JP2018204799A - Air conditioning control device, air conditioning control method and program - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a technology for reflecting views of a manager while maintaining satisfaction of a user when determining a set value of an air conditioning facility.SOLUTION: An air conditioning control device controls an air conditioning facility for adjusting an environment on the basis of a current value and a set value related to an environment of an object region. The air conditioning control device includes: a request information acquisition section for acquiring request information indicating a request of a user in the object region to an environment; a statistical information generation section for generating statistical information indicating satisfaction of the user to the environment by using the request information; and a set value determination section for determining a set value by using a predetermined recommended value and the statistical information. When the statistical information satisfies a predetermined criteria, the set value determination section increases a contribution of the recommended value to the determination of the set value, compared to when the statistical information does not satisfy a predetermined criteria.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to an air conditioning control device, an air conditioning control method, and a program.

  When controlling the operation of the air conditioning equipment that adjusts the environment, a target set value is determined, the current value of the environment is acquired, and the operating status of the equipment is changed so that the current value approaches the set value. For example, an air conditioner that adjusts the indoor temperature supplies cold or hot air to the room so that the room temperature (current value) approaches a predetermined temperature (set value).

  The set value is determined in advance as the operation initial value at the design stage of the air-conditioning equipment. However, if the usage method of the building diversifies, external factors such as weather change, or the user is switched, the operation initial value is set. May not be appropriate. Therefore, it is preferable that the set value can be flexibly changed according to the request of the administrator or the user.

  When the administrator changes the setting value, a new setting value is determined based on the experience of the administrator or the facility operator or value judgment. Here, if the administrator decides the setting value with an emphasis on energy saving, the user's opinion will be less likely to be reflected in the setting value, resulting in a decrease in comfort and user satisfaction. There is a risk that productivity may decrease.

  On the other hand, when the user changes the set value, the set value is changed in a direction that satisfies the user's request based on the current value of the environment. As a result, the administrator's opinion is less likely to be reflected in the set value, and the energy consumption may increase. In addition, when there are a plurality of users in the area to be adjusted for environment, the opinions of some of the users whose voices are loud may be given priority. As a result, the opinions of other users are not reflected in the set value, and there is a risk that the satisfaction level is lowered or the productivity is lowered.

  As described above, if the administrator or user can freely change the setting value, the request from a person with strong authority, such as an administrator or a loud user, is given priority, and the request from another person is set as the setting value. It becomes difficult to be reflected in.

  Conventionally, various methods for determining a set value of an air conditioner have been proposed. Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2015-135226) discloses that a building user uses an operation screen displayed on a personal terminal to change the current value according to whether the user feels cold or hot. A technology is described in which an air conditioning temperature control device sets a target temperature in accordance with a result of a feeling report.

  According to Patent Document 2 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-070585), depending on the number of thermal sensation declarations from the user and the number of persons who have made the same type of declaration, whether the declaration is due to a temporary request or continues A technique is described in which it is determined whether it is due to a specific request and a control plan is determined according to the determination result.

JP-A-2015-135226 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-070585

  In Patent Document 1, the range of adjustment of the target temperature is calculated based on the value obtained by dividing the difference between the number of people who reported “cold” and the number of people declared “hot” by the total number of reporters. Has been decided. In addition, the option to end the declaration from the viewpoint of restraining energy consumption is presented to the reporter, and a privilege is given according to the number of endorsers in the area. However, in Patent Document 1, only the opinion of what is reported is reflected in the set value. Therefore, the opinions of those who feel comfortable in the current environment and do not make a declaration are not considered. For this reason, changing the set value based on the declaration may reduce the user's satisfaction.

  In patent document 2, when it determines with a user's thermal sensation report being continuous, the setting value after a change is maintained. On the other hand, when it is determined that the report is temporary, the setting value is changed once as required, but after a predetermined time has elapsed, the setting value is restored to the original setting value (for example, the recommended value of the administrator). . However, in Patent Document 2, the set value does not return to the recommended value unless a certain period of time elapses, so that the energy saving performance may be insufficient.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and its object is to provide a technique for reflecting the opinion of the administrator while maintaining the user's satisfaction when determining the setting value of the air conditioning equipment. There is to do.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention adopts the following configuration. That is, an air-conditioning control apparatus that controls an air-conditioning facility that adjusts the environment based on a current value and a set value related to the environment of the target area, and acquires request information indicating a request for the environment by a user of the target area Using a request information acquisition unit, a statistical information generation unit that generates statistical information indicating satisfaction with the environment of the user using the request information, a predetermined recommended value, and the statistical information A setting value determining unit that determines the setting value, and the setting value determining unit, when the statistical information satisfies a predetermined criterion, the statistical information does not satisfy the predetermined criterion Compared to the case, the air conditioning control device is characterized in that the contribution of the recommended value in determining the set value is increased.
According to this configuration, both the user's request and the administrator's opinion can be reflected in the determination of the setting of the air conditioning equipment. In addition, when the user's satisfaction does not satisfy a predetermined standard, the user's request is reflected with priority over the administrator's opinion, and thus the user's productivity is not adversely affected.

  In the above configuration, the request information acquisition unit may acquire a request to increase or decrease the set value from the user. According to this configuration, it is possible to manage a request from a user and appropriately reflect the setting value.

In the above configuration, the request information acquisition unit acquires the request information from a plurality of users in the target area, and the statistical information generation unit receives the request information from the plurality of users. Based on this, the statistical information, which is an index indicating the direction and degree of change of the set value, may be generated. According to this configuration, the user's request can be appropriately reflected in the set value.
In particular, the statistical information generation unit includes the number of all users in the target area, the number of users who have requested to increase the set value, and the number of users who have requested to decrease the set value. The statistical information may be generated based on the difference with the number. According to this configuration, it is possible to reflect the opinions of users who are satisfied with the current state in the environment adjustment target area, so that users with loud voices do not have an advantage.

