KR20210091028A - Smart Air Conditioning System for Optimized Operation with Predictive Co-operation - Google Patents

Abstract

According to one embodiment of the present invention, an air conditioning system comprises: an air conditioner; a sensing unit which collects sensing information including temperature and humidity information and air volume information of the air conditioner; a controller connected to the air conditioner to receive operation information and the sensing information from the air conditioner to control the air conditioner and perform a monitoring function; and an output control unit controlling the air conditioner based on a control signal of the controller. The controller uses the temperature and humidity information and the air volume information included in the sensing information to perform machine learning based on an artificial intelligence algorithm and calculates an optimized operation condition and a sensing error to predict the temperature and humidity information and the air volume information so as to perform control.

Description

Smart Air Conditioning System for Optimized Operation with Predictive Co-operation

The present invention relates to an air conditioning system, and more particularly, to a smart air conditioning system capable of predicting and precisely controlling temperature and humidity using artificial intelligence and optimizing operation through predictive air conditioning.

The air conditioner is installed to provide a more comfortable indoor environment for humans by discharging hot and cold air into the room to create a comfortable indoor environment, controlling the indoor temperature, and purifying the indoor air. In general, an air conditioner includes an indoor unit configured as a heat exchanger and installed indoors, and an outdoor unit configured as a compressor and a heat exchanger and supplying a refrigerant to the indoor unit.

Such an air conditioner is controlled separately from an indoor unit composed of a heat exchanger and an outdoor unit composed of a compressor and a heat exchanger, and is operated by controlling power supplied to the compressor or the heat exchanger. Also, at least one indoor unit may be connected to the outdoor unit, and the air conditioner may be operated in a cooling or heating mode by supplying refrigerant to the indoor unit according to a requested operating state. However, the currently provided air conditioners do not have a system capable of precise temperature and humidity control by providing operation information and temperature and humidity information in real time, so there is a difficulty in systematic management.

On the other hand, artificial intelligence, which is emerging recently, is a technology that implements human abilities such as perception, learning, reasoning, and natural language processing into programs so that computers can execute them. Machine learning (machine learning), deep learning, natural language processing, voice It is developing in the direction of developing advanced technologies such as recognition and visual recognition, and includes software specialized for various application fields such as safety, medical care, national defense, finance, and welfare, machine learning, cloud, and high-performance computer technology.

The recent AI development trend goes beyond simply cognitive ability, finds the best answer in the perceived environment, adds self-learning to it, makes inferences and predictions, and in the future, it will be in the action stage of discovering and solving problems on their own. Research and investment in various fields are being actively carried out.

However, in order to create a comfortable indoor environment by incorporating artificial intelligence to enable precise control of temperature and humidity in the current indoor environment, it predicts and optimizes the temperature and humidity of cold and hot air into the room and automatically adjusts the indoor temperature while discharging it, and improves indoor air quality. There is no comprehensive management air conditioning system for purification.

Therefore, in order to solve the above-mentioned problem, there is a need for research on an air conditioning system capable of precisely controlling temperature and humidity using artificial intelligence.

Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 10-2018-0041274 (published on April 24, 2018)

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide an air conditioning system including a control controller connected to an air conditioner and capable of predicting temperature and humidity and precisely controlling temperature and humidity from the control controller.

An air conditioning system according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an air conditioner, a sensing unit that collects sensing information including temperature and humidity information and air volume information of the air conditioner, and is connected to the air conditioner to receive operation information and sensing information from the air conditioner to control and control the air conditioner A control controller for performing a monitoring function, and an output control unit for controlling an air conditioner based on a control signal of the control controller, wherein the control controller is an artificial intelligence algorithm using temperature and humidity information and air volume information included in the sensing information. It is characterized in that the control is performed by performing machine learning based on the prediction of temperature and humidity information and air volume information by calculating optimized operating conditions and sensing errors.

