US20230066057A1 - Air-conditioning system and method for controlling air-conditioning apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

An air-conditioning system includes an air-conditioning apparatus, a user-detecting unit detecting, for users, an amount of activity and a position, a storage device storing, for each amount of activity, a group including comfort index distributions each corresponding to each of air-conditioning control patterns of the air-conditioning apparatus, and a controller configured to obtain an air-conditioning control pattern that enables a comfort efficiency to be maximum, by specifying the group corresponding to the amount of activity for each of the users, extracting the comfort indexes corresponding to the position of each of the users from the comfort index distributions in the specified group, and, based on the comfort indexes extracted corresponding to the position of each of the users, calculating the comfort efficiency indicating a comprehensive comfort level of the users for each of the air-conditioning control patterns.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
• This application is a U.S. National Stage Application of International Application No. PCT/JP2020/015040 filed on Apr. 1, 2020, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
TECHNICAL FIELD
• The present disclosure relates to an air-conditioning system conditioning air in an air-conditioned space and a method for controlling an air-conditioning apparatus.
BACKGROUND
• In recent years, due to effects of change in an outside environment such as global warming, demand for improving a comfort level in a living environment is increased. For air-conditioning apparatuses, keeping thermal comfort for people staying indoors becomes more important. To achieve the comfortableness, a comfort index called the predicted mean vote (PMV) was proposed. An air-conditioning control system that controls an air-conditioning apparatus by monitoring the PMV of a user in an air-conditioned space is disclosed (for example, see Patent Literature 1).
• When performing a local air-conditioning in which airflow is locally supplied to a demander, the air-conditioning control system disclosed inPatent Literature 1 performs the local air-conditioning in such a manner that the PMV of an adjacent person, who stays at a certain distance away from the demander, is kept within a predetermined range while the PMV of the demander is kept within a predetermined range. The air-conditioning control system disclosed inPatent Literature 1 weakens the local air-conditioning when the PMV of the adjacent person falls outside the predetermined range.
PATENT LITERATURE
• Patent Literature 1: International Publication No. 2008/087959
• When the PMV of the adjacent person falls outside the predetermined range, the air-conditioning control system disclosed inPatent Literature 1 performs control in such a manner that a comfort level of the adjacent person is given priority over that of the demander and the local air-conditioning is thus weakened. In this case, because the local air-conditioning is weakened, it takes time until the PMV of the demander enters the predetermined range. During that time, the demander has to tolerate an uncomfortable condition. In a case where there are a plurality of users in the air-conditioned space, when the air-conditioning control system disclosed inPatent Literature 1 improves comfort levels of some users, comfort levels of the other users are impaired.
SUMMARY
• The present disclosure has been made to overcome the above-mentioned problem, and an object thereof is to provide an air-conditioning system that improves comfort levels of a plurality of users in an air-conditioned space and a method for controlling an air-conditioning apparatus.
• An air-conditioning system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes an air-conditioning apparatus conditioning air in an air-conditioning target space, a user-detecting unit detecting, for a plurality of users in the air-conditioning target space, an amount of activity of each of the plurality of the users and a position of each of the plurality of the users in the air-conditioning target space, a storage device storing, for each of a plurality of amounts of activity, a group including a plurality of comfort index distributions each being a distribution of comfort indexes each indicating a user comfort level in the air-conditioning target space, the plurality of the comfort index distributions each corresponding to each of a plurality of air-conditioning control patterns of the air-conditioning apparatus, and a controller configured to obtain, from the plurality of the air-conditioning control patterns, an air-conditioning control pattern that enables a comfort efficiency to be maximum, by specifying the group corresponding to the amount of activity detected by the user-detecting unit for each of the users, extracting, from the plurality of the comfort index distributions in the specified group, a plurality of the comfort indexes corresponding to a position detected by the user-detecting unit, and, based on the plurality of the comfort indexes extracted in correspondence of the detected position of each of the users, calculating the comfort efficiency indicating a comprehensive comfort level of the users for each of the plurality of the air-conditioning control patterns.
• A method for controlling an air-conditioning apparatus according to another embodiment of the present disclosure is performed by a controller being connected to a user-detecting unit detecting, for a plurality of users in an air-conditioning target space, an amount of activity of each of the plurality of the users and a position of each of the plurality of the users in the air-conditioning target space, and also to a storage device. The control method includes steps of storing, for each of a plurality of amounts of activity, a group including comfort index distributions each being a distribution of comfort indexes each indicating a user comfort level in the air-conditioning target space, the comfort index distributions each corresponding to each of a plurality of air-conditioning control patterns of the air-conditioning apparatus, specifying the group corresponding to the amount of activity detected by the user-detecting unit for each of the users, extracting, from the plurality of the comfort index distributions in the specified group, a plurality of the comfort indexes corresponding to the position detected by the user-detecting unit for each of the users, calculating a comfort efficiency indicating a comprehensive comfort level of the plurality of the users for each of the plurality of the air-conditioning control patterns based on the plurality of the comfort indexes extracted in correspondence of the position of each of the users, and obtaining, from the plurality of the air-conditioning control patterns, an air-conditioning control pattern that enables the calculated comfort efficiency to be maximum.
• According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the group including comfort index distributions in the air-conditioning target space each corresponding to each of the plurality of the air-conditioning control patterns is determined corresponding to the amount of activity of each of the users in the air-conditioning target space. In addition, the plurality of the comfort indexes each corresponding to the position of each of the users in the air-conditioning target space are extracted from the plurality of the comfort index distributions in the group. Then, based on the plurality of the comfort indexes of each of the users, the air-conditioning control pattern that enables the comfort efficiency for the plurality of the users to be maximum is obtained from the plurality of the air-conditioning control patterns. When the air-conditioning apparatus conditions air according to the air-conditioning control pattern that enables the comfort efficiency for the plurality of the users to be maximum, the comfort levels for the users can be improved.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
• FIG.1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of an air-conditioning system according toEmbodiment 1.
• FIG.2 is a refrigerant circuit diagram illustrating a configuration example of an air-conditioning apparatus shown inFIG.1.
• FIG.3 is a schematic diagram viewed from a side, illustrating a configuration example of a load-side unit shown inFIG.2.
• FIG.4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a relationship between an angle of a first flap shown inFIG.3 and an air blow direction.
• FIG.5 is a schematic diagram illustrating a relationship between an angle of a second flap shown inFIG.3 and an air blow direction.
• FIG.6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a range of temperature distribution in a vertical direction to be detected by an infrared sensor shown inFIG.2.
• FIG.7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a range of temperature distribution in a horizontal direction to be detected by the infrared sensor shown inFIG.2.
• FIG.8 is an image diagram illustrating an example of a case where a distribution of temperatures detected by the infrared sensor shown inFIG.2 is shown as a two-dimensional image.
• FIG.9 is a functional block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a controller shown inFIG.2.
• FIG.10 is a hardware configuration diagram illustrating a configuration example of the controller shown inFIG.9.
• FIG.11 is a hardware configuration diagram illustrating another configuration example of the controller shown inFIG.9.
• FIG.12 is a functional block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a controller of an information processing device shown inFIG.1.
• FIG.13 is a table illustrating an example in which types of activities and corresponding energy metabolism rates, each representing a typical amount of activity, are listed.
