JP7730552B2 - Ventilation system, control device and ventilation method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a ventilation system, a control device, and a ventilation method.

In recent years, as homes have become more airtight, it has become known that indoor contamination caused by chemicals used in building materials, as well as mold and dust mites that develop in hot and humid environments, increases the likelihood of health problems known as sick building syndrome.

As a result, the Building Standards Act was revised to require homes to be equipped with ventilation systems that automatically ventilate indoor air.

For example, Patent Document 1 (JP 2000-55426 A) discloses an air pressure difference adjustment device that can reduce the air pressure difference between the indoors and outdoors of a building by circulating air between the indoors and outdoors. Specifically, the air pressure difference adjustment device is installed in a building that includes an entrance opening that connects the indoors and outdoors, an entrance door that opens and closes the entrance opening, a balcony opening that connects the indoors and outdoors, and a balcony door that opens and closes the balcony opening, and is configured so that the entrance opening and the balcony opening can communicate via the indoors. The air pressure difference adjustment device reduces the air pressure difference between the indoors and outdoors of the building by circulating air between the indoors and outdoors. The air pressure difference adjustment device includes first and second air intake ports, first and second opening/closing means, first and second differential pressure gauges, and control means. The first air intake port is configured to connect the indoors and outdoors near the entrance opening, and the second air intake port is configured to open and close the balcony door. The opening is configured to connect the inside of the room with the outside near the balcony opening, the first opening/closing means is configured to open and close the first air intake opening, the second opening/closing means is configured to open and close the second air intake opening, the first differential pressure gauge is configured to measure the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the room near the entrance opening, and the second differential pressure gauge is configured to measure the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the room near the balcony opening, and the control means controls the opening and closing of the first and second opening/closing means based on the pressure difference measured by the first and second differential pressure gauges so as to reduce the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the room.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-55426 Patent No. 6940896

In a building equipped with a ventilation system, if the supply or exhaust volume of a room is changed due to a change in the room's conditions, the balance of supply and exhaust volumes for the entire building will change, which may make it difficult to control the ventilation system.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to provide a ventilation system, control device, and ventilation method that can operate stably in a building where the amount of air supplied to or exhausted from a room can be changed.

(1) In order to solve the above problem, a ventilation system according to one aspect of the present invention includes a plurality of fans that supply air from a non-occupied space to a plurality of rooms, and a control unit that, when performing a change process to change the air volume of some of the plurality of fans, adjusts the air supply to the non-occupied space and/or the air volume of a fan corresponding to a room other than the fan whose air volume is being changed, so that the total air volume of the plurality of fans is equal to the air volume supplied to the non-occupied space.

This configuration allows for a change process to be performed to change the blower's air volume while maintaining a balance between the intake and exhaust volumes in the building, and prevents the change process from disrupting the balance between the intake and exhaust volumes in the building. Therefore, the ventilation system can operate stably in buildings where the intake or exhaust volume of rooms can be changed.

(2) If the control unit reduces the air volume of the corresponding fan in the change process to create negative pressure in the room, the control unit may increase the air volume of the fan corresponding to the room other than the fan whose air volume is being changed in the adjustment process.

This configuration automatically creates negative pressure in the room, preventing, for example, contaminated air from leaking into other rooms, making it easy to isolate patients without the need for complicated work. It also prevents the imbalance in the air intake and exhaust volumes in the building from occurring when changing the pressure in the room to negative pressure.

(3) If the control unit reduces the air volume of the corresponding fan in the change process to create negative pressure in the room, the control unit may further increase the air volume of the corresponding fan in the adjustment process to prevent other rooms from becoming negatively pressurized.

This configuration allows air to flow more reliably from other rooms into the target room while maintaining a balance between intake and exhaust volumes within the building.

(4) The control unit may perform processing to display a screen that allows identification of the rooms that can be negatively pressurized, and may perform the change processing to reduce the airflow rate of the fan corresponding to the room selected on the screen.

This configuration allows the user to easily visually identify rooms that can be negatively pressurized and give instructions to the control device to create negative pressure in the selected room.

(5) If the control unit increases the air volume of the corresponding fan in the change process based on the measurement results of the air in the room, the control unit may, in the adjustment process, decrease the air volume of the fan corresponding to the room other than the fan whose air volume is being changed.

This configuration allows the need for ventilation in a room to be detected and automatically ventilated, while maintaining a balance between the amount of intake and exhaust air in the building.

(6) In the adjustment process, if the adjusted value of the air volume exceeds a predetermined limit value of the fan, the control unit may set the air volume so that it does not exceed the limit value, and may also change the air volume of the air supply device that supplies air to the non-occupied space.

This configuration allows the operation of the air supply device to be changed in cases where the blower's capacity is insufficient for the desired adjustment amount, thereby more reliably maintaining a balance between the building's intake and exhaust volumes.

(7) To solve the above problem, a control device according to one aspect of the present invention performs a change process to change the airflow volume of some of a plurality of fans that supply air from a non-residential space to a plurality of rooms, and when performing the change process, includes a control unit that performs an adjustment process to adjust at least one of the air supply to the non-residential space and the airflow volume of a fan corresponding to a room other than the fan whose airflow volume is being changed, so that the total airflow volume of the plurality of fans is equal to the air supply volume to the non-residential space.

This configuration automatically creates negative pressure in the room, preventing, for example, contaminated air from leaking into other rooms, making it easy to isolate patients without the need for complicated work. It also prevents the imbalance in the air intake and exhaust volumes in the building from occurring when changing the pressure in the room to negative pressure.

(8) In order to solve the above problem, a ventilation method according to one aspect of the present invention is a ventilation method for a ventilation system, and includes the steps of: performing a change process to change the airflow volume of some of a plurality of fans that supply air from a non-occupied space to a plurality of rooms; and, when performing the change process, performing an adjustment process to adjust at least one of the air supply to the non-occupied space and the airflow volume of a fan corresponding to a room other than the fan whose airflow volume is being changed, so that the total airflow volume of the plurality of fans is equal to the air supply volume to the non-occupied space.

