JP6995982B2 - Air conditioning system, information processing device, information processing method and program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an air conditioning system, an information processing apparatus, an information processing method and a program.

In the conventional air conditioning system, operation / stop setting, operation mode, temperature, air volume, wind direction, etc. are set by user operation. Further, from the viewpoint of energy saving, the user performs operations such as limiting the operation of the air conditioning system and reviewing the set temperature.

Patent Document 1 describes a technique for displaying an index value related to energy consumption in energy-saving priority operation when the user selects energy-saving priority operation, and setting a maximum limit value in the index value according to a user operation. It has been disclosed.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2011-69571

In an air conditioning system, comfort and energy savings are generally in conflict. For this reason, it is desirable to make settings so that an appropriate degree of comfort can be obtained while considering energy saving. However, in the prior art, the comfort level and the energy saving level in the setting according to the user operation can be obtained as a result of actual driving, but cannot be grasped in advance. In addition, the user could not grasp in advance what kind of correlation the comfort level and the energy saving level change by operating the air conditioner.

It is an object of the present invention to present in advance the degree of comfort and the degree of energy saving when the operation of the indoor unit is continued according to the setting contents of the indoor unit according to the user operation.

The present invention is an air conditioning system including an outdoor unit and an indoor unit, in which a receiving means for receiving an input of a setting related to the operation of the air conditioning system according to a user operation and a setting accepted by the receiving means. The comfort level and the energy saving level in a stable state in which the operation of the indoor unit is continued according to the contents and at least one change of the comfort level of the air-conditioned space by the indoor unit and the energy saving level of the air conditioning system is converged are described. It is characterized by having an estimation means for estimating based on the set contents and an output means for outputting the comfort level and the energy saving degree in the stable state before the stable state is reached.

According to the present invention, it is possible to present in advance the degree of comfort and the degree of energy saving when the operation of the indoor unit is continued according to the setting contents of the indoor unit according to the user operation.

It is a figure which shows an example of the system configuration of an air conditioning system. It is a figure which shows an example of the hardware composition of a centralized traffic control device. It is a figure which shows the functional structure of a centralized control device. It is a figure which shows an example of a comfort degree determination table. It is a figure which shows an example of the energy saving degree determination table. It is a figure which shows an example of the data structure of a history table. It is a flowchart which shows the history registration process by a centralized traffic control device. It is a figure which shows the time transition of comfort degree and energy saving degree schematically. It is a flowchart which shows the display process by a centralized traffic control device. It is a figure which shows an example of the display screen of Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the display screen of Embodiment 2.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

<Embodiment 1>
The first embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a system configuration of an air conditioning system 100. The air conditioning system 100 includes a centralized control device 101, an outdoor unit 102, an indoor unit 103, and a remote controller 104 as a system configuration. The centralized control device 101, the outdoor unit 102, and the indoor unit 103 are connected to each other via a transmission line 110 so as to be communicable with each other. The remote controller 104 is connected to the indoor unit 103 via wireless communication. The outdoor unit 102 and the indoor unit 103 are connected by a refrigerant pipe 120 to form a refrigerating cycle. The outdoor unit 102 has a watt-hour meter 131 and a communication unit 132. The electricity meter 131 of the outdoor unit 102 measures the power consumption of the outdoor unit 102. Here, it is assumed that the outdoor unit 102 has a watt-hour meter 131, but any means or mechanism may be used as long as the power consumption can be measured. The communication unit 132 transmits / receives various data to / from the centralized traffic control device 101. The indoor unit 103 has a power meter 141, a temperature sensor 142, a humidity sensor 143, and a communication unit 144. The electric energy meter 141 of the indoor unit 103 measures the power consumption of the indoor unit 103. The temperature sensor 142 measures the air temperature in the air-conditioned space of the indoor unit 103. The temperature sensor 142 does not necessarily have to be provided in the indoor unit 103. As another example, the air conditioning system 100 may include a temperature sensor 142 in the remote controller 104. Further, as another example, the air conditioning system 100 may have a remote temperature sensor installed in the air-conditioned space by extension wiring as the temperature sensor 142. The humidity sensor 143 measures the humidity of the air-conditioned space. The communication unit 144 transmits and receives various data to and from the centralized traffic control device 101.

The remote controller 104 transmits the set contents according to the user operation such as the set temperature to the indoor unit 103 via wired or wireless communication. The indoor unit 103 operates based on the set contents such as the set temperature. Here, when the automatic cooling / heating setting is selected in the user operation of the remote controller 104, the indoor unit 103 automatically selects the operation mode and performs the operation. Further, when the automatic wind direction setting is selected in the user operation of the remote controller 104, the indoor unit 103 automatically selects the wind direction and operates. Further, when the automatic air volume setting is selected in the user operation of the remote controller 104, the indoor unit 103 automatically selects the air volume and operates. The centralized control device 101, the outdoor unit 102, the indoor unit 103, and the remote controller 104 each have a computer.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the centralized control device 101. The centralized traffic control device 101 includes a CPU 201, a storage unit 202, a display unit 203, a communication unit 204, and an input unit 205 as a hardware configuration. The CPU 201 controls the entire centralized control device 101. The storage unit 202 stores programs, data, and the like. The display unit 203 displays various information. The communication unit 204 controls communication with an external device such as the outdoor unit 102 or the indoor unit 103. The input unit 205 is, for example, an operation button, a touch screen, or the like, and accepts user operations. By executing the process based on the program stored in the storage unit 202 by the CPU 201, the functions and information processing of the centralized control device 101 described later are realized.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a functional configuration of the centralized control device 101. The centralized traffic control device 101 includes a communication processing unit 301, a comfort degree calculation unit 302, an energy saving degree calculation unit 303, a history management unit 304, a reception unit 305, a screen creation unit 306, and a display processing unit 307. Have. The centralized control device 101 further includes an actual setting content table 311, a room temperature table 312, a humidity table 313, an outdoor unit power consumption table 314, an indoor unit power consumption table 315, and a history table 316. There is.