• FIG.14 is a hardware configuration diagram illustrating a configuration example of an arithmetic device shown inFIG.12.
• FIG.15 is a layout diagram illustrating an example of an air-conditioning target space in which the air-conditioning apparatus shown inFIG.1 conditions air.
• FIG.16 is a table illustrating an example of activity amounts and positions of users.
• FIG.17 is a schematic diagram illustrating an operation procedure of the information processing device according toEmbodiment 1.
• FIG.18 is a flowchart illustrating an operation procedure of the information processing device according toEmbodiment 1.
• FIG.19 is a table illustrating an example of calculation results of comfort efficiency.
• FIG.20 is an image diagram illustrating an example of IPMV distribution for an air-conditioning control pattern determined in step S107.
• FIG.21 is an image diagram illustrating another example of IPMV distribution for an air-conditioning control pattern determined in step S107.
• FIG.22 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of an air-conditioning system of Modification Example 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
• Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Various specific configurations described in the present embodiments are only examples, and the present disclosure is not limited to the configuration examples described herein. In the embodiments of the present disclosure, communication includes a wireless communication and/or a wired communication. In the present embodiments, the communication may be a communication system using both a wireless communication and a wired communication. The communication system may be configured so that, for example, a wireless communication is used in one section and a wired communication is used in another space. In addition, the communication system may be configured so that a wired communication is used in communication from one device to another device and a wireless communication is used in communication from the other device to the one device.
Embodiment 1
• The configuration of an air-conditioning system1 according toEmbodiment 1 will be described.FIG.1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of an air-conditioning system according toEmbodiment 1. As shown inFIG.1, the air-conditioning system includes an air-conditioning apparatus10 that conditions air in a room, which is an air-conditioning target space, a user-detectingunit30 that detects an amount of activity of a user in the room and a position of the user, and aninformation processing device2 to which the air-conditioning apparatus10 and the user-detectingunit30 are connected for communication. The air-conditioning apparatus10 and the user-detectingunit30 are connected to theinformation processing device2 via anetwork50 for communication. Thenetwork50 may be the Internet, for example.
• The user-detectingunit30 includes an activity-amount-detectingunit32 that detects an amount of activity of a user in the room and a position-detectingunit31 that detects a position of the user in the room.
• The configuration of the air-conditioning apparatus10 shown inFIG.1 will be described.FIG.2 is a refrigerant circuit diagram illustrating a configuration example of the air-conditioning apparatus shown inFIG.1. The air-conditioning apparatus10 includes a heat-source-side unit104 that provides a heat source and a load-side unit103 that conditions air in the room by using the heat source provided by the heat-source-side unit104. The heat-source-side unit104 includes acompressor119, a heat-source-side heat exchanger116, anexpansion valve117, afan114, and a four-way valve118. The load-side unit103 includes a load-side heat exchanger115, afan113, an airflowdirection adjusting unit105, and acontroller130.
• The airflowdirection adjusting unit105 includes afirst flap4 and asecond flap5 that adjust flow directions of air blown out from the load-side unit103. The load-side unit103 is provided with anenvironment detecting unit120. Theenvironment detecting unit120 includes aroom temperature sensor121 that detects a temperature of an indoor air, ahumidity sensor122 that detects a humidity of the indoor air, and atemperature sensor123 that detects a temperature Tb of air blown out to the room from the load-side unit103. The load-side unit103 is also provided with aninfrared sensor140 that detects a distribution of temperatures in an indoor space. Theinfrared sensor140 functions as the user-detectingunit30 shown inFIG.1.
• Thecompressor119, the heat-source-side heat exchanger116, theexpansion valve117, and the load-side heat exchanger115 are connected by arefrigerant pipe110 to form arefrigerant circuit102 in which refrigerant circulates. Thecompressor119, theexpansion valve117, thefan114, the four-way valve118, and the airflowdirection adjusting unit105 are connected to thecontroller130 for communication. Theenvironment detecting unit120 and theinfrared sensor140 are connected to thecontroller130 for communication.
• Thecompressor119 compresses sucked refrigerant and then discharges the refrigerant therefrom. Thecompressor119 is, for example, an inverter compressor capable of changing capacity. The four-way valve118 changes a flow direction of the refrigerant flowing in therefrigerant circuit102. Theexpansion valve117 decompresses and thereby expands the refrigerant. Theexpansion valve117 is, for example, an electronic expansion valve. The heat-source-side heat exchanger116 is a heat exchanger that causes heat exchange to be performed between the refrigerant and an outdoor air. The load-side heat exchanger115 is a heat exchanger that causes heat exchange to be performed between the refrigerant and an indoor air. The heat-source-side heat exchanger116 and the load-side heat exchanger115 are, for example, finned tube heat exchangers.
• A heat pump is formed when the refrigerant circulates through therefrigerant circuit102 while being repeatedly compressed and expanded. The load-side unit103 conditions an indoor air by performing an operation, such as cooling, heating, dehumidification, humidification, moisture holding, or ventilation. AlthoughFIG.2 indicates that thecontroller130 is provided at the load-side unit103, the installation position of thecontroller130 is not limited to the load-side unit103. Thecontroller130 may be installed at the heat-source-side unit104, or may be installed at a position other than the load-side unit103 and the heat-source-side unit104. In addition, a temperature sensor (not shown) that detects a condensation temperature and an evaporation temperature may be installed at the air-conditioning apparatus10.
• FIG.3 is a schematic diagram viewed from a side, illustrating a configuration example of the load-side unit shown inFIG.2. The load-side unit103 is embedded in aceiling70. When thefan113 rotates, a stream of air flowing in the direction indicated by a broken line arrow is formed in the load-side unit103, and the air is blown into the room via anair outlet6. Theair outlet6 is provided with thefirst flap4 and thesecond flap5. Thesecond flap5 includes afront wing5aand aback wing5b.
• FIG.4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a relationship between an angle of the first flap shown inFIG.3 and an air blow direction. As shown inFIG.4, thefirst flap4 includeswings4ato4d. InFIG.4, for the purpose of explanation, thewings4ato4dare indicated as viewed through the load-side unit103 from the top. Suppose that the angle of each of thewings4ato4dof thefirst flap4 is indicated as θh with a front direction (opposite direction of Y-axis arrow) of the load-side unit103 as a horizontal reference θh0=0°. InFIG.4, an air blow direction ad1 with a horizontal direction angle θhl is indicated by a broken line arrow, and an air blow direction ad2 with a horizontal direction angle θh2 is indicated by a solid line arrow.
• FIG.5 is a schematic diagram illustrating a relationship between an angle of the second flap shown inFIG.3 and an air blow direction. InFIG.5, for the purpose of explanation, thefront wing5aof thesecond flap5 shown inFIG.3 is shown as an enlarged view and the illustration of theback wing5bis omitted. With a downward direction (opposite direction of Z-axis arrow) of the load-side unit103 as a vertical reference Vax, the angle of thefront wing5ais indicated as θv. InFIG.5, an air blow direction ad3 with a vertical direction angle θv1 is indicated by a solid line arrow, and an air blow direction ad4 with a vertical direction angle θv2 is indicated by a broken line arrow.
• Note that, although, inEmbodiment 1, a case where the load-side unit103 is of a ceiling embedded type is described, the load-side unit103 may be of another type, such as a type that is attached to an interior side surface of a ceiling or a type that is attached to a wall. Furthermore, the configuration of the load-side unit103 shown inFIG.3 is illustrative of one example, and the configuration of the load-side unit103 is not limited to the configuration shown inFIG.3. The arrangement of the load-side heat exchanger115 and thefan113 is not limited to the arrangement shown inFIG.3.
• The structure for adjusting directions of air blown out from the load-side unit103 is not limited to the airflowdirection adjusting unit105, which was described with reference toFIGS.3 to5. The airflowdirection adjusting unit105 has two types of vanes, which are thefirst flap4 adjusting the angle in the horizontal direction and thesecond flap5 adjusting the angle in the vertical direction, but the airflowdirection adjusting unit105 may have one type of a vane that is capable of adjusting the angle in any direction among the combinations of the horizontal direction and the vertical direction. Furthermore, the unit for adjusting directions of air blown out from the load-side unit103 is not limited to the airflowdirection adjusting unit105, but may be a unit that changes the direction of the air outlet itself. For example, a unit that changes the angles of the air outlet in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction can be considered.