This configuration automatically creates negative pressure in the room, preventing, for example, contaminated air from leaking into other rooms, making it easy to isolate patients without the need for complicated work. It also prevents the imbalance in the air intake and exhaust volumes in the building from occurring when changing the pressure in the room to negative pressure.

The present invention enables stable operation of a ventilation system in a building where the amount of air supplied to or exhausted from a room can be changed.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a ventilation system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of the ventilation system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of a control device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a room selection screen displayed by the control device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing another example of the room selection screen displayed by the control device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a flowchart defining the operation procedure in the isolated operation mode of the control device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a flowchart that defines the operating procedure when the control device according to the first embodiment of the present invention performs air supply and exhaust control in the isolated operation mode, and shows specific examples of air volume adjustment in each step of the flowchart. FIG. 8 is a flowchart that defines the operation procedure when the control device according to the first embodiment of the present invention changes the amount of air supplied to the heat exchanger. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the configuration of a ventilation system according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the configuration of a ventilation system according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a flowchart defining the operation procedure when the control device according to the second embodiment of the present invention performs intake and exhaust control. FIG. 12 is a flowchart that defines the operation procedure when the control device according to the second embodiment of the present invention performs intake and exhaust control.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings. Note that identical or corresponding parts in the drawings will be designated by the same reference numerals, and their description will not be repeated. Furthermore, at least some of the embodiments described below may be combined in any manner.

First Embodiment
[Ventilation system]
1 and 2 are diagrams showing the configuration of a ventilation system according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, the ventilation system 201 is installed in a building such as a house having multiple rooms R. The ventilation system 201 includes multiple fans 10, a control device 101, air conditioners 121 and 122, and a heat exchanger 131.

As an example, Figure 1 shows four rooms R, R1 to R4, located on the first floor of a building, and four fans 10A to 10D located under the floor of the first floor corresponding to rooms R1 to R4, respectively. The control device 101 and air conditioner 121 are located, for example, in room R1. As an example, Figure 2 shows three rooms R, R5 to R7, located on the second floor of a building, and three fans 10E to 10G located under the floor of the second floor corresponding to rooms R5 to R7, respectively. The air conditioner 122 is located, for example, in room R5.

Note that the configuration is not limited to one blower 10 being provided for one room R, and multiple blowers 10 may be provided for one room R.

The blower 10 is installed in a non-residential space of a building and supplies air from that non-residential space to the corresponding room R. Here, the non-residential space is described as being under the floor of the building, but it is not limited to being under the floor and may be the ceiling, etc.

Each room R is provided with an air intake port Ms and an exhaust port Me. The air intake port Ms and the exhaust port Me are installed, for example, by the manufacturer of the ventilation system 201. In Figures 1 and 2, as an example, the air intake port Ms and the exhaust port Me of each room R are provided on the floor, connecting the room R to the non-residential space under the floor. Note that a building may include rooms R that do not have at least one of an air intake port Ms and an exhaust port Me.

The blower 10 is, for example, a fan, and has blowing blades and a motor that drives the blades. In the example shown in FIG. 1, blowers 10A-10G are installed near the air intakes Ms of rooms R1-R7, respectively. The multiple blowers 10 in the ventilation system 201 supply air from the non-occupied space to the multiple rooms R, respectively. More specifically, each blower 10 rotates its own blades to supply air from under the floor to the corresponding room R via the air intake Ms. The blower 10 changes the airflow volume by changing the motor's rotation speed in accordance with control information received from the control device 101 via wireless or wired communication.

When air flows into each room R through the air intake port Ms, it joins with the air from each room R via the exhaust port Me and a duct (not shown) and flows into the heat exchanger 131.

The heat exchanger 131 is installed under the first floor and drives an air supply motor (not shown) to rotate the blades of the air supply fan, thereby supplying air from outside the building to the underfloor area through a ventilation opening Mb that connects the outside of the building to the area under the floor. The heat exchanger 131 also drives an exhaust motor (not shown) to rotate the blades of the exhaust fan, thereby discharging indoor air that has flowed in via a duct (not shown) to the outside of the building through the ventilation opening Mb. The heat exchanger 131 drives the air supply motor and exhaust motor in accordance with control information received from the control device 101 via wireless or wired communication.

The heat exchanger 131 includes a heat exchange element (not shown) and exchanges heat between the air to be supplied, specifically the air outside the building that flows into the heat exchange element, and the air to be exhausted, specifically the indoor air that flows into the heat exchange element.

Air conditioners 121 and 122 adjust the temperature of non-occupied spaces. More specifically, air conditioners 121 and 122 supply air to the underfloor space through supply ports Ma1 and Ma2 provided in the floors of rooms R1 and R5, respectively. This allows air conditioners 121 and 122 to adjust the temperature of the underfloor air. Air conditioners 121 and 122 change the airflow volume, etc., in accordance with control information received from control device 101 via wireless or wired communication.

While air flows between the first and second floors of a building via stairs, etc., the underfloor space on the first floor, which is a non-residential space, and the underfloor space on the second floor, which is a non-residential space, are separate spaces. Heat exchanger 131 and air conditioner 121 are examples of an air supply device that supplies air to the underfloor space on the first floor. Air conditioner 122 is an example of an air supply device that supplies air to the underfloor space on the second floor. Heat exchanger 131 is an example of a ventilation device that ventilates through the non-residential space.

[assignment]
With the spread of ventilation systems, buildings have become more airtight and are now able to control air flow.

As mentioned above, in a building equipped with a ventilation system, if the supply or exhaust volume of a room is changed due to a change in the room's conditions, the balance of supply and exhaust volumes for the entire building will change, which may make control of the ventilation system difficult.

For example, if the balance is disrupted, air may leak through gaps within the building, making it difficult to achieve the desired control. Furthermore, even if the airflow volume of a certain fan 10 is set, the amount of air supplied to the underfloor area may be insufficient, and the airflow volume of that fan 10 may not reach the set value.

