WO2020021972A1

WO2020021972A1 - Thermal environment control device, thermal environment control system, and thermal environment control method

Info

Publication number: WO2020021972A1
Application number: PCT/JP2019/026023
Authority: WO
Inventors: 啓太芳村; 幹生岩川; 朋美中川
Original assignee: パナソニックＩｐマネジメント株式会社
Priority date: 2018-07-25
Filing date: 2019-07-01
Publication date: 2020-01-30
Also published as: JPWO2020021972A1

Abstract

A thermal environment control device (2) is provided with: an indoor environment measurement unit (20) that measures environment values in an indoor space; a control unit (31) that controls a blower (30), which is one example of one or more devices for adjusting the environment in the indoor space; a user environment measurement unit (11) that measures environment values in the vicinity of a user; a clothing amount acquisition unit (15) that acquires the amount of clothing on the user; an activity amount acquisition unit (16) that acquires the amount of activity by the user; and a heat accumulation amount calculation unit (19) that calculates the amount of heat accumulated by the user on the basis of the environment values measured by the user environment measurement unit (11), the clothing amount acquired by the clothing amount acquisition unit (15), and the activity amount acquired by the activity amount acquisition unit (16). The control unit (31) determines control content for the one or more devices on the basis of the environment values measured by the indoor environment measurement unit (20) and the heat accumulation amount calculated by the heat accumulation amount calculation unit (19), and controls the one or more devices using the determined control content.

Description

Thermal environment control device, thermal environment control system, and thermal environment control method

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

Conventionally, there has been known a cooling / heating switching device that performs cooling or heating adjustment based on a value of a predicted thermal sensation report (PMV: Predicted @ Mean @ Vote) (for example, see Patent Document 1).

JP-A-7-198186

温 The comfortable thermal environment for the user depends on the immediately preceding user's action. For example, if you were in a space of 32 ° C just before, you could feel comfortable even in a room with a room temperature of 30 ° C, whereas if you were in a space of 25 ° C just before, the room temperature would be the same. It feels hot and uncomfortable even in a room at 30 ° C. Therefore, as in the above-described conventional cooling / heating switching device, simply adjusting the cooling or heating based on the PMV value may not form a comfortable thermal environment for the user.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a thermal environment control device, a thermal environment control system, and a thermal environment control method that can form a thermal environment that is comfortable for a user.

To achieve the above object, a thermal environment control device according to one embodiment of the present invention includes an indoor environment measurement unit that measures an indoor environment value, and a control unit that controls one or more devices that adjust the indoor environment. A user environment measurement unit that measures an environment value around the user, a clothing amount acquisition unit that acquires the clothing amount of the user, an activity amount acquisition unit that acquires the activity amount of the user, and the user environment measurement A calculating unit that calculates the heat storage amount of the user based on the environmental value measured by the unit, the clothing amount acquired by the clothing amount acquiring unit, and the activity amount acquired by the activity amount acquiring unit. The control unit determines the control content of the one or more devices based on the environment value measured by the indoor environment measurement unit and the heat storage amount calculated by the calculation unit, and determines the determined control content. The one or more machines To control.

Further, a thermal environment control system according to one aspect of the present invention includes the thermal environment control device and the one or more devices.

Further, the thermal environment control method according to one aspect of the present invention includes a step of measuring an environment value around the user, a step of acquiring the amount of clothing of the user, a step of acquiring an amount of activity of the user, A calculating step of calculating a heat storage amount of the user based on the environmental value, the clothing amount, and the activity amount; a step of measuring an indoor environment value; and controlling one or more devices for adjusting the indoor environment. Controlling the one or more devices, determining the control content of the one or more devices based on the indoor environment value and the heat storage amount, and determining the one or more devices based on the determined control content. Control the equipment.

In addition, one embodiment of the present invention can be realized as a program for causing a computer to execute the thermal environment control method. Alternatively, it can be realized as a computer-readable recording medium storing the program.

According to the present invention, a thermal environment that is comfortable for the user can be formed.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the thermal environment control system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the thermal environment control system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a process of determining an air volume in the operation of the thermal environment control system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of time-series data acquired in the thermal environment control system according to the first embodiment and a heat storage amount calculated based on the time-series data. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a change in the indoor environment due to control of devices in the thermal environment control system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a thermal environment control system according to the second embodiment. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the operation of the air conditioner of the thermal environment control system according to the second embodiment. FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a process of determining a set temperature or a set humidity in the operation of the thermal environment control system according to the second embodiment.

Hereinafter, a thermal environment control device, a thermal environment control system, and a thermal environment control method according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Each of the embodiments described below shows a specific example of the present invention. Therefore, numerical values, shapes, materials, constituent elements, arrangement and connection forms of constituent elements, steps, order of steps, and the like shown in the following embodiments are merely examples, and do not limit the present invention. Therefore, among the components in the following embodiments, components not described in the independent claims are described as arbitrary components.

図 Moreover, each drawing is a schematic diagram and is not necessarily strictly illustrated. Therefore, for example, the scales and the like do not always match in each drawing. Further, in each of the drawings, substantially the same configuration is denoted by the same reference numeral, and redundant description will be omitted or simplified.

(Embodiment 1)
[Constitution]
First, the configurations of the thermal environment control device and the thermal environment control system according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a thermal environment control system 1 according to the present embodiment.

温 As shown in FIG. 1, the thermal environment control system 1 includes a thermal environment control device 2, a wearable device 10, and a blower 30. The thermal environment control device 2 includes a user environment measurement unit 11, a clothing amount acquisition unit 15, an activity amount acquisition unit 16, a storage unit 17, a heat storage amount calculation unit 19, an indoor environment measurement unit 20, a control unit, 31.

Wearable device 10 is worn by the user. The indoor environment measuring unit 20 and the blower 30 are provided, for example, indoors. The wearable device 10, the indoor environment measuring unit 20, and the blower 30 are communicably connected wirelessly or by wire.

