Air-conditioning system

• US 8,036,778 B2
• Filed: 01/16/2008
• Issued: 10/11/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Daikin Industries Ltd
• Original Assignee: Daikin Industries Ltd
• Inventors: Nishino, Atsushi, Hashimoto, Satoshi, Masuda, Yoshiyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): DECADY, ALBERT
• Application Number:
  US12/522,946
• Publication Number:
  US 20100036533A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,364 Days
• Field of Search: 700275-278, 236/1.B, 236/49.1, 236 493- 495, 236/91, 454/256, 454/258, 454/284, 454/322, 454/325, 454/333, 454/335, 454/369, 454/370, 165/200, 165/201, 165/205, 165/208, 165/211, 165/212, 165/222, 165/223, 165/237, 165/253
• US Class Current: 700/277
• 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 11/56 Remote control
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/65 for selecting an operating mode
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/77 by controlling the speed of ventilators
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/79 for controlling the direction of the supplied air
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2110/20 Humidity
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2120/10 Occupancy
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2120/12 Position of occupants
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2120/14 Activity of occupants
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2221/38 Personalised air distribution

Abstract

An air-conditioning system includes an air-conditioning unit that is switchable between local air-conditioning and overall air-conditioning, a data acquisition unit configured to acquire state quantity data of a requester, and a control unit. The control unit calculates comfort assessment values for both the requester and a neighbor, and controls the air-conditioning unit so that the local air-conditioning is performed to an extent whereby the comfort assessment value of the neighbor is kept in a comfort range and the comfort assessment value of the requester can be within the comfort range.

Claims

1. An air-conditioning system for supplying conditioned air to a plurality of users located in a target space, the air-conditioning system comprising:

an air-conditioning unit switchable between local air-conditioning and overall air-conditioning, with airflows being directed into part of the target space during local air-conditioning and airflows being directed throughout the entire target space during overall air-conditioning;

a state quantity data acquisition unit configured to acquire state quantity data of a requester moving in or into the target space; and

a control unit configured

to calculate a comfort assessment value for the requestor and a comfort assessment value for a neighbor of the requestor in order to assess a predetermined range as being comfortable to the requester and the neighbor, the comfort assessment values being calculated based on at least the data acquired by the state quantity data acquisition unit and an operating state of the air-conditioning unit, and

to control the air-conditioning unit such that the local air-conditioning for the requester is performed to an extent whereby the comfort assessment value of the neighbor is kept in the predetermined range, and the comfort assessment value of the requester is within the predetermined range.

2. The air-conditioning system according to claim 1, wherein

the control unit is further configured to control the air-conditioning unit in order to derate the level of local air-conditioning when the comfort assessment value of the requester has reached the predetermined range.

3. The air-conditioning system according to claim 1, wherein

the state quantity data acquisition unit has a mobile communication terminal configured to be carried by the requester, and

the mobile communication terminal is configured to acquire position data until the requester moves into the target space, and to acquire position data of any one of

a GPS,

a wireless LAN base station, and

a ubiquitous sensor network.

4. The air-conditioning system according to claim 3, wherein

the control unit is further configured to control the air-conditioning unit such that local air-conditioning for a first requester is performed to an extent whereby the comfort assessment values of neighbors of the first requester excluding a second requester are kept within the predetermined range and such that the comfort assessment value of the first requester is within the predetermined range when the control unit has determined based on data acquired by the state quantity data acquisition unit that the first requester and the second requester are adjacent to each other.

5. The air-conditioning system according to claim 3, wherein

the air-conditioning unit has an air-blowing fan and a discharge temperature sensor;

and

the control unit is further configured to calculate the comfort assessment values of the requester and the neighbor based on at least the

movement data records,

local air-conditioning airflow rates determined from rotational speeds of the air-blowing fan, and

airflow temperatures determined from the discharge temperature sensor.

6. The air-conditioning system according to claim 3, wherein

the air-conditioning unit has an air-blowing fan and a discharge temperature sensor;

and

the control unit is further configured to calculate the comfort assessment value of the neighbor based on at least local air-conditioning airflow rates determined from rotational speeds of the air-blowing fan and airflow temperatures determined from the discharge temperature sensor.

7. The air-conditioning system according to any of claim 1, further comprising

an outside air processing unit configured to introduce outside air into the target space after having its temperature adjusted, wherein

the control unit is further configured to control an extent of temperature adjustment in the outside air processing unit in accordance with a set temperature of the target space and the level of local air-conditioning of the air-conditioning unit.

8. The air-conditioning system according to claim 7, further comprising

a target space temperature sensor configured to detect a temperature of the target space;

wherein

the control unit is further configured to control an extent of temperature adjustment in the outside air processing unit while forcibly causing the local air-conditioning of the air-conditioning unit to be continued, even in cases in which the temperature detected by the target space temperature sensor has reached the set temperature.

9. The air-conditioning system according to claim 1, wherein

the state quantity data acquisition unit has a movement data acquisition unit configured to acquire data in order to estimate state quantities when the requester has moved into the target space.

10. An air-conditioning system for supplying conditioned air to a plurality of users located in a target space, the air-conditioning system comprising:

an air-conditioning unit switchable between local air-conditioning and overall air-conditioning, with airflows being directed into part of the target space during local air-conditioning and airflows being directed throughout the entire target space during overall air-conditioning;

an estimated quantity data acquisition unit configured to acquire data in order to estimate state quantities of a requester located in the target space; and

a control unit configured

to calculate a comfort assessment value for the requestor and a comfort assessment value for a neighbor of the requestor in order to assess a predetermined range as being comfortable, the comfort assessment value for the requester being calculated based on the basis of at least state quantities of the requester estimated using the data acquired by the estimated quantity data acquisition unit and an operating state of the air-conditioning unit, and the comfort assessment value for the neighbor being calculated based on at least the operating state of the air-conditioning unit, and

to control the air-conditioning unit such that the local air-conditioning for the requester is performed to an extent whereby the comfort assessment value of the neighbor is maintained in the predetermined range and the comfort assessment value of the requester is within the predetermined range.

11. The air-conditioning system according to claim 10, wherein

the estimated quantity data acquisition unit is further configured to acquire data in order to estimate state quantities of the neighbor;

and

the control unit is further configured to calculate the comfort assessment value of the neighbor based on at least the state quantities of the neighbor estimated using the data acquired by the estimated quantity data acquisition unit and the operating state of the air-conditioning unit.

12. The air-conditioning system according to claim 10, wherein

the estimated quantity data acquisition unit has an environment sensor configured to detect data pertaining to location of a user, the data being any one of

radiation quantity,

temperature,

humidity, and

number of neighbors.

13. The air-conditioning system according to claim 10, wherein

the control unit is further configured to control the air-conditioning unit in order to reduce the level of local air-conditioning when the comfort assessment value of the requester has reached the predetermined range.

14. The air-conditioning system according to claim 13, wherein

the control unit is further configured to control the air-conditioning unit such that local air-conditioning for a first requester is performed to an extent whereby the comfort assessment values of neighbors of the first requester excluding a second requester are kept within the predetermined range and such that the comfort assessment value of the first requester is within the predetermined range when the control unit has determined based on data acquired by the estimated quantity data acquisition unit that the first requester and the second requester are adjacent to each other.