Environmental control equipment and environmental control system

Abstract

This environmental control equipment controls a plurality of environmental devices for adjusting the environment of an area including a plurality of subareas and comprises: an acquisition unit that acquires environmental information indicating the environment of each of the plurality of subareas and a subarea restriction indicating the restrictions on the environment of each subarea; a target value calculation unit that uses the environmental information and the subarea restriction as a basis to select a control subarea, for which the environment thereof is to be changed, from among the plurality of subareas and determines a target value for the environment of the control subarea; and an influence calculation unit for determining whether or not the change in the environment of subareas other than the control subarea caused by controlling an environmental device in order to satisfy the target value of the control subarea satisfies the subarea restrictions of the other subareas.

1 . Environmental control equipment controlling a plurality of environmental devices that adjust an environment in an area including a plurality of subareas, the equipment comprising:
 an acquisition unit that acquires environmental information indicating an environment in each of the plurality of subareas and a subarea restriction indicating a limitation on an environment in each of the subareas;   a target value calculation unit that selects, from the plurality of subareas, and on the basis of the environmental information and the subarea restriction, a target subarea whose environment is to be changed, and determines a target value for the environment in the target subarea; and   an influence calculation unit that determines whether an environmental change in another subarea, which is one of the plurality of subareas and is different from the target subarea, satisfies the subarea restriction on said another subarea, the environmental change being caused by controlling the environmental device to satisfy the target value for the target subarea.   
     
     
         2 . The environmental control equipment according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the acquisition unit further acquires activity information indicating an activity in each of the plurality of subareas,   and wherein the target value calculation unit determines the target subarea and the target value for the environment in the target subarea, on the basis of the environmental information, the activity information, and the subarea restriction.   
     
     
         3 . The environmental control equipment according to  claim 1 , further comprising a control instructing unit,
 wherein, when the environmental change in said another subarea to be caused by controlling the environmental device to satisfy the target value satisfies the subarea restriction on said another subarea,   the control instructing unit outputs an instruction to control the environmental device to be operated.   
     
     
         4 . The environmental control equipment according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein, when the environmental change in said another subarea to be caused by controlling the environmental device to satisfy the target value does not satisfy the subarea restriction on said another subarea,   the influence calculation unit instructs the target calculation unit to re-calculate the target value.   
     
     
         5 . The environmental control equipment according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the environmental information includes objective environmental information indicating a subarea environment that can be detected by a sensor and subjective environmental information indicating an evaluation of an environment, the evaluation being made by a user of the subarea.   
     
     
         6 . The environmental control equipment according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the environmental change indicates a change in at least one of a subarea environment that can be detected by a sensor and an evaluation of the environment, the evaluation being made by a user of the subarea.   
     
     
         7 . The environmental control equipment according to  claim 1 , further comprising an operation calculation unit that calculates operations of the environmental device to satisfy the target value,
 wherein, on the basis of operations of the environmental device, the influence calculation unit selects as said another subarea a subarea to be influenced by the operations.   
     
     
         8 . The environmental control equipment according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the acquisition unit further acquires an area restriction indicating a limitation on control of an area having a plurality of subareas,   and wherein the target calculation unit determines the target value so that the area restriction is satisfied.   
     
     
         9 . The environmental control equipment according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein priority levels given to environmental controls of the plurality of subareas are acquired,   wherein, when the environmental change in said another subarea does not satisfy the subarea restriction on said another subarea, the influence calculation unit makes a comparison between the priority level of the target subarea and the priority level of said another subarea,   and wherein it is determined whether to operate the environmental device on the basis of a result of the comparison.   
     
     
         10 . The environmental control equipment according to  claim 9 ,
 wherein, when the priority level of the target subarea is lower than the priority level of said another subarea,   the target value calculation unit re-calculates the target value so that the environmental change in said another subarea satisfies the subarea restriction on said another subarea.   
     
     
         11 . The environmental control equipment according to  claim 9 ,
 wherein, when the priority level of the target subarea is higher than the priority level of said another subarea, the control instructing unit outputs the instruction to control an environmental device to be operated.   
     
     
         12 . The environmental control equipment according to  claim 2 ,
 wherein the target value calculation unit calculates the target value so that a productivity index, which indicates a degree of productivity calculated by using the environmental information and the activity information, satisfies the subarea restriction,   and wherein the influence calculation unit determines whether a change in the productivity index regarding said another subarea, the change to be caused by controlling the environmental device to satisfy the target value, satisfies the corresponding subarea restriction.   
     
     
         13 . An environmental control system comprising:
 an environmental device that adjusts an environment in an area including a plurality of subareas;   an environmental information detecting unit that detects environmental information regarding the subareas, and   control equipment that communicates with the environmental device, the environmental information detecting unit, and the activity information detecting unit,   wherein the control equipment comprises:   an acquisition unit that acquires the environmental information indicating the environment in each of the plurality of subareas and a subarea restriction indicating a limitation on the environment in each of the subareas;   a target value calculation unit that selects, from the plurality of subareas, and on the basis of the environmental information and the subarea restriction, a target subarea whose environment is to be changed, and determines a target value for the environment in the target subarea; and   an influence calculation unit that determines whether an environmental change in another subarea, which is one of the plurality of subareas and is different from the target subarea, satisfies the subarea restriction on said another subarea, the environmental change being caused by controlling the environmental device to satisfy the target value for the target subarea.