US20240003580A1 - Air-conditioning system, controller for air-conditioning apparatus, and control method for air-conditioning apparatus - Google Patents

Air-conditioning system, controller for air-conditioning apparatus, and control method for air-conditioning apparatus Download PDF

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Publication number
US20240003580A1
US20240003580A1 US18/253,641 US202118253641A US2024003580A1 US 20240003580 A1 US20240003580 A1 US 20240003580A1 US 202118253641 A US202118253641 A US 202118253641A US 2024003580 A1 US2024003580 A1 US 2024003580A1
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Prior art keywords
air
zone
human
indoor unit
volume
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US18/253,641
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English (en)
Inventor
Yunqing FAN
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Mitsubishi Electric Corp
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Mitsubishi Electric Corp
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    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
    • F24F—AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
    • F24F11/00—Control or safety arrangements
    • F24F11/70—Control systems characterised by their outputs; Constructional details thereof
    • F24F11/72—Control systems characterised by their outputs; Constructional details thereof for controlling the supply of treated air, e.g. its pressure
    • F24F11/74—Control systems characterised by their outputs; Constructional details thereof for controlling the supply of treated air, e.g. its pressure for controlling air flow rate or air velocity
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
    • F24F—AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
    • F24F11/00—Control or safety arrangements
    • F24F11/62—Control or safety arrangements characterised by the type of control or by internal processing, e.g. using fuzzy logic, adaptive control or estimation of values
    • F24F11/63—Electronic processing
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
    • F24F—AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
    • F24F11/00—Control or safety arrangements
    • F24F11/62—Control or safety arrangements characterised by the type of control or by internal processing, e.g. using fuzzy logic, adaptive control or estimation of values
    • F24F11/63—Electronic processing
    • F24F11/65—Electronic processing for selecting an operating mode
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
    • F24F—AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
    • F24F11/00—Control or safety arrangements
    • F24F11/70—Control systems characterised by their outputs; Constructional details thereof
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
    • F24F—AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
    • F24F2110/00—Control inputs relating to air properties
    • F24F2110/10—Temperature
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
    • F24F—AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
    • F24F2120/00—Control inputs relating to users or occupants
    • F24F2120/10—Occupancy
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
    • F24F—AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
    • F24F2120/00—Control inputs relating to users or occupants
    • F24F2120/10—Occupancy
    • F24F2120/12—Position of occupants

Definitions

  • the present disclosure relates to an air-conditioning system that conditions air in an air-conditioning target space, a controller for an air-conditioning apparatus, and a control method for the air-conditioning apparatus.
  • Patent Literature 1 In the past, air-conditioning apparatuses that condition air in a large space where a lot of persons are present, such as an office building or a business office, have been known (see, for example, Patent Literature 1).
  • An air-conditioning apparatus disclosed in Patent Literature 1 divides an air-conditioning target space into a plurality of control regions, classifies the plurality of control regions into a human presence control region where a person or persons are present and a human absence control region where no person is present, and controls the flow rate of refrigerant that flows in each of indoor units associated with the respective control regions.
  • Patent Literature 1 describes that in the case of performing cooling operation, the air-conditioning apparatus sets a target indoor temperature for the human absence control region to a higher value than that for the human presence control region.
  • Patent Literature 1 Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. Hei 11-311437
  • the air-conditioning apparatus disclosed in Patent Literature 1 can be considered to increase the volume of air from an indoor unit in the human presence control region to increase the cooling capacity of the indoor unit, while keeping the cooling capacity of an indoor unit in the human absence control region at a reduced level.
  • the amount of air convection between the human presence control region and the human absence control region increases, and air conditioning in the human absence control region is indirectly performed.
  • the energy consumption of the air-conditioning apparatus increases.
  • the present disclosure is applied to solve the above problem, and relates to an air-conditioning system, a controller for an air-conditioning-apparatus, and a control method for the air-conditioning apparatus, which can reduce the energy consumption of the air-conditioning apparatus.
  • An air-conditioning system includes: an air-conditioning apparatus including a plurality of indoor units each configured to condition air in an air-conditioning target space; a plurality of temperature detectors each configured to detect a temperature of an associated one of a plurality of zones into which the air-conditioning target space is divided in association with positions of the plurality of indoor units; a human detection sensor configured to detect whether each of the plurality of zones is a human presence zone where a person or persons are present or a human absence zone where no person is present; and a controller configured to cause, in the human presence zone detected by the human detection sensor, the indoor unit in the detected human presence zone to perform cooling operation or heating operation, thereby causing a temperature detected by an associated one of the temperature detectors to reach a set temperature.
  • the controller is configured to cause the indoor unit in the human absence zone detected by the human detection sensor to perform air-sending operation, and determine a volume of air from the indoor unit in the detected human absence zone based on a volume of air from the indoor unit in the
  • a controller for an air-conditioning apparatus is connected to the air-conditioning apparatus, a plurality of temperature detectors, and a human detection sensor.
  • the air-conditioning apparatus includes a plurality of indoor units each configured to condition air in an air-conditioning target space.
  • the plurality of temperature detectors are configured to detect a temperature of an associated one of a plurality of zones into which the air-conditioning target space is divided in association with positions of the plurality of indoor units.
  • the human detection sensor is configured to detect whether a person or persons are present or no person is present in each of the plurality of zones or not.
  • the controller is configured to: cause the indoor unit in one of the plurality of zones that is detected by the human detection sensor as a human presence zone where a person or persons are present to perform cooling operation or heating operation, thereby causing a temperature detected by the temperature detector in the human presence zone to reach a set temperature; and cause the indoor unit in one of the plurality of zones that is detected by the human detection sensor as a human absence zone where no person is present to perform air-sending operation, and determine a volume of air from the indoor unit in the human absence zone based on a volume of air from the indoor unit in the human presence zone.
  • a control method for an air-conditioning apparatus is a method of controlling, using a controller, the air-conditioning apparatus.
  • the air conditioning apparatus includes a plurality of indoor units each configured to condition air in an air-conditioning target space.
  • the controller is connected to the air-conditioning apparatus, a plurality of temperature detectors, and a human detection sensor.
  • the plurality of temperature detectors are each configured to detect a temperature of an associated one of a plurality of zones into which the air-conditioning target space is divided in association with positions of the plurality of indoor units.
  • the human detection sensor is configured to detect whether a person or persons are present or no person is present in each of the plurality of zones.
  • the control method includes: causing the indoor unit in one of the plurality of zones that is detected by the human detection sensor as a human presence zone where a person or persons are present to perform cooling operation or heating operation, thereby causing a temperature detected by the temperature detector in the detected human presence zone to reach a set temperature; and causing the indoor unit in one of the plurality of zones that is detected by the human detection sensor as a human absence zone where no person is present to perform air-sending operation, and determining a volume of air from the indoor unit in the detected human absence zone based on a volume of air from the indoor unit in the human presence zone.
  • the cooling operation or the heating operation is performed in the human presence zone
  • the air-sending operation is performed in the human absence zone
  • the volume of air for the air-sending operation in the human absence zone is determined based on the volume of air for the cooling operation or the heating operation in the human presence zone.
  • FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of an air-conditioning system according to Embodiment 1.
