JP2018204858A - Air cleaning system and control device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an air cleaning system that controls a plurality of air cleaners to cooperate with one another.SOLUTION: An air cleaning system includes: a plurality of air cleaners 100 for cleaning air of an environment in which they are installed; a detector 180 for detecting a predetermined parameter relating to at least one of the environment and the air cleaners 100; and a control unit 160 for controlling the air cleaners 100 in accordance with a detection result of the detector 180.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to an air cleaning system and a control device.

  In recent years, various air purifiers have been proposed. For example, there is a stationary type air purifier and a type of air purifier suspended from the ceiling (for example, see Patent Document 1).

JP 2008-093639 A

  Normally, the air cleaner operates alone. Depending on the size of the environment to be applied, it may not be possible to cover with a single air purifier, and a plurality of air purifiers may be arranged.

  When a plurality of air purifiers are arranged, it may not be efficient if each air purifier is driven independently.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide an air cleaning system and a control device that allow a plurality of air purifiers to cooperate.

  The air purification system of the present invention has a plurality of air purifiers, a detection unit, and a control unit. The plurality of air purifiers purify the air in the installed environment. The detection unit detects a predetermined parameter related to at least one of the environment and the air cleaner. The control unit controls the plurality of air purifiers according to a detection result by the detection unit.

  The control device of the present invention is a control device that controls a plurality of air purifiers that purify the air in the environment in which it is installed, and has a control unit. The control unit controls the plurality of air purifiers according to a detection result of a predetermined parameter related to at least one of the environment and the air purifier.

  According to the present invention, a plurality of air purifiers can cooperate.

It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the air purifying system which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a half sectional view showing a schematic structure of an air cleaner. It is a block diagram which shows the electrical structure of an air cleaner. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of a cooperation control process. It is a block diagram which shows the electrical structure of the air cleaner which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of a cooperation control process. It is a block diagram which shows the electric constitution of the air cleaner which concerns on 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of an air volume switching process. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of a cooperation control process.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, the same code | symbol was used for the same member in the figure. In addition, the dimensional ratios in the drawings may be exaggerated for convenience of explanation, and may be different from the actual ratios.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an air cleaning system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The air purifying system of the present embodiment includes four air purifiers 100a, 100b, 100c, and 100d (hereinafter collectively referred to as air purifier 100). The air purifier 100 is an air purifier with a lighting function, and is installed with a space from the ceiling 200 in a state of being hung from the ceiling 200 in the room. Further, the four air purifiers 100 are arranged above the counter table 300 with a space therebetween. In addition, the number of the air cleaners 100 and the positional relationship between the air cleaners 100 are not limited to the example shown in FIG.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the structure of the air cleaner 100 is demonstrated. In addition, since air cleaner 100a-100d is the mutually same structure, it demonstrates below using air cleaner 100a as a representative.

  FIG. 2 is a half sectional view showing a schematic configuration of the air purifier 100a. The air cleaner 100a of the present embodiment has a configuration in which air is sucked from the side surface of the cylindrical housing 110, air is purified by the filter 120 inside the housing 110, and exhausted from the upper portion of the housing 110.

  The air cleaner 100 a includes a housing 110, a filter 120, an inner guard 130, a fan 140, and a lighting 150.

  The housing 110 has a cylindrical shape, and a plurality of air intake holes 111 for taking in environmental air A are provided on the entire side surface of the housing 110. The housing 110 provided with a plurality of air intake holes 111 also serves as a pre-filter and captures relatively large dust in the environment.

  The filter 120 is disposed inside the housing 110. The filter 120 is formed in a cylindrical shape as a whole, and purifies the air A taken in from the intake hole 111 of the housing 110 while passing through the inside of the cylinder. The filter 120 of the present embodiment includes a plurality of filters such as a dust collection filter and a deodorizing filter. The dust collection filter is, for example, a non-woven filter, and can collect dust and the like that are finer than the housing 110 serving as a prefilter.

  The inner guard 130 is disposed inside the filter 120. The inner guard 130 has a cylindrical surface provided with a plurality of vent holes 131 and allows the air purified by the filter 120 to flow into the inner guard 130. The cylindrical surface of the inner guard 130 contacts the filter 120 and regulates the position of the filter 120 that is attracted to the inside by the air flow. The inside of the cylindrical surface of the inner guard 130 forms a flow path for air that has passed through the filter 120.

