JP2024089139A - CONTROL DEVICE, AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM, AIR CONDITIONING CONTROL METHOD, AND PROGRAM - Google Patents

Abstract

A control device capable of realizing a more comfortable air-conditioning environment is provided.
[Solution] An operation information acquiring means 431 acquires operation information including a control target position within a floor from, for example, an operation terminal used by a user. An environmental information acquiring means 432 acquires environmental information measured within the floor. A comfort control means 433 determines a first air conditioning setting and a second air conditioning setting according to a discomfort level at the control target position based on the operation information and the environmental information, and then controls an air conditioner located within a comfort zone including the control target position based on the first air conditioning setting, and controls an air conditioner located within a heat adjustment zone surrounding the outer periphery of the comfort zone based on the second air conditioning setting.
[Selected figure] Figure 4

Description

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

An air conditioning system including, for example, multiple air conditioners and a control device for controlling the air conditioners is installed on a floor of a building, such as a commercial building or an office building. In such an air conditioning system, for example, a large floor is divided into multiple spaces, and an air conditioner is installed in each area, and it is possible to control each air conditioner separately for each area. In other words, in the air conditioning system, one or more air conditioners are arranged in each area, and different air conditioning control can be performed for each area by a user's remote control operation or scheduled operation. Therefore, it is possible to perform energy saving control, for example, by operating the air conditioner only in the area where the user is present.
In addition, in an air conditioning system, for example, multiple air conditioners and one control device are connected by a dedicated communication line, and this control device can not only monitor the status of all air conditioners on the floor, but also control each air conditioner in response to remote control operations.

More specifically, the air conditioners installed on the floors are called indoor units, and movable louvers for changing the direction of the air are attached to the air outlets that blow out the conditioned air. By changing the angle of these louvers, the air conditioners can adjust the air direction up and down or left and right. For example, air conditioners have one, two, or four air outlets depending on the model, and one, two, or four louvers are attached depending on the number of air outlets, making it possible to blow out conditioned air in one, two, or four directions, respectively.

In such an air conditioning system, for example, the air blown out from the air conditioner during cooling operation in the summer is at a temperature lower than the room temperature, so if a user is directly exposed to this blown air for a long period of time, the user will feel uncomfortably colder than usual.
In such a case, the user can change the louver's airflow direction setting using the remote control to avoid the air from the air conditioner blowing on them.However, in an air conditioning system, airflow direction settings must be set for each of the multiple indoor units, which makes the operations that must be instructed using the remote control complicated, placing a heavy burden on the user.

For this reason, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses an invention for an air conditioning system that improves the operability of setting the airflow direction for air conditioners. In the air conditioning system described in Patent Document 1, a layout screen of the space to be air-conditioned is displayed, and the user is allowed to select areas to which conditioned air from the air conditioner should be supplied and areas to which it should not be supplied on this layout screen, thereby determining the airflow direction pattern, and each air conditioner is controlled based on the determined airflow direction pattern.

JP 2010-261643 A

In the air conditioning system described in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, the louvers of each air conditioner are controlled based on the determined air direction pattern to set the air direction.
However, in actual air conditioning systems, there are cases where the wind direction cannot be set appropriately. That is, in general air conditioners in air conditioning systems, the number of stages in which the wind direction can be set is small, for example, about 2 to 4 stages in the vertical direction, and the wind direction can only be adjusted at a rough angle. Furthermore, in air conditioners with two or four air outlets, the same wind direction setting is applied to each louver, so it is not possible to set a different wind direction for each air outlet. For these reasons, in actual air conditioning systems, it is difficult to finely set the wind direction of the air conditioner. Furthermore, the range in which the wind from the air conditioner directly reaches can be as wide as, for example, about 10 m square around the air conditioner, so there is also the problem that there are points where the wind from the air conditioner cannot be avoided no matter what the wind direction setting is.
In addition, in duct-type air conditioning systems, in which the air conditioner unit is embedded in the attic and air from the unit is sent into the room through a duct, there is no louver attached to the air outlet, so there is also the issue that it is not possible to set the air direction in the first place.

In other words, in conventional air conditioning systems, including the air conditioning system described in Patent Document 1, the wind from the air conditioner blows directly on the user, which can make the air conditioning environment less comfortable, and so there has been a demand for technology that can create a more comfortable air conditioning environment.

The present disclosure has been made to solve the above problems, and aims to provide a control device, an air conditioning system, and an air conditioning control method that can realize a more comfortable air-conditioned environment.

