JP7663196B2 - Air conditioning system, control device, control method, and program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an air conditioning system, a control device, a control method, and a program.

As a condition for a comfortable thermal environment, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHREA) recommend that the temperature around the feet should not be lower than the temperature around the head by more than 3°C. However, in actual residential and office spaces, the temperature difference between the head and feet (hereinafter referred to as the "top-bottom temperature difference") often exceeds the recommended range of 3°C. For example, in an office space in winter, the top-bottom temperature difference is large and the temperature around the feet is relatively too low, making occupants feel cold and uncomfortable. In such cases, occupants may change the temperature setting of the air conditioner to a higher temperature. Changing to a higher temperature setting in such an environment can cause excessive heating operation and lead to energy waste.

Conventionally, one example of a technology for improving comfort by reducing the temperature difference between the top and bottom of a space is the technology described in Patent Document 1. The air conditioning system described in Patent Document 1 uses a control device to link and control a floor-discharge air conditioner that blows conditioned air upward from multiple floor outlets installed on the floor surface of the room, and a perimeter air conditioner that blows conditioned air along a window installed in a side wall. With this configuration, the air conditioning system described in Patent Document 1 reduces the cooling output of the floor-discharge air conditioner by increasing the cooling output of the perimeter air conditioner in response to an increase in the temperature inside the room, thereby reducing the temperature difference between the top and bottom of the room.

As described above, the air conditioning system described in Patent Document 1 is an air conditioning system intended for cooling indoor spaces. However, for example, by using an underfloor air conditioning unit in addition to an air conditioning unit that controls the temperature of the entire space, a greater improvement in comfort can be achieved during heating rather than cooling. This is because, during cooling, even if cold air is blown out from the top of the space, it naturally flows to the bottom of the space, so the occurrence of large vertical temperature differences within the space can be suppressed to some extent even without the use of an underfloor air conditioning unit.

In addition, the air conditioning system described in Patent Document 1 is assumed to use a central air conditioning system (central heat source system) air conditioner as the floor-discharge air conditioner, and an air conditioner using a hot and cold water circulation system or a built-in heat pump system as the perimeter air conditioner. A system that combines air conditioners using such different air conditioning systems requires a large-scale system construction, which poses the problem that the system cannot be easily introduced.

Patent No. 3263324

The problem that this invention aims to solve is to provide an air conditioning system, a control device, a control method, and a program that can improve comfort with a simpler system configuration.

The air conditioning system of the embodiment controls a first indoor unit that blows out warm air from the upper part of a space and a second indoor unit that blows out warm air from the lower part of the space. The air conditioning system has an acquisition unit, a memory unit, and a target temperature determination unit. The acquisition unit acquires a set temperature instruction indicating a specified set temperature. The memory unit stores an isothermal cooling formula expressed based on an upper temperature, which is the temperature of the upper part of the space, and a lower temperature, which is the temperature of the lower part of the space. The target temperature determination unit uses the set temperature and the isothermal cooling formula stored in the memory unit to determine a target upper temperature, which is the target upper temperature, and a target lower temperature, which is the target lower temperature, and sets the set temperature of the first indoor unit to the target upper temperature and the set temperature of the second indoor unit to the target lower temperature.

1 is a schematic diagram for explaining an overview of air conditioning control by an air conditioning system 1 in an embodiment. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of an air conditioning system 1 according to an embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of an upper limit temperature of a blowing temperature. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of an isothermal cold sensation curve based on a target temperature setting formula in the embodiment. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of a control device 60 in the embodiment. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the floor-blowout type indoor unit 10 in the embodiment. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the ceiling outlet type indoor unit 20 in the embodiment. 5A to 5C are diagrams showing an example of experimental results of air conditioning control by the air conditioning system 1 of the embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of an experimental result of air conditioning control using a conventional ceiling-blowout type air conditioner.

The air conditioning system, control device, control method, and program of the embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings.

The configuration of the air conditioning system 1 in the embodiment will be described below. Figure 1 is a schematic diagram for explaining an overview of air conditioning control by the air conditioning system 1 in the embodiment.

Figure 1 shows a vertical cross-sectional view of a portion of a building including a space S. The building is, for example, an office building, and the space S is a space where people are active, such as an office space. However, the building may also be, for example, a house, and the space S may also be a space where people live, such as a living space. The air conditioning system 1 of the embodiment is a system that conditions the air in the space S. The air conditioning system 1 is a system that combines a floor-blow type air conditioning device and a ceiling-blow type air conditioning device.

An indoor unit of a floor-blowout type air conditioner (hereinafter referred to as "floor-blowout type indoor unit 10") is installed above the ceiling of space S. A remote thermosensor 15 is installed on a side wall within space S. Two indoor units of ceiling-blowout type air conditioners (hereinafter referred to as "ceiling-blowout type indoor unit 20-1" and "ceiling-blowout type indoor unit 20-2") are installed on the ceiling of space S. Hereinafter, when there is no need to distinguish between ceiling-blowout type indoor unit 20-1 and ceiling-blowout type indoor unit 20-2, they will simply be referred to as "ceiling-blowout type indoor unit 20".

A vertical duct 40 is installed along the side wall outside the space S. The floor of the space S is a double floor and functions as an underfloor air supply chamber 45. Note that a horizontal duct may be used instead of the underfloor air supply chamber 45. Three air outlets 50 are provided on the floor surface of the space S. Air in the underfloor air supply chamber 45 can move into the space S through the air outlets 50.

The number of air outlets 50 is not limited to three, and may be any number of at least one. It is desirable that the air outlets 50 are provided in an appropriate number, position, and interval so that the temperature in the space S, particularly in the lower portion, is uniform. An outdoor unit 30, shown in FIG. 2 and described later, is installed outside the space S.

The air conditioning system 1 in this embodiment is a multi-type air conditioning system in which one floor-blowout type indoor unit 10, two ceiling-blowout type indoor units 20, and one outdoor unit 30 are connected via refrigerant piping 35 (crossover piping). The number of floor-blowout type indoor units 10 and ceiling-blowout type indoor units 20 is not limited to the above numbers, and may be any number of at least one each. It is desirable that the ceiling-blowout type indoor units 20 are installed in an appropriate number, position, and interval so that the temperature in the space S, particularly in the upper positions, is uniform.

The refrigerant piping 35 is a pipe for moving refrigerant between the floor-outlet type indoor unit 10 and the ceiling-outlet type indoor unit 20, and the outdoor unit 30. The refrigerant piping 35 connects the floor-outlet type indoor unit 10, the ceiling-outlet type indoor unit 20-1, and the ceiling-outlet type indoor unit 20-2 in parallel. The floor-outlet type indoor unit 10 and the ceiling-outlet type indoor unit 20, and the outdoor unit 30 are connected by the refrigerant piping 35 to form a refrigeration cycle that circulates the refrigerant.

