration diagram showing an example of the configuration of the arithmetic device shown in fig. 3. When various functions of the arithmetic device 14 are executed by hardware, the arithmetic device 14 shown in fig. 3 is constituted by a processing circuit 80 as shown in fig. 9. The functions of the model creating unit 141, the airflow analyzing unit 142, the pattern generating unit 143, and the airflow control unit 144 shown in fig. 3 are realized by the processing circuit 80.

In the case where each function is executed by hardware, the processing circuit 80 corresponds to, for example, a single circuit, a composite circuit, a programmed processor, a parallel programmed processor, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit ), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array, field programmable logic array), or a configuration in which these are combined. The functions of the model creating unit 141, the airflow analyzing unit 142, the pattern generating unit 143, and the airflow control unit 144 may be realized by the processing circuit 80. The functions of the respective parts of the model creation unit 141, the airflow analysis unit 142, the pattern generation unit 143, and the airflow control unit 144 may be realized by 1 processing circuit 80.

Further, an example of other hardware of the arithmetic device 14 shown in fig. 3 is described. Fig. 10 is a hardware configuration diagram illustrating another configuration example of the arithmetic device shown in fig. 3. In the case where various functions of the arithmetic device 14 are executed by software, as shown in fig. 10, the arithmetic device 14 shown in fig. 3 is configured by a processor 81 such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit ) and a memory 82. The functions of the model creation unit 141, the airflow analysis unit 142, the pattern generation unit 143, and the airflow control unit 144 are realized by the processor 81 and the memory 82. Fig. 10 shows that the processor 81 and the memory 82 are communicably connected to each other via a bus 83.

In the case where each function is performed by software, the functions of the model creation unit 141, the airflow analysis unit 142, the pattern generation unit 143, and the airflow control unit 144 are realized by software, firmware, or a combination of software and firmware. The software and firmware are described as programs and stored in the memory 82. The processor 81 reads out and executes a program stored in the memory 82 to realize the functions of each section.

As the Memory 82, for example, a nonvolatile semiconductor Memory such as a ROM (Read Only Memory), a flash Memory, an EPROM (Erasable and Programmable ROM, erasable programmable Read Only Memory), and an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable and Programmable ROM, electrically erasable programmable Read Only Memory) is used. As the memory 82, a volatile semiconductor memory of RAM (Random Access Memory ) may be used. As the memory 82, a removable recording medium such as a magnetic disk, a flexible disk, an optical disk, a CD (Compact Disc), an MD (Mini Disc), and a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc ) may be used.

Next, the operation of the air conditioning control device 1 according to embodiment 1 will be described. Fig. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation procedure of the air conditioner control device according to embodiment 1. The trigger for starting the flow shown in fig. 11 is, for example, the air conditioner control device 1 receiving an operation start notification signal indicating that the operation is to be started from the air conditioner 2. In this case, the controller 23 of the air conditioner 2 transmits an operation start notification signal to the air conditioner control device 1 when starting operation.

In step ST11, the airflow control availability determination unit 41 determines whether or not airflow control can be started. For example, the airflow control availability determination unit 41 determines whether or not the generation of pattern data by the pattern generation unit 143 is completed based on the result of airflow analysis based on the analysis condition given with a higher priority than a predetermined priority. As a result of the determination in step ST11, when the generation of pattern data corresponding to the analysis condition having a high priority is completed, the airflow control availability determination unit 41 determines that the airflow control can be started, and the flow proceeds to step ST12. On the other hand, as a result of the determination in step ST11, if the generation of pattern data corresponding to the analysis condition of high priority is not completed, the airflow control availability determination unit 41 returns to step ST11.

In step ST12, the airflow control unit 144 determines whether or not the timing of the airflow control execution cycle is set. When the airflow control unit 144 determines that the timing is the airflow control execution cycle, the process proceeds to step ST13. When it is determined that the timing is not the timing of the airflow control execution cycle, the airflow control unit 144 returns to step ST12. The airflow control execution period is, for example, a fixed period such as 5 minute intervals.

When the airflow control unit 144 proceeds to the process of step ST13 to perform the airflow control, the airflow analysis unit 142 continues the airflow analysis in order from the analysis condition having the higher priority with respect to the remaining analysis conditions. By performing the airflow analysis in parallel with the airflow control, the results of the airflow analysis under the analysis conditions in which the priority is set relatively low are also accumulated in the storage device 13 with the passage of time. The result of the airflow analysis based on the analysis condition with low priority can be used in the early stage, and the airflow control with higher accuracy can be performed.