  The fan 140 is disposed above the inner guard 130 and sucks air. As shown by arrows in FIG. 2, the fan 140 guides the air A outside the housing 110 to the inside of the intake holes 111, the filter 120, and the inner guard 130, and further exhausts the air A to the outside of the housing 110. Form a flow. Air is exhausted from an exhaust port 112 provided at the top of the housing 110. A guide (not shown) for changing the flow of air exhausted upward from the exhaust port 112 to the side can be attached above the housing 110.

  The illumination 150 is provided in the lower part of the housing | casing 110, and irradiates light below. Illumination 150 includes, for example, an LED (Light Emitting Diode) bulb. A wiring (not shown) for supplying power to the illumination 150 extends from the top of the housing 110. The illumination 150 of this embodiment is driven independently of the fan 140.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the air purifier 100a. The air purifier 100a includes a fan 140, an illumination 150, a control unit 160, a communication unit 170, and a detection unit 180, which are connected to each other via a bus 190 for exchanging signals. Note that, among the above-described units, the description of the fan 140 and the illumination 150 is omitted to avoid duplication of explanation.

  The control unit 160 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and various memories, and controls the above-described units and performs various arithmetic processes according to a program.

  The communication unit 170 is an interface for communicating with other devices, and standards such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), Zigbee (registered trademark), and Wi-Fi (registered trademark) are used.

  The detection unit 180 detects a predetermined parameter related to at least one of the environment and the air cleaner 100a. The detection unit 180 includes an odor sensor 181 and a human sensor 182. The odor sensor 181 detects the amount (intensity) of odor as the parameter. The odor sensor 181 detects a change in the amount of odor based on, for example, a change in dielectric constant of a metal oxide element or an organic semiconductor film element or a change in frequency of a crystal resonator. The human sensor 182 detects a person in the environment as the parameter.

  In addition, each of the air cleaners 100a to 100d may include components other than the above components, or some of the above components may not be included.

  In the air purifying system configured as described above, the air purifier 100a functions as a master unit and controls the operation of the four air purifiers 100. Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 4, operation | movement of the air purifying system which concerns on this embodiment is demonstrated.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the cooperative control process executed by the air purifier 100a. Note that the algorithm shown in the flowchart of FIG. 4 is stored as a program in the memory of the control unit 160 of the air purifier 100a, and is executed by the CPU. Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, it is assumed that at the start of the cooperative control process, each air cleaner 100 is in a state where the fan 140 is stopped while the illumination 150 is on.

  In the cooperative control process of the present embodiment, first, the control unit 160 of the air cleaner 100a recognizes the amount of odor in the space where the four air cleaners 100 are installed (step S101). More specifically, the control unit 160 acquires the output value of the odor sensor 181 of the own device, and recognizes the amount of odor in the indoor space where the four air purifiers 100 are installed.

  Next, the controller 160 of the air cleaner 100a determines whether or not the amount of odor is greater than the first level (step S102). Here, the first level is an odor amount serving as a reference when determining whether to drive one or more air purifiers 100, and is set in advance.

  When determining that the amount of odor is not greater than the first level (step S102: NO), the control unit 160 of the air cleaner 100a ends the process.

  On the other hand, when determining that the amount of odor is greater than the first level (step S102: YES), the control unit 160 of the air purifier 100a determines whether the amount of odor is greater than the second level ( Step S103). Here, the second level is the amount of odor that serves as a reference when determining whether to drive two or more air purifiers 100, and is set to a value larger than the first level.

  When determining that the amount of odor is not greater than the second level (step S103: NO), the control unit 160 of the air purifier 100a drives one air purifier 100 (step S104) and ends the process. To do. More specifically, the control part 160 communicates with the one air cleaner 100c, drives the fan 140 of the air cleaner 100c, for example, and complete | finishes a process.

  On the other hand, when it is determined that the amount of odor is greater than the second level (step S103: YES), the control unit 160 of the air cleaner 100a determines whether the amount of odor is greater than the third level ( Step S105). Here, the third level is the amount of odor (first threshold value) that serves as a reference when determining whether to drive three or more air purifiers 100, and is set to a value larger than the second level. Is done.

