JP7716902B2 - Thermal environment control device, thermal environment control method and program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a thermal environment control device, a thermal environment control method, and a program.

Patent Document 1 below describes an air conditioning system that can automatically set an air conditioning environment that suits individual preferences.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 6-323600

In the air conditioning system of Patent Document 1, the control unit reads from a magnetic card reader the air conditioning environment conditions that the worker using the area finds comfortable, which are included in the worker's personal information. The control unit then automatically sets the air conditioning outlet conditions that match those conditions via the drive unit. Furthermore, if the personal sensor determines that the worker has returned home from an outing, the control unit sets the air conditioning outlet conditions so that the worker quickly finds comfort, taking into account conditions according to the worker's environmental adaptability.

This personal information includes gender, date of birth, height, weight, health information (blood pressure, pulse rate, etc.), medical history, and information such as sensitivity to heat or cold, tolerance to heat or cold, and sweatiness. However, the air-conditioning environment that a worker (subject) finds comfortable will differ depending on whether the subject is performing high-intensity work outdoors or simply walking. For this reason, even if the thermal environment is controlled based solely on this information without taking into account physiological information resulting from the subject's behavior, it may be difficult to quickly reduce the subject's thermal discomfort.

Taking the above into consideration, the present invention aims to control the thermal environment by taking into account physiological information resulting from the subject's behavior.

The thermal environment control device of claim 1 comprises a subject information acquisition unit that acquires the heart rate of the subject as subject information multiple times both before and while the subject is using the thermal environment adjustment means; an environmental information acquisition unit that acquires environmental information indicating the environmental state around the subject multiple times both before and while the subject is using the thermal environment adjustment means; a prediction unit that calculates the deep body temperature of the subject using the heart rate and the environmental information each time it acquires the heart rate and the environmental information , and predicts the deep body temperature as physiological quantity information of the subject after a predetermined time has elapsed from the calculated multiple deep body temperatures; and a control unit that controls the thermal environment adjustment means based on the deep body temperature predicted by the prediction unit.

According to the thermal environment control device described in claim 1, the prediction unit uses subject information including the subject's heart rate and environmental information to predict physiological information including the subject's deep body temperature after a predetermined time has passed.

The control unit then controls a thermal environment adjustment device such as an air conditioner based on the physiological amount information predicted by the prediction unit. For example, the control unit controls the thermal environment adjustment device based on the heart rate caused by the subject's behavior before using the thermal environment adjustment device and information about the environment to which the subject was exposed.

In other words, this thermal environment control device can control the thermal environment by taking into account physiological information resulting from the subject's behavior, thereby quickly reducing the subject's thermal discomfort.
A thermal environment control device according to claim 2 is the thermal environment control device according to claim 1, wherein the subject information includes the metabolic rate of the subject, and the physiological value information includes the skin temperature of the subject.

A thermal environment control device according to a third aspect of the present invention is the thermal environment control device according to the second aspect, wherein the subject information acquisition unit acquires the subject information from a mobile terminal carried by the subject.

According to the thermal environment control device of claim 3 , the subject information acquisition unit acquires subject information from a mobile device carried by the subject. This allows the subject information to be acquired sequentially. This allows the prediction unit to predict physiological quantity information sequentially. This allows for more detailed control of the thermal environment than when subject information cannot be acquired sequentially.

In one embodiment of the thermal environment control device, the subject information acquisition unit acquires the subject information multiple times both before and while the subject uses the thermal environment adjustment means.

In one aspect of the thermal environment control device, the subject information acquisition unit acquires subject information both before and while the subject is using the thermal environment adjustment means. As a result, the control unit first controls the thermal environment adjustment means based on the metabolic rate and heart rate resulting from the subject's actions before using the thermal environment adjustment means, as well as information about the environment to which the subject was exposed. Then, while the subject is using the thermal environment adjustment means, if the subject approaches a thermally neutral state, the control unit can implement control such as reducing the airflow. This allows a thermal environment that is comfortable for the subject to be maintained.

The thermal environment control device of claim 4 is a thermal environment control device described in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the environmental information includes at least one of temperature, humidity, and wind speed, the subject information includes location information of the subject, and the prediction unit links the environmental information with the location information and predicts the physiological quantity information using the environmental information of a location close to the subject.

The thermal environment control device according to a fourth aspect of the present invention predicts physiological information using information including at least one of temperature, humidity, and wind speed, and location information of the subject.

By using location information and temperature, it is possible to predict physiological information affected by temperature, for example, in low-temperature or high-temperature environments, and control the thermal environment.

Furthermore, by using location information and humidity, it is possible to predict physiological information affected by humidity in dry or humid environments, for example, and control the thermal environment.

Furthermore, by using location information and wind speed, it is possible to predict physiological information affected by wind speed, for example, in windless or strong wind environments, and control the thermal environment.

Furthermore, by combining location information with temperature, humidity, and wind speed, it is possible to predict physiological information affected by these factors in a complex manner and control the thermal environment.

The thermal environment control device of claim 5 is a thermal environment control device described in any one of claims 1 to 4 , further comprising a clothing amount information acquisition unit that acquires clothing amount information indicating the amount of clothing worn by the subject, and the prediction unit predicts the physiological amount information using the clothing amount information acquired by the clothing amount information acquisition unit in addition to the subject information and the environmental information.

The thermal environment control device according to claim 5 predicts physiological information using the amount of clothing worn by the subject, thereby improving the accuracy of the prediction of physiological information.

The thermal environment control device of claim 6 is a thermal environment control device described in any one of claims 1 to 5 , further comprising a reception unit that receives input of at least one of the air volume and temperature in the thermal environment adjustment means, and a memory unit that stores the input information received by the reception unit, and the control unit adjusts the operation of the thermal environment adjustment means based on the input information stored in the memory unit in addition to the physiological quantity information.

