JP7656790B2 - Ventilation system - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to a ventilation system.

Conventionally, a ventilation system is known that controls the ventilation air volume of a ventilation device based on the carbon dioxide concentration detected by a carbon dioxide detection unit in the room (for example, Patent Document 1).

The ventilation system will be described below with reference to Fig. 8. Fig. 8 is a schematic diagram of the connections of a conventional ventilation system 1001.

As shown in FIG. 8, the ventilation system 1001 comprises a ventilation device 1002, a control unit 1003, and a carbon dioxide detection unit 1004. The ventilation device 1002 is a device for replacing the air in a room. The carbon dioxide detection unit 1004 detects the carbon dioxide concentration in the room. The control unit 1003 controls the ventilation air volume of the ventilation device 1002 based on the carbon dioxide concentration in the room detected by the carbon dioxide detection unit 1004 so that the carbon dioxide concentration in the room reaches a target value.

As a result, the ventilation system 1001 is able to keep the carbon dioxide concentration in the room below a predetermined value, thereby creating a comfortable indoor environment.

JP 2013-124788 A

By the way, when a user goes from an awake and active state to a sleep preparation state in which they are preparing to fall asleep, it is known that a relatively high carbon dioxide concentration makes it easier for the user to fall asleep.

In the control of conventional ventilation systems such as the above-mentioned ventilation system 1001, ventilation is performed by the ventilation device when the carbon dioxide concentration is greater than a predetermined value. Therefore, even when the user enters a sleep preparation state, ventilation is performed by the ventilation device if the carbon dioxide concentration is greater than the predetermined value, and the carbon dioxide concentration in the room decreases. As a result, conventional ventilation systems may prevent the user from falling asleep. In other words, conventional ventilation systems have the problem that they may not be able to create a space suitable for the user to fall asleep.

Therefore, the present disclosure provides a ventilation system that helps create a space suitable for users to fall asleep.

The ventilation system according to the present disclosure includes a ventilation device, a carbon dioxide measuring unit, a sleep preparation detection unit, and a control unit. The ventilation device is for ventilating a predetermined space. The carbon dioxide measuring unit measures the carbon dioxide concentration in the predetermined space. The sleep preparation detection unit detects that a user in the predetermined space is in a sleep preparation state. The control unit controls ventilation by the ventilation device based on the detection result of the sleep preparation detection unit and the carbon dioxide concentration measured by the carbon dioxide measuring unit. The control unit further includes a concentration storage unit that stores a first threshold value indicating a carbon dioxide concentration suitable for falling asleep and a second threshold value that is greater than the first threshold value. When the sleep preparation detection unit detects that the user is in a sleep preparation state and the carbon dioxide concentration measured by the carbon dioxide measuring unit is smaller than the second threshold value, the control unit controls to stop ventilation by the ventilation device. The control unit further includes a concentration acquisition unit that acquires the carbon dioxide concentration measured by the carbon dioxide measuring unit. The concentration storage unit further stores sleep-onset concentration information indicating the carbon dioxide concentration at the time when the user falls asleep. When the sleep preparation detection unit detects that the user is in a sleep preparation state, the control unit controls ventilation by the ventilation device so that the carbon dioxide concentration acquired by the concentration acquisition unit approaches the carbon dioxide concentration at the time of the user falling asleep, as indicated by the concentration information at the time of falling asleep stored in the concentration memory unit.

The ventilation system disclosed herein can provide a ventilation system that helps create a space suitable for the user to fall asleep.

FIG. 1 is a schematic connection diagram of a central air conditioning system according to embodiment 1, which is an example of a ventilation system according to the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a schematic functional block diagram of a system controller and peripheral devices according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a data configuration of a sleep-onset carbon dioxide concentration table according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing ventilation control according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 5 is a schematic functional block diagram of a system controller and peripheral devices according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a data configuration of a sleep-onset carbon dioxide concentration table according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing ventilation control according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 8 is a schematic connection diagram of a conventional ventilation system.

The following describes the embodiments for implementing the present disclosure with reference to the drawings. Note that each of the embodiments described below shows a preferred specific example of the present disclosure. Therefore, the components, the arrangement and connection of the components, the steps (processes) and the order of the steps shown in the following embodiments are merely examples and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. Therefore, among the components in the following embodiments, those components that are not described in the independent claims showing the highest concept of the present disclosure are described as optional components. In addition, in each figure, the same reference numerals are used for substantially the same configuration, and duplicate explanations are omitted or simplified.

(Embodiment 1)
In this embodiment, a central air-conditioning system 20 will be described as an example of a ventilation system according to the present disclosure. First, the overall configuration of the central air-conditioning system 20 will be described. Fig. 1 is a schematic connection diagram of the central air-conditioning system 20 according to this embodiment.

1, the central air conditioning system 20 includes an outside air intake fan 4, an exhaust fan 5 (exhaust fans 5a, 5b, 5c, 5d), a transport fan 3 (transport fans 3a, 3b, 3c, 3d), and a circulation fan 6 (circulation fans 6a, 6b, 6c, 6d). The central air conditioning system 20 also includes a room temperature sensor 11 (room temperature sensors 11a, 11b, 11c, 11d), a room humidity sensor 12 (room humidity sensors 12a, 12b, 12c, 12d), an air-conditioned room temperature sensor 14, and an air-conditioned room humidity sensor 15. The central air conditioning system 20 is configured to include an air conditioner 9, a humidifier 16, a dehumidifier 17, an input/output terminal 19, a system controller 10, and a carbon dioxide measuring unit 101 (carbon dioxide measuring units 101a, 101b, 101c).

The central air conditioning system 20 also works in conjunction with a mobile terminal 100 (mobile terminals 100a, 100b, 100c) carried by a user. In this embodiment, the mobile terminal 100 is described as having a carbon dioxide measuring unit 101.

The central air conditioning system 20 is installed in a general house 1, which is an example of a building. The general house 1 has multiple (four in this embodiment) living rooms 2 (living rooms 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d), each of which is an example of a specified space according to the present disclosure, and at least one air-conditioned room 18 independent of the living rooms 2. Here, the general house 1 (house) is a residence provided as a place for residents to live private lives, and the living rooms 2 generally include a living room, dining room, bedroom, private room, children's room, etc. The living rooms 2 provided by the central air conditioning system 20 may also include a toilet, bathroom, washroom, dressing room, etc.

In the air-conditioning room 18, the air transported from each room 2 is mixed. In addition, outside air is taken into the air-conditioning room 18 by the outside air intake fan 4 and mixed with the air transported from each room 2 by the circulation fan 6. The temperature and humidity of the air in the air-conditioning room 18 are controlled by the air conditioner 9, humidifier 16, and dehumidifier 17 installed in the air-conditioning room 18. That is, in the air-conditioning room 18, air to be transported to the rooms 2 with adjusted temperature and humidity is generated. The air whose temperature and humidity have been adjusted in the air-conditioning room 18 is transported to each room 2 by the transport fan 3. Here, the air-conditioning room 18 means a space with a certain size in which the air conditioner 9, humidifier 16, dehumidifier 17, etc. can be placed and which is capable of controlling the air conditioning of each room 2, but is not intended as a living space and does not basically mean a room where residents stay.

The air in each living room 2 is transported to the air-conditioned room 18 by the circulation fan 6, and is also exhausted from the living room 2 to outside the general house 1 by the exhaust fan 5. The central air-conditioning system 20 controls the exhaust air volume of the exhaust fan 5 to exhaust outside air from the living room 2, while controlling the supply air volume of the outside air intake fan 4 in conjunction with the exhaust air volume of the exhaust fan 5 to take in outside air into the living room 2. This achieves ventilation using the first type of ventilation method.

The outdoor air intake fan 4 is a fan that takes in outdoor air into the room of the general house 1, and corresponds to, for example, an air supply fan or the air supply function of a heat exchange fan. As described above, the outdoor air taken in by the outdoor air intake fan 4 is introduced into the air-conditioned room 18. The intake air volume of the outdoor air intake fan 4 can be set in multiple stages, and the intake air volume is set according to the exhaust air volume of the exhaust fan 5, as described below.

The exhaust fan 5 is a fan that exhausts part of the air in the room 2 in which it is installed as outside air, for example, through an exhaust duct. Examples of such fans include ceiling fans, wall-mounted fans, range hoods, and the exhaust function of a heat exchange fan. In FIG. 1, the exhaust duct connected to the exhaust fan 5 is directly connected to the outside of the general house 1, but when using the exhaust function of the heat exchange fan, the exhaust duct is first connected to the heat exchange fan and then connected to the outside of the general house 1. In other words, the air passing through the exhaust duct is heat exchanged with the air passing through the intake air duct of the heat exchange fan, and then exhausted outside the general house 1. As shown in FIG. 1, the exhaust fan 5a is installed in the room 2a, the exhaust fan 5b in the room 2b, the exhaust fan 5c in the room 2c, and the exhaust fan 5d in the room 2d.

Each exhaust fan 5 is configured so that its exhaust air volume can be set in multiple stages. Normally, each exhaust fan 5 is controlled by the system controller 10 so that the exhaust air volume is set to a preset value. The system controller 10 then controls the exhaust air volume for each exhaust fan 5a to 5d according to user settings and values acquired by various sensors, such as the carbon dioxide measurement unit 101.

Each transport fan 3 is provided, for example, on a wall surface of the air-conditioning room 18 in correspondence with each room 2. Specifically, the air in the air-conditioning room 18 is transported to room 2a via a transport duct by transport fan 3a, and to room 2b via a transport duct by transport fan 3b. The air in the air-conditioning room 18 is also transported to room 2c via a transport duct by transport fan 3c, and to room 2d via a transport duct by transport fan 3d. The transport ducts connecting each transport fan 3 to each room 2 are provided independently.

Circulation fan 6a is provided in room 2a, circulation fan 6b in room 2b, circulation fan 6c in room 2c, and circulation fan 6d in room 2d. A portion of the air in each room 2 is transported to the air-conditioning room 18 via a circulation duct by the corresponding circulation fan 6. The circulation ducts connecting the air-conditioning room 18 and each room 2 may be provided independently, or multiple branch ducts that are part of the circulation duct may be merged midway to form a single circulation duct, and the resulting single circulation duct may then be connected to the air-conditioning room 18.

The air conditioner 9 is an air conditioner installed in the air-conditioned room 18, and controls the air conditioning of the air-conditioned room 18. The air conditioner 9 cools or heats the air in the air-conditioned room 18 so that the temperature of the air in the air-conditioned room 18 becomes a set temperature (hereinafter also referred to as the "air-conditioned room target temperature").

The humidifier 16 is installed in the air-conditioned room 18, and when the humidity of the air in the air-conditioned room 18 is lower than a set humidity (hereinafter also referred to as the "air-conditioned room target humidity"), it humidifies the air in the air-conditioned room 18 so that the humidity becomes the air-conditioned room target humidity. Note that the humidifier 16 may be built into the air conditioner 9, but it is preferable to provide a humidifier 16 independent of the air conditioner 9 in order to obtain a humidification capacity sufficient to accommodate multiple living rooms 2.

The dehumidifier 17 is installed in the air-conditioned room 18, and when the humidity of the air in the air-conditioned room 18 is higher than the target humidity of the air-conditioned room, the dehumidifier 17 dehumidifies the air in the air-conditioned room 18 so that the humidity becomes the target humidity of the air-conditioned room. Note that the dehumidifier 17 may be built into the air conditioner 9, but it is preferable to provide a dehumidifier 17 independent of the air conditioner 9 in order to obtain a dehumidification capacity sufficient to cover multiple rooms 2.

Each room temperature sensor 11 is provided in a corresponding room 2. Specifically, room temperature sensor 11a is provided in room 2a, room temperature sensor 11b is provided in room 2b, room temperature sensor 11c is provided in room 2c, and room temperature sensor 11d is provided in room 2d. The room temperature sensors 11 are sensors that acquire the indoor temperatures of the corresponding rooms 2a to 2d and transmit the values to the system controller 10.

Each living room humidity sensor 12 is provided in a corresponding living room 2. Specifically, living room humidity sensor 12a is provided in living room 2a, living room humidity sensor 12b is provided in living room 2b, living room humidity sensor 12c is provided in living room 2c, and living room humidity sensor 12d is provided in living room 2d. The living room humidity sensors 12 are sensors that acquire the indoor humidity (living room humidity) of each of the corresponding living rooms 2a to 2d and transmit it to the system controller 10.

The air-conditioned room temperature sensor 14 is a sensor that acquires the temperature of the air in the air-conditioned room 18 and transmits it to the system controller 10. The air-conditioned room temperature sensor 14 may be built into the air conditioner 9, but if it is built into the air conditioner 9, it can only obtain information about the area around the air conditioner 9 (for example, near the air intake). As described above, the air-conditioned room 18 is a mixture of outside air and air transported from each room 2, so it is desirable to provide the air-conditioned room temperature sensor 14 independently of the air conditioner 9 so that information about the air-conditioned room 18 as a whole can be obtained.

The air-conditioned room humidity sensor 15 is a sensor that acquires the humidity of the air in the air-conditioned room 18 and transmits it to the system controller 10. For the same reason as the air-conditioned room temperature sensor 14, it is desirable to provide the air-conditioned room humidity sensor 15 independently of the air conditioner 9 so that information on the air-conditioned room 18 as a whole can be obtained.

The mobile terminal 100 includes a carbon dioxide measuring unit 101. Specifically, the carbon dioxide measuring unit 101a is provided in the mobile terminal 100a, the carbon dioxide measuring unit 101b is provided in the mobile terminal 100b, and the carbon dioxide measuring unit 101c is provided in the mobile terminal 100c. The mobile terminal 100 is a terminal carried by a user, and is an information terminal that can move with the user by being carried by the user at all times. In this embodiment, when there are multiple users, it is described that each user has one mobile terminal 100. The mobile terminal 100 is, for example, a mobile phone, a smartphone, a wearable terminal, etc. Also, a wearable terminal is an electronic device terminal that is worn and used, such as a wristwatch-type terminal.

The carbon dioxide measuring unit 101 measures the carbon dioxide concentration around the carbon dioxide measuring unit 101, and is, for example, a carbon dioxide sensor whose output voltage value changes according to the carbon dioxide concentration. That is, the central air conditioning system 20 is equipped with a carbon dioxide measuring unit 101 that measures the carbon dioxide concentration in the room 2. The carbon dioxide measuring unit 101 acquires the carbon dioxide concentration around the corresponding mobile terminal 100, that is, the carbon dioxide concentration in the room 2 (rooms 2c and 2d in this embodiment) in which the mobile terminal 100 is present. Then, the carbon dioxide measuring unit 101 transmits the acquired carbon dioxide concentration to the system controller 10 via the corresponding mobile terminal 100.

The system controller 10 controls the air conditioning of the rooms 2 provided in the general house 1, and is a controller that controls the entire central air conditioning system 20. The system controller 10 is connected to each control object so that it can communicate with them via wireless communication. The control objects include the outside air intake fan 4, the exhaust fan 5, the transport fan 3, the circulation fan 6, the living room temperature sensor 11, the living room humidity sensor 12, the air-conditioned room temperature sensor 14, the air-conditioned room humidity sensor 15, the air conditioner 9, the humidifier 16, the dehumidifier 17, and the mobile terminal 100.

The system controller 10 controls the outdoor air intake fan 4 and the exhaust fan 5 in conjunction with each other, for example by setting the intake air volume of the outdoor air intake fan 4 so that the air volume corresponds to the exhaust air volume of the exhaust fan 5. In this way, ventilation is performed for the general house 1 using the first type ventilation method.

In addition, the system controller 10 controls the air conditioner 9, humidifier 16, and dehumidifier 17 as air conditioners, based on the temperature and humidity of the air in the air-conditioned room 18 acquired by the air-conditioned room temperature sensor 14 and the air-conditioned room humidity sensor 15. Specifically, the system controller 10 controls the air conditioner 9, humidifier 16, and dehumidifier 17 so that the temperature and humidity in the air-conditioned room 18 become the air-conditioned room target temperature and air-conditioned room target humidity set for the air-conditioned room 18.

In addition, the system controller 10 sets the air volume of the transport fan 3 and the air volume of the circulation fan 6 based on the indoor temperature and indoor humidity of each living room 2 acquired by the living room temperature sensor 11 and the living room humidity sensor 12. Specifically, the system controller 10 sets the air volume of the transport fan 3 and the air volume of the circulation fan 6 so that the indoor temperature and indoor humidity of each living room 2 become the temperature (hereinafter also referred to as the "room target temperature") and humidity (hereinafter also referred to as the "room target humidity") set for each living room 2.

As a result, the air conditioned in the air-conditioning room 18 is transported to each living room 2 at the air volume set in each transport fan 3, and the air in each living room 2 is transported to the air-conditioning room 18 at the air volume set in each circulation fan 6. Thus, the indoor temperature and indoor humidity of each living room 2 are controlled to become the room target temperature and room target humidity.

In this embodiment, both the temperature and humidity of the air-conditioned room 18 are described as being controlled, but it is also possible to control only one of the temperature and humidity of the air-conditioned room 18. Also, while it is described as being controlled both the indoor temperature and indoor humidity of each living room 2, it is also possible to control only one of the indoor temperature and indoor humidity of each living room 2.

The system controller 10 also controls the ventilation device based on the carbon dioxide concentration of the room 2 (rooms 2c and 2d in this embodiment) in which the mobile terminal 100 is located, which is acquired by the carbon dioxide measurement unit 101. Here, as an example of the ventilation device according to the present disclosure, the ventilation device according to the present embodiment is described as being a transport fan 3 (transport fans 3a to 3d), a circulation fan 6 (circulation fans 6a to 6d), an exhaust fan 5 (exhaust fans 5a to 5d), and an outside air introduction fan 4. That is, the central air conditioning system 20 includes a transport fan 3, a circulation fan 6, an exhaust fan 5, and an outside air introduction fan 4 as ventilation devices for ventilating each room 2. The system controller 10 controls the ventilation device so that the carbon dioxide concentration of the room 2 becomes the set carbon dioxide concentration (hereinafter also referred to as the "target carbon dioxide concentration"). The detailed control content will be described later.

Here, the system controller 10 and the above-mentioned controlled objects are connected by wireless communication, making it possible to eliminate the need for complicated wiring work. However, at least some of these controlled objects may be configured to be able to communicate with the system controller 10 by wired communication.

The input/output terminal 19 is communicatively connected to the system controller 10 via wireless communication, and accepts input of information necessary for constructing the central air-conditioning system 20 and stores it in the system controller 10. The input/output terminal 19 also acquires and displays the status of the central air-conditioning system 20 from the system controller 10. Examples of the input/output terminal 19 include mobile information terminals such as mobile phones, smartphones, and tablets.

The input/output terminal 19 does not necessarily need to be connected to the system controller 10 via wireless communication, and may be connected to the system controller 10 so as to be able to communicate via wired communication. In this case, the input/output terminal 19 may be realized, for example, by a wall-mounted remote controller. The input/output terminal 19 and the system controller 10 may also be integrated into one configuration.

In this embodiment, we will explain the case where only one mobile terminal 100 exists in the living room 2. Specifically, this is the case where only the mobile terminal 100a exists in the living room 2c shown in Figure 1.

Next, the system controller 10 according to this embodiment will be described in detail. First, the functions of the system controller 10 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figure 2. Figure 2 is a schematic functional block diagram of the system controller 10 and peripheral devices.

The system controller 10 includes a concentration acquisition unit 310, a sleep preparation detection unit 320, a concentration memory unit 300, a control unit 200, a vital data acquisition unit 330, a sleep state determination unit 340, and a determination unit 350.

The concentration acquisition unit 310 acquires the carbon dioxide concentration measured by the carbon dioxide measurement unit 101. In this embodiment, as described above, the carbon dioxide measurement unit 101 is provided in the mobile terminal 100, and the concentration acquisition unit 310 can be said to acquire the carbon dioxide concentration in the room 2 in which the mobile terminal 100 exists.

The vital data acquisition unit 330 acquires vital data of the user. Here, vital data is basic information related to the life of the user, and in this embodiment is defined as at least one of the following data: the user's blood pressure, heart rate, respiration, and body movement. Here, respiration refers to the number of breaths taken per unit time, the depth of respiration, etc., and body movement refers to the magnitude of bodily movement. The vital data acquisition unit 330 acquires vital data, for example, via a vital sensor.

The sleep state determination unit 340 acquires vital data from the vital data acquisition unit 330, and determines whether the user is in an active state, a sleep preparation state, a sleep state, a sleeping state, or an awake state based on the acquired vital data.

Here we explain each user state.

An active state refers to a state in which the user is awake and active, such as when the user is exercising, eating, working, studying, etc.

The sleep preparation state refers to a state in which the user is preparing to go from an active state to sleep, and an example of this is when the user gets into bed to fall asleep. In the sleep preparation state, the user is still awake and has not yet fallen asleep.

The sleep onset state refers to the state in which a user goes from a sleep preparation state to falling asleep.

The sleep state is the state in which the user continues to sleep after the hypnotic state. In other words, in the sleep state, the user loses consciousness and ceases activity.

The awake state refers to the state in which one has woken up from a sleep state, an example of which is when a user wakes up in the morning.

The user first transitions from an active state to a sleep preparation state, then to a sleep onset state, then to a sleep state, and finally to an awake state.

As an example of how to determine a user's state, it is known that the heart rate decreases when falling asleep, and this allows the onset of sleep to be determined. The state of preparation for sleep can also be determined based on the heart rate before entering a sleep state. The above is one example of a method of determination, and it would be sufficient if the user's state could be determined based on other factors, such as a combination of blood pressure, respiration, body movement, and heart rate.

The sleep preparation detection unit 320 detects that the user in the room 2 is in a state of preparation for sleep. In other words, when the sleep state determination unit 340 determines that the user is in a state of preparation for sleep using the vital data acquired from the vital data acquisition unit 330, the sleep preparation detection unit 320 detects that the user is in a state of preparation for sleep. In other words, the sleep preparation detection unit 320 detects that the user is in a state of preparation for sleep based on the vital data acquired from the vital data acquisition unit 330.

The concentration storage unit 300 is a so-called memory that stores information indicating the carbon dioxide concentration for concentration comparison, which is used when the control unit 200 determines the carbon dioxide concentration in the living room 2. Specifically, in this embodiment, the concentration storage unit 300 stores the first threshold, the second threshold, the third threshold, and sleep concentration information indicating the carbon dioxide concentration at the time of falling asleep of the user who owns the mobile terminal 100. The first threshold and the second threshold exist for each living room 2, and are each stored in the concentration storage unit 300. However, in this embodiment, as described above, an example is given of a case where only the mobile terminal 100a exists in the living room 2c. Therefore, unless otherwise specified, in this embodiment, the first threshold of the living room 2c and the second threshold of the living room 2c are simply described as the first threshold and the second threshold, respectively.

The first threshold is a value indicating a carbon dioxide concentration suitable for the user to fall asleep, for example, a value indicating the carbon dioxide concentration when the user fell asleep in the past. The first threshold may also be an experimentally obtained value as the carbon dioxide concentration at which the user is expected to fall asleep, and can be set arbitrarily. It is generally believed that a carbon dioxide concentration that is somewhat higher than the carbon dioxide concentration during an active state makes it easier for the user to transition from a sleep preparation state to a sleep onset state.

The second threshold is a value greater than the first threshold and lower than the carbon dioxide concentration considered to be harmful to the human body. The carbon dioxide concentration considered to be harmful to the human body is, for example, a value obtained experimentally or a value published in a research paper. In other words, the range of carbon dioxide concentrations indicated by the first threshold and the second threshold can be within the range of carbon dioxide concentrations considered to be suitable for falling asleep. In other words, the second threshold is a value within the range of carbon dioxide concentrations defined as suitable for falling asleep and lower than the carbon dioxide concentration considered to be harmful to the human body.

The third threshold is a value smaller than the first threshold and indicates a carbon dioxide concentration appropriate for the user's activity state. For example, the third threshold is 1000 ppm, which is the carbon dioxide concentration standard value established for the purpose of ensuring a hygienic environment in buildings such as buildings and department stores.

The carbon dioxide concentration at the time of falling asleep corresponding to the mobile terminal 100 will be explained using Figure 3. Figure 3 is a diagram showing the data configuration of the carbon dioxide concentration at the time of falling asleep table 301 stored in the concentration storage unit 300. In this embodiment, it is assumed that user A carries the mobile terminal 100a.

As shown in FIG. 3, the sleep carbon dioxide concentration table 301 stores, for each user, device information 302 and sleep concentration information 303 in association with each other. Here, the device information 302 is information indicating the mobile device 100 possessed by the user, and the sleep concentration information 303 is information indicating the carbon dioxide concentration at the time of the user's falling asleep. In the figure, as an example, the sleep carbon dioxide concentration table 301 indicates that the device information 302 is "mobile device 100a" and the sleep concentration information 303 is "CO2a". That is, the example in the figure indicates that the carbon dioxide concentration at the time of falling asleep of user A who possesses "mobile device 100a" is "CO2a".

Data is registered in the sleep carbon dioxide concentration table 301 as follows. That is, the control unit 200 acquires the carbon dioxide concentration CO2a in room 2 measured by the carbon dioxide measurement unit 101a when user A previously fell asleep from the concentration acquisition unit 310 and stores it in the concentration memory unit 300. That is, it associates the concentration information at sleep "CO2a" with the terminal information "mobile terminal 100a" corresponding to the carbon dioxide measurement unit 101a and registers it in the sleep carbon dioxide concentration table 301. In this way, the concentration memory unit 300 stores the carbon dioxide concentration CO2a at the time of sleep that corresponds to the mobile terminal 100a.

In other words, the concentration memory unit 300 stores sleep-onset concentration information indicating the carbon dioxide concentration at the time user A falls asleep.

The determination unit 350 determines the room 2 in which the mobile terminal 100 is present. As a method of determination, for example, the determination is made based on the radio wave intensity received by the exhaust fans 5a to 5d from the mobile terminal 100. In this embodiment, the mobile terminal 100a is present in the room 2c, so the determination method will be briefly explained.

First, the exhaust fans 5a to 5d in each room 2 acquire the radio wave intensity generated by the mobile terminal 100a and transmit it to the system controller 10. The determination unit 350 then compares the radio wave intensity from the mobile terminal 100a acquired from the exhaust fans 5a to 5d in each room 2, and determines that the mobile terminal 100a is present in the room 2 in which the exhaust fan 5 that received the strongest radio wave intensity is located.

In this embodiment, the radio wave strength from the mobile terminal 100a acquired by the exhaust fans 5a to 5d is the strongest from the exhaust fan 5c, so it is determined that the mobile terminal 100a is present in the living room 2c. Also, the radio wave strength may be acquired by the transport fan 3 instead of the exhaust fan 5.

In addition, instead of using radio wave intensity for the determination, a camera may be provided in each room 2, and the user carrying the mobile terminal 100 may be recognized from the camera image to determine the room 2 in which the mobile terminal 100 is located. Furthermore, the user may notify the system controller 10 via the mobile terminal 100 which room 2 the user is in, and the determination unit 350 may determine the room 2 in which the mobile terminal 100 is located.

The control unit 200 controls ventilation by the ventilation device based on the detection result of the sleep preparation detection unit 320 and the carbon dioxide concentration measured by the carbon dioxide measurement unit 101. The control unit 200 further includes a ventilation decision unit 220 and a ventilation control unit 210. The ventilation decision unit 220 further includes a concentration comparison unit 221.

The concentration comparison unit 221 compares the carbon dioxide concentration acquired by the concentration acquisition unit 310 with the first threshold, second threshold, and third threshold stored in the concentration memory unit 300, thereby comparing the magnitude of the acquired carbon dioxide concentration against each threshold.

The ventilation decision unit 220 decides the ventilation instruction content to the ventilation control unit 210 based on the result of the comparison by the concentration comparison unit 221, the sleep preparation state of the user detected by the sleep preparation detection unit 320, and the room 2 in which the mobile terminal 100 is present determined by the determination unit 350. The detailed determination method will be described later with reference to the flowchart in FIG.

The ventilation control unit 210 controls the ventilation device according to the instructions determined by the ventilation determination unit 220.

Here, the system controller 10 is composed of a microcomputer. In other words, the system controller 10 has a computer system having a CPU (Central Processing Unit), RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), etc. The system controller 10 is connected to each part through a driver and an internal bus. The CPU uses, for example, the RAM as a working area, executes a program stored in the ROM, and controls each operation by sending and receiving data and commands based on the execution result, so that the computer system functions as the system controller 10. Note that, although the program executed by the CPU is pre-recorded in the ROM here, it may be recorded on a non-temporary recording medium such as a memory card and provided, or it may be provided through a telecommunications line such as the Internet.

In the above configuration, the ventilation control executed by the system controller 10 according to this embodiment will be explained using the sleep carbon dioxide concentration table 301 in Fig. 3 and the flowchart in Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing the ventilation control executed by the system controller 10. In the flowchart, numbers are assigned starting with the initial letter S. For example, S1 indicates a processing step. However, the magnitude of the numerical value indicating the processing step has no relation to the processing order.

First, the concentration acquisition unit 310 acquires the carbon dioxide concentration of the air in room 2 (step S1). The carbon dioxide concentration of the air in room 2 acquired by the concentration acquisition unit 310 is measured by a carbon dioxide measurement unit 101 provided in a mobile terminal 100 carried by a user present in room 2. The determination unit 350 also determines in which room (in this embodiment, 2a, 2b, 2c, or 2d) the room 2 in which the mobile terminal 100 is present is located. This makes it possible to know the carbon dioxide concentration of the room 2 in which the user is present. In this embodiment, the determination unit 350 determines that the mobile terminal 100a carried by user A is present in room 2c.

Next, the sleep preparation detection unit 320 detects whether the user is in a state of preparation for sleep based on the judgment result of the sleep state judgment unit 340 (step S2).

If the sleep preparation detection unit 320 detects that the user is not in a sleep preparation state, the concentration comparison unit 221 compares the carbon dioxide concentration in the room 2 in which the user is present with the third threshold value (step S2: No → step S3). In this embodiment, when user A is not in a sleep preparation state, the concentration comparison unit 221 compares the carbon dioxide concentration in the room 2c with the third threshold value.

If the carbon dioxide concentration in the room 2 where the user is present is equal to or higher than the third threshold value, the ventilation decision unit 220 instructs the ventilation control unit 210 to ventilate the room 2 where the user is present. The ventilation control unit 210 operates the fan of the ventilation device to control the carbon dioxide concentration in the room 2 where the user is present to be lowered. This makes the carbon dioxide concentration in the room 2 a concentration suitable for an active state, allowing the user to maintain concentration when in an active state. Note that ventilation of the room 2 where the user is present in step S3 may be performed only when the sleep state determination unit 340 has determined that the user is in an active state.

When the sleep preparation detection unit 320 detects that the user is in a state of preparation for sleep, the control unit 200 changes the first threshold value of the room 2 in which the mobile terminal 100 is present, which is stored in the concentration memory unit 300, as follows. That is, the control unit 200 changes the first threshold value to the same value as the carbon dioxide concentration indicated by the concentration information at the time of sleep of the user corresponding to the mobile terminal 100, which is stored in the concentration memory unit 300 (step S2: Yes -> step S4). In this embodiment, the control unit 200 changes the first threshold value of the room 2c to the carbon dioxide concentration CO2a indicated by the concentration information at the time of sleep of user A stored in the concentration memory unit 300.

This allows the first threshold value for room 2c to be set to a carbon dioxide concentration suitable for user A to fall asleep. Thus, in step S4, the control unit 200 changes the first threshold value based on the carbon dioxide concentration at the time of falling asleep indicated by the concentration information at the time of falling asleep stored in the concentration memory unit 300. Then, as described below, the control unit 200 controls ventilation by the ventilation device based on the changed first threshold value.

Furthermore, since the carbon dioxide concentration at the time when a user in room 2 falls asleep becomes the first threshold value, even if the user changes room 2 in which they prepare for sleep, the first threshold value for the changed room 2 can be set to a carbon dioxide concentration at the time when they fall asleep that is suitable for the user. For example, even if the user changes room 2 in which they prepare for sleep from room 2c to room 2a, the first threshold value for the changed room 2a can be set to a carbon dioxide concentration at the time when they fall asleep that is suitable for the user. Furthermore, since the settable range of the second threshold value changes with the change in the first threshold value, the second threshold value is changed as necessary. In other words, the second threshold value can be said to be a value that reflects the change in the first threshold value.

Next, the concentration comparison unit 221 compares the carbon dioxide concentration in room 2 with a second threshold value (step S5).

If the carbon dioxide concentration in room 2 where the user is in a sleep preparation state is equal to or greater than the second threshold, the ventilation decision unit 220 instructs the ventilation control unit 210 to ventilate room 2 where the user is in. The ventilation control unit 210 controls the ventilation device to operate a fan to lower the carbon dioxide concentration in room 2 (step S5: Yes -> step S6). That is, when the sleep preparation detection unit 320 detects that the user is in a sleep preparation state, and the carbon dioxide concentration measured by the carbon dioxide measurement unit 101 is equal to or greater than the second threshold, the control unit 200 controls the ventilation device to ventilate.

This allows the room 2 in which the user is present to maintain a carbon dioxide concentration range that is considered suitable for falling asleep. It also makes it possible to prevent the room 2 in which the user is present from reaching a carbon dioxide concentration that is dangerous to the user's body.

On the other hand, if the carbon dioxide concentration in the room 2 in which the user is in the sleep preparation state is smaller than the second threshold, the ventilation decision unit 220 instructs the ventilation control unit 210 to stop ventilation of the room 2 in which the user is in the sleep preparation state. The ventilation control unit 210 stops the fan of the ventilation device (step S5: No → step S7). That is, when the sleep preparation detection unit 320 detects that the user is in the sleep preparation state, and the carbon dioxide concentration measured by the carbon dioxide measurement unit 101 is smaller than the second threshold, the control unit 200 controls the ventilation by the ventilation device to stop ventilation. In other words, when the sleep preparation detection unit 320 detects that the user is in the sleep preparation state, the control unit 200 controls the ventilation by the ventilation device as follows. That is, the control unit 200 controls the ventilation by the ventilation device so that the carbon dioxide concentration in the room 2 acquired by the concentration acquisition unit 310 approaches the carbon dioxide concentration at the time of falling asleep indicated by the concentration information at the time of falling asleep stored in the concentration storage unit 300. In this control, the control unit 200 uses, as the sleep-state concentration information stored in the concentration memory unit 300, the sleep-state concentration information corresponding to the terminal information indicating the mobile terminal 100 carried by the user present in the room 2.

In other words, when the user is not in a sleep preparation state, as described above, ventilation is performed when the carbon dioxide concentration in room 2 in which the user is present exceeds the third threshold. In contrast, when the user is in a sleep preparation state, ventilation is not performed even if the carbon dioxide concentration in room 2 exceeds the third threshold or the first threshold, but ventilation is performed when it exceeds the second threshold. As a result, when the user is in a sleep preparation state, the carbon dioxide concentration in room 2 is aimed for to be greater than the first threshold and less than the second threshold.

This makes it possible to further increase the carbon dioxide concentration in the room 2 in which the user resides, and the central air-conditioning system 20 can facilitate the transition of the user to a sleep-onset state. In other words, the central air-conditioning system 20 can shorten the time it takes for the user to enter a sleep-preparation state and then fall asleep.

Next, the sleep state determination unit 340 determines whether the user has fallen asleep (step S8).

If the user has not transitioned to a sleep state, the process returns to step S5 in order to further increase the carbon dioxide concentration in room 2 (step S8: No → step S5). This allows the central air-conditioning system 20 to make it easier for the user to transition from the sleep preparation state to the sleep state.

Then, if the user transitions to a sleep state, the system controller 10 terminates the ventilation control process (step S8: Yes).

The central air conditioning system 20 has been described above as an example of a ventilation system according to the present disclosure. The central air conditioning system (20) is characterized by including a carbon dioxide measurement unit (101), a ventilation device, a sleep preparation detection unit (320), and a control unit (200). The carbon dioxide measurement unit (101) measures the carbon dioxide concentration in a living room (2), which is an example of a predetermined space according to the present disclosure. The ventilation device ventilates the living room (2) when the carbon dioxide concentration measured by the carbon dioxide measurement unit (101) is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold (third threshold). The sleep preparation detection unit (320) detects that a user in the living room (2) is in a state of sleep preparation. The control unit (200) controls the ventilation device to stop ventilation when the sleep preparation detection unit (320) detects that the user is in a state of sleep preparation, even if the carbon dioxide concentration measured by the carbon dioxide measurement unit (101) is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold (third threshold). As a result, when the user is in a state of preparing to sleep, the central air-conditioning system (20) does not perform ventilation using the ventilation device even if the carbon dioxide concentration in the room (2) in which the user is present is higher than a predetermined threshold value (third threshold value). Therefore, the central air-conditioning system (20) contributes to realizing a space suitable for the user to fall asleep without disturbing the user from falling asleep.

(Embodiment 2)
In this embodiment, a case where multiple mobile terminals 100 exist in the living room 2 will be described. That is, there are multiple users in this embodiment. Specifically, this is a case where mobile terminals 100b and 100c exist in the living room 2d shown in Fig. 1. Note that, in this embodiment, for the sake of simplicity, it is assumed that the only mobile terminals 100 present in the general residence 1 are mobile terminals 100b and 100c, and that mobile terminal 100a does not exist in living room 2c.

First, referring to FIG. 5, the functions of the system controller 10A according to this embodiment will be described. FIG. 5 is a schematic functional block diagram of the system controller 10A and peripheral devices according to this embodiment. The basic configuration of the system controller 10A is the same as that of the system controller 10 according to embodiment 1, but the system controller 10A differs from the system controller 10 in that it includes a control unit 200A instead of the control unit 200 of the system controller 10. The control unit 200A differs from the control unit 200 in that it includes a ventilation determination unit 220A instead of the ventilation determination unit 220 of the control unit 200 according to embodiment 1. The system controller 10A also includes a determination unit 350A instead of the determination unit 350 of the system controller 10.

The system controller 10A includes a concentration acquisition unit 310, a sleep preparation detection unit 320, a concentration memory unit 300, a control unit 200A, a vital data acquisition unit 330, a sleep state determination unit 340, and a determination unit 350A.

The concentration acquisition unit 310, vital data acquisition unit 330, sleep state determination unit 340 and sleep preparation detection unit 320 are the same as in embodiment 1, so their description will be omitted.

The first threshold, second threshold, and third threshold stored in the concentration storage unit 300 are the same as those in the first embodiment, but the concentration storage unit 300 stores a sleep-onset carbon dioxide concentration table 304 instead of the sleep-onset carbon dioxide concentration table 301 in the first embodiment. The sleep-onset carbon dioxide concentration table 304 corresponding to the mobile terminal 100 will be described with reference to FIG. 6.

Figure 6 is a diagram showing the data structure of the sleep carbon dioxide concentration table 304 stored in the concentration memory unit 300.

Each user carries a mobile terminal 100. In this embodiment, user B carries mobile terminal 100b, and user C carries mobile terminal 100c.

The data structure of the sleep carbon dioxide concentration table 304 is the same as that of the sleep carbon dioxide concentration table 301 according to the first embodiment, but the data registered in the sleep carbon dioxide concentration table 304 is different from that in the sleep carbon dioxide concentration table 301. That is, the sleep carbon dioxide concentration table 304 stores the user's terminal information 305 and the user's sleep concentration information 306 for each of a plurality of users in association with each other. In the figure, as an example, the sleep carbon dioxide concentration table 304 indicates that the terminal information 305 is "mobile terminal 100b" and the sleep concentration information 306 is "CO2b". Also, in the figure, as an example, the sleep carbon dioxide concentration table 304 indicates that the terminal information 305 is "mobile terminal 100c" and the sleep concentration information 306 is "CO2c". That is, the example in the figure shows that the carbon dioxide concentration in room 2d when user B who owns "portable terminal 100b" falls asleep is "CO2b." Also, the example in the figure shows that the carbon dioxide concentration in room 2d when user C who owns "portable terminal 100c" falls asleep is "CO2c."

The method of registering data in the sleep carbon dioxide concentration table 304 is the same as the method of registering data in the sleep carbon dioxide concentration table 301 according to the first embodiment. That is, the control unit 200A acquires the carbon dioxide concentration CO2b of the room 2 measured by the carbon dioxide measurement unit 101b when the user B fell asleep in the past from the concentration acquisition unit 310 and stores it in the concentration storage unit 300. That is, the control unit 200A registers the sleep concentration information "CO2b" in the sleep carbon dioxide concentration table 304 in association with the terminal information "mobile terminal 100b" corresponding to the carbon dioxide measurement unit 101b. Similarly, the control unit 200A acquires the carbon dioxide concentration CO2c of the room 2 measured by the carbon dioxide measurement unit 101c when the user C fell asleep in the past from the concentration acquisition unit 310 and stores it in the concentration storage unit 300. That is, the control unit 200A registers the sleep concentration information "CO2c" in the sleep carbon dioxide concentration table 304 in association with the terminal information "mobile terminal 100c" corresponding to the carbon dioxide measurement unit 101c.

As a result, the concentration storage unit 300 stores the carbon dioxide concentration CO2b at the time of falling asleep corresponding to the mobile terminal 100b and the carbon dioxide concentration CO2c at the time of falling asleep corresponding to the mobile terminal 100c. In other words, the concentration storage unit 300 stores individual concentration information at the time of falling asleep that indicates the carbon dioxide concentration at the time of falling asleep for all users.

In this embodiment, an example is shown in which two mobile terminals 100 are present in the central air conditioning system according to this embodiment, but the number of mobile terminals 100 may be any number. The concentration memory unit 300 stores sleep concentration information indicating the carbon dioxide concentration at the time of falling asleep of all users who carry the mobile terminals 100.

The determination unit 350A determines the room 2 in which the mobile terminal 100 exists, as in the first embodiment, but also determines the number of mobile terminals 100 present in each of the rooms 2a to 2d. As a method of determination, for example, as in the first embodiment, the determination is made based on the radio wave intensity received from the mobile terminal 100 by the exhaust fans 5a to 5d.

In this embodiment, the exhaust fans 5a to 5d in each living room 2 acquire the radio wave intensity generated from the mobile terminals 100b and 100c and transmit it to the system controller 10A. The determination unit 350A then compares the radio wave intensity from each of the mobile terminals 100b and 100c acquired from the exhaust fans 5a to 5d in each living room 2, and determines that the mobile terminal 100 is present in the living room 2 in which the exhaust fan 5 that received the strongest radio wave intensity is located.

The radio wave strength from the mobile terminals 100b and 100c picked up by the exhaust fans 5a to 5d is the strongest from the exhaust fan 5d, so it is determined that the mobile terminals 100b and 100c are present in the living room 2d. Therefore, it is determined that two mobile terminals, 100b and 100c, are present in the living room 2d.

In this embodiment, an example is given of a case where two mobile terminals 100 are present, but a similar determination is also made when the number of mobile terminals 100 is three or more, thereby determining the number of mobile terminals 100 and the number of mobile terminals 100 present in room 2.

The control unit 200A further includes a ventilation decision unit 220A and a ventilation control unit 210. The ventilation decision unit 220A further includes a concentration comparison unit 221A and a threshold change unit 222.

The concentration comparison unit 221A is similar to the concentration comparison unit 221 according to the first embodiment in that it uses the carbon dioxide concentration acquired by the concentration acquisition unit 310 to make a comparison with each threshold value stored in the concentration storage unit 300, but differs from the concentration comparison unit 221 in the following respects. That is, when there are multiple users in a certain room 2, the concentration comparison unit 221A makes a comparison using the average value of the carbon dioxide concentration acquired by the concentration acquisition unit 310 via the carbon dioxide measurement unit 101 of the mobile terminal 100 carried by each user. The details of the comparison will be described later.

When the sleep preparation detection unit 320 detects the user's sleep preparation state, the threshold change unit 222 changes the first threshold based on the sleep onset concentration information corresponding to the mobile terminal 100 stored in the concentration memory unit 300, as will be described in detail later.

The ventilation decision unit 220A determines the ventilation instruction content to the ventilation control unit 210 based on the comparison result of the concentration comparison unit 221A, the value of the first threshold changed by the threshold change unit 222, the sleep preparation state of the user detected by the sleep preparation detection unit 320, and the number of mobile terminals 100 present in the room 2 determined by the determination unit 350A. The detailed control will be described later with reference to the flowchart in FIG. 7.

The ventilation control unit 210 is the same as in embodiment 1, so its description is omitted.

In the above configuration, the ventilation control executed by the system controller 10A will be described using the flowchart in Figure 7. Figure 7 is a flowchart showing the ventilation control executed by the system controller 10A. In the flowchart, numbers are assigned starting with the initial letter S. For example, S11 indicates a processing step. However, the magnitude of the numerical value indicating the processing step has no relation to the processing order.

First, the concentration acquisition unit 310 acquires the carbon dioxide concentration in room 2 (step S11).

In addition, the determination unit 350A determines in which room 2 the mobile terminal 100 is present and the number of mobile terminals 100 present in the room 2. In this embodiment, the determination unit 350A determines that the mobile terminal 100b carried by user B and the mobile terminal 100c carried by user C are present in room 2d, and that the number of mobile terminals 100 present in room 2d is two.

Next, the sleep preparation detection unit 320 detects whether the user is in a state of preparation for sleep (step S12). In this embodiment, when multiple users are present in a certain living room 2, the sleep preparation detection unit 320 detects that the user is in a state of preparation for sleep if there is even one user in the state of preparation for sleep. However, this is only one example, and the sleep preparation detection unit 320 may be configured to detect that the user is in a state of preparation for sleep if all users are in the state of preparation for sleep.

If the sleep preparation detection unit 320 detects that the user is not in a sleep preparation state, the concentration comparison unit 221A compares the carbon dioxide concentration in the room 2 in which the user is present with a third threshold value (step S12: No → step S13).

In this embodiment, there are multiple users in room 2d, and multiple carbon dioxide measuring units 101. In this case, the concentration comparison unit 221A calculates the average value of the carbon dioxide concentrations obtained from carbon dioxide measuring units 101b and 101c, and compares the calculated average value with the third threshold value. Note that in this embodiment, the average value is used, but the larger carbon dioxide concentration instead of the average value may be used, or it may be set arbitrarily between the minimum and maximum values. The same applies when three or more carbon dioxide measuring units 101 are present.

If the calculated average carbon dioxide concentration is equal to or greater than the third threshold, the ventilation decision unit 220A instructs the ventilation control unit 210 to ventilate the room 2 in which the user is present. The ventilation control unit 210 operates the fan of the ventilation device to control the reduction of the carbon dioxide concentration in the room 2 in which the user is present.

When the sleep preparation detection unit 320 detects that the user is in a state of preparation for sleep, the threshold change unit 222 identifies a threshold based on the sleep-onset concentration information of the user corresponding to the mobile device 100 stored in the concentration memory unit 300. Then, the control unit 200A changes the first threshold stored in the concentration memory unit 300 to the threshold identified by the threshold change unit 222 (step S12: Yes → step S14).

A specific explanation of this embodiment will be given using the carbon dioxide concentration at sleep onset table 304 in Figure 6. Users B and C are present in room 2d. Concentration information at sleep onset "CO2b" of user B present in room 2d and concentration information at sleep onset "CO2c" of user C present in room 2d are stored in the carbon dioxide concentration at sleep onset table 304 in the concentration memory unit 300. The threshold change unit 222 identifies the higher carbon dioxide concentration of the carbon dioxide concentration CO2b at the time of user B's sleep onset and the carbon dioxide concentration CO2c at the time of user C's sleep onset as the threshold, and changes the first threshold to the identified threshold.

This allows the first threshold value for room 2d to be set to a carbon dioxide concentration suitable for falling asleep for both user B and user C.

In this embodiment, the first threshold is changed to the higher of the carbon dioxide concentration CO2b when user B falls asleep and the carbon dioxide concentration CO2c when user C falls asleep, but it may also be changed to, for example, the average of the two carbon dioxide concentrations.

When there are three or more users who carry a mobile terminal 100 and are in a state of preparing to sleep in the same living room 2, the threshold change unit 222 changes the first threshold in a similar manner. That is, the threshold change unit 222 specifies the maximum or average carbon dioxide concentration among the carbon dioxide concentrations at the time of falling asleep of the user corresponding to the mobile terminal 100 stored in the concentration storage unit 300 as the threshold, and changes the first threshold to the specified threshold. In addition, since the settable range of the second threshold changes with the change in the first threshold, the second threshold is changed as necessary. In other words, the second threshold can be said to be a value that reflects the change in the first threshold. Thus, in step S14, the control unit 200A changes the first threshold based on the carbon dioxide concentration at the time of falling asleep indicated by the concentration information at the time of falling asleep stored in the concentration storage unit 300. Then, as described later, the control unit 200A controls ventilation by the ventilation device based on the second threshold based on the changed first threshold.

Next, the concentration comparison unit 221A uses the carbon dioxide concentration in the room 2 to compare it with the second threshold value (step S15). Specifically, similar to step S13, the concentration comparison unit 221A calculates the average value of the carbon dioxide concentrations acquired from the concentration acquisition unit 310, and compares the calculated average value with the second threshold value. In this embodiment, the concentration comparison unit 221A compares the average value of the carbon dioxide concentrations acquired from the carbon dioxide measurement units 101b and 101c with the second threshold value. Note that, similar to step S13, in this embodiment, the average value is used, but the larger carbon dioxide concentration instead of the average value may be used, or it may be set arbitrarily between the minimum and maximum values. The same applies when three or more carbon dioxide measurement units 101 are present.

If the calculated average carbon dioxide concentration is equal to or greater than the second threshold, the ventilation decision unit 220A instructs the ventilation control unit 210 to ventilate the room 2 in which the user is present. The ventilation control unit 210 operates the fan of the ventilation device to control the carbon dioxide concentration in the room 2 to decrease (step S15: Yes → step S16).

If the calculated average value of the carbon dioxide concentration is smaller than the second threshold, the ventilation decision unit 220A instructs the ventilation control unit 210 to stop ventilation of the room 2 in which the user is present. The ventilation control unit 210 stops the fan of the ventilation device (step S15: No → step S17). That is, when the sleep preparation detection unit 320 detects that the user is in a sleep preparation state, and the number of mobile terminals 100 determined by the judgment unit 350A is multiple, the control unit 200A controls as follows. That is, the control unit 200A acquires sleep-onset concentration information corresponding to each of the multiple terminal information indicating each of the multiple mobile terminals 100 determined by the judgment unit 350A, which is stored in the concentration storage unit 300. Then, the control unit 200A controls ventilation by the ventilation device so that the carbon dioxide concentration of the room 2 acquired by the concentration acquisition unit 310 approaches the maximum carbon dioxide concentration among the carbon dioxide concentrations at the time of sleep indicated by each of the acquired sleep-onset concentration information. That is, the second threshold reflects the change in the first threshold. Based on this second threshold value, the control unit 200A controls ventilation by the ventilation device so that the carbon dioxide concentration in the room 2 acquired by the concentration acquisition unit 310 approaches the maximum carbon dioxide concentration at the time of falling asleep indicated by the concentration information at the time of falling asleep corresponding to each of the multiple terminal information.

Next, the sleep state determination unit 340 determines whether all users in the room 2 who are in a sleep preparation state have fallen asleep (step S18).

In this embodiment, the sleep state determination unit 340 determines whether users B and C in room 2d have fallen asleep. If there are three or more users, the same determination is made.

If all users in room 2 who are in a sleep preparation state have not transitioned to sleep, processing returns to step S15 to further increase the carbon dioxide concentration in room 2 (step S18: No → step S15).

As a result, the central air conditioning system of this embodiment can make it easier for users who have not yet transitioned into a sleep state to transition into a sleep state.

Then, when all users have transitioned to sleep, the system controller 10A terminates the ventilation control process (step S18: Yes).

Above, we have described the central air conditioning system 20 and system controller 10 relating to embodiment 1, and the central air conditioning system and system controller 10A relating to embodiment 2, as examples of a ventilation system relating to the present disclosure.

(Modification)
As described above, the central air conditioning systems according to the above-mentioned embodiments 1 and 2 are examples of ventilation systems according to the present disclosure, and the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to the contents of the embodiments 1 and 2.

For example, the central air conditioning systems according to the first and second embodiments may be modified so that concentration information at the time of sleep, which indicates the carbon dioxide concentration at the time the user falls asleep, is not stored in the concentration storage unit 300. The central air conditioning system according to this modification is a system in which the first threshold value and the second threshold value are fixed values, and can be a system that performs simpler control.

In the central air-conditioning systems according to the first and second embodiments, the carbon dioxide measuring unit 101 is provided in the mobile terminal 100, but the following modifications may be made. That is, the carbon dioxide measuring unit 101 may be provided in a ventilation device, a lighting device, an operating switch for a ventilation device, an operating switch for a lighting device, or a power outlet, etc., installed in the living room 2. The carbon dioxide measuring unit 101 may also be modified so as to be provided in a home appliance such as an air purifier, an electric fan, a dehumidifier, a humidifier, and an air conditioner, which are installed in the living room 2. The carbon dioxide measuring unit 101 may also be modified so as to be provided independently somewhere in the living room 2. This allows the central air-conditioning systems according to these modifications to have an improved degree of freedom in configuration.

The sleep preparation detection unit 320 may be modified to detect the sleep preparation state based on information other than the judgment result of the sleep state judgment unit 340. The sleep preparation detection unit according to this modification may be configured to detect that the user is in the sleep preparation state based on, for example, the bedtime set by the user. As a result, the sleep preparation detection unit according to this modification can detect the user's sleep preparation state relatively easily, and the central air conditioning system according to this modification can be constructed with a different configuration. Furthermore, the central air conditioning system according to this modification may be modified so that the carbon dioxide concentration in the living room 2 in which the user is present approaches the first threshold value before the user's bedtime. The central air conditioning system according to this modification controls, for example, to ventilate at the first threshold value or higher, rather than ventilating even if the carbon dioxide concentration becomes equal to or higher than the third threshold value, one hour before the user's bedtime. As a result, when the user enters the bedtime preparation state, the carbon dioxide concentration in the living room 2 is equal to the first threshold value, so that the central air conditioning system according to this modification can shorten the time it takes to fall asleep.

The sleep preparation detection unit 320 may be modified to detect the user's sleep preparation state based on an input by the user indicating that the user himself is in a sleep preparation state, rather than detecting the user's sleep preparation state using vital data or the user's bedtime. For example, the reception unit for receiving the input is provided in the mobile terminal 100, and the user inputs that the user himself is in a sleep preparation state via the mobile terminal 100, and the reception unit receives this input and notifies the system controller 10. This allows the sleep preparation detection unit according to this modification to more accurately detect that the user is in a sleep preparation state. In other words, by receiving an input that the user himself is in a sleep preparation state at the reception unit, the sleep preparation detection unit according to this modification can know the user's sleep preparation state. Therefore, the sleep preparation detection unit according to this modification can more accurately and easily detect the user's sleep preparation state. In other words, the whole-house air conditioning system according to this modification further includes a reception unit for receiving an input by the user indicating that the user himself is in a sleep preparation state. Then, the sleep preparation detection unit according to this modification detects that the user is in a sleep preparation state based on the input received by the reception unit.

The sleep preparation detection unit 320 may also be modified to detect that the user is getting ready to sleep by other methods, such as installing a camera in each room and detecting the user's sleep preparation state from the video. This allows the whole-building air conditioning system according to this modification to be constructed in various configurations.

The determination unit 350 according to the first embodiment may be modified so as not to determine the room 2 in which the mobile terminal 100 is present. In this case, for example, the information of the room 2 in which the user himself sleeps is registered in advance in the system controller 10 by the user, so that the determination unit according to this modification can identify the room 2 in which the user sleeps. The control unit according to this modification can perform ventilation control for the room 2 registered by the user. Furthermore, the carbon dioxide measuring unit 101 may be provided in a device other than the mobile terminal 100, and the carbon dioxide concentration of the room 2 measured by the carbon dioxide measuring unit 101 when the user fell asleep in the past may be stored in the concentration storage unit 300. As a result, the central air conditioning system according to this modification can perform control similar to the ventilation control according to the embodiment even if the mobile terminal 100 is not present. As a result, the central air conditioning system according to this modification can be constructed in various configurations. The modification of the determination unit 350 may be applied to the determination unit 350A according to the second embodiment.

In addition, in embodiment 1, the ventilation device is controlled by the control unit 200 of the system controller 10, and in embodiment 2, the ventilation device is controlled by the control unit 200A of the system controller 10A, but these may be modified so that they are performed by the mobile terminal 100. In the central air conditioning system according to this modification, for example, the mobile terminal 100 may be a smartphone, and software such as an app may be provided to the smartphone so that the ventilation device is controlled by the smartphone. As a result, the central air conditioning system according to this modification can control the ventilation device by a smartphone carried by the user.

Furthermore, the central air conditioning systems according to embodiments 1 and 2 may be modified so that ventilation control is performed by a smartphone, using a wearable device worn by the user that is separate from the smartphone described above. In this modification, the central air conditioning system includes, for example, a carbon dioxide measuring unit 101 and a vital data measuring unit in the wearable device. The smartphone then acquires the measurement data from the carbon dioxide measuring unit 101 and the vital data measuring unit, and performs ventilation control. This allows the smartphone according to this modification to acquire vital data, and perform more complex control.

In addition, in the central air conditioning systems according to the first and second embodiments, the system controller 10 (or the system controller 10A) installed in the general residence 1 controls the ventilation of the ventilation device, but the system may be modified to include a cloud and have the cloud control the ventilation device. This allows the central air conditioning system according to this modification to have greater freedom in configuration.

(Summary of the Disclosure)
The ventilation system according to the present disclosure is configured to include a ventilation device, a carbon dioxide measuring unit, a sleep preparation detection unit, and a control unit. The ventilation device is for ventilating a specified space. The carbon dioxide measuring unit measures the carbon dioxide concentration in the specified space. The sleep preparation detection unit detects that a user in the specified space is in a state of preparation for sleep. The control unit then controls ventilation by the ventilation device based on the detection result of the sleep preparation detection unit and the carbon dioxide concentration measured by the carbon dioxide measuring unit.

In this way, the ventilation system according to the present disclosure controls the carbon dioxide concentration in a specified space by the ventilation device based on the detection result that the user is in a state of preparation for sleep. In other words, the ventilation system according to the present disclosure controls ventilation by the ventilation device taking into account the user's state of preparation for sleep, and therefore can achieve a carbon dioxide concentration appropriate for the user's state of preparation for sleep. Thus, the ventilation system according to the present disclosure can be used to create a space appropriate for the user's state of preparation for sleep.

The ventilation system according to the present disclosure may further include a concentration storage unit that stores a first threshold value indicating a carbon dioxide concentration suitable for falling asleep and a second threshold value that is greater than the first threshold value. The control unit may be configured to control the ventilation device to stop ventilation when the sleep preparation detection unit detects that the user is in a state of sleep preparation and the carbon dioxide concentration measured by the carbon dioxide measurement unit is less than the second threshold value.

As a result, the ventilation system according to the present disclosure can increase the carbon dioxide concentration in the space in which the user is present when the user is in a sleep preparation state, thereby creating a space in which the user can easily fall asleep. Therefore, the ventilation system according to the present disclosure can shorten the time it takes for the user to fall asleep after entering the sleep preparation state.

The control unit may also be configured to control ventilation by the ventilation device when the sleep preparation detection unit detects that the user is in a state of preparation for sleep and the carbon dioxide concentration measured by the carbon dioxide measurement unit is equal to or higher than a second threshold value.

As a result, the ventilation system disclosed herein can prevent an increase in carbon dioxide concentration that could pose a danger to the user's body when the user is preparing to sleep.

The second threshold value may also be configured to be a value within the range of carbon dioxide concentrations defined as suitable for falling asleep and lower than the carbon dioxide concentrations considered harmful to the human body.

As a result, the ventilation system of the present disclosure can maintain the carbon dioxide concentration in the space in which the user is present within a carbon dioxide concentration range that is considered suitable for the user to fall asleep.

The sleep preparation detection unit may also be configured to detect that the user is in a state of preparation for sleep based on a bedtime set by the user.

This allows the ventilation system disclosed herein to relatively easily detect the user's state of readiness for sleep based on the time set by the user.

In addition, the ventilation system according to the present disclosure may further include a vital data acquisition unit that acquires at least one of the user's blood pressure, heart rate, respiration, and body movement as vital data. The sleep preparation detection unit may be configured to detect that the user is in a state of preparation for sleep based on the vital data acquired from the vital data acquisition unit.

As a result, the ventilation system according to the present disclosure can learn the user's state of readiness for sleep from vital data, thereby making it possible to grasp the user's state of readiness for sleep more accurately.

In addition, the ventilation system according to the present disclosure may further include a reception unit that receives input from the user indicating that the user is in a state of preparation for sleep, and the sleep preparation detection unit may be configured to detect that the user is in a state of preparation for sleep based on the input received by the reception unit.

This allows the ventilation system according to the present disclosure to detect that the user is in a state of preparation for sleep based on input from the user. Therefore, the ventilation system according to the present disclosure can more accurately detect the user's state of preparation for sleep.