  When it is determined that the amount of odor is not greater than the third level (step S105: NO), the control unit 160 of the air cleaner 100a drives the two air cleaners 100 (step S106) and ends the process. To do. More specifically, the control part 160 communicates with the two air cleaners 100b and 100c, for example, drives the fan 140 of the air cleaners 100b and 100c, and complete | finishes a process.

  On the other hand, when determining that the amount of odor is greater than the third level (step S105: YES), the control unit 160 of the air purifier 100a determines whether or not there is a person in the space (step S107). More specifically, the control unit 160 communicates with the three air cleaners 100b to 100d to acquire the output value of the human sensor 182 of the air cleaners 100b to 100d, and the human sensor 182 of the own device. Get the output value of. And the control part 160 judges whether the person is in the indoor space where the four air cleaners 100 were installed from the output value of the human sensor 182 of the four air cleaners 100. FIG.

  When it is determined that there is a person (step S107: YES), the control unit 160 of the air cleaner 100a drives the three air cleaners 100 (step S108) and ends the process. More specifically, the control part 160 communicates with the three air cleaners 100b-100d, for example, drives the fan 140 of the air cleaners 100b-100d, and complete | finishes a process.

  On the other hand, when determining that there is no person (step S107: NO), the controller 160 of the air purifier 100a drives the four air purifiers 100 (step S109), and ends the process. More specifically, the control unit 160 communicates with the three air purifiers 100b to 100d to drive the fans 140 of the air purifiers 100b to 100d and drives the fan 140 of the own unit to complete the processing. To do.

  As described above, according to the processing of the flowchart shown in FIG. 4, the amount of odor in the space is detected, and the more the amount of odor, the more air cleaners 100 are driven. In addition, if the amount of odor is greater than the third level, a person in the space is detected. If there are people in the space, the three air cleaners 100 are driven. On the other hand, if there is no person in the space, all four air cleaners 100 are driven.

According to such a configuration, the space can be efficiently deodorized by driving an appropriate number of air purifiers 100 according to the amount of odor in the space. Further, when the amount of odor is greater than the third level, the space can be deodorized in a short time by driving all four air cleaners 100 if there is no person in the space. On the other hand, if there are people in the space, the three air purifiers 100 can be driven to deodorize the space while suppressing noise.

  Note that the process shown in step S107 of FIG. 4 may be omitted. In this case, if the amount of odor is greater than the third level, for example, all four air cleaners 100 are driven regardless of the presence or absence of a person.

  4, when the control unit 160 of the air purifier 100a drives one to three air purifiers 100 in the processing shown in Step S104, S106, or S108 of FIG. The air cleaner 100 having a large output value may be preferentially driven with reference to the output value of the odor sensor 181.

  In the above-described embodiment, the driving of the fan 140 of the air cleaner 100 is controlled in a state where the illumination 150 of each air cleaner 100 is lit. However, unlike the above-described embodiment, the driving of the fan 140 may be controlled while the illumination 150 is turned off.

  As described above, the described embodiment has the following effects.

  Since the operations of the four air purifiers 100 are controlled according to the output values of the odor sensor 181 and the human sensor 182, the four air purifiers 100 can cooperate.

  The greater the amount of odor in the space, the more air purifier 100 is driven, so the space can be efficiently deodorized.

  When the amount of odor in the space is greater than the third level and there is no person in the space, all the air purifiers 100 are driven, so that the space can be deodorized in a short time.

  Since all the air purifiers 100 are provided with the human sensor 182, it can be detected that there is no person in the indoor space where the four air purifiers 100 are installed.

  Since all the air purifiers 100 are provided with the odor sensor 181, the air purifier 100 to be driven can be determined according to the output value of the odor sensor 181 of each air purifier 100.

  Since one air cleaner 100a functions as a master and controls the operation of the four air cleaners 100, it is not necessary to provide a dedicated control device.

  Since the air cleaner 100 is an air cleaner with an illumination function that is suspended from the ceiling, it can purify the air and irradiate light in the lower space.

