Air-conditioning system and method for controlling air-conditioning apparatus

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.

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 of  claim 1 , wherein
 the user-detecting unit is an infrared sensor.   
     
     
         3 . The air-conditioning system of  claim 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 of  claim 4 , wherein
 the comfort efficiency for each of the plurality of the air-conditioning control patterns is calculated by equation:
   ζ=(1−2|IPMV 1 |)×(1−2|IPMV 2 |)× . . . ×(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 of  claim 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 of  claim 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 of  claim 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 of  claim 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 of  claim 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 of  claim 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 of  claim 4 , wherein the user-detecting unit is an infrared sensor. 
     
     
         13 . The method for controlling an air-conditioning apparatus of  claim 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.