JP7199597B2 - Air conditioning system and method for controlling air conditioner - Google Patents

Description

The present disclosure relates to an air conditioning system that air-conditions a space to be air-conditioned, and a control method for an air conditioner.

In recent years, due to the effects of changes in the external environment such as global warming, there is an increasing need for improving the comfort of living environments. BACKGROUND ART As for air conditioners, the role of maintaining comfortable thermal sensations of people living there is increasing in importance. A comfort index called PMV (Predicted Mean Vote) has been proposed to realize comfort. An air-conditioning control system that monitors the PMV of a user in an air-conditioned space and controls an air conditioner has been disclosed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

The air conditioning control system disclosed in Patent Document 1 maintains the PMV of a neighbor at a predetermined distance from the requester within a predetermined range when performing local air conditioning that sends a local airflow toward the requester, and Local air-conditioning is performed so that the PMV of is within a predetermined range. The air conditioning control system disclosed in Patent Document 1 reduces local air conditioning when the neighbor's PMV deviates from a predetermined range.

WO2008/087959

The air-conditioning control system disclosed in Patent Document 1 performs control to weaken local air-conditioning, prioritizing the comfort of the neighbor over the requester when the PMV of the neighbor deviates from a predetermined range. In this case, local air conditioning weakens, and it takes time for the requester's PMV to enter a predetermined range. Meanwhile, the requester has to put up with discomfort. In the air-conditioning control system disclosed in Patent Literature 1, when there are multiple users in the space to be air-conditioned, if the comfort of some users is improved, the comfort of the rest of the users is impaired.

The present disclosure has been made to solve the problems described above, and provides an air conditioning system and an air conditioning apparatus control method that improve the comfort of a plurality of users in an air-conditioned space. be.

An air conditioning system according to the present disclosure includes an air conditioning apparatus that air-conditions an air-conditioned space, and for a plurality of users in the air-conditioned space, the amount of activity of each user and the position of each user in the air-conditioned space are detected. A group including a person detection means and a comfort index distribution, which is a distribution of a comfort index indicating a user's comfort level in the air-conditioned space corresponding to each of the plurality of air conditioning control patterns of the air conditioner, is divided into a plurality of activities. a storage device for storing each amount; specifying the group corresponding to the amount of activity detected by the person detecting means for each user; and detecting the person from a plurality of the comfort index distributions in the specified group. extracting the plurality of comfort indices corresponding to the position detected by the means, and using the plurality of comfort indices extracted corresponding to the position of each user, for each of the plurality of air conditioning control patterns; a control device that calculates a comfort efficiency indicating a comprehensive comfort level of a plurality of users, and obtains an air conditioning control pattern that maximizes the calculated comfort efficiency among the plurality of air conditioning control patterns. .

A control method for an air conditioner according to the present disclosure includes human detection means for detecting the amount of activity of each user and the position of each user in the air-conditioned space for a plurality of users in the air-conditioned space, and a storage device. A method of controlling an air conditioner by a connected control device, wherein comfort is a distribution of comfort indices indicating user comfort levels in the air-conditioned space corresponding to each of a plurality of air conditioning control patterns of the air conditioner. a step of storing a group including a gender index distribution for each of a plurality of amounts of activity; a step of specifying, for each user, the group corresponding to the amount of activity detected by the person detection means; a step of extracting a plurality of said comfort indices corresponding to positions detected by said person detection means from a plurality of said comfort index distributions within the specified group; a step of calculating a comfort efficiency indicating an overall comfort level of the plurality of users for each of the plurality of air conditioning control patterns using the plurality of comfort indices; and obtaining an air conditioning control pattern that maximizes the comfort efficiency.

According to the present disclosure, a group including comfort index distributions in an air-conditioned space corresponding to each of a plurality of air-conditioning control patterns is obtained in accordance with the amount of activity of each user in the air-conditioned space. Also, a plurality of comfort indices are extracted from a plurality of comfort index distributions in the group, corresponding to the position of each user in the air-conditioned space. Then, based on a plurality of comfort indices for each user, an air conditioning control pattern that maximizes comfort efficiency for a plurality of users is obtained from the plurality of air conditioning control patterns. By having the air conditioner perform air conditioning according to the air conditioning control pattern that maximizes comfort efficiency for multiple users, it is possible to improve comfort for multiple users.

1 is a diagram showing one configuration example of an air conditioning system according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 2 is a refrigerant circuit diagram showing one configuration example of the air conditioner shown in FIG. 1. FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic side view showing one configuration example of the load-side unit shown in FIG. 2; FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between the angle of the first flap shown in FIG. 3 and the blowing direction of air; FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between the angle of the second flap shown in FIG. 3 and the blowing direction of air; 3 is a diagram showing an example of a vertical range of temperature distribution detected by the infrared sensor shown in FIG. 2; FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a horizontal range of temperature distribution detected by the infrared sensor shown in FIG. 2; FIG. FIG. 3 is an image diagram showing an example of a two-dimensional image in which temperature distribution detected by the infrared sensor shown in FIG. 2 is displayed; 3 is a functional block diagram showing a configuration example of a control device shown in FIG. 2; FIG. FIG. 10 is a hardware configuration diagram showing one configuration example of the control device shown in FIG. 9; FIG. 10 is a hardware configuration diagram showing another configuration example of the control device shown in FIG. 9; 2 is a functional block diagram showing one configuration example of a control device of the information processing device shown in FIG. 1; FIG. FIG. 10 is a table showing examples of combinations describing types of activities and energy metabolic rates representing activity amounts; FIG. FIG. 13 is a hardware configuration diagram showing a configuration example of the arithmetic unit shown in FIG. 12; 2 is a layout diagram showing an example of an air-conditioned space air-conditioned by the air conditioner shown in FIG. 1. FIG. It is a table|surface which shows an example of each user's activity amount and position. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an operation procedure of the information processing apparatus according to Embodiment 1; FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing an operation procedure of the information processing apparatus according to Embodiment 1; It is a table which shows an example of the calculation result of comfort efficiency. FIG. 11 is an image diagram showing an example of IPMV distribution in the case of the air conditioning control pattern determined in step S107; FIG. 10 is an image diagram showing another example of IPMV distribution in the case of the air conditioning control pattern determined in step S107; FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a configuration example of an air conditioning system of modification 1;

Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Various specific setting examples described in the present embodiment are examples, and are not limited to the described setting examples. Further, in the embodiments of the present disclosure, communication means either one or both of wireless communication and wired communication. In the present embodiment, communication may be a communication method in which wireless communication and wired communication are mixed. The communication method may be, for example, wireless communication in one section and wired communication in another space. Also, communication from one device to another device may be performed by wire communication, and communication from another device to another device may be performed by wireless communication.

