JP2023165163A - Air flow forming system, and control method - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an air flow forming system that can form a downflow air flow.SOLUTION: An air flow forming system 10 comprises a plurality of ducts 25 arranged in parallel, an air blower 21 for blowing air into the plurality of ducts 25, and a control unit for controlling the air blower 21 on the basis of information on the presence or absence of a person in a lower space 85, obtained by sensing. A lower surface of each of the plurality of ducts 25 is provided with a long discharge port 26 along the longitudinal direction of the ducts 25, and from which an air flow toward the lower space 85 is discharged by air blowing.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to airflow formation systems.

Various techniques have been proposed for forming airflow in a space. Patent Document 1 discloses a ventilation system that ventilates the same room using a plurality of ventilation devices.

JP2013-124788A

The present invention provides an airflow formation system and the like that can form a downflow airflow.

An airflow forming system according to one aspect of the present invention includes a control unit that controls an air blower that blows air into the inside of a plurality of ducts arranged in parallel, and a lower surface of each of the plurality of ducts is provided in a longitudinal direction of the duct. An elongated air outlet is provided, the air outlet being elongated along the duct, through which an airflow is blown out toward a space located below the plurality of ducts. The blower is controlled based on information regarding the presence or absence of a person in the space located below the duct.

A control method according to one aspect of the present invention is a method for controlling an air blower that blows air into a plurality of ducts arranged in parallel, wherein a lower surface of each of the plurality of ducts is provided along a longitudinal direction of the duct. An elongated air outlet is provided, and the air outlet blows out airflow directed toward a space located below the plurality of ducts by the air blowing, and the control method includes controlling the air flow between the plurality of ducts, which is obtained by sensing. The blower is controlled based on information regarding the presence or absence of a person in the space located below the air blower.

An airflow forming system or the like according to one aspect of the present invention can form a downflow airflow.

FIG. 1 is an external view of an airflow forming system according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the airflow forming system according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a plurality of ducts. FIG. 4 is a flowchart of operation example 1 of the airflow forming system according to the embodiment. FIG. 5 is a flowchart of operation example 2 of the airflow forming system according to the embodiment. FIG. 6 is a flowchart of operation example 3 of the airflow forming system according to the embodiment. FIG. 7 is a flowchart of operation example 4 of the airflow forming system according to the embodiment. FIG. 8 is an external view of an airflow generation device according to a modification.

Hereinafter, embodiments will be specifically described with reference to the drawings. Note that the embodiments described below are all inclusive or specific examples. The numerical values, shapes, materials, components, arrangement positions and connection forms of the components, steps, order of steps, etc. shown in the following embodiments are merely examples, and do not limit the present invention. Further, among the constituent elements in the following embodiments, constituent elements that are not described in the independent claims will be described as arbitrary constituent elements.

Note that each figure is a schematic diagram and is not necessarily strictly illustrated. Further, in each figure, substantially the same configurations are denoted by the same reference numerals, and overlapping explanations may be omitted or simplified.

(Embodiment)
[composition]
First, the configuration of the airflow forming system according to the embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is an external view of an airflow forming system according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the airflow forming system according to the embodiment.

The airflow forming system 10 according to the embodiment is a system that can form a downflow airflow in an indoor space such as a room 80. Specifically, the airflow forming system 10 includes an airflow generation device 20, a sensor group 30, and a control device 40.

First, the airflow generator 20 will be explained. The airflow generator 20 includes a blower 21 and a plurality of ducts 25. The blower 21 is installed in the internal space of the wall 82 of the room 80, and blows air into the plurality of ducts 25 by sucking air through an opening provided at the bottom of the wall 82. The blower 21 includes a plurality of fans 22, a plurality of pipes 23, and a filter unit 24. The plurality of fans 22 include impellers (not shown) for generating high-pressure air and motors (not shown) that drive the impellers.

Piping 23 guides air sent out by fan 22 to filter unit 24 . The piping 23 is made of, for example, a resin material, but may also be made of a lightweight metal material such as aluminum.