  • FIG. 2 is a schematic external view of a configuration example of an indoor unit as illustrated in FIG. 1 .
  • FIG. 3 is an enlarged schematic external view of an airflow direction louver as illustrated in FIG. 2 .
  • FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view of an example of the arrangement of indoor units as illustrated in FIG. 1 in Embodiment 1.
  • FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a controller in FIG. 1 .
  • FIG. 6 is a hardware configuration diagram illustrating a configuration example of the controller as illustrated in FIG. 5 .
  • FIG. 7 is a hardware configuration diagram illustrating another configuration example of the controller as illustrated in FIG. 5 .
  • FIG. 8 is a flowchart of an example of an operation procedure of the air-conditioning system according to Embodiment 1.
  • FIG. 9 is a flowchart of an example of a specific operation procedure of the process of step S 110 indicated in FIG. 8 in Embodiment 1.
  • FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the volume of air from each of four indoor units as illustrated in FIG. 4 in the case where one of the indoor units performs cooling operation.
  • FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram illustrating air flows generated by the indoor units installed in two adjacent zones in a room as illustrated in FIG. 4 .
  • FIG. 12 is a schematic plan view illustrating another example of the arrangement of the indoor units as illustrated in FIG. 1 in Embodiment 1.
  • FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of control over 12 indoor units as illustrated in FIG. 12 in the case where four of the indoor units perform the cooling operation.
  • FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of the control which is performed in the case where the four indoor units as illustrated in FIG. 4 have different air volume adjustment functions.
  • FIG. 15 is a schematic plan view illustrating an example of the arrangement of the indoor units as illustrated in FIG. 1 in Embodiment 2.
  • FIG. 16 is a flowchart indicating an example of a specific operation procedure of the process of step S 110 indicated in FIG. 8 in Embodiment 2.
  • FIG. 17 is a schematic plan view illustrating another example of the arrangement of the indoor units as illustrated in FIG. 1 , in Embodiment 2.
  • communication means one or both of wireless communication and wired communication.
  • communication may be a communication method in which wireless communication and wired communication are mixed.
  • the communication method may be, for example, a communication method in which wireless communication is performed in a space and wired communication is performed in another space.
  • a first device may communicate with a second device by wire, and the second device may communicate with the first device wirelessly.
  • arrows indicating three axes (X axis, Y axis, and Z axis) defining directions are added to some of the figures of the drawings.
  • FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of the air-conditioning system according to Embodiment 1.
  • an air-conditioning system 1 includes an air-conditioning apparatus 3 that conditions air in an air-conditioning target space, and a controller 30 that controls the air-conditioning apparatus 3 .
  • the air-conditioning apparatus 3 includes an outdoor unit 10 and a plurality of indoor units 20 - 1 to 20 - n . It should be noted that n is an integer greater than or equal to 2 and represents the number of indoor units.
  • n is an integer greater than or equal to 2 and represents the number of indoor units.
  • Each of the indoor units to 20 - n conditions the air in the air-conditioning target space depending on which of operation modes is set. In each of the operation modes, an associated one of a cooling operation, a heating operation, a dehumidifying operation, an air-sending operation, etc., is performed.
  • Each indoor unit may have a humidifying function or a moisturizing function.
  • the outdoor unit 10 includes a compressor 11 , a four-way valve 12 , a heat-source-side heat exchanger 13 , and an outdoor fan 14 .
  • Each of the indoor units 20 - 1 to 20 - n includes a load-side heat exchanger 21 , an expansion valve 22 , an indoor fan 23 , and a temperature detector 24 .
  • a human detection sensor 25 is provided in the indoor unit 20 - 2 .
  • the compressor 11 and the heat-source-side heat exchanger 13 are connected to the expansion valve 22 and the load-side heat exchanger 21 of each of the indoor units by refrigerant pipes 15 , whereby a refrigerant circuit 40 in which refrigerant circulates is formed.
  • the compressor 11 sucks refrigerant, compresses the sucked refrigerant, and then discharges the compressed refrigerant.
  • the compressor 11 is, for example, an inverter compressor whose capacity is variable.
  • the four-way valve 12 changes the flow direction of refrigerant that flows in the refrigerant circuit 40 .
  • the expansion valve 22 reduces the pressure of the refrigerant to expand the refrigerant.
  • the expansion valve 22 is, for example, an electronic expansion valve.
  • the heat-source-side heat exchanger 13 is a heat exchanger that causes heat exchange to be performed between the refrigerant and outdoor air.
  • the load-side heat exchanger 21 is a heat exchanger that causes heat exchange to be performed between the refrigerant and the air in the air-conditioning target space.
  • the heat-source-side heat exchanger 13 and the load-side heat exchanger 21 are, for example, finned tube heat exchangers.
  • the outdoor fan 14 is, for example, a propeller fan.
  • the outdoor fan 14 changes the volume of air depending on an operating frequency.
  • the indoor fan 23 is, for example, a cross-flow fan.
  • the controller 30 is connected to the temperature detector 24 and the human detection sensor 25 in each of the indoor units 20 - 1 to 20 - n by signal lines (not illustrated), but may be wirelessly connected to these components.
  • the controller 30 is connected to the compressor 11 , the four-way valve 12 , and the outdoor fan 14 by signal lines (not illustrated), but may be wirelessly connected to these components.
  • the controller 30 is connected to the expansion valve 22 and the indoor fan 23 in each of the indoor units 20 - 1 to 20 - n by signal lines (not illustrated), but may be wirelessly connected to these components.
  • FIG. 2 is a schematic external view illustrating a configuration example of the indoor unit as illustrated in FIG. 1 .
  • the indoor units 20 - 1 to 20 - n are four-way ceiling cassette type indoor units, the indoor units are not limited to the four-way ceiling cassette type indoor units.
  • FIG. 2 illustrates an external appearance as the indoor unit 20 - 2 mounted on a ceiling is viewed from a region located obliquely below the indoor unit 20 - 2 .
  • the appearance configuration of the indoor unit 20 - 2 will be described with reference to FIG. 2 . Since the appearance configurations of the other indoor units are the same as that of the indoor unit 20 - 2 , their descriptions will be omitted
  • the indoor unit 20 - 2 has a lower surface 29 that has a rectangular shape.
  • the lower surface 29 has four air outlets 27 a to 27 d and an air inlet 26 .
  • the air inlet 26 is located in a central portion of the lower surface 29 .
  • a lattice frame (not illustrated) is provided at the air inlet 26 .
  • the air outlets 27 a to 27 d are arranged around the air inlet 26 and extend along four sides of the air inlet 26 .
  • each of the airflow direction louvers 28 a to 28 d includes two rectangular flaps. Specifically, at the air outlet 27 a, the airflow direction louver 28 a is provided; at the air outlet 27 b, the airflow direction louver 28 b is provided; at the air outlet 27 c, the airflow direction louver 28 c is provided; and at the air outlet 27 d, the airflow direction louver 28 d is provided.
  • FIG. 3 is an enlarged schematic external view of the airflow direction louver as illustrated in FIG. 2 .
  • FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the airflow direction louver 28 a of the indoor unit 20 - 2 .
