WO2018163272A1

WO2018163272A1 - Air conditioning device, air conditioning system, and control method

Info

Publication number: WO2018163272A1
Application number: PCT/JP2017/008939
Authority: WO
Inventors: 紀之小宮
Original assignee: 三菱電機株式会社
Priority date: 2017-03-07
Filing date: 2017-03-07
Publication date: 2018-09-13
Also published as: JPWO2018163272A1; JP6818866B2

Abstract

An individual comfort range acquisition unit (133) acquires an individual comfort range in which each room occupant feels comfortable on the basis of an image or thermal image data sent from an air conditioning device while an air conditioning control unit (131) is gradually changing the air-conditioned environment on a floor by controlling the air conditioning device. A common comfort range extraction unit (134) extracts a common comfort range that is a range common to the individual comfort ranges of all room occupants. The air conditioning control unit (131) controls the air conditioning device and performs air conditioning on the basis of a value that is in the extracted common comfort range and that satisfies a predetermined energy saving control condition.

Description

AIR CONDITIONER, AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM, AND CONTROL METHOD

The present invention relates to an air-conditioning apparatus, an air-conditioning system, and a control method that can achieve both comfort and energy saving for all users in the room.

Conventionally, air conditioning systems have been introduced into buildings such as buildings. In this air conditioning system, for example, a plurality of air conditioning apparatuses (indoor units) installed on the ceiling of the floor are controlled to prepare an air conditioning environment in the floor. Usually, the air conditioning system performs air conditioning by controlling the air conditioning apparatus according to an air conditioning setting (for example, a set temperature, a set humidity, a set air volume, etc.) input from a remote controller by a user.

In addition, when a plurality of users are present in the floor (in the room) where air conditioning is performed, the air conditioning environment (for example, indoor temperature, indoor humidity, indoor air volume, etc.) that the user feels comfortable varies depending on the user. The air conditioning settings may change frequently.

For example, in the summer season, a hot user tends to set the room temperature lower, while a cold user tends to set the room temperature higher. Therefore, the room temperature is often set to both extremes, and either a hot user or a cold user feels dissatisfied.

In order to cope with such a situation, Patent Document 1 discloses an invention of an air conditioner that reflects each user's request on air conditioning control even when a plurality of users are present in the room. In this invention, a computer terminal is used to count reports from the user for the current air conditioning temperature (cold, somewhat cold, somewhat hot, hot, etc.) and control so that the number of dissatisfied users is minimized. Yes.

Japanese Patent No. 3159917

However, in the invention of Patent Document 1 described above, it is assumed that all users in the room report, and in the situation where only some users report, the comfort of all users could not be satisfied. . In addition, in the invention of Patent Document 1, since the content of the declaration is for the current air conditioning temperature, and only the user's comfort is regarded as a point, there is no room for energy saving control.

Therefore, there is a need for a technology that can achieve both comfort and energy saving for all users in the room.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to achieve both the comfort and energy saving of all users in the room.

Acquisition means for acquiring individual comfort ranges of a plurality of users in a room to be air-conditioned;
Control means for performing air conditioning based on values common to the individual comfort ranges and satisfying predetermined energy saving control conditions;
Is provided.

According to the present invention, an individual comfort range that is a range of an air-conditioning environment (for example, a temperature range, a humidity range, an airflow range, etc.) that a plurality of existing users feel comfortable with each other is acquired. Air conditioning is performed based on values that are common and satisfy predetermined energy saving control conditions (for example, temperature, humidity, air volume, etc.). As a result, it is possible to achieve both comfort and energy saving for all users in the room.

The block diagram which shows an example of the whole structure of the air conditioning system which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. Block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the air conditioning management device Schematic diagram showing an example of aggregated data visually Schematic diagram showing an example of extracted aggregated data Schematic diagram for explaining the target temperature Flow chart showing an example of air conditioning control processing The block diagram which shows an example of the whole structure of the air conditioning system which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention. The block diagram which shows an example of a structure of an air conditioning apparatus

