JP2015040693A - Air-conditioning control system and air-conditioning control device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an air-conditioning control system which can finely control air-conditioning and easily balance energy saving with comfort.SOLUTION: An air-conditioning system comprises: a sensor section; a dynamic state detection section; a control mode storage section; a control level calculation section; and an output section. The sensor section acquires sensing data by sensing inside a building. The dynamic state detection section detects dynamic state information on a human being inside the building on the basis of the sensing data. The control mode storage section stores a plurality of control modes corresponding to calculation patterns which have different control levels of the air conditioning for respective dynamic state information. The control level calculation section calculates the control level of the air conditioning inside the building on the basis of the detected dynamic state and the designated control mode. The output section outputs the calculated control level.

Description

  Embodiments described herein relate generally to a technique for controlling air conditioning equipment provided in a building such as a building.

  In next-generation intelligent buildings and the like, air conditioning is controlled based on the current situation (human distribution, presence / absence, amount of activity, etc.) grasped using sensors. For example, a technique is known that performs air-conditioning control in consideration of the outflow of heat to an adjacent area based on the presence / absence of a person, the presence frequency of a person, and a life classification. Alternatively, there is known a technique for controlling the air conditioning according to the personal preference by utilizing each person's preference such as hot / cold and presence / absence information.

JP 2009-186136 A JP 2004-101048 A Japanese Patent No. 4852159

  With existing technology, the entire building can only be controlled in a single control mode and there is very little room for selection. In particular, it is very difficult to adjust the balance between energy saving and comfort, and it is difficult to meet social needs in recent years. In addition, since the control is rough, the temperature distribution in the target area often does not become the intended one. Furthermore, since information that can be used for air conditioning control is limited, it is difficult to control air conditioning in response to building usage conditions or environmental conditions such as the positions of walls and windows.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioning control system and an air conditioning control device that can finely control the air conditioning and easily balance energy saving and comfort.

  According to the embodiment, the air conditioning control system includes a sensor unit, a movement detection unit, a control mode storage unit, a control level calculation unit, and an output unit. A sensor part senses the inside of a building and acquires sensing data. The movement detection unit detects movement information of a person in the building based on the sensing data. The control mode storage unit stores a plurality of control modes corresponding to calculated patterns having different air conditioning control levels for the dynamic information. A control level calculation part calculates the control level of the air conditioning in a building based on the detected dynamic information and the designated control mode. The output unit outputs the calculated control level.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of an air conditioning control system according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of an area controlled by the air conditioning control device 1. FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram illustrating an example of the air conditioning control device 1 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a floor environment including personal air conditioning. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a floor environment including overall air conditioning. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the control mode. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of the control level calculated by the control level calculation unit 30. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of control conditions. FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure related to calculation of the control level. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a control level pattern with respect to a control condition. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating another example of control level patterns with respect to control conditions. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of a user interface for visually displaying the control mode. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a GUI for setting the control mode. FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a procedure for automatically creating a control mode. FIG. 15 is a functional block diagram illustrating an example of the air conditioning control device 1 according to the second embodiment. FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating an example of a GUI for displaying a control mode for each place. FIG. 17 is a functional block diagram illustrating an example of the air conditioning control device 1 according to the third embodiment. FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating an example of a GUI window showing a result of the air conditioning simulation by the simulator 110.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of an air conditioning control system according to an embodiment. This system includes an air conditioning control device 1. The air conditioning control device 1 includes an input control unit 2, a processor 3, a storage device 4, and an output control unit 5. The processor 3 implements the functions according to the embodiment by executing the program 6 stored in the storage device 4.

  The air conditioning controller 1 is connected to an image sensor 9, an infrared sensor 8, a laser sensor 11, measuring devices 121 to 12 n, a building automation system (BAS: building monitoring system) 13, and an environmental management system (EMS) 14. . Furthermore, the air-conditioning control device 1 is connected to the output device 15 and devices (facility) 251 to 25m to be controlled.

  The image sensor 9 is, for example, a camera, a photographing device, a visible camera, or the like. The infrared sensor 8 is, for example, an infrared camera. The laser sensor 11 measures laser light. The laser sensor 11 is, for example, a laser camera.

  The devices 121 to 12n are, for example, physical sensors such as thermometers, hygrometers, illuminance meters, power meters, or other devices. The devices 121 to 12n acquire temperature, humidity, illuminance, power information, weather information, schedule information, and the like. The building automation system 13 controls, monitors, and manages air conditioning, heat sources, lighting, power reception / transformation, disaster prevention, security, and the like in the building. The environment management system 14 manages the environment of an air conditioning control area (hereinafter referred to as an area). The devices 251 to 25m are devices to be controlled that are installed in an area, such as an air conditioner, a lighting device, a blind drive device, and a curtain drive device.

  The input control unit 2 includes image data 16, infrared image data (infrared measurement data) 17, laser image acquired by the image sensor 9, infrared sensor 8, and laser sensor 11 (hereinafter collectively referred to as sensor unit S). Data (laser measurement data) 18 is stored in the storage device 4. These data are collectively called sensing data.

