WO2017098552A1

WO2017098552A1 - Control device, air-conditioning system, and control method for air conditioners

Info

Publication number: WO2017098552A1
Application number: PCT/JP2015/084276
Authority: WO
Inventors: 浩子泉原
Original assignee: 三菱電機株式会社
Priority date: 2015-12-07
Filing date: 2015-12-07
Publication date: 2017-06-15
Also published as: JP6403906B2; JPWO2017098552A1

Abstract

A control device (1) which controls an air conditioner equipped with indoor units installed within a building and an outdoor unit, and is equipped with: an air-conditioning network communication unit (21) which receives setting information, which is the information set in the indoor units, and operating information from the indoor units, and receives operating information from the outdoor unit; an environmental data observation unit (23) which obtains and outputs environmental data showing the external environment; an operating data observation unit (22) which determines the air-conditioning load of each of the indoor units on the basis of the operating information, and stores the operating information and the air-conditioning load in an air-conditioning operation log database; a construction unit (26) for air-conditioning load calculation formulas, which selects an air-conditioning load factor on the basis of the data stored in the air-conditioning operation log database, and determines a calculation coefficient, which is the information used for predicting the air-conditioning load, for each of the indoor units; and a power consumption prediction unit (28) which predicts the power consumption of the air conditioner on the basis of the calculation coefficient and the air-conditioning load factor.

Description

Control device, air conditioning system, and control method for air conditioner

The present invention relates to a control device that controls an air conditioner, an air conditioner system, and a method for controlling the air conditioner.

In recent years, with increasing interest in energy saving, methods for predicting the power consumption of air conditioners are being studied. Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for accumulating data on past air conditioner settings and power consumption at that time, and predicting the power consumption in the current settings. In Patent Document 2, data related to an air conditioning load such as outside air temperature and data related to power consumption such as a compressor frequency are stored in association with each other, and annual consumption is based on the stored data. A technique for predicting the amount of electric power is disclosed.

JP 2010-071505 A JP 2004-301505 A

However, according to the technique described in Patent Document 1, the past setting contents such as the set temperature and the power consumption are stored in association with each other, and the power consumption is predicted based on the stored information. . For this reason, when the driving | operation with the setting content similar to the past is not implemented, the subject that power consumption amount cannot be estimated correctly existed. In particular, in an air conditioning system that has a plurality of indoor units and whose settings can be changed for each indoor unit, there are many combinations of the setting contents, and there is a high probability that the operation with the setting contents similar to the past is not performed. Therefore, there are cases where the power consumption of the air conditioning system cannot be calculated with high accuracy.

Further, according to the technique described in Patent Document 2, the air conditioning capability is predicted by linearly approximating the air conditioning capability with respect to the outside air temperature, and the power consumption is estimated using the predicted air conditioning capability. However, the air conditioning capability does not always depend only on the outside air temperature, and the method described in Patent Document 2 has a problem that the power consumption may not be accurately predicted.

The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object of the present invention is to obtain a control device that can accurately estimate the power consumption of an air conditioner.

In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, a control device according to the present invention is a control device that controls an air conditioner including an indoor unit and an outdoor unit installed in a building, the indoor unit From the outdoor unit, setting information which is information set to the indoor unit and first operation information which is information indicating the operating state of the indoor unit are received and information indicating the operating state of the outdoor unit is received from the outdoor unit A communication unit that receives the second driving information, an environmental data acquisition unit that acquires and outputs environmental data outside the building, and the air conditioning load of the indoor unit based on the first driving information and the second driving information A first computing unit to be obtained. The control device determines an air conditioning load factor that is at least one of the environmental data and the setting information based on the past air conditioning load, past environment data, and past setting information, and sets the past air conditioning load factor as the past air conditioning load factor. Based on the second calculation unit that calculates calculation information that is information used for prediction of the power consumption of the air conditioner, and predicts the power consumption of the air conditioner based on the calculation information and the current air conditioning load factor A third computing unit is provided.

The control device, the air conditioner system, and the air conditioner control method according to the present invention have an effect that the power consumption of the air conditioner can be accurately estimated.

The figure which shows the structural example of the air conditioning system concerning embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows the structural example of a control apparatus A diagram showing a configuration example of a computer system The figure which shows the hardware structural example of the control apparatus when implement | achieving using a dedicated processing circuit Flow chart showing an example of air conditioning control processing procedure The figure which shows the structural example of the air-conditioning operation log database The figure which shows the structural example of an air-conditioning load calculation coefficient database The figure which shows the structural example of an air-conditioning load transmission coefficient database Diagram showing how air conditioning load is transmitted

Hereinafter, a control device, an air conditioning system, and a control method for an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments.

Embodiment.
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of an air conditioning system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The air conditioning system of the present embodiment includes an air conditioner 3 and a control device 1 that controls the air conditioner 3. The air conditioner 3 includes an outdoor unit 11, indoor units 12-1 and 12-2, and remote controllers (hereinafter referred to as remote controllers) 13-1 and 13-2. The control device 1 is connected to the outdoor unit 11, the indoor unit 12-1, and the indoor unit 12-2 through the air conditioning communication network 2.

The control device 1 transmits control commands to the outdoor unit 11 and the indoor units 12-1 and 12-2 constituting the air conditioner 3 via the air conditioning communication network 2, and the outdoor unit 11 and the indoor unit 12- From 1 and 12-2, collect operation information, power consumption, etc. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the power consumption is measured by each of the indoor units 12-1 and 12-2 and the outdoor unit 11. Note that a power consumption measuring device is provided separately from the air conditioner 3, and the control device 1 uses the air conditioning communication network 2 or another communication medium to calculate the measured power consumption of the air conditioner 3. It is good also as a structure which transmits to. In addition, the power consumption may not be measured by the indoor units 12-1 and 12-2, the outdoor unit 11, and the measuring device.