The filter unit 24 includes, for example, a HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) filter, and removes fine particles contained in the air flowing from the pipe 23 into the duct 25 . The housing of the filter unit 24 is made of, for example, a resin material, but may also be made of a lightweight metal material such as aluminum.

The plurality of ducts 25 are arranged in parallel along a virtual plane S (shown in FIG. 3) located between the upper space 83 and the lower space 85. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the plurality of ducts 25, and more specifically, a cross-sectional view of the plurality of ducts 25 taken along a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. For simplicity, only two of the plurality of ducts 25 are shown in FIG. 3 . Note that the upper space 83 is a space between the ceiling 81 and the plurality of ducts 25 , and the lower space 85 is a space between the plurality of ducts 25 and the floor 86 .

The duct 25 has a hollow elongated shape, and is made of a resin material, for example. The duct 25 may be made of a lightweight metal material such as aluminum. An elongated air outlet 26 extending along the longitudinal direction of the duct 25 is provided on the surface (lower surface) of the duct 25 facing the lower space 85 . A longitudinal end of the duct 25 is connected to a filter unit 24 of the blower 21 . When the blower 21 blows air, the air is sent into the duct 25 from the opening provided at the end. As a result, airflow is blown out from the air outlet 26 into the lower space. Note that the duct 25 is not provided with any openings other than the outlet 26 and the openings provided at the ends.

As shown in FIG. 3, when the airflow is blown out from the outlet of each of the plurality of ducts 25 to the lower space 85, the space 84 between the plurality of ducts 25 becomes negative pressure, and the space 84 has a plurality of ducts. The air in the space 83 above 25 is attracted. As a result, the airflow generation device 20 can generate airflows blown out from the outlets 26 of the plurality of ducts 25 and airflows based on the induced air (corresponding to the white arrows in FIG. 3; hereinafter also referred to as induced airflows). Combined, it is possible to blow out a downflow airflow (surface airflow) with excellent straightness. According to the downflow airflow, aerosols such as droplets in the lower space 85 are blown down to the floor 86 side. As a result, the effect of suppressing the spread of infectious diseases can be obtained.

Next, the sensor group 30 will be explained. The sensor group 30 is installed in the lower space 85 and performs sensing in the lower space 85. Specifically, the sensor group 30 senses the person located in the lower space 85 or the air quality of the lower space 85 . Note that the sensing by the sensor group 30 does not include sensing by manual operation by the user intending to control the airflow generating device 20. Further, the sensor group 30 transmits information regarding the presence or absence of a person in the lower space 85 obtained as a result of sensing to the control device 40.

The sensor group 30 includes a human sensor 31, a sound sensor 32, a seating sensor 33, an AI (Artificial Intelligence) camera 34 (high-performance image sensor), a carbon dioxide concentration sensor 35, a particulate concentration sensor 36, and a human position sensor. 37 are included. Note that the sensor group 30 only needs to include at least one of a human sensor 31, a sound sensor 32, a seating sensor 33, an AI camera 34, a carbon dioxide concentration sensor 35, a particulate concentration sensor 36, and a human position sensor 37. .

The human sensor 31 transmits information indicating the presence or absence of a person in the lower space 85 to the control device 40 . The human sensor 31 is realized by a pyroelectric sensor or the like that senses infrared rays emitted from the human body. Information indicating the presence or absence of a person is an example of information regarding the presence or absence of a person.

The sound sensor 32 is a so-called microphone, and acquires sound in the lower space 85. The sounds acquired by the sound sensor 32 include the speech of a person located in the lower space 85. The sound sensor 32 transmits the sound information of the acquired sound to the control device 40 as information regarding the presence or absence of a person located in the lower space 85. Sound information is an example of information regarding the presence or absence of a person.

The seating sensor 33 senses whether a person is sitting on a seat or the like provided in the lower space 85 and transmits information indicating the presence or absence of a person on the seat to the control device 40. The seating sensor 33 is realized by a pyroelectric sensor that senses infrared rays emitted from the human body. Information indicating the presence or absence of a person is an example of information regarding the presence or absence of a person.