In this way, the air conditioning system 1 is configured to use both the floor-blowout type indoor unit 10 and the ceiling-blowout type indoor unit 20. As is also clear from the fact that the floor-blowout type indoor unit 10 and the ceiling-blowout type indoor unit 20 are connected to the same outdoor unit 30, the floor-blowout type indoor unit 10 and the ceiling-blowout type indoor unit 20 are indoor units of an air conditioning device with the same air conditioning method. However, the floor-blowout type indoor unit 10 and the ceiling-blowout type indoor unit 20 are not limited to being connected to the same outdoor unit 30. For example, the outdoor unit 30 connected to the floor-blowout type indoor unit 10 and the outdoor unit 30 connected to the ceiling-blowout type indoor unit 20 may be configured to be installed separately.

Generally, when heating is performed only by the ceiling-air outlet indoor unit 20, the temperature at the bottom of the space S will be relatively lower than the temperature at the top. As a result, people in the space may feel uncomfortable because the temperature around their feet is relatively too low, and may change the temperature setting of the air conditioner to a higher temperature. In such an environment, changing the temperature setting to a higher temperature will result in excessive heating operation, wasting energy.

In the present embodiment, the air conditioning system 1 can reduce the temperature difference between above and below in the space S by using a floor-blowout air conditioning unit in addition to a ceiling-blowout air conditioning unit. This makes the temperature around the feet of the occupants relatively higher, so that the occupants feel comfortable even if the temperature at the top of the space S is lower. In this way, the air conditioning system 1 makes it possible to set the temperature of the air conditioning system 1 lower without compromising comfort, thereby reducing energy consumption.

As shown in FIG. 1, air discharged from the underfloor discharge type indoor unit 10 is first discharged to the vertical duct 40. The air discharged to the vertical duct 40 is further discharged to the underfloor air supply chamber 45, which is a double-floor space to which the vertical duct 40 is connected. The air discharged to the underfloor air supply chamber 45 is further blown into the space S from three air outlets 50 provided on the floor surface of the space S. The underfloor discharge type indoor unit 10 controls the temperature of the air blown out from the air outlets 50 based on the temperature measured by the remote thermosensor 15.

The remote thermosensor 15 is a sensor that measures the temperature at the lower position of the space S (hereinafter referred to as the "lower temperature"). The remote thermosensor 15 is installed at the lower position of the side wall in the space S. In this embodiment, the remote thermosensor 15 is installed at a height of 10 cm above the floor. The remote thermosensor 15 is configured to be able to transmit a signal to the floor-blowout type indoor unit 10. The remote thermosensor 15 transmits a signal indicating the measured lower temperature to the floor-blowout type indoor unit 10. This allows the floor-blowout type indoor unit 10 to recognize the lower temperature of the space S and control the blowing temperature of the air blown out from the air outlet 50 into the space S based on the lower temperature.

In this embodiment, the remote thermosensor 15 is installed on a side wall in the space S, but this is not limited to the above. The remote thermosensor 15 can be installed in any position as long as it is a position where the temperature at the bottom of the space S can be measured. For example, a 10 cm high support may be placed in the center of the space S, and the remote thermosensor 15 may be installed on the top of the support.

Moreover, multiple remote thermosensors 15 may be installed in the space S. In this case, the floor-blowout type indoor unit 10 may control the blowing temperature of the air blown out from the air outlet 50 based on, for example, the average value of the temperatures measured by each of the multiple remote thermosensors 15.

Each of the multiple ceiling-blowout type indoor units 20 is equipped with an intake temperature sensor 21, which will be described later. The intake temperature sensor 21 is a sensor that measures the temperature of air drawn into the ceiling-blowout type indoor unit 20 from within the space S (hereinafter referred to as the "intake temperature"). The ceiling-blowout type indoor unit 20 estimates the temperature at the upper position of the space S (hereinafter referred to as the "upper temperature") based on the temperature measured by the intake temperature sensor 21. In this embodiment, the upper temperature is the temperature at a position 120 cm above the floor in the space S. The ceiling-blowout type indoor unit 20 controls the upper temperature of the space S based on the set temperature set by the user.

The ceiling-discharge indoor unit 20 knows in advance that the upper temperature will be a predetermined temperature (e.g., 2°C) lower than the intake temperature. The ceiling-discharge indoor unit 20 estimates the upper temperature by subtracting the above-mentioned predetermined temperature value from the intake temperature measured by the intake temperature sensor 21.

In addition, the ceiling-discharge type indoor unit 20 may be equipped with a sensor capable of directly measuring the upper temperature of the space S, instead of the intake temperature sensor 21. In this case, the sensor that measures the upper temperature may be installed, for example, at the upper position of the side wall (for example, at a height of 120 cm above the floor). In other words, the temperature sensor equipped in the ceiling-discharge type indoor unit 20 may be any sensor that can measure or estimate the upper temperature of the space S.

Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of an air conditioning system 1 according to an embodiment. As shown in Figure 2, the air conditioning system 1 has an underfloor outlet type indoor unit 10, a remote thermosensor 15, a ceiling outlet type indoor unit 20-1, a ceiling outlet type indoor unit 20-2, a remote control 25, an outdoor unit 30, refrigerant piping 35, and a control device 60.

Each of the floor-air-exhaust indoor unit 10 and the ceiling-air-exhaust indoor unit 20 includes, for example, an indoor heat exchanger, an indoor expansion valve, and an indoor blower (not shown).

The indoor heat exchanger is, for example, a fin tube type heat exchanger. The indoor expansion valve is, for example, an electronic expansion valve (PMV). The opening of the indoor expansion valve can be changed (adjusted). For example, as the opening of the indoor expansion valve increases, the refrigerant flows more easily through the indoor expansion valve. On the other hand, as the opening of the indoor expansion valve decreases, the refrigerant flows less easily through the indoor expansion valve. Specifically, the indoor heat exchanger has a valve body with a through hole formed therein and a needle that can move forward and backward through the through hole. When the through hole is blocked by the needle, the refrigerant does not flow through the indoor heat exchanger. At this time, the indoor heat exchanger is in a closed state, and the opening of the indoor heat exchanger is at its smallest. On the other hand, when the needle is furthest away from the through hole, the refrigerant flows most easily through the indoor heat exchanger. At this time, the indoor heat exchanger is in an open state, and the opening of the indoor heat exchanger is at its largest.

The indoor heat exchanger and the indoor expansion valve are connected by refrigerant piping 35. For example, R410A or R32 is used as the refrigerant. The refrigerant contains refrigeration oil, etc.

The indoor blower is a blower equipped with a centrifugal fan. The fan equipped in the indoor blower may be a fan of other structures, such as an axial fan. The fan equipped in the indoor blower is arranged to face the indoor heat exchanger. When the fan of the indoor blower is operated, air in the space above the ceiling of the space S is drawn into the floor-blow type indoor unit 10, and air in the space S is drawn into each of the ceiling-blow type indoor units 20. The air drawn into each of the floor-blow type indoor unit 10 and the ceiling-blow type indoor unit 20 exchanges heat with the refrigerant by the indoor heat exchanger, and is released back into the space S by the operation of the fan.

