ENVIRONMENT CONTROL SYSTEM

• US 20170030607A1
• Filed: 04/06/2015
• Published: 02/02/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: HIRANO, Yumi, ITAYA, Satoko, TANAKA, Rie, NAKAMURA, Shin, MARUHASHI, Kenichi
• Granted Patent: US 10,088,184 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/30 for purposes related to the operation of the system, e.g. for safety or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/46 Improving electric energy efficiency or saving
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/62 characterised by the type of control or by internal processing, e.g. using fuzzy logic, adaptive control or estimation of values
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/63 Electronic processing
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/64 using pre-stored data
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2110/10 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2110/20 Humidity
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2120/10 Occupancy
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2120/14 Activity of occupants
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2614 HVAC, heating, ventillation, climate control
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2642 Domotique, domestic, home control, automation, smart house
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/16 Real estate

Abstract

A control device is connected to a facility appliance regulating the environment of an area and to an activity measuring instrument for each activity kind measuring the status of an activity of a person in the area. The control device has: an activity kind determination part determining an activity kind corresponding to a work performed in the area; an activity information acquisition part using the activity measuring instrument corresponding to the determined activity kind to acquire the status of the activity of the person in the area; and an environment control part causing the facility appliance to control the environment of the area on the basis of the acquired status of the activity.

Claims

1. An environment control system comprising:

a facility appliance regulating an environment of an area;

an activity measuring instrument for each activity kind, the activity measuring instrument measuring a status of an activity of a person in the area; and

a control device connected to the facility appliance and the activity measuring instrument,

wherein the control device includes;

an activity kind determiner for determining an activity kind corresponding to a work performed in the area;

an activity information acquisitor for, by using the activity measuring instrument corresponding to the determined activity kind, acquiring the status of the activity of the person in the area; and

an environment controller for causing the facility appliance to control the environment of the area on a basis of the acquired status of the activity.

2. The environment control system according to claim 1, wherein the activity kind determiner has a table holding an association relation between a work-related goal and the activity kind, and the activity kind determiner determines the activity kind held in the table in association with the work-related goal of the work performed in the area, as the activity kind corresponding to the work performed in the area, the work-related goal being input from outside.

3. The environment control system according to claim 2, wherein the table holds for a single work-related goal a plurality of activity kinds with priorities, and the activity kind determiner determines the activity kind with a highest priority of the activity kinds held in the table in association with the work-related goal of the work performed in the area, as the activity kind corresponding to the work performed in the area.

4. The environment control system according to claim 3, wherein the table holds for each of the activity kinds a correlation coefficient between the activity kind and a work-related goal achievement level, and the priorities are set in accordance with values of correlation coefficients.

5. The environment control system according to claim 4, further comprising a verifier for calculating the correlation coefficient every given period and updating the table.

6. The environment control system according to claim 1, wherein the activity kind determiner refers to a table to determine the activity kind corresponding to the work performed in the area, the table holding an association relation between identification information of the area and the activity kind corresponding to the work performed in the area.

7. The environment control system according to claim 1, wherein:

the control device includes;

an objective environment index calculator for acquiring the status of the environment of the area and calculating a first index value corresponding to the acquired status; and

a subjective index calculator for acquiring an evaluation of the environment of the area by the person in the area and calculating a second index value corresponding to the acquired evaluation;

the activity information acquisitor calculates a third index value corresponding to the status of the activity; and

the environment controller calculates a fourth index value from the first to third index values and first to third weights assigned to the index values, and causes the facility appliance to control the environment of the area on a basis of the fourth index value.

8. A control device connected to a facility appliance regulating an environment of an area and to an activity measuring instrument for each activity kind, the activity measuring instrument measuring a status of an activity of a person in the area, the control device comprising:

an activity kind determiner for determining an activity kind corresponding to a work performed in the area;

an activity information acquisitor for, by using the activity measuring instrument corresponding to the determined activity kind, acquiring the status of the activity of the person in the area; and

an environment controller for causing the facility appliance to control the environment of the area on a basis of the acquired status of the activity.

11. The control device according to claim 8, wherein the activity kind determiner has a table holding an association relation between a work-related goal and the activity kind, and the activity kind determiner determines the activity kind held in the table in association with the work-related goal of the work performed in the area, as the activity kind corresponding to the work performed in the area, the work-related goal being input from outside.

12. The control device according to claim 11, wherein the table holds for a single work-related goal a plurality of activity kinds with priorities, and the activity kind determiner determines the activity kind with a highest priority of the activity kinds held in the table in association with the work-related goal of the work performed in the area, as the activity kind corresponding to the work performed in the area.

13. The control device according to claim 12, wherein the table holds for each of the activity kinds a correlation coefficient between the activity kind and a work-related goal achievement level, and the priorities are set in accordance with values of correlation coefficients.

14. The control device according to claim 13, further comprising a verifier for calculating the correlation coefficient every given period and updating the table.

15. The control device according to claim 8, wherein the activity kind determiner refers to a table to determine the activity kind corresponding to the work performed in the area, the table holding an association relation between identification information of the area and the activity kind corresponding to the work performed in the area.

16. The control device according to claim 8, further comprising:

an objective environment index calculator for acquiring the status of the environment of the area and calculating a first index value corresponding to the acquired status; and

a subjective index calculator for acquiring an evaluation of the environment of the area by the person in the area and calculating a second index value corresponding to the acquired evaluation, wherein;

the activity information acquisitor calculates a third index value corresponding to the status of the activity; and

the environment controller calculates a fourth index value from the first to third index values and first to third weights assigned to the index values, and causes the facility appliance to control the environment of the area on a basis of the fourth index value.

9. An environment control method executed by a control device connected to a facility appliance regulating an environment of an area and to an activity measuring instrument for each activity kind, the activity measuring instrument measuring a status of an activity of a person in the area, the environment control method comprising:

determining an activity kind corresponding to a work performed in the area;

using the activity measuring instrument corresponding to the determined activity kind to acquire the status of the activity of the person in the area; and

causing the facility appliance to control the environment of the area on a basis of the acquired status of the activity.

17. The environment control method according to claim 9, wherein:

the control device has a table holding an association relation between a work-related goal and the activity kind; and

in the determining the activity kind, the activity kind held in the table in association with the work-related goal of the work performed in the area, the work-related goal being input from outside, is determined as the activity kind corresponding to the work performed in the area.

18. The environment control method according to claim 17, wherein:

the table holds for a single work-related goal a plurality of activity kinds with priorities; and

in the determining the activity kind, the activity kind with a highest priority of the activity kinds held in the table in association with the work-related goal of the work performed in the area is determined as the activity kind corresponding to the work performed in the area.

19. The environment control method according to claim 18, wherein the table holds for each of the activity kinds a correlation coefficient between the activity kind and a work-related goal achievement level, and the priorities are set in accordance with values of correlation coefficients.

20. The environment control method according to claim 19, further comprising:

calculating the correlation coefficient every given period and updating the table.

10. (canceled)