The ventilation system according to an embodiment of the present invention solves the above problem with the following configuration.

[Control device]
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of a control device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3 , the control device 101 includes a communication unit 51, a control unit 52, a memory unit 53, and a display unit 55. At least one of the communication unit 51 and the control unit 52 is implemented by a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a DSP (Digital Signal Processor). The memory unit 53 is, for example, a non-volatile memory. The memory unit 53 stores the limit values of the blower 10, which will be described later. The display unit 55 is, for example, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display. Note that the display unit 55 may be configured to be provided external to the control device 101.

The communication unit 51 communicates wirelessly or via wire with the blower 10, air conditioner 121, heat exchanger 131, etc.

The control unit 52 sets the airflow rate of the blower 10 by sending control information to the blower 10 via the communication unit 51. The control unit 52 sets the airflow rates of the air conditioners 121 and 122 by sending control information to the air conditioners 121 and 122 via the communication unit 51. The control unit 52 sets the ventilation rate of the heat exchanger 131, i.e., the supply air rate and exhaust air rate, by sending control information to the heat exchanger 131 via the communication unit 51.

The control unit 52 sets the air supply to the non-occupied space and the air volume of each blower 10 so that the total air volume of the multiple blowers 10 is equal to the air volume supplied to the non-occupied space.

More specifically, the control unit 52 controls the air intake and exhaust on the first floor of the building by setting the air volume of the blower 10, air conditioner 121, and heat exchanger 131.

Specifically, the control unit 52 sets the airflow rates N1 to N4 of the fans 10A to 10D, the airflow rate S1 of the air conditioner 121, and the supply air rate N0 and exhaust air rate n0 of the heat exchanger 131 so as to satisfy the following equations (1) to (3).

N0=n0...(1)
N0+S1=N1+N2+N3+N4...(2)
n0=n1+n2+n3+n4+n2F...(3)
However, n1, n2, n3, and n4 are the exhaust amounts from rooms R1 to R4, n2F is the exhaust amount from the second floor, and n1, n2, n3, n4, n2F, N1, N2, N3, and N4>0.

Note that some of the air supplied to rooms R1 to R4 on the first floor flows to the second floor through gaps between rooms R1 to R4 and stairs, etc. This makes equations (1) to (3), including n2F, valid.

The control unit 52 also controls the air intake and exhaust on the second floor of the building by setting the airflow rates N5 to N7 of the fans 10E to 10G and the airflow rate S2 of the air conditioner 122.

Specifically, control unit 52 sets airflow rates N5 to N7 of fans 10E to 10G and airflow rate S2 of air conditioner 122 so as to satisfy the following formula (4).
S2=N5+N6+N7...(4)

When the above formulas are satisfied, i.e., when the balance between the intake and exhaust volumes in the building is maintained, and when predetermined conditions are met, the control unit 52 performs a change process to change the airflow volume of some of the multiple fans 10 in the ventilation system 201.

For example, a room R may be designated as an isolation room, such as when isolating a patient in that room. In this case, the air in that room R will be contaminated with viruses, etc. For this reason, the room R in which the patient is isolated must be under negative pressure. In other words, by stopping the air supply to the isolation room from under the floor, an air flow is created in which air only flows into the isolation room from the adjacent room R, and no air flows out of the adjacent room R. This ensures that air can be reliably exhausted from the isolation room to the outside of the building via the exhaust port Me, reducing the possibility of infection to others in the building.

In such cases, the user operates a remote control or the like to instruct the control device 101 to operate in isolated operation mode.

When the communication unit 51 receives instruction information from a remote control or the like indicating an instruction to operate in isolated operation mode, it outputs the instruction information to the control unit 52.

The control unit 52 receives this instruction information from the communication unit 51 and changes the operation mode of the control device 101 from normal mode to isolated operation mode.

Figure 4 shows an example of a room selection screen displayed by a control device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 4, in the isolation operation mode, the control unit 52 performs processing to display a room selection screen including a floor plan with names and the like assigned to each room R on the first and second floors of the building on the display unit 55, which is, for example, a touch panel display. The user selects a specific room R (hereinafter also referred to as the target room) by performing a tap operation or the like on the display unit 55. The control unit 52 receives operation information indicating the content of the operation from the display unit 55, and performs processing to display the target room on the display unit 55 in a format different from that of the other rooms R.

Figure 5 shows another example of a room selection screen displayed by a control device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

In the isolated operation mode, the control unit 52 may be configured to display a screen that identifies rooms R that can be negatively pressurized, and to perform a change process to reduce the airflow rate of the fan 10 corresponding to the room R selected on the screen.

Specifically, referring to FIG. 5, the control unit 52 performs processing to display, on the display unit 55, which is, for example, a touch panel display, a room selection screen in which rooms R that can be made negatively pressurized are shown in a different manner from other rooms R in a floor plan in which each room R on the first and second floors of the building is given a name, etc. The rooms R that can be made negatively pressurized are, for example, rooms R1 to R7 that have an exhaust outlet Me.

The user selects a specific room R from among the rooms R that can be negatively pressurized as the target room by tapping or otherwise operating the display unit 55. Note that the control unit 52 may be configured to perform processing to display the target room in a manner that is different from other rooms R that can be negatively pressurized.

The control unit 52 performs a change process to set the airflow volume of the corresponding blower 10 to the minimum value min in order to create negative pressure in the target room on the room selection screen.

The minimum value min is either a positive value close to zero, or zero. When the minimum value min is set to 0, as in the former case, dust from room R can be prevented from accumulating on the blower 10 side, i.e., on the blower 10 filter or under the floor. It can also prevent viruses and the like from the target room from flowing under the floor. For simplicity's sake, the following explanation will use the example of minimum value min = zero.