In the above configuration, the set value determination unit determines the set value so that the set value approaches the recommended value when satisfaction levels of the plurality of users indicated by the statistical information fall within a predetermined threshold. You may do it. According to this configuration, the user's opinion is first reflected in the setting value, and then the administrator's recommended value is reflected. Therefore, the energy saving performance can be improved while maintaining the user's productivity.
In particular, the set value determination unit may determine the set value after a predetermined set value return time has elapsed when satisfaction levels of the plurality of users indicated by the statistical information satisfy a predetermined standard. The set value may be determined so as to return to the recommended value. According to this configuration, the set value does not return to the recommended value all at once, but gradually returns over time, so that the user does not feel uncomfortable.

  In the above configuration, the set value determination unit makes a request for increasing the set value or a request for decreasing the set value by more than a predetermined ratio among all the users in the target area. If the number of requests to increase the set value is substantially equal to the number of requests to decrease the set value, exception processing may be performed. According to this configuration, even if the user's opinions vary widely and cannot be dealt with by simply changing the set value, an appropriate response can be promoted.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, when determining the setting value of an air conditioning equipment, the technique for reflecting an administrator's opinion can be provided, maintaining a user's satisfaction.

It is a block diagram of the whole air conditioning system concerning this invention. It is a figure explaining the processing flow of Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure explaining the processing flow of Embodiment 2. FIG. It is a figure which shows the transition of the statistics of request information, and the calculated setting value. It is a figure explaining the screen provided to a user. It is a figure explaining the processing flow of Embodiment 4. FIG.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the constituent blocks described below and their relative arrangements should be appropriately changed according to various conditions of the system to which the invention is applied, and the scope of the present invention is limited to the following description. It is not a thing.

  The present invention is preferably applicable to an air conditioning control device that controls the operation of air conditioning equipment used in buildings and the like. The present invention can also be understood as an air conditioning control method for controlling the operation of an air conditioning facility, and an air conditioning system including an air conditioning facility and a control device. The present invention also operates using an operation resource of the information processing apparatus, causes the information processing apparatus to execute each step of the air conditioning control method, and stores the program that causes the information processing apparatus to function as the air conditioning control apparatus. It can also be regarded as a non-transitory storage medium that can be read by a computer.

<Embodiment 1>
In the present embodiment, the basic system configuration and processing flow of the present invention will be described.
In the following description, the “set value” refers to a target value when the air conditioning facility adjusts the environment of the target area. The “current value” refers to the current value of the environment of the target area. The “recommended value” is a preferable set value that is predetermined by an administrator or the like. The recommended value is not limited to a fixed value, and may be set as a variable value such as a function. For example, when the temperature of the target area is adjusted as in the present embodiment, the set value, the current value, and the recommended value are all expressed by temperature. However, the control of the present invention can be applied not only to temperature but also to humidity, air volume, illumination intensity, and the like. Further, a plurality of environments may be adjusted at the same time, such as temperature and humidity that often change in conjunction with each other. For example, when the air conditioning equipment is an air conditioner, the temperature, humidity and air volume can be adjusted simultaneously.

  Also, in the following description, the “manager” is the person who performs the initial setting and operation of buildings and air conditioning equipment, determines various fixed values, and performs exception processing when a problem occurs. . The administrator may give an instruction by operating the air conditioning control device from a remote location. The “user” is a person who performs an activity in a target area where the air conditioning equipment adjusts the environment. The user generates request information when there is any request for the current value of the environment. However, the request information is not necessarily generated only by an explicit operation (for example, declaration using a terminal). For example, when the user does not perform an explicit operation, it may be considered that there is no dissatisfaction with the current value and a request for maintaining is issued. Further, as shown in a modification of the third embodiment, the air conditioning control device side may detect the implicit request based on the user's behavior and physical reaction and generate the request information.

(overall structure)
The overall configuration of the air conditioning system will be described with reference to FIG. The air conditioning system includes an air conditioning control device 1, an air conditioning facility 3 in the target area 2, and a terminal 5 used by each user 4.

(Air conditioning controller)
The air conditioning control device 1 is a device for an administrator to manage the entire air conditioning system, and includes a request information acquisition unit 11, a statistical information generation unit 12, a numerical value acquisition unit 13, a set value determination unit 14, and a Web server unit 15. .
The air conditioning control device 1 communicates with the air conditioning equipment 3 to continuously collect information, analyze it, and provide it to the administrator. Information to be collected includes a variety of operating conditions, power consumption, current temperature, and the like. In the present invention, in particular, request information from the user 4 is collected. The air conditioning control device 1 also gives an instruction for changing the set temperature to the air conditioning equipment 3 based on an instruction from an administrator or an instruction from a program prepared in advance.

  As the air conditioning control device 1, for example, a building management central management server called a building energy management system (BEMS) can be used. Specifically, an information processing apparatus such as a PC or a workstation having a computing resource such as a CPU or a memory, and an interface such as a communication unit, an input unit, or a display unit is preferable. Each block in the air conditioning control device may be configured as a physical circuit or the like, or each may be virtually realized as a program module. In the latter case, each program module operates the information processing apparatus as the air conditioning control apparatus 1 by using the computing resources of the information processing apparatus.