The communication processing unit 301 controls communication with the outdoor unit 102 and the indoor unit 103. The communication processing unit 301 receives the power consumption of the outdoor unit 102 via, for example, the communication unit 204. The communication processing unit 301 also receives the power consumption, room temperature, and humidity of the indoor unit 103. The communication processing unit 301 shall periodically receive such information. The communication processing unit 301 may receive all the information at the same timing, or may receive the information at different timings. Further, the interval at which the communication processing unit 301 receives each information may be the same or different.

The communication processing unit 301 further receives the setting contents related to the operation of the indoor unit 103 from the indoor unit 103. As described above, in the indoor unit 103, when automatic settings such as cooling / heating automatic setting and wind direction automatic setting are made according to the user operation, the automatically set setting contents are appropriately changed according to the actual operating condition. In addition, even if a fixed value such as 20 ° C is set according to the user's operation in the heating setting, the setting contents such as stopping heating and blowing air are appropriately changed according to the actual operating situation. To. In the following description, the former is referred to as the user setting content and the latter is referred to as the actual setting content in order to distinguish between the setting content set according to the user operation and the setting content of the indoor unit 103 set during actual operation. I will call it. While the communication processing unit 301 periodically receives the actual setting contents, the user setting contents are received when the setting contents are set or changed according to the user operation.

When the communication processing unit 301 receives the actual setting contents from the indoor unit 103, the communication processing unit 301 stores the actual setting contents in the actual setting contents table 311 in association with the reception timing. When the room temperature is received from the indoor unit 103, the communication processing unit 301 also stores the room temperature in the room temperature table 312 in association with the reception timing. When the communication processing unit 301 receives the humidity from the indoor unit 103, the communication processing unit 301 also stores the humidity in the humidity table 313 in association with the reception timing. When the communication processing unit 301 receives the power consumption from the indoor unit 103, the communication processing unit 301 stores the power consumption in the indoor unit power consumption table 315 in association with the reception timing. When the communication processing unit 301 receives the power consumption from the outdoor unit 102, the communication processing unit 301 stores the power consumption in the outdoor unit power consumption table 314 in association with the reception timing. As described above, information related to the outdoor unit 102 and the indoor unit 103 is accumulated in the actual setting content table 311, the room temperature table 312, the humidity table 313, the outdoor unit power consumption table 314, and the indoor unit power consumption table 315.

As another example, the communication processing unit 301 may receive information such as power consumption in a state of being linked to the time when the information is obtained. In this case, the communication processing unit 301 may store information such as the received time and power consumption in each table.

The comfort degree calculation unit 302 calculates the comfort degree based on the room temperature stored in the room temperature table 312 and the humidity stored in the humidity table 313. More specifically, the comfort degree calculation unit 302 obtains the comfort degree by referring to the comfort degree determination table 400 in FIG. Here, the comfort level determination table 400 is a table for obtaining the comfort level from the values of air temperature and humidity. For the comfort level determination table 400, the following documents can be referred to. "Guidelines for preventing heat stroke in daily life" Ver3. The final version of the Japanese Society of Biometeorology The comfort level determination table 400 is an example, and any table may be used as long as the comfort level can be obtained from the values of temperature and humidity. Further, the comfort degree calculation unit 302 may calculate the comfort degree from the values of the air temperature and the humidity based on the function showing the relationship between the air temperature, the humidity and the comfort degree.

Returning to FIG. 3, the energy saving degree calculation unit 303 determines the power consumption of the outdoor unit 102 stored in the outdoor unit power consumption table 314 and the power consumption of the indoor unit 103 stored in the indoor unit power consumption table 315. The degree of energy saving is calculated based on. More specifically, the energy saving degree calculation unit 303 refers to the energy saving degree determination table 500 shown in FIG. 5, and determines the energy saving degree associated with the total value of the power consumption of the outdoor unit 102 and the power consumption of the indoor unit 103. Identify. Here, the energy saving degree determination table 500 is a table in which the power consumption and the energy saving degree are associated with each other. The energy saving degree determination table 500 is an example, and any table may be used as long as the energy saving degree can be obtained from the total value of the power consumption of the outdoor unit 102 and the power consumption of the indoor unit 103. Further, the energy saving degree calculation unit 303 is based on a function showing the relationship between the power consumption of the outdoor unit 102, the power consumption of the indoor unit 103, and the energy saving degree, and the value of the power consumption of the outdoor unit 102 and the power consumption of the indoor unit 103. The energy saving degree may be calculated from.