If the airflow rate of the blower 10 in the target room is simply reduced in this type of change process, the balance of the building's intake and exhaust rates will be disrupted, for example, N0 + S1 >> N1 + N2 + N3 + N4 or S2 >> N5 + N6 + N7. In this case, air may flow into the target room through gaps in the floor, and contaminated air may flow from the target room into another room R.

Therefore, when performing a change process to change the airflow volume of some of the multiple blowers 10 in the ventilation system 201, the control unit 52 performs an adjustment process to adjust at least one of the air supply to the non-occupied space and the airflow volume of the blower 10 corresponding to a room R other than the blower 10 whose airflow volume is being changed, so that the total airflow volume of the multiple blowers 10 is equal to the air supply volume to the non-occupied space.

More specifically, if the control unit 52 reduces the airflow rate of a corresponding blower 10 in the change process to create negative pressure in room R, then in the adjustment process, the control unit 52 increases the airflow rate of a blower 10 corresponding to a room R other than the blower 10 whose airflow rate is being changed.

When the user wishes to cancel the isolated room setting, the user operates a remote control or the like to instruct the control device 101 to operate in normal mode. In response to this instruction, the control device 101 changes the operating mode from isolated operation mode to normal mode.

[Operation flow]
Next, the flow of operations in the ventilation system according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

A control device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a computer including a memory, and a processing unit such as a CPU in the computer reads from the memory and executes a program including some or all of the steps in the following flowchart. This program can be installed externally. This program is distributed in a state stored on a recording medium or via a communication line.

Figure 6 is a flowchart defining the operating procedures in the isolated operation mode of the control device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to Figure 6, first, the control device 101 starts the isolated operation mode in accordance with the user's operation (step S1).

Next, the control device 101 displays a room selection screen, for example, as shown in Figure 4 or Figure 5, on the display unit 55 (step S2).

Next, the control device 101 accepts the user's selection of room R (step S3), and if the selected room R is a room that can be negatively pressurized (YES in step S4), performs air supply and exhaust control (step S5).

On the other hand, if the selected room R is a room that cannot be negatively pressurized (NO in step S4), the control device 101 displays on the display unit 55 that it cannot be selected (step S6).

Then, when the control device 101 receives instruction information indicating, for example, a user's instruction to end the isolated operation mode, it changes the operating mode to normal mode (YES in step S7).

On the other hand, if the control device 101 receives a user's selection of a new room R (NO in step S7 and step S3), it checks whether the newly selected room R is a room that can be made negatively pressurized (step S4).

Figure 7 is a flowchart that defines the operating procedure when the control device according to the first embodiment of the present invention performs air supply and exhaust control in the isolated operation mode, and shows specific examples of air volume adjustment at each step of the flowchart. Figure 7 shows details of step S5 shown in Figure 6. In Figure 7, the units of air volume for the blower 10, air conditioners 121, 122, and heat exchanger 131 are [m^3/h], and the units of rotation speed of the blower 10 motor are [rpm]. The operator "^" represents exponentiation.

Referring to FIG. 7, first, the control device 101 sets the supply air volume for the target room, i.e., the air volume of the blower 10 corresponding to the target room, to the minimum value min (step S11).

Next, the control device 101 resets the airflow rate of each fan 10 on the first floor of the building to maintain the supply air rate N0 of the heat exchanger 131, i.e., to satisfy equation (2). This maintains the balance of the supply and exhaust air rates on the first floor of the building (step S12).

Next, the control device 101 resets the airflow rate of each fan 10 on the second floor of the building so as to satisfy equation (4). This maintains a balance between the intake and exhaust rates on the second floor of the building (step S13).

Next, the control device 101 controls the motor of each fan 10 so that the rotation speed corresponds to the air volume of each fan 10 as a result of the reset (step S14).

In Examples 1 to 3 shown in Figure 7, the initial state that satisfies equations (1) to (4), i.e., the initial state in which the balance of the building's intake and exhaust volumes is maintained, is as follows:

That is, N1 = 60, N2 = 60, N3 = 40, N4 = 80, N5 = 40, N6 = 0, N7 = 60, S1 = 100, S2 = 100, N1 + N2 + N3 + N4 = 240, N0 = n0 = 140.

Furthermore, the rules for increasing or decreasing the air volume are preset in the control device 101. In this example, on each of the first and second floors, the air volume setting is changed by a fixed value, specifically 20 [m^3/h], starting with the fan 10 corresponding to the room R with the lowest number. Note that the increase or decrease in the air volume of the fan 10 corresponding to the target room may be distributed equally to the air volumes of the fans 10 corresponding to the other rooms R.

Furthermore, the control device 101 may prohibit the fan 10 from setting the airflow to zero in rooms R on the same floor other than the target room for which the airflow has been set to zero. In other words, if the control unit 52 reduces the airflow of the corresponding fan 10 in the change process to create negative pressure in room R, the control unit 52 may further change the airflow of the corresponding fan 10 to a larger value in the adjustment process to prevent the other room R from becoming negatively pressurized. This allows air to flow more reliably from the other room R into the target room.

Example 1 is when room R1 on the first floor of a building is the target room, Example 2 is when room R7 on the second floor of a building is the target room, and Example 3 is when rooms R5 and R7 on the second floor of a building are the target rooms.

In Example 1, first, N1 is set from 60 to zero (Step S11). Next, N2, N3, and N4 are increased to satisfy N0 = n0. Specifically, N2 to N4 are increased by 20 each to maintain N1 + N2 + N3 + N4 = 240 (Step S12). N5 to N7 remain unchanged (Step S13). Next, the motor rotation speeds of the three blowers 10 whose settings have been changed are changed to 400 rpm, 300 rpm, and 500 rpm, respectively, corresponding to the changed N2 to N4 (Step S14).

In this way, by stopping the air supply from the blower 10 corresponding to room R1, air flows into room R1 from other rooms R. The air that flows into room R1 is then exhausted to the outdoors through the exhaust port Me.