Embodiment 1.
The configuration of the air conditioning system 1 of Embodiment 1 will be described. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of an air conditioning system according to Embodiment 1. FIG. As shown in FIG. 1, an air conditioning system includes an air conditioning device 10 for conditioning the air in a room to be air conditioned, a person detection means 30 for detecting the amount of activity and position of a user in the room, and an air conditioning device. 10 and an information processing device 2 communicatively connected to the human detection means 30 . Air conditioning apparatus 10 and human detection means 30 are connected for communication with information processing apparatus 2 via network 50 . Network 50 is, for example, the Internet.

The person detection means 30 has an activity amount detection means 32 for detecting the amount of activity of the user in the room, and a position detection means 31 for detecting the position of the user in the room.

The configuration of the air conditioner 10 shown in FIG. 1 will be described. FIG. 2 is a refrigerant circuit diagram showing one configuration example of the air conditioner shown in FIG. The air conditioner 10 has a heat source side unit 104 that generates a heat source, and a load side unit 103 that uses the heat source generated by the heat source side unit 104 to adjust indoor air. The heat source side unit 104 has a compressor 119 , a heat source side heat exchanger 116 , an expansion valve 117 , a blower 114 and a four-way valve 118 . The load-side unit 103 has a load-side heat exchanger 115 , a blower 113 , a wind direction adjusting section 105 and a control device 130 .

The wind direction adjusting section 105 has a first flap 4 and a second flap 5 that adjust the blowing direction of air blown from the load side unit 103 . An environment detector 120 is provided in the load-side unit 103 . The environment detection unit 120 includes a room temperature sensor 121 that detects the temperature of the air in the room, a humidity sensor 122 that detects the humidity of the air in the room, and a temperature sensor 122 that detects the temperature Tb of the air blown out from the load-side unit 103 into the room. and a sensor 123 . In addition, the load side unit 103 is provided with an infrared sensor 140 that detects the temperature distribution of the indoor space. The infrared sensor 140 functions as the person detection means 30 shown in FIG.

A compressor 119, a heat source side heat exchanger 116, an expansion valve 117, and a load side heat exchanger 115 are connected by a refrigerant pipe 110 to form a refrigerant circuit 102 in which refrigerant circulates. Compressor 119 , expansion valve 117 , blower 114 , four-way valve 118 , and wind direction adjusting section 105 are connected for communication with controller 130 . Environment detection unit 120 and infrared sensor 140 are connected for communication with control device 130 .

Compressor 119 compresses and discharges the sucked refrigerant. Compressor 119 is, for example, an inverter type compressor whose capacity can be changed. The four-way valve 118 changes the flow direction of the refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant circuit 102 . The expansion valve 117 decompresses and expands the refrigerant. The expansion valve 117 is, for example, an electronic expansion valve. The heat source side heat exchanger 116 is a heat exchanger that exchanges heat between refrigerant and outside air. The load-side heat exchanger 115 is a heat exchanger that exchanges heat between refrigerant and indoor air. The heat source side heat exchanger 116 and the load side heat exchanger 115 are, for example, fin-tube heat exchangers.

A heat pump is formed by the refrigerant circulating through the refrigerant circuit 102 while repeating compression and expansion. The load-side unit 103 adjusts indoor air by performing operations such as cooling, heating, dehumidification, humidification, moisturization, and ventilation. Although FIG. 2 shows the case where the control device 130 is provided in the load side unit 103 , the installation position of the control device 130 is not limited to the load side unit 103 . The control device 130 may be provided in the heat source side unit 104 or may be provided in a position other than both the load side unit 103 and the heat source side unit 104 . Also, the air conditioner 10 may be provided with a temperature sensor (not shown) that detects the condensation temperature and the evaporation temperature.

3 is a schematic side view showing one configuration example of the load-side unit shown in FIG. 2. FIG. The load side unit 103 is embedded in the ceiling 70 . When the blower 113 rotates, an air current is formed in the load-side unit 103 in the direction indicated by the dashed arrow, and the air is blown into the room through the outlet 6 . The outlet 6 is provided with a first flap 4 and a second flap 5 . The second flap 5 has a front wing 5a and a rear wing 5b.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between the angle of the first flap shown in FIG. 3 and the air blowing direction. As shown in FIG. 4, the first flap 4 has wings 4a-4d. For the sake of explanation, FIG. 4 shows blades 4a to 4d that are seen through when the load side unit 103 is viewed from above. The angle of the blades 4a to 4d of the first flap 4 is represented as θh, and the front direction of the load side unit 103 (opposite direction of the X-axis arrow) is set as the horizontal reference θh0=0°. In FIG. 4, the air blowing direction ad1 at the horizontal angle θh1 is indicated by a dashed arrow, and the air blowing direction ad2 at the horizontal angle θh2 is indicated by a solid arrow.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between the angle of the second flap shown in FIG. 3 and the air blowing direction. In FIG. 5, of the second flap 5 shown in FIG. 3, of the second flap 5 shown in FIG. 3, the front blade 5a is shown enlarged and the illustration of the rear blade 5b is omitted for explanation. With the downward direction of the load-side unit 103 (opposite direction of the Z-axis arrow) as a vertical reference Vax, the angle of the front blade 5a is represented as θv. In FIG. 5, the solid line arrow indicates the air blowing direction ad3 at the vertical angle θv1, and the broken line arrow indicates the air blowing direction ad4 at the vertical angle θv2.

In the first embodiment, the load-side unit 103 is of the ceiling-embedded type, but is not limited to the ceiling-embedded type. , may be of other types. Moreover, the configuration of the load side unit 103 shown in FIG. 3 is an example, and the configuration is not limited to that shown in FIG. The arrangement of load-side heat exchanger 115 and blower 113 is not limited to the configuration shown in FIG.

Further, the configuration for adjusting the blowing direction of the air blown from the load side unit 103 is not limited to the wind direction adjusting section 105 described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 5. FIG. The wind direction adjusting unit 105 has two types of vanes, the first flap 4 for adjusting the angle in the horizontal direction and the second flap 5 for adjusting the angle in the vertical direction. Among them, a configuration in which one type of vane whose angle can be adjusted in any direction is provided may be used. Further, the means for adjusting the blowing direction of the air blown from the load-side unit 103 is not limited to means such as the wind direction adjusting section 105, and means for changing the direction of the air outlet itself may be used. For example, means for changing the vertical and horizontal angles of the outlet may be considered.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a vertical range of temperature distribution detected by the infrared sensor shown in FIG. As in FIG. 5, the angle in the vertical direction with respect to the vertical reference Vax is assumed to be θv. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a horizontal range of temperature distribution detected by the infrared sensor shown in FIG. As in FIG. 4, the angle in the horizontal direction with respect to the horizontal reference .theta.h0 is assumed to be .theta.h. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the infrared sensor 140 has a certain range of angle θv in the vertical direction with respect to the direction of the wall facing the load side unit 103 (opposite direction of the Y-axis arrow) and an angle θv in the horizontal direction. The temperature distribution in the room is measured within a certain range of the angle θh of .

