JP7804881B2 - Air conditioning system, air conditioning system control method, air conditioning device, and program - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to an air conditioning system, an air conditioning system control method, an air conditioning device, and a program.

Patent Document 1 discloses an air conditioner control device that detects when a user goes to bed and shifts the set temperature downward, and then shifts the set temperature upward after a certain period of time has passed, thereby controlling the temperature to ensure a comfortable sleep.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 03-225141

This disclosure provides an air conditioning system, an air conditioning system control method, an air conditioning device, and a program that can create a comfortable environment in a conditioned room after the user wakes up.

The air conditioning system of the present disclosure comprises an air conditioning apparatus having an outdoor unit and an indoor unit, wherein the indoor unit performs a deodorizing operation to deodorize the air in the conditioned room after a user of the conditioned room wakes up in the conditioned room, and during the deodorizing operation, the indoor unit sends a mist containing charged fine particle water into the conditioned room to deodorize the air in the conditioned room, and after starting a sleep operation which is performed when the user is sleeping, the indoor unit determines that the user has woken up in the conditioned room when it receives an instruction from the user to stop the indoor unit, and performs the deodorizing operation, and the sleep operation includes a first operation and a second operation which is performed after the first operation is completed, and during the first operation, the airflow rate of the indoor unit is set to a minimum to maintain the temperature of the conditioned room at a first temperature which is a temperature at which the user can sleep comfortably, and during the second operation, the airflow rate of the indoor unit is set to a minimum to set the temperature of the conditioned room to a second temperature which is higher than the first temperature .

In addition, the control method for an air conditioning system disclosed herein includes a step in which an indoor unit provided in an air conditioning device performs a deodorizing operation to deodorize the air in the conditioned room after a user of the conditioned room wakes up in the conditioned room, and during the deodorizing operation, the indoor unit sends a mist containing charged fine particle water to the conditioned room to deodorize the air in the conditioned room, and after starting a sleep operation which is performed when the user is sleeping, the indoor unit determines that the user has woken up in the conditioned room when it receives an instruction from the user to stop the indoor unit, and performs the deodorizing operation, and the sleep operation includes a first operation and a second operation which is performed after the first operation is completed, and during the first operation, the airflow rate of the indoor unit is set to a minimum to maintain the temperature of the conditioned room at a first temperature which is a temperature at which the user can sleep comfortably, and during the second operation, the airflow rate of the indoor unit is set to a minimum to set the temperature of the conditioned room to a second temperature which is higher than the first temperature .

In addition, the air conditioning apparatus of the present disclosure comprises an outdoor unit and an indoor unit, and the indoor unit performs a deodorizing operation to deodorize the air in the conditioned room after the user of the conditioned room wakes up in the conditioned room, and during the deodorizing operation, the indoor unit sends a mist containing charged fine particle water into the conditioned room to deodorize the air in the conditioned room, and after starting a sleep operation that is performed when the user is sleeping, the indoor unit determines that the user has woken up in the conditioned room when it receives an instruction from the user to stop the indoor unit, and performs the deodorizing operation, and the sleep operation includes a first operation and a second operation that is performed after the first operation is completed, and during the first operation, the airflow rate of the indoor unit is set to a minimum to maintain the temperature of the conditioned room at a first temperature that is a temperature at which the user can sleep comfortably, and during the second operation, the airflow rate of the indoor unit is set to a minimum to set the temperature of the conditioned room to a second temperature that is higher than the first temperature .

In addition, the program of the present disclosure causes the processor of an indoor unit provided in an air conditioning apparatus to function as an operation execution unit that performs a deodorizing operation to deodorize the air in the conditioned room after the user of the conditioned room wakes up in the conditioned room, and during the deodorizing operation, the operation execution unit sends a mist containing charged fine particle water to the conditioned room to deodorize the air in the conditioned room, and after starting a sleep operation that is performed when the user is sleeping, the operation execution unit determines that the user has woken up in the conditioned room when it receives an instruction from the user to stop the indoor unit, and performs the deodorizing operation, and the sleep operation includes a first operation and a second operation that is performed after the first operation is completed, and during the first operation, the airflow of the indoor unit is set to a minimum airflow to maintain the temperature of the conditioned room at a first temperature that is a temperature at which the user can sleep comfortably, and during the second operation, the airflow of the indoor unit is set to a minimum airflow to set the temperature of the conditioned room to a second temperature that is higher than the first temperature .

The air conditioning system, air conditioning system control method, air conditioning device, and program disclosed herein can deodorize the air in a conditioned room after the user wakes up. This makes the environment in the conditioned room comfortable after the user wakes up.

Diagram showing the configuration of an air conditioning system Cross section of indoor unit FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a suitable installation range of a sensor unit; A block diagram showing the configuration of an air conditioning device, a server device, a sensor unit, and an electronic device. Flowchart showing the operation of the air conditioning system

(Findings that formed the basis of this disclosure)
At the time the inventors came up with the idea for the present disclosure, technologies for making the environment in a conditioned room comfortable were already known. However, conventional technologies generally made the sleeping environment comfortable by adjusting the temperature and humidity of the conditioned room, and the inventors discovered a problem that there was room for improvement in making the environment in the conditioned room comfortable after the user woke up in the conditioned room. In order to solve this problem, the inventors have come up with the subject matter of the present disclosure.
Therefore, the present disclosure provides an air conditioning system, a control method for an air conditioning system, an air conditioning apparatus, and a program that can make the environment of a conditioned room comfortable after a user wakes up.