  Moreover, although the air-conditioning control apparatus 1 is described as a single apparatus in the figure, the functions of the air-conditioning control apparatus 1 may be realized by cooperating a plurality of information processing apparatuses. For example, the air conditioning control device 1 may not provide the web server unit 15 but may provide web content to the user 4 in cooperation with an external web server. Moreover, the air-conditioning control apparatus 1 does not necessarily need to be arrange | positioned in the building in which the target area | region 2 exists.

The request information acquisition unit 11 acquires request information indicating a request for the environment from each user 4. The statistical information generation unit 12 generates statistical information indicating the degree of satisfaction with the user's environment using the request information. The statistical information is an index of satisfaction, and can also be an index indicating the direction and degree of change when the opinion of the user 4 is reflected in the change of the set value. The numerical value acquisition unit 13 acquires a fixed value set by the administrator and a variable obtained by the request information acquisition unit 11 or the statistical information generation unit 12. The set value determination unit 14 calculates a set value to be given to the air conditioning equipment 3 using the manager's recommended value and statistical information. The Web server unit 15 displays a screen for the user 4 to input request information on the terminal 5 as a client.

(Target area and users)
The target area 2 is an area where the environment is adjusted by the air conditioning equipment 3, and is, for example, a room of a building. Further, a wide floor of a building may be divided into a plurality of target areas 2 and controlled individually. Although only one target area 2 is shown in FIG. 1, one air conditioning control device 1 may adjust the environment of the plurality of target areas 2. There are a plurality of users 4 (4a, 4b ...) in the target area 2, and each user 4 uses a terminal 5 (5a, 5b ...). As the terminal 5, an information processing apparatus including a CPU, a memory, a communication unit, a display unit, and an input unit, such as a PC, a tablet, and a smartphone, is preferable. Also, physical buttons may be used.

  The terminal 5 receives a thermal sensation report from the user 4 and transmits it to the air conditioning control device 1. The thermal sensation report is information indicating how the user 4 feels the current temperature, and is either “Cold (Cold) / Hot (Hot)”. Although it is determined that the user 4 who has not made the report is satisfied with the current temperature, the report may be made more positively “Good”. The thermal sensation report corresponds to the request information in the present embodiment, and it can be considered that the report “cold” is a request to increase the set value and the report “hot” is a request to decrease the set value. Moreover, when the user 4 does not report, the air-conditioning control apparatus 1 may interpret that it is satisfied with the present condition, and may consider that the request | requirement which maintains the present setting value was issued.

  The air conditioning equipment 3 is a device that adjusts the environment based on a given set value and current value. The air conditioning equipment 3 of this embodiment is an air conditioner that adjusts the temperature, acquires a set value (target temperature) by the set value acquisition unit 32, acquires a current value (current temperature) by the current value acquisition unit 31, and acquires the current value Operates so that is closer to the set value.

  The set value acquisition unit 32 is a device that acquires the set value determined by the set value determination unit 14 of the air conditioning control device 1 and has a communication function and a set value holding function. The set value acquisition unit 32 may be configured integrally with the environment adjustment mechanism 33 that is the main body of the air conditioning equipment 3, or may be arranged away from the main body like a remote controller.

  The current value acquisition unit 31 is a device that acquires the current value of the environment of the target area 2. When acquiring the temperature, a temperature sensor using a thermistor or a resistor, or a radiation thermometer can be used. The installation location of the current value acquisition unit 31 is arbitrary, and may be provided inside the environment adjustment mechanism 33 (for example, near the air intake portion of the air conditioner), or may be provided in the vicinity thereof when the set value acquisition unit 32 is a remote control. good.

  The environment adjustment mechanism 33 calculates the operation amount of the apparatus based on the difference between the current value and the set value, and operates so that the current value approaches the set value. For example, if the set value (target temperature) is higher than the current value (current temperature), cold is supplied to the area to lower the temperature, and if the set value is lower than the current value, hot heat is supplied to the area to increase the temperature. Let When adjusting the temperature as in the present embodiment, the environment adjustment mechanism 33 of the present embodiment is an air conditioner including a heat exchanger, a fan, and the like, but is not limited thereto.

  In the figure, one current value acquisition unit 31, one set value acquisition unit 32, and one environment adjustment mechanism 33 are depicted, but a plurality of each may exist. For example, the temperature may be accurately measured using a plurality of temperature sensors as the current value acquisition unit 31, or the temperature in the area may be efficiently increased / decreased by cooperative operation of the plurality of environment adjustment mechanisms 33.

(Processing flow)
With reference to FIG. 2A, a basic processing flow of the present embodiment will be described. This flow is executed for each data update cycle, which is a predetermined period for periodically determining the set value.
The numerical value acquisition unit 13 acquires a recommended value set by the administrator (step S201). The recommended value is stored in advance in the storage device of the information processing apparatus constituting the air conditioning control device 1 by the administrator.

Next, the request information acquisition unit 11 acquires the request information of each user 4 in the current data update cycle (step S202). Here, the request information is a set value (temperature) increase request or a decrease request. Each user 4 is connected to the air-conditioning control apparatus 1 using the terminal 5 during the data update period, and inputs his / her request via a Web screen provided by the Web server unit 15.
Subsequently, statistical information generation by the statistical information generation unit 12 and setting value determination by the setting value determination unit 14 are performed (step S203). This step will be described in detail later.

  When the air conditioning equipment 3 receives the set value (target temperature) by the set value acquisition unit 32 and acquires the current value (current temperature) by the current value acquisition unit 31, the operation content of the environment adjustment mechanism 33 is changed according to the difference between the two. The temperature is determined and adjusted (step S204). When the air conditioning equipment operates for a certain period of time, the process proceeds to the next data update cycle, and the set value is determined again (step S205).