  • the angle of each of the two flaps of the airflow direction louver 28 a relative to a reference plane that is parallel to the ceiling is indicated as a depression angle 8 .
  • Each of the two flaps of the airflow direction louver 28 a has a rotary shaft 45 .
  • the rotary shaft 45 is connected to a driving unit (not illustrated).
  • the driving unit (not illustrated) rotates the rotary shaft 45 to adjust the depression angle ⁇ of the airflow direction louver 28 a.
  • FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view illustrating an example of the arrangement of the indoor units as illustrated in FIG. 1 in Embodiment 1.
  • the number n of indoor units is four.
  • FIG. 4 illustrates the arrangement of the indoor units 20 - 1 to 20 - 4 in a room RM 1 that is an air-conditioning target space, as viewed downward from a region located above the ceiling of the room RM 1 .
  • the space in the room RM 1 is divided into a plurality of zones Z 11 to Z 23 in association with the positions of the indoor units 20 - 1 to 20 - 4 .
  • FIG. 4 illustrates the case where the zones Z 21 and Z 23 are arranged on the assumption that indoor units are installed in regions in which actually, no indoor unit is installed at the ceiling. It is assumed herein that the zones Z 11 to Z 23 each have a square shape as viewed in plan view.
  • the temperature detectors 24 each detects a temperature of an associated one of the four zones arranged in association with the positions of the indoor units 20 - 1 to The temperature detector 24 in each of the indoor units 20 - 1 to 20 - 4 outputs a detection result to the controller 30 .
  • the temperature detector 24 is, for example, a temperature sensor, such as a thermistor.
  • the human detection sensor 25 detects, with respect to each of the plurality of zones, whether the zone is a human presence zone where a person or persons are present or a human absence zone where no person is present.
  • the human detection sensor 25 is, for example, an infrared sensor.
  • the human detection sensor 25 outputs, as a detection result, infrared image data which is data obtained by scanning the air-conditioning target space with infrared rays, to the controller 30 .
  • the human detection sensor 25 is provided at the indoor unit 20 - 2 ; however, the human detection sensor 25 may be provided at a place other than the indoor unit 20 - 2 .
  • the human detection sensor 25 is provided at any position as long as the human detection sensor 25 can determine whether a person or persons are present in the entire air-conditioning target space or not.
  • FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram illustrating a configuration example of the controller as illustrated in FIG. 1 .
  • the controller 30 is, for example, a microcomputer.
  • the controller 30 is connected to a remote control (not illustrated) with which a user inputs setting information on, for example, an operation mode and a set temperature, to the air-conditioning apparatus 3 .
  • the user may input setting information to the controller 30 , using an information processing terminal including a personal digital assistant (PDA), such as a smartphone or a tablet, and a personal computer.
  • PDA personal digital assistant
  • the controller 30 includes a refrigeration cycle controller 31 , a zone determination module 32 , an air-volume controller 33 , and an airflow direction controller 34 .
  • the zone determination module 32 holds a management table that includes information on the arrangement of the indoor units 20 - 1 to 20 - 4 and the positions of the zones Z 11 to Z 23 as indicated in FIG. 4 .
  • the management table stores information on the coordinates of each of the positions of the indoor units 20 - 1 to 20 - 4 , information on the arrangement of zones associated with the positions of the indoor units, and zone information indicating whether each of the zones is the human presence zone or the human absence zone. For example, assuming that the indoor unit 20 - 1 is located at a reference position, the management table stores data on a distance Ly 1 between the indoor unit 20 - 1 and the indoor unit 20 - 2 in a direction along the Y-axis indicated in FIG. 4 .
  • the management table stores data on a distance Lx 1 between the indoor unit 20 - 2 and the indoor unit 20 - 3 in a direction indicated by an X arrow in FIG. 4 and data on a distance Ly 1 between the indoor unit 20 - 2 and the indoor unit 20 - 4 in the direction indicated by the Y arrow in FIG. 4 .
  • the zone determination module 32 determines, at regular intervals, whether each of the zones is the human presence zone or the human absence zone, based on infrared image data from the human detection sensor 25 . When the result of the above determination differs from the zone information stored in the management table, the zone determination module 32 updates the management table such that the zone information indicates the latest determination result. When the management table is updated, the zone determination module 32 transmits information on the updated management table to the refrigeration cycle controller 31 and the air-volume controller 33 .
  • the refrigeration cycle controller 31 controls operation of the indoor unit installed in the human presence zone such that a temperature detected by the temperature detector 24 located in the human presence zone falls within a predetermined temperature range with reference to the set temperature.
  • the refrigeration cycle controller 31 controls the four-way valve 12 to cause the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 to flow to the load-side heat exchanger 21 in order that the indoor unit in the human presence zone perform the heating operation.
  • the refrigeration cycle controller 31 controls the four-way valve 12 to cause the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 to flow to the heat-source-side heat exchanger 13 in order that the indoor unit in the human presence zone perform the cooling operation.
  • the operation mode such as a heating operation mode or a cooling operation mode, may be set by the user.
  • the refrigeration cycle controller 31 sets the state of the expansion valve 22 of the indoor unit in the human absence zone to a closed state.
  • the refrigeration cycle controller 31 controls an operating frequency of the compressor 11 , the operating frequency of the outdoor fan 14 , and an opening degree of the expansion valve 22 of the indoor unit 20 - 2 to cause the temperature detected by the temperature detector 24 in the human presence zone to fall within the predetermined temperature range with reference to the set temperature.
  • the refrigeration cycle controller 31 transmits air-volume control information to the air-volume controller 33 and the airflow direction controller 34 .
  • This air-volume control information includes information on an air volume set by the user and information indicating that the indoor unit in the human absence zone is caused to perform air-sending operation.
  • the air-volume controller 33 controls an operating frequency of the indoor fan 23 of the indoor unit in the human presence zone on the basis of the air volume set by the user.
  • the indoor fan 23 included in each of the indoor units 20 - 1 to is configured such that the air volume can be changed in multiple levels, depending on the operating frequency.
  • the air volume levels are four levels, fL 1 to fL 4 .
  • the levels satisfy the relationship “fL 1 ⁇ fL 2 ⁇ fL 3 ⁇ fL 4 ”.
  • the air-volume controller 33 causes the indoor unit in the human absence zone to perform the air-sending operation, and determines, based on the volume of air from the indoor unit in the human presence zone, the volume of air from the indoor unit in the human absence zone. For example, the air-volume controller 33 causes the volume of air from the indoor unit in the human absence zone to be larger than the volume of air from the indoor unit in the human presence zone. In the case where a plurality of human presence zones are present, the air-volume controller 33 determines the volume of air from the indoor unit in the human absence zone on the basis of the volume of air from the indoor unit in one of the human presence zones that is the closest to the human absence zone. The air-volume controller 33 may increase the volume of air from the indoor unit in the human absence zone, depending on the distance between the indoor unit in the human absence zone and the indoor unit in the human presence zone.
