JP7709884B2 - Ventilation system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a ventilation system that properly ventilates the space (room) to be ventilated.

Indoor ventilation is necessary to supply the fresh air necessary for human breathing and to expel polluted air. Ventilation of rooms where people gather and enclosed indoor spaces is also considered important from the perspective of preventing infectious diseases. Rooms in commercial facilities and office buildings are equipped with ventilation systems to expel polluted indoor air and bring in fresh air from outside.

In order to ventilate a room, it is necessary to do so with an appropriate ventilation air volume. For example, a ventilation device that automatically performs ventilation operation according to the occupancy status has been proposed (see Patent Document 1). Also, an air purification device has been disclosed that measures the carbon dioxide concentration at a height of 80 cm or less from the floor, and when the measured value exceeds the standard concentration, ventilates until the carbon dioxide concentration falls to the set value (see Patent Document 2).

JP 2020-200998 A Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 9-089317

The ventilation device described in Patent Document 1 uses a wearable device to grasp the number of people in a room, and controls the ventilation volume depending on whether the detected number of people exceeds a threshold. However, controlling the ventilation volume based only on the number of people in the room makes no distinction between when people are crowded in one place and when they are scattered throughout the room, and the entire room is ventilated under the same conditions, resulting in insufficient ventilation volume in areas where people are crowded together and excessive ventilation volume in sparsely populated areas. In addition, the ventilation device described in Patent Document 1 stops ventilation if it does not detect people in the room, and in a conference room where many people gather and then disperse at once, the ventilation device stops when everyone leaves, creating a problem of insufficient ventilation in the room.

The air purifier described in Patent Document 2 measures the carbon dioxide concentration in the room and changes the ventilation air volume if the concentration exceeds a standard concentration. However, with control based only on the carbon dioxide concentration in the room, ventilation is not performed or the ventilation air volume is not changed until the carbon dioxide concentration reaches the standard concentration, even if people are present in the room, which creates the problem of not being able to provide precise ventilation according to the number of people in the room.

The present invention was developed in consideration of these problems, and one of its objectives is to provide a system that can provide appropriate ventilation taking into account not only the number of people in the room, but also the uneven distribution of people in the room.

The gist of the present invention is to ensure the required ventilation volume by controlling the ventilation air volume based on the number and distribution of people in the room. Also, the gist of the present invention is to prevent excessive ventilation and reduce the load on the ventilation device by controlling the ventilation air volume based on the carbon dioxide concentration even when the room is unoccupied.

The ventilation system according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises a ventilation device arranged in a space to be ventilated, a control device that controls the operation of the ventilation device, an environmental sensor arranged in the space to be ventilated, a repeater arranged in the space to be ventilated, and a server that determines the operating conditions of the ventilation device. The environmental sensor measures the carbon dioxide concentration in the space to be ventilated, the repeater communicates with user terminals present in the space to be ventilated, and the server calculates the number of people from the number of user terminals connected to the repeater, and determines the operating conditions of the ventilation device based on the number of people and the carbon dioxide concentration.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the server may communicate with the repeater, identify occupants who possess a user terminal, count the number of occupants in the ventilation target space from the occupant information, determine the operating conditions of the ventilation device from the number of occupants and the measured carbon dioxide concentration, and transmit the operating conditions to the control device. The server may have a number-of-occupants mode and an air purification mode as the operating conditions of the ventilation device, and the number-of-occupants mode may determine the ventilation air volume of the ventilation device based on the number of people in the ventilation target space and the measured carbon dioxide concentration, and the air purification mode may determine the ventilation air volume of the ventilation device based on the measured carbon dioxide concentration of the ventilation target space. The server may stop the ventilation device when the number of people in the ventilation target space is zero and the measured carbon dioxide concentration is equal to or less than a predetermined specified value. The server may determine the ventilation air volume using a reference table in which the range of carbon dioxide concentration, the range of people, and the ventilation air volume are recorded. The server has an environmental information acquisition unit that acquires the measured values of the environmental sensor, a presence information acquisition unit that acquires the number of people present based on information from a user terminal that communicates with the repeater, and a control condition determination unit that selects the control conditions for the ventilation device based on the information from the environmental information acquisition unit and the presence information acquisition unit, and the control condition determination unit may refer to a reference table.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the repeater may be a gateway terminal with an integrated environmental sensor. The repeater may communicate with any one of a mobile terminal, an ID card, a wireless tag, a wristband-type terminal, and a clip-type sensor as a user terminal carried by the person in the room. In addition, the repeater may have a camera as a sensor for detecting people in the space to be ventilated, and the server may count the number of people in the space to be ventilated based on an image captured by the camera.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the space to be ventilated is divided into a number of sections, an environmental sensor, a repeater, and a ventilation device are arranged in each of the sections, and a server communicates with the repeaters arranged in each of the sections and individually determines the operating conditions of the ventilation devices arranged in each of the sections.

According to the present invention, appropriate ventilation can be performed according to the number of people and the crowding situation in the space to be ventilated, and the load on the ventilation device can be reduced when there is no one in the space to be ventilated, so energy can be saved while providing the required amount of ventilation.

1 is a diagram showing the concept of a ventilation system according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a hardware configuration of a ventilation system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a functional configuration of a ventilation system according to an embodiment of the present invention. A diagram showing the processing flow when an environmental sensor, a repeater, a server, a control device, and a ventilation device work together to perform ventilation in a ventilation system according to one embodiment of the present invention. A diagram showing the processing flow when an environmental sensor, a repeater, a server, a control device, and a ventilation device work together to perform ventilation in a ventilation system according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the ventilation system according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining the operation of a ventilation system for one embodiment of the present invention, and is a diagram showing a schematic diagram of the status of occupants in each area when the target space is divided into multiple areas.