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, in some cases, more detailed explanations than necessary will be omitted. For example, detailed explanations of well-known matters or redundant explanations of substantially identical configurations will be omitted. This is to avoid unnecessary redundancy in the following explanation and to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art.
The accompanying drawings and the following description are provided to enable those skilled in the art to fully understand the present disclosure, and are not intended to limit the subject matter described in the claims.

(Embodiment 1)
A first embodiment will be described.
[1. Configuration]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of an air conditioning system 1000.
The air conditioning system 1000 includes an air conditioning apparatus 1. The air conditioning apparatus 1 includes an indoor unit 2 and an outdoor unit 3. The indoor unit 2 and the outdoor unit 3 are connected by refrigerant piping and control wiring. As a result, in the air conditioning apparatus 1, the indoor unit 2 and the outdoor unit 3 form a heat pump. The configuration of the outdoor unit 3 will be described later.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the indoor unit 2.
The indoor unit 2 has a housing 21 attached to a side surface within the conditioned room HR. The conditioned room HR refers to the space from which the indoor unit 2 blows out air, and in this embodiment, is illustrated as a bedroom in the house H of the user P.

An air intake 22 is provided on the top surface of the housing 21 to draw in air from the room HR to be conditioned. An air outlet 23 is provided on the bottom surface of the housing 21 to blow air into the room HR to be conditioned. Both the air intake 22 and the air outlet 23 are formed across the entire width of the housing 21.

An indoor heat exchanger 24 is housed inside the housing 21. The indoor heat exchanger 24 is formed in a roughly inverted V shape when viewed from the side, and is positioned inside the housing 21 so as to separate the space between the air intake 22 and the air outlet 23. As a result, air from the conditioned room HR that is sucked in through the air intake 22 passes through the indoor heat exchanger 24 on its way to the air outlet 23.

An indoor blower 25 is located inside the indoor heat exchanger 24. The indoor blower 25 is driven to rotate by the blower drive motor 201, drawing in air from the room HR to be conditioned through the air intake 22, passing the air through the indoor heat exchanger 24 for heat exchange, and blowing the air out of the air outlet 23 into the room HR to be conditioned.

A filter 26 is placed in the air intake vent 22. The filter 26 is made of a flexible material and removes dust and other particles from the air drawn in through the air intake vent 22. A cleaning drive roller 27 is rotatably mounted in front of the filter 26. By rotating the cleaning drive roller 27 and winding up the filter 26, dust and other dirt adhering to the filter 26 is cleaned off.

A horizontal air deflector 28 that adjusts the left-right direction of the air being blown out is provided near the air outlet 23 and is swingable left-right. The air direction of the horizontal air deflector 28 can be adjusted manually. Below the horizontal air deflector 28, a vertical air deflector 29 that adjusts the vertical direction of the air being blown out is provided and swingable. The vertical air direction of the vertical air deflector 29 can be adjusted by the air deflector drive motor 202.

A temperature sensor 30 is provided inside the housing 21 near the air intake 22. The temperature sensor 30 detects the temperature of the air in the conditioned room HR that is drawn into the air intake 22. The temperature sensor 30 outputs a detection value indicating the detected temperature to the indoor unit control device 200.

An electrostatic atomizer 31 is located inside the housing 21 near the air outlet 23. The electrostatic atomizer 31 includes, for example, a discharge unit that discharges electricity to supplied water to generate a mist containing charged atomized water particles, and a power supply circuit that generates a high voltage to be applied to the discharge unit. The discharge unit and power supply circuit are not shown. The electrostatic atomizer 31 generates a mist containing charged atomized water particles to suppress viruses, mold, allergy-causing substances, bacteria, etc. in the air and to deodorize. The charged atomized water particles contain active ingredients such as electrostatic mist that exhibit disinfecting and deodorizing effects.

Returning to the explanation of Figure 1, the indoor unit 2 is connected to a communication device 4 connected to the communication network NW, and communicates with a server device 5 via the communication device 4. The communication device 4 transfers data sent and received between the server device 5 and devices that have established a communication connection with the communication device 4. The communication network NW is a network made up of public lines, dedicated lines, other communication lines, and various communication facilities, and the specific form is not limited. The communication network NW may include at least one of a wireless communication circuit and a wired communication circuit.

The air conditioning system 1000 includes a sensor unit 6. The sensor unit 6 is a device that detects odor components contained in the air in the conditioned room HR. The odor components detected by the sensor unit 6 include ammonia, acetic acid, isovaleric acid, and nonenal.
The sensor unit 6 is an example of a "sensor" in the present disclosure.

The sensor unit 6 is provided within a predetermined range around a user P sleeping in the conditioned room HR.
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a suitable installation position of the sensor unit 6. As shown in FIG.
In FIG. 3 , a suitable setting position for the sensor unit 6 is within the installation range SA indicated by diagonal lines in FIG. 3 . The installation range SA in FIG. 3 is a range that includes the upper, left, and right sides of the head HD of a user P sleeping in the bed in a plan view of the bed from above, and is a range in which the sensor unit 6 can accurately detect odor components emanating from the area of the bed that is in contact with the user P's head HD. The installation range SA is appropriately determined in advance through prior testing, simulation, or the like. The example in FIG. 1 illustrates a case in which the sensor unit 6 is installed on the top surface of the headboard of the bed BE, which is the user P's bed. Note that, if a sideboard is installed near the bed, the sensor unit 6 may also be installed on the sideboard.