The AI camera 34 senses the number of people located in the lower space 85. For example, the AI camera 34 photographs images of people in the lower space 85 and transmits information indicating the number of people located in the lower space 85 to the control device 40 by processing the photographed images. Information indicating the number of people is an example of information regarding the presence or absence of people.

The carbon dioxide concentration sensor 35 measures the carbon dioxide concentration in the lower space 85 and transmits the measured value of the carbon dioxide concentration to the control device 40 . Since the carbon dioxide concentration increases when a person is located in the lower space 85, the measured value of the carbon dioxide concentration can be said to be an example of information regarding the presence or absence of a person.

The particulate concentration sensor 36 measures the concentration of particulates (for example, pollen or PM (Particulate Matter) 2.5, etc.) in the lower space 85 and transmits the measured value of the particulate concentration to the control device 40 . The particle concentration sensor 36 is, for example, an optical sensor that senses the particle concentration based on scattering of light emitted from a light source such as an LED. When a person is located in the lower space 85, human-derived fine particles (aerosol) such as droplets increase, so the measured value of the fine particle concentration can be said to be an example of information regarding the presence or absence of a person.

In other words, the human position sensor 37 is a sensing system for human position. The human position sensor 37 is configured, for example, based on the received signal strength of a beacon receiver carried by a person, of a beacon signal transmitted by each of a plurality of beacon transmitters (with known installation positions) distributed in the lower space 85. to measure the current location of the person (beacon receiver). The person position sensor 37 transmits to the control device 40 the number of people in the lower space 85 and person position information indicating the position information (coordinates) of each person. Person position information is an example of information regarding the presence or absence of a person.

The human position sensor 37 detects the beacon signal transmitted by the beacon transmitter carried by the person based on the received signal strength of each of the plurality of beacon receivers (with known installation positions) distributed in the lower space 85. The current location of a person (beacon transmitter) may also be measured by In other words, the human position sensor 37 may measure the current position of the person based on a configuration in which the relationship between the transmission and reception of the beacon signal is opposite to the above description.

Next, the control device 40 will be explained. The control device 40 is an information terminal operated by a user to control the airflow generation device 20. The control device 40 can also automatically control the airflow generation device 20 based on information regarding the presence or absence of a person received from the sensor group 30. The control device 40 is, for example, a remote controller for the airflow generation device 20, but it may also be realized by installing a predetermined application program on a general-purpose device such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal. Further, the control device 40 may be an EMS (Energy Management System) controller or the like.

Specifically, the control device 40 includes an operation reception section 41, a control section 42, and a storage section 43. Although not shown, the control device 40 (control unit 42) and each of the airflow generation device 20 and the sensor group 30 can perform wired or wireless communication, and the control device 40 can receive information from the sensor group 30. The airflow generation device 20 can be controlled by transmitting a control signal to the airflow generation device based on information regarding the presence or absence of the person.

The operation accepting unit 41 accepts user operations. The operation reception unit 41 is realized by, for example, a touch panel, but may include hardware buttons in addition to the touch panel. Although not shown, the operation reception section 41 includes a display section realized by a display panel such as a liquid crystal panel or an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) panel, and the operation reception section 41 and the display section use a GUI (Graphical Use Interface). may be configured.

The control unit 42 controls turning on and off of the airflow generation device 20 based on the user's operation accepted by the operation reception unit 41 or the information regarding the presence or absence of a person received from the sensor group 30. The control unit 42 also controls the strength of the airflow generated by the airflow generation device 20 (for example, The rotation speed of the fan 22 included in the blower 21 is controlled. The strength of the airflow can be translated into air volume, wind speed, and the like.

The control unit 42 is implemented, for example, by a microcomputer, but may also be implemented by a processor. The functions of the control section 42 are realized, for example, by a microcomputer or the like constituting the control section 42 executing a computer program stored in the storage section 43.

The storage unit 43 is a storage device that stores various information necessary for the control unit 42 to control the airflow generation device 20, computer programs, and the like. The storage unit 43 is realized by, for example, a semiconductor memory. Note that the storage section 43 may be built in the control section 42.