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals. Hereinafter, as a specific example, the case where the present invention is applied to an air conditioning system (air conditioning apparatus) installed in a building represented by a building will be described. However, the present invention is similarly applied to a house where a plurality of users reside. The invention can be applied. That is, the embodiment described below is for explanation, and does not limit the scope of the present invention. Therefore, those skilled in the art can employ embodiments in which each or all of these elements are replaced with equivalent ones, and these embodiments are also included in the scope of the present invention.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the overall configuration of an air-conditioning system 1 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. The air conditioning system 1 is installed in, for example, a building represented by a building, and as illustrated, an air conditioning management device 10, a remote controller 20, an air conditioning device 30 (a plurality of air conditioning devices 30), And an entrance / exit management device 40. The air conditioning management device 10 is communicably connected to the remote controller 20, the air conditioning device 30, and the entrance / exit management device 40 via a communication line 90.

The air conditioning management device 10 controls the entire air conditioning system 1. For example, the air conditioning management device 10 controls the air conditioner 30 to prepare an air conditioning environment indoors (that is, in the floor). Details of the air conditioning management device 10 will be described later.

The remote controller 20 includes, for example, an operation unit, a display unit, and a communication unit. When an air conditioning setting (for example, a set temperature, a set humidity, a set air volume, etc.) is received from a user, information on the air conditioning setting is received. It transmits to the air-conditioning management apparatus 10. Note that the remote controller 20 may directly transmit such air conditioning setting information to the air conditioner 30. In addition, the remote controller 20 displays the operating status of the air conditioner 30 and the current air conditioning environment in the floor (for example, indoor temperature, indoor humidity, indoor air volume, etc.) on the display unit.

The air conditioner 30 includes, for example, an outdoor unit and an indoor unit. Note that the prescribed number (two or more predetermined numbers) of air conditioners 30 are configured to share one outdoor unit. That is, the air conditioning apparatus 30 is configured of one outdoor unit and a specified number of indoor units for each specified number.

In the air conditioner 30, the outdoor unit has, for example, a compressor and a heat source side heat exchanger, and is connected to the indoor unit by piping. And an outdoor unit circulates a refrigerant | coolant between indoor units through this piping. Such an outdoor unit is installed outside the floor (for example, a rooftop or a veranda). On the other hand, the indoor unit has, for example, an expansion valve and a load-side heat exchanger (the expansion valve may be included in the outdoor unit), and the refrigerant sent from the outdoor unit through the pipe Air is conditioned in the floor by evaporating or condensing in the heat exchanger. Such an indoor unit is embedded and installed in the ceiling of the floor, for example.

The air conditioner 30 further includes, for example, a camera or a thermal image sensor, and takes an image or a thermal image of a person in the room (that is, a user on the floor) and obtains the data. It transmits to the air-conditioning management apparatus 10. In addition, the air conditioner 30 may include, for example, a microphone array that can specify the direction of the sound source. In this case, the voice data collected by the occupant is collected by the microphone array, and the collected voice data is collected. Is transmitted to the air conditioning management device 10 together with the direction data.

The entrance / exit management device 40 includes, for example, a card reader, an electronic lock, a controller, and a communication unit, and manages entry into the floor and exit from the floor by a user (authentic user). More specifically, an electronic lock is installed at the door provided at the entrance of the floor, and a card reader (a card reader for entering outside the floor and for exiting inside the floor) is located near the door. Card reader) is installed. Furthermore, card information about cards (for example, employee ID cards, security cards, etc.) distributed to users who are allowed to enter and leave the room is registered in advance in the controller.

In such an entrance / exit management device 40, when the card reader reads the card information from the card possessed by the user by the contact type or the non-contact type, it transmits the read card information to the controller. Then, when the controller authenticates the sent card information (when it matches any of the registered card information), the controller unlocks the electronic lock. Thereby, the user can enter and leave the room through the unlocked door. Eventually, when the door is closed, the controller locks the door by locking the electronic lock.

As described above, the entrance / exit management device 40 is connected to the air conditioning management device 10 via the communication line 90, and, for example, a user ID for identifying the user according to the user's entrance / exit (an example) , The entry / exit information including the card information and the user ID is transmitted to the air conditioning management device 10.

Next, details of the air conditioning management device 10 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the air conditioning management device 10. As illustrated, the air conditioning management apparatus 10 includes a communication unit 11, a data storage unit 12, and a control unit 13.