  • the airflow direction controller 34 determines the depression angle ⁇ of the airflow direction louvers 28 a to 28 d at the air outlets 27 a to 27 d of the indoor unit in the human absence zone on the basis of the depression angle ⁇ of the airflow direction louvers 28 a to 28 d at the air outlets 27 a to 27 d of the indoor unit in the human presence zone. For example, the airflow direction controller 34 sets the depression angle ⁇ of the airflow direction louvers 28 a to 28 d at the air outlets 27 a to 27 d of the indoor unit in the human absence zone to the same angle as that of the airflow direction louvers 28 a to 28 d at the air outlets 27 a to 27 d of the indoor unit in the human presence zone.
  • FIG. 6 is a hardware configuration diagram illustrating a configuration example of the controller as illustrated in FIG. 5 .
  • the controller 30 as illustrated in FIG. 5 includes a processing circuit 80 as illustrated in FIG. 6 .
  • the processing circuit 80 fulfills the functions of the refrigeration cycle controller 31 , the zone determination module 32 , the air-volume controller 33 , and the airflow direction controller 34 which are provided as illustrated in FIG. 5 .
  • the processing circuit 80 is, for example, a single-component circuit, a composite circuit, a programmed processor, a parallel-programmed processor, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or a combination of those circuits and processors.
  • the functions of the refrigeration cycle controller 31 , the zone determination module 32 , the air-volume controller 33 , and the airflow direction controller 34 may be fulfilled by individual processing circuits 80 .
  • the functions of the refrigeration cycle controller 31 , the zone determination module 32 , the air-volume controller 33 , and the airflow direction controller 34 may be fulfilled by a single processing circuit 80 .
  • Another example of the hardware of the controller 30 as illustrated in FIG. 5 will be described. FIG.
  • FIG. 7 is a hardware configuration diagram illustrating another configuration example of the controller as illustrated in FIG. 5 .
  • the controller 30 as illustrated in FIG. 5 includes a processor 81 , such as a central processing unit (CPU), and a memory 82 , as illustrated in FIG. 7 .
  • the processor 81 and the memory 82 fulfill the functions of the refrigeration cycle controller 31 , the zone determination module 32 , the air-volume controller 33 , and the airflow direction controller 34 .
  • FIG. 7 illustrates the processor 81 and the memory 82 which are connected by a bus 83 such that the processor 81 and the memory 82 can communicate with each other.
  • the memory 82 stores the management table. Furthermore, the memory 82 stores programs associated with flowcharts, which will be described later.
  • the functions of the refrigeration cycle controller 31 , the zone determination module 32 , the air-volume controller 33 , and the airflow direction controller 34 are fulfilled by software, firmware, or a combination of software and firmware.
  • the software and firmware are written as programs and are stored in the memory 82 .
  • the processor 81 reads the programs stored in the memory 82 and runs the programs, thus fulfilling the functions.
  • a nonvolatile semiconductor memory such as a read-only memory (ROM), a flash memory, an erasable and programmable ROM (EPROM), or an electrically erasable and programmable ROM (EEPROM), is used.
  • a volatile semiconductor memory such as a random access memory (RAM)
  • RAM random access memory
  • a removable recording medium such as a magnetic disk, a flexible disk, an optical disc, a compact disc (CD), a MiniDisc (MD), or a digital versatile disc (DVD), may be used.
  • FIG. 8 is a flowchart of an example of the operation procedure of the air-conditioning system according to Embodiment 1.
  • the controller 30 executes processes indicated in FIG. 8 at regular intervals.
  • an arbitrary zone in which the indoor unit is installed is denoted by Zij, where i and j are integers greater than or equal to 1.
  • Nx is a maximum value of i
  • Ny is a maximum value of j.
  • the zone determination module 32 obtains infrared image data from the human detection sensor 25 (step S 101 ).
  • the zone determination module 32 determines whether or not it is necessary to update the management table held by the zone determination module 32 (step S 102 ). For example, when the air-conditioning apparatus 3 is started by the user from an operation-stopped state in which the air-conditioning apparatus 3 is in a stopped state, the zone determination module 32 determines that it is necessary to update the management table held by the zone determination module 32 . Also, in step S 102 , the zone determination module 32 determines whether or not the position of a human presence zone determined based on the obtained infrared image data coincides with that indicated by data stored in the management table held by the zone determination module 32 .
  • step S 103 the refrigeration cycle controller obtains temperature information from the temperature detector 24 in each of the indoor units 20 - 1 to 20 -n and stores the obtained information in the management table held by the zone determination module 32 .
  • the zone determination module 32 sets 1 as i of the zone Zij and sets 1 as j of the zone Zij (step S 104 ).
  • a combination of i and j is represented as (i, j). With respect to the room RM 1 as illustrated in FIG. 4 , combinations of (i, j) are (1, 1), (1, 2), (2, 2), and (1, 3).
  • the zone determination module 32 transmits the result of the determination to the refrigeration cycle controller 31 and the air-volume controller 33 .
  • the refrigeration cycle controller 31 causes the indoor unit installed in the zone Zij to perform the cooling operation or the heating operation (step S 106 ).
  • the refrigeration cycle controller 31 controls the air-conditioning apparatus 3 such that the temperature detected by the temperature detector 24 in the human presence zone approaches the set temperature.
  • step S 105 When it is determined in step S 105 that the zone Zij is the human absence zone, the refrigeration cycle controller 31 closes the expansion valve 22 of the indoor unit installed in the zone Zij to cause the indoor unit to perform the air-sending operation (step S 107 ).
  • the air-volume controller 33 causes the indoor fan 23 of the indoor unit in the zone Zij to operate.
  • step S 110 the air-volume controller 33 controls the volume of air from the indoor unit in the human absence zone Zhk on the basis of the volume of air from the indoor unit in the human presence zone.
  • step S 110 A specific example of the process of step S 110 will be described later.
  • step S 111 the refrigeration cycle controller 31 determines whether or not the set temperature for the human presence zone is changed by the user.
  • the process by the refrigeration cycle controller 31 returns to step S 103 .
  • the refrigeration cycle controller 31 changes details of control over the air-conditioning apparatus 3 on the basis of the changed set temperature.
  • the refrigeration cycle controller 31 ends the process.
  • FIG. 9 is a flowchart of an example of a specific operation procedure of the process of step S 110 as indicated in FIG. 8 in Embodiment 1.
  • the zone determination module 32 refers to the management table and calculates, with respect to the indoor unit in each of the human absence zones Zhk, a distance L between the indoor unit in the human absence zone Zhk and the indoor unit in the human presence zone (step S 201 ). In the case where a plurality of human presence zones are present, the zone determination module 32 calculates, with respect to the indoor units in each of the human absence zones Zhk, the distances L between the indoor unit in the human absence zone Zhk and the indoor units in the human presence zones. The zone determination module 32 stores, with respect to the indoor unit in each of the human absence zones Zhk, the calculated distance L in the management table.
  • the air-volume controller 33 refers to the management table and determines whether or not a plurality of human presence zones are present (step S 202 ). When determining that only one human presence zone is present, the air-volume controller 33 determines whether or not the distances L between the indoor units in the human absence zones Zhk and the indoor unit in the human presence zone are equal to each other (step S 203 ). When determining that the distances L between the indoor units in the human absence zones Zhk and the indoor unit in the human presence zone are equal to each other, the air-volume controller 33 sets the volume of air from the indoor unit in each of the human absence zones Zhk to a value greater than the volume of air from the indoor unit in the human presence zone (step S 204 ).