The room is an indoor space in which the thermal environment is controlled by devices provided in the thermal environment control system 1. In the present embodiment, the room is a space from which the airflow generated by the blower 30 is released. For example, the room is an indoor space in which the user stays, and specifically, a room in a building such as a user's home, office building, school, or hospital. The indoor space may be a space inside a vehicle such as an automobile.

The wearable device 10 is a terminal device that is worn by a user and acquires information about the user's surrounding environment. The wearable device 10 is mounted on, for example, a user's hand, arm, or leg. In the present embodiment, wearable device 10 transmits the acquired information to blower 30.

For example, the wearable device 10 includes a main body that houses a microcomputer, various sensors, and the like, and a fixture for mounting the main body to a user. The attachment includes, for example, a band that supports the main body, and a fastener that can be fixed in a state where the band is wound around an object such as a wrist or an ankle. The fastener is, for example, a buckle or a hook-and-loop fastener, but is not particularly limited.

The manner in which the wearable device 10 is worn by the user is not particularly limited. For example, the wearable device 10 may have an adhesive tape or the like, and may be directly attached to the skin of the user. Alternatively, the wearable device 10 may be mounted on the user by being stored in a pocket of the user's clothes or the like.

As shown in FIG. 1, the wearable device 10 includes a user environment measurement unit 11, a clothing amount acquisition unit 15, an activity amount acquisition unit 16, a storage unit 17, and a heat storage amount calculation unit 19. The user environment measurement unit 11 includes a temperature measurement unit 12, a humidity measurement unit 13, and a solar radiation measurement unit 14. The storage unit 17 stores time-series data 18.

The temperature measurement unit 12 is an example of a user environment measurement unit that measures an environment value around a user, and measures a temperature that is an example of an environment value. The temperature measurement unit 12 is, for example, a temperature sensor, and measures the temperature around the user. For example, the temperature measurement unit 12 measures the temperature of the air that touches the wearable device 10.

The humidity measurement unit 13 is an example of a user environment measurement unit that measures an environment value around a user, and measures humidity, which is an example of an environment value. The humidity measuring unit 13 is, for example, a humidity sensor, and measures the humidity around the user. For example, the humidity measuring unit 13 measures the humidity of the air that touches the wearable device 10.

The solar radiation measuring unit 14 is an example of a user environment measuring unit that measures an environmental value around the user, and measures solar radiation, which is an example of an environmental value. The solar radiation measuring unit 14 is, for example, a pyranometer, and measures radiant energy per unit area and unit time of solar light irradiated to a user as solar radiation. For example, the solar radiation measuring unit 14 measures the amount of solar radiation by receiving sunlight irradiated on the wearable device 10.

The clothing amount acquisition unit 15 acquires the user's clothing amount. The amount of clothing is, for example, a total value of thermal resistance of one or more pieces of clothing worn by the user, and is represented by a unit: clo. Generally, the thicker the clothes, the larger the amount of clothes.

The clothing amount acquisition unit 15 is realized by, for example, a user interface that receives an input of clothing from a user. Specifically, the clothing amount acquisition unit 15 is realized by a touch panel display and a processor included in the wearable device 10. On the touch panel display, a selection screen for selecting clothes worn by the user, a text input screen for inputting clothes in text, and the like are displayed. The processor acquires the user's clothing amount by referring to the clothing amount database based on the selected content or the input content. Note that a microphone that accepts voice input may be used instead of the touch panel display.

The clothing amount database is stored in, for example, a memory included in the wearable device 10. Alternatively, the clothing amount database may be stored in a memory of a server device with which the wearable device 10 can communicate. The clothing amount database is a database in which thermal resistance is associated with each type of clothing. For example, in the clothing amount database, the thermal resistance is predetermined to be 0.01 clo for a tie and 0.24 clo for a shirt.

The clothing amount acquisition unit 15 receives an input of clothing from the user at the timing when the user changes clothing. The clothing amount acquisition unit 15 may perform display, sound output, or vibration to prompt the user to input clothing.

The activity amount acquisition unit 16 acquires the activity amount of the user. The activity amount is, for example, the intensity of the physical activity of the user, and is expressed in units of METs (METs: Metabolic @ Equivalents). Specifically, a state where the user is sitting and resting is defined as 1 mets. For example, a state of walking at a normal speed becomes 3 mets.

The activity amount acquisition unit 16 is realized by, for example, a three-axis acceleration sensor that detects the movement of the user. The triaxial acceleration sensor is built in the wearable device 10, and measures the strength of the user's physical activity as an activity amount based on the swing of the arm or the movement of the leg.

The storage unit 17 is a storage unit for storing the time-series data 18. The storage unit 17 is realized by, for example, a semiconductor memory. The storage unit 17 stores the temperature measured by the temperature measurement unit 12, the humidity measured by the humidity measurement unit 13, the insolation amount measured by the insolation measurement unit 14, and the clothing acquired by the clothing amount acquisition unit 15. The amount and the activity amount acquired by the activity amount acquiring unit 16 are stored as time-series data 18.

The time-series data 18 includes the environmental values around the user measured by the user environment measuring unit 11, the clothing amount acquired by the clothing amount acquiring unit 15, and the activity amount acquired by the activity amount acquiring unit 16. It is data indicating each time change. Specifically, the time-series data 18 indicates the temperature, the humidity, the amount of solar radiation, the amount of clothes, and the amount of activity around the user at regular intervals such as one second or one minute. The time-series data 18 includes values for a predetermined period, such as one hour or one day. Further, the time-series data 18 may include a time change of the heat storage amount calculated by the heat storage amount calculation unit 19.

The heat storage amount calculation unit 19 calculates the environment value around the user measured by the user environment measurement unit 11, the clothing amount acquired by the clothing amount acquisition unit 15, the activity amount acquired by the activity amount acquisition unit 16, Is an example of a calculation unit that calculates the amount of heat stored by the user based on the calculation. The heat storage amount is the amount of heat stored in the body of the user according to the behavior of the user, and is represented by a unit: W / m ² .