In addition, the ventilation system according to the present disclosure may further include a concentration acquisition unit that acquires the carbon dioxide concentration measured by the carbon dioxide measurement unit, and the concentration storage unit may further store sleep-onset concentration information indicating the carbon dioxide concentration at the time of the user falling asleep. The control unit may be configured to control ventilation by the ventilator when the sleep preparation detection unit detects a sleep preparation state so that the carbon dioxide concentration acquired by the concentration acquisition unit approaches the carbon dioxide concentration at the time of the user falling asleep indicated by the sleep-onset concentration information stored in the concentration storage unit.

As a result, when the user enters a sleep preparation state, the ventilation system according to the present disclosure can bring the carbon dioxide concentration in the space in which the user is present closer to the carbon dioxide concentration at the time the user first falls asleep, thereby creating a space in which the user can easily fall asleep. Therefore, the ventilation system according to the present disclosure can shorten the time it takes for the user to fall asleep after entering the sleep preparation state.

The carbon dioxide measuring unit may also be configured to be provided in at least one of a ventilation device, a lighting device, an operating switch for the ventilation device, an operating switch for the lighting device, a power outlet, a home appliance, and a mobile terminal carried by the user, which are provided in a specified space.

This allows the ventilation system disclosed herein to be constructed in a variety of configurations.

In addition, the concentration memory unit may be configured to store the sleep-onset concentration information in association with terminal information indicating a mobile terminal carried by the user, and the control unit may be configured to use the sleep-onset concentration information corresponding to the terminal information as the sleep-onset concentration information stored in the concentration memory unit.

As a result, the ventilation system according to the present disclosure can omit the need to install a carbon dioxide measuring unit in each space by providing a carbon dioxide measuring unit in a mobile device, for example. Furthermore, the ventilation system according to the present disclosure stores the carbon dioxide concentration at the time the user falls asleep in association with the mobile device carried by the user. Therefore, for example, when there are multiple specified spaces to be ventilated by the ventilation device according to the present disclosure, even if the space in which the user is present changes, the carbon dioxide concentration in that space can be controlled to approach the carbon dioxide concentration at the time the user fell asleep. Therefore, the ventilation system according to the present disclosure can provide a carbon dioxide concentration appropriate for the user's state of preparation for sleep, regardless of the space in which the user sleeps.

The ventilation system according to the present disclosure may further include a determination unit that determines the number of mobile terminals present in the specified space, and there may be a plurality of users, and the concentration storage unit may store, for each of the plurality of users, the concentration information at the time of sleep of the user in association with the terminal information of the user. Then, when the sleep preparation detection unit detects that the user is in a sleep preparation state, and the determination unit determines that there are a plurality of mobile terminals, the control unit may control ventilation by the ventilation device as follows. That is, the control unit may be configured to control ventilation by the ventilation device so that the carbon dioxide concentration acquired by the concentration acquisition unit approaches the maximum or average carbon dioxide concentration at the time of sleep indicated by the concentration information at the time of sleep corresponding to each of the plurality of terminal information indicating each of the plurality of mobile terminals determined by the determination unit, which is stored in the concentration storage unit.

As a result, even when multiple users carrying mobile devices are present in the same space, the control unit controls the carbon dioxide concentration to approach a level appropriate for when all users fall asleep. Therefore, the ventilation system according to the present disclosure can adjust the carbon dioxide concentration in a space where multiple users exist to a carbon dioxide concentration appropriate for the sleep preparation state of all users present there.

The control unit may also be configured to change the first threshold value based on the carbon dioxide concentration at the time of sleep onset indicated by the sleep onset concentration information stored in the concentration memory unit, and to control ventilation by the ventilation device based on the changed first threshold value.

As a result, the ventilation system according to the present disclosure changes the carbon dioxide concentration suitable for falling asleep in a specified space to the carbon dioxide concentration at the time when a user sleeping in the specified space falls asleep. Therefore, the ventilation system according to the present disclosure can change the carbon dioxide concentration when a user is in a sleep preparation state in a specified space to a carbon dioxide concentration more suitable for the user's sleep preparation state.

The present disclosure is useful as a ventilation system for ventilating a specified space.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 General residence 2 Living room 2a Living room 2b Living room 2c Living room 2d Living room 3 Transport fan 3a Transport fan 3b Transport fan 3c Transport fan 3d Transport fan 4 Outdoor air intake fan 5 Exhaust fan 5a Exhaust fan 5b Exhaust fan 5c Exhaust fan 5d Exhaust fan 6 Circulation fan 6a Circulation fan 6b Circulation fan 6c Circulation fan 6d Circulation fan 9 Air conditioner 10 System controller 10A System controller 11 Living room temperature sensor 11a Living room temperature sensor 11b Living room temperature sensor 11c Living room temperature sensor 11d Living room temperature sensor 12 Living room humidity sensor 12a Living room humidity sensor 12b Living room humidity sensor 12c Living room humidity sensor 12d Living room humidity sensor 14 Air-conditioned room temperature sensor 15 Air-conditioned room humidity sensor 16 Humidifier 17 Dehumidifier 18 Air-conditioned room 19 Input/output terminal 20 Central air-conditioning system 100 Mobile terminal 100a Mobile terminal 100b Mobile terminal 100c Mobile terminal 101 Carbon dioxide measurement unit 101a Carbon dioxide measurement unit 101b Carbon dioxide measurement unit 101c Carbon dioxide measurement unit 200 Control unit 200A Control unit 210 Ventilation control unit 220 Ventilation decision unit 220A Ventilation decision unit 221 Concentration comparison unit 221A Concentration comparison unit 222 Threshold change unit 300 Concentration storage unit 301 Sleep-onset carbon dioxide concentration table 302 Terminal information 303 Sleep-onset concentration information 304 Sleep-onset carbon dioxide concentration table 305 Terminal information 306 Sleep-onset concentration information 310 Concentration acquisition unit 320 Sleep preparation detection unit 330 Vital data acquisition unit 340 Sleep state determination unit 350 Determination unit 350A Determination unit 1001 Ventilation system 1002 Ventilation device 1003 Control unit 1004 Carbon dioxide detection unit A User B User C User CO2a Carbon dioxide concentration CO2b Carbon dioxide concentration CO2c Carbon dioxide concentration

Claims (5)

A ventilation device for ventilating a predetermined space;
A carbon dioxide measuring unit for measuring a carbon dioxide concentration in the predetermined space;
a sleep preparation detection unit that detects that a user in the predetermined space is in a sleep preparation state;
A control unit that controls the ventilation by the ventilation device based on a detection result of the sleep preparation detection unit and the carbon dioxide concentration measured by the carbon dioxide measurement unit;
A concentration storage unit stores a first threshold value indicating the carbon dioxide concentration suitable for falling asleep and a second threshold value higher than the first threshold value,
The control unit is
When the sleep preparation detection unit detects that the user is in a sleep preparation state, and when the carbon dioxide concentration measured by the carbon dioxide measurement unit is smaller than the second threshold value, control is performed to stop the ventilation by the ventilation device;
Further, a concentration acquisition unit is provided for acquiring the carbon dioxide concentration measured by the carbon dioxide measurement unit,
The concentration storage unit further stores sleep-onset concentration information indicating the carbon dioxide concentration at the time when the user falls asleep,
The control unit is
A ventilation system characterized by controlling the ventilation by the ventilation device when the sleep preparation detection unit detects the sleep preparation state so that the carbon dioxide concentration acquired by the concentration acquisition unit approaches the carbon dioxide concentration at the time of the user falling asleep, as indicated by the sleep-onset concentration information stored in the concentration memory unit. The carbon dioxide measuring unit is
The ventilation system according to claim 1, characterized in that the ventilation system is provided in at least one of the ventilation device, the lighting device, the operation switch of the ventilation device, the operation switch of the lighting device, the power outlet, the home appliance, and the mobile terminal carried by the user, which are provided in the specified space. The concentration storage unit
storing the sleep-onset concentration information and terminal information indicating a mobile terminal carried by the user in association with each other;
The control unit is
2. The ventilation system according to claim 1 , wherein the sleep-state concentration information stored in the concentration storage unit is the sleep-state concentration information corresponding to the terminal information. The ventilation system further includes a determination unit that determines the number of the mobile terminals present in the specified space,
The users are multiple,
The concentration storage unit
storing, for each of the plurality of users, the sleep-onset concentration information of the user and the terminal information of the user in association with each other;
The control unit is
The ventilation system described in claim 3, characterized in that when the sleep preparation detection unit detects that the user is in the sleep preparation state and the number of mobile devices determined by the judgment unit is multiple, the ventilation by the ventilation device is controlled so that the carbon dioxide concentration acquired by the concentration acquisition unit approaches the maximum or average carbon dioxide concentration at the time of sleep indicated by the sleep onset concentration information corresponding to each of the multiple terminal information indicating each of the multiple mobile devices determined by the judgment unit, which is stored in the concentration memory unit. The control unit is
The ventilation system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the first threshold value is changed based on the carbon dioxide concentration at the time of sleep onset indicated by the sleep onset concentration information stored in the concentration memory unit, and the ventilation by the ventilation device is controlled based on the changed first threshold value.

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