  Further, the input control unit 2 stores the device data 191 to 19n acquired by the devices 121 to 12n in the storage device 4. Further, the input control unit 2 acquires the BAS data 22 of the building automation system 13 and the EMS data 21 of the environmental management system 14 and stores them in the storage device 4.

  Note that image analysis may be performed using all data acquired by the image sensor 9, the infrared sensor 8, and the laser sensor 11, or data acquired by some sensors may be used. The sensor unit S may include any one or more of the image sensor 9, the infrared sensor 10, and the laser sensor 11 according to the type of data required. Further, two or more sensors may be installed for any one or more of the image sensor 9, the infrared sensor 8, and the laser sensor 11. Data acquired by other sensors such as a thermo sensor may be used for image analysis.

  The output control unit 5 outputs various data stored in the storage device 4 to the output device 15. Further, the output control unit 5 outputs control data stored in the storage device 4 to the devices 251 to 25m. The output device 15 is, for example, a display device, a sound output device, a communication device, etc., and displays various data, outputs sound, and transmits it. The devices 251 to 25m operate based on the control data. The devices 251 to 25m are, for example, air conditioning devices, lighting devices, blind driving devices, and the like.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of an area controlled by the air conditioning control device 1. The image sensor 91 is installed in the area 281, and the image sensor 92 is installed in the area 282. The image sensors 91 and 92 are installed, for example, on the ceiling of the office or outdoors, and image the inside of the office. The image sensors 91 and 92 may be a visible camera, an infrared camera, or the like. The image data 16 acquired by the image sensors 91 and 92 is taken into the air conditioning control device 1 via the input control unit 2.

  The air conditioning control device 1 performs image processing on the image data 16 to calculate human information or environmental information. Human information includes, for example, the presence / absence of humans in the area, the number of humans, human distribution / density, human activity (units METs), human clothes, human attributes (name, gender, physique, height, age, etc.) ), Human posture (standing position, sitting position, etc.), human behavioral state (during office work, moving, talking, etc.), specific information of individual humans staying in the area, and the like.

  Environmental information includes, for example, light information such as illuminance, amount of solar radiation, blind opening / closing amount, sunlight incident state, presence / absence of office equipment, position, number, entrance / exit of office, position and number of windows, position of passage, etc. Information, location and number of heat sources and power consuming equipment, weather information, etc.

  The air conditioning control device 1 identifies an individual staying in the areas 281 and 282 based on, for example, human information. In addition, the air conditioning control device 1 identifies an individual state (hot, cold, etc.) and behavior (during desk work, standing up, walking, etc.) based on the human information. The air conditioning control device 1 controls the devices 251 to 25m according to the attributes, states, actions, and preferences of each individual based on the specified information and control setting data stored in advance in the storage device 4. The control data 27 for creating is created.

  Here, the control setting data includes user information for a human individual, personal attribute data, and personal comfort status information. Further, the control setting data includes control values corresponding to human behavior states (hot operation, cold operation, desk work, standing up, walking). Then, the created control data 27 is transmitted to the devices 251 to 25m to be controlled via the output control unit 5. Next, a plurality of embodiments will be described based on the above configuration.

[First Embodiment]
FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram illustrating an example of the air conditioning control device 1 according to the first embodiment. In the first embodiment, the processor 3 of the air conditioning control device 1 includes a movement detection unit 10, a control mode setting unit 70, a personal authentication unit 80, a control level calculation unit 30, an output unit 40, and a control mode display unit 60. In addition to the data shown in FIG. 1, the storage device 4 stores the control mode 20 and the building information 50 in the memory area.

  The processor 3 executes the program 6 stored in the storage device 4 to execute the dynamic detection unit 10, the control mode setting unit 70, the personal authentication unit 80, the control level calculation unit 30, the output unit 40, and the control mode display unit 60. Function as. The movement detection unit 10, the control mode setting unit 70, the personal authentication unit 80, the control level calculation unit 30, the output unit 40, and the control mode display unit 60 can be mounted on the air conditioning control device 1 by hardware. is there.

  In FIG. 3, the movement detection unit 10 analyzes image data (sensing data) acquired by, for example, an image sensor of the sensor unit S or a visible light camera, and detects human movement (movement information) in the target space. The dynamic state information is information indicating the presence / absence of a person, the number of persons, the amount of activity, and the like for each place (area) in a building. In addition, information such as personal preferences can also be used as dynamic information.

  The control level calculation unit 30 calculates the control level of air conditioning for each area based on the dynamic information detected by the dynamic detection unit 10, the control mode 20 stored in the storage device 4, and the building information 50. The calculated control level is passed to the output unit 40. The output unit 40 transmits the air conditioning control level calculated by the control level calculating unit 30 to a control mode display unit 60 and a display device (not shown) such as a monitor, or an external system such as a BEMS (Building Energy Management System). Also outputs the control level.