In order to achieve the above object, the control device according to the present disclosure includes:
A control device that controls one or more air conditioners arranged on a floor,
an operation information acquisition means for acquiring operation information including a control target position within the floor;
An environmental information acquisition means for acquiring environmental information measured within the floor;
a comfort control means for determining a first air-conditioning setting and a second air-conditioning setting according to a discomfort level at the control target location based on the operation information and the environmental information, and then controlling the air conditioners located within a comfort zone including the control target location based on the first air-conditioning setting and controlling the air conditioners located within a thermal adjustment zone surrounding the outer periphery of the comfort zone based on the second air-conditioning setting;
Equipped with.

In the control device according to the present disclosure, the operation information acquiring means acquires operation information including a control target position within a floor, and the environmental information acquiring means acquires environmental information measured within the floor, and the comfort control means determines a first air conditioning setting and a second air conditioning setting according to a discomfort level at the control target position based on the operation information and the environmental information, and then controls an air conditioner located within a comfort zone based on the first air conditioning setting and controls an air conditioner located within a heat adjustment zone based on the second air conditioning setting.
For example, when the discomfort level is low, the comfort control means stops operation of the air conditioner located in the comfort zone based on a first air conditioning setting, and then operates the air conditioner located in the thermal adjustment zone in cooling mode based on a second air conditioning setting, thereby realizing an air conditioned environment where the controlled location is at a comfortable temperature without blowing the air from the air conditioner directly on the user at the controlled location.
As a result, a more comfortable air-conditioned environment can be achieved.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of an overall configuration of an air conditioning system according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an operation terminal. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of an operation screen displayed on a display unit. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a control device. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a control table stored in a storage unit; Diagram for explaining comfort zones and thermal control zones A flowchart for explaining an air conditioning control process executed by a control device. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of another control table stored in the storage unit; FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of an overall configuration of an air conditioning system according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure.

Hereinafter, the embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following embodiments, the air conditioning system will be described as an example of a building, in an office building, but the present disclosure can also be applied to other buildings, such as commercial facilities and educational facilities, in which the air conditioning system is installed. That is, the embodiments described below are for illustrative purposes only and do not limit the scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, a person skilled in the art can adopt an embodiment in which each or all of these elements are replaced with an equivalent, and these embodiments are also included in the scope of the present disclosure. That is, the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described below, and can be modified in various ways without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure.
In addition, in each drawing explaining the following embodiments, common elements are given the same reference numerals.

(Embodiment 1)
1 is a diagram illustrating an example of an overall configuration of an air conditioning system 1 according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. The air conditioning system 1 is an air conditioning system that uses a plurality of air conditioners 10 to air-condition, for example, a floor FL of an office building.
As shown in FIG. 1, the air conditioning system 1 includes an air conditioner 10, a sensor 20, an operation terminal 30, and a control device 40, and conditions air within a floor FL.
The numbers of air conditioners 10 and sensors 20 are merely examples and can be changed as appropriate depending on the size of the floor FL.
Further, in FIG. 1, as an example, only one operation terminal 30 is shown, but in an actual air conditioning system 1, multiple operation terminals 30 can be used depending on the number of users using the floor FL.

First, we will briefly explain each component of the air conditioning system 1, and then we will explain the operation terminal 30 and the control device 40 in detail.

The air conditioner 10 is, for example, an indoor unit installed on the ceiling of the floor FL and is connected to an outdoor unit (not shown) installed outdoors through piping. The air conditioner 10 has, for example, an expansion valve and a heat exchanger, and performs air conditioning of a target area on the floor FL by evaporating or condensing the refrigerant sent from the outdoor unit through the piping in the heat exchanger.
The air conditioner 10 is communicably connected to a control device 40 via a dedicated line, for example, and performs air conditioning in response to commands sent from the control device 40 .

The sensor 20 is a sensor that measures environmental information such as temperature, humidity, airflow, etc., within the floor FL, and is appropriately disposed within the floor FL. The sensor 20 transmits the measured environmental information to the control device 40, for example, via a dedicated line. Note that the sensor 20 may transmit the environmental information to the control device 40 via wireless communication other than the dedicated line.
Additionally, the sensor 20 may measure environmental information including the amount of radiation, the amount of clothing worn by the user, the amount of activity of the user, and the like.
Furthermore, instead of using the sensor 20, the environmental information may be measured using a built-in sensor that the air conditioner 10 has for measuring temperature, humidity, and the like.