For example, the higher the ambient temperature or humidity, the greater the amount of heat stored. In addition, the greater the amount of solar radiation the user takes, the greater the amount of heat stored. In addition, as the user's activity amount or clothing amount increases, the heat storage amount also increases. On the other hand, for example, when a user takes a wind, the amount of heat radiation increases and the amount of heat storage decreases.

Specifically, the heat storage amount calculation unit 19 calculates the heat storage amount based on the time-series data 18 stored in the storage unit 17. For example, the heat storage amount calculation unit 19 calculates the heat storage amount using regression analysis. In the present embodiment, the heat storage amount calculation unit 19 calculates the heat storage amount at each time t. More specifically, the heat storage amount calculation unit 19 calculates the heat storage amount based on the following (Equation 1).

(Equation 1) Heat storage amount (t) = heat storage amount (t-1)
+ A1 × (temperature (t-1) -temperature (t))
+ A2 x (humidity (t-1)-humidity (t))
+ A3 × (solar radiation (t-1) -solar radiation (t))
+ A4 × (clothes amount (t-1) -clothes amount (t))
+ A5 × (activity (t-1)-activity (t))
+ D1

In (Equation 1), the coefficients a1, a2, a3, a4, and a5, and the constant d1 are values calculated in advance using measured data and multiple regression analysis. The coefficients a1, a2, a3, a4, and a5 and the constant d1 are stored in, for example, the storage unit 17. Note that the coefficients a1, a2, a3, a4, and a5, and the constant d1 may be updated periodically by performing regression analysis.

熱 The heat storage amount (t) is the heat storage amount at the calculation target time, and the heat storage amount (t-1) is the heat storage amount calculated immediately before. The calculation of the heat storage amount is performed, for example, every second. In this case, the heat storage amount (t-1) is the heat storage amount one second before the calculation target time. The heat storage amount (t-1) is stored in the storage unit 17 as time-series data 18, for example.

Temperature (t) is the temperature at the calculation target time, and is a value measured by temperature measurement unit 12 and stored in storage unit 17 as time-series data 18. The temperature (t-1) is the temperature at the immediately preceding calculation target time. For example, the temperature (t−1) is a temperature one second before the calculation target time, and is a value stored as the time-series data 18 in the storage unit 17. Humidity (t), solar radiation (t), clothing (t) and activity (t), and humidity (t-1), solar radiation (t-1), clothing (t-1) and activity The same applies to (t-1).

The indoor environment measuring unit 20 measures the indoor environment value. The indoor is an indoor space such as a user's home, for example, as described above. In the present embodiment, the indoor environment measuring unit 20 transmits the measured environment value to the blower 30. As shown in FIG. 1, the indoor environment measuring unit 20 includes a temperature measuring unit 21 and a humidity measuring unit 22.

The temperature measurement unit 21 is an example of an indoor environment measurement unit that measures an indoor environment value, and measures a temperature that is an example of an environment value. The temperature measuring unit 21 is, for example, a temperature sensor and measures room temperature. For example, the temperature measuring unit 21 measures the temperature of one room of the user's home. The one room is a space from which the airflow generated by the blower 30 is released.

The humidity measurement unit 22 is an example of an indoor environment measurement unit that measures an indoor environment value, and measures humidity, which is an example of an environment value. The humidity measuring unit 22 is, for example, a humidity sensor and measures indoor humidity. For example, the humidity measuring unit 22 measures the humidity of one room of the user's home.

風 The blower 30 is one of one or more devices that adjust the indoor environment. Specifically, the blower 30 generates an airflow and discharges the airflow indoors. In the present embodiment, blower 30 can change the air volume. The blower 30 may be able to change the wind direction.

送 As shown in FIG. 1, the blower 30 includes a control unit 31. The control unit 31 is an example of a control unit that controls one or more devices that adjust the indoor environment, and controls the operation of the blower 30. The control unit 31 determines the control content of the blower 30 based on the indoor environment value measured by the indoor environment measurement unit 20 and the heat storage amount calculated by the heat storage calculation unit 19, and uses the determined control content. The blower 30 is controlled. For example, the control unit 31 controls the air volume of the blower 30. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the control unit 31 includes a determination unit 32 and an adjustment unit 33.

The determination unit 32 determines the control content of the blower 30 based on the indoor environment value measured by the indoor environment measurement unit 20 and the heat storage amount calculated by the heat storage amount calculation unit 19. In the present embodiment, the determination unit 32 determines the air volume of the blower 30. Note that the determination unit 32 may determine the wind direction of the blower 30.

In the present embodiment, the determination unit 32 determines the air volume for each time t. Specifically, when the heat storage amount at time t is smaller than the threshold, the determination unit 32 determines the air volume to be zero.

The threshold value is, for example, 0. That is, when the heat storage amount is smaller than 0, the heat balance for the user is negative, and the user is not hot, and the blower 30 does not need to generate the airflow and hit the user. Therefore, when the heat storage amount is smaller than 0, the determination unit 32 determines the air volume to be 0. Note that the threshold value may not be 0, and may be changeable by a user, for example.

If the heat storage amount at time t is equal to or greater than the threshold value, the determination unit 32 determines the air volume based on the following (Equation 2).

(Equation 2) Air volume (t) = b1 × heat storage amount (t)
+ B2 x room temperature (t)
+ B3 x indoor humidity (t)
+ D2

In (Equation 2), the coefficients b1, b2, and b3 and the constant d2 are values calculated in advance using measured data and multiple regression analysis. The coefficients b1, b2 and b3 and the constant d2 are stored in, for example, a memory (not shown) provided in the control unit 31. The coefficients b1, b2 and b3 and the constant d2 may be updated periodically by performing a regression analysis.

For example, the higher the heat storage amount, room temperature or indoor humidity, the larger the air volume. The lower the heat storage amount, room temperature, or indoor humidity, the smaller the air volume. For example, when the heat storage amount, the room temperature, or the indoor humidity falls below a predetermined threshold value, the coefficients b1, b2, and b3, and the constant d2 are determined so that the air volume becomes zero.

