JP2023081025A - Remote centralized control system of facility internal environment - Google Patents

Abstract

To perform remote centralized management of an internal environment with high cost-effectiveness even in small and medium-sized facilities.SOLUTION: A remote centralized control system of a facility internal environment comprises a sensor, a wireless unit, a cloud on the Internet, a remote centralized control application, and a personal terminal.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a remote centralized control system for a facility environment.

Various systems are already known for controlling air-conditioning and ventilation equipment in facilities such as offices and facilities. For example, in the system described in Patent Literature 1, when a sensor detects that a person has entered the room, the control device controls the operation of the air conditioner/ventilator in accordance with the desired comfortable indoor atmosphere. However, since this system operates only when a person enters the previously unmanned facility, even if there is no new person entering the facility, the indoor environment changes from moment to moment, such as the interior of a live house during a performance. The atmosphere cannot be made comfortable quickly. In addition, there is a lack of a function to quickly change the deteriorated indoor environment before the use of a rental conference room or at the time of personnel change, when the target facility is unmanned.

Patent Literature 2 describes an air conditioning system in which commands can be easily input to a plurality of remote control devices corresponding to a plurality of air conditioning indoor units. This system assumes a state in which the air conditioning of each room in a large-scale facility such as an office building is centrally controlled in a control room. Such a system provides specific actions and operations to improve the indoor environment of multiple facility buildings. It does not assume a situation in which rules for maintaining the indoor environment, such as the operation of air conditioning and ventilation equipment, are decided.

Patent Literature 3 describes a diagnostic system that derives an accurate cause of failure of an air conditioner, appropriate repair information, and the like from operating data obtained from the air conditioner. This diagnosis system assumes a situation where specialized staff perform maintenance and inspection of various types of air-conditioning and ventilation equipment by remote control. Such systems are cumbersome for the actual users of the facility in which the controlled air conditioning and ventilation equipment is installed, such as facility owners and facility employees.

As these examples show, conventional remote centralized control systems for ventilation and air-conditioning equipment are intended for large-scale facilities and equipment, such as an entire office building or equipment of the same type. However, facilities in which the indoor atmosphere is likely to deteriorate are small and medium-sized facilities and live music clubs, and a plurality of these facilities are often scattered at different locations. Moreover, for these facilities, providing staff and facilities that specialize in managing air conditioning and ventilation equipment is a heavy cost burden. For this reason, it was difficult to introduce an efficient air conditioning control system in these small and medium-sized facilities.

JP 2016-109422 A JP 2017-146065 A JP 2017-219306 A

The inventor of the present invention sought a remote centralized control system that can efficiently control the indoor atmosphere of dispersed small and medium-sized facilities to a comfortable state without requiring specialized personnel or equipment.

As a result, we have completed a remote centralized control system that allows users to observe the facility atmosphere at multiple locations anytime and anywhere using personal terminals such as smartphones connected to the Internet, analyze trends, and take countermeasures. That is, the present invention is as follows.

(Invention 1) A remote centralized management system for an in-facility environment, including sensors, wireless units, clouds on the Internet, remote centralized management applications, and personal terminals,
The sensor above
obtaining one or more physical quantities and/or level values based on the environment inside the facility;
The wireless unit communicates with the sensor via a communication line, and transmits the one or more physical quantities and/or level values received from the sensor to the cloud on the Internet,
The cloud on the Internet accumulates the one or more physical quantities and/or level values,
The remote centralized management application evaluates the atmosphere inside the facility using the one or more physical quantities and/or level values accumulated in the cloud,
the personal terminal receives and displays the results of the evaluation via the Internet;
A remote centralized management system for the facility environment.
(Invention 2)
The one or more physical quantities and/or level values include one or more values selected from temperature, humidity, odor level, gas composition inside the facility,
The remote centralized management system for the facility environment according to Invention 1.
(Invention 3)
The above personal terminal is selected from smartphones, tablets, and PCs,
The remote centralized management system for the facility environment according to Invention 1.
(Invention 4)
the remote centralized management application assessing the atmosphere for multiple facilities;
The personal terminal receives and displays the results of the evaluation for each of the plurality of facilities.
The remote centralized management system for the facility environment according to Invention 1.
(Invention 5)
the remote centralized management application generating a signal to notify and/or alert a user based on the results of the evaluation and transmitting the signal to the personal terminal;
the personal terminal providing notifications and/or alerts to the user based on the signals;
The remote centralized management system for the facility environment according to Invention 1.
(Invention 6)
Furthermore, an air conditioner/ventilator is provided, and the air conditioner/ventilator is connected to the Internet, receives target values of one or more values selected from temperature, humidity, odor level, and gas composition, and operates according to the target values. death,
The target value is a value generated by the remote centralized management application and/or a value transmitted by the user using the personal terminal.
The remote centralized management system for the facility environment according to Invention 1.