  • the air-volume controller 33 sets the volume of air from the indoor unit in each of the human absence zones Zhk to a value that is greater than the volume of air from the indoor unit in the human presence zone and that depends on an associated one of the distances L (step S 205 ).
  • the air-volume controller 33 determines, with respect to each of the human absence zones Zhk, one of the indoor units in the human presence zones that is separated from the indoor unit in the human absence zone Zhk by a shortest distance Lmin which is the shortest one of the distances between the indoor unit in the human absence zone Zhk and the indoor units in the human presence zones (step S 206 ).
  • the air-volume controller 33 sets the volume of air from the indoor unit in the human absence zone Zhk to a value that is greater than the volume of air from the indoor unit separated from the indoor unit in the human absence zone Zhk by the shortest distance Lmin and that depends on the shortest distance Lmin (step S 207 ). In steps S 205 and S 207 , the air-volume controller 33 increases the operating frequency of the indoor fan 23 of the indoor unit in each human absence zone Zhk to increase the volume of air from the indoor unit.
  • the volume of air from the indoor unit in each of the human absence zones is set based on the present volume of air in the cooling operation or the heating operation of the indoor unit in the human presence zone and the distance L between the indoor unit in the human absence zone and the indoor unit in the human presence zone.
  • the zone Z 12 is a human presence zone
  • the zones Z 11 , Z 21 , Z 22 , Z 13 , and Z 23 are human absence zones.
  • the following description is made with respect to the case where the indoor unit 20 - 2 in the zone Z 12 , which is the human presence zone, performs the cooling operation; however, the indoor unit 20 - 2 may perform the heating operation.
  • FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the volume of air from each of the four indoor units as illustrated in FIG. 4 in the case where one of the four indoor units performs the cooling operation.
  • each of the indoor units 20 - 1 to 20 - 4 can change the volume of air to be sent, in four stages; that is, change the level of the volume of the air to four air volume levels, fL 1 to fL 4 , as indicated in FIG. 10 .
  • the air volume levels fL 1 to fL 4 satisfy the relationship “fL 1 ⁇ fL 2 ⁇ fL 3 ⁇ fL 4 ”.
  • the refrigeration cycle controller 31 causes the indoor unit 20 - 2 to perform the cooling operation
  • the air-volume controller 33 causes the indoor units 20 - 1 , 20 - 3 , and 20 - 4 to perform the air-sending operation.
  • the zone determination module 32 refers to the management table, and calculates, with respect to each of the indoor units in the human absence zones Zhk, the distance L between the indoor unit in the human absence zone Zhk and the indoor unit 20 - 2 in the zone Z 12 . Referring to FIG.
  • combinations of (h, k) are (1, 1), (2, 2), and (1, 3).
  • the distance L between the indoor unit 20 - 1 and the indoor unit 20 - 2 is the distance Ly 1
  • the distance L between the indoor unit 20 - 2 and the indoor unit 20 - 3 is the distance Lx 1
  • the distance L between the indoor unit 20 - 2 and the indoor unit 20 - 4 is the distance Ly 1 .
  • Lx 1 Ly 1 .
  • step S 203 he air-volume controller 33 determines whether the distances L between the indoor units in the human absence zones Zhk and the indoor unit in the human presence zone are equal to each other or not. In the above case, since the distances L between the indoor units in the human absence zones Zhk and the indoor unit in the human presence zone are equal to each other, in the process of step S 204 , the air-volume controller 33 sets the level of the volume of air from the indoor unit in each of the human absence zones Zhk to a level higher than that of the volume of air from the indoor unit 20 - 2 in the human presence zone. In the example illustrated in FIG.
  • FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram illustrating air flows generated by the indoor units installed in two adjacent zones in the room as illustrated in FIG. 4 . Also, FIG. 11 is a schematic side view of the space in the zones Z 12 and Z 22 in FIG. 4 , as viewed in the direction along the Y-axis. As illustrated in FIG.
  • air blown from the air outlets 27 b and 27 d of the indoor unit 20 - 2 in the zone Z 12 which is the human presence zone, flows in the space in the zone Z 12 and is then sucked into the air inlet 26 of the indoor unit 20 - 2 .
  • Air blown from the air outlets 27 b and 27 d of the indoor unit 20 - 3 in the zone Z 22 which is the human absence zone, flows in the space in the zone Z 22 and is then sucked into the air inlet 26 of the indoor unit 20 - 3 .
  • the volume of air from the air outlet 27 b of the indoor unit 20 - 3 in the zone Z 22 is larger than that from the air outlet 27 d of the indoor unit 20 - 2 in the zone Z 12 . This reduces occurrence of leakage of a cooling air flow in the human presence zone therefrom into the human absence zone, thus reducing occurrence of air convection between the human presence zone and the human absence zone that are adjacent.
  • the indoor unit 20 - 3 in the zone Z 22 as illustrated in FIG. 4 with reference to FIG. 11 , the same is true of the indoor units and 20 - 4 in the other human absence zones. Accordingly, it is also possible to reduce occurrence of the leakage of a cooling air flow in the zone Z 12 , which is the human presence zone, therefrom into the zones Z 11 , Z 22 , and Z 13 , which are the human absence zones, in the arrangement illustrated in FIG. 4 . As a result, the cooling air flows can be trapped in the human presence zone.
  • the direction of air from the indoor unit 20 - 2 is a depression angle e 12
  • the direction of air from the indoor unit 20 - 3 is a depression angle e 22
  • a cooling air flow blown from the air outlet 27 d of the indoor unit 20 - 2 and an air flow blown from the air outlet 27 b of the indoor unit 20 - 3 collide with each other and then flow parallel to each other and toward a floor surface.
  • the air flow in the human absence zone forms an air curtain perpendicular to the floor surface (in the direction along the Z-axis) at the boundary between the human presence zone and the human absence zone, thereby reducing occurrence of leakage of the cooling air flow in the human presence zone into the human absence zone.
  • the airflow direction controller 34 may adjust, depending on the operation mode of the indoor unit in the human presence zone, the depression angle ⁇ corresponding to the direction of air from the indoor unit in the human presence zone and the depression angle ⁇ corresponding to the direction of air from the indoor unit in the human absence zone. For example, when the operation mode of the indoor unit 20 - 2 is the heating operation mode, the airflow direction controller 34 adjusts the airflow direction louvers 28 a to 28 d of the indoor unit 20 - 2 such that the depression angle e 12 approaches 90 degrees. That is, the airflow direction controller 34 controls the indoor unit 20 - 2 such that warm air is blown vertically downward from the indoor unit 20 - 2 .
  • the airflow direction controller 34 adjusts the airflow direction louvers 28 a to 28 d of the indoor unit 20 - 3 such that the depression angle e 22 also approaches 90 degrees.
  • the airflow direction controller 34 adjusts the airflow direction louvers 28 a to 28 d of the indoor unit 20 - 2 such that the depression angle e 12 approaches 0 degrees. That is, the airflow direction controller 34 controls the indoor unit 20 - 2 such that cooling air is blown horizontally from the indoor unit 20 - 2 . In this case, the airflow direction controller 34 adjusts the airflow direction louvers 28 a to 28 d of the indoor unit 20 - 3 such that the depression angle e 22 also approaches 0 degrees.