The control unit 52 in the control device 101 is not limited to a configuration that changes the airflow rate of the fan 10 in rooms R other than the target room, but may also be configured to reduce the exhaust rate n0 of the heat exchanger 131 to satisfy N0 = n0. However, since this reduces the ventilation rate of the building, a configuration that changes the airflow rate of the fan 10 is preferable.

In Example 2, first, N7 is set from 60 to zero (Step S11). N1 to N4 remain unchanged (Step S12). Next, N5 and N6 are increased to satisfy S2 = N5 + N6 + N7. Specifically, N5 is increased by 40 and N6 is increased by 20, maintaining N5 + N6 + N7 = 100 (Step S13). Next, the motor rotation speeds of the two blowers 10 whose settings have been changed are changed to 400 rpm and 120 rpm, respectively, which correspond to the changed N5 and N6 (Step S14).

In this way, by stopping the air supply from the blower 10 corresponding to room R7, air flows into room R7 from other rooms R. The air that flows into room R7 is then exhausted to the outdoors through the exhaust port Me.

Furthermore, in Example 2, N7 is set to zero, while N6, which was zero, is changed to 20. In other words, setting the fan 10 to zero airflow is prohibited in rooms R on the same floor other than the target room for which the airflow is set to zero.

In Example 3, first, N5 is set from 40 to zero, and N7 is set from 60 to zero (Step S11). N1 to N4 remain unchanged (Step S12). Next, N6 is increased to satisfy S2 = N5 + N6 + N7. Specifically, N6 is increased by 100 to maintain N5 + N6 + N7 = 100 (Step S13). Next, the motor speed of one blower 10 whose settings have been changed is changed to 500 rpm, which corresponds to the changed N6 (Step S14).

For example, if N6 = 80 is the upper limit, or limit, of the fan 10, then N6 may be set to 80 and the air volume S2 of the air conditioner 122 may be reduced from 100 to 80 to satisfy S2 = N5 + N6 + N7. In other words, if the adjusted air volume exceeds the predetermined limit of the fan 10 during the adjustment process, the control unit 52 may be configured to set the air volume of the fan 10 so that it does not exceed the limit, and to change the air volume of the air supply device that supplies air to the non-occupied space.

Furthermore, in Examples 1 to 3, including the above, the control unit 52 may be configured to decrease the air volume S1 of the air conditioner 121 or the air volume S2 of the air conditioner 122 in addition to increasing the air volume of the fan 10 in the other room R. Further, in Examples 1 to 3, the control unit 52 may be configured to decrease the air volume S1 of the air conditioner 121 or the air volume S2 of the air conditioner 122 instead of increasing the air volume of the fan 10.

Furthermore, in Examples 1 to 3, the minimum value min may be set to 0 as described above. In this case, the minimum value min is, for example, 3 [m^3/h].

Furthermore, in the air intake and exhaust control for the first floor, the control device 101 is not limited to a configuration in which the air volume of the blower 10, the air volume of the air conditioner 121, and the air volume of the heat exchanger 131 are adjusted, but may be configured to adjust only the air volume of the blower 10, or may be configured to adjust one of the air volume of the air conditioner 121 and the air volume of the heat exchanger 131 and the air volume of the blower 10. Furthermore, in the air intake and exhaust control for the second floor, the control device 101 is not limited to a configuration in which the air volume of the blower 10 and the air volume of the air conditioner 122 are adjusted, but may be configured to adjust only the air volume of the blower 10.

Furthermore, the building may be configured without either the heat exchanger 131 or the air conditioner 121, which are air supply devices that supply air to the underfloor space on the first floor. If the heat exchanger 131 is not installed, the air in each room R is exhausted directly to the outside of the building, for example, via the exhaust port Me and a duct (not shown).

Furthermore, in the control device 101, the control unit 52 may be configured to change the amount of air supplied to the heat exchanger 131 depending on the operating state of the ventilation fan 152 installed in the building.

Figure 8 is a flowchart that defines the operational procedure when the control device according to the first embodiment of the present invention changes the amount of air supplied to the heat exchanger.

Referring to FIG. 8, first, the control device 101 monitors the status of the ventilation fan 152 installed in room R2, for example (NO in step S21), and if the operation of the ventilation fan 152 is turned on (YES in step S21), it stores the current air supply volume NO of the heat exchanger 131 as Ny in the memory unit 53 (step S22).

Next, the control device 101 increases the supply air volume NO of the heat exchanger 131 by an amount equivalent to the exhaust air volume Nx of the ventilation fan 152 (step S23).

Next, the control device 101 monitors the status of the ventilation fan 152 (NO in step S24), and if the operation of the ventilation fan 152 is turned off (YES in step S24), it returns the air supply volume NO of the heat exchanger 131 to the original air volume Ny (step S25).

This configuration allows the balance between the intake and exhaust volumes of the building to be maintained even when the exhaust volume in the building increases due to the operation of the ventilation fan 152.

Next, other embodiments of the present invention will be described using the drawings. Note that identical or corresponding parts in the drawings will be designated by the same reference numerals and their description will not be repeated.

Second Embodiment
This embodiment relates to a ventilation system that performs air supply and exhaust control at a different trigger than the ventilation system according to the first embodiment. The ventilation system according to the first embodiment is the same as the ventilation system according to the first embodiment except for the details described below.

Figures 9 and 10 are diagrams showing the configuration of a ventilation system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. Referring to Figures 9 and 10, compared to the ventilation system according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the ventilation system 202 further includes one or more sensors 151.

As an example, Figure 9 shows four sensors 151A to 151D installed in rooms R1 to R4 on the first floor of a building. As an example, Figure 10 shows three sensors 151E to 151G installed in rooms R5 to R7 on the second floor of a building. Note that sensors 151 may be installed in a portion of each room R in a building.

Each sensor 151 performs measurements related to the air in room R. For example, each sensor 151 measures the level of air pollution in room R. Specifically, for example, each sensor 151 measures the CO2 concentration in room R in which it is located, and transmits measurement information indicating its own identification information and the measurement results of the CO2 concentration in the corresponding room R to the control device 101 via wireless or wired communication on a regular or irregular basis.