The operation terminal 30 is, for example, a terminal such as a smartphone or a tablet, and is operated by a user on the floor FL. Although details will be described later, the operation terminal 30 displays a plan view of the floor FL and accepts operation information including a control target position and a set temperature from the user.
Then, the operation terminal 30 communicates the received operation information to the control device 40 .
Instead of using such an operation terminal 30, a display unit, an operation unit, etc. may be provided in the control device 40, and operation information from the user may be received through the operation unit.

The control device 40 is, for example, a centralized management controller, and controls the entire air conditioning system 1. The control device 40 defines a comfort zone and a heat adjustment zone, which will be described later, according to the controlled location contained in the operation information sent from the operation terminal 30. The control device 40 also determines the discomfort level at the controlled location according to the environmental information sent from the sensor 20. The control device 40 then controls the air conditioner 10 in the comfort zone based on a first air conditioning setting corresponding to the determined discomfort level, and controls the air conditioner 10 in the heat adjustment zone based on a second air conditioning setting corresponding to the determined discomfort level.

Next, details of the operation terminal 30 will be described with reference to Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the operation terminal 30.
As shown in FIG. 2, the operation terminal 30 includes an operation unit 31, a storage unit 32, a control unit 33, a communication unit 34, and a display unit 35.

The operation unit 31 is, for example, a touch panel, and receives operations from the user.
For example, the operation unit 31 receives, for example, a control target position indicating a user's current position on the floor FL and a set temperature at the control target position while a plan view of the floor FL (described later) is displayed on the display unit 35. The operation unit 31 supplies the received control target position and set temperature to the control unit 33 as operation information.

The storage unit 32 is, for example, a solid state drive (SSD) or a hard disk, and stores various information.
For example, the storage unit 32 stores image data showing a plan view of the floor FL.

The control unit 33 is a calculation unit including, for example, a central processing unit (CPU), a random access memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM), and the like, and controls the entire operation terminal 30 .
Specifically, the control unit 33 reads out image data of the plan view from the storage unit 32, and displays it on the display unit 35. Then, the control unit 33 transmits the operation information received by the operation unit 31 to the control device 40 via the communication unit 34.

The communication unit 34 is, for example, a wireless communication unit, and is controlled by the control unit 33 to transmit various information to the control device 40 .
For example, the communication unit 34 transmits operation information received by the operation unit 31 to the control device 40 .

The display unit 35 is, for example, a display device such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display, and displays various information.
For example, the display unit 35 is controlled by the control unit 33 to display a plan view PF as shown in Fig. 3. The above-mentioned operation unit 31 then accepts a control target position P indicated by the user. The operation unit 31 further accepts a set temperature at the control target position P.

Next, details of the control device 40 will be described with reference to Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the control device 40.
As shown in FIG. 4 , the control device 40 includes a storage unit 41 , a wireless communication unit 42 , a control unit 43 , and a wired communication unit 44 .

The storage unit 41 is, for example, an SSD or a hard disk, and stores various information including the control table 411. In other words, in addition to the control table 411 described below, the storage unit 41 also stores device management information including the installation position of the air conditioner 10, and sensor management information including the installation position of the sensor 20, etc.

The control table 411 is a table that specifies the settings for controlling the target air conditioner 10 according to the discomfort level, and includes, for example, a discomfort level 411a, a judgment condition 411b, a first air conditioning setting 411c, and a second air conditioning setting 411d, as shown in FIG. 5. Note that the control table 411 shown in FIG. 5 shows, as an example, a control table for cooling operation in the summer. Therefore, the memory unit 41 may further store a control table for heating operation in the winter, as described below.

The discomfort level 411a is, for example, one of four levels of discomfort. The lower the level, the more comfortable the environment is, and the discomfort level 411a at level 0 indicates "comfortable."
The judgment condition 411b indicates the judgment condition for the discomfort level 411a, and as one example, a temperature difference value between the room temperature and the set temperature is specified.
The judgment condition 411b may use a Discomfort Index (DI), a Predicted Mean Vote (PMV), or the like, instead of the temperature difference.
When the discomfort index (DI) is used as a judgment criterion, environmental information including temperature and humidity is sent from the sensor 20 to the control device 40. When the predicted mean thermal sensation report (PMV) is used as a judgment criterion, environmental information including temperature, humidity, air flow, radiation, amount of clothing, and amount of activity is sent from the sensor 20 to the control device 40.

