JP6972340B2 - Air conditioning system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an air conditioning system including a plurality of indoor units.

Conventionally, an air conditioning system in which a plurality of indoor units are connected to an outdoor unit has been known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The air conditioning system of Patent Document 1 is adapted to perform air conditioning in one space by a plurality of indoor units, and an air conditioning area is determined for each indoor unit. In this air conditioning system, if there is an indoor unit that lacks operating capacity to air-condition the air-conditioned area, at least one of the indoor unit that lacks operating capacity and the adjacent indoor unit is forced to operate. It has become.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2010-261617

However, in the case of the air conditioning system of Patent Document 1, the indoor unit that is forcibly operated needs to be operated at a higher load setting than usual in order to compensate for the lack of capacity of the adjacent indoor unit. Therefore, although the comfort of the air-conditioned area of the indoor unit having insufficient capacity is improved, there is a problem that the power consumption of the air conditioning system becomes large. Further, in the air-conditioned area of the indoor unit, which is operated with a high load, the comfort may be lowered due to excessive cooling or excessive heating.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and suppresses a decrease in comfort in each air-conditioned area of an indoor unit having insufficient capacity and an indoor unit assisting the indoor unit, thereby reducing power consumption. The purpose is to provide an air conditioning system.

The air conditioning system according to the present invention includes a plurality of air conditioners that divide the air conditioning space into air conditioning areas for air conditioning, a human sensor provided in each of the plurality of air conditioners to detect the presence of a person, and a plurality of air conditioning systems. It is equipped with a management device that monitors and controls the air conditioner, and each of the plurality of air conditioners has a temperature sensor that measures the temperature of the air conditioning space and adjusts the air volume of the air conditioning air to be blown out for each blowing direction. The management device has a function, and the management device has a storage unit that stores layout information indicating the arrangement of a plurality of air conditioners, a storage unit that stores the set temperature of each of the plurality of air conditioners, and a case where one of the plurality of air conditioners has insufficient capacity. In addition, there is a presence / absence determination unit that determines whether or not there is a person in the air-conditioning area of the air-conditioning device with insufficient capacity based on the detection signal from the human sensor, and a person in the air-conditioning area of the air-conditioning unit with insufficient capacity in the presence / absence determination unit. When it is determined that there is, at least one of the other air conditioners is selected using the temperature measured by the temperature sensor of the air conditioner with insufficient capacity and the layout information, and the set amount of air volume is obtained and selected. the air conditioner, possess a selection processor that performs assist control including the amount of power suppression mode of increasing the air volume in a direction toward the air conditioning area of the air conditioner to the set amount of incompetence, a selection processing unit, one When selecting an air conditioner with insufficient capacity, if there are two or more air conditioners adjacent to the air conditioner with insufficient capacity and there is a difference in the surplus capacity of these air conditioners, the air conditioner with the most surplus capacity is selected. ..

According to the present invention, the indoor unit and the set amount of the air volume are obtained by using the temperature measured by the temperature sensor of the air conditioner having insufficient capacity and the layout information, and the selected air conditioner is used in the air conditioning area of the air conditioner having insufficient capacity. Increase the air volume in the direction to the set amount. Therefore, the capacity of the air conditioner with insufficient capacity can be supplemented by the number and air volume according to the temperature measured by the temperature sensor of the air conditioner with insufficient capacity. It is possible to suppress the decrease in comfort in the air-conditioned area and reduce the power consumption.

It is a block diagram which exemplifies the whole structure of the air conditioning system which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing in which the air-conditioning area and the air-conditioning space of each indoor unit in the air-conditioning system of FIG. 1 are exemplified in a plane. It is a block diagram exemplifying the functional configuration of the management apparatus of FIG. It is a table exemplifying the assist table for heating operation stored in the storage part of FIG. It is a table exemplifying the assist table for cooling operation stored in the storage part of FIG. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating data exchanged between the management device and each indoor unit together with the functional configuration of the indoor control unit of each indoor unit of FIG. 1. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the example of the assist operation performed by each indoor unit of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the assist operation start processing by a control device among the operation of the air conditioning system of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the assist operation stop process by a control device among the operation of the air conditioning system of FIG. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the example of the assist operation performed by each indoor unit of the air conditioning system which concerns on the modification of embodiment of this invention.

Embodiment.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating the overall configuration of the air conditioning system according to the embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the air conditioning system 100 according to the present embodiment is provided in each of the outdoor unit 10, the indoor units 20A to 20C as a plurality of air conditioners, and the plurality of indoor units 20A to 20C. It has a motion sensor 30, a management device 40, and a storage device 80.

The outdoor unit 10 and the indoor units 20A to 20C are connected to each other via a refrigerant pipe including a liquid pipe and a gas pipe, respectively. The management device 40 and the outdoor unit 10 and the indoor units 20A to 20C are connected by a signal line. Further, the management device 40 and each motion sensor 30 are connected to each other via the indoor units 20A to 20C or directly by a signal line. The management device 40, the outdoor unit 10, the indoor units 20A to 20C, and each motion sensor 30 may be connected wirelessly instead of by wire.

The outdoor unit 10 is installed outdoors, for example, to take in and out the outside air. The outdoor unit 10 includes a compressor that constitutes a part of the refrigeration cycle, a four-way valve and an outdoor heat exchanger for switching between heating and cooling, an outdoor blower that blows outdoor air to the outdoor heat exchanger, and a compressor and a four-way valve. And an outdoor control unit that controls the outdoor blower are housed.

The indoor units 20A to 20C are installed indoors, for example, and air-condition the predetermined air-conditioning space K by sharing it for each air-conditioning area. The indoor units 20A to 20C in the present embodiment are ceiling cassette type indoor units having outlets in four directions.

Each of the indoor units 20A to 20C includes an expansion valve and an indoor heat exchanger that form a part of the refrigeration cycle, an indoor blower 22 (see FIG. 2) that blows air to the indoor heat exchanger, and an expansion valve and an indoor unit. An indoor control unit 23 that controls the blower 22 is housed. The indoor blower 22 is, for example, a centrifugal blower, and the amount of air sent out from the indoor unit can be adjusted by controlling the rotation speed. The air blown by the indoor blower 22 passes through the indoor heat exchanger to become conditioned air, and is blown out from outlets provided in four directions, for example, in four different directions. The conditioned air includes cooling air blown out during the cooling operation of the air conditioning system 100 and heating air blown out during the heating operation of the air conditioning system 100.

Each outlet of the indoor units 20A to 20C is provided with a flap 21 (see FIG. 2) that individually adjusts the vertical direction of the conditioned air blown out from each outlet under the control of the indoor control unit 23. Has been done. Each of the indoor units 20A to 20C has a function of adjusting the air volume of the conditioned air to be blown out for each blowing direction. That is, the indoor units 20A to 20C combine the adjustment of the amount of air sent out from the indoor blower 22 and the angle adjustment of the air blown out from each outlet by each flap 21, so that the air volume is variable for each blowing direction. Air-conditioned air can be blown out with. Further, each air outlet is provided with a wind direction plate capable of adjusting the wind direction in the left-right direction within a predetermined angle range under the control of the indoor control unit 23. Here, the blowing direction is the direction of the conditioned air blown out from each outlet, the vertical direction is determined by the angle of the flap 21, and the horizontal direction is determined by the angle of the wind direction plate.

The indoor units 20A to 20C are adapted to adjust the air environment of the air-conditioned area to be shared by each of the indoor units 20A to 20C by blowing out air-conditioned air from each outlet. The indoor units 20A to 20C may be able to be operated by using a remote controller or the like connected by wire or wirelessly, respectively.

Further, each of the indoor units 20A to 20C is provided with a temperature sensor 25 which is composed of, for example, a thermistor and measures the temperature of the air conditioning space K. The temperature sensor 25 is provided, for example, at the suction port. Each of the indoor control units 23 of the indoor units 20A to 20C acquires the measured temperature, which is the temperature information measured by the temperature sensor 25, and outputs the measured temperature to the management device 40 or the like.

The motion sensor 30 is a sensor that detects the presence of a person in a predetermined detection area by using infrared rays, ultrasonic waves, or the like. The motion sensor 30 may be built in each of the indoor units 20A to 20C, or may be externally attached. In the present embodiment, the detection area of each motion sensor 30 is set according to the respective air conditioning areas of the indoor units 20A to 20C. That is, each motion sensor 30 can detect the presence of a person in the air-conditioned area of the indoor unit in which the sensor 30 is provided. The motion sensor 30 outputs a detection signal indicating the presence or absence of a person to the indoor control unit 23 or the management device 40 of the indoor unit provided therein.

The management device 40 is, for example, a centralized controller that collectively manages the air conditioning system 100. The management device 40 monitors and controls at least the indoor units 20A to 20C and manages them. That is, the user can monitor and operate each of the indoor units 20A to 20C by using the management device 40.

The storage device 80 is a data storage area accessible via a network such as the Internet. That is, the storage device 80 is, for example, a database or server based on cloud computing. The storage device 80 is used to store various data processed by the management device 40. However, the storage device 80 may be a non-volatile external storage medium such as an SD card.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram in which the air-conditioned area and the air-conditioned space of each indoor unit in the air-conditioned system of FIG. 1 are exemplified in a plane. FIG. 2 schematically shows the configurations of the indoor units 20A to 20C, and shows an example in which the indoor unit 20A, the indoor unit 20B, and the indoor unit 20C are arranged linearly. Further, the area where the indoor unit 20A is air-conditioned is the air-conditioning area A, the area where the indoor unit 20B is air-conditioned is the air-conditioning area B, and the area where the indoor unit 20C is air-conditioned is the air-conditioning area C. The air-conditioning areas A to C are determined by, for example, the management device 40, based on the positions, blowing directions, capacities, indoor air-conditioning loads, and the like of the indoor units 20A to 20C, respectively.

As shown in FIG. 2, the indoor unit 20B is arranged adjacent to the right side in the figure of the indoor unit 20A, and the indoor unit 20C is arranged adjacent to the right side in the figure of the indoor unit 20B. Therefore, the air conditioning area A and the air conditioning area B are adjacent to each other, and the air conditioning area B and the air conditioning area C are adjacent to each other.

In each of the indoor units 20A to 20C, when the wind direction plate is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the flap 21, the conditioned air is radially blown out in four directions orthogonal to each other in a plan view (FIG. 2). See the white arrow). Therefore, in FIG. 2, the air-conditioning areas A to C are illustrated as circular regions centered on the indoor units 20A to 20C, respectively. However, the shapes of the air conditioning areas A to C are not limited to the circular shape, and may be defined by other shapes such as a rectangular shape. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the indoor units 20A to 20C all have the same capability. Therefore, the planar areas in the broken lines indicating each of the air-conditioned areas A to C are equal to each other.

The adjacent air-conditioning area A and the air-conditioning area B partially overlap each other, and the adjacent air-conditioning area B and the air-conditioning area C partially overlap each other. This indicates that each air-conditioned area is affected by the indoor unit in the adjacent air-conditioned area. Almost the entire area of the air-conditioned space K is covered by a plurality of air-conditioned areas including the air-conditioned areas A to C. In the present embodiment, the indoor units 20A to 20C are arranged one-dimensionally, but the present invention is not limited to this. The indoor units 20A to 20C may be arranged two-dimensionally. For example, the indoor units may be arranged three-dimensionally by combining indoor units such as a ceiling cassette type, a wall-mounted type, or a floor-standing type having different blowing heights. It may be originally arranged.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating the functional configuration of the management device of FIG. FIG. 4 is a table illustrating an assist table for heating operation stored in the storage unit of FIG. FIG. 5 is a table illustrating an assist table for cooling operation stored in the storage unit of FIG. FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating the functional configuration of the indoor control unit of each indoor unit of FIG. 1 and the data exchanged between the management device and each indoor unit. In FIG. 6, only the indoor control unit 23 is illustrated as a constituent member of each indoor unit. The functional configurations of the management device 40 and the indoor units 20A to 20C will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 6.

The air conditioning system 100 can individually control the operation of the indoor units 20A to 20C by the management device 40. As shown in FIG. 3, the management device 40 includes a control device 50, an input device 60, and a display device 70.

The input device 60 includes a pointing device such as a mouse or a keyboard, receives an input operation by the user, and outputs a signal according to the content of the input operation to the control device 50. For example, the input device 60 accepts the setting operation of the operation mode of the assist control. Here, the assist control is a control for assisting an indoor unit having insufficient capacity to another indoor unit. That is, the assist control is a process of complementing at least one of the indoor units excluding the indoor unit having insufficient capacity with the air conditioning in the air conditioning area of the indoor unit having insufficient capacity. Further, the input device 60 accepts an operation of designating control designation data in the past operation restoration mode described later. Hereinafter, the air-conditioned area of the indoor unit having insufficient capacity is also referred to as the “insufficient capacity area”.

The display device 70 is composed of, for example, a liquid crystal display (Liquid Crystal Display), and displays various information according to instructions from the control device 50. For example, the display device 70 displays one or a plurality of control designation data in the past operation restoration mode. Here, the display device 70 may be a touch panel including a display panel for displaying characters, images, and the like, and detection means laminated on the front side of the display panel. In this case, the detection means can realize some or all the functions of the input device 60 by detecting the position touched by the operator and outputting the information of the detected position to the control device 50.

The control device 50 executes the assist operation start process and the assist operation stop process described later. The control device 50 includes an operation information management unit 51, a storage unit 52, and an assist processing unit 53.

The operation information management unit 51 manages operation state information indicating each operation state of the indoor units 20A to 20C. That is, the operation information management unit 51 periodically acquires operation state information from each of the indoor units 20A to 20C, and stores the acquired operation state information in the storage unit 52 or the storage device 80. The operation state storage data 52a of FIG. 3 is data in which the operation information management unit 51 has accumulated the operation state information over time.

The operating state information includes, for example, information such as a set temperature, a room temperature which is a temperature in an air-conditioned area, an air volume, a wind direction, and a power consumption amount. The set temperature is set for each indoor unit 20A to 20C. The indoor temperature is a measured temperature measured by the temperature sensors 25 provided in each of the indoor units 20A to 20C, and is the temperature around each indoor unit or the temperature of the air sucked from the suction port. The operation state information may include indoor unit state information indicating whether or not the indoor unit is in the save operation state. The save operation state is a state in which the indoor temperature of the indoor unit is in the vicinity of the set temperature.

The storage unit 52 stores various information related to the assist control, such as information on the set temperatures of the indoor units 20A to 20C. Further, in the storage unit 52, in addition to the operation program of the control device 50, layout information 52b indicating the arrangement of the indoor units 20A to 20C is stored in advance. The layout information 52b is information indicating the installation positions of the indoor units 20A to 20C. The layout information 52b may include information such as the blowing direction and capacity of each of the indoor units 20A to 20C, in addition to the information on the respective positions of the indoor units 20A to 20C.

The layout information 52b is registered by the user, for example, when the indoor units 20A to 20C are installed. However, the layout information 52b may be automatically registered by providing the management device 40 with a position information acquisition device using GPS (Global Positioning System) or the like. Further, the storage unit 52 stores mode information indicating the setting state of the operation mode of the assist control. In FIG. 3, the operation state storage data 52a is stored in the storage unit 52.

The assist processing unit 53 determines the necessity and propriety of the assist control, and executes the assist control as necessary. The assist processing unit 53 acquires operation state information from the operation information management unit 51 or the storage unit 52. However, the assist processing unit 53 may directly acquire the operating state information from each of the indoor units 20A to 20C. The assist processing unit 53 includes a capacity determination unit 53a, an existence / non-existence determination unit 53b, a selection processing unit 53c, and an input / output processing unit 53d.

The capacity determination unit 53a determines whether or not any of the indoor units 20A to 20C has insufficient capacity. That is, the ability determination unit 53a determines whether or not any of the indoor units 20A to 20C is in a state of insufficient operating ability based on the respective operating state information of the indoor units 20A to 20C. Here, if the indoor unit having sufficient air-conditioning capacity for the air-conditioning load continues to be operated, the indoor temperature approaches the set temperature and becomes stable. However, in situations where the air conditioning capacity is reduced due to an abnormality such as clogging of the filter of the indoor unit, or where the air conditioning load is increasing due to the influence of people or heating elements in the room. , The indoor unit may be inadequate. That is, the state of insufficient operating capacity is a state in which the air conditioning capacity is insufficient with respect to the air conditioning load.

Here, the ability determination unit 53a is adapted to make the above determination when a predetermined set time has elapsed since the air conditioning system 100 was started. Therefore, when the capacity determination unit 53a determines that any one of the plurality of indoor units is in a state of insufficient operating capacity, there is an indoor unit whose indoor temperature does not approach the set temperature forever. Will be there. The set time may be set according to the configuration of the air conditioning system 100, the installation environment, and the like.

More specifically, the capacity determination unit 53a obtains the measured temperature difference ΔT, which is the difference between the set temperature and the indoor temperature, for the indoor units 20A to 20C. During the heating operation, the capacity determination unit 53a obtains the heating temperature difference ΔTh as the measured temperature difference ΔT by subtracting the room temperature from the set temperature. On the other hand, the capacity determination unit 53a obtains the cooling temperature difference ΔTc as the measured temperature difference ΔT by subtracting the set temperature from the room temperature during the cooling operation. Then, the capacity determination unit 53a determines that the indoor unit is not in a state of insufficient operating capacity if the obtained measured temperature difference ΔT is equal to or less than the insufficient threshold value, and if the obtained measured temperature difference ΔT is larger than the insufficient threshold value, the indoor unit is indoors. It is determined that the aircraft is in a state of insufficient driving ability. As the deficiency threshold, a heating threshold for heating operation and a cooling threshold for cooling operation are set. However, the heating threshold value and the cooling threshold value may not be set individually, and a common shortage threshold value may be used for the heating operation and the cooling operation.

Here, when the indoor unit status information is included in the operating status information, the capacity determination unit 53a determines whether any of the indoor units 20A to 20C is in a state of insufficient operating capacity based on the indoor unit status information. It may be determined whether or not. This utilizes the fact that the indoor unit is in the save operation state when the difference between the set temperature and the indoor temperature is small.

The capacity determination unit 53a identifies an indoor unit with insufficient capacity by the above determination using the measured temperature difference ΔT or the indoor unit state information. Then, the capacity determination unit 53a outputs the insufficient indoor unit information indicating the indoor unit with insufficient capacity to the existence / non-existence determination unit 53b. By the way, the capacity determination unit 53a may determine whether or not any of the indoor units 20A to 20C is in a state of insufficient operating capacity based on the compressor operation information acquired from the outdoor unit 10. This utilizes the fact that when the difference between the set temperature and the indoor temperature is small, the compressor does not operate and all the indoor units are in the save operation state. Then, when the capacity determination unit 53a determines from the compressor operation information that the compressor has not stopped, the capacity determination unit 53a makes a determination using the measured temperature difference ΔT or the indoor unit state information, thereby determining the indoor unit having insufficient capacity. It may be specified.

When any of the indoor units 20A to 20C has insufficient capacity, the presence / absence determination unit 53b determines whether or not a person exists in the insufficient capacity area based on the detection signal from the motion sensor 30. That is, when the presence / absence determination unit 53b outputs the insufficient indoor unit information from the capacity determination unit 53a, is there a person in the insufficient capacity area based on the detection signal from the motion sensor 30 of the insufficient capacity indoor unit? Judge whether or not. Then, the presence / absence determination unit 53b outputs the determination result to the selection processing unit 53c.

The selection processing unit 53c grasps the positional relationship between the indoor units 20A to 20C and the air conditioning areas A to C based on the layout information 52b, and recognizes which indoor unit is adjacent to the specific indoor unit. The selection processing unit 53c gives an assist start command and an assist stop command to the indoor control unit 23 of the indoor units 20A to 20C based on the operation state information transmitted from the indoor units 20A to 20C, the detection signal from the motion sensor 30, and the like. Etc. are transmitted.

Here, since it is a waste of energy to perform the assist control for the air-conditioned area where there are no people, the selection processing unit 53c transmits the assist start command only when there are people in the capacity insufficient area. That is, when the presence / absence determination unit 53b determines that a person exists in the insufficient capacity area, the selection processing unit 53c executes assist control that complements the control for the insufficient capacity area. During the assist control, the selection processing unit 53c stores information such as the room temperature, power consumption, air volume, and wind direction in the storage unit 52 or the storage device 80 in chronological order for each indoor unit.

The selection processing unit 53c has an electric energy suppression mode, a comfort-oriented mode, and a past operation restoration mode as the operation mode of the assist control. The selection processing unit 53c refers to the mode information in the storage unit 52 based on the user's setting, and performs assist control by any one of the electric energy suppression mode, the comfort-oriented mode, and the past operation restoration mode.

(Power suppression mode)
In the case of the electric energy suppression mode, the selection processing unit 53c selects at least one of the other indoor units and the air volume by using the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 25 of the indoor unit having insufficient capacity and the layout information 52b. Find the set amount. Hereinafter, the set amount of the air volume is also referred to as the “air set amount”. Then, the selection processing unit 53c increases the air volume of the selected indoor unit in the direction toward the insufficient capacity area to the air set amount. Hereinafter, the direction toward the area where the ability is insufficient is also referred to as "assist direction". That is, the selection processing unit 53c transmits an assist start command including information on the assist direction and the wind setting amount to the selected indoor unit.

However, in order to transmit the assist start command, it is a condition that the indoor unit of the transmission destination is not insufficient in capacity. More specifically, in order to transmit the assist start command, it is a condition that the indoor unit at the transmission destination has a surplus air-conditioning capacity. Hereinafter, the surplus capacity of the air conditioning capacity is also referred to as "remaining capacity". The selection processing unit 53c of the present embodiment transmits an assist start command only to the indoor unit in the save operation state.

In the present embodiment, the selection processing unit 53c of the indoor unit according to the measured temperature difference ΔT, which is the difference between the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 25 of the indoor unit having insufficient capacity and the set temperature of the indoor unit having insufficient capacity. The number of selected units and the amount of wind set for the selected indoor unit are calculated. For example, the storage unit 52 stores an assist table in which the actually measured temperature difference ΔT, the number of selected indoor units, and the wind setting amount are associated with each other. Then, the selection processing unit 53c illuminates the measured temperature difference ΔT with the assist table to obtain the number of indoor units selected and the wind setting amount of the selected indoor unit. The selection processing unit 53c may acquire the measured temperature difference ΔT from the capacity determination unit 53a, or may obtain it by the same calculation as the capacity determination unit 53a.

Here, the assist table includes a heating assist table for heating operation and a cooling assist table for cooling operation. FIG. 4 is an example of a heating assist table, and FIG. 5 is an example of a cooling assist table. In FIG. 4, between the measurement temperature Th0, the measurement temperature Th1, the measurement temperature Th2, the measurement temperature Th3, the measurement temperature Th4, the measurement temperature Th5, ..., "Th0 <Th1 <Th2 <Th3 <Th4 <Th5 <...・ ・ ”Is related. In FIG. 5, between the measurement temperature Tc0, the measurement temperature Tc1, the measurement temperature Tc2, the measurement temperature Tc3, the measurement temperature Tc4, the measurement temperature Tc5, ...・ ・ ”Is related.

That is, as the measured temperature difference ΔT increases in the assist table, the amount of assist by the indoor unit, which is not insufficient in capacity, increases. That is, the assist table is configured so that the number of selected units and the set amount of wind increase as the measured temperature difference ΔT increases. In FIGS. 4 and 5, for the sake of simplicity, the air volume from each outlet in the indoor unit in the save operation state is considered to be a weak wind, the air volume larger than the weak wind is regarded as the medium wind, and the air volume larger than the medium wind is regarded as the strong wind. It is supposed to be. “Medium” in FIGS. 4 and 5 corresponds to a medium wind, and “strong” corresponds to a strong wind.

However, the arrangement of the selected number and the wind setting amount in the assist table can be changed according to the arrangement of the indoor units and the installation environment. For example, if the assist amount is larger when one indoor unit is made to have a strong wind than when two indoor units are made to have a medium wind, "Th1 ≦ ΔTh <Th2" and "Tc1 ≦ ΔTc <Tc2" are set. The selected number of units "2 units" and the air volume setting "medium / medium" may be assigned. Then, the selected number of units “1 unit” and the air volume setting “strong” may be assigned to “Th2 ≦ ΔTh <Th3” and “Tc2 ≦ ΔTc <Tc3”.

When the selection processing unit 53c reads the selected number of units "1 unit" from the assist table, the selection processing unit 53c selects one unit from the indoor units adjacent to the indoor unit having insufficient capacity. If there is a difference in the surplus capacity of the indoor unit, select the indoor unit with the most surplus capacity. Here, the surplus capacity of the indoor unit is the surplus capacity of the air conditioning capacity for the air conditioning load, and the surplus capacity means that the capacity to assist the air conditioning in the air conditioning area of the adjacent indoor unit remains. Then, the selection processing unit 53c increases the air volume of the selected indoor unit to the air setting amount.

When the selection processing unit 53c reads the selected number of units "2 units" from the assist table, the selection processing unit 53c selects two indoor units adjacent to the indoor unit having insufficient capacity. Then, the selection processing unit 53c increases the air volume of the two selected indoor units to the set air volume, respectively. For example, when the wind setting amount is set to "medium / strong (medium / strong wind)", the selection processing unit 53c determines that if there is a difference in the surplus capacity of the two selected indoor units, the one with the larger surplus capacity is the strong wind. And make the one with the smaller spare capacity a medium wind. In FIGS. 4 and 5, assuming the situation of FIG. 1, the case where the number of selected units is 3 or more is omitted, but in the assist table, the number of selected units is 1 even when the number of selected units is 3 or more. It is set in the same way as in the case of one unit and two units. Then, the selection processing unit 53c executes the selection process of the indoor unit and the increase process of the air volume even when the number of selected units is three or more, as in the case where the number of selected units is one or two.

(Comfort-oriented mode)
In the comfort-oriented mode, the selection processing unit 53c selects at least one of the other indoor units using the layout information 52b. Then, the selection processing unit 53c increases the air volume in the assist direction of the selected indoor unit to the maximum amount. That is, the selection processing unit 53c transmits an assist start command including information on the assist direction and an instruction to increase the air volume to the maximum amount to the selected indoor unit.

(Past operation restoration mode)
Each time the selection processing unit 53c performs assist control, the selection processing unit 53c stores the assist control data including the information indicating the state of the indoor unit having insufficient capacity and the information of the control content for the selected indoor unit in the storage unit 52 or the storage device 80. It has a function to make it. The past operation restoration mode is an operation mode in which the indoor unit is controlled using the past assist control data. That is, when the selection processing unit 53c determines in the existence / non-existence determination unit 53b that a person exists in the capacity shortage area, in the past operation restoration mode, the selection processing unit 53c uses the past assist control data designated from the outside to perform the capacity. Control the indoor unit adjacent to the insufficient indoor unit.

More specifically, in the case of the past operation restoration mode, the selection processing unit 53c reads the past assist control data from the storage unit 52 or the storage device 80. Then, the selection processing unit 53c generates control designation data indicating the contents of the past assist control based on the read past assist control data and displays it on the display device 70.

The control designation data represents, for example, information on various parameters related to assist control in a bar graph format or a table format, and can be designated by the user. The control designation data includes data on the operating content and operating environment of the indoor unit that has been assisted. When at least one of the storage unit 52 and the storage device 80 stores the assist control data for a plurality of times, the selection processing unit 53c generates control designation data for each of the assist control for the plurality of times. Then, the selection processing unit 53c causes the display device 70 to display a plurality of control designation data in a preset format. In this case, the user can specify any one of the plurality of control designation data via the input device 60. When the selection processing unit 53c generates the control designation data for a plurality of times, the generated control designation data may be arranged in chronological order.

The selection processing unit 53c may include the past shortage data indicating the operation content and the operating environment of the indoor unit having insufficient capacity at the time of the past assist control in the control designation data. In this case, the selection processing unit 53c may display the currently insufficient data indicating the operating contents and the operating environment of the indoor unit having the current insufficient capacity on the display device 70 together with the control designation data. By doing so, it is possible to make the user compare the current shortage data and the past shortage data, so that the ease of selection of the control designation data can be improved. Further, the selection processing unit 53c may generate only the past control designation data for the indoor unit having the current insufficient capacity and display it on the display device 70. By doing so, the options for the control designation data are narrowed, so that the convenience of the user can be improved.

When one control designation data is designated by the user, the selection processing unit 53c receives at least one of the indoor units adjacent to the indoor unit having insufficient capacity according to the original assist control data of the designated control designation data. In addition to selecting the platform, determine the amount of wind set in the assist direction of the selected indoor unit. Then, the selection processing unit 53c increases the air volume in the assist direction of the selected indoor unit to the set amount specified in the original assist control data of the designated control designation data.

The input / output processing unit 53d outputs the information input via the input device 60 to the selection processing unit 53c or stores it in the storage unit 52. Further, the input / output processing unit 53d causes the display device 70 to display various information. For example, the input / output processing unit 53d causes the display device 70 to display one or a plurality of control designation data in the past operation restoration mode.

As shown in FIG. 6, each of the indoor control units 23 of the indoor units 20A to 20C has a blower control unit 23a and a presence / absence detection unit 23b. The presence / absence detection unit 23b determines the presence / absence of a person in the detection area based on the detection signal output from the motion sensor 30, and transmits the presence / absence information indicating the result of the determination to the control device 50. However, when the detection signal from the motion sensor 30 is directly output to the control device 50, the presence / absence determination unit 53b determines the presence / absence of a person in the detection area based on the detection signal.

The conditioned air control unit 23a controls the amount of air blown from the indoor blower 22 and the angle of the conditioned air blown out from each outlet by each flap 21, so that the conditioned air blown out from each of the outlets. Adjust the air volume individually. The blow control unit 23a includes a flap control unit 231, a wind direction plate control unit 232, and a fan control unit 233.

The flap control unit 231 adjusts the vertical angle of the conditioned air blown out from each outlet by controlling the operation of the flap 21. The wind direction plate control unit 232 adjusts the angle of the conditioned air blown out from each outlet in the left-right direction by controlling the operation of the wind direction plate. The fan control unit 233 controls the indoor blower 22 to adjust the amount of air sent out by the indoor blower 22 to the outside.

Next, with reference to FIG. 6, the exchange of data related to the assist control between the control device 50 and the indoor units 20A to 20C will be described. The control device 50 periodically acquires operation state information from each of the indoor units 20A to 20C ((1) in FIG. 6). Here, it is assumed that the indoor unit 20B is in a state of insufficient driving ability. Further, it is assumed that the indoor units 20A and 20C are both in the save operation and have the capacity to perform the assist operation.

The control device 50 grasps the operating state of the indoor units 20A to 20C based on the operating state information acquired from each of the indoor units 20A to 20C. When the control device 50 satisfies various conditions such as that the indoor unit 20B is in a state of insufficient operating ability and that a person is present in the air-conditioning area B, the control device 50 with respect to the air-conditioning area B of the indoor unit 20B having insufficient capacity. Assist control is performed to complement the control. In the present embodiment, the control device 50 transmits an assist start command instructing the start of the assist operation to at least one of the indoor units 20A and 20C. In FIG. 6, it is assumed that the control device 50 selects both the indoor units 20A and 20C ((2) in FIG. 6).

Upon receiving the assist start command, the indoor units 20A and 20C adjust the angle of each flap 21, the angle of each wind direction plate, the rotation speed of the indoor blower 22, and the like according to the assist start command, and air-condition the adjacent indoor unit 20B. Assisted operation to supplement the ability is executed ((3) in FIG. 6).

FIG. 7 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of assisted operation performed by each indoor unit of FIG. With reference to FIG. 7, the features of the assist control by the electric energy suppression mode will be added. In FIG. 7, it is assumed that the indoor unit 20B is in a state of insufficient operating ability and the indoor units 20A and 20C are in the save operation as in the case of FIG. Then, in FIG. 7, the amount of air blown out in each direction is represented by the length and thickness of the white arrow. That is, the control device 50 performs assist control in the electric energy suppression mode or the past operation restoration mode in which the state of the electric energy suppression mode is restored.

The control device 50 that has selected the indoor unit 20B in the insufficient capacity area transmits an assist start command to the indoor units 20A and 20C adjacent to the indoor unit 20B. Here, it is assumed that the actually measured temperature difference ΔT is within the range of “Th3 ≦ ΔTh <Th4” in FIG. 4 or within the range of “Tc3 ≦ ΔTc <Tc4” in FIG. In addition, it is assumed that the control device 50 increases the air volume of the indoor unit 20A to a strong wind and increases the air volume of the indoor unit 20C to a medium wind.

Therefore, the indoor unit 20A that has received the assist start command increases the air volume in the assist direction, that is, in the direction of the insufficient capacity area to a strong wind. Further, the indoor unit 20C that has received the assist start command increases the air volume in the direction of the insufficient capacity area to a medium wind. Further, the control device 50 can include the wind direction information indicating the wind direction in at least one of the vertical direction and the horizontal direction in the assist start command. Therefore, when the assist start command includes the wind direction information, the indoor unit 20A and the indoor unit 20C adjust the angle of at least one of the flap 21 and the wind direction plate together with the air volume in the assist direction. The indoor unit 20A and the indoor unit 20C maintain the air volume from the air outlets in the three directions other than the assist direction as a weak wind (small air volume).

Here, the control device 50 can be configured by an arithmetic unit such as a microcomputer and an operation program that cooperates with such an arithmetic unit to realize the above-mentioned various functions. The storage unit 52 may be configured by a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a PROM (Programmable ROM) such as a flash memory, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), or the like.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the assisted operation start processing by the control device in the operation of the air conditioning system of FIG. The assist operation start process shown in FIG. 8 is repeatedly executed at predetermined time intervals during the operation of the air conditioning system 100 after the set time has elapsed since the air conditioning system 100 was started.

First, the control device 50 acquires operating state information from each of the indoor units 20A to 20C. The indoor units 20A to 20C may periodically transmit the operation state information to the control device 50, or may transmit the operation state information in response to a request signal from the control device 50. Further, the control device 50 acquires compressor operation information indicating the operation status of the compressor from the outdoor unit 10 (step S101).

At that time, the control device 50 determines whether or not the operation state information has been acquired from all the indoor units to be monitored (step S102). If the control device 50 has not acquired the operation status information from all the indoor units (step S102 / No), the control device 50 continuously performs the operation status information acquisition process.

On the other hand, when the acquisition of the operating state information from all the indoor units is completed (step S102 / Yes), the control device 50 becomes insufficient in capacity based on the operating state information obtained from the indoor units 20A to 20C. Determine if there is an indoor unit. As described above, this determination may be performed based on the difference between the set temperature of each indoor unit 20A to 20C and the indoor temperature, or may be performed based on the indoor unit state information. Further, the determination based on the compressor operation information acquired from the outdoor unit 10 may be adopted (step S103).

Then, when it is determined that there is no indoor unit having insufficient capacity (step S103 / No), the control device 50 ends the assist operation start process as it is. On the other hand, when it is determined that there is an indoor unit having insufficient capacity (step S103 / Yes), the control device 50 acquires and stores environmental information of the indoor unit having insufficient capacity and the indoor unit adjacent to the indoor unit. Store in device 80. Environmental information is information such as indoor temperature, power consumption, air volume, and wind direction. However, the environmental information may be stored in the storage unit 52 (step S104).

Further, the control device 50 acquires a detection signal from the motion sensor 30 provided in the indoor unit having insufficient capacity (step S105), and determines whether or not a person exists in the insufficient capacity area based on the detection signal. (Step S106).

When the control device 50 determines that there is no person in the insufficient capacity area (step S106 / No), the control device 50 ends the assist operation start process as it is. This is because it is not necessary to perform assisted driving to improve comfort when there are no people in the inadequate area.

On the other hand, when the control device 50 determines that a person exists in the insufficient capacity area (step S106 / Yes), the operation mode of the assist control is one of the electric energy suppression mode, the comfort-oriented mode, and the past operation restoration mode. Identify which one is set. At this time, the control device 50 may display the mode selection information prompting the identification of the operation mode on the display device 70 by a dialog or the like, and allow the user to specify the operation mode (step S107).

When the control device 50 is set to the electric energy suppression mode (step S107 / M1), the control device 50 uses the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 25 of the indoor unit having insufficient capacity and the layout information 52b, and at least among the other indoor units. Select one unit and obtain the wind setting amount of the selected indoor unit. Here, the other indoor unit is an indoor unit other than the indoor unit having insufficient capacity. That is, the control device 50 selects an indoor unit for executing the assist operation, and obtains the increased air volume of the selected indoor unit as the air setting amount. At that time, the control device 50 specifies the assist direction based on the layout information 52b (step S108).

Next, the control device 50 determines whether or not the selected indoor unit has spare capacity (step S109). If the selected indoor unit does not have a surplus capacity (step S109 / No), the control device 50 ends the assist operation start process as it is. This is because the selected indoor unit cannot be made to execute the assist operation.

On the other hand, if the selected indoor unit has a surplus capacity (step S109 / Yes), the control device 50 increases the air volume in the assist direction of the selected indoor unit to the air set amount. When the indoor unit having the surplus power and the indoor unit having no surplus power are mixed in the selected indoor unit, the control device 50 increases the air volume in the assist direction of the indoor unit having the surplus power. That is, the control device 50 transmits an assist start command including information on the assist direction and the wind setting amount to the selected indoor unit. The indoor unit that has received the assist start command increases the air volume in the assist direction to the wind set amount (step S110).

When the control device 50 is set to the comfort-oriented mode (step S107 / M2), at least one of the other indoor units is selected by using the layout information 52b. At that time, the control device 50 specifies the direction of the indoor unit having insufficient capacity with respect to the selected indoor unit, that is, the assist direction (step S111), based on the layout information 52b.

Next, the control device 50 determines whether or not the selected indoor unit has spare capacity (step S112). If the selected indoor unit does not have a surplus capacity (step S112 / No), the control device 50 ends the assist operation start process as it is, as in step S109.

On the other hand, if the selected indoor unit has a surplus capacity (step S112 / Yes), the control device 50 increases the air volume in the assist direction of the selected indoor unit to the maximum amount. When the indoor unit having the surplus power and the indoor unit having no surplus power are mixed in the selected indoor unit, the control device 50 increases the air volume in the assist direction of the indoor unit having the surplus power to the maximum amount. That is, the control device 50 transmits an assist start command including information on the assist direction to the selected indoor unit. The indoor unit that has received the assist start command increases the air volume in the assist direction to the maximum value (step S113).

When the control device 50 is set to the past operation restoration mode (step S107 / M3), the control device 50 reads the past assist control data from the storage unit 52 or the storage device 80, and controls designation data indicating the contents of the past assist control. To generate. Then, the control device 50 causes the display device 70 to display the control designation data in a predetermined format (step S114).

The control device 50 waits until the control designation data is designated by the user (step S115 / No). Next, one control designation data is designated by the user (step S115 / Yes). Then, the control device 50 selects at least one of the other indoor units according to the assist control data that is the source of the designated control designation data, and sets the wind in the assist direction of the selected indoor unit. The amount is determined (step S116).

Next, the control device 50 determines whether or not the selected indoor unit has spare capacity (step S117). The control device 50 displays on the display device 70 information that the assist control based on the designated control designation data cannot be executed unless the selected indoor unit has a spare capacity (step S117 / No). Display. At that time, if there are other options for the control designation data, the control device 50 may display the control designation data that has not been designated on the display device 70 so that it can be designated. At this time, if the user specifies other control designation data, the process proceeds to step S117. Further, when a certain waiting time has elapsed since the display device 70 displays the non-executable information, or when other control designation data is not specified, the control device 50 assists as it is as in step S109. The operation start process is terminated.

On the other hand, if the selected indoor unit has a surplus capacity (step S117 / Yes), the control device 50 determines the air volume in the assist direction of the selected indoor unit as the assist control data that is the source of the designated control designation data. Increase to the set amount (step S118).

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of the assisted operation stop processing by the control device in the operation of the air conditioning system of FIG. The assist operation stop process shown in FIG. 9 is repeatedly executed at predetermined time intervals during the operation of the air conditioning system 100 together with the assist operation start process.

First, the control device 50 determines whether or not the assist control is being executed (step S201). If the control device 50 has not executed the assist control, the control device 50 ends the assist operation stop process. If the control device 50 is executing the assist control, the control device 50 acquires a detection signal from the motion sensor 30 of the indoor unit having insufficient capacity (step S202), and based on the presence / absence information included in the detection signal, the insufficient capacity area. It is determined whether or not there is a person in (step S203).

When there is no person in the air-conditioned area with insufficient capacity (step S203 / No), the control device 50 shifts to the process of step S207 described later. This is because it is no longer necessary to perform assisted driving to improve comfort because there are no more people in the area where the ability is insufficient.

When a person is present in the insufficient capacity area (step S203 / Yes), the control device 50 acquires a detection signal from the motion sensor 30 of the indoor unit during the assist operation (step S204). Then, the control device 50 determines whether or not a person is present in the air-conditioned area of the indoor unit during the assist operation, based on the presence / absence information included in the detection signal. Hereinafter, the air-conditioned area of the indoor unit during the assist operation is also referred to as an “assist area” (step S205).

When there is no person in the assist area (step S205 / No), the control device 50 ends the assist operation stop process as it is. This is because when there is no person in the assist area, even if the assist operation is continued, the comfort is not reduced due to the excessive air conditioning in the assist area. At this time, the control device 50 may transmit an assist operation continuation command instructing the indoor unit during the assist operation to continue the assist operation.

On the other hand, when a person is present in the assist area (step S205 / Yes), the control device 50 determines whether or not excessive air conditioning is performed in the assist area, that is, whether or not the assist area is in an excessive cooling / heating state. .. This determination is performed using, for example, the compressor operation information acquired from the outdoor unit 10 and the set temperature and indoor temperature information acquired from the indoor unit during the assist operation. That is, the control device 50 determines that excessive cooling is performed when the compressor is operating and the room temperature of the assist area is lower than the set temperature during the cooling operation. Further, the control device 50 determines that overheating is performed when the compressor is operating and the room temperature of the assist area is higher than the set temperature during the heating operation (step S206).

When the over-air conditioning is performed in the assist area (step S206 / Yes), the control device 50 transmits an assist stop command instructing the indoor unit during the assist operation to stop the assist operation. This is because when excessive air conditioning is performed in the assist area even though there are people in the assist area, the decrease in comfort is promoted by continuing the assist operation (step S207). .. This is because it is not necessary to execute the assist operation when the process proceeds to step S207 via No in step S203, that is, when there is no person in the air-conditioned area having insufficient capacity.

By the way, when a plurality of indoor units are performing assist operation, it is assumed that an indoor unit in which over-air conditioning is performed in the assist area and an indoor unit in which over-air conditioning is not performed in the assist area coexist. Will be done. Therefore, in step S207 in such a situation, the control device 50 transmits an assist stop command only to the indoor unit in which the over-air conditioning is performed in the assist area.

The indoor unit that received the assist stop command stops the assist operation. The indoor unit that has temporarily stopped the assist operation may not restart the assist operation until a predetermined time has elapsed after the stop. This is to prevent the start operation and the stop operation of the assist operation from being repeated in a short time.

On the other hand, when the excessive air conditioning is not performed in the assist area (step S206 / No), the control device 50 ends the assist operation stop process as it is. This is because if the assist area is not over-air-conditioned, the comfort does not decrease even if the assist operation is continued. At this time, the control device 50 may transmit an assist operation continuation command to the indoor unit during the assist operation.

The assist operation, which causes excessive air conditioning in the assist area due to the processes shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, is not continuously executed for a long time, but is intermittently performed at predetermined time intervals. It is preferable that the execution interval of the assist operation can be arbitrarily set by the user.

As described above, in the management device 40 of the present embodiment, the indoor unit and the set amount of the air volume are obtained by using the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 25 of the indoor unit having insufficient capacity and the layout information 52b, and the indoor unit is selected. Increase the air volume in the assist direction to the set amount. Therefore, the capacity of the indoor unit with insufficient capacity can be supplemented by the number of units and the air volume according to the temperature measured by the temperature sensor of the indoor unit with insufficient capacity. The amount of consumption can be reduced.

That is, since the air conditioning system 100 has a function of complementing the air conditioning capacity of the adjacent indoor units in each of the plurality of indoor units, it is possible to reduce the lack of cooling / heating capacity in the insufficient capacity area. Further, since the selection processing unit 53c performs assist control when a person is present in the insufficient capacity area, it is possible to improve the comfort of the insufficient capacity area and save energy in a well-balanced manner. Then, the selection processing unit 53c can avoid a situation in which the room is unnecessarily cold or the room is unnecessarily warmed by the cooperation with the motion sensor 30.

In the present embodiment, the selection processing unit 53c selects the indoor unit according to the measured temperature difference, which is the difference between the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 25 of the indoor unit having insufficient capacity and the set temperature of the indoor unit having insufficient capacity. Obtain the number of units and the set amount of air volume for the selected indoor unit. That is, the management device 40 can determine the number of indoor units to be assisted and the amount of increase in air volume in the assisted operation according to the measured temperature difference, that is, the degree of insufficient capacity. Therefore, it is possible to suppress excessive air conditioning in the assist area while compensating for the capacity of the indoor unit having insufficient capacity.

Further, the selection processing unit 53c has a function of comparing the measured temperature difference with the assist table to obtain the number of indoor units to be assisted and the wind setting amount in the assisted operation. Here, the assist table is table information in which the measured temperature difference reflecting the degree of insufficient capacity, the number of indoor units, and the wind setting amount are associated with each other. Therefore, the management device 40 can more flexibly perform complementary control of air conditioning in the insufficient capacity area and suppression of excessive air conditioning in the assist area.

In addition, when selecting one indoor unit, the selection processing unit 53c is the most when there are two or more indoor units adjacent to the indoor unit with insufficient capacity and there is a difference in the surplus capacity of these air conditioning capacities. Select an indoor unit with extra capacity and execute assist operation. As a result, it is possible to suppress a situation in which an excessive load is applied to the indoor unit that executes the assist operation. Further, when the selection processing unit 53c selects a plurality of indoor units and sets different air volumes for the selected plurality of indoor units, there is a difference in the surplus capacity of the air conditioning capacity of the selected plurality of indoor units. At one time, the larger air volume is set in order from the indoor unit with the largest remaining capacity. In this way, by adjusting the load according to the surplus capacity of each indoor unit that executes the assist operation, the balance of the load of each indoor unit can be adjusted.

Further, the selection processing unit 53c has a function of storing the assist control data in the storage unit 52 or the storage device 80 each time the assist control is performed. Then, in the past operation restoration mode, the selection processing unit 53c controls the indoor unit using the past assist control data when a person exists in the capacity insufficient area. That is, the management device 40 can restore the assist control based on the past assist control data according to the designated operation of the user. In this way, since the user can specify the content of the assist control from the past driving results, it is possible to realize flexible complementary control according to the user's preference. In addition, since the management device 40 has a comfort-oriented mode as the operation mode of the assist control, it is possible to execute the assist control in which the comfort of the insufficient capacity area is prioritized according to the user's setting.

By the way, in the case of assisted operation, the indoor unit increases the operating load in order to compensate for the load of the indoor unit having insufficient capacity. Therefore, in the assist area, the portion where the amount of blown air increases is excessively air-conditioned, and the comfort of the portion may be reduced. Therefore, the assist operation may be executed intermittently at predetermined time intervals instead of being continuously executed for a long time. Here, when there is no person in the assist area, there is no risk of deteriorating the comfort for the person even if the assist operation is continuously executed for a long time. Therefore, in the present embodiment, it is determined whether or not to stop the execution of the assist operation based on the information on the existence or nonexistence of the person in the assist area. That is, the management device 40 continuously executes the assist operation when there is no person in the assist area. On the other hand, when a person is present in the assist area, the management device 40 determines whether or not excessive air conditioning is performed in the assist area, and switches between execution and stop of the assist operation based on the determination result. Therefore, according to the air conditioning system 100, it is possible to accurately suppress the decrease in comfort due to excessive air conditioning in the assist area while improving the comfort in the insufficient capacity area.

Further, the assist control in the present embodiment includes a power amount suppression mode, a comfort-oriented mode, and a past operation restoration mode as operation modes. That is, the air conditioning system 100 allows the user to select the operation mode of the assist control. That is, the user can appropriately select the improvement level of comfort in the incapacitated area. Therefore, the user can flexibly select the operation mode in consideration of the power consumption, the comfort, and the workability, so that the convenience can be improved. The control device 50 does not have to have at least one of the comfort-oriented mode and the past operation restoration mode as the operation mode of the assist control.

<Modification example>
FIG. 10 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of assisted operation performed by each indoor unit of the air conditioning system according to the modified example of the embodiment of the present invention. Since the basic configuration of the air conditioning system of this modification is the same as the configuration illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 7, the same reference numerals are used for equivalent components, and the description thereof will be omitted.

The air conditioning system 100 of this modification has indoor units 20A to 20E as a plurality of air conditioners. The area where the indoor unit 20A is air-conditioned is the air-conditioning area A, the area where the indoor unit 20B is air-conditioned is the air-conditioning area B, and the area where the indoor unit 20C is air-conditioned is the air-conditioning area C. In addition, the area where the indoor unit 20D is air-conditioned is the air-conditioning area D, and the area where the indoor unit 20E is air-conditioned is the air-conditioning area E. Therefore, the layout information 52b of this modification is information indicating the installation positions of the indoor units 20A to 20E as shown in FIG.

That is, in FIG. 2 and the like, the case where the outlets of the indoor units 20A and 20C are located in front of the outlets of the indoor units 20B is illustrated, but as shown in FIG. 10, the outlets of the indoor units 20A and 20C are illustrated. However, it is assumed that the indoor unit 20B is located at an angle to the air outlet. In FIG. 10, the outlets of the indoor units 20D and 20E are also positioned obliquely with respect to the outlet of the indoor unit 20B.

As described above, in a situation where the indoor units are not arranged linearly, for example, when the indoor unit 20B has insufficient capacity, the control device 50 assists the indoor unit 20A and at least one of the indoor units 20C to 20E for assisted operation. To execute. At that time, as shown in FIG. 10, the control device 50 increases the air volume of the selected indoor unit. Then, the control device 50 controls the wind direction plate to adjust the wind direction in the left-right direction based on the layout information 52b, thereby increasing the air volume in the direction toward the air-conditioned area of the indoor unit having insufficient capacity, that is, in the assist direction. Therefore, even with the air conditioning system 100 of this modification, it is possible to suppress a decrease in comfort in the insufficient capacity area and the assist area and reduce the power consumption. Other effects are the same as in the case of the air conditioning system 100 illustrated in FIG. 1 and the like.

The embodiments described above are suitable specific examples in the air conditioning system, and the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. For example, FIG. 1 and the like exemplify three indoor units as a plurality of air conditioners, and FIG. 10 exemplifies five indoor units as a plurality of air conditioners, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the air conditioning system 100 It suffices to have two or more indoor units as a plurality of air conditioners. Further, in FIG. 2 and the like, the ceiling-embedded cassette type 4-direction indoor unit is exemplified, but the indoor unit constituting the air conditioning system 100 is the ceiling-embedded cassette type 2-direction indoor unit or. It may be a ceiling-embedded cassette type one-way indoor unit or the like. In addition, as the indoor unit constituting the air conditioning system 100, another type of indoor unit such as a wall-mounted type or a floor-standing type may be adopted.

Further, in the above embodiment, the cooling / heating switching type air conditioning system 100 is taken as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the air conditioning system 100 may be an air conditioning system dedicated to cooling or heating. Further, in the above embodiment, the case where the management device 40 is a centralized controller has been illustrated, but the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, a remote controller connected to the indoor unit may function as the management device 40. In addition, some or all the functions of the control device 50 may be provided to the indoor control unit 23 of any of the plurality of indoor units.

Further, in the above embodiment, the case where the air volume setting of the indoor unit is set in three stages is illustrated, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the air volume setting of the indoor unit may be set in four stages or more. In this case, for example, the assist tables shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 further finely define the number of selected assist controls and the amount of wind set. In addition, the wind setting amount may be information indicating an increase amount from the current air volume.

10 outdoor unit, 20A to 20E indoor unit, 21 flap, 22 indoor blower, 23 indoor control unit, 23a blower control unit, 23b presence / absence detection unit, 25 temperature sensor, 30 human sensor, 40 management device, 50 control device, 51 Operation information management unit, 52 storage unit, 52a operation status storage data, 52b layout information, 53 assist processing unit, 53a capacity determination unit, 53b presence / absence determination unit, 53c selection processing unit, 53d input / output processing unit, 60 input device, 70 Display device, 80 storage device, 100 air conditioning system, 231 flap control unit, 232 wind direction plate control unit, 233 fan control unit, A to E air conditioning area, K air conditioning space, ΔT measured temperature difference, ΔTc heating temperature difference, ΔTh heating Temperature difference.

Claims (8)

Multiple air conditioners that divide the air conditioning space into air conditioning areas for air conditioning,
A motion sensor that is installed in each of the plurality of air conditioners to detect the presence of a person,
It is equipped with a management device that monitors and controls and manages a plurality of the air conditioners.
Each of the plurality of air conditioners has a temperature sensor that measures the temperature of the air-conditioned space, and also has a function of adjusting the air volume of the air-conditioned air to be blown out for each blowing direction.
The management device is
Layout information indicating the arrangement of the plurality of air conditioners, a storage unit for storing the set temperature of each of the plurality of air conditioners, and a storage unit.
When any of the plurality of air conditioners has insufficient capacity, a presence / absence determination unit for determining whether or not a person exists in the air conditioning area of the air conditioner having insufficient capacity based on a detection signal from the motion sensor. When,
When it is determined by the existence / non-existence determination unit that a person exists in the air-conditioned area of the air conditioner having insufficient capacity, the temperature measured by the temperature sensor of the air conditioner having insufficient capacity and the layout information are used to use the other said. Select at least one of the air conditioners and obtain the set amount of air volume, and suppress the amount of power to increase the air volume of the selected air conditioner in the direction toward the air conditioning area of the air conditioner with insufficient capacity to the set amount. a selection processor that performs assist control includes a mode, the possess,
The selection processing unit
When selecting one air conditioner, if there are two or more air conditioners adjacent to the air conditioner with insufficient capacity and there is a difference in the surplus capacity of these air conditioners, the air conditioner having the most surplus capacity The air conditioning system that selects. The selection processing unit
The number of selected air conditioners and the selected air conditioner according to the measured temperature difference, which is the difference between the temperature measured by the temperature sensor of the air conditioner having insufficient capacity and the set temperature of the air conditioner having insufficient capacity. The air conditioning system according to claim 1, wherein the set amount of the air volume of the above is obtained. In the storage unit
An assist table that associates the measured temperature difference with the selected number of air conditioners and the set amount is stored.
The selection processing unit
The air conditioning system according to claim 2, wherein the measured temperature difference is compared with the assist table to obtain the selected number of the air conditioners and the set amount of the air volume of the selected air conditioners. The selection processing unit
When a plurality of the air conditioners are selected and different air volumes are set for the selected air conditioners, if there is a difference in the air conditioning capacity of the selected air conditioners, the air conditioning capacity is different. The air conditioning system according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein a large air volume is set in order from the air conditioner having the largest size. The selection processing unit
Each time the assist control is performed, it has a function of storing the assist control data including the information indicating the state of the air conditioner having insufficient capacity and the information of the control content for the selected air conditioner in the storage unit.
When the presence / absence determination unit determines that a person exists in the air-conditioned area of the air conditioner having insufficient capacity, the assist control is set to a past operation restoration mode for controlling the air conditioner using the past assist control data. The air conditioning system according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein the air conditioning system is to be performed. The selection processing unit
When it is determined by the presence / absence determination unit that a person exists in the air conditioning area of the air conditioner having insufficient capacity, at least one of the other air conditioners is selected using the layout information, and the selected air conditioner is selected. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , wherein the comfort-oriented mode for increasing the air volume in the direction toward the air-conditioned area of the air conditioner having insufficient capacity to the maximum amount is performed as the assist control. Air conditioning system. Multiple air conditioners that divide the air conditioning space into air conditioning areas for air conditioning,
A motion sensor that is installed in each of the plurality of air conditioners to detect the presence of a person,
It is equipped with a management device that monitors and controls and manages a plurality of the air conditioners.
Each of the plurality of air conditioners has a temperature sensor that measures the temperature of the air-conditioned space, and also has a function of adjusting the air volume of the air-conditioned air to be blown out for each blowing direction.
The management device is
Layout information indicating the arrangement of the plurality of air conditioners, a storage unit for storing the set temperature of each of the plurality of air conditioners, and a storage unit.
When any of the plurality of air conditioners has insufficient capacity, a presence / absence determination unit for determining whether or not a person exists in the air conditioning area of the air conditioner having insufficient capacity based on a detection signal from the motion sensor. When,
When it is determined by the existence / non-existence determination unit that a person exists in the air-conditioned area of the air conditioner having insufficient capacity, the temperature measured by the temperature sensor of the air conditioner having insufficient capacity and the layout information are used to use the other said. Select at least one of the air conditioners and obtain the set amount of air volume, and suppress the amount of power to increase the air volume of the selected air conditioner in the direction toward the air conditioning area of the air conditioner with insufficient capacity to the set amount. It has a selection processing unit that performs assist control including modes, and has.
The selection processing unit
When a plurality of the air conditioners are selected and different air volumes are set for the selected air conditioners, if there is a difference in the air conditioning capacity of the selected air conditioners, the air conditioning capacity is different. An air conditioning system that sets a large air volume in order from the air conditioner with the largest size. Multiple air conditioners that divide the air conditioning space into air conditioning areas for air conditioning,
A motion sensor that is installed in each of the plurality of air conditioners to detect the presence of a person,
It is equipped with a management device that monitors and controls and manages a plurality of the air conditioners.
Each of the plurality of air conditioners has a temperature sensor that measures the temperature of the air-conditioned space, and also has a function of adjusting the air volume of the air-conditioned air to be blown out for each blowing direction.
The management device is
Layout information indicating the arrangement of the plurality of air conditioners, a storage unit for storing the set temperature of each of the plurality of air conditioners, and a storage unit.
When any of the plurality of air conditioners has insufficient capacity, a presence / absence determination unit for determining whether or not a person exists in the air conditioning area of the air conditioner having insufficient capacity based on a detection signal from the motion sensor. When,
When it is determined by the existence / non-existence determination unit that a person exists in the air-conditioned area of the air conditioner having insufficient capacity, the temperature measured by the temperature sensor of the air conditioner having insufficient capacity and the layout information are used to use the other said. Select at least one of the air conditioners and obtain the set amount of air volume, and suppress the amount of power to increase the air volume of the selected air conditioner in the direction toward the air conditioning area of the air conditioner with insufficient capacity to the set amount. It has a selection processing unit that performs assist control including modes, and has.
The selection processing unit
Each time the assist control is performed, it has a function of storing the assist control data including the information indicating the state of the air conditioner having insufficient capacity and the information of the control content for the selected air conditioner in the storage unit.
When the presence / absence determination unit determines that a person exists in the air-conditioned area of the air conditioner having insufficient capacity, the assist control is set to a past operation restoration mode for controlling the air conditioner using the past assist control data. An air conditioning system that is to be done as.

Images