• FIG.6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a range of temperature distribution in a vertical direction to be detected by the infrared sensor shown inFIG.2. As withFIG.5, the angle in the vertical direction with the vertical reference Vax as a reference is indicated as θv.FIG.7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a range of temperature distribution in a horizontal direction to be detected by the infrared sensor shown inFIG.2. As withFIG.4, the angle in the horizontal direction with the horizontal reference θh0 as a reference is indicated as θh. As shown inFIGS.6 and7, theinfrared sensor140 measures a distribution of indoor temperatures in a certain range of vertical direction angle θv and in a certain range of horizontal direction angle θh with respect to the direction of a wall (opposite direction of Y-axis arrow) that the load-side unit103 faces.
• FIG.8 is an image diagram illustrating an example of a case where a distribution of temperatures detected by the infrared sensor shown inFIG.2 is shown as a two-dimensional image. For the purpose of explanation, inFIG.8, boundaries between walls and boundaries between a wall and the floor or the ceiling are indicated by broken lines. In general, because the walls, floor, and ceiling are made of different materials having different heat conductivities, the temperatures of the walls, the floor, and the ceiling are different from each other and thus their boundaries can be detected in the two-dimensional image showing the distribution of temperatures.
• In an image Img shown inFIG.8, the higher the temperature, the higher the density of dots becomes. Because a warmer air tends to stay closer to the ceiling side rather than a floor FL, the dot density on the ceiling side becomes higher compared to that on the floor FL side. Because the temperature of the floor FL is low, no dot is shown for the floor FL. From the image Img shown inFIG.8, it is found that the position of a person's body can be detected when a person is present in the room because the surface temperature of the body is different from the temperature of the floor FL and that of the walls. The image Img ofFIG.8 indicates a case where the position of a user MA and the position of a user MB in the room are detected. By comparing the dot density indicating the surface temperature of the user MA and that of the user MB, an amount of activity of each of the users can be estimated. In the image Img shown inFIG.8, because the dot density of the user MB is higher than that of the user MA, it can be estimated that the amount of activity of the user MB is larger than that of the user MA.
• FIG.9 is a functional block diagram illustrating a configuration example of the controller shown inFIG.2. Thecontroller130 is, for example, a microcomputer. Thecontroller130 includes a refrigerationcycle control unit131 and acommunication unit132. In thecontroller130, an arithmetic device such as a microcomputer executes software to achieve various functions. Thecontroller130 may be made of hardware such as a circuit device that achieves various functions.
• The refrigerationcycle control unit131 is configured to control the four-way valve118 in response to an operation of the load-side unit103, such as cooling, heating, dehumidification, humidification, moisture holding, or ventilation. The refrigerationcycle control unit131 is configured to control a refrigeration cycle of therefrigerant circuit102 based on a room temperature and a set temperature, and a humidity and a set humidity. For example, the refrigerationcycle control unit131 controls the operation frequency of thecompressor119, the opening degree of theexpansion valve117, and the rotation speeds of thefans113,114 so that the room temperature is in a certain range of the set temperature and the humidity is in a certain range of the set humidity. A wind speed W of airflow to be generated by thefan113 can be selected from three levels, for example, high, medium, and low. The set temperature and the set humidity are set in thecontroller130 by a user via a remote controller, which is not shown.
• In addition, the refrigerationcycle control unit131 is configured to transmit, to thecommunication unit132, environmental information including the room temperature detected by theroom temperature sensor121 and the humidity detected by thehumidity sensor122. The refrigerationcycle control unit131 is configured to transmit, to thecommunication unit132, operation information including the frequency of thecompressor119, the condensation temperature, the evaporation temperature, and the opening degree of theexpansion valve117. The operation information may include airflow information including the temperature Tb detected by thetemperature sensor123, the horizontal direction angle θh of thefirst flap4, the vertical direction angle θv of thesecond flap5, and the wind speed W.
• Furthermore, the refrigerationcycle control unit131 is configured to analyze a two-dimensional image of the distribution of temperatures detected by theinfrared sensor140, and transmits, to thecommunication unit132, user information, which is a set of position information indicating the position of a user in the room and temperature data indicating the surface temperature of the user. The position information is information indicating a position represented by the horizontal direction angle θh and the vertical direction angle θv with the load-side unit103 as a reference. When there are a plurality of users in the room, the refrigerationcycle control unit131 transmits a plurality of pieces of the user information to thecommunication unit132. The refrigerationcycle control unit131 may transmits, to thecommunication unit132, data of the two-dimensional image of the temperature distribution detected by theinfrared sensor140 instead of the plurality of pieces of the user information.
• Moreover, when receiving information of an air-conditioning control pattern from thecommunication unit132, the refrigerationcycle control unit131 configured to control the airflowdirection adjusting unit105 and thefan113 according to the air-conditioning control pattern. More specifically, the refrigerationcycle control unit131 adjusts the temperature, the wind speed, and the wind direction of air to be blown out according to the air-conditioning control pattern.
• The air-conditioning control pattern is, for example, a combination of four control parameters, which are the temperature Tb detected by thetemperature sensor123, the horizontal direction angle θh of thefirst flap4, the vertical direction angle θv of thesecond flap5, and the wind speed W of air to be blown out from the load-side unit103. A plurality of air-conditioning control patterns are patterns in which at least one of the four control parameters of one pattern is different from the four control parameters of the other patterns. Specific examples for the plurality of the air-conditioning control patterns will be described later.
• Thecommunication unit132 is configured to transmit the environmental information, the operation information, and the user information received from the refrigerationcycle control unit131 to theinformation processing device2. When receiving the data of a two-dimensional image indicating a distribution of temperatures from the refrigerationcycle control unit131, thecommunication unit132 transmits the data of the two-dimensional image to theinformation processing device2. When receiving the information of an air-conditioning control pattern from theinformation processing device2, thecommunication unit132 transmits the received information of the air-conditioning control pattern to the refrigerationcycle control unit131. Thecommunication unit132 is configured to transmit and receive information to/from theinformation processing device2 according to the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP).
• Now, one example of hardware of thecontroller130 shown inFIG.9 will be described.FIG.10 is a hardware configuration diagram illustrating a configuration example of the controller shown inFIG.9. When various functions of thecontroller130 are executed by hardware, thecontroller130 shown inFIG.9 is aprocessing circuit80, as shown inFIG.10. Each of the functions of the refrigerationcycle control unit131 and thecommunication unit132 shown inFIG.9 is achieved by theprocessing circuit80.
• When each of the functions is executed by hardware, theprocessing circuit80 corresponds to, for example, a single circuit, a composite circuit, a programmed processor, a parallel-programmed processor, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or a combination of those circuits. The function of the refrigerationcycle control unit131 and the function of thecommunication unit132 may be achieved byrespective processing circuits80. Alternatively, the function of the refrigerationcycle control unit131 and the function of thecommunication unit132 may be achieved by asingle processing circuit80.
• Furthermore, another example of the hardware of thecontroller130 shown inFIG.9 will be described.FIG.11 is a hardware configuration diagram illustrating another configuration example of the controller shown inFIG.9. When various functions of thecontroller130 are executed by software, thecontroller130 shown inFIG.9 is formed as aprocessor81 and a memory82, as shown inFIG.11. Each of the functions of the refrigerationcycle control unit131 and thecommunication unit132 is achieved by theprocessor81 and the memory82.FIG.11 indicates that theprocessor81 and the memory82 are connected to each other via abus83 such that they can communicate with each other.
• When each of the functions is executed by software, the functions of the refrigerationcycle control unit131 and thecommunication unit132 are achieved by software, firmware, or a combination of software and firmware. The software or the firmware is described as a program and is stored in the memory82. Theprocessor81 is configured to read out and execute the program stored in the memory82, to thereby achieve the function of each of the units.