In the above, the control controller comprises: an input unit connected to the air conditioner and receiving operation information of the air conditioner and sensing information of the sensing unit; a data unit for storing and managing the driving information and the sensing information; a control unit provided to receive the sensing information, determine an air conditioner operation condition, and perform various control functions for the air conditioner; an output unit for outputting an output signal to the output control unit so as to receive an instruction from the control unit to optimize operation of the air conditioner; It further includes; a communication unit that transmits information in order to analyze the information in detail.

The control controller is characterized in that it receives the driving information and transmits the corresponding driving information to a control server or an APP of a remote manager terminal through a communication network.

The manager terminal 50 connected through the communication unit of the control controller receives various types of operation information through a monitor in real time, and the fan-related information generates a performance chart. The fan performance chart displays a fan performance curve, It is characterized by including fan air volume, system static pressure information, fan rotation speed, temperature and humidity (air density), and power consumption. At this time, vibration data is supplied to check the mechanical abnormality of the fan.

The control controller provides an analysis screen on the operation efficiency and energy analysis information of the coil and heat exchanger provided from the control server through the monitor, and receives the air flow analysis information of the control server to check the operating state of the air conditioner It is characterized in that it receives an analysis screen analyzing the degree of ventilation by supplying outdoor air intake and exhaust amount information from the control server.

The monitor uses a touchpad monitor, provides a GUI-type interface, and responds to touch commands for images for each information so that users can access driving information, sensing information, and various analysis information provided from the control server. It is characterized in that the information can be accessed by

The control server may include: a control unit capable of analyzing driving by collecting various driving information and sensing information provided by the control controller; a data unit for storing and managing driving information and sensing information; Ministry of Public Information that collects public information of external organizations necessary for the operation of air conditioners; a learning unit that creates an accurate predictive air conditioning pattern through machine learning analysis including driving information and sensing information stored in the data unit and public information of the public information unit; includes

The control server controls the air conditioner under optimal operating conditions through the analysis information and learning algorithm analyzed by machine learning, thereby preventing the coil from freezing in winter and enthalpy according to indoor and outdoor conditions so that the optimal energy can be used through the information. control.

The control unit receives the update information on the optimum driving condition from the learning unit and transmits it to the control controller, so that the air conditioner is operated under the optimum operating condition by performing the update.

The air conditioning system of the present invention provides and monitors real-time driving information, so that it is possible to analyze the cause of a driving quality accident based on the provided driving information, and provides a warning function for abnormal driving to improve driving quality and perform preventive maintenance. There are advantages that can be

In addition, operating costs can be analyzed through information provided from fans, coils, heat exchangers, etc., maintenance history management is possible through life cycle analysis, and management quantification through comparison of operating specifications and real-time operation information It has the advantage of easy visual analysis through fan performance charts and air charts.

In addition, by analyzing error patterns based on artificial intelligence algorithms through equipment information, indoor and outdoor information, and public information, there is an advantage in that the system can be built to operate in the best state.

1 is a diagram schematically showing the overall configuration of an air conditioning system of the present invention.
2 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of the air conditioning system and the detailed configuration of the control server according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a block diagram illustrating a detailed configuration of the control controller of FIG. 2 .
4, 5, and 6 are diagrams exemplarily showing a monitoring screen of the air conditioning system according to the present invention.

Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the spirit of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments presented, and those skilled in the art who understand the spirit of the present invention may add, change, delete, etc. other components within the scope of the same spirit, through addition, change, deletion, etc. Other embodiments included within the scope of the invention may be easily proposed, but this will also be included within the scope of the invention. In addition, components having the same function within the scope of the same idea shown in the drawings of each embodiment will be described using the same reference numerals.

1 is a diagram schematically showing the overall configuration of an air conditioning system of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of an air conditioning system and a detailed configuration of a control server according to an embodiment of the present invention. 3 is a block diagram showing a detailed configuration of the control controller of FIG. 2 .

1 and 2 , the air conditioning system of the present invention includes an air conditioner 10 , a sensing unit 20 , a control controller 30 , and an output control unit 40 .

In addition, the air conditioning system of the present invention may include an outdoor unit (not shown) and a refrigerator (not shown) in addition to the air conditioner 10 , and a plurality of air conditioners 10 and the like are provided so that multi-drive and individual control can be performed.