Note that the installation range SA shown in Figure 3 is merely an example, and the shape and range of the installation range SA are not limited to Figure 3. The installation range SA may be any range in which the sensor unit 6 can accurately detect odor components emanating from the area of the bed that the user P's head HD comes into contact with. Furthermore, the preferred setting position of the sensor unit 6 is not limited to the area around the head HB of the user P sleeping in the bed, but may be any position that can accurately detect odor components emanating from the area of the bed that the user P's body comes into contact with.

The sensor unit 6 is connected to communicate with the indoor unit 2. In this embodiment, the sensor unit 6 is shown communicating via short-range wireless communication with the indoor unit 2, but the communication standard between the sensor unit 6 and the indoor unit 2 is not limited to a short-range wireless communication standard, and may be a wireless communication standard other than short-range wireless communication, or a wired communication standard. The sensor unit 6 transmits a detection signal indicating the detected amount of odor components to the indoor unit 2. The sensor unit 6 detects odor components at regular intervals (for example, every minute) and transmits the detection signal to the indoor unit 2.

As shown in FIG. 1, the air conditioning system 1000 includes an electronic device 7 with a deodorizing function. In this embodiment, an air purifier is used as the electronic device 7. The electronic device 7 is installed in the conditioned room HR. The electronic device 7 deodorizes the air in the conditioned room HR by performing the deodorizing function. The electronic device 7 is connected to the communication device 4 for communication, and communicates with the server device 5 via the communication device 4.

As shown in Figure 1, the air conditioning system 1000 includes a server device 5 connected to the communication network NW. The server device 5 treats devices connected to the communication network NW as clients and performs processing in response to requests from these clients. In each figure, the server device 5 is represented by a single block, but this does not necessarily mean that the server device 5 is composed of a single device. For example, the server device 5 may be composed of multiple devices with different processing contents.

Figure 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the air conditioning device 1, server device 5, sensor unit 6, and electronic device 7.

First, the configuration of the sensor unit 6 will be described.
The sensor unit 6 includes a sensor control device 600 that controls each part of the sensor unit 6. The sensor control device 600 includes a sensor processor 610, a sensor memory 620, and a sensor I/F 630. I/F indicates an interface.

The sensor processor 610 is a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or MPC (Micro Processing Unit). The sensor processor 610 functions as a sensor communication control unit 611 and a sensor processing unit 612 by reading and executing a control program 621 stored in the sensor memory 620.

The sensor memory 620 is a memory that stores programs and data. The sensor memory 620 stores the control program 621 and data to be processed by the sensor processor 610. The sensor memory 620 has a non-volatile storage area. The sensor memory 620 may also have a volatile storage area and constitute a work area for the sensor processor 610.

The sensor I/F 630 is equipped with communication hardware such as connectors and communication circuits that comply with specified communication standards, and communicates with the sensor short-range wireless communication unit 601 and odor sensor 602.

The sensor unit 6 includes a sensor short-range wireless communication unit 601 and an odor sensor 602. The sensor short-range wireless communication unit 601 and odor sensor 602 are connected to the sensor control device 600.

The sensor short-range wireless communication unit 601 is equipped with communication hardware such as an antenna and communication circuitry that conforms to short-range wireless communication standards, and communicates with the indoor unit 2 under the control of the sensor control device 600. Examples of short-range wireless communication standards include Wi-Fi (registered trademark) and Bluetooth (registered trademark).

The odor sensor 602 is equipped with an element that detects odor components. The element equipped in the odor sensor 602 is a semiconductor, a quartz oscillator, or the like. The odor sensor 602 outputs a detection value to the sensor control device 600. For example, if the element equipped in the odor sensor 602 is a semiconductor, the detection value output by the odor sensor 602 is the resistance value of the semiconductor, and if the element equipped in the odor sensor 602 is a quartz oscillator, the detection value is the resonant frequency of the quartz oscillator.

As described above, the sensor processor 610 functions as a sensor communication control unit 611 and a sensor processing unit 612.

The sensor communication control unit 611 communicates with the indoor unit 2 via the sensor short-range wireless communication unit 601.

The sensor processing unit 612 calculates the detected amount of odor components based on the detection values output by the odor sensor 602 and outputs the calculated detected amount of odor components to the sensor communication control unit 611. When the detected amount of odor components is input from the sensor processing unit 612, the sensor communication control unit 611 transmits a detection signal indicating the input detected amount of odor components to the indoor unit 2.

Next, the electronic device 7 will be described.
The electronic device 7 includes an electronic device control device 700 that controls each part of the electronic device 7. The electronic device control device 700 includes an electronic device processor 710, an electronic device memory 720, and an electronic device I/F 730.

The electronic device processor 710 is a processor such as a CPU or MPC. The electronic device processor 710 functions as an electronic device communication control unit 711 and a deodorization execution unit 712 by reading and executing a control program 721 stored in the electronic device memory 720.

Electronic device memory 720 is a memory that stores programs and data. Electronic device memory 720 stores control program 721 and data to be processed by electronic device processor 710. Electronic device memory 720 has a non-volatile storage area. Electronic device memory 720 may also have a volatile storage area and constitute a work area for electronic device processor 710.