• As the memory82, a read only memory (ROM), a flash memory, an erasable and programmable ROM (EPROM), an electrically erasable and programmable ROM (EEPROM), or another non-volatile semiconductor memory is used, for example. In addition, as the memory82, a volatile semiconductor memory, such as a random access memory (RAM), may be used. Furthermore, as the memory82, a detachable recording medium, such as a magnetic disk, a flexible disk, an optical disc, a compact disc (CD), a mini disc (MD), or a digital versatile disc (DVD), may be used.
• Next, before explaining the configuration of theinformation processing device2 shown inFIG.1, a comfort index that is used when theinformation processing device2 determines an air-conditioning control pattern for the air-conditioning apparatus10 will be explained. First, the PMV, which is a type of the comfort index, will be explained.
• For humans, a tired feeling and a pleasant feeling during work are caused by physical environmental factors around a person, such as a thermal environment, a visual environment, and an acoustic environment. The thermal environment includes, for example, temperature, humidity, airflow, and radiant temperature. The visual environment includes, for example, lighting. The acoustic environment includes, for example, sound pressure. A composite environment, which is a combination of those environmental factors, affects work compatibility and tiredness of a person working under the environment.
• The PMV was developed by Professor Fanger at the Technical University of Denmark as a numerical index for evaluating a comfort level and a thermal sensation of a person in a thermal environment. The PMV was adopted as an International standard (ISO-7730) in 1984. The PMV associates a thermal load of a person's body with a thermal sensation of a person. More specifically, for the PMV, a heat-balance equation for human body is generated by using air-environment-side parameters and human-body-side parameters, and the PMV is calculated by substituting an equation of a skin temperature at which people feels comfortable and a heat transfer amount by sweating into the heat-balance equation. The air-environment-side parameters include, not only an air temperature, but also a radiant temperature, a radiative temperature, a humidity, an airflow and other parameters. The human-body-side parameters include an amount of activity of a person, a clothing amount, an average skin temperature, and other parameters.
• The amount of activity is an example of biological information of human, and is expressed by a unit indicating the intensity of activity called Metabolic Equivalent (MET). Various activities are expressed by numerical values using MET. For example, when a person is watching TV while sitting quietly, the intensity of the activity is defined as 1 MET.
• Embodiment 1 describes a case where the comfort index is an individual PMV (IPMV) indicating an individual's comfort index. Although a value of the IPMV is based on the PMV, the value does not indicate an average value of thermal sensation for the entire air-conditioning target space but indicates a local thermal sensation for a specific position. The specific position is a position of a person specified in the air-conditioning target space and the local thermal sensation is a thermal sensation for the position. The local thermal sensation is also referred to as a local comfort level. [Equation 1]
• 
  IPMV=(0.303e^−0.036M+0.028)×(M−W−Ed−Es−Ere−Cre−R−C)  (1)
• The eight variables inEquation 1 will be explained. M is a metabolic rate [W/m²] and W is an amount of mechanical work [W/m²]. Ed is an amount of insensible water loss [W/m²] and Es is an amount of evaporative heat loss [W/m²] from a skin surface by sweating. Ere is an amount of latent heat loss [W/m²] by respiration and Cre is an amount of sensible heat loss [W/m²] by respiration. R is an amount of radiant heat loss [W/m²] and C is an amount of convection heat loss [W/m²].
• As shown inEquation 1, the IPMV is a numerical expression of an individual's thermal sensation using the temperature, the humidity, the radiation temperature, and other parameters. A range of the IPMV is from −3 to +3. When IPMV=0, it represents neutral. When IPMV=0, the thermal sensation is defined as comfortable. When IPMV=3, IPMV=2, and IPMV=1, the thermal sensations are defined as hot, warm, and slightly warm, respectively. When IPMV=−3, IPMV=−2, IPMV=−1, the thermal sensations are defined as cold, cool, and slightly cool, respectively. That is, as the IPMV comes closer to zero, the comfort level of an individual becomes improved.
• Next, the configuration of theinformation processing device2 shown inFIG.1 will be described.FIG.12 is a functional block diagram illustrating a configuration example of the controller of the information processing device shown inFIG.1. Theinformation processing device2 includes astorage device21 that stores an IPMV database, and acontroller22 that obtains a most appropriate air-conditioning control pattern based on the amounts of activity, the positions, and the comfort indexes of a plurality of users in the room and then supplies the obtained pattern to the air-conditioning apparatus10. Thestorage device21 is, for example, a hard disk drive (HDD). Thecontroller22 is, for example, a microcomputer. Various functions of thecontroller22 are achieved by executing software by an arithmetic circuit, such as a microcomputer. A procedure shown in the flowchart (FIG.18), which will be described later, is written in the software.
• Thecontroller22 includes adata acquisition unit11, amodel generation unit12, an activityamount determination unit13, aposition determination unit14, anefficiency calculation unit15, and acontrol determination unit16. Thestorage device21 stores a standard three-dimensional fluid model for generating an IPMV database. Thestorage device21 stores an IPMV database generated by themodel generation unit12. In the IPMV database, a group that includes comfort index distributions each being a distribution of comfort indexes for a user in the room and each corresponding to each of a plurality of air-conditioning control patterns of the air-conditioning apparatus10 is provided for each of a plurality of amounts of activity.
• Thedata acquisition unit11 is configured to store, in thestorage device21, environment information, operation information, and user information, which are received from the air-conditioning apparatus10 at predetermined intervals. Thedata acquisition unit11 is configured to store, in thestorage device21 in chronological order, the information received from the air-conditioning apparatus10 at predetermined intervals, and monitor the operation state of the air-conditioning apparatus10. Themodel generation unit12 is configured to read out environment information and operation information from thestorage device21 and reflect the read information in the standard three-dimensional fluid model to generate an IPMV database. The activityamount determination unit13 is configured to specify a group corresponding to the amount of activity detected by theinfrared sensor140 for each of the users by referring to the IPMV database.
• Theposition determination unit14 is configured to extract, for each of the users, a plurality of comfort indexes corresponding to a position detected by theinfrared sensor140, from a plurality of the comfort index distributions in the group specified by the activityamount determination unit13. Theefficiency calculation unit15 is configured to calculate a comfort efficiency ζ indicating a comprehensive comfort level of users for each of the plurality of the air-conditioning control patterns, based on the plurality of the comfort indexes extracted in correspondence of the detected position of each of the users. Thecontrol determination unit16 is configured to obtain an air-conditioning control pattern that enables the calculated comfort efficiency ζ to be maximum, from the plurality of the air-conditioning control patterns. Thecontrol determination unit16 is configured to transmit the obtained air-conditioning control pattern to the air-conditioning apparatus10.
• Thecontroller22 is configured to transmit, to the air-conditioning apparatus10, the air-conditioning control pattern that changes a wind direction and an air volume so that the IPMV for the position at which a user is present becomes close to neutral. Thecontroller22 is configured to determine the air-conditioning control pattern to bring the IPMV for the position at which a user is present closer to neutral, instead of bringing the PMV for the entire indoor space to neutral. Thecontroller22 does not use the IPMV for positions at which users are not present as determinants of air-conditioning control patterns. Among the units of thecontroller22 shown inFIG.12, the configuration of themodel generation unit12 and the configuration of theefficiency calculation unit15 will be described in detail.
• The configuration of themodel generation unit12 shown inFIG.12 will be described. The values of the eight variables inEquation 1 can be derived by using six parameters, which are a room temperature, a wind speed, a radiation temperature, a humidity, a clothing amount of a user, and an amount of activity of each user. In the IPMV, values of the room temperature, the wind speed, and the radiation temperature correspond to the position of the user. Therefore, in this case, the room temperature is a local temperature, the wind speed is a local wind speed, and the radiation temperature is a local radiation temperature. A method of how to obtain these six values by themodel generation unit12 will be described below.