FIG. 8 is an image diagram showing an example of the case where the temperature distribution detected by the infrared sensor shown in FIG. 2 is displayed in a two-dimensional image. For the sake of explanation, in FIG. 8, the boundaries between each of the walls, floor and ceiling and other portions are indicated by dashed lines. In general, the thermal conductivity of each material of walls, floors, and ceilings is different, so in a two-dimensional image showing temperature distribution, the temperatures of walls, floors, and ceilings are different from each other, and each boundary can be detected. .

In the image Img shown in FIG. 8, the higher the pattern density, the higher the temperature. Since warm air tends to stay closer to the ceiling than the floor FL, the density of the pattern is higher on the ceiling side than on the floor FL. Since the temperature of the floor surface FL is low, no pattern is displayed. Referring to the image Img shown in FIG. 8, it can be seen that when there is a person in the room, the surface temperature of the human body is different from the temperature of the floor FL and the walls, so the position of the human body can be detected. Image Img in FIG. 8 shows a case where the positions of user MA and user MB in the room are detected. Also, by comparing the density of patterns indicating the surface temperatures of users MA and MB, it is possible to estimate the amount of activity of each user. In the image Img shown in FIG. 8, the density of the pattern of the user MB is higher than that of the user MA, so it can be inferred that the amount of activity of the user MB is larger than that of the user MA.

FIG. 9 is a functional block diagram showing one configuration example of the control device shown in FIG. Control device 130 is, for example, a microcomputer. The control device 130 has refrigeration cycle control means 131 and communication means 132 . Various functions of the control device 130 are realized by an arithmetic device such as a microcomputer executing software. Also, the control device 130 may be configured with hardware such as a circuit device that implements various functions.

The refrigerating cycle control means 131 controls the four-way valve 118 in response to operations such as cooling, heating, dehumidification, humidification, moisture retention, and ventilation of the load side unit 103 . The refrigerating cycle control means 131 controls the refrigerating cycle of the refrigerant circuit 102 based on the room temperature, set temperature, humidity and set humidity. For example, the refrigerating cycle control means 131 controls the operating frequency of the compressor 119 and the opening of the expansion valve 117 so that the room temperature matches the set temperature within a certain range and the indoor humidity matches the set humidity within a certain range. and the number of rotations of fans 113 and 114. The wind speed W of the airflow generated by the blower 113 can be selected, for example, from three levels of high, medium and low. The set temperature and set humidity are set by the user in control device 130 via a remote controller (not shown).

The refrigerating cycle control means 131 also transmits environmental information including the room temperature detected by the room temperature sensor 121 and the humidity detected by the humidity sensor 122 to the communication means 132 . The refrigeration cycle control means 131 transmits operating information including the frequency of the compressor 119 , the condensation temperature, the evaporation temperature, and the opening of the expansion valve 117 to the communication means 132 . The operating information includes temperature Tb detected by temperature sensor 123, horizontal angle θh of first flap 4, vertical angle θv of second flap 5, and airflow information including wind speed W. good too.

Furthermore, the refrigerating cycle control means 131 analyzes the two-dimensional image of the temperature distribution detected by the infrared sensor 140, and pairs the position information indicating the user's position in the room with the temperature data, which is the surface temperature data of the user. The received user information is transmitted to the communication means 132 . The position information is information indicating a position represented by a horizontal angle θh and a vertical angle θv with respect to the load-side unit 103 . When there are multiple users in the room, the refrigeration cycle control means 131 transmits information on the multiple users to the communication means 132 . The refrigerating cycle control means 131 may transmit two-dimensional image data of the temperature distribution detected by the infrared sensor 140 to the communication means 132 instead of the plurality of pieces of user information.

Furthermore, when the refrigerating cycle control means 131 receives the information on the air conditioning control pattern from the communication means 132, it controls the wind direction adjusting section 105 and the blower 113 according to the air conditioning control pattern. Specifically, the refrigerating cycle control means 131 adjusts the blowing temperature, wind speed, and wind direction in accordance with the air conditioning control pattern.

The air conditioning control pattern includes, for example, the temperature Tb detected by the temperature sensor 123 , the horizontal angle θh of the first flap 4 , the vertical angle θv of the second flap 5 , and the airflow from the load side unit 103 . It is a combination of four control parameters with the wind speed W of the air. A plurality of air-conditioning control patterns are patterns in which at least one control parameter among these four control parameters is different from each other. Specific examples of multiple air conditioning control patterns will be described later.

The communication means 132 transmits environmental information, driving information and user information received from the refrigeration cycle control means 131 to the information processing device 2 . When the communication means 132 receives the two-dimensional image data representing the temperature distribution from the refrigeration cycle control means 131 , the communication means 132 transmits the two-dimensional image data to the information processing device 2 . When the information on the air conditioning control pattern is received from the information processing device 2 , the communication means 132 transmits the received information on the air conditioning control pattern to the refrigeration cycle control means 131 . The communication means 132 transmits and receives information to and from the information processing device 2 according to, for example, TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol).

Here, an example of hardware of the control device 130 shown in FIG. 9 will be described. FIG. 10 is a hardware configuration diagram showing one configuration example of the control device shown in FIG. When various functions of the control device 130 are performed by hardware, the control device 130 shown in FIG. 9 is configured with a processing circuit 80 as shown in FIG. Each function of the refrigerating cycle control means 131 and the communication means 132 shown in FIG. 9 is implemented by the processing circuit 80 .

When each function is implemented in hardware, the processing circuit 80 may be, for example, a single circuit, a composite circuit, a programmed processor, a parallel programmed processor, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate). Array), or a combination thereof. Each of the functions of the refrigerating cycle control means 131 and the communication means 132 may be realized by the processing circuit 80 . Moreover, the function of each means of the refrigerating cycle control means 131 and the communication means 132 may be realized by one processing circuit 80 .

Another example of hardware of the control device 130 shown in FIG. 9 will be described. FIG. 11 is a hardware configuration diagram showing another configuration example of the control device shown in FIG. When various functions of the control device 130 are executed by software, the control device 130 shown in FIG. 9 is composed of a processor 81 and a memory 82 as shown in FIG. Each function of the refrigerating cycle control means 131 and the communication means 132 is implemented by the processor 81 and the memory 82 . FIG. 11 shows that processor 81 and memory 82 are communicatively connected to each other via bus 83 .

When each function is executed by software, the functions of the refrigeration cycle control means 131 and the communication means 132 are realized by software, firmware, or a combination of software and firmware. Software and firmware are written as programs and stored in memory 82 . The processor 81 implements the functions of each means by reading and executing the programs stored in the memory 82 .