The electronic device I/F 730 is equipped with communication hardware such as connectors and communication circuits that comply with specified communication standards, and communicates with the electronic device communication unit 701 and the deodorization unit 702.

The electronic device 7 includes an electronic device communication unit 701 and a deodorizing unit 702. The electronic device communication unit 701 and the deodorizing unit 702 are connected to the electronic device control device 700.

The electronic device communication unit 701 is equipped with communication hardware that complies with short-range wireless communication standards, such as an antenna and communication circuits, and communicates with the server device 5 under the control of the electronic device control device 700.

The deodorizing unit 702 is configured to deodorize the air. For example, the deodorizing unit 702 includes a deodorizing agent and a blower that blows the air drawn in by the electronic device 7 toward the deodorizing agent, and deodorizes the air by driving the blower. The deodorizing agent may be, for example, an object coated with a catalyst that adsorbs and decomposes odorous components, or activated carbon.

As described above, the electronic device processor 710 functions as the electronic device communication control unit 711 and the deodorization execution unit 712.

The electronic device communication control unit 711 communicates with the server device 5 via the electronic device communication unit 701.

The deodorization execution unit 712 deodorizes the air using the deodorization unit 702. In this embodiment, the deodorization execution unit 712 deodorizes the air in the conditioned room HR using the deodorization unit 702.

Next, the configuration of the server device 5 will be described.
The server device 5 includes a server processor 510 , a server memory 520 , and a server I/F 530 .

The server processor 510 is a processor such as a CPU or MPC. The server processor 510 functions as a server communication control unit 511 and a server processing unit 512 by reading and executing a control program 521 stored in the server memory 520.

The server memory 520 is a memory that stores programs and data. The server memory 520 stores the control program 521, programs other than the control program 521 executed by the server processor 510, data processed by the server processor 510, and management data 522. The server memory 520 has a non-volatile storage area. The server memory 520 may also have a volatile storage area and constitute a work area for the server processor 510.

Management data 522 is data that manages the correspondence between the network address of the indoor unit 2 and the network address of the electronic device 7 installed in the same conditioned room HR as the indoor unit 2. Management data 522 includes data that associates the network address of the indoor unit 2 with the network address of the electronic device 7.

The server I/F 530 is equipped with communication hardware such as connectors and communication circuits that comply with specified communication standards, and communicates with the indoor unit 2 and electronic device 7 connected to the communication network NW.

As described above, the server processor 510 functions as a server communication control unit 511 and a server processing unit 512.

The server communication control unit 511 communicates with the indoor unit 2 and electronic device 7 via the server I/F 530.

The server processing unit 512 performs processing related to the management data 522.

Next, the configuration of the air conditioning device 1 will be described.
The outdoor unit 3 of the air conditioning apparatus 1 is equipped with an outdoor unit communication unit 32 that communicates with the indoor unit 2 via control wiring. The outdoor unit communication unit 32 is composed of communication hardware such as connectors and communication circuits that comply with a predetermined communication standard.

The outdoor unit 3 includes a compressor 33 that compresses the refrigerant, a four-way valve 34 that switches the refrigerant circuit during cooling and heating operation, an outdoor heat exchanger 35 that exchanges heat between the refrigerant and outside air, a pressure reducer 36 that reduces the pressure of the refrigerant, and an outdoor fan 37 that blows outside air to the outdoor heat exchanger 35.

The indoor unit 2 of the air conditioning apparatus 1 includes an indoor unit control device 200 that controls each part of the indoor unit 2. The indoor unit control device 200 includes an indoor unit processor 210, an indoor unit memory 220, and an indoor unit I/F 230.
The indoor unit processor 210 is an example of the "processor" of the present disclosure.

The indoor unit processor 210 is a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or an MPC (Micro Processing Unit). The indoor unit processor 210 reads and executes a control program 221 stored in the indoor unit memory 220, thereby functioning as an indoor unit communication control unit 211, a determination unit 212, a decision unit 213, an operation execution unit 214, and an instruction unit 215.
The control program 221 is an example of the "program" of the present disclosure.

The indoor unit memory 220 is a memory that stores programs and data. The indoor unit memory 220 stores the control program 221, programs other than the control program 221 executed by the indoor unit processor 210, and data processed by the indoor unit processor 210. The indoor unit memory 220 has a non-volatile storage area. The indoor unit memory 220 may also have a volatile storage area and constitute a work area for the indoor unit processor 210.

The indoor unit I/F 230 is equipped with communication hardware such as connectors and communication circuits that comply with specified communication standards, and communicates with the indoor heat exchanger 24, indoor blower 25, temperature sensor 30, electrostatic atomizer 31, blower drive motor 201, air deflector drive motor 202, network communication unit 203, remote control receiver 204, indoor unit short-range wireless communication unit 205, and indoor unit communication unit 206.

The indoor unit 2 includes an indoor heat exchanger 24, an indoor blower 25, a temperature sensor 30, an electrostatic atomizer 31, a blower drive motor 201, a wind direction plate drive motor 202, a network communication unit 203, a remote control light receiving unit 204, an indoor unit short-range wireless communication unit 205, and an indoor unit communication unit 206. The indoor heat exchanger 24, the indoor blower 25, a temperature sensor 30, an electrostatic atomizer 31, a blower drive motor 201, a wind direction plate drive motor 202, a network communication unit 203, a remote control light receiving unit 204, an indoor unit short-range wireless communication unit 205, and an indoor unit communication unit 206 are connected to the indoor unit control device 200.