• By using a computational fluid dynamics (CFD), which is an example of numerical fluid analysis, themodel generation unit12 simulates a temperature distribution in an air-conditioning target space for each of the air-conditioning control patterns, and estimates, as the local temperature, the temperature of a specific position from the temperature distribution. The humidity is detected by thehumidity sensor122. Themodel generation unit12 obtains information of the humidity from the operation information stored in thestorage device21. By using an analysis result by the CFD, themodel generation unit12 estimates, as the local wind speed, the wind speed at a specific position from the wind speed of air in the entire air-conditioning target space. The local radiation temperature is estimated to be the same as the room temperature. Therefore, themodel generation unit12 obtains a value detected by theroom temperature sensor121 from the operation information stored in thestorage device21.
• As the clothing amount, themodel generation unit12 estimates a clo value representing a clothing thermal insulation by using data of the two-dimensional image received from the air-conditioning apparatus10. More specifically, themodel generation unit12 estimates a skin temperature, an amount of exposed skin, and a surface temperature of clothing for each of the detected users from the data of the two-dimensional image. Then, themodel generation unit12 refers to a clo value table, in which skin temperatures, amounts of exposed skin, and surface temperatures of clothing are associated with do values, to obtain a do value for each user. Thestorage device21 stores the clo value table. Themodel generation unit12 estimates, as the amount of activity, MET of each user from data of the two-dimensional image received from the air-conditioning apparatus10. For example, an MET table in which infrared detection values in the data of the two-dimensional image and MET values are associated with each other, is stored in thestorage device21 in advance. Themodel generation unit12 refers to the MET table to read out an MET corresponding to the infrared detection value of each user.
• For the air-conditioning target space, themodel generation unit12 generates, corresponding to the plurality of the air-conditioning control patterns, an IPMV database for each of the amounts of activity independent of user's position, by using the CFD as a numerical fluid analysis, and stores IPMV databases in thestorage device21.
• FIG.13 is a table illustrating an example in which types of activities and corresponding energy metabolism rates, each representing a typical amount of activity, are listed. The energy metabolism rates are calculated by usingEquation 2. According toFIG.13, the amount of activity of people asleep is 0.7 MET and the amount of activity of people in quiet sitting is 1 MET.
• $\begin{array}{cc}\left[\mathrm{Equation}2\right]& \\ \mathrm{MET}=\frac{\mathrm{Metabolic}\mathrm{rate}\mathrm{during}\mathrm{certain}\mathrm{activity}M}{\mathrm{Metabolic}\mathrm{rate}\mathrm{during}\mathrm{quiet}\mathrm{sitting}\mathrm{Ms}}& \left(2\right)\end{array}$
• One example of calculation processing of the CFD by themodel generation unit12 will be explained. First, themodel generation unit12 creates a three-dimensional model for an air-conditioning target space to be a target of simulation by using a standard three-dimensional fluid model. Next, themodel generation unit12 divides the modeled air-conditioning target space by grid lines, for example. Then, themodel generation unit12 applies an initial requisite as a boundary condition to a result of heat calculation, which corresponds to a pressure, a temperature, and a velocity of fluid, a heat generating body in the space, and an intrusion heat from walls, for each rectangular area formed between grid lines. Furthermore, themodel generation unit12 uses a predetermined turbulence model and a predetermined difference scheme to analyze the pressure, the wind volume, and the temperature in each rectangular area based on the boundary condition, such as intrusion heat from walls and internal heat generation.
• InEmbodiment 1, the IPMV is calculated corresponding to each of the plurality of the air-conditioning control patterns. The plurality of the air-conditioning control patterns includes 81 combinations of three patterns for the angle θh of thefirst flap4, three patterns for the angle θv of thesecond flap5, three patterns for the wind speed W, and three patterns for the temperature Tb, for example. That is,Embodiment 1 describes a case where there are 3*3*3*3=81 patterns for the air-conditioning control.
• There are three patterns for the horizontal direction angle θh of thefirst flap4, which are 30 degrees in the left direction (X-axis arrow direction ofFIG.4), zero degrees, and 30 degrees in the right direction (opposite direction to X-axis arrow ofFIG.4). There are three patterns for the vertical direction angle θv of thesecond flap5, which are θv=20 degrees, 45 degrees, and 60 degrees. There are three wind speed W patterns of high, medium, and low. There are three patterns for the temperature Tb of air blown out from the load-side unit103, which are high, medium, and low.
• By considering not a position in the air-conditioning target space but the entire air-conditioning target space, themodel generation unit12 performs the CFD analysis for 81 air-conditioning control patterns for each amount of activity, such as 1 MET and 2 MET, and generates an IPMV distribution, which is a distribution of the IPMVs in the air-conditioning target space. For the IPMV distribution, the air-conditioning target space is divided into a plurality of rectangular areas by the CFD analysis, and the IPMV corresponding to each of the rectangular areas is stored in thestorage device21. For example, themodel generation unit12 generates IPMV distributions for 81 patterns for an amount of activity of 1 MET and stores the distributions as one group, and generates IPMV distributions for 81 patterns for an amount of activity of 2 MET and stores the distributions as another group. In this manner, themodel generation unit12 generates a plurality of groups each corresponding to each of the plurality of the amounts of activity, and stores the plurality of the groups in thestorage device21 as the IPMV databases. Although, inEmbodiment 1, a case where the amounts of activity are changed at an interval of 1.0, such as 1 MET and 2 MET, is described, the interval is not limited to 1.0. The interval for the amounts of activity may be 0.1 or 0.5.
• By usingEquation 3, theefficiency calculation unit15 calculates the comfort efficiency ζ for each of the plurality of the air-conditioning control patterns by using the information on the positions of the users in the room and information on the amounts of activity of the users.
• [Equation 3]
• 
  ζ=(1−2|IPMV₁|)×(1−2|IPMV₂|1)× . . . ×(1−2|IPMV_K|)×100%  (3)
• InEquation 3, k represents an identification number, which is different for each user, and K represents the number of users in the room. InEmbodiment 1, K is equal to or larger than two. Because a target value for the individual comfort index IPMV is set to be within a range of plus/minus 0.5, |IPMVk| is set to 0.5 when |IPMVk| is larger than 0.5.
• The comfort efficiency ζ indicates how close the thermal sensations of the plurality of the users are to the neutral value (individual IPMV=0). The comfort efficiency ζ indicates a comprehensive comfort level of the users in a room. It is considered that the higher the comfort efficiency ζ (maximum 100%), the more the plurality of the users in the room can satisfy the comfort level. That is, the comfort efficiency ζ=100% indicates that the plurality of the users feel comfortable, and the comfort efficiency ζ=0% indicates that the plurality of the users feel uncomfortable. Thecontrol determination unit16 obtains the air-conditioning control pattern that enables the comfort efficiency ζ to be maximum from the 81 air-conditioning control patterns based on the comfort efficiencies ζ.
• One example of hardware of thecontroller22 shown inFIG.12 will be described.FIG.14 is a hardware configuration diagram illustrating a configuration example of the arithmetic device shown inFIG.12. When the functions of thecontroller22 are executed by software, thecontroller22 shown inFIG.12 is made up of a processor91, such as a central processing unit (CPU), and amemory92, as shown inFIG.14. Each of the functions of thedata acquisition unit11, themodel generation unit12, the activityamount determination unit13, theposition determination unit14, theefficiency calculation unit15, and thecontrol determination unit16 is achieved by the processor91 and thememory92.FIG.14 indicates that the processor91 and thememory92 are connected to each other via abus93 such that they can communicate with each other. The processor91 and thememory92 are connected to thestorage device21 shown inFIG.12 via thebus93. Thememory92 functions as a primary storage device and thestorage device21 functions as a secondary storage device.
• When each of the functions is executed by software, the functions of thedata acquisition unit11, themodel generation unit12, the activityamount determination unit13, theposition determination unit14, theefficiency calculation unit15, and thecontrol determination unit16 are achieved by software, firmware, or a combination of software and firmware. The software or the firmware is described as a program and is stored in thememory92. The processor91 is configured to read out and execute the program stored in thememory92, to thereby achieve the functions of the units. Thememory92 has, for example, a similar configuration to that of the memory82, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.
• Note that, themodel generation unit12 may learn in advance a calculation method for IPMV by a neural network, and may estimate IPMVs in an air-conditioning target space from input conditions, such as a building load, a region, and a preference of a user.