  • an air flow in the human absence zone forms an air curtain perpendicular to the floor surface at the boundary between the human presence zone and the human absence zone, thereby reducing occurrence of leakage of an air flow in the human presence zone therefrom into the human absence zone.
  • the airflow direction controller 34 may determine the depression angle ⁇ corresponding to the direction of air from the indoor unit in the human absence zone on the basis of the distance L between the indoor unit in the human absence zone and one of the indoor units in the human presence zones that is the closest to the indoor unit in the human absence zone. For example, the airflow direction controller 34 determines the depression angle ⁇ corresponding to the direction of air from the indoor unit in the human absence zone such that the greater the distance L, the smaller the depression angle ⁇ . As a result, even when the distance L is great, an air flow produced by the air-sending operation in the human absence zone easily reaches the human presence zone.
  • FIG. 12 is a schematic plan view illustrating another example of the arrangement of the indoor units as illustrated in FIG. 1 in Embodiment 1.
  • the number n of indoor units is 12 .
  • FIG. 12 illustrates the arrangement of the indoor units 20 - 1 to in the room RM 2 , which is an air-conditioning target space, as viewed from a region above a ceiling of the room RM 2 .
  • the zones Z 11 to Z 34 the zones Z 11 , Z 12 , Z 23 , and Z 14 are human presence zones, and the other eight zones are human absence zones.
  • the zones as illustrated in FIG. 12 each have a square shape as viewed in plan view.
  • Ly 1 is the distance L between the indoor units in the two zones Z 11 and Z 12 that are adjacent to each other in the direction along the Y-axis
  • Lx 1 is the distance L between the indoor units in the two zones Z 11 and Z 21 that are adjacent to each other in the direction along the X-axis.
  • indication of the distances Lx 1 between the other indoor units in the direction along the X-axis and the distances Ly 1 between the other indoor units in the direction along the Y-axis is omitted.
  • Lxy is the distance L between the indoor unit in the zone Z 11 and the indoor unit in the zone Z 22 located on an extension of a diagonal line of the zone Z 11 , that is, located in an oblique direction from the zone Z 11
  • the refrigeration cycle controller 31 causes the indoor units 20 - 1 , 20 - 4 , 20 - 8 , and 20 - 10 perform the cooling operation
  • the air-volume controller 33 causes the other eight indoor units including the indoor unit 20 - 2 to perform the air-sending operation.
  • the zone determination module 32 refers to the management table and calculates, with respect to each of the indoor units in the human absence zones Zhk, the distance L between the indoor unit in the human absence zone Zhk and the indoor unit in the human presence zone.
  • combinations of (h, k) are (2, 1), (3, 1), (2, 2), (3, 2), (1, 3), (3, 3), (2, 4), and (3, 4).
  • the air-volume controller 33 specifies, with respect to each of the human absence zones Zhk, one of the indoor units in the human presence zones that is separated from the indoor unit in the human absence zone Zhk by a shortest distance Lmin which is the shortest one of the distances L between the indoor units in the human presence zones and the indoor unit in the human absence zone.
  • a shortest distance Lmin which is the shortest one of the distances L between the indoor units in the human presence zones and the indoor unit in the human absence zone.
  • the human absence zone Zhk to be controlled is the zone Z 21 .
  • step S 207 the air-volume controller 33 sets the level of the volume of air from the indoor unit 20 - 2 to a level that is higher than that of the volume of air from the indoor unit 20 - 1 and that depends on the shortest distance
  • FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of the control over each of the 12 indoor units as illustrated in FIG. 12 in the case where four of the indoor units perform the cooling operation.
  • the volume of air from each of the indoor units in the human absence zones other than the zone Z 21 will be described. It is assumed that, as indicated in FIG. 13 , the level of the volume of air from each of the indoor units 20 - 1 and is set to the air volume level fL 2 , and the level of the volume of air from each of the indoor units 20 - 8 and 20 - 10 is set to the air volume level fL 1 .
  • the level of the volume of air from the indoor unit 20 - 4 is the air volume level fL 2 , which is higher than the air volume level fL 1 for the indoor unit 20 - 8 . Therefore, the air-volume controller 33 sets the level of the volume of air from the indoor unit 20 - 5 to the air volume level fL 3 , which is higher by one level than the air volume level fL 2 for the indoor unit 20 - 4 .
  • the air-volume controller 33 sets the level of the volume of air from the indoor unit 20 - 6 to the air volume level fL 3 since the level of the volume of air from the indoor unit is the air volume level fL 1 .
  • the level of the volume of air from the indoor unit 20 - 4 is the air volume level fL 2 , which is higher than the air volume level fL 1 for the indoor units 20 - 8 and 20 - 10 . Therefore, the air-volume controller 33 sets the level of the volume of air from the indoor unit 20 - 7 to the air volume level fL 3 , which is higher by one level than the air volume level fL 2 for the indoor unit 20 - 4 .
  • the level of the volume of air from each of the indoor units 20 - 8 and 20 - 10 is the air volume level fL 1 . Therefore, the air-volume controller 33 sets the level of the volume of air from the indoor unit 20 - 11 to the air volume level fL 2 , which is higher by one level than the air volume level fL 1 for the indoor units 20 - 8 and 20 - 10 .
  • the air-volume controller 33 sets the level of the volume of air from the indoor unit 20 - 12 to the air volume level fL 3 since the shortest distance Lmin>Lx 1 .
  • the air-volume controller 33 sets the level of the volume of air from an indoor unit in a human absence zone adjacent to the above human presence zone to the air volume level fL 2 .
  • the air-volume controller 33 sets the level of the volume of air from the indoor unit in the human absence zone to the air volume level fL 3 .
  • the air-volume controller 33 sets the level of the volume of air from the indoor unit in the human absence zone to the air volume level fL 4 .
  • the air-volume controller 33 determines the volume of air from the indoor unit in the human absence zone on the basis of the distance between the indoor unit in the human absence zone and the indoor unit in the human presence zone. As described above with reference to FIG. 13 , in the case where a plurality of human presence zones are present and the volumes of air from the indoor units in the human presence zones are different from each other, the air-volume controller 33 determines the volume of air from the indoor unit in the human absence zone on the basis of the volume of air from the indoor unit in one of the human presence zones that is the closest to the human absence zone.
  • the air-sending operation of an indoor unit in a human absence zone located around a human presence zone reduces the probability that air adjusted in temperature by a cooling/heating operation or the heating operation of an indoor unit in the human presence zone will flow to the space in the human absence zone. It is therefore possible to efficiently air-condition a zone where a person or persons are present, in a large indoor space. Even if a plurality of human presence zones are present as illustrated in FIG. 12 , it is possible to trap air in each of the human presence zones.
  • FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of the control which is performed in the case where the four indoor units as illustrated in FIG. 4 have different air volume adjustment functions.
  • the zone Z 12 is a human presence zone
  • the zones Z 11 , Z 22 , and Z 13 are human absence zones.
  • the volume of air from the indoor unit in each zone can be changed in three stages, that is, it can be changed to the three air volume levels fL 1 to fL 3 ; however, even in the case where the air volume levels set for the indoor units in the zones are the same as each other, the volumes of air from the indoor units in the zones are different from each other.