In step ST13, the airflow control unit 144 acquires the air-conditioning operation data 36 and the sensor data 37 from the storage device 13. The data acquired here is not limited to the current data, which is the data acquired from the air conditioner 2 and the sensor 3 at the time closest to the current time. The data acquired from the storage device 13 may be past data including air conditioning operation data 36 and sensor data 37 stored in the storage device 13 in the past.

In step ST14, the airflow control unit 144 selects a pattern that achieves a state closest to a target value set in advance from the pattern data that has been generated by the pattern generating unit 143. In step ST15, the operation state determining unit 42 refers to the air-conditioning unit 2 blowing conditions corresponding to the pattern selected in step ST14, and determines the operation state of the air-conditioning unit 2. In step ST16, the control command conversion unit 43 converts the operation state determined in step ST15 into a control command for actually giving a command to the air conditioner 2, and transmits the control command to the air conditioner 2.

In step ST17, the airflow control unit 144 determines whether or not the end condition is satisfied. When the end condition is satisfied, the airflow control unit 144 ends the process. On the other hand, as a result of the determination in step ST17, if the end condition is not satisfied, the airflow control unit 144 returns to step ST12. The end condition is, for example, a stop of the air conditioner 2. In this case, when an instruction to stop the operation of the air conditioner 2 is input by the user or the manager, the controller 23 of the air conditioner 2 stops the operation of the air conditioner 2 and transmits a stop notification signal indicating that the operation of the air conditioner 2 is stopped to the air conditioner control device 1. The end condition is not limited to the stop of the air conditioner 2, and a predetermined time from the start of the operation of the air conditioner 2 may be used as the condition. The preset time is a time when the operation of the air conditioner 2 becomes a steady state.

Next, operations performed by the airflow analysis unit 142, the pattern generation unit 143, and the airflow control unit 144 in step ST11 shown in fig. 11 will be described with reference to fig. 12. Fig. 12 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation sequence in step ST11 shown in fig. 11. Here, the priority given to the analysis condition is set to an integer k. Further, the highest priority among the priorities k ordered in a plurality of ranks is set to 1. k=1 corresponds to the upper limit priority of the necessary condition shown in fig. 7. The lower limit priority of the necessary conditions shown in fig. 7 among the priorities k ordered in a plurality of levels is set to kL.

When 1 is set as the highest priority for the priority k of the analysis condition to be read (step ST 31), the airflow analysis unit 142 reads the analysis condition to which the priority k=1 is given from the storage device 13, and performs airflow analysis (step ST 32). Next, the pattern generation unit 143 generates pattern data from the analysis result (step ST 33). The pattern generation unit 143 further saves the generated pattern data in the storage device 13 (step ST 34). The airflow control availability determination unit 41 determines whether or not the priority k matches the lower limit priority kL (step ST 35). As a result of the determination in step ST35, when the priority k does not match the lower limit priority kL, the airflow control availability determination unit 41 sets the value obtained by adding 1 to the current priority k as the new priority k (step ST 36), and returns to step ST32.

On the other hand, as a result of the determination in step ST35, when the priority k matches the lower limit priority kL, the airflow control availability determination unit 41 determines that airflow control is executable (step ST 37). When the number of analysis conditions to which the same priority k is given is 2 or more, the airflow control unit 144 executes steps ST32 to ST34 for each of the 2 or more analysis conditions, and then proceeds to step ST35.

In this way, by preferentially performing the airflow analysis having a high priority, the air conditioning control can be started at an early stage of the completion of the airflow analysis including the analysis conditions of the main blowout conditions.

Next, the operation of the operation state determining unit 42 in step ST15 shown in fig. 11 will be described. Fig. 13 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation sequence in step ST15 shown in fig. 11. The pattern selection process performed by the operation state determination unit 42 will be described with reference to fig. 13.

For convenience of explanation, the following configuration and conditions will be described. The air conditioner 2 has 1 indoor unit 22, and the number of discharge ports provided in the indoor unit 22 is 1. The air-conditioning operation data 36 in the measurement data 136 includes data indicating the on or off state of the air conditioner 2, the operation mode indicating the cooling operation or the heating operation, the set temperature, the blowing air speed, the up-down wind direction, and the left-right wind direction. The sensor 3 is an infrared sensor and the sensor data 37 includes data of wall surface temperature, ceiling surface temperature, and floor surface temperature acquired from a thermal image of the infrared sensor.