The communication unit 11 is a communication interface capable of communicating with the remote controller 20, the air conditioner 30, and the entrance / exit management device 40 through the communication line 90, for example. The communication unit 11 is controlled by the control unit 13. For example, the air conditioning setting information sent from the remote controller 20, the image or thermal image data sent from the air conditioning device 30, and the entry / exit management device 40. Receive entry / exit information. Moreover, the communication part 11 transmits the control command which the control part 13 produced | generated to the air conditioning apparatus 30, for example.

The data storage unit 12 is, for example, an auxiliary storage device typified by a hard disk, and stores various information necessary for controlling the air conditioner 30. Specifically, the data storage unit 12 includes information on occupants (a group of occupants) on the floor and ranges of air-conditioning environments that the occupants feel comfortable with (for example, temperature range, humidity range, air volume range). Etc.) are stored in association with individual comfort range information. A visual representation of an example of this aggregated data is shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, the aggregated data is that the occupant group pattern, which is a set of user IDs, is associated with the individual comfort ranges of the occupants. Note that the user ID and the individual comfort range are not individually associated with each other. That is, the individual comfort ranges of any user in the resident group are indicated by A to D in the figure. Also, in the figure, the individual comfort range is shown only at room temperature, but it is an example for facilitating the understanding of the invention, and in fact, humidity, air volume, etc. are also included in the individual comfort range. To do.

Note that the aggregated data represented in FIG. 3 is intermediate data, and the data storage unit 12 finalizes the extracted aggregated data including the common comfortable range obtained by extracting a common range from the individual comfortable ranges of the aggregated data. Accumulate. Details of the common comfort range and the extracted total data will be described later.

2, the control unit 13 includes, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), and the like, and controls the entire air conditioning management device 10. Functionally, the control unit 13 includes an air conditioning control unit 131, a occupant management unit 132, an individual comfort range acquisition unit 133, a common comfort range extraction unit 134, and a learning unit 135. These functions are realized, for example, by the CPU appropriately executing various programs stored in the ROM using the RAM as a work memory.

The air conditioning control unit 131 corresponds to the control means in the claims of the present invention, and controls the air conditioner 30 to perform air conditioning in the floor. For example, the air conditioning control unit 131 performs air conditioning based on a value that is common within the individual comfort range of the occupant group and satisfies a predetermined energy saving control condition. The specific control content will be described together with the individual comfort range acquisition unit 133 and the common comfort range extraction unit 134 described later.

The occupant management unit 132 corresponds to the management means in the claims of the present invention, and manages the occupants in the floor based on the entry / exit information sent from the entry / exit management device 40. For example, the occupant management unit 132 manages the user ID of a user who has entered the floor, and if there is a user who has left the room, the user ID of the occupant is deleted in real time by deleting the user ID. Can be held. Further, the occupant management unit 132 collects such user IDs of the occupants and manages them as a occupant group pattern.

The individual comfort range acquisition unit 133 corresponds to the acquisition means in the claims of the present invention, and acquires the individual comfort range that each occupant feels comfortable with. For example, while the air conditioning control unit 131 controls the air conditioner 30 to gradually change the air conditioning environment in the floor, the individual comfort range acquisition unit 133 is configured to receive images sent from the air conditioner 30 or Based on the data of the thermal image, the individual comfortable range that the occupants feel comfortable with is acquired. Hereinafter, in order to facilitate the understanding of the invention, the air-conditioning environment to be changed will be described only at room temperature. However, the air-conditioning environment to be actually changed includes humidity, air volume, and the like.

Specifically, the air conditioning controller 131 controls the air conditioner 30 to gradually increase the room temperature from 23 ° C. to 29 ° C. Meanwhile, the air conditioner 30 sequentially captures images or thermal images of the occupants using the above-described camera or thermal image sensor, and sequentially transmits the data to the air conditioning management device 10. . The individual comfort range acquisition unit 133 acquires the individual comfort range of each occupant based on such image or thermal image data.

For example, the individual comfort range acquisition unit 133 analyzes the image data in time series, and acquires the individual comfort range of the occupant from the change in the amount of clothes of the occupant. Specifically, the individual comfort range acquisition unit 133 sets the room temperature when the clothing amount increases (or immediately before) as the lower limit of the individual comfort range, while the room temperature when the clothing amount decreases (or immediately before). The upper limit of the individual comfort range. In addition, the individual comfort range acquisition unit 133 analyzes the thermal image data in time series, and determines the individual comfort range of the occupant from the change in the amount of clothes estimated from the exposure amount of the occupant's skin. You may get it.