Returning to FIG. 3, the history table 316 stores the history of the setting contents, the comfort level, the energy saving level, and the like of the indoor unit 103. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the history table 316. The history table 316 contains a record in the current state and a record in the stable state. Here, the "present" in the current state means the present at the time when the centralized control device 101 is operating. That is, when the centralized control device 101 refers to the history table 316 at a certain time point tx, the record stored as the record in the current state is a record grasped as the current record at the time point time tx. Further, the stable state is a state in which a certain setting content is set, the operation is started, and the operation is stable according to the user setting content.

Further, each record has columns for user setting content, actual setting content, comfort level, energy saving level, and flag. The current user setting contents are stored in the user setting contents of the record in the current state. Further, the current comfort level is stored in the comfort level in the record in the current state. The comfort level recorded in the comfort level column of the current state is not deleted unless the user setting content is changed, and when a new value is obtained, the new value is sequentially added as a history. Will be done. The current energy saving degree is stored in the energy saving degree in the record in the current state. Like the comfort level, the energy saving level in the current state is sequentially added as a history unless the user setting content is changed. The actual setting contents and flags correspond to the records in the stable state, and these values are not stored in the records in the current state.

Further, the user setting contents and the actual setting contents of the record in the stable state store the user setting contents set in the past and the actual setting contents when the stable state is reached in the setting contents. For example, in the first record in the stable state, the user setting content is automatic (strong wind), whereas the actual setting content is automatic (weak wind). In this way, the user setting content and the actual setting content may differ. Further, the comfort level and the energy saving degree of the record in the stable state store the comfort level and the energy saving degree when the record is in the stable state, respectively. If it is not an automatic setting, the user setting content and the actual setting content have the same value.

As the record in the stable state, not only the log information accumulated according to the operation of the indoor unit 103 but also the preset default value exists. Storage of log information in the history table 316 is realized in the history registration process. The history registration process will be described later with reference to FIG. 7. The flag is information that identifies whether it is a log or a default value. The default value and log will be described later.

Returning to FIG. 3, the history management unit 304 manages the history table 316. The reception unit 305 receives instructions according to user operations. The screen creation unit 306 creates a display screen for display on the display unit 203. The display processing unit 307 controls the display on the display unit 203.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a history registration process by the centralized traffic control device 101. In S701, the history management unit 304 acquires the user setting contents from the indoor unit 103 via the communication processing unit 301. The indoor unit 103 is set with the setting contents according to the user operation, and when the operation is started, the user setting contents are transmitted to the centralized control device 101. Next, in S702, the history management unit 304 records the record of the current state in the history table 316. Specifically, the history management unit 304 records the user setting content acquired via the communication processing unit 301 in the user setting content column of the record in the current state.

The history management unit 304 further instructs the comfort level calculation unit 302 to calculate the comfort level, and acquires the comfort level in the current state from the comfort level calculation unit 302. Then, the history management unit 304 records the acquired comfort level as the comfort level in the current state. At this time, the information indicating that the setting is made is recorded in association with the comfort level. Further, the history management unit 304 instructs the energy saving degree calculation unit 303 to calculate the energy saving degree, and acquires the energy saving degree in the current state from the energy saving degree calculation unit 303. Then, the history management unit 304 records the acquired energy saving degree as the energy saving degree in the current state. The history management unit 304 also records the energy saving degree in association with the information that it is at the time of setting.

When the comfort level calculation unit 302 receives an instruction from the history management unit 304, the comfort level calculation unit 302 calculates the comfort level from the latest room temperature and humidity stored in each of the room temperature table 312 and the humidity table 313 at the time of receiving the instruction. However, this shall be passed to the history management unit 304 as the comfort level in the current state. Further, when the energy saving degree calculation unit 303 receives an instruction from the history management unit 304, the latest consumption stored in each of the outdoor unit power consumption table 314 and the indoor unit power consumption table 315 at the time of receiving the instruction. The energy saving degree is calculated from the electric power, and this is passed to the history management unit 304 as the energy saving degree in the current state.

Next, in S703, the history management unit 304 starts the monitoring process of the comfort level and the energy saving level. Here, the monitoring process is a process of periodically monitoring the values of the comfort level and the energy saving level and adding these values to the record in the current state. When a certain time has elapsed from the time of setting, the history management unit 304 adds the comfort level and the energy saving degree at that time point to the comfort level and energy saving degree column of the record in the current state in association with the time at that time point. The history management unit 304 repeats the addition every time a certain period of time elapses.

Next, in S704, the history management unit 304 determines whether or not the stable state has been reached based on the changes in the values of comfort and stability. The history management unit 304 determines, for example, that the stable state has been reached when the fluctuation of the comfort level accumulated in the record of the current state falls within a certain range. Here, the stable state determination process will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is a diagram schematically showing the time transition of the comfort level and the energy saving level. The horizontal axis of the graph shown in FIG. 8 shows time, and the vertical axis shows the degree of energy saving and the degree of comfort. The curve 801 shows the time transition of the energy saving degree. Curve 802 shows the time transition of comfort.