• Furthermore, the temperature Tb of air blown out from the load-side unit103 linearly changes according to a load of a building and the operation frequency of thecompressor119. For this reason, themodel generation unit12 may learn a most appropriate combination of the temperature Tb of air blown out from the load-side unit103, the angles θh and θv, and the wind speed W based on input conditions, such as a building load, a region, and a preference of a user, and may narrow down, by the neural network, the air-conditioning control patterns to be selected. In this case, because thecontrol determination unit16 selects the most appropriate air-conditioning control pattern from the limited number of the air-conditioning control patterns, processing for determining the air-conditioning control pattern can be performed smoothly. The preference of a user is, for example, a tendency of thermal sensation that the user has.
• More specifically, thestorage device21 stores, in chronological order, combination data, which is a combination of input conditions including a thermal load of the building at which the air-conditioning apparatus10 is installed and the air-conditioning control pattern that enables the comfort efficiency ζ to be maximum. Then, thecontrol determination unit16 narrows down air-conditioning control patterns to be selected, among the plurality of the air-conditioning control patterns based on a plurality pieces of combination data stored in chronological order. In this case, the input conditions may include, in addition to the thermal load of the building, a region at which the air-conditioning apparatus10 is installed, climate data of the region, an amount of insolation on the building, and information on tendencies of thermal sensations of the plurality of the users.
• Moreover, themodel generation unit12 may update IPMV distributions in the IPMV databases as follows. Themodel generation unit12 estimates a refrigeration capacity of the air-conditioning apparatus10 from the operation information including the frequency of thecompressor119, the condensation temperature, the evaporation temperature, and the opening degree of theexpansion valve117. Then, themodel generation unit12 reflects the estimated refrigeration capacity and a state of airflow estimated by the temperature Tb, the horizontal direction angle θh, the vertical direction angle θv, and the wind speed W in the IPMVs of each of the groups stored for each of the plurality of the amounts of activity. In this case, the IPMV databases are updated to the latest state in response to a change in the operation state of the air-conditioning apparatus10.
• Next, a control method of theinformation processing device2 ofEmbodiment 1 will be described.FIG.15 is a layout diagram illustrating an example of an air-conditioning target space in which the air-conditioning apparatus shown inFIG.1 conditions air.FIG.15 shows the position of each piece of furniture and the positions of two users in the room. Here, as shown inFIG.15, a case where a user MA and a user MB are present in the room will be described. The vertical axis shows a Y-axis coordinate, and the horizontal axis shows an X-axis coordinate.FIG.16 is a table illustrating an example of activity amounts and positions of the users. The amount of activity of the user MA is 1 MET, and that of the user MB is 2 MET.
• FIG.17 is a schematic diagram illustrating an operation procedure of the information processing device according toEmbodiment 1. Here, n of nMET is an integer of 2 or greater.FIG.18 is a flowchart illustrating an operation procedure of the information processing device according toEmbodiment 1. In step S101, thedata acquisition unit11 obtains environment information from the air-conditioning apparatus10. Thedata acquisition unit11 stores the obtained environment information in thestorage device21.
• In step S102, thedata acquisition unit11 obtains operation information from the air-conditioning apparatus10. Thedata acquisition unit11 stores the obtained operation information in thestorage device21. The operation information includes the frequency of thecompressor119, the condensation temperature, the evaporation temperature, and the opening degree of theexpansion valve117. In addition, the operation information includes information on airflow including the temperature Tb detected by thetemperature sensor123, the horizontal direction angle θh of thefirst flap4, the vertical direction angle θv of thesecond flap5, and the wind speed W.
• In step S101 or step S102, thedata acquisition unit11 obtains, as user information, data of the two-dimensional image detected by theinfrared sensor140 from the air-conditioning apparatus10, and stores the data in thestorage device21. Themodel generation unit12 generates an IPMV database by using the information stored in thestorage device21. Themodel generation unit12 stores the generated IPMV database in thestorage device21.FIG.17 shows IPMV databases for each of the amounts of activity, in which 81 patterns of IPMV distributions are provided.
• In step S103, the activityamount determination unit13 refers to the data of the two-dimensional image stored in thestorage device21 to obtain information on the amount of activity for each user. Here, the activityamount determination unit13 estimates the amount of activity for the user MA as 1 MET and the amount of activity for the user MB as 2 MET.
• In step S104, theposition determination unit14 refers to the data of the two-dimensional image stored in thestorage device21 to obtain information on the position of each user. Here, theposition determination unit14 determines that the coordinates of the position of the user MA are (2, 7), and the coordinates of the position of the user MB are (7, 9).
• In step S105, theefficiency calculation unit15 reads out the group of 1 MET and the group of 2 MET from the IPMV databases based on the estimation results of the activityamount determination unit13. Then, theefficiency calculation unit15 reads out81 IPMVs for the position of the coordinates (2, 7) for the group of 1 MET based on the determination result of theposition determination unit14. In addition, theefficiency calculation unit15 reads out81 IPMVs for the position of the coordinates (7, 9) for the group of 2 MET based on the determination result of theposition determination unit14. At the time, theefficiency calculation unit15 reads out the IPMV at a predetermined height (for example, 1.3 meters above the floor) in the air-conditioning target space in each of the IPMV distributions. Then, theefficiency calculation unit15 assigns81 IPMVs of the user MA and 81 IPMVs of the user MB toEquation 3, and calculates 81 comfort efficiencies ζ (step S106).
• In step S107, thecontrol determination unit16 determines the air-conditioning control pattern having the highest comfort efficiency ζ among the 81 air-conditioning control patterns. At the time, as selection conditions for air-conditioning control patterns, not only a condition that the comfort efficiency ζ becomes maximum but also a condition that the IPMV of each user falls within a range of plus/minus 0.5 may be included.
• In step S108, thecontrol determination unit16 transmits the information on the air-conditioning control pattern determined in step S107 to the air-conditioning apparatus10. When receiving the information on the air-conditioning control pattern from theinformation processing device2, thecontroller130 of the air-conditioning apparatus10 controls at least one of thecompressor119, thefan113, and the airflowdirection adjusting unit105 according to the air-conditioning control pattern. For example, to change the temperature of air to be blown out from the load-side unit103, the refrigerationcycle control unit131 changes the operation frequency of thecompressor119. To change the wind speed W, the refrigerationcycle control unit131 changes the rotation speed of thefan113. To change the angle θh, the refrigerationcycle control unit131 changes the angle θh of thefirst flap4. To change the angle θv, the refrigerationcycle control unit131 changes the angle θv of thesecond flap5.
• In step S109, thedata acquisition unit11 determines whether or not a fixed period of time has elapsed. When it is determined that the fixed period of time has not elapsed yet, thecontroller22 enters a standby state. When the determination of step S109 indicates that the fixed period of time has elapsed, thecontroller22 returns to the process of step S101.
• FIG.19 is a table illustrating an example of calculation results of the comfort efficiency.FIG.19 shows the IPMV for the amount of activity of 1 MET, the IPMV for the amount of activity of 2 MET, and the comfort efficiency ζ for each of the air-conditioning control patterns. The numbers in the leftmost column of the table shown inFIG.19 are identification numbers of the air-conditioning control patterns. Referring to the table shown inFIG.19, the air-conditioning control pattern that enables the comfort efficiency ζ to be maximum is the air-conditioning control pattern of Number. 16.
• FIG.20 is an image diagram illustrating an example of IPMV distribution for a case of the air-conditioning control pattern determined in step S107.FIG.20 shows the IPMV distribution for the amount of activity of 1 MET in the air-conditioning control pattern of No. 16.FIG.21 is an image diagram illustrating another example of IPMV distribution fora case of the air-conditioning control pattern determined in step S107.FIG.21 shows the IPMV distribution for the amount of activity of 2 MET in the air-conditioning control pattern of No. 16.