[Operation example 1: ON operation]
As described above, the control device 40 can automatically turn on the airflow generation device 20 based on the information related to the presence or absence of a person received from the sensor group 30. FIG. 4 is a flowchart of the ON operation (operation example 1) of the airflow generator 20. Note that the operation in FIG. 4 is realized, for example, as one of the operation modes (automatic on/off mode) of the airflow forming system 10 that can be selected by the user.

While the airflow generator 20 is off (S11), the control unit 42 of the control device 40 acquires (receives) information regarding the presence or absence of a person in the lower space 85, which is transmitted from the sensor group 30 to the control device 40 (S12). ), the presence or absence of a person in the lower space 85 is determined based on the acquired information regarding the presence or absence of a person (S13).

For example, when the information regarding the presence or absence of a person is information indicating the presence or absence of a person in the lower space 85 that is transmitted by the human sensor 31 or the seating sensor 33, the control unit 42 directly controls the presence or absence of a person in the lower space 85. can be determined. Similarly, when the information regarding the presence or absence of a person is information indicating the number of people transmitted by the AI camera 34, the control unit 42 can directly determine the presence or absence of a person in the lower space 85. Even when the information regarding the presence or absence of a person is the person position information transmitted by the person position sensor 37, the control unit 42 can directly determine the presence or absence of a person in the lower space 85.

Further, when the information regarding the presence or absence of a person is the sound information of a sound in the lower space 85 transmitted by the sound sensor 32, the control unit 42 determines whether the sound information includes the person's uttered voice through voice recognition processing or the like. By determining this, it is possible to determine whether there is a person in the lower space 85.

When the information regarding the presence or absence of a person is the measured value of the carbon dioxide concentration in the lower space 85 transmitted by the carbon dioxide concentration sensor 35, the control unit 42 controls the lower part when the measured value of the carbon dioxide concentration exceeds the threshold value. It can be determined that a person exists in the space 85.

When the information regarding the presence or absence of a person is the measured value of the concentration of particulates in the lower space 85 transmitted by the particulate concentration sensor 36, the control unit 42 causes It can be determined that a person exists.

When the control unit 42 determines that there is no person in the lower space 85 (No in S13), the operation ends and the airflow generation device 20 continues to be in the off state. On the other hand, if the control unit 42 determines that there is a person in the lower space 85 (Yes in S13), it turns on the airflow generator 20 (S14). Specifically, the control unit 42 can turn on the airflow generation device 20 by transmitting a control signal to the airflow generation device 20 via wired communication or wireless communication. That is, the control unit 42 can turn on the blower 21.

As described above, the airflow generation system 10 can automatically turn on the airflow generation device 20 when there is a person in the lower space 85. This prevents the airflow generation device 20 from not being turned on even though there is a person in the lower space 85. In other words, insufficient measures against infectious diseases caused by airflow can be prevented.

[Operation example 2: Off operation]
Further, the control device 40 can automatically turn off the airflow generation device 20 based on information related to the presence or absence of a person received from the sensor group 30. FIG. 5 is a flowchart of the off operation (operation example 2) of the airflow generator 20. Note that the operation in FIG. 5 is realized, for example, as one of the operation modes (automatic on/off mode) of the airflow forming system 10 that can be selected by the user.

While the airflow generator 20 is on (S21), the control unit 42 of the control device 40 acquires (receives) information regarding the presence or absence of a person in the lower space 85, which is transmitted from the sensor group 30 to the control device 40 (S22). ), the presence or absence of a person in the lower space 85 is determined based on the acquired information regarding the presence or absence of a person (S23). The method for determining the presence or absence of a person in the lower space 85 is as described in the ON operation.

Note that the first threshold value (step) for the measured value of carbon dioxide concentration used in step S13 and the second threshold value for carbon dioxide concentration used in step S23 may be the same, or the first threshold value >The second threshold value may be used. That is, hysteresis may be provided. The same applies to the fine particle concentration.