(Modification 1)
In the above-described embodiment, the case where the air purification system is configured by four air cleaners 100 has been described as an example. However, the cooperative control process of the present embodiment is also applicable to five or more air cleaners 100. In this case, for example, if the amount of odor in the space is greater than the third level and no person is detected, control is performed to drive all five or more air purifiers 100. Alternatively, if the amount of odor is greater than the third level and no person is detected, control is performed to drive one more air cleaner 100 than when a person is detected, or a person is detected. Control may be performed to drive two more air cleaners 100 than in the case where the air purifier is used.

  In addition, regardless of the number of air purifiers 100 constituting the air purification system, if the amount of odor in the space is greater than a predetermined level, if no person is detected, more air is purified than if a person is detected. Control for driving the machine 100 may be performed.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The present embodiment is an embodiment in which the air cleaner 100 cooperates to adjust the replacement time of the filter 120 of the air cleaner 100.

  FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the air purifier 100a according to the present embodiment. In addition, since air cleaner 100a-100d is the mutually same structure, it demonstrates below using air cleaner 100a as a representative.

  The air cleaner 100a of the present embodiment includes an air volume variable fan 140 ′, an illumination 150, a control unit 160, a communication unit 170, a detection unit 180, and a filter replacement lamp 185, which are buses for exchanging signals. They are connected to each other through 190. The detection unit 180 includes an odor sensor 181, a human sensor 182, and an integration timer 183.

  The air volume variable fan 140 ′ is configured to be able to adjust the air exhaust air volume (intake air volume) in three stages of “strong”, “medium”, and “weak”. Further, the integration timer 183 detects the cumulative driving time of the fan 140 'as a parameter related to the air cleaner 100a.

  The filter replacement lamp 185 is configured by a small LED lamp. For example, the filter replacement lamp 185 is lit to notify the user that the time for replacement of the filter 120 of the air purifier 100a is approaching.

  The configuration of the air cleaning system according to the present embodiment itself, except that the fan 140 ′ of the air purifier 100 is configured to have a variable air volume and is additionally provided with an integration timer 183 and a filter replacement lamp 185, Since it is the same as that of 1st Embodiment, the description about the structure of an air purifying system is abbreviate | omitted.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 6, operation | movement of the air purifying system which concerns on this embodiment is demonstrated.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the cooperative control process executed by the air cleaner 100a. The algorithm shown in the flowchart of FIG. 6 is stored as a program in the memory of the control unit 160 of the air purifier 100a and is executed by the CPU. In the following, for convenience of explanation, it is assumed that all the air purifiers 100 are driven at the air volume “medium” at the start of the cooperative control process.

  In the cooperative control process of the present embodiment, first, the control unit 160 of the air cleaner 100a recognizes the cumulative driving time of the fans 140 'of the four air cleaners 100 (step S201). More specifically, the control unit 160 communicates with the three air purifiers 100b to 100d to acquire the output value of the integration timer 183 of each air purifier 100b to 100d, and the fans of the air purifiers 100b to 100d The accumulated driving time 140 ′ is recognized. In addition, the control unit 160 acquires the output value of the integration timer 183 of the own device, and recognizes the accumulated driving time of the fan 140 'of the own device.

Next, the control unit 160 of the air cleaner 100a determines whether or not there is the air cleaner 100 in which the cumulative driving time of the fan 140 ′ is longer than a predetermined time (step S202). Here, the predetermined time is a time (second threshold value) that serves as a reference when determining whether or not to switch the air cleaner 100 to the power saving mode. For example, the predetermined time is about 3/4 of the lifetime of the filter 120. Set to

  When it is determined that there is no air cleaner 100 that has a cumulative driving time longer than the predetermined time (step S202: NO), the control unit 160 of the air cleaner 100a ends the process.

  On the other hand, when it is determined that there is an air cleaner 100 with a cumulative driving time longer than the predetermined time (step S202: YES), the control unit 160 of the air cleaner 100a causes the air cleaner 100 with a cumulative driving time longer than the predetermined time. It is determined whether or not the number of 100 is two or less (step S203).

  When it is determined that the number of air purifiers 100 whose accumulated drive time is longer than the predetermined time is not two or less (step S203: NO), the control unit 160 of the air purifier 100a notifies the user of the replacement time of the filter 120. (Step S204), and the process ends. More specifically, the control unit 160 turns on the filter replacement lamp 185 of the air purifier 100 whose cumulative driving time is longer than a predetermined time, and notifies the user that the replacement time of the filter 120 is approaching, The process ends.