In the thermal environment control device described in claim 6 , the control unit adjusts the thermal environment adjustment means based on input information of at least one of air volume and temperature received by the reception unit and stored in the memory unit. This makes it possible to control the thermal environment based not only on mechanically acquired subject information and environmental information, but also on the subjective opinions of the subject, for example. Therefore, the thermal environment can be controlled to suit the subject's preferences.

The thermal environment control method of claim 7 acquires the heart rate of the subject as subject information multiple times both before and while the subject is using the thermal environment adjustment means , acquires environmental information indicating the environmental state around the subject multiple times both before and while the subject is using the thermal environment adjustment means, calculates the deep body temperature of the subject using the heart rate and the environmental information each time the heart rate and the environmental information are acquired , predicts the deep body temperature of the subject as physiological information of the subject after a predetermined time has elapsed from the calculated multiple deep body temperatures, and controls the thermal environment adjustment means based on the predicted deep body temperature .

In the thermal environment control method described in claim 7 , subject information including the subject's heart rate and environmental information are used to predict physiological information including the subject's deep body temperature after a predetermined time has passed.

Then, the thermal environment adjustment device, such as an air conditioner, is controlled based on the predicted physiological information. For example, the thermal environment adjustment device is controlled based on the heart rate caused by the subject's actions before using the thermal environment adjustment device and information about the environment to which the subject was exposed.

In other words, this thermal environment control method allows the thermal environment to be controlled by taking into account physiological information resulting from the subject's behavior. This allows the subject's thermal discomfort to be quickly reduced.

The program of claim 8 includes a subject information acquisition unit that acquires a heart rate as subject information of the subject multiple times both before and while the subject uses the thermal environment adjustment means ;
an environmental information acquisition unit that acquires environmental information indicating an environmental state around the subject multiple times both before and while the subject uses the thermal environment adjustment means ;
a prediction unit that calculates a body deep temperature of the subject using the heart rate and the environmental information each time the heart rate and the environmental information are acquired , and predicts a body deep temperature as physiological quantity information of the subject after a predetermined time has elapsed from the calculated body deep temperatures;
The temperature control unit functions as a control unit that controls the thermal environment adjusting means based on the body deep temperature predicted by the prediction unit.

According to the program described in claim 8 , the prediction unit uses subject information including the subject's heart rate and environmental information to predict physiological information including the subject's deep body temperature after a predetermined time has passed.

The control unit then controls a thermal environment adjustment device such as an air conditioner based on the physiological amount information predicted by the prediction unit. For example, the control unit controls the thermal environment adjustment device based on the heart rate caused by the subject's behavior before using the thermal environment adjustment device and information about the environment to which the subject was exposed.

In other words, this thermal environment control program can control the thermal environment by taking into account physiological information resulting from the subject's behavior. This allows the subject's thermal discomfort to be quickly alleviated.

This invention makes it possible to control the thermal environment by taking into account physiological information resulting from the subject's behavior.

1 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of a thermal environment control device according to an embodiment. 1 is a functional block diagram showing the functional configuration of a thermal environment control device according to an embodiment. (A) is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of a personal information database related to an embodiment, (B) is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of a prediction-related information database, and (C) is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of an input information database. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a thermal environment control process according to the embodiment. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a thermal environment adjustment process according to the embodiment. 10 is a flowchart showing another example of the thermal environment adjustment process according to the embodiment.

The following describes a thermal environment control device, a thermal environment control method, and a program according to an embodiment of the present invention, with reference to the drawings. Components indicated with the same reference numerals in each drawing are the same components. Furthermore, descriptions of duplicated components and reference numerals in each drawing may be omitted. Note that the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments, and can be implemented with appropriate modifications, such as omitting components or replacing them with different components, within the scope of the object of the present invention.

<Thermal environment control system>
1 shows the overall configuration of a thermal environment control system 80 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The thermal environment control system 80 is a system that provides an appropriate thermal environment for each individual (hereinafter referred to as "subject"), such as when an individual arrives at their office, when a worker in a hot environment enters their office or break room after working, or when a person enters a break room after exercising or bathing.

The thermal environment control system 80 includes a thermal environment control device 10, an environmental sensor 20, a position information sensor 30, a wearable sensor 40, a clothing amount sensor 50, and an air conditioning device 60.

(Thermal environment control device)
The thermal environment control device 10 is a device that predicts "physiological information" (described later) based on various information acquired from the environmental sensor 20, the position information sensor 30, the wearable sensor 40, and the clothing amount sensor 50, as well as information input via the input unit 14, and controls the air conditioning device 60 based on the predicted physiological information. The configuration of the thermal environment control device 10 will be described in detail later.

(environmental sensor)
The environmental sensor 20 is a general term for a detection device that detects various pieces of information related to the environmental state of an area where a subject is present (hereinafter, this information will be collectively referred to as "environmental information"). The environmental sensor 20 is installed at various locations within the area where the subject is present.

Here, "the area where the subject is present" refers to, if the subject is an office worker commuting to work, the route from the nearest station to the office or the route from the parking lot to the office. Also, if the subject is a worker in a hot environment, it refers to the indoor or outdoor work site where the work is carried out. Furthermore, "the area where the subject is present" also includes the office or break room where the air conditioning unit 60 is installed. The location where the environmental sensor 20 is installed can be determined appropriately depending on the subject's range of movement.

Examples of information detected by the environmental sensor 20 include temperature (air temperature) (°C), globe temperature (°C), relative humidity (%RH), and airflow speed (m/s). The environmental sensor 20 detects this environmental information intermittently (every predetermined time (e.g., 30 seconds)). The sensor that detects temperature is a thermometer. The sensor that detects relative humidity is a hygrometer. The sensor that detects airflow speed is an anemometer. The "environmental information" detected by the environmental sensor 20 is sent to the thermal environment control device 10.

(location information sensor)
The position information sensor 30 is installed at various locations within an area where the subject is present, similar to the environmental sensor 20. The position information sensor 30 is a sensor that identifies the position information of the subject as the subject information. The position information sensor 30 includes, for example, a beacon.