When the control unit 42 determines that there is a person in the lower space 85 (Yes in S23), the operation ends and the airflow generation device 20 continues to be in the on state. On the other hand, if the control unit 42 determines that there is no person in the lower space 85 (No in S23), it turns off the airflow generator 20 (S24). Specifically, the control unit 42 can turn off the airflow generation device 20 by transmitting a control signal to the airflow generation device 20 via wired communication or wireless communication. That is, the control unit 42 can turn off the blower 21.

As explained above, the airflow generation system 10 can automatically turn off the airflow generation device 20 when there is no person in the lower space 85. This prevents the airflow generating device 20 from not being turned off even though there is no person in the lower space 85. That is, it is suppressed that the airflow generating device 20 is turned on unnecessarily, and a power saving effect etc. can be obtained.

[Operation example 3: Operation based on congestion level]
The control device 40 can also control the strength of the air blown by the airflow generator 20 based on the degree of crowding of people in the lower space 85. FIG. 6 is a flowchart of the operation based on the degree of congestion (operation example 3). Note that the operation shown in FIG. 6 is realized, for example, as one of the operation modes of the airflow forming system 10 (congestion level linked mode) that can be selected by the user.

The control unit 42 acquires information indicating the degree of crowding of people in the lower space 85, which is transmitted from the sensor group 30 to the control device 40 (S31). For example, the control unit 42 can regard the number of people located in the lower space 85 as the degree of congestion. Therefore, among the information transmitted from the sensor group 30 to the control device 40 (information related to the presence or absence of people), the following information that directly or indirectly indicates the number of people is not used as information indicating the degree of crowding of people. can be used.

For example, the information indicating the number of people transmitted by the AI camera 34 and the person position information transmitted by the human position sensor 37 can be said to be information directly indicating the number of people. According to the information indicating the presence or absence of a person transmitted by the seating sensor 33, the control unit 42 can specify the number of people sitting on the seat. Therefore, it can be said that this information is information that directly indicates the number of people.

In addition, the number of speakers can be identified from the sound information transmitted by the sound sensor 32 through voice recognition processing (speaker individual identification processing). Therefore, it can be said that sound information is information that indirectly indicates the number of people.

It can be considered that the larger the measured value of the carbon dioxide concentration transmitted by the carbon dioxide concentration sensor 35, the greater the number of people. Therefore, the measured value of carbon dioxide concentration can be said to be information that indirectly indicates the number of people. It can be considered that the larger the measured value of the particle concentration transmitted by the particle concentration sensor 36 is, the larger the number of people is. Therefore, it can be said that the measured value of particulate concentration is information that indirectly indicates the number of people.

The control unit 42 determines the strength of the air blowing from the airflow generator 20 based on the information indicating the degree of congestion (information directly or indirectly indicating the number of people) (S32). For example, the control unit 42 determines the strength of the air blowing so that the larger the number of people (or the estimated number of people in some cases) located in the lower space 85 is, the stronger the air blowing becomes. The correspondence between the number of people and the strength of air blowing is stored in the storage unit 43 in advance as table information, for example. The table information may be determined empirically or experimentally by a designer of the airflow forming system 10 or the like.

Next, the control unit 42 causes the airflow generator 20 to blow air at the determined strength (S33). The control unit 42 can control the strength of air blowing from the airflow generation device 20 by transmitting a control signal to the airflow generation device 20 via wired communication or wireless communication. The control unit 42 may stop the air flow generator 20 from blowing air when there is no person in the lower space 85.

As described above, the airflow forming system 10 controls the airflow generation device 20 (blower 21) based on information indicating the degree of crowding of people in the lower space 85. The airflow forming system 10 increases the amount of air blown by the airflow generator 20 (blower 21) as the degree of crowding in the lower space 85 increases. Thereby, the airflow formation system 10 can efficiently take measures against infectious diseases.

Note that the control unit 42 may use at least one piece of information indicating the degree of congestion when determining the strength of air blowing, but may combine multiple types of information indicating the degree of congestion.