The air conditioner 10 is basically a device having a function of circulating indoor air by controlling ventilation, exhaust, outdoor air, and supply air, and controlling the indoor temperature by controlling the temperature, and having an air purification function.

The air conditioner 10 includes a fan (not shown), a filter (not shown) and a coil (Coil, not shown), and includes various sensors such as a temperature and humidity sensor, a vibration sensor, a pressure sensor, and an RPM sensor to collect sensing information. The sensing unit 20 , the control controller 30 , the output control unit 40 , and the like may be included. Here, the output control unit 40 may include a valve (not shown), a damper (not shown), an inverter (not shown), a motor (not shown), and the like.

The configuration of the fan may vary depending on driving methods such as series driving or belt driving, and in the case of belt driving, a belt may be included in addition to the basic case, plug, and various sensing units 20 .

In addition, the sensing unit 20 may further include a vibration sensor, a belt check sensor, a gas sensor, a temperature and humidity sensor, a pressure sensor, and the like, and the sensing information may include information sensed from these sensors, for example, temperature and humidity information, air volume. It may be information, outdoor air information, vibration information, belt information, gas information, pressure information, and the like.

The control controller 30 may provide various control and monitoring functions by being connected to the air conditioner 10 , an outdoor unit, or an outdoor unit.

That is, the control controller 30 has a real-time operation status (eg, air volume and system pressure) display function, a variable air volume (VAV) or constant air volume (CAV) control (including optimization automatic operation) function of the fan, and a fan rotation speed (RPM) ), function to provide operation information such as fan performance chart, check the vibration status of the fan rotating body and the presence of abnormality in the belt coupled to the fan housing, fluctuations in system static pressure (e.g., operation in response to filters, ducts, etc.), It is possible to provide various control functions for the air conditioner 10 and the internal configuration, including an analysis of operating cost using a fan and coil heat quantity, and a warning and action method according to various operating conditions.

Furthermore, the control controller 30 may be provided with an optimized operation mode predicted by the control server 70 by machine learning based on an artificial intelligence algorithm to perform state prediction control.

In addition, as a communication method of the control controller 30, for example, an RS-485 communication module may be mounted for RS-485 communication, and for this, Modbus RTU protocol may be used.

When a plurality of air conditioners 10 and the like are provided, the control controller 30 is respectively connected to the air conditioners 10 that need to be controlled so that control of each air conditioner 10 is performed individually.

In this case, in the case of a fan included in the air conditioner 10 , an inverter of the output control unit 40 for controlling the fan rotation speed may be coupled. Here, the inverter may control the rotation speed of the motor to control the air volume and pressure of the fan by adjusting the frequency (Hz) of power applied to the driving motor.

As shown in FIG. 3 , the control controller 30 further includes an input unit 31 , a data unit 32 , a control unit 33 , an output unit 34 , and a communication unit 35 .

The control unit 33 is provided to perform various control functions for the air conditioner 10 and the internal configuration described above, and for this purpose, the control unit 33 includes an integrated MCU such as a Raspberry Pi and an Arduino including a programmable internal memory. could be

The input unit 31 receives various types of operation information and sensing information from the air conditioner 10 and provides the corresponding information so that the control unit 33 can perform an ideal optimized operation. Here, the operation information may be information about an operating state, operating conditions, input/output information, and the like during operation of the air conditioner.

The data unit 32 manages driving information including driving state and driving conditions and the sensing information collected from the sensing unit 20, and has a function of storing real-time driving data and comparing and reviewing it with past data. (33) provides information on the results of the comparative review.

In addition, the data unit 32 provides the corresponding information to the monitor 60 and the control server 70 so that the control server 70 can perform various analysis.

Furthermore, the control unit 33 has a function of determining to be in an optimal operating state based on the data of the data unit 32 , and issuing a driving command to the output unit 34 after the determination.

The output unit 34 receives an instruction from the control unit 33 and outputs an output signal to the output control unit 40 in order to perform an optimized operation.