The blower drive motor 201 is driven under the control of the indoor unit control device 200 to rotate the indoor blower 25.

The wind deflector drive motor 202 adjusts the angle of the upper and lower wind deflectors 29.

The network communication unit 203 is equipped with communication hardware that complies with a specified communication standard, such as a communication circuit and antenna, and communicates with the server device 5 under the control of the indoor unit control device 200.

The remote control light receiving unit 204 includes a light receiving sensor that receives infrared signals transmitted by the remote control 8, and a circuit that decodes the infrared signals received by the light receiving sensor. The remote control 8 has various switches including an on/off switch SW that starts or stops the operation of the indoor unit 2. For example, the remote control 8 has an on/off switch SW, a switch that sets the airflow volume, a switch that sets the airflow direction, a switch that sets the temperature of the conditioned room HR, and a switch that specifies the operation mode. When a switch is operated, the remote control 8 outputs an infrared signal corresponding to the operated switch. The remote control light receiving unit 204 outputs a signal corresponding to the infrared signal received by the light receiving sensor to the indoor unit control device 200. The signal that the remote control light receiving unit 204 outputs to the indoor unit control device 200 corresponds to the switch on the remote control 8 that was operated.

The indoor unit short-range wireless communication unit 205 is equipped with communication hardware that complies with short-range wireless communication standards, such as an antenna and communication circuit, and communicates with the sensor unit 6 by short-range wireless communication under the control of the indoor unit control device 200.

The indoor unit communication unit 206 is connected to the outdoor unit communication unit 32 of the outdoor unit 3 via control wiring and communicates with the outdoor unit communication unit 32. The indoor unit communication unit 206 is equipped with communication hardware such as connectors and communication circuits that comply with specified communication standards.

As described above, the indoor unit processor 210 functions as an indoor unit communication control unit 211, a judgment unit 212, a decision unit 213, an operation execution unit 214, and an instruction unit 215.

The indoor unit communication control unit 211 communicates with the server device 5 via the indoor unit I/F 230 and the network communication unit 203. The indoor unit communication control unit 211 communicates with the sensor unit 6 via the indoor unit I/F 230 and the indoor unit short-range wireless communication unit 205. The indoor unit communication control unit 211 communicates with the outdoor unit 3 via the indoor unit I/F 230 and the indoor unit communication unit 206.

The determination unit 212 determines whether the user P in the conditioned room HR has woken up in the conditioned room HR. The determination unit 212 determines that the user P has woken up if the operation execution unit 214 has started sleep operation and then receives an instruction to stop the indoor unit 2 via the on/off switch SW of the remote control light receiving unit 204. Furthermore, the determination unit 212 does not determine that the user P has woken up if the operation execution unit 214 has started sleep operation and then does not receive an instruction to stop the indoor unit 2 via the on/off switch SW of the remote control light receiving unit 204. If the determination unit 212 determines that the user P has woken up, it outputs the determination result to the decision unit 213 and the operation execution unit 214. Sleep operation will be described later.

If the terminal device used by user P is capable of sending various signals to the indoor unit 2, the determination unit 212 may make the following determination. That is, after the operation execution unit 214 starts sleep operation, the determination unit 212 may receive a signal from the terminal device corresponding to an instruction to stop the indoor unit 2, and thereby determine that user P has woken up if the instruction to stop the indoor unit 2 is accepted.

The decision unit 213 stores the detection signals transmitted from the sensor unit 6 in the indoor unit memory 220, thereby collecting the detection signals transmitted from the sensor unit 6 during the period from when the sleep operation starts to when the sleep operation ends.

The determination unit 213 determines the execution time of the deodorizing operation to be performed by the operation execution unit 214. The deodorizing operation will be described later. The determination unit 213 changes the execution time of the deodorizing operation based on the detection signal received by the indoor unit communication control unit 211 from the sensor unit 6.
For example, if the detected amount of odor components indicated by the received detection signal is equal to or greater than a first threshold, the determination unit 213 determines the execution time of the deodorizing operation to be a first time, and if the detected amount of odor components indicated by the received detection signal is less than the first threshold, the determination unit 213 determines the execution time of the deodorizing operation to be a second time, which is shorter than the first time. The second time may be a time that becomes shorter as the detected amount becomes smaller, or may be a fixed time that does not depend on the detected amount.
After determining the execution time, the determination unit 213 outputs execution time information indicating the determined execution time to the operation execution unit 214.

The operation execution unit 214 switches the operation mode of the air conditioning unit 1 between normal operation mode, sleep operation mode, and deodorization operation mode, and performs operation corresponding to the operation mode.

Normal operation mode is an operation mode in which normal operation is performed. Normal operation is an operation in which the air volume of the indoor unit 2, the air direction of the indoor unit 2, and the temperature of the conditioned room HR are set to the air volume, air direction, and temperature set on the remote control 8, and these air volume, air direction, and temperature are maintained. During normal operation, the operation execution unit 214 controls the rotation speed of the indoor blower 25, the direction of the upper and lower air deflectors 29, the rotation speed of the compressor 33, etc., so that the air volume of the indoor unit 2, the air direction of the indoor unit 2, and the temperature of the conditioned room HR are set to the air volume, air direction, and temperature set on the remote control 8.