[Operation example 4: Operation based on activity level]
The control device 40 can also control the strength of the air blown by the airflow generator 20 based on the degree of activity of the person in the lower space 85. FIG. 7 is a flowchart of the operation based on the activity level (operation example 4). Note that the operation in FIG. 7 is realized, for example, as one of the operation modes (activity-linked mode) of the airflow forming system 10 that can be selected by the user.

The control unit 42 acquires information indicating the degree of activity of people in the lower space 85, which is transmitted from the sensor group 30 to the control device 40 (S41). The degree of activity here is an indicator of whether communication is active or not, and high degree of activity means that the volume of conversation is loud or that conversations are occurring frequently. . For example, the control unit 42 can consider the amount of conversation of the person located in the lower space 85 as the degree of activity. Therefore, among the information transmitted from the sensor group 30 to the control device 40 (information related to the presence or absence of a person), the sound information transmitted by the sound sensor 32 can be used as information indicating the degree of activity of the person. .

The control unit 42 determines the strength of the air blowing from the airflow generator 20 based on the information (sound information) indicating the degree of activity (S42).

The control unit 42 first determines the degree of activity. For example, the control unit 42 calculates the average speech volume during a predetermined period, and determines the calculated average speech volume as the activity level. Further, the control unit 42 may calculate the length of the cumulative speech period by subtracting the period during which no one speaks from the predetermined period, and determine the calculated length of the cumulative speech period as the activity level. The control unit 42 may also consider both the speech volume and the speech period, calculate an integral value by integrating the speech volume and the speech period over a predetermined period, and determine the calculated integral value as the activity level. The predetermined period is, for example, about 10 minutes to 1 hour, but is not particularly limited.

The control unit 42 determines the strength of the air blowing so that the higher the activity determined in this way, the stronger the air blowing becomes. The correspondence between the degree of activity and the strength of air blowing is stored in the storage unit 43 in advance as table information, for example. The table information may be determined empirically or experimentally by a designer of the airflow forming system 10 or the like.

Next, the control unit 42 causes the airflow generator 20 to blow air at the determined strength (S43). The control unit 42 can control the strength of air blowing from the airflow generation device 20 by transmitting a control signal to the airflow generation device 20 via wired communication or wireless communication. The control unit 42 may stop the air flow generator 20 from blowing air when there is no person in the lower space 85.

As described above, the airflow generation system 10 controls the airflow generation device 20 based on information indicating the degree of activity of the person in the lower space 85. The airflow forming system 10 increases the amount of air blown by the airflow generation device 20 (blower 21) as the degree of activity of the person in the lower space 85 increases (it is thought that the amount of suspended droplets increases). Thereby, the airflow formation system 10 can efficiently take measures against infectious diseases.

[Distinguishing people passing by]
By the way, when the room 80 is an open space rather than a closed space, the precision of the control of the airflow generator 20 can be improved by distinguishing between those staying in the lower space 85 and those passing through the lower space 85. You can improve your performance. Here, a person who stays in the lower space 85 means a person who is located in the lower space 85 for a certain period of time with a purpose, and a person who is passing by means a person who is located in the lower space 85 without a purpose and moves. It means a person who was present in or near the lower space 85 at that time.

The control unit 42 of the control device 40 improves control accuracy by controlling the airflow generation device 20 based on the presence or absence of a person staying in the lower space 85 or the number of people staying in the lower space 85. can be achieved. The control here may be any of the controls described in Operation Examples 1 to 4 above.

For example, if the control unit 42 acquires the person position information transmitted by the person position sensor 37 with a certain degree of frequency, the control unit 42 can determine the continuous stay time of the person located in the lower space 85 based on the acquired person position information. can be identified. Therefore, among the people who are located in the lower space 85, those whose continuous stay is longer than the predetermined time are considered to be the people staying in the lower space 85, and those who passed by the lower space 85 whose continuous stay is less than the predetermined time. can be distinguished from.

Further, the control unit 42 may use two or more types of sensors included in the sensor group 30 in combination to distinguish between a person staying in the lower space 85 and a person passing by the lower space 85. For example, the AI camera 34 and the carbon dioxide concentration sensor 35 may be used together to distinguish between people staying in the lower space 85 and people passing by the lower space 85.