A beacon is a transmitter installed in various locations within the area where the subject is present, and is used in combination with a receiver carried by the subject. When a beacon is used as the location information sensor 30, the receiver detects the signal emitted by the beacon, thereby determining the subject's location information.

The receiver carried by the subject can be implemented in various devices owned by the subject, such as a smartphone, watch, or employee ID card, or it can be integrated with the wearable sensor 40 described below.

(wearable sensor)
The wearable sensor 40 is a portable terminal that is worn by the subject and is used by being in contact with the subject's skin.

The wearable sensor 40 can be in a variety of shapes, but a wristwatch shape is a preferred example. In other words, it is preferable to integrate the flat-shaped wearable sensor 40 with a band for wrapping around the wrist.

The wearable sensor 40 intermittently detects various information relating to the subject's specific activity level (hereinafter, this information will be collectively referred to as "subject information") (every predetermined time (e.g., 10 seconds, 1 second, etc.) has elapsed). Examples of the information detected by the wearable sensor 40 include the metabolic rate (W/ ^m2 ), heart rate (bpm), and acceleration (mG) of the subject wearing the wearable sensor 40. The "subject information" detected by the wearable sensor 40 is transmitted to the thermal environment control device 10. As mentioned above, the subject's location information is also included in the "subject information."

(Clothing amount sensor)
The clothing amount sensor 50 is a detection device that detects "clothing amount information" that indicates the amount of clothing (clo) worn by a subject. The clothing amount sensor 50 is configured to include, for example, a thermal camera. When this thermal camera captures an image of the subject, an estimation device incorporated in the clothing amount sensor 50 estimates the amount of clothing worn by the subject from the captured thermal image. The "clothing amount information" detected by the clothing amount sensor 50 is transmitted to the thermal environment control device 10. The thermal camera of the clothing amount sensor 50 is installed in a position within the area where the subject is present that allows it to capture an image of the subject.

The clothing amount sensor 50 can also be omitted. If the clothing amount sensor 50 is omitted, the thermal environment control device 10 can acquire separately measured "clothing amount information" by inputting it via the input unit 14, which will be described later.

(Air conditioner)
The air conditioner 60 is an example of a thermal environment adjusting means of the present invention. The air conditioner 60 is a personal air conditioner provided at each seat where a subject sits in an office or break room.

If the seat where each subject sits is assigned to each subject, the air conditioning unit 60 is a dedicated device for each subject. On the other hand, if the seat where each subject sits is not assigned to each subject (in the case of a so-called free address system), the air conditioning unit 60 is a shared device for multiple subjects.

The air conditioning device 60 includes an air blower 62 that blows temperature-controlled air to the subject, and an input unit 64 that allows the subject to input the strength of the air blown from the air blower 62.

The air blower 62 is, for example, a fan driven by a motor. The motor that drives the air blower 62 is controlled by the thermal environment control device 10, and can also be controlled by the subject via the input unit 64.

The air blower 62 can be driven at two drive strengths, for example, "strong" and "weak." "Drive strength" refers to the air volume of the air blower 62. Specifically, when the drive strength is "strong," the volume of air that can be blown per unit time is relatively greater than when it is "weak." The air volumes corresponding to the drive strengths of "strong" and "weak" can be set in advance.

The input unit 64 is configured with a display or the like equipped with a touch panel (hereinafter simply referred to as the "touch panel"). The subject can start and stop the operation of the air blower unit 62 and change the drive strength by operating the input unit 64. The drive strength can be changed, for example, by touching with a finger an input button labeled "strong" (not shown) or an input button labeled "weak" (not shown).

The subject's input to the input unit 64 controls the operation of the air blower unit 62, and the input information ("input information") is sent to the reception unit 11E of the thermal environment control device 10 (see Figure 2).

<Electrical configuration of the thermal environment control device>
1 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of a thermal environment control device 10. The thermal environment control device 10 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit: Processor) 11, a memory 12 serving as a temporary storage area, a nonvolatile memory unit 13, an input unit 14 such as a keyboard and mouse, a display unit 15 such as a liquid crystal display, a media read/write device (R/W) 16, a communication interface (I/F) unit 18, and an external I/F unit 19. The CPU 11, memory 12, memory unit 13, input unit 14, display unit 15, media read/write device 16, communication I/F unit 18, and external I/F unit 19 are connected to one another via a bus B1. The media read/write device 16 reads information written in a recording medium 17 and writes information to the recording medium 17.

(Storage part)
The storage unit 13 is realized by a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), a flash memory, etc. A thermal environment control program 13A is stored in the storage unit 13 as a storage medium. The thermal environment control program 13A is stored in the storage unit 13 by setting a recording medium 17 on which the thermal environment control program 13A is written in the medium reading and writing device 16, and the medium reading and writing device 16 reading the thermal environment control program 13A from the recording medium 17. The CPU 11 reads the thermal environment control program 13A from the storage unit 13, expands it in the memory 12, and sequentially executes the processes of the thermal environment control program 13A.

The memory unit 13 stores various arithmetic formulas for calculating the subject's physiological information ("core body temperature" and "skin temperature"). The memory unit 13 also stores a personal information database 13B, a prediction-related information database 13C, and an input information database 13D. The personal information database 13B, the prediction-related information database 13C, the input information database 13D, and the various arithmetic formulas will be described in detail below.

(Input section)
The user performs operations to start and end the thermal environment control program 13A on the input unit 14. The user is, for example, an administrator of the thermal environment control system 80.

The user also inputs the subject's "personal information" into the input unit 14. The personal information input via the input unit 14 is stored in the personal information database 13B in the storage unit 13 (see Figure 3(A)). The personal information input into the input unit includes age (years), gender, height (cm), weight (kg), body composition (body fat percentage (%)), and mean blood pressure [diastolic blood pressure + {(systolic blood pressure - diastolic blood pressure)/3}].