Sleep driving mode is a driving mode in which sleep driving is performed. Sleep driving is a driving mode that supports comfortable sleep for user P, and includes first driving and second driving.

The first operation is an operation in which the temperature of the conditioned room HR is maintained at a first temperature while the airflow volume and airflow direction of the indoor unit 2 are kept constant. The first temperature is, for example, between 25°C and 26°C. The first temperature is appropriately determined in advance through prior testing, simulations, etc., based on the temperature at which user P can sleep comfortably. Furthermore, in the first operation, the rotation speed of the indoor blower 25 is minimized. This allows the indoor unit 2 to reduce the volume of sound generated by the indoor unit 2, enabling operation that does not disturb user P's sleep.

When the remote control light receiving unit 204 receives an instruction specifying sleep operation mode via the remote control 8, the operation execution unit 214 switches the operation mode of the air conditioner 1 from normal operation mode to sleep operation mode. When the operation execution unit 214 switches the operation mode of the air conditioner 1 to sleep operation mode, it starts the first operation. The operation execution unit 214 controls the rotation speed of the indoor blower 25, the direction of the vertical air direction flap 29, the rotation speed of the compressor 33, etc. so that the air volume and air direction of the indoor unit 2 are constant and the temperature of the conditioned room HR becomes the first temperature. The operation execution unit 214 ends the first operation when a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of the first operation. The timing to end the first operation is, for example, the timing when half of the total time for performing sleep operation has elapsed since the start of the first operation. The time to end sleep operation is predetermined by the user P or the like before starting sleep operation.

The second operation is an operation that continues after the first operation has finished. The second operation changes the temperature of the conditioned room HR from the first temperature to the second temperature while maintaining the airflow volume and airflow direction of the indoor unit 2 during the first operation. The second temperature is higher than the first temperature, for example 27°C. The second temperature is appropriately determined in advance through prior testing, simulations, etc., based on the viewpoint of a temperature that makes it easy for user P to wake up. Furthermore, like the first operation, the second operation has the indoor blower 25 operate at the slowest rotation speed.

When the first operation ends, the operation execution unit 214 starts the second operation. The operation execution unit 214 controls the rotation speed of the indoor blower 25, the direction of the vertical airflow direction flap 29, the rotation speed of the compressor 33, etc. so that the air volume and air direction of the indoor unit 2 are the same as those during the first operation, and so that the temperature of the conditioned room HR becomes the second temperature. When the second operation starts, the operation execution unit 214 raises the temperature of the conditioned room HR from the first temperature. Then, at the time when the second operation ends, i.e., the time when the sleep operation ends, the operation execution unit 214 controls the temperature of the conditioned room HR so that the temperature of the conditioned room HR becomes the second temperature.

If the sleep operation mode is terminated without switching to the deodorizing operation mode, the operation execution unit 214 switches the operation mode of the air conditioning device 1 from the sleep operation mode to the normal operation mode and starts normal operation.

The deodorizing operation mode is an operation mode in which deodorizing operation is performed. Deodorizing operation is an operation to deodorize the air in the conditioned room HR. During deodorizing operation, the operation execution unit 214 drives the electrostatic atomization device 31 to send mist containing charged fine water particles into the conditioned room HR to deodorize the air in the conditioned room HR. During deodorizing operation, it is preferable to set the airflow rate of the indoor unit 2 to the largest airflow rate that can be set for the indoor unit 2. This makes it possible to effectively deodorize a wide area of the conditioned room HR.

If the determination unit 212 determines that user P has woken up during sleep operation, the operation execution unit 214 switches the operation mode of the air conditioning device 1 from sleep operation mode to deodorizing operation mode. Furthermore, if the determination unit 212 determines that user P has woken up during normal operation, which continues after sleep operation has ended without starting deodorizing operation, the operation execution unit 214 switches the operation mode of the air conditioning device 1 from normal operation mode to deodorizing operation mode. When the operation execution unit 214 switches the operation mode of the air conditioning device 1 to deodorizing operation mode, it starts deodorizing operation. After starting deodorizing operation, the operation execution unit 214 ends the deodorizing operation when the execution time determined by the determination unit 213 has elapsed.

The instruction unit 215 generates instruction information that instructs the execution of the deodorizing function and outputs the generated instruction information to the indoor unit communication control unit 211. When the indoor unit communication control unit 211 acquires the instruction information from the instruction unit 215, it transmits the acquired instruction information to the server device 5.

[2. Operation]
Next, the operation of the air conditioning system 1000 will be described.
Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the air conditioning system 1000. In Fig. 5, flowchart FA shows the operation of the indoor unit 2, flowchart FB shows the operation of the server device 5, and flowchart FC shows the operation of the electronic device 7. At the start of flowchart FA shown in Fig. 5, the operation mode of the air conditioning device 1 is the normal operation mode.

As shown in flowchart FA, the operation execution unit 214 of the indoor unit 2 determines whether to start sleep operation (step SA1). If the remote control light receiving unit 204 receives an instruction to specify sleep operation mode via the remote control 8, the operation execution unit 214 makes a positive determination in step SA1.