The adjustment unit 33 adjusts the operation of the blower 30 based on the control content determined by the determination unit 32. Specifically, the adjustment unit 33 causes the blower 30 to emit an airflow having the air volume determined by the determination unit 32.

The control unit 31 is realized by, for example, a microcontroller. The control unit 31 is realized by, for example, a nonvolatile memory storing a program, a volatile memory serving as a temporary storage area for executing the program, an input / output port, a processor executing the program, and the like. At least one of the determination unit 32 and the adjustment unit 33 included in the control unit 31 may be realized by software executed by a processor. Alternatively, at least one of the determination unit 32 and the adjustment unit 33 may be realized by hardware such as an electronic circuit including a plurality of circuit elements.

[Operation (thermal environment control method)]
Next, the operation of the thermal environment control system 1 according to the present embodiment (that is, the thermal environment control method) will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the operation of the thermal environment control system 1 according to the present embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 2, first, the user environment measuring unit 11 measures an environment value around the user (S10). Specifically, the temperature measuring unit 12 measures the temperature around the user, the humidity measuring unit 13 measures the humidity around the user, and the solar radiation measuring unit 14 measures the amount of solar radiation the user takes. Next, the clothing amount acquisition unit 15 acquires the user's clothing amount (S12), and the activity amount acquisition unit 16 acquires the user's activity amount (S14).

Note that the measurement of the environmental value (S10), the acquisition of the clothing amount (S12), and the acquisition of the activity amount (S14) may be performed simultaneously, or any of them may be performed first. The measurement of the environment value (S10) and the acquisition of the activity amount (S14) are periodically and repeatedly performed, for example, every second. The acquisition of the clothing amount (S12) may be repeatedly performed periodically, or may be performed at a timing when the user changes the clothing. Data obtained by each measurement and acquisition is stored in the storage unit 17 as time-series data 18.

Next, the heat storage amount calculation unit 19 calculates the heat storage amount of the user (S16). Specifically, the heat storage amount calculation unit 19 reads out the time series data 18 from the storage unit 17 and calculates the heat storage amount using the read time series data 18 and (Equation 1). For example, the calculation of the heat storage amount (S16) is periodically and repeatedly executed.

{For example, the processing from the measurement of the environmental value (S10) to the calculation of the heat storage amount (S16) is periodically and repeatedly executed while the user is wearing the wearable device 10. Thereby, the time-series data 18 including the time change of the calculated heat storage amount is stored in the storage unit 17. Note that the calculation of the heat storage amount (S16) may be performed only when controlling the blower 30.

Next, the indoor environment measurement unit 20 measures the indoor environment value (S18). Specifically, the temperature measuring unit 21 measures the indoor temperature, and the humidity measuring unit 22 measures the indoor humidity. The measurement of the indoor environment value (S18) may be performed before determining the control content, and may be performed simultaneously with, for example, the measurement of the environment value around the user (S10). Alternatively, the measurement of the indoor environment value may be performed only when the user is in the room.

Next, the determining unit 32 determines the control content of the blower 30 based on the measured indoor environment value and the calculated heat storage amount (S20). Specifically, the determination unit 32 determines the air volume of the blower 30 as the control content.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the air volume determination process (S20) in the operation of the thermal environment control system 1 according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 3, the determining unit 32 compares the calculated heat storage amount with the threshold (S30).

If the heat storage amount is smaller than the threshold value (Yes in S30), the determination unit 32 determines the air volume of the blower 30 to be 0 (S32). When the heat storage amount is equal to or larger than the threshold (No in S30), the determination unit 32 calculates the air volume based on the indoor environment value (S34). Specifically, the determining unit 32 calculates the air volume using the above-described (Equation 2) based on the heat storage amount and the indoor temperature and humidity.

風 The processing for determining the air volume shown in FIG. 3 may be performed, for example, every time the heat storage amount is calculated. When the heat storage amount is periodically calculated repeatedly, the air volume is also periodically determined. This makes it possible to maintain a comfortable environment for the user.

(2) After the air flow is determined as the control content, as shown in FIG. 2, the adjusting unit 33 operates the blower 30 with the determined control content (S22). For example, the adjustment unit 33 causes the blower 30 to generate and discharge an airflow having the determined air volume.

[Operation example]
Here, an operation example by the thermal environment control system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described by taking a specific action of the user as an example.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of the time-series data 18 acquired in the thermal environment control system 1 according to the present embodiment and the heat storage amount calculated based on the time-series data 18. In FIG. 4, the horizontal axis represents time t. FIG. 4 shows, for example, the time change of the environment value, the amount of clothes, and the amount of activity when the user goes shopping from home and returns to the home afterward when the outside air temperature is high (for example, summer). One room in the house is an indoor space to be controlled in the thermal environment, specifically, an indoor space from which the airflow generated by the blower 30 is released.

ユーザ As shown in FIG. 4, in the period T1, the user is outdoors and is moving on foot. Therefore, the temperature, humidity, and solar radiation are all high values, and the activity is also high. In the period T2, the user enters a cool store and performs shopping. For this reason, the temperature, humidity, and solar radiation all decrease and are maintained at low values. In addition, since the amount of movement is reduced, the amount of activity is also reduced. In the period T3, the user goes outdoors again and is moving on foot. Therefore, the temperature, the humidity, and the amount of solar radiation all have high values, and the amount of activity also has high values. Note that the user has not changed the clothing from the period T1 to T3, and the clothing amount becomes a constant value.

ユーザ In period T4, the user has returned home and is resting. During this time, air conditioning equipment such as an air conditioner and equipment such as a blower 30 are operated. As a result, the temperature, humidity, and solar radiation all decrease and are maintained at low values. In addition, the user has changed clothes from going out to the room after returning home, and thus the amount of clothes has decreased. Also, since the user is at rest, the amount of activity is also decreasing.

FIG. 4 also shows a temporal change in the calculated heat storage amount of the user. As in the periods T1 and T3, the amount of heat storage increases while moving outdoors, and when the vehicle is in an air-conditioned store as in the period T2, the amount of heat storage decreases. In the period T4, since the air conditioner and the blower are operating, the heat storage amount of the user is decreasing.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a change in the indoor environment due to control of the equipment in the thermal environment control system 1 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 5 shows details of the period T4 during operation of the device after the user returns to his / her home. In FIG. 5, the horizontal axis indicates time t.