The remote centralized management system of the present invention can be used to control the inside of the facility regardless of the type and number of air conditioning/ventilation equipment installed in the facility to be managed, and regardless of the change or update of the air conditioning/ventilation equipment. Whether the environment is comfortable or meets public health standards can be monitored anytime and anywhere.
The remote centralized management system of the present invention can provide users with assessment reports, notifications, warnings, etc. regarding the internal environment of the target facility. Therefore, the system of the present invention can quickly and efficiently improve the internal environment of the facility.
The remote centralized management system of the present invention can be added with the operation control function for the air conditioning/ventilation equipment. In this case, the user of the system of the present invention can easily and quickly control the operation of the driving equipment from the personal portable terminal.

An image diagram for understanding the configuration of the system of the present invention. An example of CSV generated by the remote centralized management application of the present invention. An example of an image for users displayed on a personal terminal. Part of an example report generated by the remote centralized management application of the present invention.

[Remote centralized control system]
The remote centralized management system of the present invention includes sensors, wireless units, clouds on the Internet, remote centralized management applications, and personal terminals. In the present invention, the term "cloud" is used as a generic term for IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS.

[sensor]
A sensor used in the present invention is a device that acquires physical quantities and/or level values based on the internal environment of a facility that is subject to remote centralized management. Typically, the physical quantity detected here includes one or more values selected from temperature, humidity, odor level, and gas composition. The sensor is, for example, a device that measures temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide concentration, carbon monoxide concentration, ozone concentration, hypochlorous acid, fine particulate matter (PM2.5) concentration, etc. inside the facility. The sensor is, for example, a device that measures the concentration of odor-causing substances in the facility and converts the concentration into an odor intensity (odor level) value. The sensor may be a combination of the various sensors described above, or may be a device in which the various sensors described above are combined and integrated.

The frequency and timing of acquisition of the physical quantity and/or level value by the sensor of the present invention are set by a remote centralized management application, which will be described later. Specifically, the frequency and timing are determined according to the facilities to which the system of the present invention is applied and the needs of users of the system of the present invention.

For example, if the applicable facility is a live house or a school where the indoor atmosphere is expected to change rapidly, the sensor frequently or continuously acquires the physical quantity and/or level value. Further, for example, if the applicable facility is an office, the frequency of acquisition can be set high during business hours and low outside business hours.

The sensor (or a combination of sensors, hereinafter both referred to as "sensors") may be one or more. For example, when the system of the present invention is applied to a plurality of facilities, the sensor is installed in each facility, and each sensor acquires the physical quantity and/or level value of each facility.

[Wireless unit]
A wireless unit used in the present invention communicates with the sensor via a communication line, and transmits the one or more physical quantities and/or level values received from the sensor to the cloud on the Internet. The timing of transmission is usually when the sensor completes acquisition of the physical quantity and/or level value.

For example, when the system of the present invention is applied to multiple facilities, the wireless unit communicates with each sensor installed in the facility, and the physical quantity and/or level value obtained by each sensor is transmitted to the cloud.

[Cloud]
The cloud used in the present invention is installed on the Internet, and the one or more physical quantities and/or level values are stored in a data center installed in the cloud.

For example, when the system of the present invention is applied to a plurality of facilities, the data sensor accumulates physical quantities and/or level values obtained at each facility as a data set linked to each facility. For example, if the sensors are installed in multiple classrooms of a cram school: classroom 1, classroom 2, classroom 3, . , classroom 2, classroom 3, .

[Remote centralized control application]
The remote centralized management application used in the present invention compares physical quantities and/or level values acquired at the facility with target values, and evaluates the internal environment of the facility based on the comparison results. The remote centralized management application transmits the evaluation result to a personal terminal, which will be described later, via the Internet.

The system of the present invention may automatically generate such evaluation results on a regular basis, or irregularly according to a user's order transmitted from a personal terminal, which will be described later. The conditions for generating the above evaluation results can also be changed for each facility (sensor installation point). For example, it is possible to differentiate the frequency of generating evaluation results by setting the frequency of generating evaluation results to be higher at stores during the daytime and higher at live music venues at nighttime.