Note that the sensor 151 is not limited to being configured to measure CO2 concentration, but may also be configured to measure other substances such as carbon monoxide or dust.

In the control device 101, the communication unit 51 receives measurement information transmitted from each sensor 151 and stores the received measurement information in the memory unit 53 in association with the time of reception.

A threshold value Thc indicating the allowable upper limit of the CO2 concentration in each room R is pre-registered in the memory unit 53, for example, by the user.

The control unit 52 adjusts the airflow rate of the blower 10, the airflow rate of the heat exchanger 131, and the airflow rate of the air conditioners 121 and 122 based on the CO2 concentration indicated by the measurement information stored in the memory unit 53 and the threshold value Thc.

More specifically, when formulas (1) to (4) are satisfied, i.e., when the balance between the intake and exhaust volumes in the building is maintained, the control unit 52 performs a change process to change the airflow rates of some of the multiple fans 10 in the ventilation system 201 based on the measurement information received from the sensor 151, i.e., when the measurement information satisfies a predetermined condition.

For example, if the CO2 concentration in a certain room R increases and exceeds the threshold value Thc, the control device 101 performs a change process to increase the airflow rate of the corresponding blower 10 in order to lower the CO2 concentration in that room R.

If the airflow rate of the blower 10 in room R is simply increased in this change process, the balance of the intake and exhaust rates in the building will be disrupted, for example, N0 + S1 << N1 + N2 + N3 + N4 or S2 << N5 + N6 + N7. In this case, air may leak from gaps in the floor of room R into the space under the floor, and contaminated air may be supplied to other rooms R via the space under the floor.

Therefore, if the control unit 52 increases the air volume of the corresponding blower 10 in the change process based on the measurement results of the air in room R, it changes the air volume of the blower 10 corresponding to a room R other than the blower 10 whose air volume is being changed to a smaller value in the adjustment process.

Example 4 described below is when the target room is room R4 on the first floor of the building, and example 5 is when the target room is room R5 on the second floor of the building.

[Example 4]
For example, suppose people gather in room R4, which is the living room, and the CO2 measurement value of sensor 151D rises and exceeds threshold value Thc. In this case, control unit 52 increases airflow rate N4 of corresponding fan 10D to supply clean air to room R4. Then, control unit 52 decreases airflow rates N1 to N3 of fans 10 in the other rooms R1 to R3 on the first floor.

In addition, if the adjusted air volume exceeds a predetermined limit value for the blower 10 during the adjustment process, the control unit 52 may be configured to set the air volume of the blower 10 so that it does not exceed the limit value, and to change the air volume of the air supply device that supplies air to the non-occupied space.

For example, if the changed air volumes N1 to N3 fall below the lower limit, i.e., the limit value, of the blower 10, the control unit 52 sets the air volumes N1 to N3 to the lower limit value and increases the air volume S1 of the air conditioner 121 to maintain the equation N0 + S1 = N1 + N2 + N3 + N4.

Furthermore, if the changed airflow rate S1 exceeds the upper limit of the air conditioner 121, the control unit 52 sets the airflow rate S1 to the upper limit and increases the air supply rate N0 of the heat exchanger 131 to maintain the relationship N0 + S1 = N1 + N2 + N3 + N4. The control unit 52 also increases the exhaust rate n0 of the heat exchanger 131 to satisfy the relationship N0 = n0.

When the people gathered in room R4 leave, the CO2 measurement value at sensor 151D drops below threshold Thc. In this case, the control unit 52 restores the airflow rate N4 of the blower 10D corresponding to room R4. The control unit 52 also restores the airflow rates N1 to N3 of the blowers 10 in the other rooms R1 to R3 on the first floor.

[Example 5]
For example, suppose people gather in room R5, a Western-style room on the second floor, and the CO2 measurement value of sensor 151E rises and exceeds threshold value Thc. In this case, control unit 52 increases airflow rate N5 of corresponding fan 10E to supply clean air to room R5. Then, control unit 52 decreases airflow rates N6 and N7 of fans 10 in other rooms R6 and R7 on the second floor.

Here, if the changed air volumes N6 and N7 fall below the lower limit, i.e., the limit value, of the blower 10, the control unit 52 sets the air volumes N6 and N7 to the lower limit value and increases the air volume S2 of the air conditioner 122 to maintain S2 = N5 + N6 + N7.

When the people gathered in room R5 disperse, the CO2 measurement value at sensor 151E drops below threshold Thc. In this case, the control unit 52 restores the airflow rate N5 of the blower 10E corresponding to room R5. The control unit 52 also restores the airflow rates N6 and N7 of the blowers 10 in the other rooms R6 and R7 on the second floor.

In addition, in Examples 4 and 5, the control unit 52 may be configured to increase the air volume S1 of the air conditioner 121 or the air volume S2 of the air conditioner 122 instead of reducing the air volume of the blower 10.

[Operation flow]
Next, the flow of operations in the ventilation system according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

Figures 11 and 12 are flowcharts that define the operational procedures when a control device according to a second embodiment of the present invention performs air intake and exhaust control.

Referring to Figures 11 and 12, first, while each blower 10, with its air volume set to a default value, is blowing air into each room R (step S31), the control device 101 waits for one minute (step S32) and receives measurement information indicating the CO2 concentration C, which is the measurement result, from the sensor 151 in each room R. Note that if the control device 101 receives measurement information multiple times within one minute from the same sensor 151, it may use the average value of the measurement results indicated by the measurement information for one minute as the CO2 concentration C (step S33).

Next, if the CO2 concentration C in each room R is less than 800 ppm (YES in step S34), the control device 101 determines that there is no abnormality and waits again for one minute (step S32).

On the other hand, if the CO2 concentration C in a certain room R is 800 ppm or higher, the control device 101 determines that an abnormality has occurred and performs air intake and exhaust control on that room R as the target room (NO in step S34).