The following describes the embodiments of the present invention with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention can be implemented in many different ways, and should not be interpreted as being limited to the description of the embodiments exemplified below. In the drawings, the width, thickness, shape, etc. of each part may be shown diagrammatically compared to the actual embodiment in order to make the explanation clearer, but these are merely examples and do not limit the interpretation of the present invention. In this specification and each figure, elements similar to those described above with respect to the previous figures are given the same reference numerals (or reference numerals with A, B, a, b, etc. suffixed thereto) and detailed explanations may be omitted as appropriate. Furthermore, the letters "first" and "second" suffixed to each element are convenient labels used to distinguish each element, and have no further meaning unless otherwise specified.

In this specification, the term "space to be ventilated" refers to a closed space that is the target of ventilation and in which people can enter and stay for a certain period of time. The closed space is not limited to an airtight space, but is a space surrounded by walls, floors, ceilings, windows, doors, etc., such as a room inside a building, and is a space in which air flows by natural convection when there is no air conditioning or ventilation equipment. For example, spaces to be ventilated include various rooms of various sizes, such as offices, conference rooms, auditoriums, classrooms, waiting rooms, gymnasiums, theaters, movie theaters, music halls, multipurpose halls, sales floors in commercial facilities, entertainment areas in entertainment facilities, and dining rooms in food and beverage facilities. Target spaces also include passenger compartments in vehicles such as trains and buses.

In this specification, occupants refer to people who are present in the space to be ventilated, and more specifically, when the space to be ventilated is divided into multiple areas, it refers to people who are present (present) in each area. Therefore, when the space to be ventilated is divided into multiple areas, information regarding the number of people in the target area includes the number of people present in the area to be ventilated. It is assumed that occupants are free to enter and exit the space to be ventilated, and can move freely within the multiple divided areas.

In this specification, environmental information and environmental information refer to information that represents the environment of the target space, specifically the carbon dioxide concentration, and may also include temperature, humidity, illuminance, and the number of particles suspended in the air.

1 shows an overview of a ventilation system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The ventilation system 100 includes ventilation devices 102A and 102B, a control device 104, a server (computer) 106, repeaters 108A and 108B, and environmental sensors 110A and 110B. The ventilation device 102 is disposed in a space 200 to be ventilated. The ventilation device 102 is used to ventilate the space 200 to be ventilated.

Figure 1 shows that the ventilation target space 200 is divided into multiple areas. Specifically, Figure 1 shows that the ventilation target space 200 is divided into two areas, a first area 202A and a second area 202B. The ventilation target space 200 is a single space, and the boundary between the first area 202A and the second area 202B is not separated by a structure, and does not need to be visually indicated by a line or the like. For example, the boundary between the first area 202A and the second area 202B does not need to be divided by a partition or wall, and does not need to be marked with paint, tape, or the like to distinguish the boundary.

Figure 1 shows an example in which the ventilation target space 200 is divided into a first area 202A and a second area 202B, but there is no limit to the number of divisions into which the ventilation target space 200 is divided. The number of divisions into which the ventilation target space 200 is divided is arbitrary and can be set appropriately depending on the size of the space (e.g., a room) to be ventilated.

The ventilation system 100 shown in FIG. 1 includes two ventilation devices 102A, 102B. The ventilation device 102A is arranged in the first area 202A, and the ventilation device 102B is arranged in the second area 202B. In this way, the ventilation system 100 is configured such that the ventilation devices 102A, 102B are arranged in two areas (first area 202A, second area 202B) of the ventilation target space 200, respectively, and ventilate the areas in which they are arranged. In other words, the ventilation system 100 has a configuration in which the ventilation devices 102 are arranged to ventilate the ventilation target space 200 separately for each area.

1-1. Ventilation Device The ventilation devices 102A and 102B are devices that perform forced ventilation using mechanical elements such as blower fans, and take in outside air into the ventilation target space 200 and exhaust air from the space to the outside. The ventilation devices 102A and 102B have an air intake port and an exhaust port (not shown), and form an air flow that flows from the air intake port to the exhaust port, thereby performing ventilation. The ventilation devices 102A and 102B may be provided with a heat exchanger (not shown) in the air inflow and outflow paths. By having a heat exchanger, it is possible to return cool air from the air conditioner in summer and warm air from the heater in winter to the ventilation target space 200 while performing ventilation, thereby saving energy in air conditioning.

1-2. Control device The control device 104 controls the start, stop, and ventilation air volume during operation of the two ventilation devices 102A and 102B. The control device 104 can control the two ventilation devices 102A and 102B individually. For example, it is possible to operate only the ventilation device 102B with the ventilation device 102A stopped, and it is also possible to operate the ventilation air volume of the ventilation device 102A and the ventilation air volume of the ventilation device 102B different from each other. In other words, the control device 104 can individually control the start, stop, and ventilation air volume during operation of the multiple ventilation devices. The operation control of the ventilation devices 102A and 102B by the control device 104 is managed by the server 106.

1-3. Repeater The repeaters 108A and 108B are placed in the ventilation target space 200. The repeaters 108A and 108B are placed in separate areas. Specifically, the repeater 108A is placed in the first area 202A, and the repeater 108B is placed in the second area 202B. The repeaters 108A and 108B are connected to a network (telecommunication line) and relay the connection between the environmental sensors 110A and 110B and the user terminals 150A, 150B, and 150C placed in the ventilation target space 200 and the server 106. In other words, the repeaters 108A and 108B operate as routers in the network line.

Here, the user terminals 150A, 150B, and 150C are terminals carried by the occupants 300a, 300b, and 300c, respectively. The occupant 300a is in the first area 202A, and the occupants 300b and 300c are in the second area 202B. The occupant 300a is assumed to carry at least one user terminal 150A. There are various types of user terminals 150A, including mobile terminals such as smartphones and tablet terminals, identification cards (ID cards) with embedded wireless IC chips, wristband-type terminals, and clip-type sensors, but there is no limitation on the shape and function of the user terminal 150A as long as it can identify the occupant 300a. The same applies to the user terminals 150B and 150C of the occupants 300b and 300c. In addition, if the occupants 300a, 300b, and 300c are outside the ventilation target space 200, they do not affect the operation of the ventilation system 100.