If the driving execution unit 214 determines not to start sleep driving (step SA1: NO), it performs the determination of step SA1 again.

On the other hand, if the operation execution unit 214 determines that sleep operation should be started (step SA1: YES), it switches the operation mode of the air conditioning device 1 from normal operation mode to sleep operation mode and starts sleep operation (step SA2).

Next, the determination unit 212 determines whether the occupant P of the conditioned room HR has woken up in the conditioned room HR (step SA3). Note that the determination in step SA3 is made during sleep operation and during normal operation that continues after sleep operation ends without starting deodorizing operation.

If the determination unit 212 determines that the user P has not woken up (step SA3: NO), it performs the determination in step SA3 again.

On the other hand, if the judgment unit 212 determines that the user P has woken up (step SA3: YES), the decision unit 213 determines the execution time of the deodorizing operation based on the detection signal from the sensor unit 6 collected during sleep operation (step SA4).

Next, the operation execution unit 214 switches the operation mode of the indoor unit 2 from the sleep operation mode or normal operation mode to the deodorization operation mode, and starts the deodorization operation (step SA5).

Next, the instruction unit 215 generates instruction information (step SA6).

Next, the indoor unit communication control unit 211 transmits the instruction information generated in step SA6 to the server device 5 (step SA7).

As shown in flowchart FB, the server communication control unit 511 of the server device 5 receives instruction information from the indoor unit 2 (step SB1).

Next, the server processing unit 512 references the management data 522 and identifies the network address of the electronic device 7 associated with the network address of the indoor unit 2 that sent the instruction information received in step SB1 (step SB2).

Next, the server communication control unit 511 transmits the instruction information received in step SB1 to the electronic device 7 based on the network address of the electronic device 7 identified in step SB2 (step SB3).

As shown in flowchart FC, the electronic device communication control unit 711 of the electronic device 7 receives instruction information from the server device 5 (step SC1).

Next, the deodorization execution unit 712 controls the deodorization unit 702 to deodorize the air in the conditioned room HR (step SC2).

[3. Effects, etc.]
As described above, the air conditioning system 1000 includes the air conditioner 1 having the outdoor unit 3 and the indoor unit 2. The indoor unit 2 performs a deodorizing operation to deodorize the air in the conditioned room HR after the user P of the conditioned room HR wakes up in the conditioned room HR.

This allows the air in the conditioned room HR to be deodorized after the user P of the conditioned room HR wakes up. This makes the environment in the conditioned room HR comfortable after the user P wakes up.

After starting sleep operation, which is performed when user P is asleep, if the indoor unit 2 receives a command to stop the indoor unit 2 from user P, it determines that user P has woken up in the conditioned room HR and performs deodorizing operation.

This means that when a stop command for the indoor unit 2 is received, it is determined that the user P has woken up in the conditioned room HR, making it possible to accurately determine that the user P has woken up. This allows the deodorizing operation to be performed at the appropriate time when the user P has woken up. Furthermore, because the deodorizing operation can be performed at the appropriate time when the user P has woken up, it is possible to prevent the deodorizing operation from being started while the user P is asleep, thereby preventing the user P's comfortable sleep from being disturbed.

The air conditioning system 1000 is equipped with a sensor unit 6 that is installed in the conditioned room HR and is capable of communicating with the indoor unit 2. The sensor unit 6 detects odor components and transmits a detection signal to the indoor unit 2. The indoor unit 2 changes the execution time of the deodorizing operation based on the detection signal received from the sensor unit 6.

By changing the execution time of the deodorizing operation based on the detection signal received from the sensor unit 6, it is possible to prevent the deodorizing operation from being performed for an unnecessarily long period of time. Therefore, an appropriate execution time can be used to create a comfortable environment in the conditioned room HR after the user P wakes up.

The sensor unit 6 is installed within an installation area SA around the user P sleeping in the conditioned room HR.

This allows the sensor unit 6 to accurately detect odors generated when the user P is asleep. This allows for a more appropriate execution time to create a comfortable environment in the conditioned room HR after the user P wakes up.

The air conditioning system 1000 includes an electronic device 7 that is separate from the indoor unit 2. The electronic device 7 is installed in the conditioned room HR and has a deodorizing function. After the user P of the conditioned room HR wakes up in the conditioned room HR, the indoor unit 2 sends instruction information to the electronic device 7 instructing it to perform the deodorizing function. The electronic device 7 receives the instruction information and performs the deodorizing function to deodorize the air in the conditioned room HR.

With this, after user P wakes up, the electronic device 7 as well as the indoor unit 2 deodorizes the air in the conditioned room HR, effectively deodorizing the air in the conditioned room HR. This makes the environment in the conditioned room HR more comfortable after user P wakes up. Furthermore, because the electronic device 7 also deodorizes the air in the conditioned room HR, the time it takes to deodorize the air in the conditioned room HR can be shortened.

The air conditioning system 1000 includes a server device 5 connected to a communications network NW. The indoor units 2 and electronic devices 7 are connected to the communications network NW and can communicate with the server device 5. The indoor units 2 send instruction information to the electronic devices 7 via the server device 5.

This makes it possible to make the environment in the conditioned room HR more comfortable after the user P wakes up, even when the indoor unit 2 and electronic device 7 communicate via the communication network NW.