The load conditions in the analysis conditions are the wall surface temperature, the ceiling surface temperature, and the floor surface temperature, and the blow-out conditions are the blow-out temperatures provided at 1 outlet of the indoor unit 22, and the up-down direction and the left-right direction of the airflow. The objects calculated in the airflow analysis are temperature and wind speed. As target conditions, an upper limit value and a lower limit value are set for the wind speed and the temperature at a predetermined level in a room of the air-conditioning target space, respectively.

In step ST21, the operation state determining unit 42 selects a current state pattern, which is a pattern similar to the current operation state, as described below. The operation state determining unit 42 acquires the on/off state, the operation mode, the blowing wind speed, the up/down direction, the left/right direction of the air conditioner 2 from the air conditioner operation data 36, and selects the blowing condition corresponding to the acquired operation state of the air conditioner 2 from the blowing conditions among the analysis conditions. Next, the operation state determination unit 42 obtains the wall surface temperature, the ceiling surface temperature, and the floor surface temperature from the sensor data 37, and subtracts the floor surface temperature from the obtained ceiling surface temperature to determine the upper and lower temperature differences, which are the temperature differences between the ceiling surface temperature and the floor surface temperature. Further, regarding the load condition among the analysis conditions, the operation state determining unit 42 also subtracts the floor temperature from the ceiling temperature to determine the upper and lower temperature differences, compares the upper and lower temperature differences with the values obtained from the sensor data 37, and determines the closest load condition. Here, pattern data corresponding to analysis conditions including the determined blowing conditions and loading conditions is uniquely determined. The operation state determining unit 42 uses the uniquely determined pattern data as the current state pattern of the current estimated indoor environment value.

In step ST22, the operation state determination unit 42 extracts a candidate pattern, which is a candidate pattern, from the current state pattern as an estimated value of the indoor environment when the blowing wind speed, the up-down wind direction, and the left-right wind direction are changed, as described below. The operation state determining unit 42 refers to the air-conditioning operation data 36, and selects a plurality of blowing conditions in which the state of activation or deactivation of the air conditioner 2 matches the operation mode and the blowing wind speed, the upwind direction, and the right and left wind directions are different. Next, the operation state determination unit 42 extracts, from the analysis condition list, a plurality of analysis conditions including the same blowout condition as any blowout condition among the selected plurality of blowout conditions and the same load condition as the load condition determined in step ST 21. The operation state determination unit 42 uses the pattern corresponding to the extracted analysis condition as a candidate pattern. The candidate patterns are sometimes 1 and sometimes plural.

In step ST23, the operation state determining unit 42 calculates an evaluation value for each of the current state pattern determined in step ST21 and the candidate pattern determined in step ST 22. Here, an example of the evaluation value is described. The ratio of the areas included in the preset temperature range is calculated for each of the variables of the temperature and the wind speed in the pattern data, and the ratio of each variable is multiplied by the weight coefficient to obtain a total value as an evaluation value.

A plurality of weight coefficients are preset. In this case, the operation state determination unit 42 may determine whether the operation state of the air conditioner 2 is in the transient state or in the steady state, and change the weight coefficient to be used in accordance with the operation state. The transient state is a state in an unstable process such as immediately after the start-up of the air conditioner 2. The operation state of the air conditioner 2 is determined by, for example, whether or not the elapsed time from the start of the activation is equal to or longer than a predetermined threshold time. The operation state determination unit 42 determines that the operation state of the air conditioner 2 is the transient state when the elapsed time from the start of the air conditioner 2 is less than the threshold time, and determines that the operation state of the air conditioner 2 is the steady state when the elapsed time from the start of the air conditioner 2 is the threshold time or longer. By changing the weight coefficient in accordance with the operation state, it is possible to give priority to the reaching speed of the target value immediately after the air conditioner 2 is started, give priority to comfort after the air conditioner 2 stabilizes, and perform the air flow control in accordance with the condition of the air conditioner 2.

The determination of the operation state of the air conditioner 2 is not limited to the above-described determination method. The operation state determination unit 42 may acquire information on the suction temperature and the set temperature from the air conditioner 2, and compare a temperature difference between the suction temperature and the set temperature with a predetermined threshold temperature to determine the operation state of the air conditioner 2. The operation state determination unit 42 determines that the operation state of the air conditioner 2 is the transient state when the temperature difference between the intake temperature and the set temperature is equal to or higher than the threshold temperature, and determines that the operation state of the air conditioner 2 is the steady state when the temperature difference between the intake temperature and the set temperature is lower than the threshold temperature.