  Based on the control level acquired from the output unit 40, the control mode display unit 60 visually displays a control mode such as time, room, area, or seat. The control mode is displayed with words such as “emphasis on energy saving” or “emphasis on comfort” and can be presented to the user in an easy-to-understand expression. Alternatively, the energy saving index value, the comfort index value, and the like can be displayed to the user in an easily understandable expression.

  The BEMS that acquired the control level from the output unit 40 converts the acquired control level of the air conditioning into a specific set value (numerical value). For example, in summer, BEMS sets the control level “strong” to a set temperature of 26 ° C., “medium” to 27 ° C., and “weak” to 28 ° C.

The control mode setting unit 70 provides a GUI (Graphical User Interface) environment for the user to select a control mode. The personal authentication unit 80 recognizes who an individual person is in the building based on the ID or employee number. The result is given to the control level calculation unit 30.
As a method of recognizing an individual, a method of utilizing a human face image taken with a visible light camera, a method of utilizing an RFID tag held by a human, or a method of utilizing an entrance / exit management device, etc. Also known techniques can be used.

  Next, the operation of the above configuration will be described in detail. First, detection of dynamic information by the dynamic detection unit 10 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. In the following, it will be shown that different dynamic information is detected depending on the building floor environment.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a floor environment including personal air conditioning. Personal air conditioning is an air conditioning system that includes, for example, individual task air conditioning outlets for each seat. For example, as shown in FIG. 4A, personal air conditioning is realized by individually operating an air conditioner outlet provided for each area delimited by a broken line in the figure. FIG. 4B shows the presence / absence detection result for each area. FIG.4 (c) shows the detection result of the activity amount for every area.

  For example, the motion detection unit 10 compares a human-absent image captured in advance with an image captured at the detection timing, and if there is a change in the image, determines the presence of a human by a known method. Presence / absence can be detected. In this method, since a plurality of detection areas can be set for one visible light camera, presence / absence can be detected for each seat.

  The amount of activity can also be determined by a known method using a visible light camera. In addition, the amount of activity can be obtained by a method using an infrared human sensor or an infrared array sensor.

  As described above, information indicating a person's preference can be included in the dynamic information. For example, by comparing the personal preference information (hot, cold, etc.) for each seat stored in advance in the storage device 4 with the presence / absence of each seat, the motion detection unit 10 determines the number of people in each area, The number of people who are cold can be calculated.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a floor environment including overall air conditioning. Whole air conditioning is a method for controlling air conditioning for each area including a plurality of seats, for example. Also in this method, the movement detection unit 10 can detect the presence / absence of each area, the amount of activity, and the like.
When there are a plurality of persons in one area, the number of persons may be detected and added to the dynamic information. The number of people can be detected by various methods. For example, if an area is set for each seat and the number of areas where humans are present is counted by a known method, the count value can be replaced with the number of people. FIG. 5B shows the presence / absence detection result for each area. FIG. 5C shows the detection result of the number of people for each area. FIG.5 (d) shows the detection result of the activity amount for every area.

Next, the control mode will be described.
FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the control mode. The control mode is data representing a control level calculation pattern indicating the strength of air conditioning with respect to human dynamic information obtained by the dynamic detection unit 10.

FIG. 6 shows two control modes, control mode 1 and control mode 2. In order to simplify the explanation, in this example, a human distribution in nine (3 × 3) areas is considered as a control condition. The total number of combinations in which each area is present / absent is 2 ⁹ = 512. That is, in the example of FIG. 6, there are 512 human dynamic patterns.

  The control mode indicates a pattern of the air conditioning control level for each dynamic information. A plurality of control modes are stored as the control mode 20 in the storage device 4 (FIG. 3). In the embodiment, the control level is expressed by the strength of air conditioning expressed, for example, as strong, medium, or weak. Of course, the control level can also be expressed by specific numerical values. Furthermore, the way of dividing the space is not limited to the 3 × 3 area, and for example, a 5 × 5 area or a 3 × 5 area is also possible.

  For example, for a control condition in which only the upper left area is present, according to the control level pattern in the control mode 1, only the control level of that area becomes “strong” (FIG. 6A). On the other hand, according to the control level pattern of the control mode 2 for the same control condition, the control level of the upper left area is “strong”, and the control level of the adjacent area vertically and horizontally is “weak” (FIG. 6). (B)). Various other control level patterns can be defined, and a set of different control patterns is stored in the storage device 4 as the control mode 20.

Next, the control level will be described.
FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of the control level calculated by the control level calculation unit 30. It is assumed that the dynamic information shown in FIG. 7A is detected by the dynamic detection unit 10, for example. The air conditioning zone shown in FIG. 7 (a) is divided as shown by the thick line in FIG. 7 (b), and control shown in FIG. 7 (c) is performed by applying control mode 2 (FIG. 6 (b)), for example. The level pattern is calculated.