• As shown inFIGS.20 and21, in the air-conditioning control pattern of No. 16, the IPMV of the user MA having an amount of activity of 1 MET and the IPMV of the user MB having an amount of activity of 2 MET are visualized. InFIGS.20 and21, the higher the density of dots, the farther the value of the IPMV is away from the neutral to the minus plus side, and the lower the density of dots, the farther the value of the IPMV is away from the neutral to the minus side. InFIG.20, the IPMV at the position of the user MA is close to zero. InFIG.21, the IPMV is larger than zero in a wide area in the room but it can be recognized that the IPMV around the coordinate position (7,7), which is near the position of the user MB, is close to zero. This is because air supplied from the load-side unit103 is controlled to be blown toward the coordinate position (7,7) and thus the value of the IPMV is lowered. As a result, the IPMVs can be brought to a comfortable range quickly and can be kept stable so that the IPMVs of the plurality of the users, which are the user MA and the user MB, become closer to the neutral.
• Note that, although the flowchart ofFIG.18 indicates that the processing returns to step S101, the processing may return to step S103 after a fixed period of time has elapsed in step S109. In this case, in step S103, thedata acquisition unit11 obtains, as user information, data of the two-dimensional image detected by theinfrared sensor140 from the air-conditioning apparatus10. When the IPMV databases created in thestorage device21 are suitable for the air-conditioning apparatus10 and the air-conditioning target space, frequent update of the databases is not required. In this case, a load for the arithmetic processing of themodel generation unit12 is reduced.
• In addition, in step S109, the activityamount determination unit13 and theposition determination unit14 may monitor the data of the two-dimensional image, which is detected by theinfrared sensor140 and obtained from the air-conditioning apparatus10. When the activityamount determination unit13 determines, in a fixed period of time, that the amount of activity of a user is not constant and/or where theposition determination unit14 cannot determine the presence or absence of a user in the room in a fixed period of time, the direction of air blown out from the load-side unit103 may be changed. More specifically, thecontrol determination unit16 transmits, to the air-conditioning apparatus10, control information that causes the horizontal direction angle of thefirst flap4 and/or the vertical direction angle of thesecond flap5 to periodically change in a swinging motion. For example, the swinging motion of thefirst flap4 is motion in which thefirst flap4 swings in the right and left directions with respect to the horizontal reference θh0, in cycles of 20 seconds. In this case, the environment information and the operation information received from the air-conditioning apparatus10 by theinformation processing device2 are changed, and thus thecontroller22 can easily recognize the amount of activity and the position of a user.
• Furthermore, inEmbodiment 1, although theefficiency calculation unit15 calculates the comfort efficiency ζ for each air-conditioning control pattern by usingEquation 3 when the control determination unit determines the air-conditioning control pattern in step S107 shown inFIG.18, the way to determine the air-conditioning control pattern is not limited to this evaluation method. Theefficiency calculation unit15 may use the Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) to determine the air-conditioning control pattern that enables the comprehensive comfort level of the plurality of the users to be maximum. InEmbodiment 1, because the evaluationmethod using Equation 3 requires a fewer calculation amount compared to the TOPSIS, a load for the arithmetic processing of thecontroller22 is reduced.
• The air-conditioning system1 ofEmbodiment 1 includes the air-conditioning apparatus10, the user-detectingunit30 detecting the amount of activity for each of the plurality of the users and the position for each of the plurality of the users, thestorage device21, and thecontroller22. Thestorage device21 stores, for each of the plurality of the amounts of activity, a group that includes a plurality of comfort index distributions each being a distribution of comfort indexes each indicating a user comfort level in the air-conditioning target space and each corresponding to each of the plurality of the air-conditioning control patterns of the air-conditioning apparatus10. Thecontroller22 includes the activityamount determination unit13, theposition determination unit14, theefficiency calculation unit15, and thecontrol determination unit16. The activityamount determination unit13 specifies the group corresponding to the amount of activity detected by the user-detectingunit30 for each of the users. Theposition determination unit14 extracts, from the plurality of the comfort index distributions in the specified group, a plurality of the comfort indexes corresponding to the position detected by the user-detectingunit30. Theefficiency calculation unit15 calculates the comfort efficiency ζ indicating a comprehensive comfort level of users for each of the plurality of the air-conditioning control patterns based on the plurality of the comfort indexes extracted in correspondence of the detected position of each of the users. Thecontrol determination unit16 obtains, from the plurality of the air-conditioning control patterns, the air-conditioning control pattern that enables the calculated comfort efficiency ζ to be maximum.
• According toEmbodiment 1, the group that includes the comfort index distributions in the air-conditioning target space each corresponding to each of the plurality of the air-conditioning control patterns is determined corresponding to the amount of activity of each user in the air-conditioning target space. In addition, the plurality of the comfort indexes are extracted from the plurality of the comfort index distributions in the group, corresponding to the position of each user in the air-conditioning target space. Then, based on the plurality of the comfort indexes for each user, the air-conditioning control pattern that enables the comfort efficiencies of the plurality of the users to be maximum is obtained from the plurality of the air-conditioning control patterns. Because the air-conditioning apparatus conditions air according to the air-conditioning control pattern that enables the comfort efficiencies of the plurality of the users to be maximum, the comfortableness can be improved for the plurality of the users.
• Note that, although, inEmbodiment 1 described above, a case where theinfrared sensor140 functions as a user-detectingunit20 is described, the user-detectingunit20 is not limited to theinfrared sensor140. For example, the activity-amount-detectingunit32 may be a wearable sensor. A case where the activity-amount-detectingunit32 is a wearable sensor will be described below.
Modification Example 1
• FIG.22 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of an air-conditioning system of Modification Example 1. In the configuration shown inFIG.22, the same features as those described inFIG.1 are denoted by the same reference signs, and their detailed descriptions will be omitted.
• An air-conditioning system1aincludes the air-conditioning apparatus10 having the position-detectingunit31, theinformation processing device2, an access point (AP)60, and awearable terminal40 worn by each user. TheAP60 is installed in a room, which is an air-conditioning target space of the air-conditioning apparatus10. TheAP60 includes a short-range wireless communication unit (not shown), such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), and a network communication unit (not shown) that supports a communication protocol of thenetwork50. The communication protocol is the TCP/IP, for example. The position-detectingunit31 is, for example, theinfrared sensor140 shown inFIG.2.
• Thewearable terminal40 is provided for each user. Thewearable terminal40 is a watch or a bracelet, for example. Thewearable terminal40 includes the activity-amount-detectingunit32 that detects the pulse of the user at predetermined intervals as the amount of activity of the user. The skin temperature may be used as the amount of activity. In addition, thewearable terminal40 includes a memory (not shown) that stores a terminal identifier, which is difference for each terminal, and a program, and a CPU (not shown) that executes processing according to the program.
• When the activity-amount-detectingunit32 detects the amount of activity of the user, the CPU (not shown) of thewearable terminal40 transmits user information including the information on the amount of activity and the terminal identifier to theinformation processing device2 via theAP60 and thenetwork50. The memory (not shown) of thewearable terminal40 may store the coordinates of the installation position of theAP60. The CPU (not shown) of thewearable terminal40 estimates the distance from the installation position of theAP60 by referring to the intensity of the radio wave from theAP60. Then, the CPU (not shown) of thewearable terminal40 adds, as the position information of the user, the information of the estimated position to the user information. For example, when a plurality ofAPs60 are installed in the room, the CPU (not shown) of thewearable terminal40 compares the intensities of radio waves from the plurality of theAPs60, and can thus accurately estimate the position of the user in the room. Theinformation processing device2 correlates the user information received form thewearable terminal40 with the position of user detected by the position-detectingunit31.
• In Modification Example 1 also, theinformation processing device2 can determine the most appropriate air-conditioning control pattern from the plurality of the air-conditioning control patterns according to the procedure shown inFIG.18. In a case of Modification Example 1, because thewearable terminal40 worn by each user detects an amount of activity of the user, the amount of activity can be detected more accurately. As a result, a more suitable air-conditioning can be performed for the amount of activity of each of the plurality of the users.