With reference to FIG.2 (b), the process of step S203 is described in detail.
The statistical information generation unit 12 acquires the total number of users in the target area 2 including those who did not report (step S2031). The method for obtaining the total number is arbitrary. For example, the number of terminals 5 that are turned on and capable of communication is obtained, the video captured by the camera is analyzed, and the entrance / exit management record of the target area 2 is referred to. You may do it.

Next, the statistical information generation unit 12 acquires the set value increase request number and the decrease request number from each user 4 (step S2032). And the statistical information which shows satisfaction when the user 4 in the object area | region 2 is seen as a whole is produced | generated (step S2033). The statistical information St is obtained by the following equation (1), for example.
St = {V _Cold -V _Hot } / V _All (1)
Here, V _Cold is the number of users 4 who declared that the current environment is “cold”, V _Hot is the number of users 4 who declared “hot”, and V _All is the usage within the target area 2. This is the total number of persons 4. The numerator of the formula (1) depends on the user who requests the temperature increase or decrease, and by obtaining the difference between the two, the direction of the setting change (ascending direction or descending direction) for the entire user, Can understand the degree of change. Then, by dividing using the total number as a denominator, it is possible to reflect the opinion of the user who is not dissatisfied with the current situation in the statistical information. Note that the calculation method of statistical information is not limited to the formula (1), and any method can be used as long as it can reflect the opinions of those who have made a thermal sensation declaration and those who have not made a declaration or who have made a status maintenance declaration. You can do this.

Next, the set value determination unit 14 determines whether or not the statistical information satisfies a predetermined criterion, for example, as in the following formula (2) (step S2034).
-0.1 <St <0.1 (2)
The predetermined criteria here are the upper threshold = 0.1 and the lower threshold = −0.1, but the numerical values are not limited to this, and different thresholds may be used for the upper limit and the lower limit.
When the statistical information satisfies Expression (2), it can be said that the degree of dissatisfaction with the current value is small when viewed as the entire user. Therefore, the set value determination unit 14 increases the contribution of the recommended value when determining the next set value (step S2035). On the other hand, when the formula (2) is not satisfied, it can be said that the dissatisfaction with the current situation among the users 4 is large. Therefore, the set value determination unit 14 increases the contribution degree of the statistical information when determining the next set value (step S2035).

The next set value Θ _SV1 [C °] is obtained by the following equation (3), for example.
Θ _SV1 = Θ _SV0 + C _Rec Θ ′ _SV + C _Sta St (3)
Here, Θ _SV0 [C °] is the current set value, Θ ′ _SV [C °] is the recommended value by the administrator, C _Rec is a coefficient for changing the contribution of the recommended value, and C _Sta is the contribution of the statistical information Is a coefficient to change.
There are various methods for reflecting the contribution value of the recommended value and the statistical information in the set value. As the simplest example, if the statistical information does not satisfy a predetermined criterion, C _Rec = 0 and the next set value is determined using only the statistical information, and if the criterion is satisfied, C _Sta = 0. There is a method of determining the next set value using only the recommended value. It is preferable to store mathematical formulas and conversion tables used for determining set values in the storage device of the information processing apparatus that constitutes the air conditioning control apparatus 1.

Further, instead of categorizing according to whether or not the statistical information is within the threshold as in the formula (2), C _Rec and C _sta may be changed.

  According to this embodiment, the opinions of both the user 4 and the administrator in the target area 2 can be reflected in the determination of the set value given to the air conditioning equipment 3. In addition, when the satisfaction of the current state as a whole is low, the user's opinion is emphasized, and when it is determined that the user is satisfied with the current state, the administrator's recommended value is emphasized. Therefore, energy saving can be realized without impairing user satisfaction and productivity. In addition, since the setting value is determined reflecting the degree of satisfaction of the entire user with respect to the current situation, the opinions of some users who are loud are not given priority. Therefore, it is possible to determine the set value reflecting the administrator's opinion while maintaining the user's satisfaction.

<Embodiment 2>
In the present embodiment, determination of setting values according to the present invention will be described with a more specific example. Also in this embodiment, a case where the temperature of the target area 2 is controlled using an air conditioner will be described. Since the configuration and functions of the air conditioning system and each block are the same as those shown in FIG. 1 and Embodiment 1, detailed description will be omitted, and differences will be mainly described.

(How to determine the setting value)
Hereinafter, a method for determining a set value in the present embodiment will be described with reference to Equations (4) to (6). Formula (4) is a calculation formula for obtaining a set value, and Formulas (5) and (6) are calculation formulas for explaining variables included in Formula (4).

Each variable of Formula (4) has the following meaning.
Θ _SV0 : Current set value [° C]... Temperature that is currently targeted by the air conditioning equipment 3.
Θ _SV1 : Next set value [° C.] is the next temperature.
ΔΘ: Maximum change width [° C.] This is a value that defines how much the reporting intensity R is reflected in the next set value, and is a fixed value determined by the administrator. The temperature obtained by multiplying the reported strength by the maximum change width as a coefficient is added to the next set value calculation.
R: Report strength: a value that serves as an index indicating the direction and degree of the request of the entire user, calculated by Equation (5), and corresponds to the statistical information of the present invention. However, the reporting strength R and the maximum change width ΔΘ
Can be considered as statistical information.
ΔT: Data update cycle [hour]... Is an interval for calculating a set value, and is a fixed value determined by the administrator.
F: Set value return coefficient [° C / hour]... A value indicating the degree to which the set value is returned to the recommended value, calculated by Equation (6).
That is, Equation (4) reflects the user's opinion (second term on the right side) and the administrator's recommended value (third term on the right side) when calculating the next set value Θ _SV1 from the current set value Θ _SV0. Specify what to do.