The above-described evaluation value calculation method is an example, and may be calculated by other calculation methods. The evaluation target is not limited to the temperature, and may be a wind speed, or may be a factor other than the temperature and the wind speed. For example, the evaluation target may be a pattern such as the vertical temperature difference at a plurality of positions in the room from the airflow analysis result, and the calculated value of the pattern may be stored in the storage device 13 as the evaluation value.

In addition, the analysis result or pattern data of the airflow analysis may completely match the actual conditions, but may also include errors. Therefore, the operation state determination unit 42 may correct the analysis result or the pattern data using the measured value of one or both of the air conditioning operation data and the sensor data, and use the corrected analysis result or pattern data. For example, a sensor 3 that measures the intake temperature, which is the temperature of air taken into the intake port of the air conditioner 2, is provided, and the operation state determination unit 42 acquires information of the measured value from the sensor 3 provided in the intake port. Then, the operation state determination unit 42 acquires information on the temperature corresponding to the intake temperature from the analysis result or the pattern data, and corrects the analysis result or the pattern data using the difference value between the temperature acquired from the analysis result or the pattern data and the measured value. The analysis result or the pattern data is corrected, and the correction is reflected in the actual air flow control performed in the room, thereby correcting the temperature in the room. This makes it possible to correct an error caused by a difference between the analysis conditions and the actual conditions and to perform accurate air flow control.

In step ST24, the operation state determination unit 42 determines the operation state of the air conditioner 2 as follows. When the evaluation values of the plurality of candidate patterns calculated in step ST23 are lower than the evaluation value of the current pattern, the operation state determination unit 42 does not change the operation state. When there is a candidate pattern having an evaluation value higher than that of the current pattern, the operation state determining unit 42 determines the operation state of the air conditioner 2 corresponding to the blowing condition corresponding to the candidate pattern as the target value of the operation state of the air conditioner 2. When there are a plurality of candidate patterns having higher evaluation values than the current state pattern, the operation state determination unit 42 selects the candidate pattern having the highest evaluation value, and determines the operation state of the air conditioner 2 corresponding to the blowout condition corresponding to the selected candidate pattern as the target value of the operation state of the air conditioner 2.

In this way, the air conditioner control device 1 accumulates, as pattern data, the results of airflow analysis for the airflow analysis model created from the equipment and space information and the analysis condition list. Then, the air conditioner control device 1 performs air flow control by selecting a pattern satisfying the target condition from among the pattern data based on the measurement data when performing air flow control.

By giving priority to each analysis condition in the analysis condition list, the air conditioner control device 1 performs airflow analysis in order of higher priority, and can start airflow control at an early stage of completion of airflow analysis for the condition with higher priority. Further, the air conditioning control device 1 can gradually accumulate various pattern data by continuing the airflow analysis under the analysis condition of low priority after the start of the airflow control, and can improve the accuracy of the airflow control.

In embodiment 1, the model creation unit 141 may perform machine learning using the measurement data 136 accumulated in the storage device 13 to update the airflow analysis model 133 so that the airflow analysis model 133 is suitable for the air-conditioning target space. Thereby further improving the accuracy of the airflow resolution.

The air conditioner control device 1 according to embodiment 1 includes: a storage device 13 for storing a plurality of analysis conditions to which priorities are given, respectively, and a result of airflow analysis for each analysis condition; and an arithmetic unit 14 for controlling the air conditioner 2. The computing device 14 includes an airflow analysis unit 142, an airflow control availability determination unit 41, and an operation state determination unit 42. The airflow analysis unit 142 sequentially analyzes the airflow from the analysis condition having the higher priority among the plurality of analysis conditions. The air flow control availability determination unit 41 determines whether or not air conditioner 2 can start air flow control based on the generation state based on the analysis result of air flow analysis unit 142. When the air flow control availability determination unit 41 determines that air flow control can be started, the operation state determination unit 42 determines the operation state of the air conditioner 2 based on the analysis result by the air flow analysis unit 142.

According to embodiment 1, by giving priority to each of the plurality of analysis conditions and sequentially performing the airflow analysis from the analysis condition to which the high priority is given, the airflow control can be started at an early stage of the completion of the airflow analysis of the analysis condition having the high priority. Since appropriate air flow control is performed early from the start of the air conditioner 2, a comfortable environment can be provided to the user early. By performing the air flow control suitable for the space to be air-conditioned earlier, the operating frequency of the compressor 51 can be suppressed from being changed inefficiently, and energy saving can be achieved.

Conventionally, when the number of analysis conditions to be analyzed is large, it has been considered to reduce the number of analysis conditions in order to shorten the time for airflow analysis, and to supplement insufficient analysis conditions by means of interpolation processing or the like. However, according to the method of reducing the analysis conditions, the analysis conditions corresponding to the operation state with a high frequency of use may be deleted, and the deleted analysis conditions may be supplemented by interpolation processing. In this case, the accuracy of the airflow analysis may be deteriorated.