As the memory 82, for example, non-volatile semiconductor memories such as ROM (Read Only Memory), flash memory, EPROM (Erasable and Programmable ROM) and EEPROM (Electrically Erasable and Programmable ROM) are used. As the memory 82, a volatile semiconductor memory of RAM (Random Access Memory) may be used. Furthermore, as the memory 82, removable recording media such as magnetic disks, flexible disks, optical disks, CDs (Compact Discs), MDs (Mini Discs) and DVDs (Digital Versatile Discs) may be used.

Next, before describing the configuration of the information processing device 2 shown in FIG. 1, the comfort index used when the information processing device 2 determines the air conditioning control pattern of the air conditioner 10 will be described. First, PMV, which is a kind of comfort index, will be described.

For a person, fatigue during work and the feeling of ease of work are composed of physical environmental factors such as thermal environment, visual environment and sound environment surrounding the person. Thermal environments are, for example, temperature, humidity, airflow and radiation. The visual environment is, for example, illuminance. The sound environment is, for example, sound pressure. A complex environment, which is a combination of these environmental factors, affects the work fit and fatigue of a person working in that environment.

PMV is a value proposed by Professor Fanger of the Technical University of Denmark as an index for numerically evaluating human comfort and thermal sensation in a thermal environment. PMV was internationally standardized as ISO-7730 in 1984. PMV combines the heat load of the human body and the thermal sensation of the human body. Specifically, in the PMV, a heat balance formula for the human body is set up by elements on the air environment side and elements on the human body side. It is calculated by substituting the formula of Factors on the air environment side are not only air temperature, but also factors such as radiant temperature, radiant temperature, humidity and airflow. The factors on the human body side are factors such as the amount of human activity, the amount of clothing, and the average skin temperature.

The amount of activity is an example of a person's biological information, and is expressed in units of exercise intensity called MET (Metabolic Equivalent). Various movements have been quantified using MET. For example, the exercise intensity is defined as 1 MET when a person is watching television while sitting at rest.

In the first embodiment, a case where the comfort index is IPMV (Individual PMV), which is an individual comfort index, will be described. The IPMV value is a value based on PMV, but it is not the average value of the thermal sensation of the entire space to be air-conditioned, but rather indicates the local thermal sensation, which is the thermal sensation of the specified location by specifying the position where a person is present. value. Local thermal sensation is sometimes referred to as local comfort level.

The eight variables in equation (1) will be explained. M is the metabolic rate [W/m ² ] and W is the mechanical work [W/m ² ]. Ed is the amount of insensible perspiration [W/m ² ], and Es is the amount of perspiration evaporative heat loss from the skin surface [W/m ² ]. Ere is the amount of latent heat loss due to respiration [W/m ² ], and Cre is the amount of sensible heat loss due to respiration [W/m ² ]. R is the amount of radiant heat loss [W/m ² ] and C is the amount of convective heat loss [W/m ² ].

As shown in Equation (1), the IPMV is a numerical representation of human thermal sensation based on temperature, humidity, radiation temperature, and the like. The range of IPMV is -3 to +3. IPMV=0 is regarded as neutral. Comfortable is defined when IPMV=0. IPMV=3 is defined as hot, IPMV=2 is defined as warm, and IPMV=1 is defined as slightly warm. IPMV=-3 is defined as cold, IPMV=-2 is defined as cool, and IPMV=-1 is defined as slightly cool. That is, it is defined that the closer the IPMV is to 0, the more comfortable the person is.

Next, the configuration of the information processing device 2 shown in FIG. 1 will be described. FIG. 12 is a functional block diagram showing one configuration example of the control device of the information processing device shown in FIG. The information processing device 2 obtains an optimum air conditioning control pattern based on a storage device 21 that stores an IPMV database, and the amount of activity, position, and comfort index of a plurality of users in the room, and provides control to the air conditioning device 10. a device 22; The storage device 21 is, for example, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive). The control device 22 is, for example, a microcomputer. Various functions of the control device 22 are realized by an arithmetic circuit such as a microcomputer executing software. This software is written with a procedure shown in a flowchart (FIG. 18) to be described later.

The control device 22 includes data acquisition means 11 , model generation means 12 , activity amount determination means 13 , position determination means 14 , efficiency calculation means 15 and control determination means 16 . Storage device 21 stores a standard three-dimensional fluid model for generating the IPMV database. The storage device 21 stores the IPMV database generated by the model generation means 12 . The IPMV database has a configuration in which a group including a comfort index distribution, which is a distribution of the user's comfort index in a room corresponding to each of a plurality of air conditioning control patterns of the air conditioner 10, is provided for each of a plurality of activity amounts. is.

The data acquisition means 11 causes the storage device 21 to store environmental information, operation information, and user information received from the air conditioner 10 at regular intervals. The data acquisition means 11 stores information received from the air conditioner 10 at regular intervals in the storage device 21 in chronological order, and monitors the operating state of the air conditioner 10 . The model generating means 12 reads environmental information and operational information from the storage device 21 and reflects the read information on a standard three-dimensional fluid model to generate an IPMV database. The activity amount determining means 13 refers to the IPMV database and identifies a group corresponding to the activity amount detected by the infrared sensor 140 for each user.

Position determining means 14 extracts a plurality of comfort indices corresponding to the position detected by infrared sensor 140 from a plurality of comfort index distributions within the group specified by activity amount determining means 13 for each user. Efficiency calculation means 15 calculates a comfort efficiency ζ indicating the overall comfort level of a plurality of users for each of a plurality of air conditioning control patterns, using a plurality of comfort indices extracted corresponding to each user's position. . The control determining means 16 obtains an air conditioning control pattern that maximizes the calculated comfort efficiency ζ among the plurality of air conditioning control patterns. The control determining means 16 transmits the determined air conditioning control pattern to the air conditioner 10 .

The control device 22 transmits to the air conditioner 10 an air conditioning control pattern that changes the wind direction, wind volume, etc. so that the IPMV at the position where the user is located approaches neutral. The control device 22 determines an air-conditioning control pattern so that the IPMV at the position where the user is located is close to neutral, rather than trying to neutralize the PMV in the entire area of the room, and controls the IPMV at the position where the user is not located. Not included in the determining elements of the pattern. The configurations of the model generation means 12 and the efficiency calculation means 15 among the means of the control device 22 shown in FIG. 12 will be described in detail.

The configuration of the model generating means 12 shown in FIG. 12 will be described. The values of the eight variables in Equation (1) can be derived from the six values of room temperature, wind speed, radiant temperature and humidity, and the user's amount of clothing and activity. In IPMV, room temperature, wind speed, and radiation temperature are values corresponding to the user's position. Therefore, here, the room temperature is the local temperature, the wind speed is the local wind speed, and the radiation temperature is the local radiation temperature. The method by which the model generating means 12 obtains these six values will be described below.