Moreover, each variable of Formula (5) has the following meaning, respectively.
V _All : Total number of people [person]... Total number of users in the target area 2
V _Cold : Number of users who declared “cold” [person].
V _Hot : Number of users who declared “hot” [person].
The value of the numerator of Equation (5) depends on the user who requests the temperature increase or decrease, and by subtracting both, the direction of temperature change (increase or decrease) as a whole user, Can understand the range of change. By using the total number of people as the denominator, the opinions of users who are not dissatisfied with the current situation can be reflected in the statistical information. R is a dimensionless number that takes a value in the range of “−1 to 1”, and corresponds to the statistical information of the present invention. For example, if everyone in the target area reports “cold”, R = 1.

Moreover, each variable of Formula (6) has the following meaning, respectively.
Θ ′ _SV : Recommended value [° C.] A preset preferable temperature, which is a fixed value determined by an administrator in consideration of energy saving performance and the like.
Θ _Reset-SV0 : Current set value Θ _SV0 [° C] when the reporting strength R falls within the threshold value. The threshold value here is a level at which the satisfaction level of all users in the target area satisfies the standard. This value is used to determine whether or not
T _Reset : Set value return time [hour]... A value that defines how much time it takes to return the set value to the recommended value, and is a fixed value determined by the administrator.
By using Equation (6), when the user is satisfied with the current temperature, the set value is returned to the recommended value, and energy saving can be realized. Further, by using the set value return time T _Reset , it is guaranteed that the return to the recommended value is gradually performed over a certain period of time. As a result, rapid temperature changes can be avoided, so that user discomfort and discomfort are reduced.

(Processing flow)
With reference to FIG. 3, the processing flow of the present embodiment will be described.
When the processing is started, in step S301, the numerical value acquisition unit 13 reads fixed values ΔΘ, V _All , ΔT, the current value Θ _SV0, and V _Cold , V _Hot in the current data update cycle. The fixed value is stored in advance in a storage device or an external memory of the information processing device that constitutes the air conditioning control device 1 by the administrator. For _ΘSV0 , the value determined in the previous flow is stored in the storage device. Further, V _Cold and V _Hot are acquired and stored by the request information acquisition unit 11 during the current data update cycle. In this flow, V _All is a fixed value. However, the statistical information generation unit 12 may acquire and update V _All at each data update period.

In step S302, the statistical information generation unit 12 determines whether or not the total time for determining the next set value has been reached. If the total time has been reached, the process proceeds to step S303.
In step S303, the statistical information generation unit 12 determines whether the current time is the summer. If it is summer, a recommended value Θ ′ _SV = 28 [° C] is set in step S304, and if not summer, a recommended value Θ ′ _SV = 20 [° C] is set in step S305. The recommended value acquisition method is the same as each fixed value in S301.

  In step S306, the statistical information generation unit 12 calculates the reporting strength R using Equation (5). In step S307, it is determined whether R is within a range of threshold values (Rmin to Rmax). The method for obtaining Rmin and Rmax is the same as that for each fixed value in S301. If R is out of the threshold (S307 = No), it can be said that the satisfaction of the current value is low as a whole user in the target area. In this case, the process proceeds to steps S310 and S311, and the set value determination unit 14 sets the update Flg = 0 and the set value return coefficient F = 0. As a result, when the next set value is determined using Equation (4), only the user's opinion is reflected.

On the other hand, if R falls within the threshold (S307 = Yes), the process proceeds to step S308, and the set value determination unit 14 compares the current set value Θ _SV0 with the recommended value Θ ′ _SV . If they are equal (S308 = No), there is no need to change the current set value, so the set value determination unit 14 proceeds to steps S310 and S311 to set update Flg = 0 and set value return coefficient. Let F = 0. On the other hand, when the current set value is different from the recommended value (S308 = Yes), the process proceeds to step S309, and the set value determination unit 14 determines whether or not the update Flg = 1.

When the update Flg = 1 (S309 = Yes), since the return to the recommended value continues, the process directly proceeds to step S315, and the set value determination unit 14 uses the equation (4) to set the next set value. Calculate On the other hand, when the update Flg = 0 (S309 = No), the process proceeds to step S315 after passing through steps S312 to S314. At this time, the set value determination unit 14 first sets the current set value Θ _SV0 to Θ _Reset-SV0 . Thereby, in Formula (6), it can be determined how much time is taken to fill the difference between the current set value and the recommended value. Therefore, it is possible to avoid the sudden temperature change from the current value that many users feel comfortable, and to gradually bring the set value closer to the recommended value, so that both user satisfaction and energy saving can be achieved. . Subsequently, the set value determination unit 14 sets the update Flg = 1 and calculates the set value return coefficient F. Finally, in step S315, the next set value is calculated.

(Example of setting value calculation)
With reference to FIG. 4, a specific example of setting value calculation using Equations (4) to (6) will be described. FIG. 4A shows the statistics of the thermal sensation report within each data update cycle in a certain target area 2. For example, in the period from 9: 00 to 9:30, it can be seen that all 10 people have declared “hot”. FIG. 4B shows the transition of the current set value Θ _SV0 [° C]. FIG. 4C shows the transition of the temperature change amount [° C.] reflecting the opinion of the user, and corresponds to the second term on the right side of Equation (4). FIG. 4D shows the transition of the temperature change amount [° C.] derived from the recommended value, and corresponds to the third term on the right side of Equation (4). FIG. 4E shows the transition of the next set value Θ _SV1 [° C.] obtained by the mathematical formula (4).