In addition, personal information may be input via the subject's mobile device, such as the wearable sensor 40. It may also be input via a computer different from the thermal environment control device 10. Personal information input via the subject's wearable sensor 40 or a computer different from the thermal environment control device 10 is transmitted to the thermal environment control device 10.

(Display)
Information (for example, input buttons) for starting and ending the thermal environment control program 13A is displayed on the display unit 15. Furthermore, if there are multiple subjects, a list of the subjects is displayed.

<Functional configuration of the thermal environment control device>
Next, the functional configuration of the thermal environment control device 10 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 2. As shown in Fig. 2, the thermal environment control device 10 includes an environmental information acquisition unit 11A, a clothing amount information acquisition unit 11B, a subject information acquisition unit 11C, a prediction unit 11D, a reception unit 11E, and a control unit 11F. The CPU 11 of the thermal environment control device 10 executes a thermal environment control program 13A, thereby functioning as the environmental information acquisition unit 11A, the clothing amount information acquisition unit 11B, the subject information acquisition unit 11C, the prediction unit 11D, the reception unit 11E, and the control unit 11F.

(Environmental Information Acquisition Department)
The environmental information acquisition unit 11A acquires "environmental information" that indicates the environmental state of the area the subject is in. In this embodiment, the environmental information acquisition unit 11A acquires temperature (°C), relative humidity (% RH), air velocity (m/s), etc. transmitted from multiple environmental sensors 20.

(Clothing amount information acquisition department)
The clothing amount information acquisition unit 11B acquires "clothing amount information" indicating the amount of clothing worn by the subject. In this embodiment, the clothing amount information acquisition unit 11B acquires the clothing amount information transmitted from the clothing amount sensor 50. Note that if the clothing amount sensor 50 is omitted, the clothing amount information acquisition unit 11B may also be omitted.

(Target information acquisition unit)
The subject information acquisition unit 11C acquires "subject information" indicating measurement results of at least one of the metabolic rate and heart rate of the subject. In this embodiment, the subject information acquisition unit 11C acquires subject information including the metabolic rate (W/m ² ), heart rate (bpm), acceleration (mG), etc. transmitted from the wearable sensor 40.

The subject information acquisition unit 11C also acquires the subject's "location information" as subject information. In this embodiment, the subject information acquisition unit 11C acquires the subject's location information transmitted from the location information sensor 30. This location information includes information identifying a specific subject from multiple subjects and information indicating the subject's location.

(Prediction Department)
The prediction unit 11D uses the "environmental information" acquired by the environmental information acquisition unit 11A and the "subject information" (including location information) acquired by the subject information acquisition unit 11C to predict "physiological quantity information" including the subject's "core body temperature" and "skin temperature" after a predetermined time has elapsed.

The prediction unit 11D links the subject's "location information" with "environmental information" acquired from multiple environmental sensors 20. The prediction unit 11D then predicts "physiological quantity information" using the "environmental information" acquired from the environmental sensor 20 located closest to the subject.

(Reception Department)
The reception unit 11E receives input of the drive strength (air volume) of the air conditioner 60. Specifically, the reception unit 11E receives input information of the drive strength (air volume) such as "strong" or "weak" input by the subject via the input unit 64 of the air conditioner 60. The input information received by the reception unit 11E is stored in the input information database 13D in the storage unit 13 (see FIG. 3C ).

The reception unit 11E also receives the subject's location information from the subject information acquisition unit 11C. This allows the drive intensity input to the air conditioning device 60 to be linked to the subject who input the drive intensity, and the link can be stored in the input information database 13D.

(Control unit)
The control unit 11F controls the blower unit 62 of the air conditioner 60 based on the physiological quantity information predicted by the prediction unit 11D. As described above, the blower unit 62 is capable of switching the drive strength between "strong" and "weak." Therefore, the control unit 11F can switch the drive strength of the blower unit 62 between "strong" and "weak." The control unit 11F can also control the start and stop of the drive of the blower unit 62.

The control unit 11F also controls the blower unit 62 of the air conditioner 60 based on the drive strength stored in the input information database 13D in the memory unit 13.

The drive strength of the blower unit 62 may be set not only to two levels, "strong" and "weak," but also in a stepless manner. In this case, the control of the blower unit 62 by the control unit 11F can be adjusted steplessly. Furthermore, the control of the blower unit 62 via the input unit 64 of the air conditioner 60 may be performed by, for example, displaying the drive strength as an integer between 1 and 100 on a touch panel forming the input unit 64 and having the subject input any integer.

(database)
3A, the personal information database 13B stores the subject's name (or identification number) and various personal information in association with each other. In this embodiment, the various personal information stored in the personal information database 13B includes age (years), sex, height (cm), weight (kg), body composition (body fat percentage (%)), etc.

As shown in FIG. 3(B), the prediction-related information database 13C stores the subject's name (or identification number) and various physiological quantity information for each subject calculated by the prediction unit 11D using various arithmetic formulas described below, in association with the date and time of calculation. In this embodiment, the various physiological quantity information stored in the prediction-related information database 13C is the body's deep body temperature (°C) and skin temperature (°C).

The calculation interval for each type of physiological information can be any interval, but in this embodiment, it is calculated every second. Also, in this embodiment, each type of physiological information is calculated at the same time, but the calculation timing and calculation frequency may be changed for each type of physiological information.

As shown in Figure 3(C), the input information database 13D stores the subject's name (or identification number) and the drive strength, such as "strong" or "weak," entered by the subject via the input unit 64 of the air conditioner 60, in association with the date and time of entry.

In addition, the input information database 13D stores physiological quantity information, i.e., deep body temperature (°C) and skin temperature (°C), predicted by the prediction unit 11D immediately before the subject inputs the information via the input unit 64 of the air conditioning device 60.