[Personal terminal]
The personal terminal used in the system of the present invention refers to all terminals that can be operated by individuals, can be connected to the Internet, and have communication functions. Generally, the personal terminal is selected from smart phones, tablets, and PCs. A smart phone is preferable for the user of the system of the present invention to manage the environment of the target facility anytime and anywhere.
The personal terminal may be a so-called wearable device. The wearable device is not limited as long as it can be connected to the Internet and can be carried by the user of the system of the present invention in the same manner as accessories or clothing. Examples of forms of such wearable devices include portable stationery such as pens and pencil cases, glasses, wristwatches, wristbands, armbands, earphones, microphones, various accessories such as hats and gloves, necklaces and earrings, and the like. It's a combination.

The personal terminal of the present invention receives the data set containing the evaluation results via the Internet. The remote centralized management application generates screen display data for the personal terminal based on the data set, and the personal terminal displays the facility environment information including the evaluation results on the screen for the user of the present invention. do.

Generally, on the screen of the personal terminal, the evaluation result, such as text such as "good", "caution", "bad", and the latest physical quantity and/or level value, such as carbon dioxide concentration (ppm), Temperature (°C), humidity (%), etc. are displayed.

By using the system of the present invention, the user can check the internal environment of all the target facilities on the screen of the smartphone even if the user is away from the target facilities.

[notifications, alerts, reports]
The remote centralized management application not only generates the latest evaluation results based on the ever-changing internal environment of the facility, but also enables more powerful and prompt information transmission to the users of the system of the present invention.

When the remote centralized management application determines that the actual facility environment has deteriorated beyond a certain range from the preset target state, it corresponds to "caution" or "warning" according to the degree of deterioration. A message is provided from the personal terminal to the user of the present invention. Such messages can take the form of images, text, sounds, vibrations, and the like. A user of the present invention can receive a real-time warning message from a personal terminal such as a smart phone wherever he/she is when the environmental deterioration in the target facility is determined, and can quickly take measures to improve the environment.

The sensor continues to measure the physical quantity and/or level value even after the user of the system of the present invention who received the "warning" message operates the air conditioning/ventilation equipment of the target facility, and the facility environment is within the target range. When the remote centralized management application determines that, the remote centralized management application can notify the user of the present invention of the environmental improvement from the personal terminal. In this case, the remote centralized management application sends the message generation data set to the personal terminal, and text such as "restored", "good", etc. is displayed on the screen of the personal terminal.

In the remote centralized management application, threshold values are set in advance for each of the physical quantities and/or level values in order to determine whether the target range is within or outside the target range. For example, you can set:

- Target range of carbon dioxide concentration: 800 ppm or more and 1000 ppm or less, threshold: +200 ppm (over 1200 ppm is determined as abnormal).

- Target range of room temperature: 20°C or higher and 28°C or lower, threshold: ±2°C (18°C or lower or 30°C or higher is determined as abnormal).

- Humidity target range: 40% to 60%, threshold: ±5% (35% or less or 65% or more is determined as abnormal).

- Target range of odor level: index 65 or less, threshold: +5 (70 index or more is determined as abnormal).

The odor levels that can be measured by a so-called odor sensor include the 6-step odor intensity indication method (classified into levels 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5), the odor index indication method (indicated by an index of 10 to 40), The odor concentration display method (expressed in concentrations of 10 to 10,000) is common.

The remote centralized management application in the system of the present invention can also provide so-called "trends and actions" to the user. For example, it is possible to derive the characteristics and trends of changes in the internal environment of the facility to be managed from various perspectives such as time, place (facility), viewpoint (physical quantity and/or level value), and create a report. Users can download the above reports to their personal terminals. Data for the above reports are stored in the cloud.

In the system of the present invention, it is also possible to execute various learning programs with respect to various past facility environment information accumulated in the cloud. In this case, the remote centralized management application in the system of the present invention can propose to the user means for maintaining the environment of the target facility in the target state. For example, it is possible to display a recommended action such as "Ventilation is required around ** every day" on the user's smartphone along with the above reports and messages.

[Air conditioning and ventilation equipment]
In the present invention, "air-conditioning/ventilation equipment" refers to equipment in general that is installed in a facility to be managed and used to adjust the atmosphere in the facility. The air conditioning/ventilation equipment includes, for example, indoor units that perform heating, cooling, dehumidification, and air blowing, controllers and outdoor units that work in conjunction with the indoor units, humidifiers, deodorizing substance generating equipment, dust collectors such as so-called air purifiers, so-called A device such as an aroma diffuser that has a function of diffusing an aromatic agent. The air-conditioning/ventilation equipment includes, for example, equipment having a ventilation function such as a ventilation fan, a total heat exchanger, and a damper.

Air-conditioning/ventilation equipment can also be connected to the system of the present invention by wire or wirelessly, and the air-conditioning/ventilation equipment can be directly operated by the remote centralized control application of the present invention. Typically, the user who received the "warning" sends an order to change the setting values of the air conditioning/ventilation equipment from his/her own smartphone, and the air conditioning/ventilation equipment responds to the order received via the Internet. works. For example, by inputting "temperature plus 2℃" on the smartphone screen, the user can operate the air conditioning and ventilation equipment of the target facility from a point away from the target facility.

[service]
For example, the following services can be provided to users using the system of the present invention.

(Service example 1) The system of the present invention is interlocked with a wide range of equipment such as ventilation equipment, air conditioning equipment, deodorizing equipment, ozone generators (disinfecting/sterilizing equipment), and air purifiers. Basically, cable wiring is used. Users can monitor the indoor air quality in real time from a remote location using a smartphone or PC. When the remote centralized control application determines that the value indicating the air condition is abnormal, it immediately sends the alarm data to the smartphone or PC, and the user receives the alarm message (alert function). The user can download data accumulated in the past and analyze trends in the degree of pollution in the indoor environment. As a result of the analysis, users can discover issues in each facility (equipment deterioration and contamination, accommodation exceeding expectations, insufficient performance of air conditioning and ventilation equipment, etc.).

(Service example 2) A remote centralized management application executes a machine learning program and performs machine learning on the huge amount of data of the target facility accumulated in the cloud. Based on the learning results, the centralized remote control application guides trends in the degree of pollution in the indoor environment and issues at each facility. In addition, the remote centralized management application generates the above trends and issues as report data. On a regular basis (basically monthly), users obtain reports on their personal mobile devices containing such trends and issues.

(Service example 3) If there is a problem at the target facility, the user changes the settings of the facility equipment using a smartphone, tablet, or PC. As a result, the first aid is completed without the user having to move to the facility. For example, if the carbon dioxide concentration is much higher than the standard value, the smart phone will lower the carbon dioxide target value and increase the operating intensity of the ventilation equipment. In this case, the carbon dioxide concentration decreases in a shorter period of time than in the case of maintaining normal operation of the ventilator.

[Example 1]
FIG. 1 shows an image diagram for understanding the configuration of the system of the present invention. The system (1) of the present invention remotely and centrally manages the internal environments of a plurality of facilities (11, 12, 13). The system (1) includes sensors (21, 22, 23), wireless units (31, 32, 33), a cloud (5) on the Internet (4), and a remote centralized management application (6) provided by the cloud (5). , personal terminal (7), and other environmental data acquired by many sensors on the cloud are accumulated and analyzed.

[Example 2]
FIG. 2 is an example of CSV generated by the remote centralized management application of the present invention based on environmental data stored in the cloud. A user of the system of the present invention can download such a CSV to his personal terminal.

[Example 3]
FIG. 3 is an example of a user-oriented image displayed on a personal terminal generated by the remote centralized management application of the present invention. The current carbon dioxide concentration obtained from the sensor 21 is 886 ppm, the room temperature is 22.0 ° C., the humidity is 40.2%, the odor level is 44, and the internal environment of the facility 11 is good. A graph showing the change is displayed. A user of the system of the present invention can observe the internal environment of each facility with such image data anytime and anywhere.

[Example 4]
A demonstration experiment of the system of the present invention was conducted in a small live house with a spatial volume of about 300 square meters.

Before the introduction of the system of the present invention, the time required for carbon dioxide to decrease from the abnormal value: 3000 ppm (three times the reference value) to the reference value: 1000 ppm was 30 minutes when the ventilation device was operated continuously. Met. In this case, the carbon dioxide concentration decreasing in 1 minute was (3000-1000)/30=approximately 66.7 ppm.

When the system of the present invention was introduced and the output of the ventilator was strengthened immediately after the warning message was issued, the abnormal value: 3000 ppm was reduced to 650 ppm in two and a half minutes. In this case, the carbon dioxide concentration decreasing in 1 minute was (3000-650)/2.5=940 ppm.

It was confirmed that introduction of the system of the present invention improved the carbon dioxide concentration reduction effect to 940/66.7=about 14 times.

[Example 5]
The system of the present invention was tested in a school classroom with a floor area of 100 square meters. Based on past usage experience, it has been found that the indoor environment deteriorates due to an increase in the number of people in the room, continuous use, and eating and drinking in the room. Using the system of the present invention, various environmental values were tabulated and graphed every week to quantitatively grasp changes in the indoor environment. The person in charge obtained aggregated data and graphs on a smartphone and did not enter the target classroom during the test. As a result of examining aggregated data and graphs, we were able to determine rules for opening and closing windows in school classrooms. By using the system of the present invention, the burden of trial and error was reduced, and a highly cost-effective response was possible.

[Example 6]
The system of the present invention was tested in a small office with a floor area of 50 square meters. Based on past experience, it was known that the indoor environment deteriorated due to an increase in the number of people in the room, extension of business hours, and indoor dining. Using the system of the present invention, various environmental values were tabulated and graphed every week to quantitatively grasp changes in the indoor environment. The person in charge obtained aggregated data and graphs on a smartphone and did not enter the target office during the test. As a result of examining aggregated data and graphs, we were able to determine the model and installation position of the new ventilation equipment. By using the system of the present invention, the burden of trial and error was reduced, and a highly cost-effective response was possible.

[Example 7]
FIG. 4 shows a portion of an example report generated by the remote centralized management application of the present invention. Users can download such analysis results as reports to their personal terminals. In this example, the result of the odor level obtained in the past one week at the facility where the sensor 2 is installed is displayed. The user can visually grasp, for example, a rough trend of changes in odor levels for each target facility, time zones with high odor levels based on time, date, day of the week, and the like.

A user of the system of the present invention can manage the internal environments of multiple facilities at the same time, anytime, anywhere, using compact equipment that typically includes sensors, Internet-connected devices, and smart phones. The system of the present invention is means for centrally managing many facilities with few resources. The system of the present invention can be used to manage small and medium-sized facilities such as live houses, schools, cram schools, clinics, assembly halls, meeting rooms, indoor sports facilities, restaurants, plant factories, etc. Useful. The system of the present invention can also be used for disaster countermeasures and public health countermeasures. Since the present invention can manage a large number of facilities with a small number of human resources, it can cope with an aging society with a declining birthrate.

1 Remote centralized management system 11, 12, 13 of facility environment of the present invention Facilities 21, 22, 23 Sensors 31, 32, 33 Wireless unit 4 Internet 5 Cloud 6 Remote centralized management application 7 Personal terminal

Claims (6)

A remote centralized management system for the facility environment, including sensors, wireless units, cloud on the Internet, remote centralized control applications, personal terminals,
The sensor above
obtaining one or more physical quantities and/or level values based on the environment inside the facility;
The wireless unit communicates with the sensor via a communication line, and transmits the one or more physical quantities and/or level values received from the sensor to the cloud on the Internet,
The cloud on the Internet accumulates the one or more physical quantities and/or level values,
The remote centralized management application evaluates the atmosphere inside the facility using the one or more physical quantities and/or level values accumulated in the cloud,
the personal terminal receives and displays the results of the evaluation via the Internet;
A remote centralized management system for the facility environment. The one or more physical quantities and/or level values include one or more values selected from temperature, humidity, odor level, gas composition inside the facility,
2. The remote centralized control system for the facility environment according to claim 1. The above personal terminal is selected from smartphones, tablets, and PCs,
2. The remote centralized control system for the facility environment according to claim 1. the remote centralized management application assessing the atmosphere for multiple facilities;
The personal terminal receives and displays the results of the evaluation for each of the plurality of facilities.
2. The remote centralized control system for the facility environment according to claim 1. the remote centralized management application generating a signal to notify and/or alert a user based on the results of the evaluation and transmitting the signal to the personal terminal;
the personal terminal providing notifications and/or alerts to the user based on the signals;
2. The remote centralized control system for the facility environment according to claim 1. Furthermore, an air conditioner/ventilator is provided, and the air conditioner/ventilator is connected to the Internet, receives target values of one or more values selected from temperature, humidity, odor level, and gas composition, and operates according to the target values. death,
The target value is a value generated by the remote centralized management application and/or a value transmitted by the user using the personal terminal.
2. The remote centralized control system for the facility environment according to claim 1.

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