After returning to the home, the user operates the air conditioner and the blower 30. By operating the blower 30, the thermal environment control system 1 according to the present embodiment controls the blower 30 based on the heat storage amount. The thermal environment control system 1 may detect the return of the user by a human sensor or the like and automatically start the blower 30. As shown in FIG. 5, when the air conditioner operates, both the room temperature and the indoor humidity gradually decrease.

At the time of returning home (that is, at the start of the period T4), since the heat storage amount is large, the blower 30 operates at the air volume determined based on (Equation 2). When the blower 30 generates an air flow and bathes the user, and the room temperature and the humidity decrease, the heat storage amount calculated based on (Equation 1) also decreases. Therefore, as the heat storage amount decreases, the air volume of the blower 30 also decreases, and finally the air volume becomes zero.

In the period T4, if the amount of activity increases due to the user starting exercise or the like and the amount of stored heat increases, the blower 30 can generate an airflow again. As described above, since the air volume is determined based on the heat storage amount, a comfortable environment for the user is automatically formed. Since a comfortable environment is automatically formed, an unnecessarily strong airflow or the like is not generated, which leads to a reduction in power consumption of the blower 30 and energy saving.

[Effects, etc.]
As described above, the thermal environment control device 2 according to the present embodiment includes the indoor environment measurement unit 20 that measures the indoor environment value, the control unit 31 that controls one or more devices that adjust the indoor environment, A user environment measuring unit 11 for measuring an environment value around the user, a clothing amount acquiring unit 15 for acquiring a user's clothing amount, an activity amount acquiring unit 16 for acquiring a user's activity amount, and a user environment measuring unit A heat storage amount calculation unit 19 that calculates a user's heat storage amount based on the environment value measured by the measurement unit 11, the clothing amount obtained by the clothing amount obtaining unit 15, and the activity amount obtained by the activity amount obtaining unit 16. And The control unit 31 determines the control content of one or more devices based on the environment value measured by the indoor environment measurement unit 20 and the heat storage amount calculated by the heat storage amount calculation unit 19, and uses the determined control content. Control one or more devices.

The thermal environment control system 1 according to the present embodiment includes a thermal environment control device 2 and one or more devices.

Thus, the thermal environment control system 1 controls the devices based on the heat storage amount of the user. Since the heat storage amount corresponds to the heat amount accumulated in the user up to the control time point, the influence of the user's surrounding environment can be reflected in the control of the device by the control time point. For example, the control content of the device can be changed depending on whether the user was in a high-temperature environment or a low-temperature environment by the time of the control. As a result, the control content suitable for the user can be determined, so that a comfortable thermal environment for the user can be formed.

In addition, for example, the thermal environment control device 2 includes the environment value measured by the user environment measurement unit 11, the clothing amount acquired by the clothing amount acquisition unit 15, the activity amount acquired by the activity amount acquisition unit 16, Is stored as time-series data 18. The heat storage amount calculation unit 19 calculates the heat storage amount based on the time-series data 18 stored in the storage unit 17.

Accordingly, the environment value, the amount of clothes, and the amount of activity around the user can be stored for a certain period of time, so that it is possible to determine the control content suitable for the user based on past changes in the surrounding environment of the user. it can.

Also, for example, the indoor environment value includes at least one of the indoor temperature and humidity.

Thereby, the control content suitable for the user can be determined according to the indoor temperature or humidity.

{Circle around (2)} For example, the environmental value around the user is the temperature, humidity and solar radiation around the user.

(4) As a result, the accuracy of the heat storage amount increases, so that it is possible to determine the control content that is more suitable for the user. Further, since the five parameters required for calculating the heat storage amount are temperature, humidity, solar radiation amount, clothing amount, and activity amount, the heat storage amount can be calculated with a small processing amount without requiring a complicated calculation. Also, the measurement and acquisition of the values of these five parameters can be easily performed, so that the configuration of the thermal environment control device 2 can be simplified.

In addition, for example, the one or more devices include the blower 30. The control unit 31 controls the air volume of the blower 30.

(4) By adjusting the air volume of the blower 30, the user can be given a comfortable airflow.

In addition, for example, the thermal environment control system 1 further includes a wearable device 10 worn by a user. The wearable device 10 includes a user environment measurement unit 11, a clothing amount acquisition unit 15, and an activity amount acquisition unit 16.

This allows the wearable device 10 worn by the user to measure or acquire the environment value, the amount of clothing, and the amount of activity around the user, so that highly accurate environmental values, the amount of clothing, and the amount of activity can be obtained. For this reason, the accuracy of the heat storage amount calculated based on the environmental value, the amount of clothes, and the amount of activity also increases, so that it is possible to determine the control content more suitable for the user.

Also, for example, the thermal environment control method according to the present embodiment includes a step of measuring an environment value around the user, a step of acquiring a user's clothing amount, a step of acquiring a user's activity amount, A calculating step of calculating a heat storage amount of the user based on the clothing amount and the activity amount, a step of measuring an indoor environment value, and a step of controlling one or more devices that adjust the indoor environment. In the step of controlling one or more devices, the control content of the one or more devices is determined based on the indoor environment value and the heat storage amount, and the one or more devices are controlled with the determined control content.

(4) Since the control content suitable for the user can be determined in the same manner as the thermal environment control device and the thermal environment control system 1 described above, a comfortable thermal environment for the user can be formed.

(Embodiment 2)
Next, a second embodiment will be described.

The second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that an air conditioner is included as a device to be controlled in the thermal environment control system. The following description focuses on differences from the first embodiment, and description of common points is omitted or simplified as appropriate.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the thermal environment control system 101 according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 6, the thermal environment control system 101 includes a thermal environment control device 102 and a wearable device 110 instead of the thermal environment control device 2 and the wearable device 10. Further, the thermal environment control system 101 includes an air conditioner 140. The thermal environment control device 2 further includes an input unit 111, a position acquisition unit 112, and a control unit 141 as compared with the thermal environment control device 2 according to the first embodiment.