<Prediction of physiological information>
In the thermal environment control device 10, the following calculation formula stored in the memory unit 13 is used as an example to predict various physiological information (``core body temperature'' and ``skin temperature'') after a predetermined time has passed.

(calculation formula)
The storage unit 13 stores various arithmetic formulas (known arithmetic formulas) for calculating the "core body temperature" and the "skin temperature."

"Deep body temperature" is the temperature of the central part (deep body) of a specific part of the subject's body (e.g., the head). This deep body temperature is calculated by the prediction unit 11D from the "heat balance" at that central part per unit time.

Furthermore, by acquiring the body's deep body temperature a predetermined number of times (at least three times in this embodiment), the progress of changes in the body's deep body temperature over the acquisition period can be derived. This makes it possible to predict (linearly predict) the body's deep body temperature after a predetermined time has elapsed.

"Skin temperature" is the "skin surface temperature" calculated in the process of calculating the amount of sensible heat loss to the external environment (4) below.

The "heat balance" can be calculated by summing up the heat balance of the subject shown in (1) to (5) below.
(1) Heat production through energy production; (2) Heat exchange through blood flow; (3) Heat transfer from deep inside the body to the outside through thermal conduction; (4) Sensible heat loss to the external environment (sensible heat loss through respiration and convective radiation from the skin surface).
(5) Amount of latent heat loss to the external environment (amount of latent heat loss due to breathing and sweating on the skin surface)

The heat production due to energy production (1) above is calculated as the sum of "heat production due to basal metabolism," "heat production due to activity," and "heat production due to shivering."

As an example, "basal metabolic heat production" can be calculated using known methods from the subject's personal information (gender, height, weight, age, etc.).

In addition, "heat production due to activity" can be calculated using known methods from subject information (acceleration, heart rate), as an example.

Furthermore, "heat production due to shivering" can be calculated, for example, using known methods from the temperature difference between the temperature of each part of the body when exposed to the target environment and when at thermal neutral.

The amount of heat exchange due to blood flow (2) above is calculated using a known method from the product of "blood flow," which is calculated as the sum of basal blood flow, skin blood flow, muscle blood flow, etc., "specific heat of blood," and "temperature difference from thermal neutrality."

Of the "blood flow" parameters, basal blood flow can be calculated from the total body surface area and cardiac index (calculated from "personal information" (age)). Skin blood flow can be calculated from the basal blood flow in each body part and the temperature difference between the temperature of each body part when exposed to the target environment and when thermoneutral. Muscle blood flow is expressed as a function of activity level and is calculated using known methods (for example, equation (9) in "Study on a 65-Division Thermoregulation Model for Thermal Environment Evaluation," Journal of Planning and Planning, Architectural Institute of Japan, Vol. 541, 9-16, March 2001, pp. 9-15).

The amount of heat that moves from deep within the body to the outside due to thermal conduction (3) above can be calculated using known methods from "personal information" (body composition, height, weight).

The above (4) amount of sensible heat loss to the external environment can be calculated from the convective heat transfer coefficient (calculated from environmental information (wind speed) and subject information (metabolic rate)), the amount of convective and radiative heat exchange between the skin surface and the environment (calculated from clothing information), and the temperature difference between the skin surface temperature (calculated by dividing the heat balance amount [J] obtained from the above "heat balance" (the sum of the heat balances shown in (1) to (5)) by the heat capacity of each part [J/°C]) and the external air temperature (environmental information (temperature)). Note that the calculation of this (4) amount of sensible heat loss to the external environment uses the heat balance value calculated one step before in the heat balance calculated per unit time.

The above (5) amount of latent heat loss to the external environment can be calculated using known methods from the difference between the saturated water vapor pressure calculated from the skin surface temperature and the water vapor pressure of the external air (calculated from environmental information (air temperature, relative humidity)).

<Effect>
Next, the operation of the thermal environment control system 80 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 4 and 5. In response to an execution instruction from the user via the input unit 14, the CPU 11 of the thermal environment control device 10 executes the thermal environment control program 13A, thereby performing the thermal environment control process shown in Figure 4.

To avoid confusion, the following describes a case where there is only one subject and where a personal information database 13B has been created in advance. The following also describes a case where the control unit 11F controls the air conditioner 60 based solely on physiological quantity information predicted by the prediction unit 11D. A case where the control unit 11F controls the air conditioner 60 based on input information stored in the input information database 13D will be described later.

(Thermal environment control processing)
When the execution of the thermal environment control program 13A is started, in step 200, the CPU 11 reads out the "personal information" stored in the personal information database 13B.

In step 202, the CPU 11 acquires "environmental information" of the area in which the subject is located from the environmental sensor 20. The CPU 11 also acquires "clothing amount information" for each subject from the clothing amount sensor 50. The CPU 11 also acquires "subject information" for each subject from the position information sensor 30 and the wearable sensor 40.

In step 204, the CPU 11 calculates various physiological information from various information (personal information, environmental information, clothing amount information, and subject information) using various calculation formulas stored in the memory unit 13.

In step 206, the CPU 11 stores the physiological information calculated using various arithmetic expressions in the prediction-related information database 13C. The CPU 11 associates this physiological information with the calculated time and stores it in the prediction-related information database 13C.

In step 208, the CPU 11 determines whether physiological quantity information has been calculated a predetermined number of times, and if the determination is affirmative, proceeds to step 210. On the other hand, if the determination is negative in step 208, return to step 202.

In step 210, the CPU 11 predicts various physiological quantities after a predetermined time has elapsed.

In step 220, the CPU 11 performs a thermal environment adjustment process. Details of the thermal environment adjustment process will be described later, but here the CPU 11 determines the drive strength of the air blower 62 of the air conditioner 60 according to the physiological changes of the subject.

In step 230, the CPU 11 determines whether the subject is present in the location where the air conditioning unit 60 is installed based on the subject's location information, and if the determination is affirmative, proceeds to step 232. On the other hand, if the determination is negative in step 230, return to step 202.