[Modified example of airflow generator]
In the embodiment described above, the airflow generating device 20 includes three or more ducts 25, but may include only two ducts 25. For example, the airflow generator 20 is realized as a device that forms an air curtain using a downflow airflow (surface airflow) with excellent straightness, which is a combination of the airflow blown out from the outlet 26 of the two ducts 25 and the induced airflow. may be done. FIG. 8 is an external view of an airflow generation device according to such a modification.

The airflow generating device 20a shown in FIG. 8 forms an air curtain using a downflow airflow. According to the air curtain, droplets emitted by one user can be prevented from reaching the other user. Further, in a configuration in which an air curtain is formed by a downflow airflow like the airflow generation device 20a, droplets are less likely to fly up than in a configuration in which an air curtain is formed by an upflow airflow directed from below to above. Therefore, it can be said that the effect of suppressing the spread of infectious diseases by the airflow generator 20a is high. The operation described in the above embodiment may be performed using the airflow generation device 20a as a control target instead of the airflow generation device 20.

[Effects etc.]
As described above, the airflow forming system 10 includes the control unit 42 that controls the blower 21 that blows air into the plurality of ducts 25 arranged in parallel. On the lower surface of each of the plurality of ducts 25, there is an elongated air outlet 26 along the longitudinal direction of the duct 25, through which the airflow directed toward the space located below the plurality of ducts 25 (lower space 85) is provided. A blowout port 26 for blowing air is provided. The control unit 42 controls the blower 21 based on information regarding the presence or absence of a person in the lower space 85 obtained by sensing. In addition, in the said embodiment, controlling the air blower 21 is also described as controlling the airflow generation device 20.

Such an airflow formation system 10 can form a downflow airflow based on the presence or absence of a person in the lower space 85.

Further, for example, the information regarding the presence or absence of people includes information indicating the degree of crowding of people in the lower space 85. The control unit 42 controls the blower 21 based on information indicating the degree of crowding of people in the lower space 85.

Such an airflow formation system 10 can form a downflow airflow based on the degree of crowding of people in the lower space 85.

For example, the control unit 42 increases the amount of air blowing by the blower 21 as the degree of crowding of people in the lower space 85 increases.

Such an airflow formation system 10 can form a stronger downflow airflow as the degree of crowding of people in the lower space 85 increases.

Further, for example, the information regarding the presence or absence of a person includes information indicating the degree of activity of the person in the lower space 85. The control unit 42 controls the blower 21 based on information indicating the degree of activity of people in the lower space 85.

Such an airflow formation system 10 can form a downflow airflow based on the degree of activity of a person in the lower space 85.

For example, the control unit 42 increases the amount of air blowing by the blower 21 as the degree of activity of the person in the lower space 85 increases.

Such an airflow forming system 10 can form a stronger downflow airflow as the degree of activity of the person in the lower space 85 is higher.

For example, the control unit 42 distinguishes between people staying in the lower space 85 and people passing by the lower space 85 based on information regarding the presence or absence of a person, and determines the presence or absence of a person staying in the lower space 85, or The blower 21 is controlled based on the number of people staying in the lower space 85.

Such an airflow forming system 10 can improve the accuracy of controlling the blower 21.

Moreover, the control method of the blower 21 (airflow generation device 20) executed by a computer such as the control device 40 (control unit 42) is a control method of the blower 21 that blows air into the inside of a plurality of ducts 25 arranged in parallel. be. On the lower surface of each of the plurality of ducts 25, there is an elongated air outlet 26 along the longitudinal direction of the duct 25, through which the airflow directed toward the space located below the plurality of ducts 25 (lower space 85) is provided. A blowout port 26 for blowing air is provided. In the control method, the blower 21 is controlled based on information regarding the presence or absence of a person in the space located below the plurality of ducts 25, which is obtained by sensing.

Such a control method can form a downflow airflow based on the presence or absence of a person in the lower space 85.

(Other embodiments)
Although the embodiments have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments.

For example, in the embodiments described above, the airflow formation system was realized by a plurality of devices. In this case, the components (particularly functional components) included in the airflow forming system may be distributed to the plurality of devices in any manner. The airflow shaping system may also be implemented as a single device. For example, the airflow shaping system may be implemented as a single device that corresponds to the control device.

Further, the order of processing described in the above embodiment is an example. The order of multiple processes may be changed, and multiple processes may be executed in parallel. Further, the processing executed by a specific processing unit may be executed by another processing unit.

Furthermore, in the embodiments described above, each component may be realized by executing a software program suitable for each component. Each component may be realized by a program execution unit such as a CPU or a processor reading and executing a software program recorded on a recording medium such as a hard disk or a semiconductor memory.

Moreover, each component may be realized by hardware. For example, each component may be a circuit (or integrated circuit). These circuits may constitute one circuit as a whole, or may be separate circuits. Further, each of these circuits may be a general-purpose circuit or a dedicated circuit.

Further, general or specific aspects of the present invention may be implemented in a system, apparatus, method, integrated circuit, computer program, or computer readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM. Further, the present invention may be realized by any combination of a system, an apparatus, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, and a recording medium. For example, the present invention may be realized as a building (room) to which the airflow forming system of the above embodiment is applied, or may be realized as a control device of the above embodiment. Further, the present invention may be implemented as a control method for an airflow forming system (airflow generation device, blower) executed by a computer such as the control device (control unit) of the above embodiment, or may be implemented as a control method for an airflow generation system (airflow generation device, blower). It may also be realized as a program to be executed by a computer. Further, the present invention may be realized as a computer-readable non-transitory recording medium on which such a program is recorded.

Other embodiments may be obtained by making various modifications to each embodiment that those skilled in the art can think of, or by arbitrarily combining the components and functions of each embodiment without departing from the spirit of the present invention. The present invention also includes such forms.

10 Airflow formation system 20, 20a Airflow generation device 21 Air blower 22 Fan 23 Piping 24 Filter unit 25 Duct 26 Air outlet 30 Sensor group 31 Human sensor 32 Sound sensor 33 Seating sensor 34 AI camera 35 Carbon dioxide concentration sensor 36 Particulate concentration sensor 37 Person position sensor 40 Control device 41 Operation reception unit 42 Control unit 43 Storage unit 80 Room 81 Ceiling 82 Wall 83 Upper space 84 Space 85 Lower space 86 Floor

Claims (7)

Equipped with a control unit that controls a blower that blows air into multiple ducts arranged in parallel,
The lower surface of each of the plurality of ducts has an elongated air outlet extending along the longitudinal direction of the duct, through which air is blown out toward a space located below the plurality of ducts. established,
The control unit controls the blower based on information regarding the presence or absence of a person in a space located below the plurality of ducts, which is obtained by sensing. The information regarding the presence or absence of the person includes information indicating the degree of crowding of the person in the space,
The airflow forming system according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the blower based on information indicating the degree of crowding of people in the space. The airflow forming system according to claim 2, wherein the control unit increases the amount of air blown by the blower as the degree of crowding of people in the space increases. The information regarding the presence or absence of the person includes information indicating the degree of activity of the person in the space,
The airflow forming system according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the blower based on information indicating the degree of activity of people in the space. The airflow forming system according to claim 4, wherein the control unit increases the amount of air blown by the blower as the degree of activity of the person in the space increases. The control unit includes:
Distinguishing between people staying in the space and people passing through the space based on information regarding the presence or absence of the person,
The airflow forming system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the blower is controlled based on the presence or absence of a person staying in the space, or the number of people staying in the space. A method for controlling a blower that blows air into a plurality of ducts arranged in parallel,
The lower surface of each of the plurality of ducts has an elongated air outlet extending along the longitudinal direction of the duct, through which air is blown out toward a space located below the plurality of ducts. established,
The control method includes controlling the blower based on information regarding the presence or absence of a person in a space located below the plurality of ducts, which is obtained by sensing.

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