When the operation of the indoor unit 103 is continued according to the user setting content, the difference between the set temperature and the room temperature generally becomes smaller. Along with this, the outdoor unit 102 and the indoor unit 103 are controlled to operate at a lower load. As a result, as shown in FIG. 8, the energy saving degree converges to a certain value. In addition, as the temperature approaches the set temperature, the comfort level increases and converges to a certain value. The history management unit 304 of the present embodiment determines a state in which the values of comfort and energy saving have converged as a stable state. In FIG. 8, the time t11 is the timing when the user performs the setting operation, and the time t12 is the timing when the stable state is reached.

In the present embodiment, the history management unit 304 determines, for example, that the fluctuations in the comfort level and the energy saving degree are within a certain range at t13 when a certain period of time has elapsed from the time t12 when the comfort level and the energy saving degree reach the stable state. It is determined that the stable state has been reached. The history management unit 304 continues the monitoring process until the stable state is reached, and when the stable process is reached (YES in S704), the process proceeds to S705.

The process of determining whether or not a stable state has been reached is not limited to the embodiment. As another example, the history management unit 304 may determine whether or not the stable state has been reached based on only one of the comfort level and the energy saving level.

In S705, the history management unit 304 records the value of the record in the current state in the empty record in the stable state. More specifically, the history management unit 304 selects one free record in a stable state as a write target. Then, the history management unit 304 copies (records) the user setting contents stored in the record in the current state in the user setting contents column of the record to be written. Further, the history management unit 304 reads the actual setting contents at the processing time point (current state) from the actual setting contents table 311 and records this in the actual setting contents column of the record to be written. The history management unit 304 is, for example, an operation mode actually set in the case of automatic air conditioning setting, a wind direction actually set in the case of automatic wind direction setting, and an actual setting in the case of automatic air volume setting. Record the air volume in the actual setting column. The history management unit 304 also records the latest comfort level and energy saving degree stored in the record in the current state in the comfort level and energy saving degree of the record to be written. The history management unit 304 further turns on the flag of the record to be written. Note that flag-on means that the information is log information. This completes the history registration process.

It should be noted that after recording the current record in S702 and before the completion of the history registration process, a new user setting content may be received. In this case, the history management unit 304 deletes all the records in the current state, and then performs the processing after S702 according to the new user setting contents.

The centralized control device 101 receives user setting contents from the indoor unit 103 every time the indoor unit 103 operates, and executes the history registration process. That is, as the indoor unit 103 operates with various settings, records in a stable state corresponding to various user settings are accumulated in the history table 316.

The record in the stable state is referred to in the display process described later with reference to FIG. The details will be described later, but in the display process, a record in a stable state corresponding to a predetermined user setting content is searched. In order to improve the search accuracy, it is necessary to accumulate sufficient records in a stable state. However, immediately after the indoor unit 103 is installed in the new air-conditioned space, there is no operation record and sufficient log information records are not accumulated. Even in this case, in order to hit a record in an appropriate stable state, in this embodiment, each setting content corresponds to the case where the indoor unit 103 operates in the air-conditioned space where the indoor unit 103 is installed. The comfort level and energy saving level in a stable state are predicted and registered as default values. Further, it is assumed that the default value is not deleted and is stored in the history table 316 so that the history table 316 can be returned to the initial state even after the logs are sufficiently accumulated.

Here, the default value will be described. The default value can be obtained, for example, as follows. That is, a room temperature model of the air-conditioned field is created by estimating the heat capacity of the air-conditioned space from the wall thickness of the air-conditioned space, and further, the capacities of the outdoor unit and the indoor unit 103 are also modeled and based on these models. Therefore, the power consumption in a certain user setting content is predicted. At this time, the concept of optimal control may be used. Here, optimal control means that when it is desired to reduce the control deviation as much as possible until the end of operation, both are reduced in a trade-off system in which the response at startup is improved and the power consumption is increased. It controls. The degree of energy saving can be estimated by assuming a certain user setting content and calculating the power consumption of the air conditioner using the room temperature model. Furthermore, by assuming humidity, the degree of comfort can be estimated.

As described above, the process of executing the process of estimating the stable state from the model of the air-conditioned space is not particularly limited. The centralized control device 101 may perform the main process, and as another example, another device performs the main process, and the centralized control device 101 acquires a default value from the other device and puts this in the history table. It may be set.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a display process by the centralized traffic control device 101. In S901, the reception unit 305 determines whether or not the display instruction of the comfort level and the energy saving level has been received according to the user operation. The reception unit 305 waits until the display instruction is received, and when the display instruction is received (YES in S901), the process proceeds to S902. In S902, the screen creation unit 306 acquires the user setting contents of the record in the current state from the history table 316 via the reception unit 305. Next, in S903, the screen creation unit 306 acquires the latest comfort level and energy saving level in the record in the current state.