In step 232, the CPU 11 switches the operation of the air blower unit 62 of the air conditioner 60 according to the drive strength determined in the immediately preceding step 220. "Switching the operation" includes control to switch the drive strength of the air blower unit 62 between "strong" and "weak," as well as control to start and stop the operation of the air blower unit 62.

In step 234, the CPU 11 determines whether input information from the subject to the air blower unit 62 of the air conditioner 60 has been received, and if the determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 236. On the other hand, if the determination is negative, the process proceeds to step 238.

In step 236, the CPU 11 waits for the target person to leave their seat. Specifically, the CPU 11 determines whether the target person has left the location where the air conditioning unit 60 is installed. If the determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 240, where the CPU 11 stops operation of the air blower unit 62 of the air conditioning unit 60. On the other hand, if the determination is negative, the CPU 11 repeatedly executes step 236 until the determination is affirmative.

In addition, if the subject inputs the drive strength into the air blower unit 62 of the air conditioner 60, the drive strength of the air blower unit 62 is controlled by the input information entered by the subject.

In step 238, the CPU 11 determines whether the subject has left the location where the air conditioning unit 60 is installed. If the determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 240, where the CPU 11 stops operation of the air blower 62 of the air conditioning unit 60. On the other hand, if the determination is negative, the process returns to step 202.

In other words, while the subject is seated in a location where the air conditioning device 60 is installed, the CPU 11 acquires environmental information, subject information, etc. as needed, executes physiological amount prediction processing, and switches the operation of the air blower 62 as appropriate.

In step 242, the CPU 11 determines whether the time to end the thermal environment control process has arrived, and if the determination is affirmative, the thermal environment control process is terminated. This termination time arrives, for example, when the subject removes the wearable sensor 40. The removal of the wearable sensor 40 is detected by a change in the acceleration detected by the wearable sensor 40. As another example, this termination time arrives when the subject or the administrator of the thermal environment control system 80 inputs an end of the thermal environment control process via the input unit 14. If the determination is negative in step 242, the process returns to step 202.

(Thermal environment adjustment treatment)
As shown in FIG. 5, when the thermal environment adjustment process shown in step 220 is started, in step 221, the control unit 11F determines whether the deep body temperature, based on the physiological quantity information predicted by the prediction unit 11D, is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold value T1 (°C), and if the determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 222.

If the determination in step 221 is negative, the process proceeds to step 223 to determine whether the skin temperature is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold K1 (°C); if the determination is positive, the process proceeds to step 222.

In this embodiment, the thresholds T1 = 37 (°C) and K1 = 36 (°C), but these thresholds can be changed as appropriate depending on the season and the subject.

In step 222, the control unit 11F sets the drive strength of the air blower 62 in the air conditioner 60 to "high" and ends the thermal environment adjustment process. After the thermal environment adjustment process ends, the process proceeds to step 230 shown in Figure 4.

If the determination in step 223 is negative, the process proceeds to step 224, where it is determined whether the core body temperature is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold T2 (°C); if the determination is positive, the process proceeds to step 225.

If the determination in step 224 is negative, proceed to step 226 to determine whether the skin temperature is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold K2 (°C); if the determination is positive, proceed to step 225.

In this embodiment, the thresholds T2 = 36.5 (°C) and K2 = 35.5 (°C), but these thresholds can be changed as appropriate depending on the season and the subject.

In step 225, the control unit 11F sets the drive strength of the air blower 62 in the air conditioner 60 to "weak" and ends the thermal environment adjustment process. After the thermal environment adjustment process ends, the process proceeds to step 230 shown in Figure 4.

If the determination in step 226 is negative, the process proceeds to step 227, where the control unit 11F sets the drive strength of the air blower 62 in the air conditioner 60 to "stopped," and ends the thermal environment adjustment process. After the thermal environment adjustment process ends, the process proceeds to step 230 shown in Figure 4.

(Control based on input information)
In the above explanation, the control unit 11F controls the air conditioning device 60 based only on the physiological quantity information predicted by the prediction unit 11D. However, the control unit 11F can also control the air conditioning device 60 based on the input information stored in the input information database 13D in addition to the physiological information.

When the control unit 11F controls the air conditioner 60 based on the input information, as shown in FIG. 6, the thermal environment adjustment process proceeds to step 228 after steps 222, 225, and 227.

In step 228, the control unit 11F determines whether or not there is input information in the input information database 13D.

Specifically, the control unit 11F determines whether a combination of physiological quantities (core body temperature and skin temperature) that is "close" to the combination of physiological quantities predicted by the physiological quantity prediction process of step 210 shown in FIG. 4 is stored in the input information database 13D shown in FIG. 3 (C).

If a combination of physiological amounts that is "close" to the predicted combination of physiological amounts is stored in the input information database 13D, step 228 returns a positive judgment and the process proceeds to step 229.

In step 229, the input information at the time when the physiological quantity combination is "close" to the physiological quantity combination predicted by the physiological quantity prediction process is set as the drive strength of the air blower 62, and the thermal environment adjustment process is terminated.

If the determination in step 228 is negative, the process proceeds to step 229, where the thermal environment adjustment process ends. In other words, in this case, the control unit 11F sets the drive strength of the air blower unit 62 in the air conditioner 60 to the drive strength set in steps 222, 225, and 227, rather than the input information stored in the input information database 13D.

Note that a combination of physiological quantities being "close" means that "at least one" of the deep body temperature and skin temperature stored in input information database 13D is within ±0.2 (°C) of the deep body temperature and skin temperature predicted in step 210. Alternatively, it means that "both" of the deep body temperature and skin temperature stored in input information database 13D are within ±0.2 (°C) of the deep body temperature and skin temperature predicted in step 210.