Also, the output unit 34 may be included in the control unit 33 when the control unit 33 is an integrated MCU.

The communication unit 35 may transmit various information for controlling the air conditioner 10 provided from the data unit 32 to the outside, for example, the operation information of the air conditioner 10, sensing information of the sensing unit 20, etc. It can be transmitted to the monitor 60 of a remote location, local), the control server 70 of the central control area, or the manager terminal 50 through a communication network. Here, the communication network may be a remote communication network or an Internet network.

In addition, the communication unit 35 may receive update information for updating the control unit 33 using a program learned from the control server 70, and for this purpose, it may be a Modbus RTU protocol capable of RS-485 communication. .

The touchpad monitor 60, the control server 70, or the manager terminal 50 receives and monitors operation information and various sensing information in real time, and the control server 70 provides a fan performance chart and an air diagram chart. It can be generated and provided to the monitor 60 or the manager terminal 50, to enable various driving analysis, and to provide an interface screen for remote control.

The monitor 60 uses the touchpad monitor 60, provides a GUI-type interface, and each information so as to be able to access operation information, sensing information, and various analysis information provided from the control server 70 . Allows access to the corresponding information by a touch command for the image.

4 shows the operation mode of the air conditioner 10, and shows a fan performance display chart, an air diagram, and individual control buttons in the form of a UI, and provides operating states of various air conditioners 10 as in FIG. 4 .

In addition, the fan performance display chart of FIG. 4 displays a fan performance curve, and the fan performance curve may include fan air volume, system static pressure information, vibration, fan rotation speed, temperature and humidity (air density), power consumption, and the like.

In addition, the air diagram of FIG. 4 provides air condition information of each location of the air conditioner 10, and provides outdoor air amount and exhaust amount information to be used in the air conditioner 10 operation cost analysis.

5 shows the operation information of the air conditioner 10 in the form of a graphical user interface GUI so that the contents can be intuitively checked on the monitor 60 or the control server 70, and detailed operation information is displayed by clicking on each figure image. It has an expressive structure.

In addition, FIG. 6 shows a screen that can receive information on manager operation information, warnings, maintenance, etc. in real time through an app (APP) installed in the manager terminal 50 and interlocked with the control server 70, Also, as shown, the manager terminal 50 may input a set value in the manager mode by directly connecting the equipment and the manager terminal 50 when equipment set-up such as an air conditioner is required.

Furthermore, the control server 70 further includes a control unit 71 , an information unit 72 , a public information unit 73 , and a learning unit 74 as shown in FIG. 2 .

Since the control unit 71 has a function to analyze operation by collecting various operation information and sensing information provided by the control controller 30 , an operation warning and maintenance by the state information of the device to the manager terminal 50 . carry out the proposal.

In addition, the control unit 71 provides an analysis of the operating cost for the overall operation, and stores all the collected information in the information unit 72) so that the data history can be tracked and managed.

The control unit 71 may include a communication module (not shown) having a built-in communication protocol compatible with the communication unit 35 so as to receive operation information and sensing information from the control controller 30 through a communication network.

The information unit 72 serves as a kind of database for storing various types of information including driving information and sensing information, and may be provided in plurality to classify and store information by attributes and types.

The public information unit 73 helps by machine learning to efficiently operate by collecting public information of external organizations necessary for the operation of the air conditioner 10 .

Here, the public information means environmental data provided by an external organization on a network such as the Internet, and the external organization may be the Korea Meteorological Administration, a weather forecast center, etc., and the public information provided by such an external organization includes, for example, weather information and yellow dust. It can be information, fine dust information, gas pollution information, etc.

The learning unit 74 plays a role in creating an accurate prediction coordination pattern through machine learning analysis including driving information and sensing information stored in the information unit 72 ) and public information of the public information unit 73 .

That is, the control server 70 prevents the freezing of the coil in winter for the air conditioner 10 through the control controller 30 through the analysis information analyzed from the sensing information collected by the learning unit 74 and the internal algorithm. Enthalpy control is performed according to indoor and outdoor conditions so that optimal energy can be used through information.