Next, in S904, the screen creation unit 306 refers to the history table 316, and uses the user setting content in the current state as a search key, and the user setting content matching the user setting content in the current state is selected from the records in the stable state. Get the stored record. It should be noted that the match here may be an exact match, and as another example, a width for determining a match may be provided. For example, the screen creation unit 306 may determine that the settings of both users match, even if the air volumes do not match. Further, when there are a plurality of records in a stable state that match the user setting contents in the current state, the screen creation unit 306 selects the log information with priority over the default. This is because the default value is only a predicted value, and the actually measured log information is considered to be a more accurate predicted value. The processing of S904 is an example of estimation processing.

Next, in S905, the screen creation unit 306 displays a display screen showing the comfort level and the energy saving level in the present and future (after the transition to the stable state) based on the record in the current state and the record in the stable state. Next, in S906, the display processing unit 307 controls to display the display screen on the display unit 203. This completes the display process. The processing of S905 is an example of output processing.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the display screen 1000. Information related to the current state is displayed on the left side of the display screen 1000, and information related to the case where the operation is continued according to the current user settings and the stable state is reached is displayed on the right side of the display screen 1000. Specifically, bars 1001 and 1002 indicating the comfort level and the energy saving degree in the current state are displayed in the area of the current state, and bars indicating the comfort level and the energy saving degree in the stable state are displayed in the stable state area, respectively. 1011 and 1012 are displayed. The longer the comfort level is, the longer the bars 1001 and 1011 are, and the higher the energy saving level is, the higher the bars 1002 and 1012 are. In this way, by expressing the degree of comfort and the degree of energy saving in the current state and the stable state in a bar graph, it becomes easy to compare each value. That is, the user can grasp at a glance how the comfort level and the energy saving degree change in the stable state from the comfort level and the energy saving degree in the current state. Here, the display screen 1000 is graphicized so that the comfort level when the operation is continued according to the setting content and the comfort level when the user operation is performed can be compared, and the energy saving when the operation is continued according to the setting content. This is an example of a display screen containing information that is graphically comparable to the degree and the degree of energy saving when the user operates.

Further, in the lower left of the display screen 1000, an area 1003 for displaying the user setting contents in the current state as text is provided. Further, in the lower right of the display screen 1000, an area 1013 for displaying the actual setting contents in the stable state as text is provided.

Next, the execution timing of the display process will be described. When the user sets the user setting contents using the remote controller 104 and presses the operation start button, the centralized control device 101 receives a display instruction of the comfort level and the energy saving level via the indoor unit 103 and starts the display process. do. Further, even after the start of operation, if the remote controller 104 is operated at a timing desired by the user, the display instruction is received and the display process is started. Further, it is also possible for the user to set the user setting contents by using the remote controller 104 and then transmit the display instruction before the start of operation. Then, in this case, the centralized traffic control device 101 receives the display instruction before the start of operation and starts the display process.

When the display instruction is received at the start of operation and before the start of operation, the screen creation unit 306 creates a display screen showing the degree of energy saving and the degree of comfort at the start of operation and the user setting contents as the current state. On the other hand, when the screen creation unit 306 receives the display instruction at the timing between the time t11 and the time t12 shown in FIG. 8, for example, the screen creation unit 306 indicates the energy saving degree and the comfort degree at the timing when the display instruction is received, and displays the display instruction. The actual setting contents at the timing of are displayed. As another example, when the screen creation unit 306 receives the display instruction between the time t11 and the time t12, the user setting content is replaced with the actual setting content, or the screen creation unit 306 is set in the area 1003 together with the actual setting content. It may be displayed.

As described above, the centralized control device 101 of the air conditioning system 100 of the present embodiment has the user setting contents set before actually starting the operation with the user setting contents when the user setting contents are set. It is possible to predict the degree of comfort and the degree of energy saving and present it to the user. Further, the centralized control device 101 uses logs of the comfort level and the energy saving level obtained according to a plurality of setting contents in the environment in which the indoor unit 103 is installed for predicting the comfort level and the energy saving level. Therefore, it is possible to present highly reliable values as the comfort level and the energy saving level presented to the user. That is, the air conditioning system 100 can present in advance the degree of comfort and the degree of energy saving when the operation of the indoor unit is continued according to the setting contents of the indoor unit 103 according to the user operation.

Further, as shown in FIG. 10, on the display screen 1000, the information of the current state and the information of the stable state are displayed on one screen. This allows the user to easily compare the current state with the stable state. In addition, since the numerical values for the comfort level and the energy saving level are displayed in a bar graph shape, the user can intuitively grasp the magnitude of each value.

A modification 1 of the first embodiment will be described. The CPU 201 may be able to display the comfort level of the air-conditioned space by the indoor unit 103 and the energy saving level of the air conditioning system when the operation of the indoor unit 103 is continued according to the setting contents of the indoor unit 103 according to the user operation. , It is not limited to displaying the comfort level and the energy saving level in a stable state. For example, the CPU 201 has a history table as shown in FIG. 6, together with information on the time elapsed from the user setting every predetermined time (for example, every 30 minutes), the actual setting contents at that time, the comfort level, and the energy saving level. Remember in. Then, the CPU 201 searches the record after the lapse of time (for example, after 30 minutes) specified by the user from the history table, and the comfort degree, the energy saving degree, and the like included in the record acquired as the search result are shown in FIG. It may be displayed as shown in.