Further, the individual comfort range acquisition unit 133 analyzes the motion of the occupant obtained from the time-series image data and discriminates the thermal sensation (or pleasant / uncomfortable state), thereby determining the individual comfort range of the occupant. Get the range. Specifically, the individual comfort range acquisition unit 133 determines the room temperature at the time (or immediately before) when the operation indicating the cold (for example, the trembling motion, the crouching motion, the hand rubbing motion, etc.) is specified. On the other hand, the room temperature at the time when (or immediately before) the action that represents the heat (for example, the action of fanning by hand, the action of loosening the tie, the action of rolling up the sleeve, etc.) is defined as the upper limit of the individual comfort range. To do. In addition to this, the individual comfort range acquisition unit 133 can detect a thermal sensation (or a pleasant and uncomfortable state) from a change in facial expression (including a sweating state generated on the face) of the occupant obtained from time-series image data. And the individual comfort range of the occupant may be acquired.

Furthermore, when the air conditioning apparatus 30 includes the above-described microphone array, the individual comfort range acquisition unit 133 analyzes the voice data of the occupants determined from the direction data, and senses thermal sensation (or a pleasant unpleasant state) ) May be acquired to acquire the individual comfort range of the occupant. Specifically, the individual comfort range acquisition unit 133 sets the room temperature at the time (or immediately before) specifying a statement (for example, “cold”) indicating cold as the lower limit of the individual comfort range, while indicating a heat. The room temperature at the time (or immediately before) when (as an example, “hot”) is specified is set as the upper limit of the individual comfort range. In addition to this, the individual comfort range acquisition unit 133 may specify a sigh of the occupant and acquire the individual comfort range of the occupant.

In addition, if the terminal used by the occupant (for example, a personal computer, a smartphone, etc.) and the air conditioning management device 10 can communicate, the individual comfort range acquisition unit 133 is sent from the occupant's terminal. The individual comfort range of the occupant may be acquired from the information. Specifically, the individual comfort range acquisition unit 133 sets the room temperature at the time (or immediately before) when the information indicating the cold is sent as the lower limit of the individual comfort range, while the time when the information indicating the heat is sent (or The room temperature immediately before) is the upper limit of the individual comfort range. Furthermore, the individual comfort range acquisition unit 133 transmits questionnaire information asking about the allowable lower limit room temperature and the upper limit room temperature to the terminal of the occupant, and from the lower limit room temperature and the upper limit room temperature answered in the questionnaire information, You may acquire the individual comfortable range of a resident.

Thus, the individual comfort range acquired by the individual comfort range acquisition unit 133 is the user ID of the occupant managed by the occupant management unit 132 (more specifically, the occupant group pattern). Corresponding data is stored in the data storage unit 12 as aggregated data represented as shown in FIG. Note that the aggregated data represented in FIG. 3 is intermediate data, as will be described later.

The common comfort range extraction unit 134 corresponds to the extraction means in the claims of the present invention, and extracts a common comfort range that is a common range in the individual comfort ranges of all the occupants. For example, the common comfort range extraction unit 134 extracts the common comfort range from the individual comfort ranges A to D in FIG. 3 described above. In this case, the common comfort range extraction unit 134 extracts 25 ° C. to 26 ° C. as the common comfort range R as shown in FIG. The extracted total data visually represented in FIG. 4 is accumulated in the data accumulation unit 12. If the common comfort range cannot be extracted from the individual comfort ranges of all the occupants, the common comfort range extraction unit 134 identifies a common range among the individual comfort ranges of as many people as possible, and shares the range. Extract as a comfortable range.

Then, the air conditioning control unit 131 sets the air conditioner 30 based on a value that is within the common comfort range extracted by the common comfort range extraction unit 134 and satisfies a predetermined energy saving control condition. Control and perform air conditioning. For example, when the common comfort range extraction unit 134 extracts the common comfort range R as shown in FIG. 4 described above, the air conditioning control unit 131 sets the target of 26 ° C. at which the highest energy saving control is expected, as shown in FIG. The temperature T is determined, and the air conditioner 30 is controlled so that the determined target temperature T becomes room temperature.