Repeaters 108A and 108B communicate within the area in which they are installed. For example, repeater 108A can communicate with environmental sensor 110A and user terminal 150A in first area 202A, but the communication area is limited so that communication is not established with environmental sensors and user terminals in adjacent second area 202B. The same is true for repeater 108B, which can communicate with environmental sensor 110B and user terminals 150B and 150C in second area 202B, but preferably has a communication area limited so that communication is not established with environmental sensors and user terminals in adjacent first area 202A.

Repeater 108A communicates with user terminal 150A in first area 202A, but does not communicate with user terminals 150B and 150C in second area 202B, thereby being able to know the number of people present in first area 202A. Repeater 108B also communicates with user terminals 150B and 150C in second area 202B, but does not communicate with user terminal 150A in first area 202A, thereby being able to know the number of people present in second area 202B.

When wireless communication is established with user terminal 150A, repeater 108A receives unique identification information from user terminal 150A and transmits the identification information or the personal identification information of occupant 300a associated based on the identification information to server 106. Similarly, when wireless communication is established with user terminals 150B and 150C, repeater 108B receives unique identification information from user terminals 150B and 150C and transmits the identification information or the personal identification information of occupant 300b and 300c associated based on the identification information to server 106.

1-4. Environmental Sensor The environmental sensors 110A and 110B are disposed in the ventilation target space 200. The environmental sensors 110A and 110B are used to measure the environment of each area of the ventilation target space 200. The environmental sensor 110A is disposed in the first area 202A, and the environmental sensor 110B is disposed in the second area 202B. The environmental sensors 110A and 110B have a function of measuring the concentration of carbon dioxide. The environmental sensors 110A and 110B can also be called gas sensors or carbon dioxide sensors. The environmental sensors 110A and 110B may be provided with a function of measuring temperature, humidity, and illuminance as other environmental measurements. The data measured by the environmental sensors 110A and 110B is transmitted to the server 106 via the repeaters 108A and 108B.

1-5. Server The server 106 acquires information on the environment of the ventilation target space 200 and information on the number of people in the target area via the repeaters 108A and 108B. The information on the environment includes carbon dioxide concentration, and the information on the number of people in the target area includes the number of people in each divided area. The carbon dioxide concentration is information measured by the environmental sensors 110A and 110B, and the number of people in each target area can be obtained by distinguishing individuals and counting the number of people based on the identification information of the user terminals 150A, 150B, and 150C or the areas (positions) in which the occupants 300a, 300b, and 300c associated based on the identification information are present. The server 106 determines the ventilation air volume of each of the ventilation devices 102A and 102B based on the information on the environment of the target area and the information on the number of people in the target area, and outputs a command to the control device 104 so that appropriate ventilation is performed.

Specifically, when the server 106 acquires information on the environment of the first area 202A and the second area 202B of the ventilation target space 200 and information on the number of people in the target areas, the server 106 judges whether ventilation is necessary for each area and the required ventilation air volume. The server 106 then determines the operating conditions of the ventilation devices 102A and 102B based on the judgment result. Since the carbon dioxide concentration and the number of people in the first area 202A and the second area 202B are not the same and change over time, the server 106 periodically acquires information on the environment and the number of people in the target areas and determines the operating conditions of the ventilation devices 102A and 102B individually each time. For example, the server 106 can control the ventilation air volume to be increased in areas with high carbon dioxide concentrations and areas with a large number of people and to be decreased or stopped in areas with low carbon dioxide concentrations and areas with a small number of people or no people.

The ventilation system 100 can provide an appropriate ventilation air volume to areas that require ventilation within the ventilation target space 200 by linking the ventilation devices 102A, 102B, the control device 104, the server 106, the repeaters 108A, 108B, and the environmental sensors 110A, 110B.

2. Hardware configuration of the ventilation system Fig. 2 shows a hardware configuration of the ventilation system 100. The ventilation system 100 includes ventilation devices 102A and 102B, a control device 104, a server 106, repeaters 108A and 108B, environmental sensors 112A and 112B, and repeaters 108A and 108B. Fig. 2 shows an example in which a ventilation target space 200 is divided into a first area 202A and a second area 202B, similar to Fig. 1.

2-1. Ventilation Device The ventilation devices 102A and 102B are devices that take in outside air and exhaust air from the ventilation target space 200 (indoors). There are no limitations on the configuration of the ventilation devices 102A and 102B. The ventilation devices 102A and 102B may be devices that include, for example, air supply and exhaust fans 1023a and 1023b and heat exchangers 1024a and 1024b, and that are configured to simultaneously supply and exhaust air.

The first area 202A is provided with an air intake 1021a and an exhaust 1022a, and the second area 202B is provided with an air intake 1201b and an exhaust 1022b. The ventilation devices 102A and 102B have an air intake path connected to the air intakes 1021a and 1021b of the space to be ventilated, and an exhaust path connected to the exhaust 1022a and 1022b of the space to be ventilated. There is no limitation on the positions of the air intakes 1021a and 1021b and the exhaust 1022a and 1022b in the space to be ventilated 200. For example, the air intakes 1021a and 1021b and the exhaust 1022a and 1022b are installed on the upper side of the ceiling or wall of the room to be the space to be ventilated 200. It is preferable that the air intakes 1021a, 1021b and the exhausts 1022a, 1022b are arranged in pairs so that ventilation airflow is created within the target area.

2-2. Control Device The control device 104 is a device that controls the operating conditions of the ventilation devices 102 and 102B, such as starting, stopping, ventilation air volume, and ventilation time. The control device 104 receives control commands for controlling the operation of the ventilation devices 102A and 102B from the server 106. The control device 104 controls the operation of the ventilation devices 102A and 102B based on the received control commands. The control device 104 may be provided as a device paired with the ventilation devices 102A and 102B, or may be provided as a part of the function of a Building and Energy Management System in a building such as a building. Furthermore, the function of the control device 104 may be incorporated into the ventilation devices 102A and 102B.

2-3. Server The server 106 is a hardware resource for determining the operating conditions of the ventilation devices 102A and 102B based on information about the environment of the ventilation target space 200 and information about the number of people in the target area. The server 106 is connected to the repeaters 108A and 108B and the control device 104 via a network. The server 106 receives data (environmental data, number of people data) via the repeaters 108A and 108B, analyzes according to a predetermined program, and determines the operating conditions of the ventilation devices 102A and 102B. The server 106 is realized by a physical server, a virtual server, a cloud server, or the like, and there is no particular limitation on the type of the server. The server 106 may be located in the same building as the ventilation target space 200, or may be located in a building away from the ventilation target space 200.

A storage device 107 for storing data may be connected to the server 106. The storage device 107 may be configured with a hard disk, a solid state drive, or the like. The storage device 107 may store a data table in which the control items and control levels for selecting the operating conditions of the ventilation devices 102A and 102B are recorded, and information for identifying occupants.

2-4. Repeater The repeaters 108A and 108B are hardware resources that connect the environmental sensors 110A and 110B and the user terminal 150A to the server 106. The repeaters 108A and 108B have a wireless communication function and a function of configuring a local area network (LAN) in the ventilation target space 200. The repeaters 108A and 108B may be routers, and specifically, may be WiFi routers. The repeaters 108A and 108B may be realized by short-range wireless communication compatible with Bluetooth (registered trademark) or infrared communication.

The environmental sensors 110A and 110B are hardware resources that acquire information about the environment of the ventilation target space 200. A specific example of the environmental sensors 110A and 110B is a gas sensor, more specifically, a carbon dioxide sensor. The carbon dioxide sensor is realized by a device that uses, for example, an optical sensor and measures the concentration of carbon dioxide by measuring the change in the amount of light in the infrared absorption wavelength band specific to carbon dioxide.

There are no limitations on the locations (mounting positions within the room) at which the environmental sensors 110A, 110B are installed in the ventilation target space 200, but it is preferable that the installation positions are taken into consideration according to the characteristics of the object to be detected. For example, when the environmental sensors 110A, 110B detect carbon dioxide, it is preferable to install them at a low position (close to the floor surface) taking into account their specific gravity relative to air, or to install them at the height of the living area. The environmental sensors 110A, 110B may further include a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, an illuminance sensor, and a particulate sensor (particle counter).

The environmental sensors 110A, 110B and the repeaters 108A, 108B may be provided as a gateway terminal (or a sensor gateway terminal) integrated as a single hardware resource.

2-6. User terminal The user terminal 150A is a terminal belonging to the occupant 300a, and is not a direct component of the ventilation system 100, but is a hardware resource that is linked when the ventilation system 100 operates. There is no limitation on the type and function of the user terminal 150A, but it is preferable that the user terminal 150A is capable of wireless communication with the repeaters 108A and 108B, has some identification information for identifying a user (individual), and is capable of recognizing the identification information when communicating with the repeaters 108A and 108B. Examples of the user terminal 150A include mobile terminals such as smartphones and tablet terminals, identification cards (ID cards) with embedded wireless IC chips, wristband-type terminals, and clip-type sensors, but there is no limitation on the shape and function of the user terminal 150A as long as it can identify the occupant 300a.

2-7. Other Although not shown in FIG. 2, the ventilation system 100 may include a camera. The camera is arranged in each of the first area 202A and the second area 202B, and can be used to detect the presence or absence of people in each area and the number of people in the area. The presence or absence of people in the ventilation target space 200 can be determined by a human presence sensor using infrared rays, but the number of people cannot be counted by the human presence sensor. The number of people in the room can be counted by photographing each area using a camera and having the server 106 perform image analysis. In this way, by substituting the individual identification function of the user terminal 150 with a camera, the number of people in each area can be counted without assigning a user terminal 150 to the person 300a.

3. Functional configuration of the ventilation system Fig. 3 shows a functional configuration of the ventilation system 100. The ventilation system 100 includes ventilation devices 102A and 102B, a control device 104, a server 106, repeaters 108A and 108B, and environmental sensors 110A and 110B. Note that Fig. 3 shows the functional configuration of the ventilation system 100 in the case where the ventilation target space 200 has a first area 202A and a second area 202B, similar to Fig. 1.

3-1. Ventilation Device The ventilation device 102A includes an outside air introduction section 1026, an indoor air discharge section 1027, and a ventilation airflow control section 1028. The outside air introduction section 1026 has a function of introducing outside air into the ventilation target space 200, and the indoor air discharge section 1027 has a function of discharging air in the ventilation target space 200 to the outside (outdoors). The ventilation airflow control section 1028 has a function of adjusting the blowing airflow and the exhaust airflow when introducing outside air, and stops the ventilation device 102A when ventilation is not required. Although details are not shown in FIG. 3, the ventilation device 102B also has a similar configuration and mechanism.

3-2. Control Device The control device 104 includes a control information receiving unit 1042, a drive condition setting unit 1044, and a drive control unit 1046. The control information receiving unit 1042 receives information on the operating conditions of the ventilation devices 102A and 104B from the server 106. The information on the operating conditions includes information on starting or stopping the ventilation devices 102A and 102B, the ventilation air volume, and the ventilation time. The drive condition setting unit 1044 has a function of starting or stopping the ventilation devices 102A and 102B or setting the ventilation air volume based on the information on the operating conditions. The drive control unit 1046 has a function of individually controlling the ventilation devices 102A and 102B based on the operating conditions set by the drive condition setting unit 1044.

3-3. Environmental Sensor The environmental sensor 110A includes a detection unit 1102, a control unit 1104, and an output unit 1106. The detection unit 1102 has a function of detecting information related to the environment. The control unit 1104 controls the operation of the detection unit 1102, and the output unit 1106 has a function of outputting information related to the environment detected by the detection unit 1102 to the repeater 108A. Although details are not shown in FIG. 3, the environmental sensor 110B also has a similar configuration and function.