The fixed values in this example are as follows.
Recommended value Θ ' _SV ... 28 [° C]
Maximum change width ΔΘ 3 [° C]
Threshold value: Rmin = −0.01, Rmax = 0.01 (± 1%)
V _All … 10 [person]
Data update cycle ΔT ... 0.5 [hour]
Set value recovery time T _Reset ... 3.0 [hour]
Since ΔT = 0.5 [hour] as described above, the air-conditioning control apparatus 1 aggregates the reports from the user every 30 minutes, and determines the set value according to Equation (4). Hereinafter, the setting value calculation process at the timings T _{1 to} T ₄ in FIG. 4 will be mainly described.

(6: 00-9: 30)
According to the recommended value, the operation is controlled with a set value of 28 [° C].

(9:30 ... Timing T ₁ )
As shown in FIG. 4 (a), all 10 people have reported “hot” during the period from 9:00 to 9:30 (V _Hot = 10). Therefore, opinions of users is greatly reflected in the setting value (a value at the timing T ₁ in FIG. 4 (c) is, -3 ° C). On the other hand, the reporting strength R = −1, which is outside the threshold value. Therefore next F = 0, as shown in S311 of FIG. 3, the recommended value will not be reflected in the setting value (a value at the timing T ₁ in FIG. 4 (d) is, 0 ° C). As a result, as shown in FIG. 4E, the next set value calculated at the timing T ₁ is Θ _SV1 = 25 [° C.].

(10:30 ... timing T ₂ )
As shown in FIG. 4 (b), the timing _{T 2,} the current set value _{Θ SV0 = 25.5 [° C]} . As shown in FIG. 4 (a), 5 persons declared “hot” during the period from 10:00 to 10:30 (V _Hot = 5), and the remaining 5 persons did not report (V _Good = 5). ). Therefore, the set value is changed based on the opinion of a user (the value at the timing _{T 2} in FIG. 4 (c), -1.5 ° C ). On the other hand, a return strength R = -0.5, because it is outside the threshold, the recommended values are not reflected in the setting value (the value at the timing T ₂ in FIG. 4 (d), 0 ° C ). As a result, as shown in FIG. 4 (e), the following settings values calculated at time _{T 2} are, the _{Θ SV1 = 24 [° C]} .

(11: 00-14: 00)
As shown in FIG. 4A, there is no report from the user during the period from 10:30 to 14:00 (V _Hot = V _Cold = 0). Thus a return strength R = 0, because it is within the threshold, as shown in S312~S314 of FIG. 3, F is calculated by using the setting value return time _{T Reset} the suggested values theta _'SV according to Equation (6) The As a result, the set value returns to the recommended value of 28 ° C. at 14:00 after the elapse of 3 hours as the return time. By multiplying a predetermined set value recovery time and changing the temperature at a rate of change determined from the current value and the recommended value, energy saving can be realized without causing the user to feel uncomfortable.

(14:30 ... timing T ₃ )
As shown in FIG. 4 (a), in the period from 14: 00 to 14:30, two people declared “cold” (V _Cold = 2), and the remaining eight people did not make a declaration (V _Good = 8 ). Therefore, the set value based on the opinion of the user is changed (the value at the timing T ₃ in FIG. 4 (c) is, 0.6 ° C). On the other hand, a return strength R = 0.2, because it is outside the threshold, the recommended values are not reflected in the setting value (the value at the timing T ₃ in FIG. 4 (d), 0 ° C ). As a result, as shown in FIG. 4E, the next set value calculated at the timing T ₃ is Θ _SV1 = 28.6 [° C.].

(15:00: Timing T ₄ )
As shown in FIG. 4 (a), in the period from 14:30 to 15:00, three people declared “cold” (V _Cold = 3), and the remaining seven people did not make a declaration (V _Good = 7). ). Therefore, the set value based on the opinion of the user is changed (the value at the timing T ₄ in FIG. 4 (c) is, 0.9 ° C). On the other hand, a return strength R = 0.3, because it is outside the threshold, the recommended values are not reflected in the setting value (the value at the timing T ₄ in FIG. 4 (d), 0 ° C ). As a result, as shown in FIG. 4 (e), the following settings values calculated at time _{T 4} becomes _{Θ SV1 = 29.5 [° C]} .

(15: 30-18: 30)
As shown to Fig.4 (a), there is no report from a user in the period from 15: 00 to 18:30 (V _Hot = V _Cold = 0). Therefore, F is calculated according to Equation (6) using the recommended value Θ ′ _SV and the set value return time T _Reset . As a result, the set value returns to the recommended value of 28 ° C. at 18:30 after the lapse of 3 hours as the return time.

(18: 30-21: 00)
According to the recommended value, the operation is controlled with a set value of 28 [° C].

  As specifically shown in the present embodiment, according to the setting value determination method of the present invention, setting is performed in a range in which the user's satisfaction can be maintained while the user's opinion is emphasized and reflected in the setting value. Operation can be controlled so that the value approaches the recommended value. As a result, it is possible to realize user productivity and managers' energy saving goals. Further, when the set value is brought close to the recommended value, the temperature is gradually changed over a predetermined recovery time, so that the user does not feel uncomfortable or uncomfortable.

<Embodiment 3>
In the present embodiment, a method in which the air conditioning control device 1 acquires request information from the user 4 will be described.