As the local temperature, the model generating means 12 uses CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics), which is an example of computational fluid analysis, to simulate the temperature distribution of the air-conditioned space corresponding to the air-conditioning control pattern. Estimate the temperature of Humidity is detected by humidity sensor 122 . The model generating means 12 acquires humidity information from the operating information stored in the storage device 21 . As the local wind speed, the model generating means 12 estimates the wind speed at a specific position from the wind speed of the air in the entire space to be air-conditioned in the CFD analysis results. The local radiant temperature is assumed to be comparable to room temperature. Therefore, the model generating means 12 acquires the detected value of the room temperature sensor 121 from the operating information stored in the storage device 21 .

As the amount of clothing, the model generating means 12 uses the two-dimensional image data received from the air conditioner 10 to estimate the clo value representing the thermal resistance of the clothing. Specifically, the model generating means 12 estimates the skin temperature, the amount of exposure of the skin, and the surface temperature of the clothes for each detected user from the two-dimensional image data. Then, the model generating means 12 refers to a claw value table in which the skin temperature, the amount of skin exposure, and the surface temperature of the clothes are associated with the clo value, and acquires the clo value of each user. The storage device 21 stores a claw value table. As the amount of activity, the model generating means 12 estimates the MET of each user from the two-dimensional image data received from the air conditioner 10 . For example, the storage device 21 stores in advance a MET table in which infrared detection values of two-dimensional image data and METs are associated with each other. The model generating means 12 refers to the MET table and reads out the MET corresponding to each user's infrared detection value.

The model generation means 12 uses CFD as a computational fluid analysis to generate an IPMV database for each activity amount independent of the position of the person in the air-conditioned space corresponding to a plurality of air-conditioning control patterns, and stores it. 21.

FIG. 13 is a table showing examples of combinations describing types of activities and energy metabolic rates representing activity amounts. The energy metabolic rate is calculated by Equation (2). Referring to FIG. 13, for example, the activity level of a sleeping person is 0.7 MET, and the activity level of a person sitting at rest is 1 MET.

An example of CFD calculation processing by the model generating means 12 will be described. First, the model generating means 12 three-dimensionally models the air-conditioned space to be simulated using a standard three-dimensional fluid model. Subsequently, the model generating means 12 partitions the modeled space to be air-conditioned, for example, in a grid pattern. Then, the model generation means 12 adds the boundary conditions gives the necessary initial conditions as Furthermore, the model generating means 12 analyzes the pressure, air volume, temperature, etc. in each rectangular area based on the boundary conditions such as heat entering from the wall and internal heat generation using the determined turbulence model and difference scheme. .

In Embodiment 1, IPMV is calculated corresponding to each air conditioning control pattern of a plurality of air conditioning control patterns. The plurality of air conditioning control patterns are, for example, three patterns related to the angle θh of the first flap 4, three patterns related to the angle θv of the second flap 5, three patterns related to the wind speed W, and three patterns related to the temperature Tb. are 81 combinations. That is, in the first embodiment, there are 3×3×3×3=81 air conditioning control patterns.

The horizontal angle θh of the first flap 4 has three patterns: 30° to the left (in the direction of the X-axis arrow in FIG. 4), 0°, and 30° to the right (in the direction opposite to the direction of the X-axis arrow in FIG. 4). The angle θv of the second flap 5 in the vertical direction has three patterns of θv=20°, 45° and 60°. The wind speed W has three patterns of high, medium and low. The temperature Tb of the air blown out from the load side unit 103 has three patterns of high, medium and low.

The model generation means 12 performs CFD analysis on 81 air conditioning control patterns for each activity amount such as 1 MET and 2 MET for the entire air conditioned space regardless of the position of the air conditioned space, IPMV in the air conditioned space Generate an IPMV distribution that is the distribution of . The IPMV distribution is obtained by dividing the air-conditioned space into a plurality of rectangular regions by CFD analysis, and storing the IPMV in the storage device 21 corresponding to each rectangular region. For example, the model generating means 12 generates 81 IPMV distributions for 1 MET activity amount and groups them into one group, and 81 IPMV distributions for 2 MET activity amounts into another group. In this manner, the model generating means 12 generates groups corresponding to each of the plurality of activity amounts, and stores the plurality of groups in the storage device 21 as the IPMV database. In Embodiment 1, the case where the activity amount is changed at intervals of 1 MET, 2 MET, etc. will be described, but the interval of the activity amount is not limited to 1.0. The activity interval may be 0.1 or 0.5.

The efficiency calculation means 15 calculates the comfort efficiency ζ for each of the plurality of air conditioning control patterns using the information on the user's position in the room and the amount of activity, using Equation (3).

In Equation (3), k is an identification number that differs for each user, and K is the number of users in the room. In the first embodiment, K≧2. The target value is that the personal comfort index IPMV is within ±0.5, and when |IPMVk|>0.5, |IPMVk| is set to 0.5.

The comfort efficiency ζ is a value that evaluates how close the thermal sensations of multiple users are to neutral (individual IPMV=0). The comfort efficiency ζ is a value indicating the overall comfort level of multiple users in the room. It is considered that the higher the comfort efficiency ζ (up to 100%), the more comfortable the multiple users in the room can be satisfied with. That is, the comfort efficiency .zeta.=100% means that a plurality of users are comfortable, and the comfort efficiency .zeta.=0% means that a plurality of users are uncomfortable. The control determining means 16 determines the air conditioning control pattern that maximizes the comfort efficiency .zeta. among the comfort efficiencies .zeta. corresponding to the 81 air conditioning control patterns.

An example of hardware of the control device 22 shown in FIG. 12 will be described. FIG. 14 is a hardware configuration diagram showing one configuration example of the arithmetic unit shown in FIG. When various functions of the control device 22 are executed by software, the control device 22 shown in FIG. 12 is composed of a processor 91 such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a memory 92 as shown in FIG. . Each function of data acquisition means 11 , model generation means 12 , activity amount determination means 13 , position determination means 14 , efficiency calculation means 15 and control determination means 16 is realized by processor 91 and memory 92 . FIG. 14 shows that processor 91 and memory 92 are communicatively connected to each other via bus 93 . Processor 91 and memory 92 are connected via bus 93 to storage device 21 shown in FIG. The memory 92 serves as a primary storage device, and the storage device 21 serves as a secondary storage device.

When each function is executed by software, the functions of data acquisition means 11, model generation means 12, activity amount determination means 13, position determination means 14, efficiency calculation means 15, and control determination means 16 are software, firmware, or software and firmware. Software and firmware are written as programs and stored in memory 92 . The processor 91 implements the functions of each means by reading and executing programs stored in the memory 92 . The memory 92 has, for example, the same configuration as the memory 82, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The model generating means 12 may learn the IPMV calculation method in advance using a neural network, and estimate the IPMV of the air-conditioned space from input conditions such as building load, area, and user's preference.