Each of the remote controllers 13-1 and 13-2 accepts an input of a command such as a setting for the air conditioner 3 from a user who uses the air conditioner 3, and the received input content is changed to the corresponding indoor unit 12-1, 12 -2 is transmitted by wireless or wired communication. That is, the user can operate the air conditioner 3 with the remote controllers 13-1 and 13-2. Note that FIG. 1 shows a one-to-one correspondence between the remote controllers 13-1 and 13-2 and the indoor units 12-1 and 12-2, but a plurality of indoor units can be operated by one remote controller. It may be possible, or one indoor unit may be operable by a plurality of remote controllers.

In FIG. 1, one indoor unit and two indoor units are shown. However, the number of outdoor units and indoor units constituting the air conditioner 3 is not limited to the example of FIG. It is sufficient if it is more than a table. Further, various sensors such as a blower fan and a temperature sensor may be connected to the control device 1 via the air conditioning communication network 2 as auxiliary equipment.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the control device 1. As shown in FIG. 2, the control device 1 includes an air conditioning network communication unit 21, an operation data observation unit 22, an environmental data observation unit 23, a data collection operation execution unit 24, an unnecessary data discard unit 25, and an air conditioning load calculation formula construction unit 26. , An air conditioning load transmission type construction unit 27, a power consumption amount prediction unit 28, an air conditioning operation determination unit 29, and a power consumption information display unit 30 are provided. The control device 1 also includes an air conditioning operation log database, an air conditioning load calculation coefficient database, and an air conditioning load transmission coefficient database.

The air conditioning network communication unit 21 is a communication unit that transmits and receives data to and from the air conditioner 3 via the air conditioning communication network 2. The air-conditioning network communication unit 21 receives an instruction for the air conditioner 3 from another part, and generates an air-conditioning communication packet that is a packet of a predetermined format used in the air-conditioning communication network 2 based on the instruction. Send to network 2. In addition, the air conditioning network communication unit 21 receives an air conditioning communication packet storing operation data transmitted from the air conditioner 3 via the air conditioning communication network 2, and controls the data stored in the air conditioning communication packet. It outputs to each corresponding part in the apparatus 1. The outdoor unit 11 and the indoor units 12-1 and 12-2 that constitute the air conditioner 3 may automatically transmit data at regular intervals, or the control device 1 may operate data at regular intervals. May be transmitted, and the air conditioner 3 may transmit the operation data every time the instruction is received.

The operation data in the present embodiment includes operation information indicating an operation state. The operation data transmitted from the indoor units 12-1 and 12-2 includes setting information that is information set in the indoor units 12-1 and 12-2. The operation information included in the operation data transmitted by the indoor units 12-1 and 12-2 is also referred to as first operation information, and the operation information included in the operation data transmitted from the outdoor unit 11 is the second operation information. Also called.

The operation data observation unit 22 determines predetermined operation data such as operation ON / OFF, indoor unit thermostat (hereinafter abbreviated as “thermo”) ON / OFF, compressor rotation frequency, discharge refrigerant temperature, and the like at regular intervals. Acquired from the air conditioning network communication unit 21 and stores the acquired data together with time information in the air conditioning operation log database. The operation ON / OFF is information indicating whether each device is in an operation state, that is, on (ON) or in a stop state, that is, off (OFF). The indoor unit thermo ON / OFF is information indicating whether the contact of the thermostat of the indoor unit is ON or OFF. The time information may be an acquisition time of the data provided by the data transmission source, or may be a time when the operation data observation unit 22 acquires the data.

The environmental data observation unit 23 collects environmental data outside the building where the indoor units 12-1 and 12-2 of the air conditioner 3 are installed at regular intervals, and the collected environmental data is air-conditioned with time information. It is an environment data acquisition unit stored in the log database. The environmental data includes outside air temperature, humidity, amount of solar radiation, and information indicating the weather. The environmental data observation unit 23 may include a measurement unit that measures the environmental data, or may acquire the environmental data from an external measurement unit. Further, the information indicating the weather is acquired from, for example, a device that provides the information via a communication network.

The air conditioning operation log database is a database in which data collected by the operation data observation unit 22 and the environmental data observation unit 23 is stored. Various data collected by the operation data observation unit 22 and the environmental data observation unit 23 are continuously accumulated together with time information.

The air conditioning load calculation formula construction unit 26 constructs a calculation formula for predicting the air conditioning load for each indoor unit based on the data stored in the air conditioning operation log database. Specifically, here, the factor that determines the air conditioning load, that is, the sum of the first-order terms of the factor, is approximated, and the coefficient that gives the air conditioning load is the sum of the values multiplied by the factor for each factor. Calculate for each. In the following description, the air conditioning load is approximated by the sum of the first-order terms of each factor, but it may be approximated by a combination of terms of the second and subsequent polynomials or other types of terms. The calculation formula construction unit 26 calculates the coefficients of the assumed calculation formula based on the data stored in the air conditioning operation log database.

The air conditioning load calculation coefficient database is a database that stores the air conditioning load calculation coefficient calculated by the air conditioning load calculation formula construction unit 26.

The air conditioning load transmission formula construction unit 27 constructs a calculation formula for predicting fluctuations in the air conditioning load due to changes in the ON / OFF state of the operation of other air conditioners based on the data stored in the air conditioning operation log database. . Specifically, the air conditioning load transmission type construction unit 27 increases the air conditioning load of the other indoor units that are ON when the operation of a certain indoor unit is OFF. The share of the load to the indoor unit is calculated as a transmission coefficient.

The air-conditioning load transfer coefficient database is a database for storing a transfer coefficient that is calculated by the air-conditioning load transfer formula construction unit 27 and is a share of the air-conditioning load to other indoor units when the indoor unit is turned off. .

The power consumption amount predicting unit 28 includes a control pattern of the air conditioner 3 instructed by the air conditioning operation determining unit 29, information stored in the air conditioning load calculation coefficient database, and information stored in the air conditioning load transmission coefficient database. Based on this, the power consumption is predicted, and the predicted power consumption is output to the air conditioning operation determination unit 29.