Returning to FIG. 2, the learning unit 135 corresponds to the learning means in the claims of the present invention, and learns the common comfortable range for the occupant group pattern from the extracted total data accumulated in the data accumulation unit 12. To do. In other words, if the occupants (occupant group) managed by the occupant management unit 132 are the same as the learned occupant group pattern at a later date, the individual comfort range acquisition unit 133 described above provides individual comfort. The acquisition of the range and the extraction of the common comfort range by the common comfort range extraction unit 134 described above can be omitted. And if the air-conditioning control part 131 acquires the common comfortable range with respect to the learned occupant group pattern, based on the value which satisfy | fills the conditions of energy-saving control within the common comfortable range similarly to the above, The air conditioner 30 is controlled to perform air conditioning.

In addition, the learning unit 135 learns including information such as time (time zone), day of the week (including holidays), season, etc., and not only the occupancy group pattern but also the time, day of the week, season, etc. match later. In this case, the learned common comfort range may be used. In addition to this, the learning unit 135 learns including information on the external environment (for example, the outside air temperature, the outside air humidity, etc.), and later, when not only the resident group pattern but also the external environment matches. The common comfort range that has been learned may be used.

Furthermore, the learning unit 135 may also learn the entrance / exit tendency that the occupant group pattern is determined by, for example, the day of the week, the date and time. For example, when a group meeting is held in a conference room every Monday at 10 am, the learning unit 135 also learns the entrance / exit tendency. And according to such an entrance / exit tendency, the air-conditioning control part 131 utilizes the learned common comfort range and controls the air conditioning apparatus 30 in advance as the corresponding day of the week, date and time arrive. .

Hereinafter, the operation of the air conditioning management device 10 in the air-conditioning system 1 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the air-conditioning control process executed by the air-conditioning management apparatus 10 (control unit 13). This air conditioning control process is repeatedly executed, for example, every time a change occurs in the occupant group, every time a certain time elapses, or the like.

First, the control unit 13 specifies a group of people in the floor (step S101). In other words, the occupant management unit 132 identifies the occupant group in the floor based on the entry / exit information sent from the entry / exit management device 40. For example, the occupant management unit 132 manages the user IDs of the occupants and specifies the occupant group pattern that is a set of the user IDs.

The control unit 13 determines whether or not the specified occupant group has been learned (step S102). That is, the control unit 13 determines whether or not the extracted total data (extracted total data as shown in FIG. 4) that matches the occupant group pattern is stored in the data storage unit 12. When the control unit 13 determines that the specified occupant group has been learned (step S102; Yes), the control unit 13 proceeds to step S106 described later.

On the other hand, when it is determined that the specified occupant group has not been learned (step S102; No), the control unit 13 acquires the individual comfort ranges of the occupants (step S103). That is, while the air conditioning control unit 131 controls the air conditioner 30 to gradually change the air conditioning environment in the floor, the individual comfort range acquisition unit 133 is configured to receive images sent from the air conditioner 30 or Based on the data of the thermal image, the individual comfortable range that the occupants feel comfortable with is acquired.

The control unit 13 extracts the common comfort range of all the occupants (step S104). That is, the common comfort range extraction unit 134 extracts a common comfort range that is a common range in the individual comfort ranges of all the occupants acquired in step S103. For example, the common comfort range extraction unit 134 extracts a common comfort range from the individual comfort ranges A to D shown in FIG. In this case, the common comfort range extraction unit 134 extracts 25 ° C. to 26 ° C. as the common comfort range R as shown in FIG. If the common comfort range cannot be extracted from the individual comfort ranges of all the occupants, the common comfort range extraction unit 134 identifies a common range among the individual comfort ranges of as many people as possible, and shares the range. Extract as a comfortable range.

The control unit 13 stores the extracted total data in the data storage unit 12 (step S105). That is, the learning unit 135 accumulates the extracted aggregate data as illustrated in FIG. 4 in the data accumulation unit 12.