  Next, the building information 50 will be described. The building information 50 stored in the storage device 4 (FIG. 3) is a database in which, for example, the position of a wall in a building, the position of a window, the use of an area, etc. are recorded. In short, the building information 50 is information indicating the structural information of the building. The building information 50 may be created by, for example, an operator's manual input operation with reference to building design information. Alternatively, the building information 50 may be created by automatic recognition processing based on sensing data.

  For example, it is possible to recognize a wall or a window by performing image processing on an image photographed by a visible light camera by a known technique, and building information 50 can be automatically created using this kind of technique.

  As the building information 50, data at the start of operation of the air conditioning control system 1 may be continuously used. Alternatively, the building information 50 may be updated periodically, for example, based on a result of an automatic recognition process performed while the air conditioning control system 1 is operating. For example, when the layout of a floor-to-ceiling partition (used as a room divider) changes, or when part of the office is changed to a conference space, automatic recognition processing is performed. The building information 50 may be updated.

  The automatic recognition process can be implemented as a function of the movement detection unit 10, for example. That is, it is also possible to recognize walls and windows by the function of detecting human dynamics based on image data from a visible light camera. Of course, image data obtained by other sensors may be used, or a plurality of recognition functions may be combined.

  Next, control conditions shown in FIG. 6 and the like will be described in detail. In the embodiment, a combination of information that can be used for calculating a control pattern for air conditioning is referred to as a control condition. The control condition is a precondition for calculating the control pattern. Further, even if the control conditions are the same, different control patterns are calculated under different control modes.

  For the sake of simplicity, FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 have been described by considering only the dynamic information indicated by the presence / absence. However, the control condition may be a combination with not only the dynamic information but also other information. For example, a combination of human movement information and building information 50 can be used as the control condition.

An example of dynamic information is shown below.
・ Present / Absent
・ Number of people: 1, 2, ... 1 to 5, 6 to 10, 10 to, etc.
・ Amount of activity: Large / Medium / Small, Sitting / Standing, etc.
・ Preference: Number of people who are hot, Number of people who are cold, Number of people who are hot-Number of people who are cold
An example of building information is shown below.

・ Wall position
・ Window position
Area usage
A combination of information as described above can be used as a control condition. For example, FIG. 8 shows an example of control conditions in a 3 × 3 area.
FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of control conditions. In the personal air conditioning shown in FIG. 8A, the presence / absence of a person in each seat, the amount of activity, preference, and position information of walls and windows are included in the control conditions. In the overall air conditioning shown in FIG. 8B, an example in which the 3 × 3 area in FIG. 8A is combined into one large area is shown, and information on the number of people is added.

  Next, a processing procedure related to calculation of the control level will be described.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure related to calculation of the control level. In FIG. 9, the movement detection unit 10 analyzes the image data acquired by the sensor unit S or the like and acquires human movement information (step 200). The control level calculation unit 30 acquires the dynamic information, and acquires building information from the building information 50 as necessary (step 210). Next, the control level calculation unit 30 creates a control condition by combining the acquired information (step 220).

  When the control condition is created, the control level calculation unit 30 refers to the control mode 20 and calculates a control level corresponding to the control condition (step 230). The calculated control level is output to a display device such as a monitor or BEMS by the output unit 40 (step 240).

  Next, the control mode will be described in detail.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a control level pattern with respect to a control condition. With respect to the control conditions shown in FIG. 10A, for example, pattern control levels as shown in FIGS. 10B to 10F can be considered. As shown in (b), variations in the control level of strong, medium, and weak for the existing area can be considered. According to a simple pattern as shown in (b), it is possible to realize control that is easy for a building user to understand. In addition to such simple patterns, the control level may be changed depending on the location (zoning), the control level may change over time, or a combination thereof.

  The pattern shown in (d) indicates that the control level changes with time (cyclically). For example, when the control level is changed from strong to weak, the power consumption can be reduced and an energy saving effect can be obtained. For example, even if the control level is changed at intervals of about 10 minutes, it is difficult for a person to notice. In other words, comfort is unlikely to drop. Therefore, there is a possibility that energy can be saved while maintaining comfort as much as possible by periodically changing the control level.

  The patterns shown in (c) and (e) consider zoning. There are cases where discomfort is caused by simply operating the air conditioning in the area where the person is located (the area in which the person is present), because only the air conditioning in that area acts excessively (although it always operates strongly as heat escapes to the adjacent area). Many. Therefore, by considering zoning as shown in (c) and (e), such a problem can be solved. Furthermore, the pattern shown in (f) combines both zoning and time change characteristics. FIG. 11 shows another example of the control level pattern with respect to the control condition. Like FIG. 10, it is shown that there are various control level patterns for one control condition (a).

Thus, there can be patterns of various control levels for a plurality of control conditions. In the embodiment, a combination of control level patterns for various control conditions is referred to as a control mode.
Each control mode has a unique characteristic, such as a control mode advantageous for energy saving or a control mode advantageous for comfort. By expressing these features in words such as “emphasis on energy saving” or “emphasis on comfort”, an interface that is easy to understand for the user can be realized. Of course, the characteristics of each control mode may be expressed numerically by the energy saving index value or the comfort index value.