The air-conditioning operation determination unit 29 creates a plurality of control patterns for the air conditioner 3, and inputs the plurality of control patterns to the power consumption amount prediction unit 28 to acquire the corresponding power consumption amount. Then, the air conditioning operation determination unit 29 selects a control pattern based on the power consumption, and inputs a command corresponding to the selected control pattern to the air conditioning network communication unit 21. For example, the air conditioning operation determination unit 29 selects a control pattern with the lowest power consumption among a plurality of control patterns. Although the control pattern with the lowest power consumption is selected here, the control pattern can be selected based on the power consumption and the evaluation index in consideration of the evaluation index other than the power consumption. Good. In addition, the air conditioning operation determination unit 29 outputs a plurality of control patterns and the power consumption amount corresponding to each control pattern to the power consumption information display unit 30.

The power consumption information display unit 30 is a display unit capable of presenting to the user the power consumption amount for each control pattern output from the air conditioning operation determination unit 29.

The data collection operation execution unit 24 is a data collection operation which is a predetermined air conditioning control for collecting data necessary for the air conditioning load calculation formula construction unit 26 and the air conditioning load transmission formula construction unit 27 to execute the respective functions. If it is determined whether or not to execute the data collection operation, the data collection operation is executed. The data collection operation will be described later.

The unnecessary data discarding unit 25 deletes unnecessary data from the data stored in the air conditioning operation log database when the air conditioning load calculation formula construction unit 26 and the air conditioning load transmission formula construction unit 27 execute the respective functions.

The operation data observation unit 22 calculates the air conditioning load that is the air conditioning load for each indoor unit based on the operation information received from the indoor units 12-1 and 12-2 and the operation information received from the outdoor unit 11. It is an operation part. The air conditioning load calculation formula construction unit 26 determines an air conditioning load factor that is at least one of the environmental data and the setting information based on the past air conditioning load, the past environment data, and the past setting information. It is a 2nd calculating part which calculates | requires the calculation information which is the information used for prediction of the power consumption of the said air conditioner based on a load factor. The air conditioning load factor will be described later. The power consumption amount prediction unit 28 is a third calculation unit that predicts the power consumption amount of the air conditioner 3 for each indoor unit based on the calculation coefficient and the current air conditioning load factor.

Specifically, the control device 1 is implemented as a computer system, that is, a device such as a computer. The computer system functions as the control device 1 by executing an air conditioning control program that is a program for realizing the function as the control device 1 on the computer system. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a computer system according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 3, the computer system includes a processor 101, an input unit 102 that is a receiving unit, a memory (storage unit) 103, a display unit 104, a communication unit 105, and a sensor 106, which are connected to a system bus 107. Connected through.

In FIG. 3, a processor 101 is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and the like, and executes the air conditioning control program of the present embodiment. The input unit 102 includes, for example, a keyboard, a mouse, a touch screen, and the like, and is used by a computer system user to input various information. The storage unit 103 includes various memories such as RAM (Random Access Memory) and ROM (Read Only Memory) and storage devices such as a hard disk. The storage unit 103 is a program to be executed by the processor 101 and necessary data obtained in the process. , Etc. are memorized. The storage unit 103 is also used as a temporary storage area for programs. The display unit 104 is configured by an LCD (liquid crystal display panel) or the like, and displays various screens for a computer system user. The communication unit 105 performs communication processing. FIG. 3 is an example, and the configuration of the computer system is not limited to the example of FIG.

Here, an operation example of the computer system until the air conditioning control program according to the present embodiment becomes executable will be described. In the computer system having the above-described configuration, for example, an air conditioning control program is stored from a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM (not shown) set in a CD (Compact Disc) -ROM drive or DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) -ROM drive. Installed in the unit 103. When the air conditioning control program is executed, the air conditioning control program read from the storage unit 103 is stored in a predetermined location in the storage unit 103. In this state, the processor 101 executes the air conditioning control process of the present embodiment according to the program stored in the storage unit 103.

In the present embodiment, a program describing air conditioning control processing is provided using a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM as a recording medium. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the configuration of the computer system and the capacity of the provided program are provided. For example, a program provided by a transmission medium such as the Internet via the communication unit 105 may be used.

The air conditioning network communication unit 21, the operation data observation unit 22, the data collection operation execution unit 24, the unnecessary data discarding unit 25, the air conditioning load calculation formula construction unit 26, the air conditioning load transmission formula construction unit 27, and the power consumption amount prediction unit 28 of FIG. The air conditioning operation determination unit 29 is included in the processor 101 of FIG. The power consumption information display unit 30 is the display unit 104, and the air conditioning operation log database, the air conditioning load calculation coefficient database, and the air conditioning load transmission coefficient database in FIG. 2 are stored in a part of the storage unit 103 in FIG. The air conditioning network communication unit 21 in FIG. 2 is part or all of the communication unit 105 in FIG. The environmental data observation unit 23 in FIG. 2 is a sensor 106 that measures outside air temperature, humidity, solar radiation amount, and the like.

Further, the above shows an example in which the control device 1 is realized by software by the processor 101, but the control device 1 may be realized as a device using a dedicated processing circuit. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration example of the control device 1 when implemented using a dedicated processing circuit. This apparatus includes an input unit 102, a display unit 104, a communication unit 105, a sensor 106, and a processing circuit 108, which are connected via a system bus 107. The air conditioning network communication unit 21, the operation data observation unit 22, the data collection operation execution unit 24, the unnecessary data discarding unit 25, the air conditioning load calculation formula construction unit 26, the air conditioning load transmission formula construction unit 27, and the power consumption amount prediction unit 28 of FIG. The air conditioning operation determination unit 29 is realized by the processing circuit 108 of FIG. The processing circuit 108 is, for example, a single circuit, a composite circuit, a programmed processor, a parallel programmed processor, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or a combination thereof. . The environmental data observation unit 23 in FIG. 2 is a sensor 106 that measures outside air temperature, humidity, solar radiation amount, and the like.

Next, operation | movement of the control apparatus 1 of this Embodiment is demonstrated. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of an air conditioning control processing procedure in the control device 1 of the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 5, first, the operation data observation unit 22 collects operation data of the air conditioner 3 (step S101). The data to be collected is predetermined. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the following data is collected from the outdoor unit 11 and the indoor units 12-1 and 1-2 constituting the air conditioner 3.
Indoor unit: operation ON / OFF, mode, set temperature, thermo ON / OFF, suction air temperature, expansion valve opening Outdoor unit: compressor rotation frequency, evaporation temperature, condensation temperature, discharge refrigerant temperature, suction refrigerant temperature, High pressure and low pressure Thermo-ON indicates a normal operation state, and Thermo-OFF indicates a state where operation is stopped when the suction temperature (≈room temperature) is sufficiently close to the set temperature. The mode indicates a mode such as cooling, heating, dehumidification, or the like. In the above example, the mode and set temperature of the indoor unit are setting information, and the other data is operation information.