The wearable device 110 is different from the wearable device 10 according to the first embodiment in that it further includes an input unit 111 and a position acquisition unit 112.

(4) The input unit 111 receives an input from the user to acquire a device activation instruction. The input unit 111 is realized by, for example, physical buttons provided on the main body of the wearable device 110, a touch panel display, or the like. The activation instruction acquired by the input unit 111 is transmitted to the air conditioner 140.

The position acquisition unit 112 acquires position information indicating the current position of the wearable device 110. For example, the position acquisition unit 112 is realized by a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver, an IMES (Indoor MEssaging System) receiver, or the like. The position information acquired by the position acquisition unit 112 is transmitted to the air conditioner 140.

Note that the wearable device 110 may include only one of the input unit 111 and the position acquisition unit 112.

The air conditioner 140 is one of one or more devices that adjust the indoor environment. Specifically, the air conditioner 140 adjusts at least one of the indoor temperature and humidity. The air conditioner 140 air-conditions the room so that the indoor temperature or humidity becomes the set temperature or the set humidity. Specifically, the air conditioner 140 performs indoor cooling, heating, dehumidification, or humidification.

空調 As shown in FIG. 6, the air conditioner 140 includes a control unit 141. The control unit 141 is an example of a control unit that controls one or more devices that adjust the indoor environment, and controls the operation of the air conditioner 140. Specifically, the control unit 141 determines the control content of the air conditioner 140 based on the indoor environment value measured by the indoor environment measurement unit 20 and the heat storage amount calculated by the heat storage amount calculation unit 19. The air conditioner 140 is controlled by the determined control content. For example, the control unit 141 controls the set temperature or the set humidity of the air conditioner 140. The control unit 141 causes the air conditioner 140 to perform cooling or heating according to the set temperature. The control unit 141 causes the air conditioner 140 to perform dehumidification or humidification according to the set humidity. As illustrated in FIG. 6, the control unit 141 includes a determination unit 142 and an adjustment unit 143.

The determination unit 142 determines the control content of the air conditioner 140 based on the indoor environment value measured by the indoor environment measurement unit 20 and the heat storage amount calculated by the heat storage calculation unit 19. In the present embodiment, determination unit 142 determines the set temperature of air conditioner 140 as the control content. Note that the determination unit 142 may determine the set humidity of the air conditioner 140.

In the present embodiment, the determination unit 142 determines a set temperature for each time t. Specifically, when the absolute value of the heat storage amount at time t is smaller than the threshold value, determination unit 142 determines the set temperature as a reference value. The reference value is, for example, a temperature at which the user feels comfortable when the heat storage amount of the user is zero.

場合 If the absolute value of the heat storage amount at time t is equal to or greater than the threshold, the determination unit 142 determines the set temperature based on the following (Equation 3).

(Equation 3) Set temperature (t) = c1 × heat storage amount (t)
+ C2 x room temperature (t)
+ C3 x indoor humidity (t)
+ D3

In (Equation 3), the coefficients c1, c2, and c3 and the constant d3 are values calculated in advance using the measured data and the multiple regression analysis. The coefficients c1, c2 and c3 and the constant d3 are stored in, for example, a memory (not shown) provided in the control unit 141. Note that the coefficients c1, c2 and c3, and the constant d3 may be updated periodically by performing a regression analysis. Further, the coefficients c1, c2 and c3, and the constant d3 may be different values during the cooling operation and during the heating operation.

For example, the higher the heat storage amount, room temperature, or indoor humidity, the lower the set temperature. The lower the heat storage amount, quality loss or indoor humidity, the higher the set temperature. For example, when the heat storage amount is a positive value and is equal to or greater than the threshold value, the set temperature decreases and the air conditioner 140 performs cooling. When the heat storage amount is a negative value and equal to or less than the threshold value, the set temperature increases and heating is performed by the air conditioner 140. Further, for example, when the absolute value of the heat storage amount falls below the threshold, the coefficients c1, c2, and c3 and the constant d3 are determined so that the set temperature becomes the reference value. Here, since the absolute value of the heat storage amount is compared with the threshold value, the threshold value for the cooling or heating determination is the same, but is not limited to this. The positive threshold value and the negative threshold value of the heat storage amount may be different.

Note that the set humidity can be determined in the same manner. For example, when the absolute value of the heat storage amount at time t is smaller than the threshold, the determination unit 142 determines the set humidity as the reference value. The reference value is, for example, the humidity at which the user feels comfortable when the heat storage amount of the user is 0. If the absolute value of the heat storage amount at time t is equal to or greater than the threshold, the determination unit 142 determines the set humidity using the same equation as the above (Equation 3).

Adjustment unit 143 adjusts the operation of air conditioner 140 based on the control content determined by determination unit 142. Specifically, the adjustment unit 143 performs indoor cooling or heating so that the set temperature determined by the determination unit 142 becomes room temperature. In addition, the adjustment unit 143 performs dehumidification or humidification of the room such that the indoor humidity is equal to the set humidity determined by the determination unit 142.

The control unit 141 is realized by, for example, a microcontroller. The control unit 141 is realized by, for example, a non-volatile memory storing a program, a volatile memory serving as a temporary storage area for executing the program, an input / output port, a processor executing the program, and the like. At least one of the determination unit 142 and the adjustment unit 143 included in the control unit 141 may be realized by software executed by a processor. Alternatively, at least one of the determination unit 142 and the adjustment unit 143 may be realized by hardware such as an electronic circuit including a plurality of circuit elements.

In the present embodiment, when receiving the activation instruction acquired by input unit 111, control unit 141 activates air conditioner 140, that is, starts operation of air conditioner 140. Thus, the user can start the operation of the air conditioner 140 by inputting a start instruction to the input unit 111 even when the user is away from the room (for example, outside). Therefore, the operation of the air conditioner 140 can be started before the user enters the room, and a comfortable environment can be formed immediately when the user enters the room or immediately after entering the room.