  10 and 11 show only the presence / absence of a human as a control condition. In addition, there can be various control level patterns for other control conditions such as human activity, preference, number of people, wall position, window position, or area application. This will be described in detail below.

(Activity)
The higher the amount of activity, the higher the human calorific value. Comfort can be improved by making the air conditioning level of an area with a high activity amount stronger than an area with a low activity amount. However, the energy conservation index decreases in inverse proportion to the amount of activity. In the case where humans with different activity amounts coexist in the area, for example, the average, maximum value, or minimum value of individual activity amounts is used as the activity amount of the area.

(Preference)
The more hot people in summer and the more cold people in winter, the stronger the air conditioning level will be to improve comfort, and the energy savings index will decrease. On the other hand, the more people who are cold in summer and the more people who are hot in winter, the more comfort can be maintained even if the air conditioning level is weakened, and the energy saving index is improved.
In addition, in a case where people who are hot and people who are cold are mixed in the area, for example, (the number of people who are hot-the number of people who are cold) may be calculated and the value may be used as the degree of heat as the area. . Alternatively, for example, from the viewpoint of energy saving, the rules may be determined such that the summertime is given priority to the cold, the wintertime is given priority to the heat.

(Number of people)
As the number of people in the area increases, the amount of heat generated in the area increases, and the possibility that comfort is impaired increases. Comfort can be improved by increasing the air conditioning level in an area with a larger number of people than an area with a smaller number of people. However, the energy conservation index decreases in inverse proportion to the number of people.

(Wall position)
The heat flow depends on the wall position. For example, if two of the four sides surrounding a certain area are walls, there is no wall and heat flows out to two adjacent areas. Considering this, for example, it is preferable that the control level of the area where all four sides are wallless is made strong and the control level of the adjacent area is made medium. In addition, regarding the area where the two sides are walls, the control level of the adjacent area is preferably weak. By such control, more accurate comfort can be obtained, and the energy saving index may be improved. Thus, it is useful to consider the wall position, especially when zoning.

(Window position)
If there is a window at the boundary with the outdoors, heat flows in as sunlight enters through this window. In areas adjacent to windows, comfort may be improved by increasing the air conditioning level in summer and lowering the air conditioning level in winter. Moreover, in the area adjacent to the window, even if a person is absent, operating the air conditioning diffuses the heat flowing in from the outdoors, and there is a possibility that the comfort in the vicinity area can be improved.

(Area usage)
In an office building, it is useful to change the control mode according to the use of the area. For example, it is possible to perform detailed air conditioning control such that the office area of general employees is focused on energy saving, the office area of executives is focused on comfort, and the conference room where guests enter is focused on comfort.

  FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of a user interface for visually displaying the control mode. FIG. 12A shows an example of a control mode emphasizing energy saving, and FIG. 12B shows an example of a control mode emphasizing comfort. The control level pattern for the control condition is displayed, for example, in a list for each control mode. In each control mode, for example, an energy saving index value and a comfort index value are appended.

  FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a GUI for setting the control mode. For example, the control mode setting unit 70 displays the window shown in FIG. 13 on the monitor screen. Using this window, the user can designate conditions such as time, room, area, or seat, and can select a control mode to be applied to the designated object.

  For example, an office plan view is displayed in the left column of the GUI window, and the user moves the square frame (thick line) to specify the control mode setting range. Also, the time range is shown in the upper bar, and the user clicks this part to specify the set time. An arbitrary control mode can be set from the control mode list displayed in the right column for the setting target specified in this way.

  In particular, the control modes to be set are distinguished by serial numbers such as 1, 2,..., For example, the degree of comfort increases in descending order of numbers. As the number increases, the feature of the control mode increases, for example, the degree of energy saving from comfort. Referring to the plan view of the office displayed in the window of FIG. 13, the common areas such as the library and elevator are set to emphasize energy saving (control mode 10), and the work area is set to emphasize comfort (control mode 1). I understand.

  Next, creation of a control mode will be described. The control mode can be created by a manual input operation by a human based on an experience value or the like. It is also possible to automate the creation of the control mode using machine power. Below, the example which produces control mode by the processor 3 of the air-conditioning control apparatus 1 is demonstrated.

  FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a procedure for automatically creating a control mode. The air conditioning control device 1 first designates one control condition (step S10), and comprehensively creates control level patterns for this control condition as shown in FIG. 10, for example (step S20).

Next, the air-conditioning control apparatus 1 calculates an energy saving level for each created control level pattern (step S30). The energy saving level can be calculated by the following equation (1) based on the control level (strong, medium, weak) for each area.
Energy saving level = (number of areas-number of areas with low control level x 0.2-number of areas in control level x 0.5-number of areas with high control level x 1.0) / number of areas (1)
For the control level pattern that changes with time, the energy saving degree can be calculated in the same manner by calculating the energy saving degree individually for each time pattern, and performing a weighted average over the duration of each pattern.