(Input by terminal)
With reference to FIG. 5, a method in which the user 4 inputs a set value increase request or a decrease request will be described. In this embodiment, the set value is temperature, and the user inputs either “cold” or “hot” report (thermal feeling report) using the report screen 50. The terminal 5 in this example is a smartphone having a touch panel. The user 4 installs the application provided by the administrator in his / her terminal 5 and taps the icon of the application on the touch panel. The terminal 5 transmits a request to the Web server unit 15 of the air conditioning control device 1 and displays the report screen 50 on the touch panel based on the content received from the Web server unit 15. The Web server unit 15 corresponds to the input unit providing unit of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 5A, the report screen 50 includes a report input unit 501, a reporter number statistics unit 502, and a consumption display unit 503. When the user 4 makes a report, first, the report input unit 501 is tapped. Then, from the list displayed as shown in FIG. 5B, an option that matches the user's own opinion is selected and tapped. For example, when the user 4 selects the “hot” option 5011, the display of the report input unit 501 is changed as shown in FIG. 5C, and information is transmitted to the request information acquisition unit 11 of the air conditioning control device 1. The The air conditioning control device 1 stores the transmitted information in a storage device and uses it for determining the next set value.

  During the data update cycle, the user 4 may be able to redo the declaration. Further, in addition to “Cold” / “Hot”, an option of “Good” may be provided. Further, a plurality of stages (for example, “slightly cold” / “cold” / “very cold”) may be provided in the report content. Further, instead of an input method such as cold or hot, a temperature increase or temperature decrease may be directly requested.

  Further, when there are a plurality of target areas 2 and there is a possibility that the user 4 moves between the target areas with the terminal, it becomes a problem as to which target area the terminal is associated with. In that case, you may provide the target area | region input part which inputs the target area | region where the user is staying in the report screen 50. FIG. Alternatively, the request information acquisition unit 11 may determine which target area is associated with the transmitted request information after grasping the position information of the terminal using a GPS function or the like.

Further, in the reporter number statistics unit 502 of the report screen 50, the statistical information of the report contents by each user in the target area acquired by the terminal 5 through communication with the air conditioning control device 1 is displayed. The user 4 can intuitively understand how other users feel the current state by looking at the reporter number statistics unit 502.
In addition, the consumption display portion 503 of the reporting screen 50 displays the energy consumption by the air conditioning equipment. Thereby, the present energy consumption status and whether or not the energy saving target (Target) is achieved can be presented, and the energy saving awareness of each user can be further enhanced.
In addition, each user 4 makes a report using his / her terminal 5 instead of the remote control of the air conditioning equipment 3, and therefore can input without worrying about the eyes of other users. As a result, the set value is determined without being influenced by a part of the users with high voice, so that satisfaction and productivity as a whole user are improved.

  FIG. 5 shows a report screen when the adjustment target is only temperature. However, a report input unit 501 for adjusting other environments (for example, humidity, air volume, illuminance, etc.) instead of or in addition to the temperature may be displayed.

<Modification>
The air-conditioning control apparatus 1 of the present invention does not collect request information based on the contents manually input by each user using a terminal, but actively collects the request information by grasping the status of each user. May be.

For example, a camera is installed in the target area 2 and the captured image is transmitted to the request information acquisition unit of the air conditioning control device 1. Then, the statistical information generation unit 12 feels that the number of users in the target area 2 (corresponding to V _All ), the number of users who feel “hot” (corresponding to V _Hot ), and “cold”. The number of users (corresponding to V _Cold ) is acquired. To acquire V _Hot and V _Cold , analyze the video and take action when it is hot (take off your outerwear, wipe sweat, plow with a fan, etc.) There is a method of extracting a dress, putting a blanket, etc.).

  In addition, the method by which the air conditioning system side acquires the request information is not limited to image analysis, and information obtained from a sensor worn by each user may be used. For example, a thermometer that acquires the user's body temperature, a motion detector that acquires the user's movement using a gyro, or the like can be used as the sensor.

  According to the present modification, even when the user cannot take his hands off the work in a factory or the like, it is possible to appropriately control the set values of the air conditioning equipment to realize energy saving while maintaining the user's satisfaction. Even when the user himself / herself is not conscious of the heat, it is possible to detect the behavior and physical reaction under the current environment and lower the temperature, so that heat stroke can be prevented in advance.

<Embodiment 4>
In the present embodiment, a method of performing exception processing such as notification to the administrator when the difference in opinion with respect to the current value of the environment is large among users will be described.

The process shown in the flowchart of FIG. 6 may be performed periodically in the data update cycle, or may be incorporated as a subroutine in the process flow of FIG. 3 for determining the set value.
In step S601, the numerical value acquisition unit 13 of the air conditioning control device 1 reads the comfort report number lower limit value V _{Good, min} , which is a fixed value set by the administrator, and V _Cold , V _Hot in the target area. Then, V _Good which is the number of people who are satisfied with the current situation is calculated by the following mathematical formula (7).
V _Good = V _All − (V _Cold + V _Hot ) (7)
In addition, when the option of “just good” is provided in addition to “hot” and “cold” on the report screen of the terminal, the number of people who have selected “just good” as V _Good may be used.

Subsequently, in step S602, the set value determination unit 14 determines whether V _Cold ≠ 0 and V _Hot ≠ 0. If S602 = Yes, the user who feels “hot” and the user who feels “cold” are mixed in the same target area. On the other hand, in the case of S602 = No, since all users are satisfied or there is no difference in opinion between users, notification to the administrator is not performed (S606).

Subsequently, in step S603, the set value determination unit 14 determines whether V _Cold = V _Hot . If S603 = Yes, the opinion of “hot” and the opinion of “cold” are in conflict. On the other hand, in the case of S603 = No, since any opinion is dominant, notification to the administrator is not performed (S606), and the request information is directly reflected in the setting value. In this step, if the difference between V _Cold and V _Hot is small, the process may proceed to S604.

Subsequently, in step S604, the set value determining unit 14 determines whether V _Good <V _{Good, min} . If S604 = No, it can be said that most of the users are satisfied with the current situation, so no notification is given (S606). On the other hand, if S604 = Yes, it is determined that more users than the predetermined ratio are dissatisfied and the temperature unevenness in the target area cannot be overlooked, and the administrator is notified (S605). For notification to the administrator, any method such as message display on a display device, voice notification using a speaker or the like, notification by mail, or a combination of these methods can be employed.

  The administrator who receives the notification improves the temperature unevenness by adjusting the air volume and the air direction of the blower. At the time of notification, the location of users who have declared “hot” or “cold” is identified by GPS information or image analysis of the terminal, and the location of those users in the target area is visualized and presented to the administrator Good. Further, instead of notifying the administrator in S605, the air conditioning control device 1 may automatically operate a circulator or the like to improve temperature unevenness.

  According to this embodiment, even if the temperature unevenness in the target area is large and dissatisfaction remains for some users only by changing the setting value, the administrator is notified of this, and improvement is promoted. Air conditioning equipment can automatically improve the situation. The technique of the present embodiment can also be suitably used when controlling humidity and lighting.

  As specifically described in each embodiment, according to the air conditioning control device, the air conditioning control method, or the program of the present invention, the administrator's recommended value is reflected in the set value while satisfying the user's request. Is possible. Therefore, it is possible to realize air conditioning control that achieves both maintenance of comfort and productivity and energy saving.

  1: air-conditioning control device, 11: request information acquisition unit, 12: statistical information generation unit, 14: set value determination unit, 3: air-conditioning equipment

Claims (14)

An air conditioning control device for controlling an air conditioning facility that adjusts the environment based on a current value and a setting value related to an environment of a target area,
A request information acquisition unit that acquires request information indicating a request for the environment by a user of the target area;
Using the request information, a statistical information generation unit that generates statistical information indicating the degree of satisfaction of the user with respect to the environment;
A set value determining unit for determining the set value using a predetermined recommended value and the statistical information;
Have
The set value determination unit, when the statistical information satisfies a predetermined criterion, contributes to the recommended value in determining the set value compared to a case where the statistical information does not satisfy the predetermined criterion An air conditioning control device characterized by increasing the size. The air conditioning control device according to claim 1, wherein the environment is at least one of temperature, humidity, and air volume of the target area. 3. The request information acquisition unit acquires information indicating that the user has requested to increase the set value or has requested to decrease the set value. The air conditioning control device described in 1. The air conditioning control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the request information acquisition unit acquires information indicating that the user is satisfied with the set value. The air conditioning control according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising an input means providing unit that displays a screen for the user to input the request information on the terminal of the user. apparatus. The request information acquisition unit acquires the request information from a plurality of the users in the target area,
The statistical information generation unit generates the statistical information, which is an index indicating the direction and degree of change of the setting value, based on the request information from the plurality of users. 6. The air conditioning control device according to any one of items 5 to 5. The statistical information generation unit includes the number of all users in the target area, the number of users who have requested to increase the set value, and the number of users who have requested to decrease the set value. The set value determination unit that generates the statistical information based on a difference adds a temperature obtained by multiplying the generated statistical information by a predetermined coefficient to the next set value. 6. The air conditioning control device according to 6. The setting value determining unit determines the setting value so that the setting value approaches the recommended value when satisfaction levels of the plurality of users indicated by the statistical information fall within a predetermined threshold. The air-conditioning control apparatus according to claim 6 or 7. The set value determination unit may multiply the current value and the recommended value by multiplying a predetermined set value return time when satisfaction of the plurality of users indicated by the statistical information satisfies a predetermined standard. The air conditioning control device according to claim 8, wherein the set value is determined so that the set value returns to the recommended value based on a change rate determined by: The set value determination unit is a case in which a greater number of users out of all users in the target area make a request to increase the set value or to decrease the set value. The air conditioning according to any one of claims 6 to 9, wherein exception processing is performed when the number of requests for increasing the set value is substantially equal to the number of requests for decreasing the set value. Control device. The air conditioning control device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the recommended value is a value determined by an administrator. The air conditioning control device according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein air conditioning equipment in a plurality of the target areas is controlled. An air conditioning control method for adjusting the environment based on a current value and a set value related to an environment of a target area,
A request information acquisition step for acquiring request information indicating a request for the environment by a user of the target area;
Using the request information, a statistical information generation step for generating statistical information indicating satisfaction with the environment of the user;
A set value determining step for determining the set value using a predetermined recommended value and the statistical information;
Have
In the setting value determination step, when the statistical information satisfies a predetermined criterion, the contribution degree of the recommended value in determining the setting value compared to a case where the statistical information does not satisfy the predetermined criterion An air conditioning control method characterized by increasing the size. A program that causes an information processing device to operate as an air conditioning control device that adjusts the environment based on a current value and a set value related to the environment of the target area,
A request information acquisition step for acquiring request information indicating a request for the environment by a user of the target area;
Using the request information, a statistical information generation step for generating statistical information indicating satisfaction with the environment of the user;
A set value determining step for determining the set value using a predetermined recommended value and the statistical information;
Is executed by the information processing apparatus,
In the setting value determination step, when the statistical information satisfies a predetermined criterion, the contribution degree of the recommended value in determining the setting value compared to a case where the statistical information does not satisfy the predetermined criterion A program characterized by increasing the size.

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