制御 Control unit 141 starts the operation of air conditioner 140 when the position indicated by the position information acquired by position acquisition unit 112 enters the area from outside the predetermined area. The predetermined area is, for example, a circular area centered on the room where the air conditioner 140 is provided. The radius of the circular area is determined, for example, based on the time required to make the room a comfortable environment for the user. Specifically, the radius corresponds to the product of the average moving speed of the user (unit: m / min) and the required time (unit: minute).

Thereby, when the user approaches the room (for example, at home), the operation of the air conditioner 140 can be started. That is, before the user enters the room (for example, before returning home), the air conditioner 140 can be operated to create a state in which a comfortable environment has already been formed when the user enters the room.

Note that the wearable device 110 may transmit a start instruction for starting the operation of the air conditioner 140 to the air conditioner 140 based on the position information acquired by the position acquisition unit 112 and the position in the room. For example, the storage unit 17 stores target position information indicating a position in a room. For example, the position acquisition unit 112 may transmit a start instruction to the air conditioner 140 when the position of the room enters the area from outside the predetermined area. The predetermined area here is, for example, a circular area centered on the wearable device 110. The circular area corresponds to the product of the average moving speed of the user (unit: m / min) and the required time (unit: minute).

In the thermal environment control system 101 according to the present embodiment, the blower 30 may be started based on a start instruction or position information instead of or in addition to the air conditioner 140.

[Operation (thermal environment control method)]
Subsequently, an operation of the thermal environment control system 101 according to the present embodiment will be described. The operations of the indoor environment measuring unit 20 and the blower 30 are the same as those in the first embodiment. Wearable device 110 transmits a start instruction to air conditioner 140 when input unit 111 receives a start instruction in addition to the operation of the first embodiment. In addition, wearable device 110 periodically transmits the position information to air conditioner 140.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the operation of the air conditioner 140 of the thermal environment control system 101 according to the present embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 7, first, the control unit 141 determines whether a start instruction has been received (S40). Note that the activation instruction includes not only an instruction transmitted from the input unit 111 of the wearable device 110 but also an instruction input to the air conditioner 140 or its controller.

(4) When the activation instruction is received (Yes in S40), the determination unit 142 determines the control content (S42). In the present embodiment, determination unit 142 determines the set temperature or the set humidity of air conditioner 140 as the control content. A specific method of determining the control content will be described later with reference to FIG.

If the activation instruction has not been received (No in S40), control unit 141 determines whether the position of wearable device 110 has entered a predetermined area based on the position information transmitted from wearable device 110. A determination is made (S44). When it is determined that the position of the wearable device 110 has entered the area (Yes in S44), the determination unit 142 determines the control content (S42).

(4) After the set temperature or the set humidity is determined as the control content, the adjustment unit 143 operates the air conditioner 140 with the determined control content (S22). For example, the adjustment unit 143 operates the air conditioner 140 such that the room temperature or the indoor humidity becomes the set temperature or the set humidity.

(4) When the position of the wearable device 110 exists outside the area, or when the position of the wearable device 110 already exists in the area (No in S44), the control unit 141 does not start the operation of the air conditioner 140. In this case, the control unit 141 returns to the determination of the start instruction (S40), and repeats the above-described processing.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a process of determining a set temperature or a set humidity in the operation of the thermal environment control system 101 according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 8, the determining unit 142 compares the calculated absolute value of the heat storage amount with the threshold (S50). The threshold value is, for example, 0.

If the absolute value of the heat storage amount is smaller than the threshold (Yes in S50), the determination unit 142 maintains the set temperature or set humidity of the air conditioner 140 at the reference value (S52). When the absolute value of the heat storage amount is equal to or larger than the threshold (No in S50), the determination unit 142 calculates the set temperature or the set humidity based on the indoor environment value (S54). Specifically, the determination unit 142 calculates the set temperature or the set humidity using the above-described (Equation 3) based on the heat storage amount and the indoor temperature and humidity.

風 The air volume determination process shown in FIG. 8 may be performed, for example, every time the heat storage amount is calculated. When the heat storage amount is periodically calculated repeatedly, the air volume is also periodically determined. This makes it possible to maintain a comfortable environment for the user.

[Effects, etc.]
As described above, in the thermal environment control system 101 according to the present embodiment, one or more devices include the air conditioner 140 that adjusts the indoor temperature or humidity. The control unit 141 controls at least one of the set temperature and the set humidity of the air conditioner 140.

(4) By adjusting the set temperature or the set humidity of the air conditioner 140, the room temperature or the indoor humidity can be adjusted to a comfortable temperature or humidity for the user.

(Other)
As described above, the thermal environment control device according to the present invention has been described based on the above embodiment, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, an example in which the temperature around the user, the amount of sunlight, the amount of solar radiation, the amount of clothing, and the amount of activity are used for calculating the amount of heat storage has been described. Any one or two of the temperature, the humidity, and the amount of solar radiation may not be used for calculating the heat storage amount. In addition, for example, in calculating the heat storage amount, the user's respiration rate, oxygen consumption, body surface area, exposed body surface area, average skin temperature, weight loss, heat transfer coefficient of the human body, and average radiation temperature At least one may be further used.

Also, for example, the clothing amount acquisition unit 15 obtains the clothing amount by user input, but is not limited thereto. For example, the clothing amount acquisition unit 15 may be realized by a camera that photographs a user and an image processing circuit that processes an image obtained by photographing. The clothing amount acquisition unit 15 may determine the type of clothing of the user by processing the image, and acquire the clothing amount based on the determination result.

For example, the storage unit 17 may store not the time-series data 18 but only the value obtained immediately before. Specifically, the storage unit 17 stores only the temperature, humidity, and irradiation amount around the user measured immediately before, the amount of clothing and activity of the user, and the heat storage amount calculated immediately before. May be.