  The energy saving degree calculated by the equation (1) becomes 1.0 when the control level is OFF in all areas, and approaches 0 as the area with strong control level increases. And in a state where the control level is strong in all areas, the energy saving level becomes 0.0.

  The procedure of steps S20 and S30 is repeated for each control condition until it is completed for all control level patterns. When the calculation of the energy saving degree is completed for all the control level patterns (Yes in step S40), the air conditioning control device 1 sorts (rearranges) the control level patterns in descending order of the energy saving degree (step S50). This procedure is a procedure for ranking the control level patterns from the viewpoint of energy saving.

  Next, the air-conditioning control device 1 comprehensively creates control level patterns for different control conditions as shown in FIG. 11, for example, calculates the energy saving level for each control level pattern, and performs sorting. That is, the procedures of steps S10 to S50 are repeated to cover all the control conditions as much as possible.

  When the ranking of control level patterns is completed for all control conditions (Yes in step S60), the ranked control level patterns are created for the respective control conditions. Next, the air conditioning control device 1 groups the control level patterns of the same order for each control condition (step S70). That is, a set of control level patterns of the same order for each control condition is one control mode.

  The energy saving index value associated with the control mode may be, for example, the energy saving level itself or the rank of the energy saving level. Finally, the air conditioning control device 1 assigns an ID such as a serial number to each group, defines each control mode (step S80), and completes the process.

  As described above, according to the first embodiment, a plurality of control modes based on human dynamic information, building information, and the like are defined and held in the storage device 4 of the air conditioning control device 1. By applying a number of different control modes for each area in the building, it is possible to perform air conditioning control that realizes a balance between energy saving and comfort desired by the user.

  In addition, since air conditioning can be controlled based on a large number of information such as human movement information and building information, it is possible to realize air conditioning control that matches not only the characteristics of human activities in individual buildings but also the structure of the buildings. Furthermore, since the control mode can be set for each local area (area) in the building, fine air conditioning control according to the user's request can be realized.

  In addition, the balance between energy saving and comfort can be adjusted using words such as “emphasis on energy saving” and numerical values such as energy saving / comfort index values, so there is no need for expertity such as adjustment of many parameters for the user. An easy-to-understand interface can be realized.

  In the first embodiment, the personal authentication unit 80 recognizes who the person is in the building. Based on the result of this personal recognition, air conditioning control is performed with reference to the person's preference (hot / cold) information, so that the seat and the individual are not associated with each other (such as a conference room). An optimal air-conditioning environment can be realized for each individual. Further, even when the seat is re-laid out, it is not necessary to re-associate the seat with the individual, and a user-friendly system can be realized.

  Furthermore, the favorite information may be updated dynamically. For example, personal information may be input from a network terminal such as a PC or tablet, or the user's favorite information captured by a visible light camera or a marker presented by a person is corrected. May be. By adopting such a function, it is possible to cope with a case where the physical condition of a human varies from day to day (hot but temporarily cold due to a hot taste).

  Summarizing the above, according to the first embodiment, information on human presence / absence, activity amount, etc., and personal air conditioning (air conditioning system with individual task air conditioning outlets for each seat) as human dynamics information Information such as personal preferences or the location information of walls and windows can be used as building information, and the user can adjust the balance between energy saving and comfort arbitrarily or automatically according to the individual building. It becomes possible. Therefore, it is possible to provide an air conditioning control system and an air conditioning control device that can finely control air conditioning and easily balance energy saving and comfort.

[Second Embodiment]
FIG. 15 is a functional block diagram illustrating an example of the air conditioning control device 1 according to the second embodiment. 15, parts common to FIG. 3 are given the same reference numerals, and only different parts will be described here.

  The air conditioning control device 1 shown in FIG. 15 includes an environment detection unit 90 and a control state display unit 100 in addition to the dynamic detection unit 10, the control level calculation unit 30, and the output unit 40 as processing functions of the processor 3.

  For example, the environment detection unit 90 analyzes image data captured by a visible light camera and acquires environment information in the building. The environmental information is, for example, the brightness of outside light, the amount of blind opening (slat angle), and the like.

  The brightness of the external light can be obtained by a known method such as using the luminance value of each pixel of the image data. The amount of opening of the blinds can be determined by comparing the image data with the blinds fully closed and the image data at the time of detection, and calculating the ratio of areas where the pixel values match. In addition, you may give the function of the environment detection part 90 to the movement detection part 10 together, for example, you may detect both a human movement and an environment with one visible light camera.

  In the second embodiment, the control level calculation unit 30 dynamically switches the control mode according to the change of the dynamic information. For example, if the number of people in the room A in the building is equal to or less than a specified value TH (for example, 30 people), the control level calculation unit 30 places the control mode of the room A on the comfort level and the number of people exceeds the specified value TH And switch the control mode to energy saving.

  By providing the control level calculation unit 30 with such a function, energy consumption of air conditioning is reduced during times when the number of people is small (morning, lunch breaks, overtime hours, etc.). Control that places importance on energy saving can be realized without relying on human resources during the time when energy consumption increases.