Claims (13)

1. An air-conditioning system, comprising:

an air-conditioning apparatus conditioning air in an air-conditioning target space;

a user-detecting unit detecting, for a plurality of users in the air-conditioning target space, an amount of activity of each of the plurality of the users and a position of each of the plurality of the users in the air-conditioning target space;

a storage device storing, for each of a plurality of amounts of activity, a group including a plurality of comfort index distributions each being a distribution of comfort indexes each indicating a user comfort level in the air-conditioning target space, the plurality of the comfort index distributions each corresponding to each of a plurality of air-conditioning control patterns of the air-conditioning apparatus; and

a controller configured to obtain, from the plurality of the air-conditioning control patterns, an air-conditioning control pattern that enables a comfort efficiency of each of the plurality of the users to be maximum, by specifying the group corresponding to the amount of activity detected by the user-detecting unit for each of the users, extracting, from the plurality of the comfort index distributions in the specified group, a plurality of the comfort indexes corresponding to a position detected by the user-detecting unit, and, based on the plurality of the comfort indexes extracted in correspondence of the detected position of each of the users, calculating the comfort efficiency indicating a comprehensive comfort level of users for each of the plurality of the air-conditioning control patterns.

2. The air-conditioning system ofclaim 1, wherein

the user-detecting unit is an infrared sensor.

3. The air-conditioning system ofclaim 1, wherein

the user-detecting unit includes

a wearable terminal provided for each of the users and detecting the amount of activity of each of the users, and

an infrared sensor detecting the position of each of the users in the air-conditioning target space.

4. A method for controlling an air-conditioning apparatus by a controller being connected to a user-detecting unit detecting, for a plurality of users in the air-conditioning target space, an amount of activity of each of the plurality of the users and a position of each of the plurality of the users in the air-conditioning target space, and also to a storage device, the method comprising:

storing in the storage device, for each of a plurality of amounts of activity, a group including a plurality of the comfort index distributions each being a distribution of comfort indexes each indicating a user comfort level in the air-conditioning target space, the plurality of the comfort index distributions each corresponding to each of a plurality of air-conditioning control patterns of the air-conditioning apparatus;

specifying the group corresponding to the amount of activity detected by the user-detecting unit for each of the users;

extracting, from the plurality of the comfort index distributions in the specified group, a plurality of the comfort indexes corresponding to a position detected by the user-detecting unit for each of the users;

calculating a comfort efficiency indicating a comprehensive comfort level of the plurality of the users for each of the plurality of the air-conditioning control patterns based on the plurality of the comfort indexes extracted in correspondence of the detected position of each of the users; and

obtaining, from the plurality of the air-conditioning control patterns, an air-conditioning control pattern that enables the calculated comfort efficiency to be maximum.

5. The method for controlling an air-conditioning apparatus ofclaim 4, wherein

the comfort efficiency for each of the plurality of the air-conditioning control patterns is calculated by equation:

ζ=(1−2|IPMV₁|)×(1−2|IPMV₂|)× . . . ×(1−2|IPMV_k|)× . . . (1−2|IPMV_K|)×100%

wherein k represents an identification number different for each of the plurality of the users, IPMVk represents the comfort index of the user having an identification number of k, K represents an integer of 2 or greater, and ζ represents the comfort efficiency.

6. The method for controlling an air-conditioning apparatus ofclaim 4, wherein

there are four control parameters of a temperature of air blown out from a load-side unit provided at the air-conditioning apparatus, a horizontal direction angle of the air blown out from the load-side unit, a vertical direction angle of the air blown out from the load-side unit, and a wind speed of the air blown out from the load-side unit, and

the plurality of the air-conditioning control patterns are made by combining the four control parameters such that at least one of the four control parameters is different for each of the plurality of the air-conditioning control patterns.

7. The method for controlling an air-conditioning apparatus ofclaim 6, wherein

the controller stores, in chronological order, combination data, which is a combination of input conditions including a thermal load of a building at which the air-conditioning apparatus is installed and the air-conditioning control pattern that enables the comfort efficiency to be maximum for the plurality of the users, and narrows down air-conditioning control patterns to be selected among the plurality of the air-conditioning control patterns based on a plurality of pieces of the combination data stored in chronological order.

8. The method for controlling an air-conditioning apparatus ofclaim 7, wherein

the input conditions include, in addition to the thermal load of the building, a region at which the air-conditioning apparatus is installed, climate data of the region, an amount of insolation on the building, and information on tendencies of thermal sensations of the plurality of the users.

9. The method for controlling an air-conditioning apparatus ofclaim 6, wherein

the controller receives operation information including a frequency of a compressor, a condensation temperature, an evaporation temperature, and an opening degree of an expansion valve from the air-conditioning apparatus, estimates a refrigeration capacity of the air-conditioning apparatus based on the received operation information, and reflects the estimated refrigeration capacity and a state of airflow estimated based on the temperature of the air, the horizontal direction angle, the vertical direction angle, and the wind speed, in each of the comfort index distributions of the plurality of the groups stored for each of the plurality of the amounts of activity.

10. The method for controlling an air-conditioning apparatus ofclaim 4, wherein

in each of the comfort index distributions, the air-conditioning target space is divided into a plurality of areas, and a value of the comfort index corresponding to each of the areas is stored in the storage device.

11. The method for controlling an air-conditioning apparatus ofclaim 4, wherein

when the amount of activity detected by the user-detecting unit is not constant in a fixed period of time and/or when a presence or absence of a user in the air-conditioning target space cannot be determined in a fixed period of time, the controller causes the air-conditioning apparatus to perform a swinging operation by periodically changing the horizontal direction angle and/or the vertical direction angle of an air blow direction.

12. The method for controlling an air-conditioning apparatus ofclaim 4, wherein the user-detecting unit is an infrared sensor.

13. The method for controlling an air-conditioning apparatus ofclaim 4, wherein the user-detecting unit includes a wearable terminal provided for each of the users and detecting the amount of activity of each of the users and an infrared sensor detecting the position of each of the users in the air-conditioning target space.

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