Also, the temperature Tb of the air blown out from the load side unit 103 linearly changes according to the building load and the operating frequency of the compressor 119 . Therefore, the model generating means 12 learns the optimum combination of the temperature Tb of the air blown from the load side unit 103, the angles θh and θv, and the wind speed W from the input conditions such as building load, area, and user's preference. Alternatively, the number of air conditioning control patterns to be selected may be narrowed down by a neural network. In this case, the control determination means 16 selects the optimum air conditioning control pattern from the narrowed number of air conditioning control patterns, so the air conditioning control pattern determination process is performed smoothly. The user's preference is, for example, the user's thermal sensation tendency.

Specifically, the storage device 21 stores, in time series, combination data that is a combination of an input condition including the heat load of the building in which the air conditioner 10 is installed and an air conditioning control pattern that maximizes the comfort efficiency ζ. do. Then, the control determination means 16 narrows down the number of air conditioning control patterns to be selected from among the plurality of air conditioning control patterns based on the plurality of combination data stored in chronological order. In this case, the input conditions include, in addition to the heat load of the building, the area where the air conditioner 10 is installed and the weather data of the area, the amount of solar radiation in the building, and information indicating trends in thermal sensations of a plurality of users. may contain

Also, the model generating means 12 may update the IPMV distribution in the IPMV database as follows. The model generating means 12 estimates the refrigerating capacity of the air conditioner 10 from operating information including the frequency of the compressor 119, the condensing temperature, the evaporating temperature, and the degree of opening of the expansion valve 117. FIG. Then, the model generating means 12 stores the estimated refrigerating capacity and the airflow state estimated from the temperature Tb, the horizontal angle θh, the vertical angle θv, and the wind speed W, for each of the plurality of activity amounts. are reflected in each IPMV distribution of the group. In this case, the IPMV database is updated to the latest state according to changes in the operating state of the air conditioner 10 .

Next, a control method by the information processing device 2 according to the first embodiment will be described. 15 is a layout diagram showing an example of an air-conditioned space air-conditioned by the air conditioner shown in FIG. 1. FIG. FIG. 15 shows the positions of furniture placed in the room and the positions of two users in the room. Here, as shown in FIG. 15, the case where two users, user MA and user MB, are in the room will be described. The vertical axis in FIG. 15 is the Y-axis coordinate, and the horizontal axis is the X-axis coordinate. FIG. 16 is a table showing an example of the amount of activity and location of each user. The activity amount of user MA is 1 MET, and the activity amount of user MB is 2 MET.

17A and 17B are schematic diagrams illustrating operation procedures of the information processing apparatus according to the first embodiment. n of nMET is a positive integer of 2 or more. 18 is a flow chart showing the operation procedure of the information processing apparatus according to Embodiment 1. FIG. In step S<b>101 , the data acquisition means 11 acquires environmental information from the air conditioner 10 . The data acquisition means 11 causes the storage device 21 to store the acquired environmental information.

In step S<b>102 , the data acquisition means 11 acquires operating information from the air conditioner 10 . The data acquisition means 11 stores the acquired driving information in the storage device 21 . The operating information includes the frequency of the compressor 119, the condensing temperature, the evaporating temperature, and the opening of the expansion valve 117. The operating information includes temperature Tb detected by temperature sensor 123, horizontal angle θh of first flap 4, vertical angle θv of second flap 5, and airflow information including wind speed W. I'm in.

In step S101 or S102, the data acquisition means 11 acquires the data of the two-dimensional image detected by the infrared sensor 140 from the air conditioner 10 as user information, and stores it in the storage device 21. FIG. The model generating means 12 uses information stored in the storage device 21 to generate an IPMV database. The model generating means 12 causes the storage device 21 to store the generated IPMV database. FIG. 17 shows an IPMV database in which 81 IPMV distributions are provided for each activity amount.

In step S103, the activity amount determination unit 13 refers to the two-dimensional image data stored in the storage device 21 and acquires information on the activity amount of each user. Here, the activity amount determining means 13 estimates the activity amount of the user MA to be 1 MET, and the activity amount of the user MB to be 2 MET.

In step S104, the position determining means 14 refers to the data of the two-dimensional image stored in the storage device 21, and acquires information on the position of each user. Here, the position determining means 14 determines the position of user MA to be coordinates (2, 7) and the position of user MB to be coordinates (7, 9).

In step S105, the efficiency calculation means 15 reads the 1MET group and the 2MET group from the IPMV database based on the estimation result of the activity amount determination means 13. FIG. Subsequently, the efficiency calculation means 15 reads 81 IPMVs located at the coordinates (2, 7) of the 1 MET group from the determination result of the position determination means 14 . Further, the efficiency calculation means 15 reads 81 IPMVs located at the coordinates (7, 9) of the 2MET group from the determination result of the position determination means 14 . At that time, the efficiency calculation means 15 reads the IPMV at a predetermined height (for example, 1.3 m above the floor) of the air-conditioned space in each IPMV distribution. Then, the efficiency calculation means 15 substitutes the 81 IPMVs of the user MA and the 81 IPMVs of the user MB into Equation (3) to calculate 81 comfort efficiencies ζ (step S106).

In step S107, the control determining means 16 determines the air conditioning control pattern with the highest comfort efficiency ζ among the 81 air conditioning control patterns. In this case, the condition for selecting the air conditioning control pattern may include not only the condition that the comfort efficiency ζ is maximum, but also the condition that each user's IPMV is within ±0.5.

In step S<b>108 , the control determining means 16 transmits information on the air conditioning control pattern determined in step S<b>107 to the air conditioner 10 . Upon receiving the information on the air conditioning control pattern from the information processing device 2, the control device 130 of the air conditioner 10 controls at least one of the compressor 119, the fan 113 and the wind direction adjusting section 105 according to the air conditioning control pattern. . For example, when changing the blowing temperature of air from the load side unit 103 , the refrigerating cycle control means 131 changes the operating frequency of the compressor 119 . When changing the wind speed W, the refrigerating cycle control means 131 changes the rotation speed of the blower 113 . When changing the angle θh, the refrigeration cycle control means 131 changes the angle θh of the first flap 4 . When changing the angle θv, the refrigeration cycle control means 131 changes the angle θv of the second flap 5 .

In step S109, the data acquisition unit 11 determines whether or not a certain period of time has passed. If the fixed time has not passed, the control device 22 enters a standby state. If the predetermined time has elapsed as a result of the determination in step S109, the control device 22 returns to the process of step S101.

FIG. 19 is a table showing an example of the comfort efficiency calculation result. FIG. 19 shows the IPMV when the amount of activity is 1 MET, the IPMV when the amount of activity is 2 MET, and the comfort efficiency ζ corresponding to each air conditioning control pattern. The numbers in the left column of the table shown in FIG. 19 are the identification numbers of the air conditioning control patterns. Referring to the table shown in FIG. 19, it can be seen that the air conditioning control pattern that maximizes the comfort efficiency ζ is the 16th air conditioning control pattern.