<Effects>
As described above, according to the thermal environment control device 10 of this embodiment, the prediction unit 11D shown in Figure 2 uses subject information including the subject's metabolic rate and heart rate and environmental information to predict physiological information including the subject's deep body temperature and skin temperature after a predetermined time has passed.

The control unit 11F then controls the air conditioner 60 based on the physiological information predicted by the prediction unit 11D. For example, the control unit 11F controls the air conditioner 60 based on the metabolic rate and heart rate resulting from the subject's actions before using the air conditioner 60, and information about the environment to which the subject was exposed.

In other words, this thermal environment control device 10 can control the thermal environment by taking into account physiological information resulting from the subject's behavior. This allows the subject's thermal discomfort to be quickly alleviated.

Furthermore, with the thermal environment control device 10 according to this embodiment, the subject information acquisition unit 11C acquires subject information from a wearable sensor 40, which is a mobile device carried by the subject. This allows subject information to be acquired sequentially. This allows the prediction unit 11D to predict physiological quantity information sequentially. Therefore, the thermal environment can be controlled more precisely than in a case where subject information cannot be acquired sequentially.

Furthermore, as described using FIG. 4, in the thermal environment control device 10 according to this embodiment, the subject information acquisition unit 11C acquires subject information both before and while the subject uses the air conditioning device 60.

As a result, the control unit 11F first controls the air conditioner 60 based on the metabolic rate and heart rate resulting from the subject's actions before using the air conditioner 60, as well as information about the environment to which the subject was exposed. Then, while the subject is using the air conditioner 60, if the subject approaches a thermally neutral state, control such as reducing the airflow can be performed. This makes it possible to maintain a thermal environment that is comfortable for the subject.

In addition, the thermal environment control device 10 according to this embodiment predicts physiological information using information including temperature, humidity, and wind speed, as well as the subject's location information.

By using location information and temperature, it is possible to predict physiological information affected by temperature, for example, in low-temperature and high-temperature environments, and control the thermal environment.

In addition, by using location information and humidity, it is possible to predict physiological information affected by humidity in dry or humid environments, for example, and control the thermal environment.

Furthermore, by using location information and wind speed, it is possible to predict physiological information affected by wind speed in windless or strong wind environments, for example, and control the thermal environment.

Furthermore, by combining location information with temperature, humidity, and wind speed, it is possible to predict physiological information affected by these factors and control the thermal environment.

In addition, the thermal environment control device 10 according to this embodiment also uses the amount of clothing worn by the subject to predict physiological information. This improves the accuracy of physiological information prediction.

In addition, in the thermal environment control device 10 according to this embodiment, the control unit adjusts the thermal environment adjustment means based on the drive strength (air volume) input by the subject, received by the reception unit 11E, and stored in the memory unit 13. This makes it possible to control the thermal environment based not only on subject information and environmental information acquired mechanically, but also on the subject's subjective opinion. This makes it possible to control the thermal environment in accordance with the subject's preferences.

<Other embodiments>
As described above, the control unit 11F controls the drive strength of the air conditioner 60. The subject also inputs the drive strength of the air conditioner 60 via the input unit 64. These drive strengths are the air volume of the blower 62, but the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to this.

The control unit 11F may control the temperature instead of or in addition to the airflow as the driving strength of the air conditioning unit 60. In other words, the control unit 11F may control at least one of the airflow and temperature of the air conditioning unit 60.

Similarly, the subject may input temperature instead of or in addition to airflow as the drive strength of the air conditioning unit 60. When the subject inputs the temperature, the reception unit 11E receives the input information for that temperature. In other words, the reception unit 11E may receive input of at least one of airflow and temperature from the subject.

Furthermore, the input information database 13D in the memory unit 13 may also be configured to store input information of at least one of the air volume and temperature input by the subject.

In addition, in this embodiment, the thermal environment adjustment means controlled by the control unit 11F is the air conditioning unit 60, which serves as a personal air conditioning unit provided for each seat where a subject person is seated, but embodiments of the present invention are not limited to this.

For example, the thermal environment adjustment means may be a fan attached to the subject's clothing. In this case, control of the thermal environment adjustment means by the control unit 11F can be performed while the subject is working.

The thermal environment adjustment means may also be an air conditioner that adjusts the thermal environment of the entire break room. There may be multiple subjects in the break room. In this case, the control unit 11F controls the thermal environment adjustment means, for example, using the "average intensity" of the drive intensity corresponding to each subject.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, location information as subject information is acquired by the location information sensor 30, but embodiments of the present invention are not limited to this. For example, the location information sensor 30 may be omitted, and the subject's location information may not be acquired. Such an embodiment can be applied in cases where the subject's range of movement is determined by time, etc.

In this embodiment, both deep body temperature and skin temperature are predicted as physiological quantity information, but embodiments of the present invention are not limited to this. For example, at least one of deep body temperature and skin temperature may be predicted as physiological quantity information. Even by predicting only one of these types of physiological quantity information, the thermal environment can be controlled taking into account physiological quantity information resulting from the subject's behavior, thereby quickly reducing the subject's thermal discomfort.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, metabolic rate, heart rate, and acceleration are measured as subject information, but embodiments of the present invention are not limited to this. For example, heart rate and acceleration may be measured as subject information, and metabolic rate may be calculated as a function of heart rate and acceleration using a known method (e.g., Estimating Energy Expenditure in Daily Life Using Three-Dimensional Acceleration and Heart Rate, Journal of the Japanese Society of Home Economics, Vol. 59, No. 4, pp. 221-229 (2008)).

Furthermore, the metabolic rate may be stored in advance in the memory unit 13 as a value corresponding to the work content, for example. In this case, the work content of the subject is input to the input unit 14. The prediction unit 11D then reads the values stored in the memory unit 13 according to the input content and predicts the physiological amount. Furthermore, the work content of the subject may be predicted and identified by the prediction unit 11D from an image captured using a camera or the like.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, physiological information is predicted using all of temperature, humidity, and wind speed as environmental information, but embodiments of the present invention are not limited to this. For example, physiological information may be predicted using at least one of temperature, humidity, and wind speed as environmental information.