As shown in FIG. 2, the floor-blowout indoor unit 10 is configured to include a blowout temperature control unit 11. The blowout temperature control unit 11 sequentially acquires information indicating the lower temperature of the space S, which is periodically (e.g., every 5 seconds) transmitted from the remote thermosensor 15. The blowout temperature control unit 11 controls the blowout temperature of the air blown out from the outlet 50 into the space S according to the lower temperature based on the acquired information. The blowout temperature control unit 11 is pre-configured to be able to control the blowout temperature blown out from the outlet 50 into the space S to a desired temperature.

For example, the discharge temperature control unit 11 stores in advance the temperature of the air that drops during the time that the air is discharged from the underfloor discharge type indoor unit 10 and blown out from the air outlet 50 into the space S. The discharge temperature control unit 11 controls the indoor heat exchanger so that the air is discharged from the underfloor discharge type indoor unit 10 to the vertical duct 40 at a temperature that is higher by the amount of the drop in temperature.

In this embodiment, the blowing temperature control unit 11 is provided in the floor-blowout type indoor unit 10, but this is not limited to the above. For example, the blowing temperature control unit 11 may be provided in the outdoor unit 30 or the control device 60.

The blowing temperature control unit 11 includes, for example, a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), memory, and auxiliary storage device, which are connected by a bus. The blowing temperature control unit 11 reads and executes a program, for example, from the auxiliary storage device. The auxiliary storage device is configured using a storage medium such as a magnetic hard disk device or a semiconductor storage device. For example, the auxiliary storage device is configured using a non-volatile memory such as an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory).

All or part of the blowing temperature control unit 11 may be realized using hardware such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), a PLD (Programmable Logic Device), or an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array). The program may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. Examples of computer-readable recording media include portable media such as flexible disks, optical magnetic disks, ROMs, and CD-ROMs, and storage devices such as hard disks built into computer systems. The program may be transmitted via a telecommunications line.

The remote thermosensor 15 is a temperature sensor that periodically (e.g., every 5 seconds) measures the lower temperature of the space S. As described above, in this embodiment, the remote thermosensor 15 is installed at a height of 10 cm above the floor, and measures the temperature at a height of 10 cm above the floor in the space S. The remote thermosensor 15 periodically (e.g., every 5 seconds) outputs a signal indicating the measured lower temperature to the floor-blowout indoor unit 10.

The floor-blowout indoor unit 10 includes, for example, a signal input unit (not shown). The signal input unit receives input of a signal output from the remote thermosensor 15 and outputs the signal to the blowout temperature control unit 11. For example, the signal input unit is communicatively connected to the remote thermosensor 15 via a communication interface such as RS-232C (Recommended Standard - 232C), RS-422A (Recommended Standard - 422A), RS-485 (Recommended Standard - 485) or USB (Universal Serial Bus). The signal input unit receives input of a signal via this communication interface. The signal input unit is connected to an internal bus (not shown) and outputs a signal to the blowout temperature control unit 11 via the internal bus.

The signal input unit may receive the input of a signal output from the remote thermosensor 15, and store data on the lower temperature of the space S based on the signal as sensor data in a storage medium such as an auxiliary storage device. In this case, the blowout temperature control unit 11 controls the blowout temperature of the air blown into the space S based on the sensor data stored in the storage medium.

The remote control 25 is an input interface that accepts operational inputs from the user regarding the settings of the air conditioning system 1. For example, the remote control 25 accepts operational inputs that instruct switching the power state of the air conditioning system 1 between on and off. Or, for example, the remote control 25 accepts operational inputs that instruct a set temperature. In order to set the desired temperature in the space S, the user operates the remote control 25 to make operational inputs that instruct a set temperature.

The remote control 25 outputs the input instruction information to the ceiling blow-out type indoor unit 20-1. The remote control 25 and the ceiling blow-out type indoor unit 20-1 may be connected by wire or wirelessly. The instruction information input to the ceiling blow-out type indoor unit 20-1 is further transmitted to the control device 60, the ceiling blow-out type indoor unit 20-2, the outdoor unit 30, and the floor blow-out type indoor unit 10. This allows the air conditioning system 1 to control the temperature in the space S and to control the switching of the power state of the air conditioning system 1 between on and off, based on the instruction information input from the remote control 25.

The means for transmitting the instruction information input from the remote control 25 in the air conditioning system 1 is not limited to the above configuration. For example, the instruction information input from the remote control 25 may be first transmitted to the control device 60, and then further transmitted from the control device 60 to the floor-air outlet type indoor unit 10, each ceiling-air outlet type indoor unit 20, and the outdoor unit 30.

The blowing temperature control unit 11 of the underfloor-type indoor unit 10 performs heating operation until the lower temperature measured by the remote thermosensor 15 reaches the target lower temperature (hereinafter referred to as the "target lower temperature") determined based on the set temperature based on information input from the remote control 25. The underfloor-type indoor unit 10 obtains information indicating the target lower temperature from the control device 60. The blowing temperature control unit 11 stops the heating operation when the measured lower temperature reaches the target lower temperature.

Furthermore, after stopping the heating operation, the blowing temperature control unit 11 resumes the heating operation if the measured lower temperature drops by a predetermined temperature. In this embodiment, the blowing temperature control unit 11 resumes the heating operation if the measured lower temperature drops by 0.5 [°C] from the target lower temperature.

As shown in FIG. 2, the ceiling-discharge type indoor unit 20 includes an intake temperature sensor 21. As described above, the intake temperature sensor 21 measures the intake temperature of the air drawn into the ceiling-discharge type indoor unit 20 from within the space S. The ceiling-discharge type indoor unit 20 estimates the upper temperature of the space S based on the intake temperature measured by the intake temperature sensor 21.

The ceiling-blowout type indoor unit 20 performs heating operation until the estimated upper temperature reaches the target upper temperature (hereinafter referred to as the "target upper temperature") that is determined based on the set temperature based on information input from the remote control 25. The ceiling-blowout type indoor unit 20 obtains information indicating the target upper temperature from the control device 60. The ceiling-blowout type indoor unit 20 stops heating operation when the estimated upper temperature reaches the target upper temperature.

In addition, the ceiling-air-supply indoor unit 20 resumes heating operation when the estimated upper temperature drops by a predetermined temperature after stopping the heating operation. In this embodiment, the ceiling-air-supply indoor unit 20 resumes heating operation when the estimated upper temperature drops by 0.5°C from the target upper temperature.

The outdoor unit 30 includes, for example, an outdoor heat exchanger, a four-way valve, a compressor, an outdoor expansion valve, an outdoor blower, and an accumulator (not shown). The refrigerant piping 35 connects the outdoor expansion valve, the outdoor heat exchanger, the four-way valve, the compressor, and the accumulator.

The outdoor heat exchanger is, for example, a fin-tube type heat exchanger. The four-way valve is a valve for switching the direction in which the refrigerant flows in the refrigerant piping 35. The four-way valve switches the direction in which the refrigerant flows between a direction during heating operation and a direction during cooling operation (or defrosting operation), which is the opposite direction to the heating direction. However, the air conditioning system 1 in this embodiment may be an air conditioning system dedicated to heating.

The compressor can change its operating frequency using known inverter control. The compressor draws in refrigerant from an intake port and compresses it internally. The compressor discharges the compressed refrigerant from an exhaust port to the outside. An accumulator is attached to the intake port of the compressor. The accumulator separates the refrigerant into liquid refrigerant and gas refrigerant and stores the liquid refrigerant.

The outdoor expansion valve is configured in the same way as the indoor expansion valve. The outdoor expansion valve is, for example, a PMV (electronic expansion valve). The opening degree of the outdoor expansion valve can be changed (adjusted). For example, as the opening degree of the outdoor expansion valve increases, the refrigerant flows more easily through the outdoor expansion valve. On the other hand, as the opening degree of the outdoor expansion valve decreases, the refrigerant flows less easily through the outdoor expansion valve.

The outdoor blower is configured in the same way as the indoor blower. The outdoor blower is a blower equipped with an axial flow fan. Note that the fan equipped in the indoor blower may be a fan of other structure, such as a centrifugal fan. The fan equipped in the outdoor blower is positioned so as to face the outdoor heat exchanger.

The control device 60 is a device that determines the target upper temperature and the target lower temperature described above. The control device 60 is an information processing device such as a general-purpose computer. The control device 60 is communicatively connected to the floor-blowout type indoor unit 10, the ceiling-blowout type indoor unit 20, and the outdoor unit 30. The control device 60 may be connected to the floor-blowout type indoor unit 10, the ceiling-blowout type indoor unit 20, and the outdoor unit 30 by wire or wirelessly.

As shown in FIG. 1, the control device 60 includes a target temperature determination unit 61. The target temperature determination unit 61 acquires instruction information indicating the set temperature output from the remote control 25 via the ceiling-air-supply indoor unit 20-1. Note that the target temperature determination unit 61 may also be configured to acquire instruction information indicating the set temperature directly from the remote control 25.

The target temperature determination unit 61 determines the target upper temperature and the target lower temperature based on the set temperature based on the acquired information and a target temperature calculation formula described below. The target temperature determination unit 61 outputs information indicating the determined target lower temperature to the floor-blowout type indoor unit 10. The target temperature determination unit 61 also outputs information indicating the determined target upper temperature to the ceiling-blowout type indoor unit 20.

The target temperature calculation formula is a predetermined formula used to determine the target upper temperature and the target lower temperature according to the set temperature. The target temperature calculation formula and the method of determining the target upper temperature and the target lower temperature based on the target temperature calculation formula will be explained in detail later.

The target temperature determination unit 61 includes, for example, a processor such as a CPU, memory, and auxiliary storage device, which are connected by a bus. The target temperature determination unit 61 reads and executes a program, for example, from the auxiliary storage device. The auxiliary storage device is configured using a storage medium such as a magnetic hard disk device or a semiconductor storage device. For example, the auxiliary storage device is configured using a non-volatile memory such as an EEPROM.

All or part of the target temperature determination unit 61 may be realized using hardware such as an ASIC, PLD, or FPGA. The program may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. Examples of computer-readable recording media include portable media such as flexible disks, optical magnetic disks, ROMs, and CD-ROMs, and storage devices such as hard disks built into computer systems. The program may be transmitted via a telecommunications line.

The following describes the control of the blowing temperature by the blowing temperature control unit 11 of the floor-blowout type indoor unit 10.

The blowing temperature control unit 11 controls the blowing temperature based on a preset upper limit temperature. The blowing temperature control unit 11 sequentially controls the blowing temperature so that the blowing temperature is as close to the upper limit temperature as possible while preventing the blowing temperature from exceeding the upper limit temperature.

Figure 3 is a diagram showing an example of the upper limit temperature. In the graph shown in Figure 3, the horizontal axis represents the lower temperature of the space S measured by the remote thermosensor 15, and the vertical axis represents the blowing temperature of the air blown out from the air outlet 50 controlled by the blowing temperature control unit 11. The units of the lower temperature and blowing temperature shown in Figure 3 are both Celsius (°C).

As shown in FIG. 3, when the temperature at the bottom of the space S is 20°C or lower, the upper limit of the blowing temperature is the lower temperature plus 10°C. Also, as shown in FIG. 3, when the temperature at the bottom of the space S is 20°C or higher, the upper limit of the blowing temperature is a constant temperature of 30°C.

Generally, a buoyancy effect occurs based on the relationship between the lower temperature and the blowing temperature, and the warm air in the lower part of the space S may rise to the upper part of the space S. This makes it difficult to reduce the upper and lower temperature difference in the space S by increasing the lower temperature. The line of the upper limit temperature of the blowing temperature shown in Figure 3 is an example of a line that is appropriately set to suppress the rise of warm air due to the influence of the buoyancy effect.

That is, the upper limit temperature line of the blowing temperature shown in FIG. 3 is preset based on the general research result that when the lower temperature is 20°C or less, the influence of the buoyancy effect becomes large when the blowing temperature is 10°C or more higher than the lower temperature. Also, the upper limit temperature line is preset based on the general research result that when the lower temperature is 20°C or more, the influence of the buoyancy effect becomes large when the blowing temperature exceeds 30°C.

The blowing temperature control unit 11 acquires information indicating the lower temperature of the space S, which is output periodically (e.g., every 5 seconds) from the remote thermosensor 15. The blowing temperature control unit 11 identifies the upper limit temperature of the blowing temperature corresponding to the measured lower temperature based on the line of the upper limit temperature of the blowing temperature shown in FIG. 3.

In addition, information indicating the upper limit temperature line of the blowing temperature shown in FIG. 3 is stored in advance, for example, in the auxiliary storage device described above. The blowing temperature control unit 11 sequentially controls the blowing temperature so that the blowing temperature is as close as possible to the specified upper limit temperature while preventing the blowing temperature from exceeding the specified upper limit temperature.

The blowout temperature control unit 11 stops the heating operation when the measured lower temperature reaches the set temperature. After that, the blowout temperature control unit 11 resumes the heating operation when the measured lower temperature drops from the set temperature by a predetermined temperature (0.5°C in this embodiment).

The following describes the target temperature calculation formula and the method for determining the target upper temperature and target lower temperature based on the target temperature calculation formula.

The target temperature calculation formula in this embodiment is an equation for calculating the temperature control target coefficient TSV, which is expressed by the following formula (1).

TSV=-10.272+0.323×Ta120+0.125×Ta10...(1)

Here, the variable Ta120 indicates the upper temperature. As mentioned above, the upper temperature is the temperature at a height of 120 cm above the floor in space S. The variable Ta10 indicates the lower temperature. As mentioned above, the lower temperature is the temperature at a height of 10 cm above the floor in space S.

The target temperature calculation formula shown in formula (1) is an equation (isothermal sensation formula) that represents the combination of upper and lower temperatures that will give the same warm/cold sensation to the occupants. In other words, the above target temperature calculation formula is an isothermal sensation formula that is set so that the occupants will feel that the temperature of space S is the same for any combination of values of Ta120 and Ta10 that give the same value for the temperature control target coefficient TSV.

The above isothermal cold sensation formula was obtained by actually constructing a system similar to the air conditioning system 1 in this embodiment, conducting an experiment, and based on the results of subjects' thermal sensation declarations (PMV). The above isothermal cold sensation formula is a multiple regression formula obtained statistically by multiple regression analysis of the PMV index values on a five-level scale - "warm (+2)", "slightly warm (+1)", "neither warm nor cold (±0)", "slightly cool (-1)", and "cool (-2)" - and the upper temperature value and the lower temperature value.

Figure 4 is a diagram showing an example of an isothermal cold sensation line based on the target temperature setting formula in this embodiment. In Figure 4, the isothermal cold sensation line tsv (+2) is the isothermal cold sensation line when the occupant feels "warm". Similarly, the isothermal cold sensation line tsv (+1), the isothermal cold sensation line tsv (±0), the isothermal cold sensation line tsv (-1), and the isothermal cold sensation line tsv (-2) are the isothermal cold sensation lines when the occupant feels "slightly warm", "neither", "slightly cool", and "cool", respectively.

The following describes a specific example of how to determine the target upper temperature and the target lower temperature based on the target temperature calculation formula. As an example, the following describes a case where the target temperature determination unit 61 of the control device 60 acquires instruction information indicating the set temperature output from the remote control 25, and the set temperature is 22°C.

First, the target temperature determination unit 61 assigns a value of 22°C to the variables Ta120 and Ta10 in the target temperature calculation formula expressed by the above-mentioned formula (1). As a result, the target temperature determination unit 61 obtains a temperature control target coefficient TSV = -0.416, as expressed by the following formula (2).

TSV=-10.272+0.323×22+0.125×22
=-0.416...(2)

Next, the target temperature determination unit 61 obtains an isothermal cold sensation formula for a temperature of 22°C by substituting a value of -0.416 into the temperature control target coefficient TSV of the target temperature calculation formula shown by the above-mentioned formula (1). The target temperature determination unit 61 converts the obtained isothermal cold sensation formula into an isothermal cold sensation formula that determines the value of variable Ta120 based on the value of variable Ta10, as shown by the following formula (3).

-0.416=-10.272+0.323×Ta120+0.125×Ta10
Ta120=(9.856-0.125×Ta10)/0.323...(3)

The isothermal cold sensation line based on the isothermal cold sensation equation for temperature 22°C obtained in this way is expressed as the isothermal cold sensation line tsv22 in Figure 4.

Next, the target temperature determination unit 61 calculates the values of variables Ta120 and Ta10 such that lower temperature - upper temperature = 1 [°C] (i.e., Ta10 - Ta120 = 1 [°C]). Note that these values are the intersection points of the isothermal cold sensation line tsv22 shown in Figure 4 and the line of lower temperature - upper temperature = 1 [°C] (shown by a dotted line in Figure 4 as an example). As a result, the target temperature determination unit 61 obtains values of Ta120 ≒ 21.7 [°C] and Ta10 ≒ 22.7 [°C], respectively, as represented by the following formula (4).

Ta120=(9.856-0.125×(Ta120+1))/0.323
≒21.7 [℃]
Ta10 ≒22.7 [℃] ... (4)

The target temperature determination unit 61 determines the target upper temperature to be 21.7 [°C] and the target lower temperature to be 22.7 [°C]. The target temperature determination unit 61 outputs information indicating the determined target upper temperature to the ceiling discharge type indoor unit 20, and outputs information indicating the determined target lower temperature to the floor discharge type indoor unit 10. As a result, the ceiling discharge type indoor unit 20 controls heating so that the upper temperature becomes the target upper temperature of 21.7 [°C], and the floor discharge type indoor unit 10 controls heating so that the lower temperature becomes the target lower temperature of 22.7 [°C].

An example of the operation of the control device 60 will be described below. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the control device 60 in an embodiment. The operation of the control device 60 shown in the flowchart of FIG. 5 is initiated, for example, when the power of the air conditioning system 1 is turned on.

The target temperature determination unit 61 of the control device 60 waits for the input of information indicating a set temperature instruction (step S001). The set temperature instruction is an instruction for controlling the temperature in the space S to a desired set temperature, which is accepted by a user's operational input to the remote control 25. The information indicating the set temperature instruction is output, for example, from the remote control 25 and input to the control device 60 via the ceiling-blowout indoor unit 20-1.

When the target temperature determination unit 61 receives input of information indicating a set temperature instruction (step S001, YES), it calculates the value of the temperature control target coefficient TSV by substituting the value of the set temperature based on the information indicating the set temperature instruction into both the upper temperature variable (variable Ta120) and the lower temperature variable (variable Ta10) of the target temperature calculation formula represented by the previously determined formula (1) described above (step S002).

Next, the target temperature determination unit 61 obtains an isothermal cooling sensation formula corresponding to the above set temperature by substituting the value of the temperature control target coefficient TSV calculated in step S002 above for the temperature control target coefficient TSV of the target temperature calculation formula shown in the above formula (1) (step S003).

Next, the target temperature determination unit 61 defines the difference between the value of the lower temperature variable and the value of the upper temperature variable to be 1 [°C] (i.e., Ta10-Ta120=1 [°C]), and calculates the value of the upper temperature variable (variable Ta120) and the value of the lower temperature variable (variable Ta10) using the above-mentioned formula (1) (step S004).

Next, the target temperature determination unit 61 sets the value of the upper temperature variable (variable Ta120) calculated in step S004 above as the target upper temperature, and notifies the ceiling-discharge type indoor unit 20 of information indicating the target upper temperature (step S005). The target temperature determination unit 61 also sets the value of the lower temperature variable (variable Ta10) calculated in step S004 above as the target lower temperature, and notifies the floor-discharge type indoor unit 10 of information indicating the target lower temperature (step S006). This completes the operation of the control device 60 shown in the flowchart of FIG. 5. Note that the order of the notification to the ceiling-discharge type indoor unit 20 in step S005 and the notification operation to the floor-discharge type indoor unit 10 in step S006 is not limited to this, and they may be performed in parallel.

Next, an example of the operation of the floor-air outlet type indoor unit 10 will be described below. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the floor-air outlet type indoor unit 10 in an embodiment. The operation of the floor-air outlet type indoor unit 10 shown in the flowchart of FIG. 6 is initiated, for example, when the power supply of the air conditioning system 1 is turned on.

The discharge temperature control unit 11 of the floor discharge type indoor unit 10 waits for the input of information indicating the target lower temperature output from the control device 60 (step S101).

When the blowing temperature control unit 11 receives input of information indicating the target lower temperature (step S101, YES), it starts floor blowing control (step S102) to sequentially control the blowing temperature based on the upper limit temperature of the blowing temperature corresponding to the lower temperature of the space S, for example as shown in FIG. 3, and information indicating the lower temperature of the space S input periodically (for example, every 5 seconds) from the remote thermosensor 15.

Next, the blowing temperature control unit 11 continues floor blowing control until the lower temperature of the space S, which is input periodically (e.g., every 5 seconds) from the remote thermosensor 15, reaches the target lower temperature (step S104).

During that time, if the blowout temperature control unit 11 receives input of information indicating an operation end instruction (step S103, YES), it ends the floor blowing control (step S108). This ends the operation of the floor blowing type indoor unit 10 shown in the flowchart of FIG. 6. The operation end instruction is, for example, an instruction to turn off the power supply of the air conditioning system 1, received by operation input to the remote control 25 by the user.

When the lower temperature of the space S, which is input periodically (e.g., every 5 seconds) from the remote thermosensor 15, reaches the set temperature (step S104, YES), the blowing temperature control unit 11 temporarily suspends the floor blowing control (step S105).

Next, the blowing temperature control unit 11 maintains the floor blowing control temporarily suspended until the lower temperature of the space S, which is input periodically (e.g., every 5 seconds) from the remote thermosensor 15, becomes 0.5°C lower than the target lower temperature (step S107).

During that time, if the blowout temperature control unit 11 receives input of information indicating an instruction to end operation (step S106, YES), it ends the floor blowout control (step S108). This ends the operation of the floor blowout type indoor unit 10 shown in the flowchart of FIG. 6.

When the lower temperature of space S input periodically (e.g., every 5 seconds) from the remote thermosensor 15 becomes 0.5°C lower than the set temperature (step S107, YES), the blowout temperature control unit 11 resumes floor blowout control (step S102), which sequentially controls the blowout temperature based on the upper limit temperature of the blowout temperature corresponding to the lower temperature of space S, for example as shown in FIG. 3, and information indicating the lower temperature of space S input periodically (e.g., every 5 seconds) from the remote thermosensor 15. The blowout temperature control unit 11 repeats the operations from step S103 onwards.

Next, an example of the operation of the ceiling-blowout type indoor unit 20 will be described below. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the operation of the ceiling-blowout type indoor unit 20 in the embodiment. The operation of the ceiling-blowout type indoor unit 20 shown in the flowchart of FIG. 7 is started, for example, when the power of the air conditioning system 1 is turned on.

The ceiling-air-discharge indoor unit 20 waits for information indicating the target upper temperature to be output from the control device 60 (step S201).

When the ceiling-discharge indoor unit 20 receives input of information indicating a target upper temperature (step S201, YES), it starts ceiling discharge control to control the upper temperature of the space S based on the upper temperature of the space S estimated based on the temperature measured by the intake temperature sensor 21 and the target upper temperature (step S202).

Next, the ceiling-blowout indoor unit 20 continues ceiling-blowout control until the upper temperature of the space S estimated based on the temperature measured by the intake temperature sensor 21 reaches the target upper temperature (step S204).

During that time, if the ceiling-blowing indoor unit 20 receives input of information indicating an operation end instruction (step S203, YES), it ends the ceiling-blowing control (step S208). This ends the operation of the ceiling-blowing indoor unit 20 shown in the flowchart of FIG. 7. As described above, the operation end instruction is, for example, an instruction to turn off the power to the air conditioning system 1, received by an operational input to the remote control 25 by the user.

When the upper temperature of space S estimated based on the temperature measured by the intake temperature sensor 21 reaches the target upper temperature (step S204, YES), the ceiling-blowout indoor unit 20 temporarily suspends ceiling-blowout control (step S205).

Next, the ceiling-blowout indoor unit 20 maintains the state in which the ceiling-blowout control is temporarily suspended until the upper temperature of the space S estimated based on the temperature measured by the intake temperature sensor 21 becomes 0.5°C lower than the target upper temperature (step S208).

During that time, if the ceiling-blowout type indoor unit 20 receives input of information indicating an instruction to end operation (step S206, YES), it ends the ceiling-blowout control (step S208). This ends the operation of the ceiling-blowout type indoor unit 20 shown in the flowchart of FIG. 7.

When the upper temperature of space S estimated based on the temperature measured by the intake temperature sensor 21 becomes 0.5°C lower than the target upper temperature (step S207: YES), the ceiling-discharge type indoor unit 20 resumes ceiling discharge control, which controls the upper temperature of space S based on the upper temperature of space S estimated based on the temperature measured by the intake temperature sensor 21 and the target upper temperature (step S202). The ceiling-discharge type indoor unit 20 repeats the operations from step S203 onwards.

The following provides a concrete example to further clarify the operation of the floor-air outlet type indoor unit 10 and the ceiling-air outlet type indoor unit 20 described above, as well as the effect of using them together.

For example, assume that the upper temperature in space S is 18°C and the lower temperature is 16°C. In such an environment, assume that a user uses remote control 25 to turn on the power of air conditioning system 1 and set the set temperature to 22°C.

In this case, the control device 60 determines the target upper temperature to be 21.7°C and the target lower temperature to be 22.7°C based on the target temperature calculation formula expressed by the above-mentioned formula (1) and the target set temperature of 22°C.

Then, the blowing temperature control unit 11 of the floor-blowout indoor unit 10 recognizes that the blowing temperature corresponding to a lower temperature of 16°C is 26°C based on the upper blowing temperature line shown in Figure 3. The blowing temperature control unit 11 controls the blowing temperature of the air blown out from the air outlet 50 to be 26°C.

The blowing temperature control unit 11 also controls the blowing temperature to change in response to changes in the lower temperature, based on the upper limit line of the blowing temperature shown in FIG. 3. That is, the blowing temperature control unit 11 increases the blowing temperature in accordance with the increase in the lower temperature until the lower temperature reaches 20°C. As shown in FIG. 3, when the lower temperature reaches 20°C, the blowing temperature is controlled to be 30°C.

After that, the blowing temperature control unit 11 controls the blowing temperature to be a constant 30°C until the lower temperature reaches the target lower temperature of 22.7°C. The blowing temperature control unit 11 temporarily stops floor blowing control when the lower temperature reaches 22.7°C.

Then, the lower temperature drops, and when the lower temperature measured by the remote thermosensor 15 reaches 22.2°C, which is 0.5°C lower than the target lower temperature of 22.7°C, the outlet temperature control unit 11 resumes floor outlet control.

At this time, the blowing temperature control unit 11 controls the blowing temperature based on the upper limit line of the blowing temperature shown in FIG. 3. That is, in this case, the blowing temperature control unit 11 controls the blowing temperature to 30°C, which is the blowing temperature corresponding to the case where the bottom temperature is 22.2°C.

Again, the blowing temperature control unit 11 controls the blowing temperature in accordance with the rise in the lower temperature until the lower temperature measured by the remote thermosensor 15 reaches the target lower temperature of 22.7°C. In this example, the blowing temperature is controlled to a constant 30°C based on the upper limit temperature line shown in Figure 3.

Meanwhile, the ceiling-blowing indoor unit 20 starts ceiling-blowing control with the goal of raising the upper temperature of the space S to the target upper temperature of 21.7°C. The ceiling-blowing indoor unit 20 temporarily suspends ceiling-blowing control when the upper temperature reaches 21.7°C. Thereafter, as the upper temperature decreases, when the upper temperature of the space S reaches 21.2°C, which is 0.5°C lower than the target upper temperature of 21.7°C, the ceiling-blowing indoor unit 20 resumes ceiling-blowing control.

In general, it is expected that when the upper temperature reaches 21.7°C, the lower temperature will not have reached 22.7°C. Therefore, after the upper temperature reaches 21.7°C and the heating operation of the ceiling-type indoor unit 20 stops, the floor-type indoor unit 10 will continue to perform heating operation alone.

In this way, when heating starts, the air conditioning system 1 in this embodiment performs heating operation with all units, using the underfloor-type indoor unit 10 and the ceiling-type indoor unit 20. This allows the temperature in the space S to be quickly raised to a temperature close to the set temperature. Then, when the upper temperature has risen to the target upper temperature, the air conditioning system 1 stops the ceiling-type indoor unit 20 and switches to heating operation using only the underfloor-type indoor unit 10. Thereafter, if it is within a range that can be controlled by the underfloor-type indoor unit 10, the temperature in the space S is controlled only by heating operation using the underfloor-type indoor unit 10.

An example of the experimental results will be described below. Figure 8 shows an example of the experimental results of air conditioning control conducted by actually constructing a system with a configuration similar to that of the air conditioning system 1 of this embodiment. In the graph shown in Figure 8, the vertical axis represents temperature (unit: Celsius (°C)), and the horizontal axis represents elapsed time (unit: minutes (min)). Figure 8 shows the upper temperature (Ta120) and lower temperature (Ta10) at each elapsed time while the air conditioning control of this embodiment is being performed with the set temperature set at 22°C.

As shown in the figure, the air conditioning control of this embodiment results in the lower temperature (Ta10) remaining at a temperature 0.5°C to 1°C higher than the upper temperature (Ta120), and the upper temperature (Ta120) remaining at a temperature 0.5°C lower than the set temperature of 22°C. In this way, the air conditioning control of this embodiment makes it possible to set the upper temperature lower than the set temperature while maintaining a sensation of warmth or cold equivalent to that of a set temperature of 22°C for the occupants.

For comparison with the air conditioning control of this embodiment, an example of experimental results using conventional air conditioning control is shown. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of experimental results of air conditioning control conducted using only a conventional ceiling-blowout air conditioning device. As with FIG. 8, in the graph shown in FIG. 9, the vertical axis represents temperature (unit: Celsius (°C)) and the horizontal axis represents elapsed time (unit: minutes (min)). FIG. 9 shows the upper temperature (Ta120) and lower temperature (Ta10) at each elapsed time while conventional air conditioning control is being performed with a set temperature of 22°C.

As shown in the figure, when conventional air conditioning control is performed, the lower temperature (Ta10) remains at a temperature approximately 2°C lower than the upper temperature (Ta120), and the upper temperature (Ta120) remains at a temperature approximately 0.5°C higher than the set temperature of 22°C.

In this way, according to the air conditioning control of this embodiment, the upper temperature remains at a temperature about 1° C. lower than in the conventional air conditioning control. As a result, the air conditioning control of this embodiment reduces the total power consumption of all indoor units and the power consumption of the outdoor unit by 18% compared to the conventional air conditioning control.
This resulted in a reduction.

According to the embodiment described above, the air conditioning system controls a first indoor unit that blows out warm air from the upper part of the space and a second indoor unit that blows out warm air from the lower part of the space. The air conditioning system has an acquisition unit, a memory unit, and a target temperature determination unit. The acquisition unit acquires a set temperature instruction indicating a specified set temperature. The memory unit stores an isothermal cooling sensation formula expressed based on an upper temperature, which is the temperature of the upper part of the space, and a lower temperature, which is the temperature of the lower part of the space. The target temperature determination unit uses the set temperature and the isothermal cooling sensation formula stored in the memory unit to determine a target upper temperature, which is the target upper temperature, and a target lower temperature, which is the target lower temperature. Then, the target temperature determination unit sets the set temperature of the first indoor unit to the target upper temperature, and sets the set temperature of the second indoor unit to the target lower temperature.

For example, the above air conditioning system is air conditioning system 1 in the embodiment, the above first indoor unit is ceiling outlet type indoor unit 20 in the embodiment, the above second indoor unit is floor outlet type indoor unit 10 in the embodiment, the above space is space S in the embodiment, the above acquisition unit, memory unit and target temperature determination unit are components of target temperature determination unit 61 in the embodiment, and the above isothermal cooling sensation formula is a target temperature setting formula in the embodiment.

With this configuration, the air conditioning system of the embodiment can reduce the temperature difference between the temperature at the bottom and the temperature at the top of the space. This allows the air conditioning system to raise the temperature around the feet of the occupants, and after controlling the temperature at the top of the space to a temperature lower than the set temperature, it can create a thermal environment based on an isothermal cooling formula that gives the occupants a sensation of warmth or coldness equal to the set temperature. This allows the air conditioning system of the embodiment to reduce energy consumption by lowering the set temperature while maintaining comfort.

In addition, the air conditioning system of the embodiment is not a system that combines air conditioning devices of different types, as in the conventional technology described above, so it does not require a large-scale system construction and is easy to introduce.

As a result, the air conditioning system of this embodiment can improve comfort with a simpler system configuration.

The isothermal cooling sensation formula is expressed as TSV = -10.272 + 0.323 x Ta120 + 0.125 x Ta10, where the value of the variable Ta120 indicates the upper temperature, and the value of the variable Ta10 indicates the lower temperature, and any combination of upper and lower temperatures that results in the same TSV value may be a combination of temperatures that results in the same thermal sensation for occupants of the space. For example, the above isothermal cooling sensation formula is a target temperature setting formula in the embodiment.

The second indoor unit may be provided with a blowing temperature control unit that controls the blowing temperature of the warm air based on the upper limit temperature set for each temperature in the lower part of the space. For example, the above-mentioned blowing temperature control unit is the blowing temperature control unit 11 in the embodiment.

The second indoor unit may further include a temperature sensor that measures the temperature at the bottom of the space, and the second indoor unit may control the blowing of hot air based on the temperature measured by the temperature sensor. For example, the above-mentioned temperature sensor is the remote thermosensor 15 in the embodiment.

A part of the air conditioning system 1 in the above-mentioned embodiment may be realized by a computer. In that case, a program for realizing this function may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, and the program recorded on the recording medium may be read into the computer system and executed to realize the function. Note that the term "computer system" here includes hardware such as an OS and peripheral devices. Furthermore, the term "computer-readable recording medium" refers to portable media such as flexible disks, optical magnetic disks, ROMs, and CD-ROMs, and storage devices such as hard disks built into the computer system. Furthermore, the term "computer-readable recording medium" may also include a medium that dynamically holds a program for a short period of time, such as a communication line when a program is transmitted via a network such as the Internet or a communication line such as a telephone line, and a medium that holds a program for a certain period of time, such as a volatile memory inside a computer system that is a server or client in such a case. Furthermore, the above-mentioned program may be a program for realizing a part of the above-mentioned function, or may be a program that can realize the above-mentioned function in combination with a program already recorded in the computer system, or may be a program that is realized using hardware such as a PLD (Programmable Logic Device) or FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array).

Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are within the scope of the invention and its equivalents as set forth in the claims, as well as the scope and gist of the invention.

Reference Signs List 1 Air conditioning system 10 Floor-blowout type indoor unit 11 Blowout temperature control unit 15 Remote thermosensor 20 (20-1, 20-2) Ceiling-blowout type indoor unit 21 Suction temperature sensor 25 Remote control 30 Outdoor unit 35 Refrigerant piping 40 Vertical duct 45 Underfloor air supply chamber 50 Air outlet 60 Control device 61 Target temperature determination unit

Claims (7)

In an air conditioning system that controls a first indoor unit that blows out warm air from an upper part of a space and a second indoor unit that blows out warm air from a lower part of the space,
an acquisition unit that acquires a set temperature instruction indicating a specified set temperature;
A storage unit that stores an isothermal cold sensation formula expressed based on an upper temperature, which is the temperature at the upper part of the space, and a lower temperature, which is the temperature at the lower part of the space;
a target temperature determination unit that uses the set temperature and the isothermal cooling formula stored in the storage unit to determine a target upper temperature, which is a target upper temperature, and a target lower temperature, which is a target lower temperature, and sets the set temperature of the first indoor unit to the target upper temperature and the set temperature of the second indoor unit to the target lower temperature;
The isothermal cooling sensation formula is expressed by a function with the upper temperature and the lower temperature as variables, and any combination of the upper temperature and the lower temperature that results in the same value of the function is a combination of temperatures that results in the same thermal sensation for the occupants of the space.
Air conditioning system. In an air conditioning system that controls a first indoor unit that blows out warm air from an upper part of a space and a second indoor unit that blows out warm air from a lower part of the space,
an acquisition unit that acquires a set temperature instruction indicating a specified set temperature;
A storage unit that stores an isothermal cold sensation formula expressed based on an upper temperature, which is the temperature at the upper part of the space, and a lower temperature, which is the temperature at the lower part of the space;
a target temperature determination unit that uses the set temperature and the isothermal cooling formula stored in the storage unit to determine a target upper temperature, which is a target upper temperature, and a target lower temperature, which is a target lower temperature, and sets the set temperature of the first indoor unit to the target upper temperature and the set temperature of the second indoor unit to the target lower temperature;
having
The isothermal cooling formula is:
TSV=-10.272+0.323×Ta120+0.125×Ta10
Here, the value of the variable Ta120 indicates the upper temperature, the value of the variable Ta10 indicates the lower temperature, and the combination of the upper temperature and the lower temperature that results in the same TSV value is a combination of temperatures that results in the same thermal sensation for the occupants of the space.
Air conditioning system. The second indoor unit is
The air conditioning system according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising: a blowing temperature control unit that controls a blowing temperature of the warm air based on an upper limit temperature determined for each of the lower temperature sections. A temperature sensor for measuring a temperature at a lower portion of the space is further provided,
The air conditioning system according to claim 1 , wherein the second indoor unit controls blowing of hot air based on the temperature measured by the temperature sensor. A control device for controlling an air conditioning system having a first indoor unit that blows out warm air from an upper part of a space and a second indoor unit that blows out warm air from a lower part of the space,
an acquisition unit that acquires a set temperature instruction indicating a specified set temperature;
a target temperature determination unit that determines a target upper temperature, which is a target upper temperature, and a target lower temperature, which is a target lower temperature, using the set temperature and an isothermal cooling sensation formula expressed based on an upper temperature, which is a temperature at an upper part of the space, and a lower temperature, which is a temperature at a lower part of the space, and sets a set temperature of the first indoor unit to the target upper temperature, and sets a set temperature of the second indoor unit to the target lower temperature;
Equipped with
The isothermal cooling sensation formula is expressed by a function with the upper temperature and the lower temperature as variables, and any combination of the upper temperature and the lower temperature that results in the same value of the function is a combination of temperatures that results in the same thermal sensation for the occupants of the space.
Control device. A control method for an air conditioning system having a first indoor unit that blows out warm air from an upper portion of a space and a second indoor unit that blows out warm air from a lower portion of the space,
An acquisition step of acquiring a set temperature indication indicating a specified set temperature;
a target temperature determination step of determining a target upper temperature, which is a target upper temperature, and a target lower temperature, which is a target lower temperature, using the set temperature and an isothermal cooling sensation formula expressed based on an upper temperature, which is a temperature at an upper part of the space, and a lower temperature, which is a temperature at a lower part of the space, and setting a set temperature of the first indoor unit to the target upper temperature and a set temperature of the second indoor unit to the target lower temperature;
having
The isothermal cooling sensation formula is expressed by a function with the upper temperature and the lower temperature as variables, and any combination of the upper temperature and the lower temperature that results in the same value of the function is a combination of temperatures that results in the same thermal sensation for the occupants of the space.
Control methods. A computer of an air conditioning system having a first indoor unit that blows out warm air from an upper part of a space and a second indoor unit that blows out warm air from a lower part of the space,
An acquisition step of acquiring a set temperature indication indicating a specified set temperature;
a target temperature determination step of determining a target upper temperature, which is a target upper temperature, and a target lower temperature, which is a target lower temperature, using the set temperature and an isothermal cooling sensation formula expressed based on an upper temperature, which is a temperature at an upper part of the space, and a lower temperature, which is a temperature at a lower part of the space, and setting a set temperature of the first indoor unit to the target upper temperature and a set temperature of the second indoor unit to the target lower temperature;
A program for executing
The isothermal cooling sensation formula is expressed by a function with the upper temperature and the lower temperature as variables, and any combination of the upper temperature and the lower temperature that results in the same value of the function is a combination of temperatures that results in the same thermal sensation for the occupants of the space.
program.

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