The communication method between the devices described in the above embodiment is not particularly limited. When wireless communication is performed between devices, the wireless communication method (communication standard) is, for example, ZigBee (registered trademark), Bluetooth (registered trademark), or short-range wireless communication such as wireless LAN (Local Area Network). is there. Alternatively, the wireless communication method (communication standard) may be communication via a wide area communication network such as the Internet. Wired communication may be performed between the devices instead of wireless communication. Specifically, the wired communication is power line communication (PLC) or communication using a wired LAN.

In addition, in the above embodiment, another processing unit may execute the process executed by the specific processing unit. Further, the order of the plurality of processes may be changed, or the plurality of processes may be executed in parallel. The distribution of the components included in the thermal environment control system to a plurality of devices is an example. For example, components included in one device may be included in another device.

For example, the storage unit 17 and the heat storage amount calculation unit 19 included in the wearable device 10 may be provided in the blower 30 or the air conditioner 140. Alternatively, the storage unit 17 and the heat storage amount calculation unit 19 may be provided in a server device with which the wearable device 10, the blower 30, and the air conditioner 140 can communicate.

The blower 30 or the air conditioner 140 may include the indoor environment measuring unit 20. In addition, the thermal environment control system 1 may include a general-purpose blower or an air conditioner, and a control device that controls the blower or the air conditioner. The control device includes the indoor environment measurement unit 20, the control unit 31, or A control unit 141 may be provided. Alternatively, the wearable device 10 may include the determining unit 32 of the control unit 31 or the determining unit 142 of the control unit 141.

The thermal environment control system 1 may be realized as a single device.

For example, the processing described in the above embodiment may be realized by centralized processing using a single device (system), or may be realized by distributed processing using a plurality of devices. Good. In addition, the number of processors that execute the program may be one or more. That is, centralized processing or distributed processing may be performed.

Further, in the above embodiment, all or a part of the components such as the control unit may be configured by dedicated hardware, or may be realized by executing a software program suitable for each component. Is also good. Each component may be realized by a program execution unit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a processor reading and executing a software program recorded on a recording medium such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or a semiconductor memory. Good.

The components such as the control unit may be configured by one or a plurality of electronic circuits. Each of the one or more electronic circuits may be a general-purpose circuit or a dedicated circuit.

The one or more electronic circuits may include, for example, a semiconductor device, an integrated circuit (IC), or a large scale integration (LSI). The IC or LSI may be integrated on one chip, or may be integrated on a plurality of chips. Here, the term “IC” or “LSI” is used. However, the term “IC” or “LSI” changes depending on the degree of integration, and may be referred to as a system LSI, a VLSI (Very Large Scale Integration), or an ULSI (Ultra Large Scale Integration). Further, an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) programmed after manufacturing the LSI can be used for the same purpose.

The general or specific aspects of the present invention may be realized by a system, an apparatus, a method, an integrated circuit, or a computer program. Alternatively, the present invention may be realized by a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium such as an optical disk, an HDD, or a semiconductor memory in which the computer program is stored. Further, the present invention may be realized by an arbitrary combination of a system, an apparatus, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, and a recording medium.

In addition, a form obtained by performing various modifications that can be conceived by those skilled in the art to each embodiment, or a combination of components and functions in each embodiment arbitrarily without departing from the spirit of the present invention is realized. Embodiments are also included in the present invention.

1, 101 thermal

environment control system

2, 102 thermal

environment control device

10, 110 wearable device 11 user

environment measurement unit

12, 21

temperature measurement unit

13, 22 humidity measurement unit 14 solar radiation measurement unit 15 clothing amount acquisition unit 16 activity amount Acquisition unit 17 Storage unit 18 Time series data 19 Heat storage amount calculation unit (Calculation unit)
Reference Signs List 20 indoor environment measurement unit 30

blower

31, 141

control unit

32, 142

determination unit

33, 143 adjustment unit 111 input unit 112 position acquisition unit 140 air conditioner

Claims

An indoor environment measuring unit for measuring an indoor environment value,
A control unit that controls one or more devices that adjust the indoor environment;
A user environment measuring unit for measuring an environment value around the user,
A clothing amount acquisition unit that acquires the clothing amount of the user,
An activity amount acquisition unit that acquires the activity amount of the user;
The amount of heat stored by the user is calculated based on the environment value measured by the user environment measurement unit, the amount of clothing acquired by the clothing amount acquisition unit, and the amount of activity acquired by the activity amount acquisition unit. And a calculation unit that performs
The control unit determines the control content of the one or more devices based on the environment value measured by the indoor environment measurement unit and the heat storage amount calculated by the calculation unit. A thermal environment control device that controls one or more devices.
A storage unit for accumulating environmental values measured by the user environment measurement unit, the clothing amount acquired by the clothing amount acquisition unit, and the activity amount acquired by the activity amount acquisition unit as time-series data. With
The thermal environment control device according to claim 1, wherein the calculation unit calculates the heat storage amount based on the time-series data stored in the storage unit.
The thermal environment control device according to claim 1, wherein the indoor environment value includes at least one of the indoor temperature and humidity.
The thermal environment control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the environment value around the user is temperature, humidity, and solar radiation around the user.
A thermal environment control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
A thermal environment control system comprising the one or more devices.
The one or more devices include a blower;
The thermal environment control system according to claim 5, wherein the control unit controls an air volume of the blower.
The one or more devices include an air conditioner that adjusts the temperature or humidity of the room,
The thermal environment control system according to claim 5, wherein the control unit controls at least one of a set temperature and a set humidity of the air conditioner.
A wearable device attached to the user;
The thermal environment control system according to any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein the wearable device includes the user environment measurement unit, the clothing amount acquisition unit, and the activity amount acquisition unit.
Measuring an environment value around the user;
Obtaining the amount of clothes of the user;
Obtaining an activity amount of the user;
A calculating step of calculating the heat storage amount of the user based on the environment value, the clothing amount, and the activity amount;
Measuring indoor environmental values;
Controlling one or more devices that adjust the indoor environment.
In the step of controlling the one or more devices, the control content of the one or more devices is determined based on the indoor environment value and the heat storage amount, and the one or more devices are controlled with the determined control content. Environmental control method.