Moreover, the first air conditioning setting 411c specifies the setting contents to be set for the air conditioner 10 in a comfort zone, which will be described later.
For example, when the discomfort level 411a is level 0, the temperature is appropriate, so the first air conditioning setting 411c is prescribed with a setting content for stopping the air conditioners 10 in the comfort zone so that the wind from the air conditioners 10 does not blow on the user. When the discomfort level 411a is level 1, the room temperature is somewhat high, so the first air conditioning setting 411c is prescribed with a setting content for operating the air conditioners 10 in the comfort zone in a blowing operation, blowing room temperature wind on the user to lower the sensible temperature. When the discomfort level 411a is level 2, the room temperature is even higher, so the setting content is prescribed with a setting content for operating the nearest air conditioner 10 in the comfort zone in cooling operation, blowing the cold air-conditioned wind on the user to further lower the sensible temperature. When the discomfort level 411a is level 3, the room temperature is very high, so the setting content is prescribed with a setting content for operating all the air conditioners 10 in the comfort zone in cooling operation, not blowing the cold air-conditioned wind on the user, and prioritizing adjustment of the thermal environment.

The second air conditioning setting 411d specifies the setting contents to be set for the air conditioners 10 in a temperature adjustment zone, which will be described later.
In addition, the second air conditioning setting 411d is specified with the same setting contents regardless of the value of the discomfort level 411a, but different setting contents may be specified according to the value of the discomfort level 411a. For example, the larger the value of the discomfort level 411a, the lower the set temperature when the air conditioner 10 in the heat adjustment zone is operated in cooling mode may be set to a lower temperature than the set temperature operated by the user, thereby indirectly bringing the room temperature in the comfort zone closer to an appropriate temperature.

Returning to FIG. 4, the wireless communication unit 42 is, for example, a wireless communication unit, and serves as a communication means for wirelessly communicating with the operation terminal 30 on the floor FL.

The control unit 43 is a calculation unit including, for example, a CPU, a RAM, a ROM, etc., and controls the entire control device 40 .
Specifically, the control unit 43 realizes an operation information acquisition means 431, an environmental information acquisition means 432, and a comfort control means 433 by the CPU using the RAM as a work memory and appropriately executing programs stored in the ROM.

The operation information acquiring unit 431 acquires the operation information sent from the operation terminal 30 via the wireless communication unit 42 described above.
That is, the operation information acquiring unit 431 acquires operation information including the control target position and the set temperature that the operation terminal 30 has received from the user.

The environmental information acquisition unit 432 acquires the environmental information sent from the sensor 20 via the wired communication unit 44 described later.
That is, the environmental information acquiring unit 432 acquires environmental information including, for example, temperature measured by the sensor 20 .

The comfort control means 433 first defines a comfort zone and a heat adjustment zone based on the controlled location.
For example, as shown in Figure 6, when a control target position P is specified by operation information, the comfort control means 433 defines a comfort zone Zn1 centered on the control target position P and a thermal adjustment zone Zn2 surrounding the outer periphery of the comfort zone Zn1.
More specifically, the comfort control means 433 sets the distance from the control target position P to the outer edge of the comfort zone Zn1, i.e., the radius of the comfort zone Zn1, to a maximum of 5 m. This 5 m is the same length as the maximum distance that the air from the air conditioner 10 can reach. In addition, the comfort control means 433 sets the distance from the control target position P to the outer edge of the heat adjustment zone Zn2 to a maximum of 10 m.
Then, the comfort control means 433 extracts the air conditioners 10 within the defined comfort zone Zn1. The comfort control means 433 also extracts the air conditioners 10 within the defined temperature adjustment zone Zn2.

Returning to FIG. 4, the comfort control means 433 determines the discomfort level of the controlled position.
For example, the comfort control means 433 acquires environmental information measured by the sensor 20 closest to the controlled position, and judges the discomfort level based on the temperature difference between the set temperature and the room temperature. That is, as stipulated in the judgment condition 411b of the control table 411 shown in Fig. 5 described above, the discomfort level 411a is judged according to the value obtained by subtracting the set temperature from the room temperature.
As described above, when the judgment condition 411b specifies the discomfort index (DI) or the predicted mean thermal sensation value (PMV), the comfort control means 433 judges the discomfort level of the control target position according to a value calculated based on the temperature and humidity, or a value calculated based on the temperature, humidity, airflow, radiation, amount of clothing, and amount of activity.

The comfort control means 433 also determines the first and second air conditioning settings according to the determined discomfort level. That is, the comfort control means 433 refers to the control table 411 shown in Fig. 5 described above to determine the contents of the first air conditioning setting 411c according to the discomfort level and the contents of the second air conditioning setting 411d according to the discomfort level.
Then, the comfort control means 433 controls the air conditioners 10 in the comfort zone based on the determined first air conditioning setting, and controls the air conditioners 10 in the heat adjustment zone based on the determined second air conditioning setting.
For example, when the determined discomfort level is low, the comfort control means 433 basically stops the air conditioners 10 in the comfort zone based on the corresponding first air conditioning setting, thereby preventing the cold wind from the air conditioners 10 from blowing directly on the user. Then, the comfort control means 433 operates the air conditioners 10 in the heat adjustment zone in cooling mode based on the corresponding second air conditioning setting, thereby realizing a comfortable air-conditioned environment where the controlled location is at an appropriate temperature without blowing the wind from the air conditioners 10 directly on the user at the controlled location.

The wired communication unit 44 is, for example, a wired communication unit, and serves as a communication means for performing wired communication with the air conditioner 10 and the sensor 20 via a dedicated line.

The operation of the air conditioning system 1 configured as above will be described below with reference to FIG. 7. FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining the air conditioning control process executed by the control device 40. This air conditioning control process is constantly executed by the control device 40.

First, the control unit 43 determines whether or not the control target position has been changed (step S101).
For example, the control unit 43 determines that the control target position has been changed when the operation information acquisition means 431 acquires new operation information. That is, in this case, the operation information acquisition means 431 acquires the operation information sent from the operation terminal 30, so this step S101 is an example of an operation information acquisition step.

When the control unit 43 determines that the control target position has not been changed (step S101; No), the control unit 43 proceeds to step S104, which will be described later.

On the other hand, when it is determined that the control target position has been changed (step S101; Yes), the control unit 43 extracts the air conditioners 10 within the comfort zone (step S102).
That is, the comfort control means 433 defines a comfort zone Zn1 centered on the control target position P, as shown in FIG. 6 described above, and extracts the air conditioners 10 located within this comfort zone Zn1.

The control unit 43 extracts the air conditioners 10 in the temperature adjustment zone (step S103).
That is, the comfort control means 433 defines a temperature adjustment zone Zn2 surrounding the outer periphery of the comfort zone Zn1, as shown in FIG. 6 described above, and extracts the air conditioners 10 arranged within the temperature adjustment zone Zn2.

The control unit 43 acquires environmental information in the vicinity of the control target position (step S104).
That is, the environmental information acquiring means 432 acquires the environmental information measured by the sensor 20 that is closest to the control target position. Note that step S104 is an example of an environmental information acquiring step.

The control unit 43 determines the discomfort level of the control target position (step S105).
For example, the comfort control means 433 determines the discomfort level based on the temperature difference between the set temperature and the room temperature. Note that the comfort control means 433 may determine the discomfort level based on a discomfort index (DI), a predicted mean thermal sensation report (PMV), or the like, in addition to such a temperature difference.

The control unit 43 determines the first air conditioning setting according to the discomfort level (step S106).
For example, the comfort control means 433 refers to the control table 411 shown in FIG. 5 described above to determine the content of the first air conditioning setting 411c corresponding to the discomfort level determined in step S105 above.

The control unit 43 controls the air conditioner 10 in the comfort zone based on the first air conditioning setting (step S107).
That is, the comfort control means 433 controls the air conditioner 10 extracted in the above-mentioned step S102 based on the first air conditioning setting determined in the above-mentioned step S106.

The control unit 43 determines the second air conditioning setting according to the discomfort level (step S108).
For example, the comfort control means 433 refers to the control table 411 shown in FIG. 5 described above to determine the content of the second air conditioning setting 411d corresponding to the discomfort level determined in step S105 above.

The control unit 43 controls the air conditioners 10 in the temperature adjustment zone based on the second air conditioning setting (step S109).
That is, the comfort control means 433 controls the air conditioner 10 extracted in the above-mentioned step S103 based on the second air conditioning setting determined in the above-mentioned step S108.
The above-mentioned steps S105 to S109 are an example of a comfort control step.

Then, the control unit 43 returns the process to step S101 described above.

By performing this air conditioning control process, for example, when the discomfort level determined in step S105 is low, the control device 40 basically stops the air conditioners 10 in the comfort zone based on the corresponding first air conditioning setting (step S107), thereby preventing the cold air from the air conditioners 10 from blowing directly on the user. Then, the control device 40 operates the air conditioners 10 in the heat adjustment zone in cooling mode based on the corresponding second air conditioning setting (step S109), thereby realizing a comfortable air-conditioned environment in which the controlled location is at an appropriate temperature without blowing the air from the air conditioners 10 directly on the user at the controlled location.

As a result, a more comfortable air-conditioned environment can be achieved.

In the above-described first embodiment, the control table 411 for cooling operation in summer as shown in FIG. 5 is used. However, in winter, a control table for heating operation may be used.
For example, a control table as shown in Fig. 8 is stored in the memory unit 41 of the control device 40. Then, even during heating operation, the comfort control means 433 of the control device 40 judges the discomfort level at the controlled location according to the judgment conditions, determines the first air conditioning setting and the second air conditioning setting according to the discomfort level, and controls the air conditioner 10 in the comfort zone based on the determined first air conditioning setting, and controls the air conditioner 10 in the heat adjustment zone based on the determined second air conditioning setting.
Even during heating operation, for example, when the determined discomfort level is low, the comfort control means 433 basically stops the air conditioners 10 in the comfort zone based on the corresponding first air conditioning setting, thereby preventing the warm air from the air conditioners 10 from blowing directly on the user. Then, the comfort control means 433 operates the air conditioners 10 in the heat adjustment zone in heating operation based on the corresponding second air conditioning setting, thereby realizing a comfortable air-conditioned environment where the controlled location is at an appropriate temperature without blowing the air from the air conditioners 10 directly on the user at the controlled location.

(Embodiment 2)
In the above embodiment 1, the case where the air conditioner 10 is appropriately controlled using the control device 40 has been described, but the functions of the control device 40 may be provided in an external server and the air conditioner 10 may be controlled from this external server.

An air conditioning system 2 according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to FIG.
9 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of the air conditioning system 2. The air conditioning system 2 includes an air conditioner 10, a sensor 20, an operation terminal 30, a terminal device 50, and a cloud server 60.
In other words, the air conditioning system 2 differs from the air conditioning system 1 in that the main components of the control device 40 in the air conditioning system 1 in Fig. 1 are provided in the cloud server 60. Therefore, in the air conditioning system 2, the air conditioners 10, the sensors 20, and the operation terminals 30 have the same configurations as those in the air conditioning system 1.

The termination device 50 is, for example, an ONU (Optical Network Unit), a modem, a gateway, etc., and relays communications between the air conditioners 10 , the sensors 20 , and the operation terminals 30 on the one hand, and the cloud server 60 on the other hand.
For example, when the terminal device 50 receives environmental information sent from the sensor 20, the terminal device 50 transmits the received environmental information to the cloud server 60. Also, when the terminal device 50 receives operation information sent from the operation terminal 30, the terminal device 50 transmits the received operation information to the cloud server 60.
Furthermore, when the terminal device 50 receives control information sent from the cloud server 60, it transmits the received control information to the target air conditioner 10.

The cloud server 60 is a server device constructed on the Internet N. The cloud server 60 is communicatively connected to the air conditioner 10, the sensor 20, and the operation terminal 30 through the above-mentioned terminal device 50.

The communication unit 61 receives information sent from the sensor 20 and the operation terminal 30 via the terminal device 50. The communication unit 61 also transmits information to the air conditioner 10 via the terminal device 50.

The storage unit 62 is, for example, an SSD, a hard disk, etc., and stores the control table 411 as shown in FIG. 5 described above. The storage unit 62 may also store a control table as shown in FIG. 8 described above.

The control unit 63 is, for example, a calculation unit equipped with a CPU, RAM, ROM, etc., and the CPU uses the RAM as a work memory and appropriately executes programs stored in the ROM, thereby realizing an operation information acquisition means 431, an environmental information acquisition means 432, and a comfort control means 433, similar to the control device 40 in the air conditioning system 1 of FIG. 1.

Even in the air conditioning system 2 configured in this way, a more comfortable air-conditioning environment can be achieved by using the cloud server 60.
In other words, when the discomfort level is low, the cloud server 60 basically stops the air conditioners 10 in the comfort zone based on the corresponding first air conditioning setting, thereby preventing the cold air from the air conditioners 10 from blowing directly on the user. Then, the cloud server 60 operates the air conditioners 10 in the heat adjustment zone in cooling mode based on the corresponding second air conditioning setting, thereby realizing a comfortable air-conditioned environment where the controlled location is at an appropriate temperature without blowing the air from the air conditioners 10 directly on the user at the controlled location.