  On the other hand, when it is determined that the number of air purifiers 100 whose cumulative drive time is longer than the predetermined time is two or less (step S203: YES), the control unit 160 of the air cleaner 100a determines that the cumulative drive time is the predetermined time. The longer air cleaner 100 is shifted to the power saving mode (step S205). For example, when the cumulative driving time of the fan 140 ′ of one air purifier 100c is longer than a predetermined time, the control unit 160 communicates with the air purifier 100c to change the air volume of the fan 140 ′ of the air purifier 100c. Switch from “Medium” to “Weak”. Alternatively, when the cumulative driving time of the fans 140 ′ of the two air cleaners 100b and 100c is longer than the predetermined time, the control unit 160 sets the air volume of the fans 140 ′ of the two air cleaners 100b and 100c to “medium”. To "weak".

  And the control part 160 of the air cleaner 100a increases the air volume of the air cleaner 100 whose accumulation drive time is below predetermined time (step S206), and complete | finishes a process. More specifically, the control unit 160 increases the air volume of the fans 140 ′ of the same number of air purifiers 100 as the air purifier 100 that has shifted to the power saving mode in the process shown in step S <b> 203, and ends the process. For example, when one air cleaner 100c is shifted to the power saving mode, the control unit 160 communicates with the air cleaner 100d to change the air volume of the fan 140 ′ of the air cleaner 100d from “medium” to “strong”. To end the processing. Alternatively, when the two air cleaners 100b and 100c are shifted to the power saving mode, the control unit 160 changes the air volume of the fans 140 ′ of the two air cleaners 100a and 100d from “medium” to “strong”. Switch and finish the process.

  As described above, according to the processing of the flowchart shown in FIG. 6, when the cumulative driving time of each air cleaner 100 is detected and there are two or less air cleaners 100 having a cumulative driving time longer than the predetermined time, cumulative driving is performed. The air cleaner 100 whose time is longer than the predetermined time is shifted to the power saving mode. And the air volume of the air cleaner 100 whose accumulation drive time is below predetermined time is increased. According to such a configuration, the air purifier 100 having a short remaining life of the filter 120 shifts to the power saving mode, while the air purifier 100 having the long remaining life of the filter 120 shifts to the power saving mode. The operation of the machine 100 is supplemented. Therefore, the replacement time of the filter 120 of the air cleaner 100 can be extended while maintaining the air purification capability of the air purification system.

In addition, when increasing the air volume of the other air purifier 100 instead of the air purifier 100 that has been shifted to the power saving mode, the control unit 160 refers to the positional relationship between the air purifiers 100 to save power. You may preferentially increase the air volume of the other air cleaner 100 in the nearest distance from the air cleaner 100 which changed to the mode.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the air cleaner 100 in which the cumulative drive time is longer than the predetermined time has been shifted to the power saving mode. However, the air cleaner 100 having a cumulative driving time longer than the predetermined time may be stopped without being shifted to the power saving mode.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, when there are three or more air cleaners 100 having a cumulative driving time longer than the predetermined time, the user is notified of the replacement time of the filter 120 and the processing is terminated. However, unlike the above-described embodiment, for example, when there are three air purifiers 100 having a cumulative driving time longer than the predetermined time, the three air purifiers 100 are shifted to the power saving mode, and the cumulative driving time is changed. Control for increasing the air volume of one air cleaner 100 for a predetermined time or less may be performed.

  As described above, the present embodiment described has the following effects in addition to the effects of the first embodiment.

  Since the air purifier 100 whose cumulative driving time is longer than the predetermined time shifts to or stops in the power saving mode and the air purifier 100 whose cumulative driving time is equal to or shorter than the predetermined time supplements the operation of the air purifier 100, the air purifying system. The replacement time of the filter 120 can be extended while maintaining the air purification capability. As a result, the filters 120 of the four air purifiers 100 can be replaced together at the same time.