In step S101, in order to accurately calculate the air conditioning load for each indoor unit, data is collected every minute, and the operation data observation unit 22 accumulates the collected data until step S102 and subsequent steps are executed. . For operation ON / OFF, for example, “ON” is set when it is always ON for 1 hour, “OFF” is set when it is always OFF for 1 hour, and the ON and OFF states are set for 1 hour. If both are present, it is considered “mixed”. Note that the accumulation period is not limited to one hour.

Next, the operation data observation unit 22 calculates the air conditioning load for each indoor unit (step S102). Specifically, the operation data observation unit 22 calculates the integrated value of the data for one hour accumulated in step S101 for each indoor unit, and calculates the air conditioning load based on the integrated value. The operation data observation unit 22 calculates the air conditioning load by the following procedure, for example.
(1) The flow rate of the refrigerant is obtained from the opening degree of the expansion valve, the high pressure and the low pressure.
(2) The enthalpy on the low pressure side is determined from the suction refrigerant temperature, low pressure and evaporation temperature of the outdoor unit.
(3) The enthalpy on the high pressure side is obtained from the refrigerant discharge temperature, high pressure, and condensation temperature of the outdoor unit.
(4) The product of the difference between the enthalpy on the high pressure side and the enthalpy on the low pressure side and the refrigerant flow rate is defined as the air conditioning load. In addition, the calculation method of an air-conditioning load is not limited to this example, What kind of calculation method generally performed may be used.

Next, the operation data observation unit 22 assigns time information to the calculated air conditioning load for each indoor unit and user setting information in the operation data, and stores it in the air conditioning operation log database (step S103). Note that the user setting information is operation data set by the user using the remote controllers 13-1 and 13-2 among the operation data. In the present embodiment, the user setting information represents the following data among the operation data.
Indoor unit: Operation ON / OFF, mode, set temperature

The above steps S101 to S103 are the air conditioning load calculation process (step S100) for collecting the operation data and calculating the air conditioning load.

Next, the environmental data observation unit 23 collects environmental data, adds time information, and stores it in the air conditioning operation log database (step S200). In this embodiment, it is assumed that outside air temperature, outside air humidity, and amount of solar radiation are collected as environmental data. Although the collection frequency of the environmental data may be different from the operation data, in the present embodiment, it is assumed that the collection is performed every minute as in the operation data collection. In step S200, the environmental data observation unit 23 collects the average values of the outside air temperature and the outside air humidity collected every minute for the outside air temperature and the outside air humidity, and the hourly amount collected every minute for the solar radiation amount. Is stored in the air conditioning operation log database.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a configuration example of an air conditioning operation log database. In the example of FIG. 6, the air conditioning operation log database stores the time, air conditioning load, operation, that is, operation ON / OFF, mode, set temperature, etc. for each indoor unit, and the ambient temperature, humidity as environmental data at the corresponding time. And the amount of solar radiation is stored.

Step S300, which is a process performed by the air conditioning load calculation formula construction unit 26, and step S400, which is a process performed by the air conditioning load transmission formula construction unit 27, are periodically executed during a time period during which normal air conditioning control processing is not performed. . For example, when the air conditioner 3 is installed in an office building, it is assumed that the operation is performed every Sunday from midnight. Step S300 includes the following steps S301 to S303.

In step S301, the air conditioning load calculation formula construction unit 26 selects a data type that is strongly correlated with the air conditioning load among user settings and environmental data, that is, factor data, for each indoor unit. Hereinafter, a data type having a strong correlation with the air conditioning load is also referred to as an air conditioning load factor. Specifically, the air conditioning load calculation formula construction unit 26 sets each data constituting the operation data of one indoor unit and each data constituting the environmental data from the data accumulated in the air conditioning operation log database for each indoor unit. One of them is selected, and a correlation coefficient with the air conditioning load is calculated. The air conditioning load calculation formula construction unit 26 calculates a correlation coefficient with the air conditioning load for all data constituting the operation data and all data constituting the environmental data. When the calculated correlation coefficient exceeds the threshold, the air conditioning load calculation formula construction unit 26 selects the data as the air conditioning load factor. In the present embodiment, this threshold value is set to 0.2.

Next, the air conditioning load calculation formula construction unit 26 obtains a calculation formula for calculating the air conditioning load from the air conditioning load factor for each indoor unit (step S302). Specifically, the following formula (1) is assumed as the calculation formula Q _x of the air conditioning load of the x-th indoor unit, and the air conditioning load calculation formula construction unit 26 is a weighting coefficient for each air conditioning load factor. An air conditioning load calculation coefficient is calculated. Here, k is the number of selected air conditioning load factors, w _i is a weighting coefficient corresponding to the i th air conditioning load factor, a _i is a data value of the i th air conditioning load factor, and C is It is a constant. The air conditioning load calculation formula construction unit 26 calculates an air conditioning load calculation coefficient for each indoor unit. Specifically, the air conditioning load calculation formula construction unit 26 calculates the air conditioning load calculation coefficient by, for example, the least square method.
Q _x = w ₁ × a ₁ + w ₂ × a ₂ +… + w _k × a _k + C (1)

The air-conditioning load calculation formula construction unit 26 selects data of air-conditioning load factors and constructs a calculation formula for data at the time when the operating state of all indoor units is “ON” and the set temperatures of all indoor units are equal. Use only. This is because when some of the indoor units are OFF, the air conditioning load of other indoor units increases, so that the correlation with the environmental data and the user setting data cannot be obtained correctly.