Other Embodiments
In the above embodiments 1 and 2, the case where the position to be controlled is obtained from operation information from the user has been described. However, the position to be controlled may also be obtained by automatically detecting the user's position within the floor FL rather than from such operation information.
For example, a position detection sensor such as a camera or an infrared sensor may be further arranged within the floor FL, and the control device 40 or the cloud server 60 may automatically acquire position information obtained from the position detection sensor as the position to be controlled.

In the above first and second embodiments, a case has been described in which the CPU in the control device 40 or the control unit 43, 63 in the cloud server 60 uses the RAM as a work memory and appropriately executes the programs stored in the ROM to realize the operation information acquisition means 431, the environmental information acquisition means 432, and the comfort control means 433.

However, all or part of the functional parts of the control units 43 and 63 may be realized by dedicated hardware. Examples of dedicated hardware include a single circuit, a composite circuit, a programmed processor, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or a combination of these.

The control program for the above air conditioning control process can also be stored and distributed on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read Only Memory), a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), a magneto-optical disc (Magneto-Optical Disc), a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory, a memory card, or a HDD.

In a configuration in which such a control program is executed by the control device 40 or a control device separate from the cloud server 60, it is possible to install the program distributed as described above on a specific or general-purpose computer, thereby causing the computer to function as the control device. The control program may also be stored on a disk device owned by another server on the Internet, and the control program may be downloaded from that server to the control device.

Various embodiments and modifications of the present disclosure are possible without departing from the broad spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Furthermore, the above-described embodiments are intended to explain the present disclosure and do not limit the scope of the present disclosure. In other words, the scope of the present disclosure is indicated by the claims, not the embodiments. Various modifications made within the scope of the claims and within the scope of the meaning of the invention equivalent thereto are considered to be within the scope of the present disclosure.

Various aspects of this disclosure are summarized below as appendices.

(Appendix 1)
A control device that controls one or more air conditioners arranged on a floor,
an operation information acquisition means for acquiring operation information including a control target position within the floor;
An environmental information acquisition means for acquiring environmental information measured within the floor;
a comfort control means for determining a first air-conditioning setting and a second air-conditioning setting according to a discomfort level at the control target location based on the operation information and the environmental information, and then controlling the air conditioners located within a comfort zone including the control target location based on the first air-conditioning setting and controlling the air conditioners located within a thermal adjustment zone surrounding the outer periphery of the comfort zone based on the second air-conditioning setting;
A control device comprising:
(Appendix 2)
The operation information further includes a set temperature, and the environmental information includes a room temperature.
the comfort control means determines the discomfort level based on a temperature difference between the set temperature and the room temperature, and when the determined discomfort level is low, stops operation of the air conditioner located within the comfort zone based on the first air conditioning setting.
2. The control device of claim 1.
(Appendix 3)
When the determined discomfort level is high, the comfort control means operates the air conditioner arranged in the comfort zone in blowing air, cooling, or heating based on the first air conditioning setting.
3. The control device according to claim 1 or 2.
(Appendix 4)
The comfort control means operates the air conditioner arranged in the temperature adjustment zone in cooling or heating mode based on the second air conditioning setting.
4. A control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.
(Appendix 5)
An air conditioning system that includes an operation terminal, a sensor, and a control device and controls one or more air conditioners arranged on a floor,
The operation terminal receives operation information including a control target position within the floor from a user,
The sensor measures environmental information within the floor,
The control device includes:
an operation information acquiring means for acquiring the operation information sent from the operation terminal;
An environmental information acquisition means for acquiring the environmental information sent from the sensor;
and a comfort control means for determining a first air conditioning setting and a second air conditioning setting according to a discomfort level at the control target location based on the operation information and the environmental information, and then controlling the air conditioner located within a comfort zone including the control target location based on the first air conditioning setting and controlling the air conditioner located within a temperature adjustment zone surrounding the outer periphery of the comfort zone based on the second air conditioning setting.
Air conditioning system.
(Appendix 6)
An air conditioning control method executed by a control device that controls one or more air conditioners arranged on a floor, comprising:
an operation information acquisition step of acquiring operation information including a control target position within the floor;
an environmental information acquisition step of acquiring environmental information measured within the floor;
a comfort control step of determining a first air-conditioning setting and a second air-conditioning setting according to a discomfort level at the control target location based on the operation information and the environmental information, and then controlling the air conditioners located within a comfort zone including the control target location based on the first air-conditioning setting and controlling the air conditioners located within a heat adjustment zone surrounding the outer periphery of the comfort zone based on the second air-conditioning setting;
An air conditioning control method comprising:
(Appendix 7)
A computer that controls one or more air conditioners installed on the floor
an operation information acquisition step of acquiring operation information including a control target position within the floor;
an environmental information acquisition step of acquiring environmental information measured within the floor;
a comfort control step of determining a first air conditioning setting and a second air conditioning setting according to a discomfort level at the control target location based on the operation information and the environmental information, and then controlling the air conditioners located within a comfort zone including the control target location based on the first air conditioning setting and controlling the air conditioners located within a heat adjustment zone surrounding the outer periphery of the comfort zone based on the second air conditioning setting;
A program for executing.