(Modification 2)
In the above-described embodiment, the case where the air cleaner 100 is provided with the air volume variable fan 140 ′ has been described as an example. However, the cooperative control process of the present embodiment is also applicable to the air cleaner 100 provided with the fan 140 that is not variable in the air volume. In this case, for example, if there is an air cleaner 100 in which the cumulative driving time of the fan 140 is longer than a predetermined time, the fan 140 of the air cleaner 100 is stopped. If there is a stopped air cleaner 100 in which the cumulative driving time of the fan 140 is equal to or less than a predetermined time, the fan 140 of the air cleaner 100 is driven instead.

(Third embodiment)
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The present embodiment is an embodiment in which a plurality of air purifiers 100 are cooperated to reduce power consumption of the air cleaning system.

  FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the air purifier 100a according to the present embodiment. In addition, since air cleaner 100a-100d is the mutually same structure, it demonstrates below using air cleaner 100a as a representative.

  The air cleaner 100a of this embodiment includes an air volume variable fan 140 ′, an illumination 150, a control unit 160, a communication unit 170, and a detection unit 180, which are mutually connected via a bus 190 for exchanging signals. It is connected to the. The detection unit 180 includes an odor sensor 181, a human sensor 182, and a power consumption sensor 184.

The air volume variable fan 140 ′ is configured to be able to adjust the air exhaust air volume in three stages of “strong”, “medium”, and “weak”. Moreover, the power consumption sensor 184 detects the power consumption of the air cleaner 100 as a parameter regarding the air cleaner 100a. The configuration of the air cleaning system according to this embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment except that the fan 140 ′ of the air purifier 100 is configured to have a variable air volume and the power consumption sensor 184 is additionally provided. Therefore, the description of the configuration of the air cleaning system is omitted.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, operation | movement of the air purifying system which concerns on this embodiment is demonstrated.

  First, the basic operation of the air cleaner 100 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The air cleaner 100 according to the present embodiment switches the air volume of the fan 140 ′ in accordance with the amount of environmental odor. In the following description, the air cleaner 100a is used as a representative.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a procedure of air volume switching processing executed by the air purifier 100a. Note that the algorithm shown in the flowchart of FIG. 8 is stored as a program in the memory of the control unit 160 and executed by the CPU.

  First, the control part 160 of the air cleaner 100a acquires the output value of the odor sensor 181 of an own machine, and recognizes the quantity of an odor (step S301).

  Next, the controller 160 of the air cleaner 100a determines whether or not the amount of odor is greater than a predetermined level (step S302). Here, the predetermined level is an odor amount serving as a reference when setting the air volume of the air purifier 100a, and is set in advance.

  When determining that the amount of odor is not greater than the predetermined level (step S302: NO), the control unit 160 of the air cleaner 100a sets the air volume to “medium” (step S303), and ends the process. On the other hand, when determining that the amount of odor is greater than the predetermined level (step S302: YES), the control unit 160 of the air cleaner 100a sets the air volume to “strong” (step S304), and ends the process.

  As described above, according to the processing of the flowchart shown in FIG. 8, the amount of odor is detected, and if the amount of odor is greater than a predetermined level, the air volume of the air cleaner 100 is set to “strong”. On the other hand, if the amount of odor is below a predetermined level, the air volume of the air cleaner 100 is set to “medium”. When the air volume is set to “strong”, the power consumption of the air purifier 100 becomes larger than when the air volume is set to “medium”.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 9, the operation of the air purifier 100a for controlling the four air purifiers 100 driven with the air volume set according to the amount of odor will be described.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the cooperative control process executed by the air cleaner 100a. The algorithm shown in the flowchart of FIG. 9 is stored as a program in the memory of the control unit 160 of the air purifier 100a and is executed by the CPU. Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, it is assumed that each air purifier 100 is driven with an air volume set according to the amount of odor at the start of the cooperative control process.

  In the cooperative control process of the present embodiment, first, the control unit 160 of the air cleaner 100a recognizes the power consumption of each air cleaner 100 (step S401). More specifically, the control unit 160 communicates with the three air purifiers 100b to 100d to acquire the output value of the power consumption sensor 184 of the air purifiers 100b to 100d, and consumes the air purifiers 100b to 100d. Recognize power. In addition, the control unit 160 acquires the output value of the power consumption sensor 184 of the own device and recognizes the power consumption of the own device.