Next, the air conditioning load calculation formula construction unit 26 stores the air conditioning load calculation coefficient in the air conditioning load calculation coefficient database (step S303). Since the air conditioning load calculation coefficient is calculated for each indoor unit, the air conditioning load calculation coefficient is stored for each indoor unit. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of an air conditioning load calculation coefficient database. In the example of FIG. 7, it is assumed that the set temperature, the outside air temperature, the humidity, and the solar radiation amount are selected as the air conditioning load factor as the air conditioning load factor, and each indoor unit corresponds to the set temperature, the outside air temperature, the humidity, and the solar radiation amount. The air conditioning load calculation coefficient is stored. In addition, the data calculated as an air-conditioning load factor may differ for every indoor unit.

Next, the air conditioning load transmission formula construction unit 27 calculates the air conditioning load transmission coefficient and stores it in the air conditioning load transmission coefficient database (step S400). Specifically, the air conditioning load transmission coefficient is calculated as follows. The air conditioning load transmission type construction unit 27 uses data at a time satisfying the following conditions among the data stored in the air conditioning operation log database in the calculation of the air conditioning load transmission coefficient.
・ The operation status of one indoor unit is “OFF” and the other indoor units are “ON”. ・ The set temperatures of all indoor units whose operation status is “ON” are all equal.

The air conditioning load transmission type construction unit 27 performs air conditioning on the indoor unit whose operation state is “ON” based on the operation data based on the data at the time satisfying the above conditions among the data stored in the air conditioning operation log database. Calculate the load. When the indoor unit whose operation state is “OFF” is the nth indoor unit, the calculated value of the air conditioning load of the mth indoor unit when the nth air conditioner is “OFF” is Q _mn . Next, the air-conditioning load transmission formula construction unit 27 uses the data at the time satisfying the above conditions among the data stored in the air-conditioning operation log database and the air-conditioning load calculation coefficient stored in the air-conditioning load calculation coefficient database. Then, according to the formula (1), the air conditioning load of the indoor unit whose operation state is “ON” is obtained. The air conditioning load obtained based on Expression (1) is a predicted value of the air conditioning load of each indoor unit when it is assumed that all the indoor units are “ON”. Thus, the predicted value of the air conditioning load of the m-th indoor unit when it is assumed that all the indoor units are “ON” is Q _m .

The air conditioning load transmission type construction unit 27 obtains a difference ΔQ _mn between the predicted value Q _m and the calculated value Q _mn of the air conditioning load of the m-th indoor unit when the n-th indoor unit is “OFF”. This difference represents the air conditioning load that has changed due to the operation state of one indoor unit being “OFF”. The air conditioning load transmission type construction unit 27 uses the Δth _mn and the predicted value Q _n of the air conditioning load of the n th indoor unit when it is assumed that all the indoor units are “ON”. The air conditioning transmission coefficient T _mn for the m-th indoor unit is calculated by the following equation (2). The air conditioning load transmission type construction unit 27 calculates T _mn for all indoor units whose operation state is “ON”.
T _mn = ΔQ _mn / Q _n (2)

If the sum of the air conditioning transmission coefficients T _mn of the indoor units whose operation state is “ON” is 1 when the n-th indoor unit is “OFF”, the indoor temperature is “ON” for all indoor units. The remaining air conditioning load, that is, the heat in the room that cannot be processed by the indoor unit that is “ON” exists when one unit is “OFF” when it is less than 1, It is thought that there is an influence such as an increase in room temperature in some areas.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of an air conditioning load transmission coefficient database. As shown in FIG. 8, the calculated air conditioning load transmission coefficient is stored in the air conditioning load transmission coefficient database. In the example of FIG. 8, taking the number n indicating the indoor unit becomes "OFF" in the vertical direction, for "OFF" to become the indoor unit affected laterally number m indicating the indoor unit, the above-mentioned T _mn, respectively Storing.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing how air conditioning loads are transmitted. In FIG. 9, it is assumed that six indoor units from indoor units 12-1 to 12-6 are installed in one room. Assume that the interior of this room is divided into areas 20-1 to 20-6 corresponding to the indoor units 12-1 to 12-6. The left side of FIG. 9 shows an example in which all of the indoor units 12-1 to 12-6 are turned on, and the right side turns off the indoor unit 12-1 and the indoor unit 12-3 at the same outside air temperature as the left side. Other indoor units are turned on. It is assumed that the air conditioning loads of the indoor units 12-1 and 12-3 are 0.7 kWh and 1.0 kWh, respectively, in the left side state. In this case, in the figure on the right side, when the indoor unit 12-3 is OFF, a heat amount of 0.4 kWh, that is, an air conditioning load flows into the area 20-4 corresponding to the indoor unit 12-4, and the indoor unit 12- An amount of heat of 0.3 kWh, that is, an air conditioning load flows into an area 20-2 corresponding to 2. The sum of the amount of heat transferred to area 20-4 and the amount of heat transferred to area 20-2 matches the air conditioning load of 0.7 kWh corresponding to indoor unit 12-3 in the state on the left side. For this reason, there is no amount of heat remaining in the area 20-3.

On the other hand, since the indoor unit 12-1 is OFF, the total amount of heat transferred to the area 20-2 and the amount of heat transferred to the area 20-6 is 0.6 kWh, and the indoor unit 12- The air conditioning load corresponding to 1 is less than 1.0 kWh. For this reason, 0.4 kWh of heat remains in the area 20-1.

Returning to the description of FIG. 5, while the normal air conditioning operation is being performed automatically, the data collection operation execution unit 24 determines whether or not to execute the data collection operation every hour (step S450). . In this embodiment, it is assumed that the start of the period during which the normal air-conditioning operation is automatically performed is 8:00 am and the end time is 8:00 pm. In step S450, specifically, the data collection operation execution unit 24 determines to execute the data collection operation when the following two conditions are satisfied. When at least one of the following two conditions is not satisfied, it is determined that the data collection operation is not performed. The interval for making this determination is not limited to one hour.
Condition 1: Among the data stored in the air conditioning operation log database, the environmental data is similar to the current environmental data, and the number of data satisfying the conditions to be used in step S302 and step S400 is less than or equal to the threshold. Condition 2: In the previous determination in step S450, it is not determined that the data collection operation is executed, that is, the data collection operation is not executed during the past one hour.