The control unit 13 performs air conditioning using the extracted total data (step S106). That is, the air-conditioning control unit 131 controls the air conditioner 30 and performs air conditioning based on a value that is within the common comfort range of all occupants and satisfies the energy saving control condition. For example, when the common comfort range R as shown in FIG. 4 is extracted in step 104 described above (or because it has already been learned), the air conditioning control unit 131 performs energy saving control as shown in FIG. The target temperature T is determined to be 26 ° C. that is expected to be the highest, and the air conditioner 30 is controlled so that the determined target temperature T becomes room temperature.

By such air conditioning control processing, the air conditioner 30 is controlled based on a value that is within the common comfortable range of all the occupants and satisfies the conditions of energy saving control, and air conditioning in the floor is performed. As a result, it is possible to achieve both comfort and energy saving for all users in the room.

In addition, after the learning unit 135 learns the common comfort range for the occupant group pattern, if the same occupant (occupant group pattern) is acquired, the individual comfort range acquisition unit 133 acquires the individual comfort range, And extraction of the common comfortable range by the common comfortable range extraction part 134 mentioned above can be abbreviate | omitted.

(Embodiment 2)
In the first embodiment, the case where the air conditioning management apparatus 10 controls the air conditioning apparatus 30 to perform air conditioning in the floor has been described. However, the air conditioning apparatus 30 has the function of such an air conditioning management apparatus 10. By doing so, the air conditioner 30 may perform air conditioning alone. Hereinafter, Embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of the air-conditioning system 2 according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. The air conditioning system 2 includes an air conditioning device 50, a remote controller 20, and an entrance / exit management device 40. In addition, this air conditioning system 2 has shown the minimum structure, and the air conditioning apparatus 50 may be plural. The air conditioner 50 is communicably connected to the remote controller 20 and the entrance / exit management device 40 via the communication line 90.

Note that the remote controller 20 and the entrance / exit management device 40 are the same as those in the above-described first embodiment, and thus description thereof is omitted.

Details of the air conditioner 50 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the air conditioning apparatus 50. As illustrated, the air conditioning apparatus 50 includes a communication unit 11, a data storage unit 12, a control unit 53, and a main function unit 54. In addition, the air conditioning apparatus 50 further includes a camera or a thermal image sensor, and can capture an image of a resident or a thermal image. Moreover, the air conditioning apparatus 50 may be provided with the microphone array, and in that case, the sound uttered by the occupant can be collected.

In addition, since the communication part 11 and the data storage part 12 are the same as that of FIG. 2 (air-conditioning management apparatus 10) mentioned above, description is abbreviate | omitted.

The control unit 53 includes, for example, a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like, and controls the entire air conditioner 50. Functionally, the control unit 53 includes a main function control unit 531, an occupant management unit 132, an individual comfort range acquisition unit 133, a common comfort range extraction unit 134, and a learning unit 135. These functions are realized, for example, by the CPU appropriately executing various programs stored in the ROM using the RAM as a work memory.

Note that the occupant management unit 132 to the learning unit 135 are the same as those in FIG. 2 (air conditioning management device 10) described above, and thus the description thereof is omitted.

The main function control unit 531 controls the main function unit 54 to perform air conditioning in the floor. Note that the main function unit 54 includes, for example, an outdoor unit or an actuator that controls a compressor, an expansion valve, and the like provided in the indoor unit, and appropriately circulates a refrigerant between the outdoor unit and the indoor unit. .

The main function control unit 531 controls the main function unit 54 and gradually changes the air conditioning environment in the floor when the individual comfort range acquisition unit 133 acquires the individual comfort range. Specifically, the main function control unit 531 controls the main function unit 54 to gradually increase the room temperature from 23 ° C. to 29 ° C. In the meantime, images taken by the camera or the thermal image sensor or thermal image data are sequentially provided to the individual comfort range acquisition unit 133. The individual comfort range acquisition unit 133 acquires the individual comfort range of each occupant based on such image or thermal image data.

In addition, when the common comfort range extraction unit 134 extracts the common comfort range of all the occupants, the main function control unit 531 is within the common comfort range and is based on values that satisfy the energy saving control condition. The main function unit 54 is controlled to perform air conditioning. For example, when the common comfort range extraction unit 134 extracts the common comfort range R as shown in FIG. 4, the main function control unit 531 sets the target temperature to 26 ° C. at which the highest energy saving control is expected, as shown in FIG. 5. The main function unit 54 is controlled so that the determined target temperature T becomes room temperature.