1, 2 Air conditioning system, 10 Air conditioner, 20 Sensor, 30 Operation terminal, 31 Operation unit, 32 Memory unit, 33 Control unit, 34 Communication unit, 35 Display unit, 40 Control device, 41 Memory unit, 411 Control table, 42 Wireless communication unit, 43 Control unit, 431 Operation information acquisition means, 432 Environmental information acquisition means, 433 Revision control means, 44 Wired communication unit, 50 End device, 60 Cloud server, 61 Memory unit, 62 Communication unit, 63 Control unit

Claims (7)

A control device that controls one or more air conditioners arranged on a floor,
an operation information acquisition means for acquiring operation information including a control target position within the floor;
An environmental information acquisition means for acquiring environmental information measured within the floor;
a comfort control means for determining a first air-conditioning setting and a second air-conditioning setting according to a discomfort level at the control target location based on the operation information and the environmental information, and then controlling the air conditioners located within a comfort zone including the control target location based on the first air-conditioning setting and controlling the air conditioners located within a thermal adjustment zone surrounding the outer periphery of the comfort zone based on the second air-conditioning setting;
A control device comprising: The operation information further includes a set temperature, and the environmental information includes a room temperature.
the comfort control means determines the discomfort level based on a temperature difference between the set temperature and the room temperature, and when the determined discomfort level is low, stops operation of the air conditioner located within the comfort zone based on the first air conditioning setting.
The control device according to claim 1 . When the determined discomfort level is high, the comfort control means operates the air conditioner arranged in the comfort zone in blowing air, cooling, or heating based on the first air conditioning setting.
The control device according to claim 2. The comfort control means operates the air conditioner arranged in the temperature adjustment zone in cooling or heating mode based on the second air conditioning setting.
The control device according to claim 2 or 3. An air conditioning system that includes an operation terminal, a sensor, and a control device and controls one or more air conditioners arranged on a floor,
The operation terminal receives operation information including a control target position within the floor from a user,
The sensor measures environmental information within the floor,
The control device includes:
an operation information acquiring means for acquiring the operation information sent from the operation terminal;
An environmental information acquisition means for acquiring the environmental information sent from the sensor;
and a comfort control means for determining a first air conditioning setting and a second air conditioning setting according to a discomfort level at the control target location based on the operation information and the environmental information, and then controlling the air conditioner located within a comfort zone including the control target location based on the first air conditioning setting and controlling the air conditioner located within a temperature adjustment zone surrounding the outer periphery of the comfort zone based on the second air conditioning setting.
Air conditioning system. An air conditioning control method executed by a control device that controls one or more air conditioners arranged on a floor, comprising:
an operation information acquisition step of acquiring operation information including a control target position within the floor;
an environmental information acquisition step of acquiring environmental information measured within the floor;
a comfort control step of determining a first air-conditioning setting and a second air-conditioning setting according to a discomfort level at the control target location based on the operation information and the environmental information, and then controlling the air conditioners located within a comfort zone including the control target location based on the first air-conditioning setting and controlling the air conditioners located within a heat adjustment zone surrounding the outer periphery of the comfort zone based on the second air-conditioning setting;
An air conditioning control method comprising: A computer that controls one or more air conditioners installed on the floor
an operation information acquisition step of acquiring operation information including a control target position within the floor;
an environmental information acquisition step of acquiring environmental information measured within the floor;
a comfort control step of determining a first air conditioning setting and a second air conditioning setting according to a discomfort level at the control target location based on the operation information and the environmental information, and then controlling the air conditioners located within a comfort zone including the control target location based on the first air conditioning setting and controlling the air conditioners located within a heat adjustment zone surrounding the outer periphery of the comfort zone based on the second air conditioning setting;
A program for executing.

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