3-4. User terminal The user terminals 150A and 150B are not components of the ventilation system 100, but are devices used in the process of the ventilation system 100 performing its functions. The user terminal 150A includes a communication unit 1502 and identification information 1504. The identification information 1504 is information unique to the user terminal 150A. The identification information 1504 may be identification information registered in the user terminal 150A by the owner, or may be unique information (e.g., MAC address) possessed by the user terminal 150A. The communication unit 1502 has a function of communicating with the repeater 108A. In addition, the communication unit 1502 has a function of transmitting the identification information 1504 when communicating with the repeater 108A. The user terminal 150B also has a similar configuration and function.

The repeater 108A includes a control unit 1802, a memory 1084, a clock unit 1086, and a wireless communication unit 1088. Although omitted in FIG 3, the repeater 108B also has a similar mechanism and configuration.

The wireless communication unit 1088 has the function of performing short-range wireless communication with the environmental sensors 110A, 110B and the user terminals 150A, 150B within a predetermined distance. The communication distance in short-range wireless communication is within a range that covers a divided area, for example, within a range of 5 m to 10 m.

The memory 1084 has a function of temporarily storing information related to the environment measured by the environmental sensors 110A and 110B. The memory 1084 also has a function of storing identification information acquired from the user terminals 150A and 150B. The memory 1084 is preferably configured as a rewritable non-volatile memory to store this information temporarily or continuously. The memory 1084 may also store a reference table 1072 that associates the MAC addresses as identification information of the user terminals 150A and 150B with the identification numbers (ID numbers) of users (occupants) who can enter the ventilation target space 200.

The clock unit 1086 has a function of generating and outputting time information. The time information of the clock unit 1086 includes the date and time. The control unit 1082 has a function of transmitting environmental information transmitted from the environmental sensors 110A and 110B together with the time information to the server 106, and also storing it in the memory 1084.

The control unit 1082 has a mechanism for controlling the operation of the wireless communication unit 1088 and controlling communication between the environmental sensors 110A, 110B and the user terminals 150A, 150B and the server 106. The control unit 1082 has a function for temporarily storing environmental information (e.g., carbon dioxide concentration) transmitted from the environmental sensors 110A, 110B in the memory 1084, and for reading out the stored information as appropriate and transmitting it to the server 106. For example, the control unit 1082 has a function for storing the carbon dioxide concentration transmitted from the environmental sensors 110A, 110B in the memory 1084, and for reading out the stored carbon dioxide concentration as appropriate and transmitting it to the server 106.

The control unit 1082 may have a function to acquire the MAC address of the user terminal 150A when the repeater 108A communicates with the user terminal 150A, refer to the reference table 1072 stored in the memory 1084, and compare it with the registered MAC address to perform individual identification. Then, when the acquired MAC address matches the MAC address in the reference table, the control unit 1082 may have a function to count the number of people present and send it to the server 106.

The control unit 1082 may also have a function to acquire identification information of occupants from the user terminal 150A when the repeater 108A communicates with the user terminal 150A. Then, when the acquired identification information matches the identification information registered in the reference table 1072, the control unit 1082 may have a function to count the occupants and transmit the count to the server 106.

3-6. Server The server 106 includes an environment information acquisition unit 1062 , an occupancy information acquisition unit 1064 , a control condition setting unit 1066 , and a control information output unit 1068 .

The environmental information acquisition unit 1062 acquires information about the environment measured by the environmental sensors 110A, 110B via the repeaters 108A, 108B. For example, the environmental information acquisition unit 1062 acquires information about the carbon dioxide concentration measured by the environmental sensors 110A, 110B via the repeaters 108A, 108B. The environmental information acquisition unit 1062 has a function of acquiring environmental information from the repeaters 108A, 108B in parallel (simultaneously) or in series (sequentially), and has a function of outputting the acquired environmental information to the control condition setting unit 1066.

The occupancy information acquisition unit 1064 has a function of acquiring the number of people present in the ventilation target space 200, which is counted by identifying the user terminals 150A and 150B, from the repeaters 108A and 108B. The occupancy information acquisition unit 1064 has a function of acquiring information on the number of people from the repeaters 108A and 108B in parallel (simultaneously) or in series (sequentially), and has a function of outputting the acquired number of people information to the control condition setting unit 1066.

In other words, the presence information acquisition unit 1064 has a function of acquiring information of the user terminal 150A via the repeater 108A, thereby identifying that the occupant 300a is in the first area 202A (identifying the position of the occupant 300a), and outputting the information to the control condition setting unit 1066. The presence information acquisition unit 1064 also has a function of acquiring information of the user terminals 150B, 150C via the repeater 108B, thereby identifying that the occupants 300b, 300c are in the second area 202B (identifying the positions of the occupants 300b, 300c), and outputting the information to the control condition setting unit 1066.

The control condition setting unit 1066 has a function of analyzing the necessity of ventilation and the required ventilation air volume for each divided area based on information on the environment of the ventilation target space 200 acquired by the environmental information acquisition unit 1062 and information on the number of occupants in each area of the ventilation target space 200 acquired by the occupancy information acquisition unit 1064. Specifically, the control condition setting unit 1066 determines whether the carbon dioxide concentration in the target area is equal to or higher than a predetermined reference value, counts the presence and number of occupants in the target area, and analyzes the required ventilation air volume.

As a standard for determining the carbon dioxide concentration, the carbon dioxide concentration outdoors can be measured and the measured value can be used as the standard value. In addition, the carbon dioxide concentration at a specific observation point published by the Japan Meteorological Agency can be used as the standard value. Then, when the measured values of the environmental sensors 110A and 110B exceed the standard value, it can be determined that the cleanliness of the air is low. In addition, regarding the number of people, the area occupied by one person in the target area can be calculated as a guideline for judgment. For example, the area occupied by one person can be set to 2 m ² /person as the standard (for example, 2 to 3 m ² /person is considered appropriate for a conference room), and when it becomes 1 m ² /person or less, it can be determined that it is overcrowded (for example, there is an estimate that it is 0.3 m ² /person for a crowded train). Regarding the number of people, as other guidelines for determining the carbon dioxide concentration, the maximum number of people that can be present in the target area can be calculated backwards from the maximum airflow of the ventilation devices 102A, 102B based on guidelines published by government agencies and public institutions (for example, the Building Environmental Sanitation Management Guidelines published by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, "Ventilation methods for improving 'poorly ventilated enclosed spaces'") and standards based on laws and regulations (for example, the Building Management Act stipulates that the required ventilation volume per person is 30 ^m3 /h), and this number can be used as a guideline for judgment as the permissible number of people in the target area.

The control condition setting unit 1066 has a function of determining whether or not the ventilation devices 102A and 102B need to be operated and the ventilation air volume when they are operated based on information about the environment and information about the number of people in the room. The control condition setting unit 1066 also has a function of setting the operation mode of the ventilation devices 102A and 102B based on information about the environment and information about the number of people in the room. For example, the control condition setting unit 1066 selects a condition for increasing the ventilation air volume when the carbon dioxide concentration is high. Furthermore, the control condition setting unit 1066 selects a condition for increasing the ventilation air volume when it is determined that there are many people in the area and the area is overcrowded, even if the carbon dioxide concentration is within the reference value. Furthermore, the control condition setting unit 1066 can select a condition for increasing the ventilation air volume when the carbon dioxide concentration is high even if there is no person in the target area, and can select a condition for stopping the ventilation device when there is no person in the target area and the carbon dioxide concentration is low.

The storage device 107 stores a reference table 1072 for setting the operating conditions (e.g., ventilation air volume) of the ventilation devices 102A and 102B. The control condition setting unit 1066 has a function of reading out the operating conditions of the ventilation devices 102A and 1402B corresponding to the information on the environment and the information on the number of people in the room from the reference table 1072 based on the information on the environment and the information on the number of people in the room.

The control information output unit 1068 has the function of outputting the operating conditions of the ventilation devices 102A and 102B set by the control condition setting unit 1066 to the control device 104.

As described above, the ventilation system 100 has the function of acquiring information about the environment in each area of the ventilation target space 200 using the functions of the environmental sensors 110A and 110B, counting the number of people in each area using the user terminals 150A and 150B, determining whether ventilation is necessary for each area, and providing appropriate ventilation.

4. Operation of the ventilation system Fig. 4 shows the flow of processing when the ventilation system 100 performs ventilation in cooperation with the environmental sensors 110A and 110B, the repeaters 108A and 108B, the server 106, the control device 104, and the ventilation devices 102A and 102B. The configuration shown in Fig. 4 corresponds to the configuration shown in Fig. 1, and assumes that the ventilation target space 200 is divided into two areas. That is, it is assumed that the ventilation target space 200 is divided into a first area 202A and a second area 202B, and that the environmental sensors 110A and 110B, the repeaters 108A and 108B, and the ventilation devices 102A and 102B are installed in each area.

In the first area 202A, the environmental sensor 110A measures the carbon dioxide concentration as information (environmental data) related to the environment of the first area 202A (S202). The repeater 108A in the first area 202A communicates with the environmental sensor 110A and receives information (environmental data) related to the environment of the first area 202A (S204). The repeater 108A also communicates with the occupants 300a in the first area 202A and obtains identification information from the user terminal 150A to obtain information related to the number of people (the number of people in the room) (S204).

The server 106 collects information about the environment of the first area 202A (environmental data) and information about the number of people from the repeater 108A (S206). The server 106 then analyzes the required ventilation volume for the first area 202A (S208). The analysis of the required ventilation volume is performed based on the carbon dioxide concentration measured by the environmental sensor 110A as information about the environment of the first area 202A (environmental data) and information about the number of people (number of people present). The server 106 selects ventilation conditions based on the information about the carbon dioxide concentration and the information about the number of people, and outputs the selection to the control device 104 (S210).

The control device 104 controls the operating conditions of the ventilation device 102A that ventilates the first area 202A based on the ventilation conditions transmitted from the server 106 (S212). The ventilation device 102A receives a control signal from the control device 104 and ventilates the first area 202A according to the selected operating conditions (S214).

A similar operation is performed in the second area 202A. That is, the environmental sensor 110B measures the carbon dioxide concentration as information (environmental data) on the environment of the second area 202B (S222), the repeater 108B communicates with the environmental sensor 110B to receive information (environmental data) on the environment of the second area 202B, and also communicates with the user terminals 150B and 150C of the occupants 300b and 300c to obtain identification information from the user terminals 150B and 150C to obtain information on the number of people (the number of people in the room) (S224), and the server 106 collects information (environmental data) and information on the environment of the second area 202B and information on the number of people from the repeater 108B (S226), and analyzes the required ventilation volume of the second area 202B (S228). Then, the server 106 selects ventilation conditions based on the information on the carbon dioxide concentration in the second area 202B and the information on the number of people, and outputs the selected ventilation conditions to the control device 104 (S230). The control device 104 controls the operating conditions of the ventilation device 102B that ventilates the second area 202B based on the ventilation conditions notified from the server 106 (S232). The ventilation device 102B ventilates the second area 202B according to the selected operating conditions (S234).

As shown in FIG. 4, in the ventilation system 100, the server 106 communicates with the repeaters 108A and 108B, selects the required ventilation volume for each area, and ventilates each area under appropriate conditions. The frequency with which the server 106 communicates with the repeaters 108A and 108B is arbitrary and can be set appropriately. For example, the server 106 communicates with the repeaters 108A and 108B individually at intervals of 1 to 10 minutes, and can select the operating conditions of the ventilation devices 102A and 102B individually each time.

Figure 5 shows another example of the flow of processing performed by the ventilation system 100. In the example shown in Figure 5, the individual operations of the environmental sensors 110A, 110B, repeaters 108A, 1408B, server 106, control device 104, and ventilation devices 102A, 102B are the same as those shown in Figure 4. In the example shown in Figure 5, information on carbon dioxide and the number of occupants in the first area 202A and second area 202B is collected simultaneously, and an environmental analysis is performed for each area to select ventilation conditions and output them to the control device.

Specifically, in the first area 202A, the environmental sensor 110A measures the carbon dioxide concentration as information (environmental data) relating to the environment of the first area 202A (S242), the repeater 108A receives the information (environmental data) relating to the environment of the first area 202A (S244), communicates with the user terminal 150A of the occupant 300a in the first area 202A to obtain information regarding the number of people from the identification information (S244), and the server 106 collects this information (S246). In addition, in the second area 202B, the environmental sensor 110B measures the carbon dioxide concentration as information (environmental data) related to the environment of the first area 202A (S248), the repeater 108B receives the information (environmental data) related to the environment of the second area 202B (S250), communicates with the user terminals 150B and 150C of the occupants 300b and 300c in the second area 202B to obtain information related to the number of people from the identification information (S250), and the server 106 collects this information (S252).

The server 106 analyzes the required ventilation volume for each area based on the environmental information (environmental data) and the number of people information transmitted from the repeaters 108A and 108B (S254), selects ventilation conditions, and outputs them to the control device 104 (S256). The control device 104 controls the operating conditions of the ventilation device 102A that ventilates the first area 202A and the operating conditions of the ventilation device 102B that ventilates the second area 202B based on the ventilation conditions transmitted from the server 106 (S258). The ventilation devices 102A and 102B receive control signals from the control device 104 and ventilate the first area 202A and the second area 202B under the selected operating conditions (S260, S262).

As shown in FIG. 5, information regarding the environment of the first area 202A and the second area 202B and information regarding the number of people present are simultaneously obtained, and the server 106 collects the data and then collectively selects the operating conditions of the ventilation devices 102A and 102B. This makes it possible to simultaneously control the ventilation of all areas even if the number of divided areas in the ventilation target space 200 increases.

5. Control flow of the ventilation system Fig. 6 shows a flowchart for explaining an example of the operation of the ventilation system 100. In the ventilation system 100, the server 106 acquires information on the number of people present in the target area (S302), and acquires information on the carbon dioxide concentration as environmental information (S304). Then, the server 106 compares the measured carbon dioxide concentration in the target area with the reference value of the carbon dioxide concentration (S306). As described above, the reference value of the carbon dioxide concentration can be the carbon dioxide concentration outdoors or the carbon dioxide concentration in a specific area published by a public institution.

If the carbon dioxide concentration in the target area exceeds the reference value, a determination is made as to whether or not there are one or more people in the target area based on information regarding the number of people present in the target area (S308). If there are one or more people present in the target area, it is determined that ventilation is necessary (S310), and the number-of-people limiting mode is selected as the operating mode for the ventilation device 102 (S312). The server 106 then determines the ventilation air volume based on the number-of-people limiting mode (S314), the control device 104 sets the ventilation air volume of the ventilation device 102 (S316), and ventilation is performed. Thereafter, the process returns to step S302, and the same process is carried out.

If the carbon dioxide concentration is equal to or lower than the reference value in step S306, it is determined whether there is one or more people in the target area (S318), and if there is one or more people in the target area, it is determined that ventilation is necessary (S310), and similar processing is then carried out. If there is no person in the target area, the ventilation device 102 is stopped (S320), and the process returns to step S302.

Even if no one is present in the target area in step S308, it is determined that ventilation is necessary because the carbon dioxide concentration exceeds the standard value (S322). The server 106 then selects the air purification mode as the operating condition for the ventilation device 102 (S324), determines the ventilation air volume based on that mode (S326), the control device 104 sets the ventilation air volume of the ventilation device 102 (S328), and ventilation is performed. After that, the process returns to step S302, and the same process is carried out.

The server 106 selects the operation mode (number-restricted mode, air purification mode) of the ventilation device 102 based on the carbon dioxide concentration and the number of people in the target area, and the ventilation air volume in each mode may be set in detail for each area based on the measured carbon dioxide concentration and the number of people in the room. Specifically, in the number-restricted mode, the ventilation air volume may be set based on the carbon dioxide concentration and the number of people in the room, and in the air purification mode, the ventilation air volume may be set based on the carbon dioxide concentration.

5-1. Number-of-persons restriction mode In the number-of-persons restriction mode, the ventilation airflow rate is changed when either the number of people in the target area or the carbon dioxide concentration measured by the environmental sensor 110 in the target area exceeds a predetermined reference value. Regarding the change in the ventilation airflow rate, for example, the conditions shown in Table 1 are stored in the reference table 1072, and the server 106 can refer to the reference table 1072 to increase (decrease) the ventilation airflow rate based on either the carbon dioxide concentration in the target area or the number of people in the room.

Note that the standards for carbon dioxide concentration, number of people, and ventilation air volume shown in Table 1 are only examples, and the setting conditions for the ventilation air volume are not limited to those shown. It is preferable to set the ventilation air volume appropriately based on the size and volume of the target area, the number of people accommodated, etc.

In the number-of-people limit mode, if it is determined that there are a large number of people in a particular area of the ventilation target space 200 and that the area is crowded, the ventilation air volume can be increased regardless of the carbon dioxide concentration, so that fresh air can always be supplied to the target area compared to when ventilation is performed after the carbon dioxide concentration becomes high.

5-2. Air Purification Mode Even if an area in the ventilation target space 200 is determined to be unoccupied, the carbon dioxide concentration may be high if someone was present in the area immediately before the measurement by the environmental sensor 110. In this regard, for example, the conditions shown in Table 2 may be stored in the reference table 1072 to change the ventilation air volume, and the server 106 may refer to the reference table 1072 and control the ventilation air volume to be increased (decreased) based on the carbon dioxide concentration in the target area.

Note that the standards for carbon dioxide concentration and ventilation air volume shown in Table 1 are examples, and the setting conditions for the ventilation air volume are not limited to those shown. It is preferable to set the ventilation air volume appropriately for each target area based on information such as the standard carbon dioxide concentration.

5-3. An example of a specific operation The operation of the ventilation system 100 shown in Fig. 6 can be performed for each area in the ventilation target space 200. As shown in Fig. 7, when the ventilation target space 200 is divided into first to sixth areas 202A to 202F (each area is not physically divided by a wall or the like), the ventilation system 100 can ventilate by changing the ventilation air volume for each area according to the carbon dioxide concentration and the number of people in each area.

7, for example, if there is one person in the first area 202A and the carbon dioxide concentration measured by the environmental sensor 110A is less than 500 ppm, the ventilation device 102A operates in the number-of-persons mode and the ventilation air volume is set to 200 ^m3 /h. If there are six people in the second area 202B and the carbon dioxide concentration measured by the environmental sensor 110B is 550 ppm, the ventilation device 102B operates in the number-of-persons mode and the ventilation air volume is set to 300 ^m3 /h. If there are no people in the third area 202C but the carbon dioxide concentration measured by the environmental sensor 110C is 700 ppm, the ventilation device 102C operates in the air purification mode and the ventilation air volume is set to 600 ^m3 /h. In the fourth area 202D, if there are two people and the carbon dioxide concentration measured by the environmental sensor 110D is 650 ppm, the ventilation device 102D operates in the number-of-people mode, and the ventilation air volume is set to 450 m ³ /h. In the fifth area 202E, if there are six people and the carbon dioxide concentration measured by the environmental sensor 110E is 450 ppm, the ventilation device 102E operates in the number-of-people mode, and the ventilation air volume is set to 200 m ³ /h. In the sixth area 202F, if there are no people and the carbon dioxide concentration measured by the environmental sensor 110F is 400 ppm, the operation of the ventilation device 102F is stopped. Note that the above description with reference to FIG. 7 is an example, and the setting criteria and setting values of the ventilation air volume are not limited to this example.

In this way, the ventilation system 100 can ventilate at an appropriate ventilation air volume depending not only on the carbon dioxide concentration in the target area and whether or not there are people in the room, but also on the carbon dioxide concentration and the number of people in the room. This ensures the necessary ventilation volume for the people in the target area while preventing excessive ventilation, thereby reducing the load on the ventilation device and saving energy.

In this embodiment, an example is shown in which the ventilation system controls the ventilation air volume of the ventilation device based on the carbon dioxide concentration measured by the environmental sensor in the target area and the number of people present in the room, but the ventilation air volume may also be determined by taking into account the temperature, humidity, illuminance, and number of particles suspended in the air in the target area as information related to the environment.

100: ventilation system, 102: ventilation device, 1021: air intake, 1022: exhaust, 1023: blower fan, 1024: heat exchanger, 1026: outside air intake section, 1027: indoor air exhaust section, 1028: ventilation air volume control section, 104: control device, 1042: control information receiving section, 1044: drive condition setting section, 1046: drive control section, 106: server, 1062: environmental information acquisition section, 1064: occupancy information acquisition section, 1066: control Condition setting unit, 1068: control information output unit, 107: storage device, 1072: reference table, 108: repeater, 1082: control unit, 1084: memory, 1086: clock unit, 1088: wireless communication unit, 110: environmental sensor, 1102: detection unit, 1104; control unit, 1106: output unit, 150: user terminal, 1502: communication unit, 1504: identification information, 200: ventilation target space, 202: area, 300: occupants

Claims (9)

A ventilation device disposed in a space to be ventilated;
A control device for controlling the operation of the ventilation device;
An environmental sensor disposed in the space to be ventilated;
A relay device disposed in the space to be ventilated;
A server that determines a drive condition of the ventilation device,
The ventilation target space is a single closed space, and the single closed space is divided into a plurality of compartments;
The environmental sensor, the relay, and the ventilation device are arranged in each of the plurality of compartments;
In each of the plurality of compartments, the environmental sensor measures a carbon dioxide concentration in the space to be ventilated;
In each of the plurality of compartments, the repeater communicates with a user terminal present in the ventilation target space;
A ventilation system characterized in that the server communicates with the repeater placed in each of the multiple sections, calculates the number of people in each of the multiple sections from the number of user terminals connected to the repeater, and determines the operating conditions of the ventilation device for each of the multiple sections based on the number of people and the carbon dioxide concentration. The server,
Communicating with the repeater disposed in each of the plurality of compartments to identify a person in the room who possesses the user terminal;
Counting the number of occupants present in the ventilation target space for each of the plurality of sections based on the occupant information;
determining the operating conditions of the ventilation device for each of the plurality of compartments based on the measured number of people and the carbon dioxide concentration;
The ventilation system of claim 1 , further comprising: a controller configured to transmit the operating conditions to the controller; The server has a number of people limiting mode and an air cleaning mode as operating conditions of the ventilation device,
The number of people limiting mode determines a ventilation airflow rate of the ventilation device based on the number of people and the measured value of the carbon dioxide concentration in each of the plurality of sections of the ventilation target space,
The ventilation system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the air cleaning mode determines a ventilation airflow rate of the ventilation device based on the measured carbon dioxide concentration in each of the plurality of compartments of the ventilation target space. The ventilation system of claim 3, wherein the server decides to stop the ventilation device when the number of people in each of the plurality of compartments of the ventilation target space is zero and the measured carbon dioxide concentration is equal to or lower than a predetermined specified value. The server,
an environmental information acquisition unit that acquires the measurement values of the environmental sensors;
a presence information acquisition unit for acquiring the number of occupants based on information from the user terminal communicating with the repeater;
a control condition determination unit that selects a control condition for the ventilation device based on information from the environmental information acquisition unit and the occupancy information acquisition unit;
having
The ventilation system according to claim 2 , wherein the control condition determination unit refers to a reference table in which operating conditions of the ventilation device are recorded . The ventilation system according to claim 5 , wherein a range of carbon dioxide concentration, a range of number of people, and a ventilation air volume are recorded in the reference table . The ventilation system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the environmental sensor and the repeater are integrated into a gateway terminal. The ventilation system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the repeater communicates with one of the following user terminals: a mobile terminal, an ID card, a wireless tag, a wristband terminal, and a clip-type sensor. A camera is provided for capturing images of people present in each of the plurality of compartments in the ventilation target space,
The ventilation system according to claim 1 , wherein the server counts the number of people in each of the plurality of sections based on images captured by the camera.