During air supply and exhaust control, if the setting of the fan motor rotation speed (hereinafter also referred to as fan motor rotation speed) of the blower 10 corresponding to the target room has not reached the upper limit (NO in step S35), the control device 101 increases the setting of the fan motor rotation speed of the blower 10 by one level and decreases the setting of the fan motor rotation speed of the blower 10 corresponding to room R on the same floor with the lowest CO2 concentration by one level. The fan motor rotation speed corresponds to the air volume of the blower 10 (step S36).

Alternatively, if the fan motor rotation speed of the blower 10 corresponding to the target room is set to the upper limit (YES in step S35) and the air volume of the air conditioner on the same floor has not reached the upper limit (NO in step S37), the control device 101 increases the air volume setting of the air conditioner by one level (step S38).

Alternatively, if the fan motor rotation speed of the blower 10 corresponding to the target room is set to the upper limit (YES in step S35), the air volume of the air conditioner on the same floor has reached the upper limit (YES in step S37), the target room is on the first floor (NO in step S39), and the ventilation volume of the heat exchanger 131 has not reached the upper limit (NO in step S40), the control device 101 increases the ventilation volume of the heat exchanger 131, i.e., the supply air volume N0 and exhaust air volume n0, by one level (step S41).

On the other hand, if the ventilation volume of the heat exchanger 131 has reached the upper limit (YES in step S40), the control device 101 displays a warning on the display unit 55 and waits again for one minute (step S32).

Furthermore, if the fan motor rotation speed of the blower 10 corresponding to the target room is set to the upper limit (YES in step S35), the air volume of the air conditioner on the same floor has reached the upper limit (YES in step S37), and the target room is on the second floor (YES in step S39), the control device 101 displays a warning on the display unit 55 and waits again for one minute (step S32).

Next, when the control device 101 increases the fan motor rotation speed, air volume, or ventilation volume of the air conditioner by one step, it sets Cc = C, i.e., holds the latest CO2 concentration C (step S43), waits for one minute (step S44), and receives new measurement information indicating the CO2 concentration C, which is the measurement result, from the sensor 151 in the target room (step S45).

Next, if Cc-C is less than zero, i.e., if the airflow setting has been changed but the CO2 concentration in the target room has increased (YES in step S46), the control device 101 changes the airflow setting again (step S35).

On the other hand, if Cc - C is equal to or greater than zero, i.e., if the CO2 concentration in the target room remains constant or decreases after the airflow setting is changed (NO in step S46), the control device 101 sets Cc = C (step S47), waits for one minute (step S48), and receives new measurement information indicating the CO2 concentration C, which is the measurement result, from the sensor 151 in the target room (step S49).

Next, if Cc-C is less than zero, i.e., if the CO2 concentration in the target room is increasing again (YES in step S50), the control device 101 changes the airflow setting again (step S35).

On the other hand, if Cc - C is equal to or greater than zero, i.e., if the CO2 concentration in the target room after the airflow setting change has remained constant or decreased for two minutes (NO in step S50) and the CO2 concentration C in the target room remains at or above 800 ppm (NO in step S51), the control device 101 sets Cc = C (step S47), waits again for one minute (step S48), and receives new measurement information indicating the measurement result, CO2 concentration C, from the sensor 151 in the target room (step S49).

On the other hand, if Cc-C is equal to or greater than zero, i.e., if the CO2 concentration in the target room after changing the airflow setting remains constant or decreases for two minutes (NO in step S50) and the CO2 concentration C in the target room falls below 800 ppm (YES in step S51), the control device 101 cancels the setting for the target room and performs air intake and exhaust control to restore the changed airflow rates.

In air supply and exhaust control, if the target room is on the first floor (NO in step S52) and the ventilation volume of the heat exchanger 131 is not the default value (NO in step S53), the control device 101 reduces the ventilation volume of the heat exchanger 131, i.e., the supply air volume N0 and exhaust air volume n0, by one level (step S54).

Alternatively, if the target room is on the second floor (YES in step S52) or the ventilation volume of the heat exchanger 131 is the default value (YES in step S53), but the air conditioner's air volume is not the default value (NO in step S55), the control device 101 reduces the air conditioner's air volume setting by one level (step S56).

On the other hand, if the air conditioner's airflow rate is the default value (YES in step S55), the control device 101 decreases the setting of the fan motor rotation speed of the blower 10 corresponding to the target room by one level, and increases the setting of the fan motor rotation speed of the blower 10 corresponding to room R on the same floor with the lowest CO2 concentration by one level (step S57).

Next, if the fan motor rotation speed of the blower 10 in each room R has not returned to the default value (NO in step S58), the control device 101 sets Cc = C (step S47), waits for one minute again (step S48), and receives new measurement information indicating the CO2 concentration C, which is the measurement result, from the sensor 151 in the target room (step S49).

On the other hand, if the fan motor rotation speed of the blower 10 in each room R returns to the default value (YES in step S58), the control device 101 continues monitoring the CO2 concentration in each room R. That is, the control device 101 waits for one minute (step S32) and receives measurement information indicating the CO2 concentration C, which is the measurement result, from the sensor 151 in each room R (step S33).

Other configurations and operations are the same as those of the ventilation system of the first embodiment, so detailed descriptions will not be repeated here.

Note that the ventilation systems 201, 202 do not necessarily have to be installed on both the first and second floors of the building, but may be installed on either the first or second floor of the building. Furthermore, the control device 101 may be installed on the second floor of the building, or outside the building.

Furthermore, some or all of the functions of the control device according to the embodiment of the present invention may be provided by cloud computing. In other words, the control device according to the embodiment of the present invention may be a cloud server composed of multiple servers.

The above-described embodiments should be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is indicated by the claims, not by the above description, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims.

10, 10A to 10G Fan 51 Communication unit 52 Control unit 53 Memory unit 55 Display unit 101 Control device 121, 122 Air conditioner 131 Heat exchanger 151, 151A to 151G Sensor 201, 202 Ventilation system R, R1 to R7 Room Ma1, Ma2 Supply port Mb Ventilation port Me Exhaust port Ms Air intake port

Claims (10)

a plurality of fans that supply air from the non-habitable space to a plurality of rooms, respectively;
a control unit that, when performing a change process to change the airflow rates of some of the plurality of fans, performs an adjustment process to adjust at least one of the air supply to the non-occupied space and the airflow rate of a fan corresponding to the room other than the fan whose airflow rate is being changed, so that the total airflow rate of the plurality of fans and the airflow rate of the non-occupied space become equal ,
when the control unit reduces the air volume of the corresponding fan in the change process to create a negative pressure in the room, the control unit changes the air volume of the fan corresponding to the room other than the fan whose air volume is being changed to a larger value in the adjustment process,
In a ventilation system, when the control unit reduces the air volume of the corresponding blower in the change process to create negative pressure in the room, the control unit further adjusts the air volume in the adjustment process to prohibit the existence of another room with an air volume smaller than the reduced air volume . a plurality of fans that supply air from the non-habitable space to a plurality of rooms, respectively;
a control unit that, when performing a change process to change the airflow rates of some of the plurality of fans, performs an adjustment process to adjust at least one of the air supply to the non-occupied space and the airflow rate of a fan corresponding to the room other than the fan whose airflow rate is being changed, so that the total airflow rate of the plurality of fans and the airflow rate of the non-occupied space become equal,
In the adjustment process, if the adjusted value of the air volume exceeds a predetermined limit value of the blower, the control unit sets the air volume so that it does not exceed the limit value and changes the air volume of the air supply device that supplies air to the non- residential space. The ventilation system according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the control unit performs a process of displaying a screen on which the rooms that can be made negatively pressurized can be identified, and performs the change process of reducing the airflow rate of the blower corresponding to the room selected on the screen . when the control unit reduces the air volume of the corresponding fan in the change process to create a negative pressure in the room, the control unit changes the air volume of the fan corresponding to the room other than the fan whose air volume is being changed to a larger value in the adjustment process,
The ventilation system of claim 3, wherein the control unit performs a process of displaying a screen in which the rooms that can be made negatively pressurized are shown in a manner different from the other rooms, and performs the change process of reducing the airflow rate of the blower corresponding to the room that can be made negatively pressurized and selected on the screen. 5. The ventilation system according to claim 1, wherein the control unit adjusts the air supply to the non-residential space and the air volume of the blower corresponding to the room other than the blower whose air volume is being changed so that the total air volume of the multiple blowers is equal to the air volume supplied to the non-residential space during the adjustment process. 6. The ventilation system according to claim 1, wherein, when the control unit increases the airflow rate of the corresponding blower in the change process based on the measurement results regarding the air in the room, the control unit changes the airflow rate of the blower corresponding to the room other than the blower whose airflow rate is being changed to a smaller value in the adjustment process. a control unit that performs a change process to change the airflow rates of some of a plurality of fans that supply air from a non-occupied space to a plurality of rooms, and when performing the change process, adjusts at least one of the airflow rates of the fans that supply air to the non-occupied space and the airflow rates of the fans that correspond to the rooms other than the fans that change the airflow rate so that the total airflow rate of the fans is equal to the airflow rate of the non-occupied space ;
when the control unit reduces the air volume of the corresponding fan in the change process to create a negative pressure in the room, the control unit changes the air volume of the fan corresponding to the room other than the fan whose air volume is being changed to a larger value in the adjustment process,
A control device in which, when the control unit reduces the air volume of the corresponding blower in the change process to create negative pressure in the room, the control unit further adjusts the air volume in the adjustment process to prohibit the existence of another room with an air volume smaller than the reduced air volume . a control unit that performs a change process to change the airflow rates of some of a plurality of fans that supply air from a non-occupied space to a plurality of rooms, and when performing the change process, adjusts at least one of the airflow rates of the fans that supply air to the non-occupied space and the airflow rates of the fans that correspond to the rooms other than the fans that change the airflow rate so that the total airflow rate of the fans is equal to the airflow rate of the non-occupied space;
The control unit is a control device that, during the adjustment process, if the adjusted value of the air volume exceeds a predetermined limit value of the blower, sets the air volume so that it does not exceed the limit value and changes the air volume of the air supply device that supplies air to the non-residential space. A ventilation method in a ventilation system, comprising:
a step of performing a change process to change the airflow rates of some of the fans among a plurality of fans that supply air from the non-occupied space to a plurality of rooms;
When performing the change process, the method includes a step of performing an adjustment process to adjust at least one of the air supply to the non-occupied space and the air volume of the fan corresponding to the room other than the fan whose air volume is being changed, so that the total air volume of the plurality of fans becomes equal to the air volume of the non-occupied space ,
In the step of performing the adjustment process, when the air volume of the corresponding fan is reduced in the change process to create a negative pressure in the room, the air volume of the fan corresponding to the room other than the fan whose air volume is being changed is changed to a larger value in the adjustment process,
In the step of performing the adjustment process, if the air volume of the corresponding blower is reduced in the change process to create negative pressure in the room, the ventilation method further adjusts the air volume to prohibit the existence of another room with an air volume smaller than the reduced air volume . A ventilation method in a ventilation system, comprising:
a step of performing a change process to change the airflow rates of some of the fans among a plurality of fans that supply air from the non-occupied space to a plurality of rooms;
When performing the change process, the method includes a step of performing an adjustment process to adjust at least one of the air supply to the non-occupied space and the air volume of the fan corresponding to the room other than the fan whose air volume is being changed, so that the total air volume of the plurality of fans becomes equal to the air volume of the non-occupied space,
In the step of performing the adjustment process, if the adjusted value of the air volume exceeds a predetermined limit value of the blower, the air volume is set so that it does not exceed the limit value, and the air volume of the air supply device that supplies air to the non-residential space is changed.