  • the level of the volume of air in the cooling operation of the indoor unit 20 - 2 in the zone Z 12 is the air volume level fL 1 .
  • the indoor unit 20 - 1 in the zone Z 11 and the indoor unit 20 - 3 in the zone Z 22 In order for the indoor unit 20 - 1 in the zone Z 11 and the indoor unit 20 - 3 in the zone Z 22 to obtain a larger volume of air than the volume of air from the indoor unit 20 - 2 in the case where the level of the volume of air from the indoor unit 20 - 2 is the air volume level fL 1 , it suffices that the levels of the volumes of air from the indoor unit 20 - 1 in the zone Z 11 and the indoor unit 20 - 3 in the zone Z 22 are set to the air volume level fL 2 .
  • the volume of air from the indoor unit 20 - 4 in the zone Z 13 may be set at the air volume level fL 1 .
  • the air-volume controller 33 controls the indoor units such that the volume of air from the indoor unit in the human absence zone is larger than the volume of air from the indoor unit in the human presence zone.
  • the indoor units 20 - 1 to 20 -n may have, as an operation mode, a ventilation mode in which ventilation operation is performed to cause indoor air to flow out from an indoor space to the outside and cause outdoor air to flow into the indoor space.
  • the air-volume controller 33 switches the state of a ventilation opening (not illustrated) located in the indoor unit, from a closed state to an opened state.
  • the indoor units in human absence zones located around the human presence zone perform the ventilation operation for a predetermined period of time at regular intervals.
  • it is possible to indirectly air out the human presence zone because of air exchange to let out air in the human presence zone and take outdoor air into the human presence zone.
  • the temperature variation of the air in the human presence zone is smaller than that in the case where the human presence zone is directly ventilated, and clean air can thus be provided in in the human presence zone.
  • the air-volume controller 33 switches the state of the ventilation opening (not illustrated) in the indoor unit in the human presence zone from the closed state to the opened state.
  • the air-volume controller 33 may stop the rotation of the indoor fans 23 of the indoor units in the human absence zones.
  • the air-conditioning system 1 includes the air-conditioning apparatus 3 including the indoor units 20 - 1 to 20 - n , the temperature detectors 24 each of which detects a temperature of the associated one of the zones set in association with the positions of the indoor units 20 - 1 to 20 - n , the human detection sensor 25 , and the controller 30 .
  • the human detection sensor 25 detects whether each of the zones is a human presence zone where a person or persons are present or a human absence zone where no person is present.
  • the controller 30 causes the indoor unit in a human presence zone detected by the human detection sensor 25 to perform the cooling operation or the heating operation such that a temperature in the human presence zone that is detected by the temperature detector 24 reaches a set temperature.
  • the controller 30 causes the indoor unit in the human absence zone of the zones that is detected by the human detection sensor 25 to perform the air-sending operation, and determines the volume of air from the indoor unit in the human absence zone based on the volume of air from the indoor unit in the human presence zone.
  • the cooling operation or the heating operation is performed in the human presence zone
  • the air-sending operation is performed in the human absence zone
  • the volume of air for the air-sending operation in the human absence zone is determined based on the volume of air for the cooling operation or the heating operation in the human presence zone.
  • the human presence zone is more efficiently air-conditioned, and the energy consumption of the air-conditioning apparatus 3 can be reduced.
  • the air-volume controller 33 may cause the volume of air from the indoor unit in the human absence zone to be larger than that of the indoor unit in the human presence zone. In this case, occurrence of the leakage of an air flow in the human presence zone therefrom into the human absence zone is reduced, thus reducing occurrence of the air convection between the human presence zone and the human absence zone that are adjacent to each other.
  • the space in the human presence zone is more reliably isolated from the space in the human absence zone, whereby air conditioned by heating or cooling can be more effectively trapped in the human presence zone.
  • the air-volume controller 33 determines the volume of air from the indoor unit in the human absence zone based on the volume of air from the indoor unit in one of the human presence zones that is the closest to the human absence zone. This is because the volume of air from the indoor unit in the human absence zone that is the closest to the human presence zone greatly affects an air curtain produced at the boundary between the human presence zone and the human absence zone.
  • the air-volume controller 33 may cause the volume of air from the indoor unit in the human absence zone to increase depending on the distance between the indoor unit in the human absence zone and the indoor unit in the human presence zone. For example, in the case where the zones each have a square shape as viewed in plan view and the level of the volume of air from the indoor unit in the human presence zone is the air volume level fL 1 , the air-volume controller 33 sets the level of the volume of air from the indoor unit in a human absence zone adjacent to the human presence zone to the air volume level fL 2 . The air-volume controller 33 sets the level of the volume of air from the indoor unit in a human absence zone located on an extension of a diagonal line of the human presence zone to the air volume level fL 3 .
  • an air flow in the human absence zone can serve as an air curtain.
  • the airflow direction controller 34 may determine the depression angle ⁇ of the airflow direction louvers 28 a to 28 d at the air outlets of the indoor unit in the human absence zone on the basis of the depression angle ⁇ of the airflow direction louvers 28 a to 28 d at the air outlets of the indoor unit in the human presence zone adjacent to the human absence zone. For example, the airflow direction controller 34 causes the airflow direction louvers 28 a to 28 d at the air outlets of the indoor unit in the human absence zone to have the same depression angle ⁇ as that of the airflow direction louvers 28 a to 28 d at the air outlets of the indoor unit in the human presence zone.
  • An air-conditioned air flow blown from an air outlet of the indoor unit in the human presence zone and an air flow blown from an air outlet of the indoor unit in the human absence zone collide with each other and flow parallel to each other.
  • the air flow in the human absence zone forms an air curtain at the boundary between the human presence zone and the human absence zone, thereby reducing occurrence of leakage of the air flow in the human presence zone therefrom into the human absence zone.
  • An air-conditioning system efficiently increases the volume of air that is blown from an indoor unit installed in a human absence zone toward a human presence zone.
  • components that are the same as those described regarding Embodiment 1 will be denoted by the same reference signs, and their detailed descriptions will be omitted.
  • Embodiment 2 detailed descriptions of operations similar to operations described regarding Embodiment 1 will be omitted, and operations different from those in Embodiment 1 will be described in detail.
  • FIG. 15 is a schematic plan view illustrating an example of the arrangement of the indoor units as illustrated in FIG. 1 in Embodiment 2.
  • the number n of indoor units is four.
  • FIG. 15 illustrates the arrangement of the indoor units 20 - 1 to 20 - 4 in a room RM 3 , which is an air-conditioning target space, as viewed from a region located above a ceiling of the room RM 3 . It is assumed that the zones as illustrated in FIG. 15 each have a square shape as viewed in plan view. Of the zones Z 11 to Z 22 , the zone Z 12 is a human presence zone. The other three zones are human absence zones.
  • the air-volume controller 33 causes the indoor unit in each of the human absence zones to perform the air-sending operation as in Embodiment 1.
  • the airflow direction controller 34 receives the management table, which is updated by the zone determination module 32 , from the refrigeration cycle controller 31 .