By providing the condition of condition 2, it is possible to prevent the comfort in the room from being impaired by continuously performing data collection operation, and the power consumption greatly exceeds the administrator's assumption. It should be noted that during the period from the determination in step S450 to the determination in the next step S450, the air conditioner 3 has the contents set by the remote controls 13-1 and 13-2, or as described later. The air-conditioning operation determining unit 29 operates according to the settings determined.

When the data collection operation execution unit 24 determines in step S450 that the data collection operation is not to be executed (No in step S450), the data collection operation determination unit 29 instructs the air conditioning operation determination unit 29 to start the operation. A plurality of candidates of the user setting set (abbreviated as air conditioner in FIG. 5) is notified to the power consumption prediction unit 28 (step S500). The air-conditioning operation determination unit 29 holds a plurality of control patterns, and generates user setting set candidates based on the respective control patterns. The user setting set is configured with setting information for each indoor unit and outdoor unit. The control pattern is, for example, a first pattern in which all indoor units are turned on and all indoor units are in the same mode, all indoor units that are turned on when one indoor unit is turned off and other indoor units are turned on. A second pattern for setting the same mode, a third pattern for setting all indoor units to ON, and setting some indoor units to a mode different from other indoor units. For example, in the user setting set corresponding to the first pattern, setting information for turning on the operating states of all indoor units is included as setting information. In the user setting set corresponding to the second pattern, setting information for setting the operation state of one indoor unit to OFF and setting the operation state of other indoor units to OFF is included as setting information.

The power consumption amount prediction unit 28 performs Step S600. Step S600 is composed of step S601 and step S602. In step S601, the power consumption prediction unit 28 calculates the air conditioning load for each indoor unit based on the user setting set candidate acquired from the air conditioning operation determination unit 29 and the current environment data acquired from the environment data observation unit 23. calculate. Specifically, based on the user setting set, the power consumption amount prediction unit 28 first extracts setting information with the highest air conditioning capability among the setting information corresponding to each indoor unit. In the present embodiment, for example, when setting information indicating the cooling mode and the dehumidifying mode is included in a plurality of candidates of the user setting set, it is determined whether the air conditioning capability is high in the following order.
(A) When the operating state is ON, the air conditioning capability is higher than when the operating state is OFF. (B) When the mode is dehumidifying, the air conditioning capability is higher than when cooling. (C) When the set temperature is low Has higher air conditioning capacity than high temperatures

First, an indoor unit whose operation state is set to ON is selected based on the user setting set according to the condition (A). If there are a plurality of selected indoor units, dehumidification is performed based on the condition (B). Select the indoor unit to be set. When there are a plurality of indoor units in which the operating state is ON and dehumidification is set, the setting information corresponding to the indoor unit having the lowest set temperature is extracted by comparing the set temperatures according to the condition (C). In addition, when the setting information indicating the heating mode is included in the plurality of candidates of the user setting set, for example, the condition (A) and (D) when the set temperature is high, the air conditioning capacity is higher than when the temperature is low. The setting information with the highest air conditioning capacity is extracted based on the condition that the air conditioning is high.

Then, the air conditioning load when setting information corresponding to the selected indoor unit is set for all indoor units is calculated. Specifically, the power consumption prediction unit 28 uses the current value as the environmental data, uses the selected setting information as the setting information, and uses the air conditioning load calculation coefficient stored in the air conditioning load calculation coefficient database. Then, the air conditioning load is calculated by the equation (1). This calculated value is called the maximum predicted value. Next, the power consumption amount prediction unit 28 obtains the air conditioning load for each indoor unit for each user setting set candidate. Specifically, the power consumption amount predicting unit 28 sets the air conditioning load calculation coefficient stored in the air conditioning load calculation coefficient database for candidates in which the operation state of all the indoor units is ON among the user setting set candidates, Based on the current environmental data and the user setting set candidates, the air conditioning load is calculated by Equation (1). The power consumption amount prediction unit 28 first sets the OFF state of each of the indoor units whose operation state is ON for each of the indoor units whose operation state is ON. Based on the air conditioning load calculation coefficient stored in the air conditioning load calculation coefficient database, the air conditioning load calculation coefficient stored in the air conditioning load calculation coefficient database, the current environment data, and the user setting set candidates. The air conditioning load is calculated according to (1). Thereafter, the power consumption prediction unit 28 is configured to turn off the other indoor units of the air conditioning load of the indoor unit based on the air conditioning load transfer factor and the maximum predicted value stored in the air conditioning load transfer factor database. Calculate the difference. And the power consumption prediction part 28 calculates the air-conditioning load for every indoor unit by adding a difference to the air-conditioning load calculated by said Formula (1).

Then, the power consumption prediction unit 28 predicts the power consumption of the air conditioner from the air conditioning load for each indoor unit, and notifies the air conditioning operation determination unit 29 (step S602). Specifically, the power consumption prediction unit 28 determines the output of the outdoor unit by adding the air conditioning load for the indoor units set to ON. The power consumption amount prediction unit 28 calculates the compressor frequency, refrigerant flow rate, target evaporation temperature, and the like based on the output of the outdoor unit according to the performance of the model, and predicts the power consumption amount of the compressor. For example, the power consumption prediction unit 28 predicts the power consumption of the compressor by the following procedure.
(1) Data of power consumption with respect to frequency is stored in advance for each compressor model.
(2) The power consumption is predicted from the frequency of the compressor and the above data.

The power consumption prediction unit 28 calculates a predicted value of the power consumption of the entire air conditioner 3 by adding the power consumption of each indoor unit and the fan motor of the outdoor unit to the power consumption of the compressor. For example, a predetermined value is used for the power consumption of each indoor unit and the fan motor of the outdoor unit. The power consumption amount prediction unit 28 calculates a predicted value of the power consumption amount of the entire air conditioner 3 as a user setting set candidate as described above.