Specifically, the learning unit 74 performs machine learning based on an artificial intelligence algorithm using sensing information such as temperature and humidity information and air volume information included in the sensing information, and generates predictive driving information to perform optimized driving. can

Furthermore, the learning unit 74 may calculate an error of the sensed information based on the sensed information so as to predict the accurate temperature/humidity degree and air volume information in the future.

Here, the artificial intelligence algorithm may apply, for example, a support vector machine (SVM) algorithm. In addition, as the above-described artificial intelligence algorithm, Neuromorphic Learning is used, or deep neural network (DNN), synthesis Various types of artificial intelligence algorithms can be used, such as a recurrent neural network (CNN) or a recurrent neural network (RNN) artificial intelligence method.

The support vector machine algorithm is one of the supervised machine learning methods mainly used for classification, regression, and outliers detection. For example, among the various methods for classifying the datasets of two groups, the best way to improve classification accuracy is to be able to accurately identify the midpoint at the maximum distance for each group.

In particular, the support vector machine algorithm is known as an optimized method for finding an optimal decision boundary capable of distinguishing a plurality of dimensions well for data having a plurality of dimensions.

In addition, when the support vector machine algorithm as described above is applied to the data obtained from the sensors, the number of training times of machine learning increases as the data transmitted from the sensors are accumulated more and more, and as a result, the modeling obtained through training the accuracy gradually increases. This characteristic is that the prediction error rate can be improved more and more as the number of training increases compared to the analysis technique using a specific mathematical or statistical modeling always has a certain degree of prediction error rate, which is a major factor in modeling through machine learning techniques. advantage.

As a result, if the above-described matrix is analyzed and predicted using the support vector machine algorithm described above, the pattern of the sensed temperature and humidity information and air volume information can be predicted, and the optimized operating condition or sensor error is calculated using the pattern. And, through this, it is possible to predict accurate predicted values of temperature and humidity information and air volume information required for optimization operation. In addition, the prediction value is collected and stored in the information unit 72, so that the prediction accuracy can be further increased as time elapses using the accumulated big data information.

Furthermore, information on the operating frequency of a rotating body such as a motor provided in the fan of the air conditioner 10 is provided to the control server 70, and the cause of vibration can be analyzed by analyzing the information based on the provided information, the learning unit 74 can also predict the accurate vibration cause analysis according to the degree of error by analyzing the error pattern when an error occurs due to noise or disturbance of the operating frequency information.

In addition, the learning unit 74 may determine whether the performance of the sensor is deteriorated or malfunctioning through the error pattern of the sensor by learning. A reference comparison pattern for making such determination may be stored in advance, and the reference comparison pattern is basically It may be the tolerance range of the sensor provided at the time of shipment, and the range of the reference comparison pattern may be periodically updated through learning.

Also, even when the error pattern of the sensor is out of the range of the reference comparison pattern, the learning unit 74 may utilize the failure counter in order to eliminate the error of judging a failure for a temporary error.

The failure counter is a method of notifying the control server or the administrator terminal by determining that the error pattern of the sensor is greater than the reference comparison pattern for a certain number of times (reference counter value) or more as a failure or performance degradation. In the case of the method, it is possible to reduce the possibility of misjudgment due to the above-described temporary noise, etc. by recursively judging errors. In addition, the above-described failure counter resets to 0 when the operating time exceeds a specific range, or resets to 0 when the corresponding sensor is off. can also prevent them.

In addition, the values predicted from the learning unit 74 are the precision of the air conditioner 10 through the control controller 30 and the output control unit 40 so that the control server 70 performs an optimized operation based on accurate temperature and humidity information and air volume information. Enable remote control.

To this end, the information unit 72 may convert the collected driving information, sensing information, and prediction values into big data, and to improve prediction accuracy through artificial intelligence algorithm-based machine learning of the learning unit 74, driving information, sensing information, etc. can store and provide the collected data of

Furthermore, the learning unit 74 provides updater information on the optimal driving condition to the control unit 71 according to the learned pattern, so that the control controller 30 can be updated.