  In addition to this, for example, when a person enters the conference room B that has been turned off for a long time without a human being, the control mode is set to focus on comfort for a certain period of time, and then control is switched to focus on energy saving. it can. As a result, the conference room B, which has been in an uncomfortable state due to air conditioning OFF, can be quickly and comfortably provided.

  Furthermore, the control level calculation unit 30 switches the control mode according to the change in the environment information acquired by the environment detection unit 90. For example, if the brightness of the outside light in the room C is equal to or less than a specified value TH (for example, 300 lux), the control level calculation unit 30 places importance on the energy control in the control mode of the room C. Switch the mode to focus on comfort.

  By providing the control level calculation unit 30 with such a function, when outside light is bright (such as daytime in fine weather), the amount of heat flowing into the building increases, so control that places importance on comfort is performed. It can be realized without relying on human hands.

  The control state display unit 100 displays the control mode for each place in the building. That is, for example, in each unit such as each room, each area, or each seat, the control mode in operation in each unit is displayed in the GUI window.

  FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating an example of a GUI window displaying a control mode for each place. Referring to this window, it can be seen that the control mode of each place is selected according to the policy of emphasizing energy saving in the common area and comfort in the work area. A bar indicating the time (time scale bar) is displayed at the top of this window so that the current time can be known at the position of the symbol marker. If this marker is slid left or right, the state of the control mode corresponding to that time is displayed.

  According to 2nd Embodiment, according to the change of the dynamic information acquired by the sensor part S, the control mode of the air conditioning in a building is changed dynamically. In addition, the environment information is acquired by the environment detection unit 90, and the control mode is dynamically switched according to the change of the environment information. As a result, the control mode can be dynamically changed in accordance with the current situation, and it becomes possible to further pursue comfort and energy saving.

  Further, a control state display unit 100 is provided to display the GUI window shown in FIG. As a result, it becomes easy to grasp the current state of the control mode at a glance, and information collection for adjusting the control mode can be performed very simply.

[Third Embodiment]
FIG. 17 is a functional block diagram illustrating an example of the air conditioning control device 1 according to the third embodiment. In FIG. 17, parts that are the same as those in FIG. 3 are given the same reference numerals, and only different parts will be described here.

  The air conditioning control device 1 shown in FIG. 17 includes a simulator 110 and an amount calculation unit 130 in addition to the dynamic detection unit 10, the control level calculation unit 30, and the output unit 40 as processing functions of the processor 3.

  The simulator 110 performs a simulation related to air conditioning of a building. For example, the simulator 110 calculates power consumed under the current control mode based on dynamic information and building information, or compares power consumed under another control mode under the same conditions. And so on.

  In the third embodiment, history information 120 indicating a history of human dynamics is stored in the storage device 4. The history information 120 can be used for simulation by the simulator 110.

  The power consumption can be simulated, for example, by referring to a table that records the power consumption corresponding to the control level. This table may be created in advance and stored in the storage device 4. Alternatively, the power consumption may be simulated by holding and referring to an actual value of power consumption corresponding to the control level in the storage device 4 or the like. Furthermore, a building air conditioning simulator or the like provided in a cloud computing system or the like may be used.

  FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating an example of a GUI window showing a result of the air conditioning simulation by the simulator 110. The window of FIG. 18 shows the simulation result of power consumption (power consumption) between the time scale bar and the office plan view (FIG. 16). As the marker indicating the current time slides to the right as time passes, the display of the simulation result is also displayed. As described above, by utilizing the simulation, the operator can perform trial and error in the control mode, and can support the realization of the air conditioning control according to the user's desire.

In the third embodiment, an amount calculation unit 130 is provided as a function of the processor 3.
In a tenant building, the energy saving / comfort required by the owner of the building may differ from the energy saving / comfort required by the tenant building. For example, in the case where the building owner demands energy conservation and the commercial tenant demands comfort, the commercial tenant adds an extra charge to the normal electricity usage fee instead of placing the setting on comfort. You can pay the bill owner. On the contrary, it is conceivable to reduce the electricity usage fee of the commercial tenant instead of focusing on energy saving. In this way, in the case where the owner and tenant requests conflict, the mutual disadvantages can be offset by the exchange of money.

  The amount calculation unit 130 calculates the amount (offset amount). The amount calculation unit 130 calculates, for example, the amount of power consumption required for air conditioning control based on energy saving and comfort desired by each of the building owner and the tenant, and calculates the offset amount by converting the difference in the amount of power consumption into an electric charge.

  As described above, according to the third embodiment, it is possible to simulate the power consumption in each control mode by providing the simulator 110. As a result, it is possible to support the realization of air conditioning control that meets the user's wishes.

  In the third embodiment, the amount calculation unit 130 is provided to calculate an amount for offsetting the difference in demand between the owner of the building and the tenant, and is fair for both the owner and the tenant. It becomes possible to increase the sex.