  • the airflow direction controller 34 refers to the management table, and closes one or more of the air outlets 27 a to 27 d of the indoor unit in the human absence zone that are relatively remote from the indoor unit in the human presence zone.
  • the airflow direction controller 34 performs a control to set the depression angle ⁇ of each of the airflow direction louvers 28 a, 28 b , and 27 d as illustrated in FIG. 2 in the indoor unit 20 - 1 to zero to close the air outlets 27 a , 27 b, and 27 d.
  • the volume of air that is blown from the air outlet 27 c which is closer to the human presence zone than the other air outlets, is increased without changing the operating frequency of the indoor fan 23 of the indoor unit 20 - 1 .
  • FIG. 16 is a flowchart indicating an example of a specific operation procedure of the process of step S 110 as indicated in FIG. 8 in Embodiment 2.
  • the zone determination module 32 refers to the management table, and calculates, with respect to the indoor unit in each of the human absence zones Zhk, the distance L between the indoor unit in the human absence zone and the indoor unit in the human presence zone (step S 301 ). In the case where a plurality of human presence zones are present, the zone determination module 32 calculates, with respect to each of the indoor units in the human absence zones Zhk, the distance L between the indoor unit in the human absence zone and each of the indoor units in the plurality of human presence zones. The zone determination module 32 stores in the management table, the calculated distance L regarding each of the indoor units in the human absence zones Zhk.
  • the airflow direction controller 34 refers to the management table, and determines whether a plurality of human presence zones are present or not (step S 302 ). In the case where only one human presence zone is present, the process by the airflow direction controller 34 proceeds to step S 304 .
  • the airflow direction controller 34 determines, with respect to each of the human absence zones Zhk, one of the indoor units in the human presence zones that is separated from the indoor unit in the human absence zone Zhk by the shortest distance Lmin, which is the shortest one of the distances L between the indoor units in the human presence zones and the indoor unit in the human absence zone Zhk (step S 303 ).
  • the airflow direction controller 34 also determines the above determined indoor unit as the indoor unit in the human presence zone. In step S 304 , the airflow direction controller 34 closes one or more of the air outlets of the indoor unit in each human absence zone Zhk that are relatively remote from the indoor unit in the human presence zone (step S 304 ).
  • the airflow direction controller 34 closes the air outlets 27 a, 27 b, and 27 d of the indoor unit 20 - 1 in step S 304 indicated in FIG. 16 .
  • the volume of air that is blown from the air outlet 27 c close to the human presence zone is increased without the need for the air-volume controller 33 to change the operating frequency of the indoor fan 23 of the indoor unit 20 - 1 .
  • the airflow direction controller 34 closes the air outlets 27 a and 27 d of the indoor unit 20 - 2 in step S 304 indicated in FIG. 16 .
  • the volume of air which is blown from the air outlets 27 b and 27 c which are close to the human presence zone is increased without the need for the air-volume controller 33 to change the operating frequency of the indoor fan 23 of the indoor unit 20 - 2 .
  • the airflow direction controller 34 closes the air outlets 27 a, 27 c , and 27 d of the indoor unit 20 - 4 in step S 304 indicated in FIG. 16 .
  • the volume of air which is blown from the air outlet 27 b close to the human presence zone is increased without the need for the air-volume controller 33 to change the operating frequency of the indoor fan 23 of the indoor unit 20 - 4 .
  • FIG. 17 is a schematic plan view illustrating another example of the arrangement of the indoor units as illustrated in FIG. 1 in Embodiment 2.
  • the number n of indoor units is nine.
  • FIG. 17 illustrates the arrangement of the indoor units 20 - 1 to 20 - 9 in a room RM 4 which is an air-conditioning target space, as viewed from a region located above a ceiling of the room RM 4 . It is assumed that the zones as illustrated in FIG. 17 each have a square shape as viewed in plan view. Of the zones Z 11 to Z 33 , the zone Z 22 is a human presence zone, and the other eight zones are human absence zones.
  • the airflow direction controller 34 controls the indoor units in the human absence zones, which are included in the indoor units 20 - 1 to 20 - 9 as illustrated in FIG. 17 .
  • the airflow direction controller 34 closes two of the four air outlets 27 a to 27 d that are relatively remote from the human presence zone.
  • the airflow direction controller 34 closes one of the four air outlets 27 a to 27 d that is relatively remote from the human presence zone.
  • Embodiment 2 as described above with reference to FIGS. 15 and 17 , occurrence of the leakage of a conditioned air flow in the human presence zone therefrom into the human absence zones is reduced, and occurrence of air convection between the zones is reduced, thereby improving the efficiency of air conditioning in the human presence zone.
  • the control as described above regarding Embodiment 1 may also be applied.
  • the air-volume controller 33 may increase the volume of air from the indoor unit in the human absence zone, depending on the distance between the indoor unit in the human absence zone and the indoor unit in the human presence zone.
  • the number of human presence zones is not limited to one.
  • the number n of indoor units is not limited to four which is that in the example illustrated in FIG. 15 or nine which is that in the example illustrated in FIG. 17 .
  • the indoor unit in each of the human absence zones has a plurality of air outlets, and the controller 30 closes one or more of the plurality of air outlets that are relatively remote from the indoor unit in the human presence zone.
  • the volume of air that is blown from the indoor unit in the human absence zone toward the human presence zone can be increased without the need to change the operating frequency of the indoor fan of the indoor unit in the human absence zone. It is therefore possible to reduce an increase in the energy consumption that would be caused by an increase in the operating frequency of the indoor fan, and improve the efficiency of air conditioning in the human presence zone. Thus, the energy consumption of the air-conditioning apparatus 3 is further reduced than in Embodiment 1.
  • each of the zones has a square shape as viewed in plan view.
  • the shape of each zone as viewed in plan view is not limited to the square shape; that is, the zones may each have a rectangular shape as viewed in plan view.
  • the shapes of the zones as viewed in plan view may be different from each other.
  • Each of the indoor units is not limited to a four-way ceiling cassette type indoor unit.
  • each indoor unit may be a two-way ceiling cassette type indoor unit.
  • An indoor unit which is close to a wall of a room which is an air-conditioning target space may be a wall-mounted indoor unit.
  • the air-conditioning apparatus 3 may include a plurality of outdoor units 10 .
  • 1 air-conditioning system
  • 3 air-conditioning apparatus
  • 10 outdoor unit
  • 11 compressor
  • 12 four-way valve
  • 13 heat-source-side heat exchanger
  • 14 outdoor fan
  • 15 refrigerant pipe
  • 20 - 1 to 20 - n indoor unit
  • 21 load-side heat exchanger
  • 22 load-side heat exchanger
  • expansion valve 23 : indoor fan, 24 : temperature detector, 25 : human detection sensor, 26 : air inlet, 27 a to 27 d : air outlet, 28 a to 28 d : airflow direction louver, 29 : lower surface, controller, 31 : refrigeration cycle controller, 32 : zone determination module, 33 : air-volume controller, 34 : airflow direction controller, 40 : refrigerant circuit, 45 : rotary shaft, 80 : processing circuit, 81 : processor, 82 : memory, 83 : bus, RM 1 to RM 4 : room, Z 11 to Z 34 : zone

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