In addition, the control unit 71 verifies the learned optimized driving conditions, and provides the corresponding algorithm to the control controller 30 to control the air conditioner as an algorithm for the final driving condition as a result of the learning, and updates are performed. do.

Furthermore, the air conditioning system of the present invention may further include an input/output controller (not shown). The input/output controller is connected to the control controller 30 connected to each air conditioner 10 to control the multi input/output, It includes an input/output port, and an input/output display LED may be included on the front if necessary, and a built-in RTC function enables scheduled operation of the air conditioner 10 fan connected through the control controller 30 .

In addition, the input/output controller receives operation information and sensing information provided from each air conditioner 10 from the control controller 30 and transmits the corresponding information to the control server 70 or the remote manager terminal 50 through the communication network 60 . can Here, the communication network 60 may be a remote communication network or an Internet network.

The control server 70 or the remote manager terminal 50 receives and monitors driving information and various sensing information in real time, and the control server 70 generates a fan performance display chart to monitor the control server 70 (not shown). city) and the manager terminal 50 , and the manager terminal 50 may also provide an interface screen for various remote control through an installed app.

10: air conditioner
20: sensing unit 30: control controller
31: input unit 32: data unit
33: control unit 34: output unit
35: Communication Department
40: output control unit 50: manager terminal
60: monitor 70: control server
71: control unit 72: information department
73: Ministry of Public Information

Claims (7)

air conditioner,
a sensing unit for collecting sensing information including temperature and humidity information and air volume information of the air conditioner;
a control controller connected to the air conditioner to receive operation information and sensing information from the air conditioner to control and monitor the air conditioner;
And an output control unit for controlling the air conditioner based on the control signal of the control controller,
The control controller performs machine learning based on an artificial intelligence algorithm using temperature and humidity information and air volume information included in the sensing information, calculates optimized operating conditions and sensing errors, and predicts temperature and humidity information and air volume information to control the air conditioner Air conditioning system, characterized in that made. According to claim 1,
The control controller is
an input unit connected to the air conditioner and receiving operation information of the air conditioner and sensing information of the sensing unit; a data unit for storing and managing the driving information and the sensing information; a control unit provided to receive the sensing information, determine an air conditioner operation condition, and perform various control functions for the air conditioner; an output unit for outputting an output signal to the output control unit so as to receive an instruction from the control unit to optimize the air conditioner;
The air conditioning system further comprising a; communication unit for transmitting the driving information and the sensing information to the control server. 3. The method of claim 2,
The control controller
An analysis screen for operation efficiency and energy analysis information of coils and heat exchangers provided from the control server is provided through the monitor, and the air flow analysis information of the control server can be provided to check the operating state of the air conditioner, An air conditioning system, characterized in that it receives an analysis screen analyzing the degree of ventilation by supplying information on the amount of outdoor intake and exhaust from the control server. 4. The method of claim 3,
The monitor uses a touchpad monitor, provides a GUI-type interface, and responds to touch commands for images for each information so that users can access driving information, sensing information, and various analysis information provided from the control server. Air conditioning system, characterized in that the information can be accessed by 3. The method of claim 2,
The control server is
a control unit capable of analyzing operation by collecting various types of operation information and sensing information provided by the control controller;
a data unit for storing and managing the driving information and the sensing information;
a public information unit that collects public information of external organizations necessary for the operation of the air conditioner;
An air conditioning system including a learning unit that makes an accurate prediction air conditioning pattern by machine learning analysis including driving information and sensing information stored in the data unit and public information of the public information unit. 6. The method of claim 5,
The control server
By controlling the air conditioner in the optimal operating condition through the analysis information and learning algorithm analyzed by machine learning, it prevents the coil from freezing in winter and controls the enthalpy according to the indoor and outdoor conditions so that the optimal energy can be used through the information. air conditioning system. 6. The method of claim 5,
the control unit
and receiving update information on the optimal driving condition from the learning unit and transmitting the update information to the control controller, so that the air conditioner is operated under the optimal driving condition by performing the update.

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