By using temperature, for example, it is possible to predict physiological information (internal temperature) affected by temperature in low-temperature and high-temperature environments, and support the subject's preventive actions.

In addition, humidity can be used to predict physiological information (internal body temperature) affected by humidity in dry or humid environments, for example, and support the subject's preventive actions.

Furthermore, by using wind speed, it is possible to predict physiological information (internal body temperature) affected by wind speed in windless or strong wind environments, for example, and support the subject's preventive actions.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the subject information acquisition unit 11C acquires subject information from the wearable sensor 40, but embodiments of the present invention are not limited to this. For example, the subject information acquisition unit 11C may acquire subject information from a device carried by the subject (such as a dedicated measuring device or smartphone equipped with a sensor that can measure subject information) that is not necessarily worn on the body. In this case, it is preferable to notify the subject of the predetermined time intervals with a buzzer sound so that the subject can measure the subject information at these intervals.

In addition, in this embodiment, for example, the various processors listed below can be used as the hardware structure of the processing units that execute the processes of the environmental information acquisition unit 11A, clothing amount information acquisition unit 11B, subject information acquisition unit 11C, prediction unit 11D, reception unit 11E, and control unit 11F. As mentioned above, the various processors include a CPU, which is a general-purpose processor that executes software (programs) and functions as a processing unit, as well as programmable logic devices (PLDs), such as field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), whose circuit configuration can be changed after manufacture, and dedicated electrical circuits, such as application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), which are processors with a circuit configuration designed specifically to execute specific processes.

The processing unit may be configured with one of these various processors, or may be configured with a combination of two or more processors of the same or different types (for example, a combination of multiple FPGAs, or a combination of a CPU and an FPGA). The processing unit may also be configured with a single processor.

Examples of a processing unit being configured with a single processor include, first, a form in which a single processor is configured with a combination of one or more CPUs and software, as typified by client and server computers, and this processor functions as the processing unit. Second, a form in which a processor is used to realize the functions of the entire system, including the processing unit, on a single IC (Integrated Circuit) chip, as typified by systems on chips (SoCs). In this way, the processing unit is configured as a hardware structure using one or more of the various processors listed above.

Furthermore, the hardware structure of these various processors can be, more specifically, an electrical circuit that combines circuit elements such as semiconductor devices. In this way, the present invention can be implemented in a variety of ways.

10 Thermal environment control device 11 CPU
11A Environmental information acquisition unit 11B Clothing amount information acquisition unit 11C Subject information acquisition unit 11D Prediction unit 11E Reception unit 11F Control unit 13 Storage unit 13A Thermal environment control program 13B Personal information database 13C Prediction related information database 13D Input information database 20 Environmental sensor 30 Position information sensor 40 Wearable sensor 50 Clothing amount sensor

Claims (8)

a subject information acquisition unit that acquires the subject's heart rate as subject information multiple times both before and while the subject is using the thermal environment adjustment means ;
an environmental information acquisition unit that acquires environmental information indicating an environmental state around the subject multiple times both before and while the subject uses the thermal environment adjustment means ;
a prediction unit that calculates a body deep temperature of the subject using the heart rate and the environmental information each time the heart rate and the environmental information are acquired , and predicts a body deep temperature as physiological quantity information of the subject after a predetermined time has elapsed from the calculated multiple body deep temperatures;
a control unit that controls the thermal environment adjusting means based on the body deep temperature predicted by the prediction unit;
A thermal environment control device equipped with the above. The subject information includes a metabolic rate of the subject,
The physiological information includes a skin temperature of the subject.
The thermal environment control device according to claim 1 . The thermal environment control device according to claim 2 , wherein the subject information acquisition unit acquires the subject information from a mobile terminal carried by the subject. The environmental information is
at least one of temperature, humidity, and wind speed;
The subject information includes:
location information of the subject;
The prediction unit
linking the environmental information with the location information, and predicting the physiological quantity information using the environmental information of a location close to the subject;
The thermal environment control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 . a clothing amount information acquisition unit that acquires clothing amount information indicating the amount of clothing worn by the subject;
the prediction unit predicts the physiological amount information by using the clothing amount information acquired by the clothing amount information acquisition unit in addition to the subject information and the environmental information.
The thermal environment control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 . a receiving unit that receives an input of at least one of an air volume and a temperature of the thermal environment adjusting means;
a storage unit that stores the input information received by the reception unit,
the control unit adjusts the operation of the thermal environment adjusting means based on the physiological amount information as well as the input information stored in the storage unit.
The thermal environment control device according to any one of claims 1 to 5 . acquiring the subject's heart rate as subject information multiple times both before and while the subject is using the thermal environment adjustment means ;
Acquire environmental information indicating the environmental state around the subject multiple times both before and while the subject uses the thermal environment adjustment means ;
calculating a deep body temperature of the subject using the heart rate and the environmental information each time the heart rate and the environmental information are acquired , and predicting a deep body temperature as physiological quantity information of the subject after a predetermined time has elapsed from the calculated multiple deep body temperatures;
controlling the thermal environment adjusting means based on the predicted deep body temperature ;
Thermal environment control methods. Computer,
a subject information acquisition unit that acquires the subject's heart rate as subject information multiple times both before and while the subject is using the thermal environment adjustment means ;
an environmental information acquisition unit that acquires environmental information indicating an environmental state around the subject multiple times both before and while the subject uses the thermal environment adjustment means ;
a prediction unit that calculates a body deep temperature of the subject using the heart rate and the environmental information each time the heart rate and the environmental information are acquired , and predicts a body deep temperature as physiological quantity information of the subject after a predetermined time has elapsed from the calculated multiple body deep temperatures;
a control unit that controls the thermal environment adjusting means based on the body deep temperature predicted by the prediction unit;
A program to function as a