  Next, the control part 160 of the air cleaner 100a judges whether there exists the air cleaner 100 whose power consumption is more than predetermined power (step S402). Here, the predetermined power is a power (third threshold value) that serves as a reference when detecting the air purifier 100 that is driven with the air volume “strong”, and is set in advance.

  When determining that there is no air cleaner 100 whose power consumption is equal to or higher than the predetermined power (step S402: NO), the control unit 160 of the air cleaner 100a ends the process.

  On the other hand, when it is determined that there is an air purifier 100 whose power consumption is equal to or higher than the predetermined power (step S402: YES), the control unit 160 of the air purifier 100a sets the air purifier whose power consumption is less than the predetermined power to the power saving mode. (Step S403), and the process ends. For example, it is assumed that one air purifier 100c is driven with the air volume “strong” and the power consumption of the air purifier 100c is equal to or higher than a predetermined power. In this case, for example, if the air cleaner 100d is driven at the air volume “medium” and the power consumption of the air cleaner 100d is less than a predetermined power, the control unit 160 communicates with the air cleaner 100d to clean the air. The air volume of the fan 140 ′ of the machine 100d is switched from “medium” to “weak”, and the process is terminated. In addition, when the power consumption of all the air cleaners 100 is more than predetermined power, a process is complete | finished without performing the process of step S403.

  As described above, according to the process of the flowchart shown in FIG. 9, when the power consumption of the air cleaner 100 is detected and there is the air cleaner 100 whose power consumption is equal to or higher than the predetermined power, the air cleaner whose power consumption is lower than the predetermined power is used. The air volume of the machine 100 is reduced. According to such a configuration, the total power consumption of the air purification system is reduced, and the total power consumption can be maintained below a certain amount.

  In the above-described embodiment, when there is the air cleaner 100 whose power consumption is equal to or higher than the predetermined power, the air volume of the air cleaner 100 whose power consumption is less than the predetermined power is reduced. However, when there is the air cleaner 100 whose power consumption is equal to or higher than the predetermined power, the air cleaner 100 whose power consumption is lower than the predetermined power may be stopped. For example, when two air purifiers 100b and 100c are driven with the air volume “strong” and the power consumption of the air purifiers 100b and 100c is equal to or higher than a predetermined power, the air purifier that is driven with the air volume “medium”. Control to stop the fan 140 ′ of the machine 100d may be performed.

  Moreover, in embodiment mentioned above, the air cleaner 100 set the air volume of the own machine according to the output value of the odor sensor 181 by the air volume switching process. However, the air volume of the air purifier 100 does not necessarily need to be set according to the output value of the odor sensor 181 and may be set by a user's remote control operation, for example.

  As described above, the described embodiment has the following effects in addition to the effects of the first and second embodiments.

  When there is an air purifier 100 whose power consumption is greater than or equal to the predetermined power, the air purifier 100 whose power consumption is less than the predetermined power shifts to or stops in the power saving mode, so that the total power consumption of the air purifying system is reduced and the total consumption Electric power can be maintained below a certain amount.

  As described above, in the first to third embodiments described, the air cleaning system of the present invention has been described. However, it goes without saying that the present invention can be appropriately added, modified, and omitted by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technical idea.

For example, in the first to third embodiments described above, the controller 160 is provided in all the air purifiers 100. However, the air cleaners 100b to 100d other than the parent device do not necessarily need to include the control unit 160. When the air cleaners 100b to 100d other than the parent machine do not have the control unit 160, the control unit 160 of the air cleaner 100a that is the parent machine directly switches the fan 140 of the other air cleaners 100b to 100d. Be controlled.

  Moreover, in 1st-3rd embodiment mentioned above, the control part 160 of the air cleaner 100a which is a main | base station controlled several air cleaner 100a-100d. However, the control unit that controls the plurality of air purifiers 100 is not necessarily provided in the air purifier 100a that is the master unit, and is provided in a dedicated control device that is provided separately from the air purifier 100. Also good. The dedicated control device can be provided on the wall surface or ceiling of the indoor space where a plurality of air purifiers 100 are installed.