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

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Air-conditioning control apparatus, 2 ... Input control part, 3 ... Processor, 4 ... Memory | storage device, 5 ... Output control part, 6 ... Program, 9, 91, 92 ... Image sensor, 8 ... Infrared sensor, 11 ... Laser sensor, 121 to 12n ... equipment, 13 ... building automation system, 14 ... environmental management system, 15 ... output device, 251-25m ... equipment, 16 ... image data, 17 ... infrared image data, 18 ... laser image data, 191-19n ... device data, 22 ... BAS data, 21 ... EMS data, 281, 281 ... area, 27 ... control data, 10 ... dynamic state detection part, 70 ... control mode setting part, 80 ... personal authentication part, 30 ... control level calculation part , 40 ... output unit, 60 ... control mode display unit, 20 ... control mode, 50 ... building information, 90 ... environment detection unit, 100 ... control state display , 110 ... simulator, 120 ... history information, 130 ... amount of money calculator

Claims (24)

A sensor unit that senses the inside of the building and obtains sensing data;
A movement detection unit that detects movement information of a person in the building based on the sensing data;
A control mode storage unit for storing a plurality of control modes, each corresponding to a calculation pattern having a different air conditioning control level for the dynamic information;
A control level calculation unit that calculates a control level of air conditioning in the building based on the detected dynamic information and the specified control mode;
An air conditioning control system comprising: an output unit that outputs the calculated control level. And a building information storage unit for storing building information indicating the structural information of the building,
The control level calculation unit calculates a control level of air conditioning in the building based on a control condition that is a combination of the dynamic information and the building information and the designated control mode. The air conditioning control system according to claim 1.   The air conditioning control system according to claim 2, wherein the building information is created based on the sensing data.   The air conditioning control system according to claim 2, wherein the building information is created based on design information of the building.   The air conditioning control system according to claim 1, further comprising a control mode display unit that visually displays the control mode.   The air conditioning control system according to claim 1, further comprising a control mode setting unit that provides an interface environment for a user to select the control mode.   The air conditioning control system according to claim 1, wherein the control level calculation unit dynamically switches the control mode in accordance with a change in the dynamic information.   The air conditioning control system according to claim 1, wherein the control level calculation unit dynamically switches the control mode in accordance with a change in the dynamic information. And a personal authentication unit for identifying a person in the building,
2. The air conditioning control system according to claim 1, wherein the control level calculation unit calculates the control level according to the identified human air conditioning preference based on the identification result of the human.   The air conditioning control system according to claim 1, further comprising a control state display unit that displays the control mode for each place in the building. Furthermore, it comprises a simulator for performing a simulation related to air conditioning of the building,
The air conditioning control system according to claim 1, wherein the output unit visually displays a result of the simulation.   The air conditioner according to claim 1, further comprising a calculation unit that calculates an amount for offsetting a difference in requirements related to the air conditioning between an owner of the building and a tenant of the building. Control system. In an air conditioning control device that controls the air conditioning of a building including a sensor unit that acquires sensing data,
A movement detection unit that detects movement information of a person in the building based on the sensing data;
A control mode storage unit for storing a plurality of control modes, each corresponding to a calculation pattern having a different air conditioning control level for the dynamic information;
A control level calculation unit that calculates a control level of air conditioning in the building based on the detected dynamic information and the specified control mode;
An air-conditioning control apparatus comprising: an output unit that outputs the calculated control level. And a building information storage unit for storing building information indicating the structural information of the building,
The control level calculation unit calculates a control level of air conditioning in the building based on a control condition that is a combination of the dynamic information and the building information and the designated control mode. The air conditioning control device according to claim 13.   The air conditioning control device according to claim 14, wherein the building information is created based on the sensing data.   The air conditioning control device according to claim 14, wherein the building information is created based on design information of the building.   Furthermore, the control mode display part which displays the said control mode visually is comprised, The air-conditioning control apparatus of Claim 13 characterized by the above-mentioned.   The air conditioning control device according to claim 13, further comprising a control mode setting unit that provides an interface environment for a user to select the control mode.   The air conditioning control device according to claim 13, wherein the control level calculation unit dynamically switches the control mode in accordance with a change in the dynamic information.   The air conditioning control device according to claim 13, wherein the control level calculation unit dynamically switches the control mode in accordance with a change in the dynamic information. And a personal authentication unit for identifying a person in the building,
The air conditioning control device according to claim 13, wherein the control level calculation unit calculates the control level according to the identified human air conditioning preference based on the identification result of the human.   The air conditioning control device according to claim 13, further comprising a control state display unit that displays the control mode for each place in the building. Furthermore, it comprises a simulator for performing a simulation related to air conditioning of the building,
The air conditioning control device according to claim 13, wherein the output unit visually displays a result of the simulation.   The air conditioner according to claim 13, further comprising a calculating unit that calculates an amount for offsetting a difference in the requirements related to the air conditioning between the owner of the building and the tenant of the building. Control device.

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