Modification 2 will be described. The centralized control device 101 periodically stores information such as power consumption from the outdoor unit 102 and the indoor unit 103, and stores the information in the table of the own device. However, the centralized control device 101 only needs to be able to acquire the information necessary for the processing when the processing is performed, and the timing of acquiring each information is not limited to the embodiment.

Modification 3 will be described. In the first embodiment, the centralized traffic control device 101 displays the information related to the stable state and the information related to the current state on the display screen 1000. However, the centralized traffic control device 101 may display at least information related to the stable state on the display screen. By displaying the comfort level and the energy saving degree in the stable state, the user can know what kind of comfort level and the energy saving degree will be when the operation is continued with the current setting contents and the stable state is reached. The centralized control device 101 may arbitrarily combine information other than the comfort level and the energy saving degree in the stable state and display the information together with the comfort level and the energy saving degree in the stable state.

Modification 4 will be described. The centralized control device 101 may transmit the display screen 1000 described with reference to FIG. 10 or the information necessary for creating the display screen to another device via wireless communication or the like. For example, the centralized traffic control device 101 may transmit to the remote controller 104 via the indoor unit 103. Further, as another example, the centralized traffic control device 101 may transmit to an external terminal such as a user's mobile terminal. The device that has received the display screen 1000 or the like displays the display screen on the display unit of the own device.

Modification 5 will be described. In the first embodiment, the history registration process and the display process are performed by the centralized control device 101, but the main body of each process is not limited to the centralized control device 101. As another example, the outdoor unit 102, the indoor unit 103, or the remote controller 104 may perform these processes. Further, these processes may be realized by the cooperation of the devices constituting the air conditioning system. For example, the indoor unit 103 may perform the history registration process and write the log information in the history table 316 stored in the centralized control device 101, and the centralized control device 101 may perform the display process.

Modification 6 will be described. In the first embodiment, the air conditioning system 100 has one outdoor unit 102 and one indoor unit 103. However, the air conditioning system 100 may have a plurality of indoor units 103 for one outdoor unit 102. In such a configuration, the centralized traffic control device 101 holds a history table 316 for each indoor unit 103. Then, the centralized traffic control device 101 receives the display instruction specifying the indoor unit 103, and generates and displays a display screen related to the indoor unit 103 related to the display instruction. In this case, when calculating the energy saving degree of each indoor unit, the centralized control device 101 determines the ratio of the total power consumption of the outdoor unit according to the number of outdoor units and the capacity of each outdoor unit. It shall be used as power consumption.

Modification 7 will be described. The air conditioning system 100 may have a plurality of outdoor units 102 and a plurality of indoor units 103. In such a configuration, the centralized traffic control device 101 holds a history table as shown in FIG. 6 for each combination of the indoor unit 103 and the outdoor unit 102. Then, the centralized control device 101 searches for the corresponding record from the history table of the indoor unit 103 related to the display request and the outdoor unit 102 corresponding to the indoor unit 103, and from the comfort level and the energy saving level included in the searched record. A display screen as shown in FIG. 8 is generated and displayed.

Modification 8 will be described. The centralized control device 101 may be implemented as a plurality of devices on the network, for example, a cloud system, instead of one device. Further, the program related to the above-mentioned processing may be read out from a storage medium or the like via a network or provided to a system or an apparatus. Then, the CPU of the system or the device may read and execute the program.

A modification 9 will be described. The centralized control device 101 has the comfort level after the period specified by the simulation based on the setting contents of the indoor unit according to the user operation, the power consumption of the indoor unit and the outdoor unit, the temperature and humidity of the air-conditioned space of the indoor unit, and the comfort level. The energy saving degree may be estimated, and a screen as shown in FIG. 10 including the estimated comfort degree and the energy saving degree may be generated and displayed. That is, the centralized control device 101 estimates the comfort level of the air-conditioned space by the indoor unit 103 and the energy saving level related to the air conditioning system when the operation is continued according to the setting contents of the indoor unit related to the user setting, and the estimated comfort level and energy saving. Any processing or method may be used as long as the degree can be output.

<Embodiment 2>
The second embodiment will be described. The centralized control device 101 according to the second embodiment displays not only the information on the stable state according to the user setting content but also the information on the stable state when the setting content is changed from the user setting content.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of the display screen 1100 of the second embodiment. Similar to the display screen 1000 of the first embodiment, the display screen 1100 displays information such as the degree of comfort and the degree of energy saving in each of the current state and the stable state. However, on the display screen 1100 shown in FIG. 11, four states are displayed as stable states.

Here, the four stable states shown in FIG. 11 are, in order from the left, a stable state corresponding to the user setting content, a stable state when comfortable driving is performed by slightly changing the setting content from the user setting content, and a balance. It is a stable state when driving and a stable state when energy saving operation is performed.

In the leftmost area of the display screen 1100, bars 1101 and 1102 indicating the degree of comfort and the degree of energy saving in the current state, and an area 1103 displaying the user setting contents in the current state are displayed. In the second area from the left, the bars 1111 and 1112 indicating the comfort level and the energy saving level in the stable state when the user setting contents are continued, and the area 1113 displaying the actual setting contents in the stable state are displayed. .. Similarly, in the third and subsequent regions, the rods 1121, 1131, 1141 indicating the comfort level related to the stable state in the comfortable operation, the balanced operation and the energy-saving operation, and the rods 1122, 1132, 1142 indicating the energy-saving degree, respectively. Areas 1123, 1133, and 1143 that display the actual setting contents corresponding to the stable state are displayed.

When each area 1123, 1133, 1143 corresponding to the stable state when the setting content is changed is selected by the user, the communication processing unit 301 issues an operation instruction with the value of the selected setting content to the indoor unit. Send to 103. The indoor unit 103 that has received the operation instruction operates based on the value of the setting content included in the received operation instruction.

Hereinafter, the process for realizing the display related to the stable state when the user setting contents are changed will be described. Regarding the stable state related to comfortable driving, the screen creation unit 306 instructs the history management unit 304 to search using the value obtained by changing the user setting content of the record in the current state to be more comfortable driving as a search key. Then, the screen creation unit 306 acquires a record in a stable state as a search result from the history management unit 304. As a result, for example, as shown in FIG. 11, the temperature is changed from 27 degrees to 21 degrees, and the wind strength is changed from automatic (weak wind) to automatic (steep wind). The screen creation unit 306 arranges the texts of the bars 1121, 1122 and the area 1123 on the display screen 1100 based on the detected records.

Further, regarding the stable state related to the balanced operation, the screen creation unit 306 uses the value obtained by changing the user setting content of the record in the current state to be a more balanced operation as a search key to search the history management unit 304. To instruct. Then, the screen creation unit 306 acquires a record in a stable state from the history management unit 304. In the example of FIG. 11, the temperature is changed from 27 degrees to 23 degrees and the wind strength is changed from automatic (weak wind) to automatic (strong wind) for balanced operation.

Further, regarding the stable state related to the energy-saving operation, the screen creation unit 306 instructs the history management unit 304 to search using the value obtained by changing the user setting content of the record in the current state to be more energy-saving operation as a search key. .. Then, the screen creation unit 306 acquires a record in a stable state from the history management unit 304. In the example of FIG. 11, the temperature is changed from 27 degrees to 25 degrees for energy saving operation.

By using the information of each stable state obtained by the above processing, the screen creation unit 306 displays a display screen showing information corresponding to a plurality of stable states at the same time, as shown in FIG. It should be noted that a change condition indicating how to change the user setting content is set in advance for each stable state, and the screen creation unit 306 shall acquire information on each stable state according to the change condition.

According to the air conditioning system 100 of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 11, the settings of the indoor unit according to the user operation are changed so as to be comfortable operation, balanced operation, and energy-saving operation. It is possible to present the degree of comfort and the degree of energy saving in the case. Further, when the user selects one setting content from the plurality of setting contents, the indoor unit 103 or the like can be operated according to the setting content.

A modified example of the second embodiment will be described. In the second embodiment, when searching for comfortable operation, balanced operation, and energy-saving operation, the centralized control device 101 changes the setting contents and searches for a record in a stable state using the changed setting contents as a search key. Instead of this, when searching for comfortable operation, balanced operation, and energy-saving operation, the screen creation unit 306 changes either or both of the comfort level value and the energy-saving degree value according to the change conditions, and the value of the user setting content. Based on the changed comfort level value and energy saving level value, a record in a stable state may be acquired. As described in the second embodiment, the change condition referred to by the screen creation unit 306 may be a condition in which the change of the setting content is defined, and as described in the modification of the second embodiment, the energy saving degree associated with the setting content is satisfied. And the conditions may be specified to change the comfort level.

Although an example of the embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiment. The above-described embodiments and modifications may be carried out in any combination.

As described above, according to the above-mentioned air conditioning system 100, it is possible to present in advance the degree of comfort and the degree of energy saving when the operation of the indoor unit is continued according to the setting contents of the indoor unit according to the user operation.

Claims (16)

An air conditioning system equipped with an outdoor unit and an indoor unit.
A reception means that accepts input of settings related to the operation of the air conditioning system according to user operation, and
The comfort level in a stable state in which the operation of the indoor unit is continued according to the setting contents accepted by the reception means, and at least one change of the comfort level of the air-conditioned space by the indoor unit and the energy saving level of the air conditioning system is converged. And an estimation means for estimating the energy saving degree based on the setting contents, and
An output means for outputting the comfort level and the energy saving level in the stable state before the stable state is reached.
An air conditioning system characterized by having.
Further having a storage means for storing a table in which the setting contents corresponding to the user operation and the comfort level and the energy saving degree when the indoor unit continues to operate according to the setting contents are stored.
The air conditioning system according to claim 1, wherein the estimation means estimates the comfort level and the energy saving level with reference to the table. An acquisition means for acquiring the power consumption of the indoor unit and the outdoor unit when the user operation is performed, and the temperature and humidity of the air-conditioned space of the indoor unit.
A specific means for specifying the energy saving degree from the power consumption and specifying the comfort degree from the temperature and humidity.
Have more
The air conditioning system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the output means further outputs the comfort level and the energy saving level when the user operation is performed. Information in which the comfort level when the operation is continued according to the setting content and the comfort level when the user operation is performed can be compared, and the energy saving degree when the operation is continued according to the setting content. Further, it has a creating means for creating a display screen including graphic information that can be compared with the energy saving degree when the user operation is performed.
The air conditioning system according to claim 3, wherein the output means outputs the display screen. The air conditioning system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the output means further outputs the setting contents of the indoor unit when the operation is continued. The air conditioning system according to claim 3, wherein the output means further outputs the setting contents of the indoor unit when the user operation is performed. The estimation means changes the setting contents of the indoor unit according to the user operation according to predetermined conditions, and continues the operation of the indoor unit according to the changed setting contents, and the comfort level and the energy saving. Estimate the degree based on the changed settings ,
The air conditioning system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the output means outputs the comfort level and the energy saving level according to the changed setting content.
The estimation means changes the setting contents according to each of the plurality of conditions, estimates the comfort level and the energy saving degree corresponding to each of the plurality of conditions, and estimates the degree of energy saving.
The air conditioning system according to claim 7, wherein the output means outputs the comfort level and the energy saving level corresponding to each of the plurality of conditions. The eighth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, when any of the plurality of conditions is specified, the transmission means for transmitting the operation instruction with the setting contents corresponding to the conditions to the indoor unit is further provided. Air conditioning system. An acquisition means for acquiring the power consumption of the indoor unit and the outdoor unit when the user operation is performed, and the temperature and humidity of the air-conditioned space of the indoor unit.
A specific means for specifying the energy saving degree from the power consumption and specifying the comfort degree from the temperature and humidity.
Have more
The estimation means changes the setting contents of the indoor unit according to the user operation according to predetermined conditions, and continues the operation of the indoor unit according to the changed setting contents, and the comfort level and the energy saving. Estimate the degree based on the contents of the changed settings,
It is possible to compare the comfort level when the operation is continued according to the setting content, the comfort level when the user operation is performed, and the comfort level when the operation is continued according to the changed setting content. The energy saving degree when the operation is continued according to the setting contents including the graphic information, the energy saving degree when the user operation is performed, and the operation when the operation is continued according to the changed setting contents. It also has a means of creating a display screen that includes information that is graphicized so that it can be compared with the degree of energy saving.
The air conditioning system according to claim 1, wherein the output means outputs the display screen. When the air conditioning system starts operation with the setting contents according to the user operation, the indoor unit after the air conditioning system is brought into a predetermined state by the operation according to the setting contents. , An acquisition means for acquiring the power consumption of the outdoor unit, and the temperature and humidity of the air-conditioned space of the indoor unit.
A specific means for specifying the degree of energy saving from the power consumption and the degree of comfort from the temperature and the humidity .
Have more
The air conditioning system according to claim 2, wherein the storage means records the setting contents according to the user operation in association with the specified comfort degree and the energy saving degree in the table. .. The table is characterized in that the air-conditioned space of the indoor unit and the comfort level and the energy saving level predicted based on the capacity of the indoor unit are stored in advance as default values in association with the setting contents. The air conditioning system according to claim 2. In the table, the air-conditioned space of the indoor unit and the comfort level and the energy saving level predicted based on the capacity of the indoor unit are stored in advance as default values in association with the setting contents.
The output means acquires the comfort level and the energy saving degree stored in preference to the default value from the table using the setting content corresponding to the user operation as a search key, and obtains the comfort level and the energy saving degree. The air conditioning system according to claim 11, wherein the degree is output.
A reception means that accepts input of settings related to the operation of the air conditioning system according to user operation,
The operation of the indoor unit is continued according to the setting contents accepted by the reception means , and the change in at least one of the comfort level of the air-conditioned space and the energy saving degree of the air conditioning system by the indoor unit is converged. An estimation means for estimating the comfort level and the energy saving level based on the setting contents, and
An information processing apparatus comprising: a control means for outputting the comfort level and the energy saving level in the stable state before the stable state is reached.
It is an information processing method executed by an air conditioning system equipped with an outdoor unit and an indoor unit.
A reception process that accepts input of settings related to the operation of the air conditioning system according to user operation, and
The comfort level in a stable state in which the operation of the indoor unit is continued according to the setting contents received in the reception process, and at least one change of the comfort level of the air-conditioned space by the indoor unit and the energy saving level of the air conditioning system is converged. And the process of estimating the energy saving degree based on the setting contents, and
A step of outputting the comfort level and the energy saving level in the stable state before the stable state is reached.
An information processing method characterized by including.
Computer,
A reception means that accepts input of the settings of the indoor unit of the air conditioning system related to the operation of the air conditioning system according to the user operation.
The comfort level in a stable state in which the operation of the indoor unit is continued according to the setting contents accepted by the reception means, and at least one change of the comfort level of the air-conditioned space by the indoor unit and the energy saving level of the air conditioning system is converged. And an estimation means for estimating the energy saving degree based on the setting contents, and
A program for functioning as a control means for outputting the comfort level and the energy saving level in the stable state before the stable state is reached.

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