FIG. 20 is an image diagram showing an example of IPMV distribution in the case of the air conditioning control pattern determined in step S107. FIG. 20 shows the IPMV distribution when the activity amount is 1 MET in the No. 16 air conditioning control pattern. FIG. 21 is an image diagram showing another example of the IPMV distribution for the air conditioning control pattern determined in step S107. FIG. 21 shows the IPMV distribution when the activity amount is 2 MET in the No. 16 air conditioning control pattern.

As shown in FIGS. 20 and 21, in the air conditioning control pattern of number 16, the IPMV of user MA with an activity level of 1 MET and the IPMV of user MB with an activity level of 2 MET are visualized. 20 and 21 show that the higher the pattern density, the more negative the IPMV than the neutral value, and the lower the pattern density, the more negative the IPMV than the neutral value. In FIG. 20, IPMV at the location of user MA is a value close to zero. In FIG. 21, the IPMV has a value greater than 0 in a wide range of the room, but the IPMV around the coordinates (7, 7) near the position of the user MB has a value close to 0. I know there is. This is because control is performed to blow air from the load side unit 103 in the direction of coordinates (7, 7), and the value of IPMV decreases. In this way, the IPMVs of a plurality of users, ie, the user MA and the user MB, can reach the comfort zone quickly and be stabilized so that the IPMVs are close to neutral.

In addition, although the case where it returns to step S101 after progress of a fixed time in step S109 was demonstrated with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. 18, you may return to step S103. In this case, in step S103, the data acquisition means 11 acquires the data of the two-dimensional image detected by the infrared sensor 140 from the air conditioner 10 as user information. If the IPMV database constructed in the storage device 21 is suitable for the air conditioner 10 and the air-conditioned space, it does not need to be updated frequently. In this case, the computation processing load of the model generating means 12 is reduced.

Further, in step S109, the activity amount determining means 13 and the position determining means 14 may monitor two-dimensional image data detected by the infrared sensor 140 from the air conditioner 10. FIG. If either or both of the case where the activity amount determination means 13 determines that the user's activity amount is not constant and the position determination means 14 cannot determine the presence or absence of the user in the room within a certain period of time, the load side unit The direction of the air blown out from 103 may be changed. Specifically, the control determining means 16 controls to perform a swing motion in which one or both of the horizontal angle of the first flap 4 and the vertical angle of the second flap 5 are changed at a constant cycle. Information is transmitted to the air conditioner 10 . For example, the swing motion of the first flap 4 is a motion in which the first flap 4 swings left and right with respect to the horizontal reference θh0 at intervals of 20 seconds. In this case, the environmental information and the driving information received by the information processing device 2 from the air conditioner 10 change, and the control device 22 can easily recognize the user's activity level and position.

Furthermore, in the first embodiment, when the control determining means determines the air conditioning control pattern in step S107 shown in FIG. 18, the efficiency calculating means 15 calculates the comfort efficiency ζ was calculated, but it is not limited to this evaluation method. The efficiency calculation unit 15 may use TOPSIS (Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution) to obtain an air conditioning control pattern that maximizes the overall comfort level of a plurality of users. In Embodiment 1, the evaluation method using the equation (3) has a smaller amount of calculation than TOPSIS, so the load of the arithmetic processing of the control device 22 is reduced.

The air conditioning system 1 of Embodiment 1 includes an air conditioning apparatus 10, a person detection means 30 for detecting the activity amount of each user and the position of each user, a storage device 21, and a control device 22. have The storage device 21 stores, for each of a plurality of activity amounts, a group including a comfort index distribution, which is the distribution of the user's comfort index in the air-conditioned space, corresponding to each of the plurality of air conditioning control patterns of the air conditioner 10. do. The control device 22 has activity amount determination means 13 , position determination means 14 , efficiency calculation means 15 and control determination means 16 . The activity amount determination means 13 identifies a group corresponding to the activity amount detected by the person detection means 30 for each user. The position determination means 14 extracts a plurality of comfort indices corresponding to the positions detected by the person detection means 30 from the plurality of comfort index distributions within the specified group. Efficiency calculation means 15 calculates a comfort efficiency ζ indicating the overall comfort level of a plurality of users for each of a plurality of air conditioning control patterns, using a plurality of comfort indices extracted corresponding to each user's position. . The control determining means 16 obtains an air conditioning control pattern that maximizes the calculated comfort efficiency ζ among the plurality of air conditioning control patterns.

According to the first embodiment, a group including comfort index distributions in the air-conditioned space corresponding to each of the plurality of air-conditioning control patterns is determined in accordance with the amount of activity of each user in the air-conditioned space. Also, a plurality of comfort indices are extracted from a plurality of comfort index distributions in the group, corresponding to the position of each user in the air-conditioned space. Then, based on a plurality of comfort indices for each user, an air conditioning control pattern that maximizes comfort efficiency for a plurality of users is obtained from the plurality of air conditioning control patterns. By having the air conditioner perform air conditioning according to the air conditioning control pattern that maximizes comfort efficiency for multiple users, it is possible to improve comfort for multiple users.

In the first embodiment described above, the infrared sensor 140 functions as the human detection means 20 , but the human detection means 20 is not limited to the infrared sensor 140 . For example, the active mass detection means 32 may be a wearable sensor. Below, the case where the active mass detection means 32 is a wearable sensor is demonstrated.

(Modification 1)
FIG. 22 is a diagram showing a configuration example of an air conditioning system of Modification 1. FIG. In the configuration shown in FIG. 22, the same components as those described with reference to FIG.

The air conditioning system 1a includes an air conditioning device 10 having a position detection means 31, an information processing device 2, an access point (AP) 60, and a wearable terminal 40 provided for each user. The AP 60 is provided in a room, which is a space to be air-conditioned by the air conditioner 10 . The AP 60 has short-range wireless communication means (not shown) such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) and network communication means (not shown) compatible with the communication protocol of the network 50 . The communication protocol is TCP/IP, for example. The position detection means 31 is, for example, the infrared sensor 140 shown in FIG.

A wearable terminal 40 is provided for each user. Wearable terminal 40 is, for example, in the form of a wristwatch or bracelet. The wearable terminal 40 has activity amount detection means 32 that detects the pulse as the user's activity amount at regular intervals. The amount of activity may be the user's skin temperature. Wearable terminal 40 also has a memory (not shown) that stores a terminal identifier, which is an identifier that differs for each terminal, and a program, and a CPU (not shown) that executes processing according to the program.

When the activity amount detection means 32 detects the user's activity amount, the CPU (not shown) of the wearable terminal 40 sends the user information including the activity amount information and the terminal identifier to the information processing device 2 via the AP 60 and the network 50. Send. A memory (not shown) of the wearable terminal 40 may store the coordinates of the installation position of the AP 60 . A CPU (not shown) of the wearable terminal 40 refers to the strength of radio waves with the AP 60 and estimates the distance from the installation position of the AP 60 . Then, the CPU (not shown) of the wearable terminal 40 includes information on the estimated position in the user information as information on the user's position. For example, when a plurality of APs 60 are installed indoors, the CPU (not shown) of the wearable terminal 40 compares the strength of the radio waves of the plurality of APs 60 to more accurately estimate the position of the user in the room. can do. The information processing device 2 associates the user information received from the wearable terminal 40 with the position of the user detected by the position detection means 31 .

Also in Modification 1, the information processing device 2 can determine the optimum air conditioning control pattern from a plurality of air conditioning control patterns according to the procedure shown in FIG. 18 . In the case of Modification 1, the wearable terminal 40 attached to each user detects the amount of activity of the user, so the amount of activity can be detected more accurately. As a result, it is possible to perform air conditioning more suitable for the amount of activity of each of a plurality of users.

Reference Signs List 1, 1a air conditioning system, 2 information processing device, 4 first flap, 4a to 4d blades, 5 second flap, 5a front blade, 5b rear blade, 6 outlet, 10 air conditioner, 11 data acquisition means, 12 model generation means 13 activity amount determination means 14 position determination means 15 efficiency calculation means 16 control determination means 20 person detection means 21 storage device 22 control device 30 person detection means 31 position detection means 32 activity amount detection means 40 wearable terminal 50 network 60 access point 70 ceiling 80 processing circuit 81 processor 82 memory 83 bus 91 processor 92 memory 93 bus 102 refrigerant circuit 103 load side unit 104 heat source side unit, 105 wind direction adjustment unit, 110 refrigerant pipe, 113 blower, 114 blower, 115 load side heat exchanger, 116 heat source side heat exchanger, 117 expansion valve, 118 four-way valve, 119 compressor, 120 environment detection unit, 121 room temperature sensor, 122 humidity sensor, 123 temperature sensor, 130 control device, 131 refrigerating cycle control means, 132 communication means, 140 infrared sensor, FL floor surface.

Claims (11)

an air conditioner that air-conditions a space to be air-conditioned;
Human detection means for detecting the amount of activity of each user and the position of each user in the air-conditioned space for a plurality of users in the air-conditioned space;
A group including a comfort index distribution, which is a distribution of a comfort index indicating a user's comfort level in the air-conditioned space corresponding to each of the plurality of air conditioning control patterns of the air conditioner, is stored for each of the plurality of activity amounts. a storage device;
For each user, the group corresponding to the amount of activity detected by the person detection means is specified, and from the plurality of comfort index distributions in the specified group, the position corresponding to the position detected by the person detection means is specified. extracting a plurality of the comfort indices, and using the plurality of comfort indices extracted corresponding to the positions of the users, the overall comfort level of the plurality of users for each of the plurality of air conditioning control patterns; A control device that calculates a comfort efficiency indicating and obtains an air conditioning control pattern that maximizes the calculated comfort efficiency among the plurality of air conditioning control patterns;
Air conditioning system with. The human detection means is an infrared sensor,
The air conditioning system according to claim 1. The person detection means is
A wearable terminal provided for each user and detecting the amount of activity of each user;
an infrared sensor that detects the position of each user in the air-conditioned space;
The air conditioning system according to claim 1 or 2. A method of controlling an air conditioner by means of a control device connected to each of a plurality of users in an air-conditioned space and a person detecting means for detecting the amount of activity of each user and the position of each user in the air-conditioned space and a storage device. and
A group including a comfort index distribution, which is a distribution of a comfort index indicating a user's comfort level in the air-conditioned space corresponding to each of the plurality of air conditioning control patterns of the air conditioner, is stored for each of the plurality of activity amounts. storing in the device;
identifying, for each user, the group corresponding to the amount of activity detected by the person detection means;
a step of extracting, for each user, a plurality of said comfort indices corresponding to positions detected by said person detection means from said plurality of said comfort index distributions within the identified group;
calculating a comfort efficiency indicating the overall comfort level of the plurality of users for each of the plurality of air conditioning control patterns, using the plurality of comfort indices extracted corresponding to the positions of the respective users;
obtaining an air conditioning control pattern that maximizes the calculated comfort efficiency among the plurality of air conditioning control patterns;
A control method for an air conditioner having Let k be an identification number that is different for each of the plurality of users, IPMVk be the comfort index of the user with the identification number k, K be an integer of 2 or more, and ζ be the comfort efficiency. The comfort efficiency ζ of
ζ=(1−2| _{IPMV 1} |)×(1−2| _{IPMV 2} |)× . %
calculated by the formula of
The method for controlling an air conditioner according to claim 4. The plurality of air conditioning control patterns include a temperature of air blown from a load-side unit provided in the air conditioner, a horizontal angle of air blown from the load-side unit, and a horizontal angle of air blown from the load-side unit. A pattern in which at least one of the four control parameters of the vertical angle of the air blown out from the load side unit and the wind speed of the air blown out from the load side unit is combined so as to be different from each other.
The method for controlling an air conditioner according to claim 4 or 5. The control device is
combination data that is a combination of input conditions including the heat load of the building in which the air conditioner is installed and the air conditioning control pattern that maximizes comfort efficiency for the plurality of users is stored in time series; Narrowing down the number of air conditioning control patterns to be selected from among the plurality of air conditioning control patterns, based on the plurality of combination data stored in
The method for controlling an air conditioner according to claim 6. The input conditions include, in addition to the heat load of the building, the area where the air conditioner is installed and the weather data of the area, the amount of solar radiation in the building, and the thermal sensation trends of the plurality of users. including information and
The method for controlling an air conditioner according to claim 7. The control device is
Operating information including the frequency of the compressor, the condensing temperature, the evaporating temperature, and the degree of opening of the expansion valve is received from the air conditioner, the refrigerating capacity of the air conditioner is estimated from the received operating information, and the estimated refrigeration each comfort index of a plurality of groups in which ability and an airflow state estimated from the temperature of the air, the angle in the horizontal direction, the angle in the vertical direction, and the wind speed are stored for each of the plurality of activity amounts; reflected in the distribution,
A control method for an air conditioner according to any one of claims 6 to 8. In the comfort index distribution, the space to be air-conditioned is divided into a plurality of regions, and the comfort index value corresponding to each region is stored in the storage device.
A control method for an air conditioner according to any one of claims 4 to 9. The control device is
the air conditioner when one or both of the case where the amount of activity detected by the person detection means is not constant and the case where the presence or absence of the user in the air-conditioned space cannot be determined for a predetermined period of time; , making a swing motion that changes the angle of one or both of the horizontal direction and the vertical direction of the air blowing direction at a constant cycle,
A control method for an air conditioner according to any one of claims 4 to 10.

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