In contrast, the air conditioner control device 1 according to embodiment 1 does not reduce the number of analysis conditions for a plurality of analysis conditions, but preferentially performs airflow analysis for analysis conditions having a high priority, and starts airflow control based on the analysis result. The accuracy loss of the airflow analysis is suppressed by performing the airflow analysis under the analysis conditions having high priority.

In embodiment 1, after the start of the airflow control, the airflow analysis unit 142 performs airflow analysis of the analysis condition having a low priority in parallel with the airflow control, and a large number of analysis results are accumulated in the storage device 13 with the passage of time. Therefore, the air conditioner control device 1 can accurately perform the air flow control for the user with a high degree of accuracy using the analysis results of a large number of analysis conditions accumulated in the storage device 13.

Further, in embodiment 1, the storage device 13 stores and manages pattern data indicating the distribution of the environment of the space to be air-conditioned, instead of directly storing and managing the results of the airflow analysis. Therefore, the data size of the analysis result can be compressed, and the storage capacity of the storage device 13 can be reduced. Even when the analysis conditions are large, the required storage capacity can be suppressed. As a result, according to embodiment 1, it is possible to reduce the calculation load and the storage capacity, and to start the airflow control in consideration of the distribution of the warm environment of the air-conditioning target space at an early stage.

Claims (10)

1. An air conditioner control device includes:

a storage device for storing a plurality of analysis conditions to which priorities are respectively given and a result of airflow analysis for each of the analysis conditions; and

An arithmetic device for controlling the air conditioner,

the arithmetic device includes:

an airflow analysis unit that sequentially analyzes the airflow from the analysis condition having the higher priority among the plurality of analysis conditions;

an air flow control availability determination unit that determines whether or not air flow control can be started for the air conditioner, based on a generation state based on an analysis result of the air flow analysis unit; and

and an operation state determining unit configured to determine an operation state of the air conditioner based on an analysis result of the airflow analysis unit when the airflow control availability determining unit determines that the airflow control can be started.

2. The air conditioner control device according to claim 1, wherein

The airflow control availability determination unit determines that the airflow control is capable of being started when the airflow analysis of the analysis conditions to which the predetermined priority is given among the plurality of analysis conditions is completed.

3. The air conditioner control device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein

The storage device stores operation data indicating an operation state of the air conditioner,

the higher the frequency of occurrence of the operation state in the past operation state of the air conditioner, the higher the priority to be given to the analysis condition corresponding to the operation state.

4. The air conditioner control device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein

In the case where the operation state of the air conditioner is the blowout condition, the blowout condition is divided into a plurality of ranges, and the highest priority is set for the representative blowout condition of each of the divided ranges.

5. The air conditioner control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein

The airflow analysis unit continues airflow analysis based on the analysis conditions in the order of the priority after the airflow control availability determination unit determines that airflow control can be started.

6. The air conditioner control device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein

The storage device stores operation data indicating an operation state of the air conditioner and sensor data which is a measurement value of a sensor obtained by measuring at least an environment of an air-conditioning target space,

the operation state determination unit corrects the analysis result using one or both of the current operation state of the air conditioner and the sensor data when determining, as the operation state of the air conditioner, a blowout condition closest to a predetermined target condition based on the analysis result.

7. The air conditioner control device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein

When determining, as the operation state of the air conditioner, the blowing-out condition closest to the predetermined target condition based on the analysis result, the operation state determination unit calculates an evaluation value of the blowing-out condition using a coefficient different depending on whether the operation state of the air conditioner is a transient state or a steady state, and determines the blowing-out condition with the highest calculated evaluation value as the current operation state of the air conditioner.

8. The air conditioner control device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein

The operation device has a pattern generation unit for generating pattern data expressing the trend of the distribution of the environment of the air-conditioning object space by using fewer variables than the analysis result based on the analysis result of the airflow analysis unit,

the operation state determining unit determines an operation state of the air conditioner based on the pattern data generated by the pattern generating unit.

9. The air conditioner control device according to claim 8, wherein

The pattern data is expressed by a frequency distribution based on any one or more of the temperature, humidity, wind speed, and comfort index of the air-conditioning target space in the analysis result.

10. The air conditioner control device according to claim 8 or 9, wherein

The air flow control availability determination unit determines whether or not air flow control can be started based on a generation state of the pattern data based on the pattern generation unit.

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