Also in the air conditioner 50 having such a configuration, the air conditioning control process as shown in FIG. 6 described above is performed, based on a value that is within the common comfort range of all the occupants and satisfies the energy saving control condition. Thus, air conditioning in the floor is performed. As a result, it is possible to achieve both comfort and energy saving for all users in the room.

(Other embodiments)
In the first and second embodiments, for example, when the common comfort range R as shown in FIG. 4 is extracted, as shown in FIG. The case where air conditioning control is performed has been described. In this case, although it is in the common comfort range R, the temperature is the highest, so that the set temperature may be changed to be low by any occupant. At that time, if the changed set temperature is within the common comfort range R, the control unit 13 (control unit 53) accepts it as it is and learns the set temperature. Although the temperature is accepted, control may be performed to return to the common comfort range R (target temperature T) after a predetermined time has elapsed.

In the first and second embodiments described above, the case where the occupants (occupant group) are managed using the entry / exit information obtained from the entry / exit management device 40 has been described. You may make it manage a room person. For example, the remote controller 20 may be provided with a personal identification function so that the occupants can be grasped based on information from the remote controller 20.

In the first embodiment, the case where the dedicated air conditioning management device 10 is used has been described. However, by applying an operation program that defines the operation of the air conditioning management device 10 to an existing personal computer, an information terminal device, or the like, It is also possible to cause a personal computer to function as the air conditioning management device 10.

Further, such a program distribution method is arbitrary. For example, a computer-readable medium such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disk Read-Only Memory), a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk), an MO (Magneto Optical Disk), or a memory card is readable. It may be stored in a recording medium and distributed, or distributed via a communication network such as the Internet.

The present invention is capable of various embodiments and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the broad sense. Further, the above-described embodiment is for explaining the present invention, and does not limit the scope of the present invention. That is, the scope of the present invention is shown not by the embodiments but by the claims. Various modifications within the scope of the claims and within the scope of the equivalent invention are considered to be within the scope of the present invention.

The present invention can be employed in an air conditioning apparatus, an air conditioning system, and a control method that can achieve both comfort and energy saving for all users in the room.

1, 2, air conditioning system, 10 air conditioning management device, 11 communication unit, 12 data storage unit, 13, 53 control unit, 131 air conditioning control unit, 132 occupant management unit, 133 individual comfort range acquisition unit, 134 common comfort range Extraction unit, 135 learning unit, 531 main function control unit, 54 main function unit, 90 communication line

Claims

Acquisition means for acquiring individual comfort ranges of a plurality of users in a room to be air-conditioned;
Control means for performing air conditioning based on values common to the individual comfort ranges and satisfying predetermined energy saving control conditions;
An air conditioner comprising:
An extraction means for extracting a common comfort range common to the plurality of users from the individual comfort range acquired by the acquisition means;
The control means performs air conditioning based on a value that is within the common comfort range and satisfies the condition of the energy saving control.
The air conditioning apparatus according to claim 1.
A learning unit that further learns the group of occupants representing the plurality of users in the room and the common comfort range extracted by the extraction unit in association with each other.
The air conditioning apparatus according to claim 2.
The control means gradually changes the air conditioning environment,
The acquisition means acquires the individual comfort range based on the image obtained during the change of the air-conditioning environment or the data of the thermal image.
The air conditioning apparatus according to claim 1.
Further comprising management means for managing the plurality of users in the room based on the entrance / exit information;
The air conditioning apparatus according to claim 1.
An air conditioning system including an air conditioning management device and an air conditioning device,
The air conditioning management device
Obtaining means for obtaining individual comfort ranges of a plurality of users in a room to be air-conditioned by the air conditioner;
Control means for controlling the air conditioner based on values common to the individual comfort ranges and satisfying predetermined energy saving control conditions;
Air conditioning system.
A control method executed by an air conditioner,
An acquisition step of acquiring individual comfort ranges of a plurality of users in a room to be air-conditioned;
A control step that performs air conditioning based on values that are common within the individual comfort ranges and satisfy the conditions of predetermined energy saving control;
A control method comprising: