JP7206684B2 - Environmental control system and air conditioner - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an environment control system and an air conditioner.

Patent Literature 1 describes an environment control system for improving the working efficiency of workers. This environment control system forms air currents and ventilates the working space so as to maintain or improve the degree of concentration of the worker.

WO2015/107607

In Patent Document 1, there is a problem that it is difficult to simultaneously improve workability and control the temperature of the working space.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an environment control system and an air conditioner that are capable of simultaneously improving workability and controlling the temperature of a work space.

The environment control system according to the present invention includes a plurality of air outlets for blowing air toward the same work space, air direction changing means capable of changing the direction of the air blown from the air outlets, and hot air, cold air, and room temperature air. Blowing means for selectively generating wind and blowing it out from an air outlet, human body detecting means for detecting a human body present in the work space, and control for controlling the blowing means and wind direction changing means based on the detection result of the human body detecting means. a work efficiency improvement operation of blowing normal temperature air from at least one air outlet toward the human body detected by the human body detection means; and a temperature control operation of blowing hot air or cool air from the at least one air outlet. , are configured to run concurrently.
The control means controls the air blowing means and the air direction changing means so that hot air or cold air is blown out from all of the plurality of air outlets until the temperature of the work space reaches the set temperature. After reaching the set temperature, the air blowing means and the air direction changing means are controlled so that the work efficiency improving operation and the temperature control operation are performed simultaneously.
Alternatively, the air outlet from which normal temperature air is blown out by the work efficiency improvement operation and the air outlet from which warm air or cool air is blown out by the temperature control operation are switched at regular intervals.
Further, the air conditioner according to the present invention includes a plurality of air outlets for blowing air toward the same work space, air direction changing means capable of changing the direction of the air blown from the air outlets, hot air, cold air and Blower means for selectively generating normal temperature air and blowing it out from an air outlet, human body detection means for detecting a human body present in the work space, and control of the air blower means and wind direction changing means based on the detection result of the human body detection means. a control means for blowing hot air or cold air from at least one air outlet toward the human body detected by the human body detecting means; configured to simultaneously perform an operation and The control means controls the air blowing means and the air direction changing means so that hot air or cold air is blown out from all of the plurality of outlets until the temperature of the work space reaches the set temperature, and the temperature of the work space reaches the set temperature. is reached, the air blowing means and the air direction changing means are controlled so that the work efficiency improving operation and the temperature adjusting operation are performed simultaneously.

With the environment control system and the air conditioner according to the present invention, it is possible to simultaneously improve workability and control the temperature of the work space.

1 is a side view schematically showing the configuration of a working space in which the environment control system of Embodiment 1 is used; FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the indoor unit of the air conditioner of Embodiment 1. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the internal structure of a louver included in the indoor unit of the air conditioner of Embodiment 1. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control system of the environmental control system of Embodiment 1; FIG. 4 shows an example of the shape of the portion showing the temperature distribution of the surface temperature of the worker according to Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the environmental control system of Embodiment 1 which performs work efficiency improvement operation|movement. 4 is a diagram showing an example of temperature control of the environmental control system of Embodiment 1; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of temperature control of the environmental control system of Embodiment 1; FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing an operation example of the environmental control system of Embodiment 1; FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of an air conditioner according to Embodiment 2; FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the air conditioner of Embodiment 2 that performs work efficiency improvement operation.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The same reference numerals in each figure indicate the same or corresponding parts. In addition, in the present disclosure, overlapping descriptions are appropriately simplified or omitted. It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments. The present invention may include various modifications and combinations of the configurations disclosed by the following embodiments within the scope of the present invention.

Embodiment 1.
1 to 4 show configurations of an environment control system and an air conditioner according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a side view schematically showing the configuration of a work space 100 in which the environment control system of Embodiment 1 is used. 2 is a perspective view of the indoor unit 1 of the air conditioner of Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the internal structure of the louvers included in the indoor unit 1 of the air conditioner of Embodiment 1. As shown in FIG. FIG. 3 shows the internal structure of part A surrounded by a broken line in FIG. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control system of the environmental control system of Embodiment 1. As shown in FIG.

The environment control system according to the present embodiment suppresses a decrease in work efficiency or improves work efficiency of a worker 50 in a work space 100 as shown in FIG. Work space 100 is, for example, the interior space of a room. As shown in FIG. 1, there are a plurality of workers 50 in the work space 100 as an example. Note that the work space 100 may be a space where only one worker 50 can work.

The environment control system according to the present embodiment includes an air conditioner that air-conditions the working space 100 . An air conditioner can perform air conditioning operations including a cooling operation in which cold air is blown, a heating operation in which warm air is blown, and a fan operation in which normal temperature air is blown. Further, the air conditioner according to the present embodiment can perform work efficiency improvement operation. A detailed description of the work efficiency improvement operation will be given later.

The air conditioner includes an indoor unit 1. In the present disclosure, the indoor unit 1 is also referred to as the main body of the air conditioner. As shown in FIG. 1, the indoor unit 1 is installed, as an example, on the ceiling surface 54 of the room in which the working space 100 is formed. The indoor unit 1 of the air conditioner may be configured to be installed on the floor surface 51 or the wall surface 52, for example. The environment control system according to this embodiment includes a plurality of indoor units 1 . The environment control system includes, for example, two indoor units 1 as shown in FIG.

An outdoor unit is connected to the indoor unit 1 via a pipe through which a refrigerant flows. The illustration of this piping and the outdoor unit is omitted in this disclosure. In addition, the present disclosure also omits illustration of each device constituting a refrigeration cycle necessary for the air conditioner to perform the air conditioning operation, a blower fan for blowing air into the work space 100, and the like. Each device constituting the refrigeration cycle includes, for example, a heat exchanger and a compressor.

As shown in FIG. 2 , the indoor unit 1 has a housing 30 . A housing 30 of the indoor unit 1 is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped box shape. A rectangular or square bottom panel 31 is provided at the bottom of the housing 30 of the indoor unit 1 . A suction port 5 is formed in the bottom panel 31 . The suction port 5 is an opening for taking air into the housing 30 from the outside. As an example, the suction port 5 is arranged in the center of the bottom panel 31 as shown in FIG.

A blowout port 20 is formed in the lower panel 31 . The air outlet 20 is an opening for discharging air from the inside of the housing 30 to the outside. In the present embodiment, the bottom panel 31 is formed with, for example, four outlets 20 . The four outlets 20 are arranged around the inlet 5, as shown in FIG. The four outlets 20 are provided along each side of the bottom panel 31, respectively. Thus, the air conditioner according to the present disclosure includes a main body in which the outlet 20 is formed.

As shown in FIGS. 1 , 2 and 3 , the indoor unit 1 has a vertical louver 2 and a horizontal louver 4 . The upper and lower louvers 2 and the left and right louvers 4 are provided at each of the outlets 20 . Upper and lower louver 2. It is for adjusting the blowing angle of the air blown from the blowing port 20 in the vertical direction. The left and right louvers 4 are for adjusting the blowing angle of the air blown out from the blowing port 20 in the left and right direction.

The upper and lower louvers 2 are rectangular plate-shaped members. One end of the upper and lower louvers 2 is rotatably attached to a central portion of the lower panel 31 of the edges of the outlet 20 . As the vertical louver 2 rotates around this one end, the blowing angle of the air blown out from the blowing port 20 in the vertical direction is changed.

The left and right louvers 4 are composed of a plurality of rectangular plate-shaped members. The plurality of rectangular plate-shaped members are arranged along the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the outlet 20 . One ends of the left and right louvers 4 are rotatably attached to the far side portion of the edge of the outlet 20 . By rotating the left and right louvers 4 around this one end, the blowing angle of the air blown out from the blowing port 20 in the left and right direction is changed.

The upper and lower louvers 2 and the left and right louvers 4 configured as described above are an example of wind direction changing means capable of changing the direction in which air is blown out from the outlet 20 . The air conditioner according to the present embodiment can blow air in various directions by changing the combination of the orientation of the upper and lower louvers 2 and the orientation of the left and right louvers 4 .

In addition, since the vertical louvers 2 are oriented most upward, the outlet 20 is closed by the vertical louvers 2 . The air conditioner according to the present embodiment can stop air blowing from some of the plurality of air outlets 20 by blocking the air outlets 20 with the upper and lower louvers 2 . is.

An air passage is formed inside the housing 30 to communicate with the air inlet 5 and the air outlet 20 . A heat exchanger and a blower fan (not shown) are installed in the air passage leading from the suction port 5 to the blowout port 20 . The heat exchanger heats or cools the air through heat exchange between the air flowing through the air passage and the refrigerant. Whether air is heated or cooled by the heat exchanger depends on the type of air conditioning operation performed by the air conditioner. The heat exchanger heats or cools the air to adjust the temperature, humidity, etc. of the air to generate conditioned air. Specifically, the heat exchanger heats the air during the heating operation. During cooling operation, the heat exchanger cools the air. Further, during the blowing operation, the air that has passed through the heat exchanger is generated as normal temperature conditioned air.

The blower fan is for generating an airflow in the air passage inside the housing 30 from the suction port 5 toward the blowout port 20 . When the blower fan operates, air is sucked from the suction port 5 and blown out from the blowout port 20. - 特許庁

The air sucked from the suction port 5 passes through the air passage inside the housing 30 of the indoor unit 1 through the heat exchanger and the blower fan in this order. Air that has passed through the blower fan, ie, conditioned air, is blown out from the outlet 20 . During heating operation, hot air is blown out from the outlet 20. - 特許庁Cold air is blown out from the outlet 20 during cooling operation. Air of normal temperature is blown out from the outlet 20 during the blowing operation. At this time, the direction in which the air is blown out from the outlet 20 is adjusted by the vertical louver 2 and the horizontal louver 4 arranged on the leeward side of the blower fan. An air conditioner can blow air of various temperatures in various directions.

The temperature in the work space 100 is adjusted by blowing out the conditioned air from the outlet 20 as described above. During the heating operation, warm air is blown out from the air outlet 20 to raise the temperature in the working space 100 . During the cooling operation, cold air is blown out from the air outlet 20 to lower the temperature in the work space 100 . The indoor unit 1 controls the temperature in the work space 100 by blowing cold air or warm air. In the present disclosure, the operation of blowing out hot air or cold air from the air outlet 20 of the indoor unit 1 is also referred to as "temperature adjustment operation".

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the surface temperature sensor 3 is attached to the bottom panel 31 . The surface temperature sensor 3 has, for example, a plurality of thermopiles arranged in one direction. Each of the plurality of thermopiles has an element capable of individually receiving infrared light and detecting temperature. The surface temperature sensor 3 can operate to change the direction perpendicular to the one direction of the plurality of thermopiles. The surface temperature sensor 3 can detect the surface temperature of an object within a preset target range by scanning each of a plurality of thermopiles arranged in one direction. It is desirable that this target range covers the entire working space 100 .

The surface temperature sensor 3 may have an SOI diode type uncooled infrared image sensor. "SOI" is an abbreviation for "Silicon On Insulator". When the surface temperature sensor 3 is of the SOI diode type, a silicon diode is used in the sensor section. Therefore, the SOI diode type surface temperature sensor 3 can be manufactured on a semiconductor manufacturing line, and has the advantage of low production cost. The SOI diode type surface temperature sensor 3 can also detect the surface temperature of an object within a preset target range, like the surface temperature sensor 3 having a plurality of thermopiles. Thus, the surface temperature sensor 3 can be any type of sensor.

The surface temperature sensor 3 acquires information on the surface temperature of an object in a non-contact manner. The surface temperature sensor 3 scans the target range and acquires the surface temperature distribution data within the target range with the configuration as described above. The surface temperature distribution data is also called thermal image data. The detection result of the surface temperature sensor 3, that is, the surface temperature distribution data within the target range is processed by the controller unit 6 or the like, which will be described later. Thereby, the positions of the floor surface 51 and the wall surface 52 of the room in which the work space 100 is formed, the presence or absence of obstacles such as the desk 53 in the work space 100, the presence or absence of heat sources including the worker 50, and the like are detected.

Now, with reference to FIG. 4, the configuration of the control system of the environmental control system of this embodiment will be described. As shown in FIG. 4, the environmental control system of this embodiment includes a controller section 6 and a control board 11. As shown in FIG. The controller unit 6 and the control board 11 are provided in the indoor unit 1 of the air conditioner, for example. Further, as an example, the control board 11 is connected to a system control section 17 provided outside the air conditioner.

The controller section 6 controls the operation of the surface temperature sensor 3 . Further, as described above, the controller section 6 processes the surface temperature distribution data output from the surface temperature sensor 3 . The controller unit 6 includes, for example, an information acquisition unit 7, a position determination unit 8, a site determination unit 9, and a temperature determination unit 10.

The information acquisition unit 7 acquires surface temperature distribution data output from the surface temperature sensor 3 . A position determination unit 8 determines the position of an object within the target range based on the surface temperature distribution data acquired by the information acquisition unit 7 . Objects whose positions are determined by the position determining unit 8 include, for example, the worker 50, the floor surface 51, the wall surface 52, the desk 53, and the like. The position determination unit 8 determines the positions of these objects from the difference in surface temperature, the shape of the surface temperature distribution, and the like.

As described above, the surface temperature sensor 3 scans the target range to acquire surface temperature distribution data. The surface temperature distribution data obtained by one scan performed by the surface temperature sensor 3 is recorded in the position determination unit 8, for example. After that, the surface temperature sensor 3 scans the target range again and acquires the surface temperature distribution data again. The re-acquired surface temperature distribution data is recorded in the position determination section 8 . A plurality of surface temperature distribution data acquired by the surface temperature sensor 3 are recorded in chronological order. The position determination unit 8 determines whether or not an object within the target range has moved by comparing multiple pieces of surface temperature distribution data.

If the work space 100 is an office or the like, the object that moves within the work space 100 is considered to be the worker 50, that is, the human body. The position determination unit 8 compares a plurality of pieces of surface temperature distribution data to determine an object that has moved within the target range as a human body.

Obstacles such as the desk 53, the floor surface 51, and the wall surface 52 in the work space 100 are considered to exist in fixed positions without moving for a certain period of time. Positional information of obstacles such as the desk 53 and objects such as the floor 51 and the wall 52 that do not move for a certain period of time may be recorded in advance in the position determining unit 8 . The position determination unit 8 may determine the position of the worker 50 , that is, the human body, based on pre-recorded position information of an object that does not move for a certain period of time and surface temperature distribution data acquired by the surface temperature sensor 3 .

The surface temperature sensor 3 , the information acquisition section 7 and the position determination section 8 configured as described above are an example of human body detection means for detecting a human body existing in the work space 100 . The surface temperature sensor 3 is also an example of surface temperature detection means capable of detecting the surface temperature of an object within the target range.

Further, the site determination unit 9 determines the site of the worker 50 based on the surface temperature distribution data acquired by the information acquisition unit 7 . Specifically, the part determination unit 9 first identifies the shape of the portion indicating the temperature distribution of the surface temperature of the worker 50 based on the information on the position of the worker 50 determined by the position determination unit 8 .

FIG. 5 shows an example of the shape of the portion showing the temperature distribution of the surface temperature of worker 50 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 5 shows the shape of a portion showing the temperature distribution of the surface temperature of worker 50 sitting on a chair.

Generally, within workspace 100, worker 50 is considered to be standing or sitting. Therefore, of the parts showing the temperature distribution of the surface temperature of the worker 50, the part determination unit 9 determines the upper circular part as the head and the lower part as the body. Note that the part determination unit 9 may determine the difference between the head and the body not only based on the shape but also based on the difference in surface temperature of each part. may be determined. In this manner, the part determination unit 9 divides the part indicating the temperature distribution of the surface temperature of the worker 50 into two parts, ie, the head part and the body part.

The temperature determination unit 10 determines the head temperature indicating the temperature of the head of the worker 50 based on the surface temperature distribution data acquired by the information acquisition unit 7, the determination result of the part determination unit 9, and the like. As an example, the temperature determination unit 10 determines the average temperature or the maximum temperature of the entire range determined as the head by the part determination unit 9 as the head temperature.

Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the temperature determination unit 10 uses the surface temperature distribution data acquired by the information acquisition unit 7 and the determination result of the part determination unit 9 to determine the body temperature indicating the body temperature of the worker 50. decision based on As an example, the temperature determination unit 10 determines the average temperature or the maximum temperature of the entire range determined as the body by the part determination unit 9 as the body temperature. It should be noted that an algorithm or the like that considers the clothing, for example, may be used to determine the body temperature.

In the present embodiment, the controller unit 6, which includes the information acquisition unit 7, the position determination unit 8, the part determination unit 9, and the temperature determination unit 10, operates within the target range based on the surface temperature information detected by the surface temperature detection means. is an example of determining means for determining the position of the head of the human body and the temperature of the head.

The control board 11 is equipped with a control circuit for controlling the overall operation of the air conditioner including the indoor unit 1 . The control board 11 includes, for example, an information processing section 12, a control section 13, a louver control section 14, a compressor control section 15, and a fan motor control section 16, as shown in FIG.

The louver control unit 14 controls the operation of the upper and lower louvers 2 and the left and right louvers 4 to change the direction in which air is blown out from the outlet 20 . Specifically, the louver control unit 14 electrically controls devices such as motors (not shown) for moving the upper and lower louvers 2 and the left and right louvers 4 .

The compressor control unit 15 controls the operation of the compressor. The compressor compresses the refrigerant and circulates it in the heat exchangers of the outdoor unit (not shown) and the indoor unit 1 . The compressor control unit 15 controls the operation of the compressor, thereby controlling the heat exchange capacity of the heat exchanger. Thereby, hot air, cold air and room temperature air are selectively generated by the heat exchanger. Further, the fan motor control section 16 controls the operation of the fan motor for driving the blower fan of the indoor unit 1 . The fan motor control unit 16 controls the number of revolutions of the blower fan to change the amount of air blown out from the outlet 20 . The compressor, heat exchanger, blower fan, and fan motor configured as described above are an example of blower means for selectively generating warm air, cold air, and normal-temperature air and blowing them out from the outlet 20 .

The information processing unit 12 operates the air conditioner based on the information on the position of the human body within the target range detected by the surface temperature sensor 3 and the controller unit 6, the information on the part of the human body, and the information on the temperature distribution of the human body. Determines the control contents of The control unit 13 outputs specific control commands to each of the louver control unit 14, the compressor control unit 15, and the fan motor control unit 16 according to the control details determined by the information processing unit 12. FIG. The louver control unit 14 , the compressor control unit 15 and the fan motor control unit 16 control the operations of the upper and lower louvers 2 , the left and right louvers 4 , the compressor and the fan motor according to the control commands from the control unit 13 .

The control board 11 including the information processing section 12, the control section 13, the louver control section 14, the compressor control section 15, and the fan motor control section 16 configured as described above is an example of control means. The control board 11, which is an example of the control means, operates on the basis of the detection results of the surface temperature sensor 3, which is an example of the human body detection means, the information acquisition section 7, and the position determination section 8, and the vertical louver 2, which is an example of the wind direction changing means, and the It controls the left and right louvers 4, a compressor, a heat exchanger, a blower fan, and a fan motor, which are examples of blower means.

As described above, the air conditioner according to the present embodiment and the environment control system including the air conditioner can perform work efficiency improvement operation. The work efficiency improvement operation is an operation for improving work efficiency of the worker 50 by blowing air toward the worker 50 . That is, in the present embodiment, the air conditioner blows air at room temperature from the blower outlet 20 when executing the work efficiency improvement operation.

The vertical louvers 2 and the horizontal louvers 4, which are examples of airflow direction changing means, are controlled so that air is blown out from the air outlets 20 toward the target area within the target area when the work efficiency improvement operation is performed. This target part in this embodiment is the worker 50 in the work space 100 , that is, the human body present in the work space 100 . Note that the target portion may be set as the head of a human body existing within the work space 100 .

An environment control system that executes work efficiency improvement operations will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the environment control system according to Embodiment 1 that executes work efficiency improvement operation. In the configuration example shown in FIG. 6, the environment control system includes two indoor units 1 as in the configuration example shown in FIG. Each of the two indoor units 1 is provided with an air outlet 20 for blowing air toward the same work space 100 .

In the configuration example shown in FIG. 6, there are four workers 50 in the working space 100 . Among the two indoor units 1, the indoor unit 1 closer to the worker 50 performs the work efficiency improvement operation. The indoor unit 1 close to the worker 50 performs a blowing operation of blowing normal temperature air. At this time, the upper and lower louvers 2 and the left and right louvers 4 provided in the indoor unit 1 near the worker 50 are controlled so that the air is blown out from the outlet 20 toward the worker 50 .

While the indoor unit 1 closer to the worker 50 is performing the work efficiency improvement operation, the indoor unit 1 farther from the worker 50 simultaneously performs the above-described temperature control operation. When the air conditioner is set to perform cooling, the indoor unit 1 far from the worker 50 blows cold air as shown in FIG. As described above, the environment control system according to the present embodiment can improve the workability of the worker 50 and control the temperature of the work space 100 at the same time by interlocking the two indoor units 1 . Interlocking of the two indoor units 1 is controlled by the system control unit 17, for example.

Here, it is better if the vertical louvers 2 and the horizontal louvers 4 provided in the indoor unit 1 that performs the temperature control operation are controlled so that the hot air or cold air is not directed toward the worker 50 . In the configuration example shown in FIG. 6, for example, among the air outlets 20 of the indoor unit 1 that performs the temperature control operation, those facing the worker 50 side are closed by the upper and lower louvers 2 . Also, the direction in which air is blown out from the outlet 20 of the indoor unit 1 that performs the temperature control operation may be adjusted toward the vicinity of the ceiling by the vertical louvers 2 .

Further, for example, in the work space 100 , there are cases where the worker 50 is present all around the indoor unit 1 . In other words, when the indoor unit 1 is used as a reference, there may be no direction in which the worker 50 does not exist. In this case, it is preferable that the indoor unit 1 that performs the work efficiency improvement operation and the indoor unit 1 that performs the temperature control operation are switched at regular intervals. Thereby, the workability of the worker 50 in the entire working space 100 can be improved.

At this time, the order in which the wind is blown by the work efficiency improvement operation, that is, the priority of the human body targeted for the work efficiency improvement operation may be determined based on the surface temperature distribution data acquired by the surface temperature sensor 3 . For example, the indoor unit 1 may perform work efficiency improvement operations on a plurality of human bodies in descending order of head temperature. As a result, the worker 50 whose head temperature has become high is preferentially cooled. To summarize, first, the indoor unit 1 close to the worker whose body temperature has become high performs the work efficiency improvement operation. During this time, other indoor units 1 perform temperature control operations. After that, after a certain period of time has passed, the indoor unit 1 that performs the work efficiency improvement operation and the indoor unit 1 that performs the temperature control operation are switched. For example, the system control unit 17 controls the switching between the indoor unit 1 that performs the work efficiency improvement operation and the indoor unit 1 that performs the temperature control operation.

Moreover, when the work space 100 is an office or the like, an island may be formed by a plurality of workers 50 . In this case, as an example, the work efficiency improvement operation may be executed for each island in descending order of the average head temperature of the worker 50 on each island.

7 and 8 are diagrams showing an example of temperature control of the environmental control system of the first embodiment. FIG. 7 shows an example of temperature control during cooling operation. FIG. 8 shows an example of temperature control during heating operation.

In FIGS. 7 and 8, what is described as "personal contact" is an operation of blowing room temperature air to the worker 50, that is, an operation for improving work efficiency. The indoor unit 1 that performs the work efficiency improvement operation described above may perform the temperature control operation before performing the work efficiency improvement operation. For example, all the indoor units 1 included in the environment control system may perform temperature control operations until the temperature of the work space 100 reaches the set temperature. At this time, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the temperature control operation should preferably be performed in such a way as to avoid people, that is, to prevent the worker from being exposed to the wind. In the example shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the temperature of the work space 100 is quickly brought to the set temperature by all the indoor units 1, and then the workability of the worker 50 is improved and the temperature of the work space 100 is maintained. .

It should be noted that the temperature control operation until the temperature of the work space 100 reaches the set temperature does not have to be human-avoiding. For example, the worker 50 who has just arrived at the work space 100 may feel hot or cold. For the worker 50 who feels hot immediately after coming to work, such as in summer, the heat of the worker 50 can be effectively suppressed by blowing cool air. For the worker 50 who feels cold immediately after coming to work, such as in winter, the coldness of the worker 50 can be effectively suppressed by blowing warm air.

Next, with further reference to FIG. 9, a specific example of the operation flow of the environmental control system according to this embodiment will be described. FIG. 9 is a flow chart showing an operation example of the environment control system according to the first embodiment.

First, the surface temperature sensor 3 scans the target range to detect the worker 50 in the work space 100, in other words, the human body in the work space 100 (step S101). As described above, the position of the human body is determined by the position determining section 8 based on the surface temperature distribution data acquired by the surface temperature sensor 3 .

Next, all the indoor units 1 included in the environmental control system perform temperature control operations for the entire working space 100 by preventing the wind from hitting the human body detected in step S101 (step S102). When the temperature control operation is performed in step S102, it is determined whether or not the working space 100 has reached the set temperature (step S103). The determination in step S103 is made by the temperature determination unit 10 based on, for example, the detection result of the surface temperature sensor 3 or the detection result of a room temperature sensor (not shown). If the working space 100 has not reached the set temperature, the processing of step S102 and the processing of step S103 are continued. Thereby, the temperature control operation is continued until the work space 100 reaches the set temperature.

When the work space 100 reaches the set temperature, it is determined whether or not there is a direction in which there is no person with respect to the indoor unit 1 included in the environmental control system (step S104). The determination in step S104 is made by the position determination unit 8 based on the detection result of the surface temperature sensor 3 in step S101, for example.

When there is a direction where there is no person with respect to the indoor unit 1, at least one indoor unit 1 performs a temperature control operation of blowing hot air or cold air toward the direction where no person is. At the same time, at least one indoor unit 1 blows air toward the direction of the person, that is, performs an operation for improving work efficiency (step S105). In this way, the temperature control operation and the work efficiency improvement operation are performed at the same time.

When there is no direction toward the indoor units 1 in which no one is present, at least one indoor unit 1 performs a temperature control operation of blowing hot air or cold air. At the same time, at least one indoor unit 1 blows air in the direction in which people are present, that is, performs work efficiency improvement operation (step S106). In this way, the temperature control operation and the work efficiency improvement operation are performed at the same time. Here, the temperature control operation in step S106 is preferably performed while avoiding people.

After the process of step S106, it is determined whether or not a certain period of time has elapsed (step S107). The determination in step S107 is made by the controller unit 6 or the control board 11, for example. This certain period of time is set in advance. If the predetermined time has not elapsed since the temperature control operation and the work efficiency improvement operation were simultaneously performed, the process of step S107 is continued.

After a certain period of time has elapsed since the temperature control operation and the work efficiency improvement operation were simultaneously performed, the indoor unit 1 performing the work efficiency improvement operation and the indoor unit 1 performing the temperature control operation are switched (step S108). After that, the process of step S107 is performed again. In this way, the indoor unit 1 that performs the work efficiency improvement operation and the indoor unit 1 that performs the temperature control operation are switched at regular intervals.

The environment control system configured as shown in the above embodiment simultaneously performs the work efficiency improvement operation of blowing a small amount of room temperature air toward the human body and the temperature control operation of blowing hot or cold air. Thereby, the workability of the worker 50 can be improved and the temperature of the work space 100 can be controlled at the same time.

The wind velocity and air volume blown out from the outlet 20 during the work efficiency improvement operation may be constant or fluctuate irregularly. Further, the direction of the wind blown out from the outlet 20 during the work efficiency improvement operation may be constant or fluctuate irregularly. That is, the upper and lower louvers 2 and the left and right louvers 4 may swing during the work efficiency improvement operation. The wind blowing out from the outlet 20 fluctuates during the operation for improving the work efficiency, so that the feeling of being hit by the wind on the worker 50 is suppressed, and the comfort of the worker 50 increases.

As described above, the surface temperature sensor 3 , the information acquisition section 7 and the position determination section 8 are examples of human body detection means for detecting a human body existing in the work space 100 . The surface temperature sensor 3 constituting the human body detection means does not have to be mounted on each of the plurality of air conditioners. Moreover, the surface temperature sensor 3 does not necessarily have to be provided in the air conditioner. The surface temperature sensor 3 may be installed, for example, on the floor surface 51, the wall surface 52, the ceiling surface 54, and the like. For example, one surface temperature sensor 3 is installed at an intermediate position between four indoor units 1 . These four indoor units 1 are controlled by, for example, a system control unit 17 based on the detection result of one surface temperature sensor 3 . This reduces the number of surface temperature sensors 3 and reduces the cost of the environmental control system. Further, the surface temperature detection means according to the present disclosure may be configured by, for example, a wearable contact sensor or the like worn by the operator instead of the surface temperature sensor 3 described above.

Also, the controller unit 6 and the control board 11 may be provided outside the air conditioner, for example, like the system control unit 17 . The system control unit 17 may be provided in the indoor unit 1 of the air conditioner. The functions of the controller unit 6, the control board 11, and the system control unit 17 may be implemented by, for example, a server on the cloud. Operations of the environmental control system and the air conditioner may be controlled by a server or the like on the cloud. This reduces the control load on the air conditioner itself. In addition, interlocking of a plurality of air conditioners becomes easier.

Further, the number of outlets 20 formed in the indoor unit 1 of the air conditioner is not limited to the example shown in the present embodiment, and may be any number. For example, if the environment control system includes a plurality of air conditioners, the indoor unit 1 may be provided with only one outlet 20 .

Further, the environment control system according to the above-described embodiment may have setting means for setting the temperature of the air blown out from the outlet 20 toward the human body by the work efficiency improvement operation, for example. For example, if the worker 50 who is sensitive to heat wants to be exposed to colder air, the setting means sets the worker 50 to be exposed to the colder air. Further, for example, when the worker 50 who is sensitive to cold wants to be exposed to warmer air, the setting means sets the worker 50 to be exposed to the warm air. In this way, the environment control system may be configured to be able to adjust the temperature of the air blown out from the outlet 20 toward the human body by the work efficiency improvement operation.

Further, in the environment control system according to the present disclosure, when the normal temperature air is blown from the air outlet 20 toward the human body by the work efficiency improvement operation, if the surface temperature of the human body is equal to or higher than a certain temperature, the human body It may be configured to blow cold air from the air outlet 20 toward. The above operation is controlled based on the detection result of the surface temperature sensor 3, for example. According to the present example, it is possible to more effectively prevent the work efficiency from significantly deteriorating due to the excessive rise in the body temperature of the worker 50 .

Embodiment 2.
Next, Embodiment 2 will be described. Descriptions of portions that are the same as or corresponding to those of the first embodiment will be simplified and omitted, and differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a configuration of an air conditioner according to Embodiment 2. FIG. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the air conditioner of Embodiment 2 that executes the work efficiency improvement operation.

FIG. 10(a) is a plan view schematically showing the configuration of the indoor unit 1a of the air conditioner of Embodiment 2. FIG. FIG. 10(b) is a side view schematically showing the configuration of the indoor unit 1a of the air conditioner of Embodiment 2. FIG. A plurality of outlets 20 are formed in the indoor unit 1a, as in the indoor unit 1 of the first embodiment. As an example, four outlets 20 are formed in the indoor unit 1a. Further, the indoor unit 1a includes the upper and lower louvers 2 and the left and right louvers 4, like the indoor unit 1 of the first embodiment.

The indoor unit 1 a is characterized by including a plurality of heat exchangers 21 . A plurality of heat exchangers 21 are provided in independent air paths, respectively. This independent air passage is partitioned by a partition plate 22. - 特許庁The indoor unit 1a of the present embodiment is characterized in that a single unit can blow air with different temperatures. For example, normal temperature air is blown out from two of the four outlets 20, and cool air or warm air is blown out from the remaining two. In this manner, the indoor unit 1a of the present embodiment can execute the cooling operation while blowing air or the heating operation while blowing air.

According to the air conditioner provided with the indoor unit 1a configured as described above, it is possible to realize the environment control system according to the present disclosure with a single unit. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the air conditioner of Embodiment 2 that executes the work efficiency improvement operation. As shown in FIG. 11 , normal-temperature air is blown out toward the worker 50 from the outlet 20 near the worker 50 . At the same time, hot air or cold air is blown out from the outlet 20 near the worker 50 . As described above, according to the present embodiment, a single air conditioner can simultaneously perform the work efficiency improvement operation and the temperature control operation.

It should be noted that the various controls shown in the first embodiment can also be executed in the present embodiment. The air outlet 20 from which normal temperature air is blown and the air outlet 20 from which warm air or cold air is blown may be replaced at regular intervals. Also, warm air or cold air may be blown out from all the outlets 20 until the work space 100 reaches the set temperature. Thus, the first embodiment and the second embodiment can be combined unless contradiction occurs. Further, for example, the environment control system may include a plurality of indoor units 1a.

As shown in each of the above embodiments, the number of air conditioners included in the environment control system of this embodiment may be one or two. The environment control system according to the present disclosure may be configured to include multiple outlets 20 . A work efficiency improvement operation and a temperature control operation are simultaneously performed by a plurality of outlets 20 . As a result, it is possible to simultaneously improve workability and control the temperature of the working space.

1 indoor unit 1a indoor unit 2 upper and lower louvers 3 surface temperature sensor 4 left and right louvers 5 suction port 6 controller unit 7 information acquisition unit 8 position determination unit 9 part determination unit 10 temperature determination unit 11 Control Board 12 Information Processing Unit 13 Control Unit 14 Louver Control Unit 15 Compressor Control Unit 16 Fan Motor Control Unit 17 System Control Unit 20 Air Vent 21 Heat Exchanger 22 Partition Plate 30 Housing , 31 bottom panel, 50 worker, 51 floor surface, 52 wall surface, 53 desk, 54 ceiling surface, 100 work space

Claims (8)

a plurality of air outlets for blowing air toward the same work space;
wind direction changing means capable of changing the direction in which the wind blows out from the outlet;
an air blowing means for selectively generating hot air, cold air, and room temperature air and blowing them out from the air outlet;
human body detection means for detecting a human body present in the work space;
a control means for controlling the air blowing means and the wind direction changing means based on the detection result of the human body detection means;
with
Simultaneously performing work efficiency improvement operation of sending normal temperature air from at least one air outlet toward the human body detected by the human body detection means, and temperature control operation of blowing hot air or cold air from at least one air outlet. An environmental control system that performs
The control means controls the air blowing means and the air direction changing means so that hot air or cold air is blown out from all of the plurality of air outlets until the temperature of the work space reaches a set temperature, and the work is performed. An environment control system for controlling the blower means and the wind direction changing means so that the work efficiency improvement operation and the temperature control operation are simultaneously performed after the temperature of the space reaches the set temperature. 2. The environment according to claim 1, wherein said control means controls said wind direction changing means so that the direction in which hot air or cold air blows out is not directed toward the human body detected by said human body detecting means during said temperature control operation. control system. The control means controls the wind direction changing means so that the direction in which hot air or cold air is blown is not directed toward the human body detected by the human body detection means until the temperature of the work space reaches a set temperature. The environmental control system according to claim 1 or 2 . 4. The air outlet for blowing normal temperature air by the work efficiency improvement operation and the air outlet for blowing hot air or cool air by the temperature control operation are replaced at regular intervals. or the environment control system according to item 1. a plurality of air outlets for blowing air toward the same work space;
wind direction changing means capable of changing the direction in which the wind blows out from the outlet;
an air blowing means for selectively generating hot air, cold air, and room temperature air and blowing them out from the air outlet;
human body detection means for detecting a human body present in the work space;
a control means for controlling the air blowing means and the wind direction changing means based on the detection result of the human body detection means;
with
Simultaneously performing work efficiency improvement operation of sending normal temperature air from at least one air outlet toward the human body detected by the human body detection means, and temperature control operation of blowing hot air or cold air from at least one air outlet. An environmental control system that performs
An environment control system in which the air outlet from which normal temperature air is blown out by the work efficiency improvement operation and the air outlet from which warm air or cool air is blown out by the temperature control operation are switched at regular intervals. 6. The environment control system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising setting means for setting the temperature of the air blown toward the human body from the air outlet by the work efficiency improvement operation. The human body detection means is capable of detecting the surface temperature of the human body,
When the normal temperature wind is blown toward the human body from the air outlet by the work efficiency improvement operation, if the surface temperature of the human body detected by the human body detecting means is equal to or higher than a certain temperature, 7. The environment control system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein cool air is blown toward the human body. a plurality of air outlets for blowing air toward the same work space;
wind direction changing means capable of changing the direction in which the wind blows out from the outlet;
an air blowing means for selectively generating hot air, cold air, and room temperature air and blowing them out from the air outlet;
human body detection means for detecting a human body present in the work space;
a control means for controlling the air blowing means and the wind direction changing means based on the detection result of the human body detection means;
with
Simultaneously performing work efficiency improvement operation of sending normal temperature air from at least one air outlet toward the human body detected by the human body detection means, and temperature control operation of blowing hot air or cold air from at least one air outlet. An air conditioner that performs
The control means controls the air blowing means and the air direction changing means so that hot air or cold air is blown out from all of the plurality of air outlets until the temperature of the work space reaches a set temperature, and the work is performed. An air conditioner that controls the air blowing means and the air direction changing means so that the work efficiency improving operation and the temperature control operation are simultaneously performed after the temperature of the space reaches the set temperature.

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