  In the first to third embodiments described above, the air cleaner 100 includes the detection unit 180 including the odor sensor 181 and the human sensor 182, and a predetermined parameter is detected by the detection unit 180 of the air cleaner 100. It was. However, the detection unit 180 is not necessarily provided in the air cleaner 100 and may be provided separately from the air cleaner 100. For example, a plurality of odor sensors 181 and human sensor 182 may be provided on the wall or ceiling of a space where a plurality of air purifiers 100 are installed. Moreover, the detection part 180 does not necessarily need to be provided in all the air cleaners 100, and may be provided only in the air cleaner 100a which is a main | base station.

  Moreover, in the first to third embodiments described above, the air cleaning system including the plurality of hanging type air purifiers 100 including illumination has been described as an example. However, the air purifying system of the present invention may be composed of a plurality of hanging type air purifiers that are not provided with illumination. Alternatively, the air cleaning system of the present invention may be composed of a plurality of stationary type air purifiers, or may be composed of both a hanging type air purifier and a stationary type air purifier.

  The first embodiment and the second embodiment described above can also be executed in combination. For example, in the case where three or less air cleaners 100 are driven in the cooperative control process according to the first embodiment, the air cleaner 100 in which the cumulative drive time of the fan 140 is equal to or less than a predetermined time is less than the predetermined time. Driven preferentially over the long air cleaner 100.

  In addition, as another example of the cooperative control process in the case where the air purifier includes an air volume variable fan, the amount of odor in the space where the air purifier is installed is greater than the third level, and in the space When there is no person, all the air purifiers 100 may be driven with the air volume “strong”. According to such a configuration, the space can be deodorized in a shorter time.

100, 100a, 100b, 100c, 100d air purifier,
110 housing,
111 air intake holes,
112 exhaust port,
120 filters,
130 inner guard,
131 vents,
140,140 'fans,
150 lighting,
160 control unit,
170 communication unit,
180 detector,
181 Odor sensor,
182 Human sensor,
183 Integration timer,
184 Power consumption sensor,
185 Filter replacement lamp,
190 Bus.

Claims (10)

A plurality of air purifiers that purify the air in the environment in which they are installed;
A detection unit for detecting a predetermined parameter relating to at least one of the environment and the air cleaner;
A control unit that controls the plurality of air purifiers according to the detection result by the detection unit;
Having an air purification system. The detection unit detects at least the amount of odor in the environment as the predetermined parameter,
2. The air purification system according to claim 1, wherein the control unit drives more air cleaners as the amount of the odor detected by the detection unit is larger. The detection unit further detects a person in the environment as the predetermined parameter,
When the amount of the odor detected by the detection unit is greater than a predetermined first threshold and no person is detected by the detection unit, the control unit has more air cleaner than when a person is detected. The air purification system according to claim 2, wherein the air cleaner is driven. The detection unit detects, as the predetermined parameter, an accumulated time during which at least a plurality of the air cleaners are driven,
The said control part drives the said air cleaner whose said cumulative time is below the said 2nd threshold value instead of driving the said air cleaner whose said cumulative time detected by the said detection part is larger than a predetermined 2nd threshold value. Item 4. The air cleaning system according to any one of Items 1 to 3. The plurality of air purifiers can adjust the intake air amount by changing power consumption,
The detection unit detects power consumption of at least a plurality of the air cleaners as the predetermined parameter,
When there is the air cleaner whose power consumption is equal to or greater than a predetermined third threshold, the control unit stops the air cleaner whose power consumption is less than a predetermined third threshold or reduces the intake air amount to reduce power consumption. The air purification system according to claim 1, wherein the total amount is reduced.   The air cleaning system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the detection unit is capable of detecting the predetermined parameter at a plurality of locations in the environment.   The air cleaning system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein one of the plurality of air purifiers includes the control unit and controls driving of the other air purifiers.   The air cleaner according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein each of the air cleaners has an illumination and is installed with a space from the ceiling in a state of being suspended from the ceiling. A control device for controlling a plurality of air purifiers for purifying air in an installed environment,
The control apparatus which has a control part which controls the said several air cleaner according to the detection result of the predetermined parameter regarding at least one of the said environment and the said air cleaner.   The control device according to claim 9, wherein the control device is one of the plurality of air purifiers.