Next, the air-conditioning operation determination unit 29 acquires a predicted value of power consumption for each user setting set candidate from the power consumption prediction unit 28, and selects a user setting set candidate with the smallest predicted power consumption value. It selects as a user setting set, and notifies the selected user setting set to the air-conditioning network communication part 21 (step S700). Specifically, the air conditioning operation determination unit 29 generates a command for instructing setting information to each indoor unit based on the selected user setting set, and notifies the air conditioning network communication unit 21 of the command. Thereby, the air conditioning network communication unit 21 transmits the notified command to each indoor unit as an air conditioning communication packet, and each indoor unit executes air conditioning control according to the received air conditioning communication packet.

In addition, the air conditioning operation determination unit 29 notifies the power consumption information display unit 30 of the determined user setting set and the predicted value of the corresponding power consumption (step S1001). The power consumption information display unit 30 presents the determined user setting set and the predicted value of the corresponding power consumption amount to the user by displaying them on the display screen (step S1002), and returns to step S100. The air-conditioning operation determination unit 29 notifies the power consumption information display unit 30 of predicted values of power consumption corresponding to all user setting set candidates, and the power consumption information display unit 30 displays all user setting set candidates. And the predicted value of the corresponding power consumption may be displayed, and the determined user setting set may be indicated. Thus, the user can clearly grasp the effect of reducing the power consumption amount by presenting that the power consumption amount of the determined user setting set is reduced as compared with other user setting sets. be able to. As described above, after returning to Step S100, Step S200 to Step S400 are not performed and the process proceeds to Step S450 in the normal air conditioning control time zone.

If the data collection operation execution unit 24 determines in step S450 to execute the data collection operation (Yes in step S450), the data collection operation execution unit 24 performs step S800. Step S800 includes step S801 and step S802. In step S801, the data collection operation execution unit 24 analyzes data stored in the air conditioning operation log database and creates a user setting set to be collected in the current environment. To do. Specifically, the data collection operation execution unit 24 selects the data stored in the air conditioning operation log database that has the smaller number of data among the data used in the process of step S302 and the data used in the process of step S400. Create a corresponding user settings set.

For example, the number of data used in the process of step S302, that is, the number of data in which all the indoor units are ON and the set temperature is equal is the number of data used in the process of step S400, that is, one indoor unit is OFF and other indoor units. When the set temperature of the indoor unit with ON is less than the number of equal data, the user setting set is created so that all the indoor units are ON and the set temperature is equal. In addition, since the data used by the process of step S400 needs to collect the data from which the indoor unit to be turned off differs, the number of data stored in the air conditioning operation log database is obtained for each indoor unit to be turned off. When creating a data setting set corresponding to the data used in the process of step S400, the number of data stored in the air conditioning operation log database is obtained for each indoor unit to be turned off, and the data with the smallest number is obtained. Create a data setting set.

The data collection operation execution unit 24 notifies the created user setting set to the air conditioning network communication unit 21 (step S802). Specifically, the data collection operation execution unit 24 generates a command for instructing setting information for each indoor unit based on the created user setting set, and notifies the air conditioning network communication unit 21 of the command. Thereby, the air conditioning network communication unit 21 transmits the notified command to each indoor unit as an air conditioning communication packet, and each indoor unit executes air conditioning control according to the received air conditioning communication packet.

Next, the unnecessary data discarding unit 25 discards data unnecessary for air conditioning load calculation from the air conditioning operation log database (step S900). Then, it returns to step S100. The unnecessary data discarding unit 25 discards data by the following method.
(1) Discard data for which there is no air conditioning load calculation coefficient (not related to air conditioning load) (2) Discard all data that is similar to environmental data, user setting data, air conditioning load, etc. (3) Air conditioning operation If the amount of data stored in the log database exceeds the predetermined data capacity, the oldest data is discarded in order.

It should be noted that with similar data, a difference is obtained for each value of each data type, each difference is weighted and summed, and it is determined that all data whose total value is smaller than the threshold value are similar.

Further, as a condition for the unnecessary data discarding unit 25 to discard the data, a boundary time at which the air conditioning load calculation coefficient or the like greatly changes, for example, a time when there is a change more than a threshold value during a certain period, is extracted. A condition of discarding the previous data may be added. If an event occurs that significantly changes the air conditioning load in the room, such as renovation of a building's outer wall or window, tenant change, or the introduction of a large number of new electronic devices, the accuracy can be improved by using the predicted value calculated from the previous data. This is because it falls.

Note that the process of calculating the transfer coefficient and the addition of the difference in air conditioning load caused by the other indoor unit being turned off using the transfer coefficient may not be performed. However, the power consumption can be obtained with higher accuracy by performing these processes.

In this embodiment, setting information and environmental data are used as candidates for the air conditioning load factor, and the air conditioning load factor is selected from the candidates based on the correlation coefficient. However, in addition to these, at least one of the previous day's setting information, the previous day's setting information environment data, date, time zone, and day of the week is added as a candidate for the air conditioning load factor, and the air conditioning load factor is based on the correlation coefficient. May be selected. For example, when the amount of solar radiation on the previous day is large, heat is stored in the building frame, which may increase the air conditioning load. In addition, when the air conditioner 3 is installed in a commercial facility, an office building, etc., a difference occurs in the air conditioning load between business days and closed days. As described above, by adding at least one of the setting information and environmental data of the previous day, date, time zone, and day of week as a candidate for the air conditioning load factor, the air conditioning load can be predicted more accurately, and the power consumption Prediction accuracy can be improved.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the control device 1 acquires the operation data from the air conditioner 3, calculates the air conditioning load based on the operation data, and the air conditioning load in the past certain period and the past certain period. A calculation coefficient that is calculation information for predicting the air conditioning load is calculated based on at least one of the environmental data and the setting information. Then, the air conditioning load is predicted for each indoor unit using at least one of the calculation coefficient, current environmental data, and setting information candidates, and the power consumption of the air conditioner 3 is predicted based on the predicted air conditioning load. I did it. For this reason, even when the data at the time of driving | running on the conditions similar to the past are not accumulate | stored, the power consumption of an air conditioner can be estimated accurately. In addition, since the air conditioning load is calculated for each indoor unit, it can reflect the difference in air conditioning load depending on the indoor unit installation location, for example, whether it is near the window or near the center of the room, and is consumed accurately. The amount of power can be predicted.

In addition, using the data operated under the condition that one indoor unit is turned off and the other indoor unit is turned on, a transfer coefficient indicating the degree of influence from the other indoor unit is calculated, and the transfer coefficient is used to calculate the indoor coefficient. The air conditioning load was predicted for each machine. Thereby, the power consumption amount of the air conditioner can be estimated with higher accuracy.

The configuration described in the above embodiment shows an example of the contents of the present invention, and can be combined with another known technique, and can be combined with other configurations without departing from the gist of the present invention. It is also possible to omit or change the part.

1 control device, 2 air conditioning communication network, 3 air conditioner, 11 outdoor unit, 12-1 to 12-6 indoor unit, 21 air conditioning network communication unit, 22 operation data observation unit, 23 environmental data observation unit, 24 data collection operation Execution unit, 25 unnecessary data discarding unit, 26 air conditioning load calculation formula construction unit, 27 air conditioning load transmission formula construction unit, 28 power consumption prediction unit, 29 air conditioning operation determination unit, 30 power consumption information display unit.

Claims

A control device for controlling an air conditioner including an indoor unit and an outdoor unit installed in a building,
From the indoor unit, setting information that is information set in the indoor unit and first operation information that is information indicating an operation state of the indoor unit are received, and the operation of the outdoor unit is received from the outdoor unit. A communication unit that receives second driving information that is information indicating the state of
An environmental data acquisition unit that acquires and outputs environmental data outside the building;
A first calculation unit for obtaining an air conditioning load of the indoor unit based on the first operation information and the second operation information;
Based on the past air conditioning load, the past environmental data, and the past setting information, an air conditioning load factor that is at least one of the environmental data and the setting information is determined, and the past air conditioning load factor is determined. A second computing unit that obtains calculation information that is information used to predict the power consumption of the air conditioner,
A third computing unit that predicts the power consumption of the air conditioner based on the calculation information and the current air conditioning load factor;
A control device comprising:
An air-conditioning operation determination unit that generates a plurality of user setting set candidates configured by setting information corresponding to the indoor unit and the outdoor unit constituting the air conditioner and inputs the candidates to the third arithmetic unit ,
With
The third calculation unit calculates the power consumption of the air conditioner for each candidate of the user setting set based on the calculation information, current environment data, and the candidate of the user setting set,
The air conditioning operation determination unit selects one of a plurality of user setting set candidates based on the power consumption of the air conditioner for each user setting set candidate, and sets the selected candidate as the selected candidate. Generate a corresponding command and output it to the communication unit,
The control device according to claim 1, wherein the communication unit transmits the command to the air conditioner.
The air conditioner includes a plurality of the indoor units,
The third computing unit predicts an air conditioning load for each indoor unit based on the calculation information and current environmental data, and predicts the power consumption of the air conditioner using the predicted air conditioning load. 3. The control device according to 1 or 2.
The second computing unit calculates a correlation coefficient between each of the environmental data and the data type constituting the setting information and the air conditioning load for each data type constituting the environmental data and the setting information, The control apparatus according to claim 1, 2, or 3, wherein a data type having a correlation coefficient equal to or greater than a threshold value is selected, and the calculation information is calculated based on data of the selected data type.
The said 2nd calculating part further calculates the said calculation information based on at least 1 among the said environmental data of the previous day, the said setting information of the previous day, a date, and a day of the week. Control device.
The second calculation unit includes the air conditioning load when all the indoor units are in an operating state, one indoor unit out of the at least one indoor unit, and all the other at least one indoor units. Based on the air conditioning load when the machine is in an operating state, a transfer coefficient indicating an air conditioning load to be transmitted by stopping other indoor units is calculated,
The control according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the third calculation unit predicts an air conditioning load in consideration of a difference in an air conditioning load caused when another indoor unit stops using the transmission coefficient. apparatus.
A data acquisition operation execution unit that executes a data acquisition operation that is an operation for acquiring the operation information and the environmental data used to calculate the calculation information;
The control device according to claim 1, further comprising:
A data acquisition operation execution unit that executes a data acquisition operation that is an operation for acquiring the operation information and the environmental data used to calculate the calculation information and the transmission coefficient;
A control device according to claim 6.
A storage unit for storing the environmental data and the setting information;
With
An unnecessary data discarding unit that deletes the environmental data and the setting information that are determined not to be used for calculation of the calculation information from the storage unit,
The control device according to claim 1, comprising:
An air conditioning system comprising an indoor unit and an outdoor unit installed in a building, and a control device for controlling the air conditioner,
The control device includes:
From the indoor unit, setting information that is information set in the indoor unit and first operation information that is information indicating an operation state of the indoor unit are received, and the operation of the outdoor unit is received from the outdoor unit. A communication unit that receives second driving information that is information indicating the state of
An environmental data acquisition unit that acquires and outputs environmental data outside the building;
A first calculation unit for obtaining an air conditioning load of the indoor unit based on the first operation information and the second operation information;
Based on the past air conditioning load, the past environmental data, and the past setting information, an air conditioning load factor that is at least one of the environmental data and the setting information is determined, and the past air conditioning load factor is determined. A second computing unit that obtains calculation information that is information used to predict the power consumption of the air conditioner,
A third computing unit that predicts the power consumption of the air conditioner based on the calculation information and the current air conditioning load factor;
Air conditioning system with
A control method of the air conditioner in a control device for controlling an air conditioner including an indoor unit and an outdoor unit installed in a building,
From the indoor unit, setting information that is information set in the indoor unit and first operation information that is information indicating an operation state of the indoor unit are received, and the operation of the outdoor unit is received from the outdoor unit. A first step of receiving second driving information which is information indicating the state of
A second step of acquiring environmental data outside the building;
A third step of obtaining an air conditioning load of the indoor unit based on the first operation information and the second operation information;
Based on the past air conditioning load, the past environmental data, and the past setting information, an air conditioning load factor that is at least one of the environmental data and the setting information is determined, and the past air conditioning load factor is determined. A fourth step for obtaining calculation information, which is information used for prediction of power consumption of the air conditioner,
A fifth step of predicting the power consumption of the air conditioner based on the calculated information and the current air conditioning load factor;
Control method of air conditioner including.