The control method for the air conditioning system 1000 includes a step in which the indoor unit 2 of the air conditioning apparatus 1 performs a deodorizing operation to deodorize the air in the conditioned room HR after the user P of the conditioned room HR wakes up in the conditioned room HR.

This provides the same effects as the air conditioning system 1000 described above.

The air conditioning device 1 comprises an outdoor unit 3 and an indoor unit 2. The indoor unit 2 performs a deodorizing operation to deodorize the air in the conditioned room HR after the user P of the conditioned room HR wakes up in the conditioned room HR.

This provides the same effects as the air conditioning system 1000 described above.

The control program 221 causes the indoor unit processor 210 of the indoor unit 2 provided in the air conditioning apparatus 1 to function as an operation execution unit 214 that performs a deodorizing operation to deodorize the air in the conditioned room HR after the user P of the conditioned room HR wakes up in the conditioned room HR.

This provides the same effects as the air conditioning system 1000 described above.

(Other embodiments)
As described above, the first embodiment has been described as an example disclosed in the present application. However, the technology in the present disclosure is not limited to this, and can be applied to embodiments in which modifications, substitutions, additions, omissions, etc. are made. Furthermore, it is also possible to combine the components described in the above embodiment to create new embodiments.
Therefore, other embodiments will be exemplified below.

The instruction information sent from the indoor unit 2 to the electronic device 7 may include execution time information generated by the decision unit 213. In this case, the decision unit 213 also outputs the execution time information to the instruction unit 215. This allows the electronic device 7 and the indoor unit 2 to finish deodorizing the air in the conditioned room HR at the same time.

Although a bedroom in user P's house H is used as an example of the room HR to be conditioned, the room HR to be conditioned is not limited to a bedroom in user P's house H. The room HR to be conditioned may be any room where user P sleeps, such as a hotel room.

The sensor unit 6 may be equipped with sensors other than the odor sensor 602, such as a temperature sensor or humidity sensor. In this case, the detection signal output by the sensor unit 6 to the indoor unit 2 may include detection values from sensors other than the odor sensor 602 equipped in the sensor unit 6.

The sensor unit 6 and the indoor unit 2 may communicate without going through the communication network NW. That is, the sensor unit 6 and the indoor unit 2 may communicate directly or via the communication device 4. In this configuration, the air conditioning system 1000 does not need to be equipped with a server device 5, simplifying the system configuration.

Electronic device 7 is not limited to an air purifier. Electronic device 7 may be any device with a deodorizing function, such as a humidifier, dehumidifier, or dedicated deodorizing device.

The air conditioning system 1000 does not need to be equipped with the electronic device 7. If the air conditioning system 1000 is configured without the electronic device 7, the indoor unit 2 may set the execution time of the deodorizing operation longer than the execution time shown in embodiment 1. For example, if the detected amount of odor components indicated by the received detection signal is equal to or greater than the first threshold, the indoor unit 2 determines the execution time of the deodorizing operation to be a third time, which is longer than the first time, and if the detected amount of odor components indicated by the received detection signal is less than the first threshold, the indoor unit 2 determines the execution time of the deodorizing operation to be a fourth time, which is shorter than the third time and longer than the second time. Note that the fourth time may be a time that becomes shorter the smaller the detected amount, or it may be a fixed time that does not depend on the detected amount.

The indoor unit processor 210, server processor 510, sensor processor 610, and electronic device processor 710 may be configured with multiple processors or with a single processor. The indoor unit processor 210, server processor 510, sensor processor 610, and electronic device processor 710 may be hardware programmed to implement the corresponding functional units. That is, the indoor unit processor 210, server processor 510, sensor processor 610, and electronic device processor 710 may be configured with, for example, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array).

The components shown in Figure 4 are merely examples, and the specific implementation form is not particularly limited. In other words, it is not necessary to implement hardware that corresponds to each component individually; it is of course possible to configure the components so that the functions of each component are realized by a single processor executing a program. Furthermore, some of the functions realized by software in the above-described embodiments may be implemented as hardware, or some of the functions realized by hardware may be implemented by software. In addition, the specific detailed configurations of the air conditioning device 1, server device 5, sensor unit 6, and other components of the electronic device 7 may also be modified as desired without departing from the spirit of this disclosure.

The operational step units shown in Figure 5 are divided according to the main processing content to facilitate understanding of the operation of each part of the air conditioning system 1000, and the operation is not limited by the way the processing units are divided or their names. The operation may be divided into even more step units depending on the processing content. Furthermore, one step unit may be divided so that it includes even more processing. Furthermore, the order of the steps may be changed as appropriate within the scope that does not interfere with the intent of this disclosure.

Note that the above-described embodiments are intended to illustrate the technology disclosed herein, and various modifications, substitutions, additions, omissions, etc. may be made within the scope of the claims or their equivalents.

As described above, the air conditioning system, air conditioning system control method, air conditioning device, and program according to the present invention can be used to deodorize the air in a conditioned room.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Air conditioning device 2 Indoor unit 3 Outdoor unit 4 Communication device 5 Server device 6 Sensor unit (sensor)
7 Electronic equipment 210 Indoor unit processor (processor)
214 Operation execution unit 221 Control program (program)
1000 Air conditioning system HR Conditioned room NW Communication network P User

Claims (8)

An air conditioning device having an outdoor unit and an indoor unit,
the indoor unit performs a deodorizing operation to deodorize the air in the conditioned room after a user of the conditioned room wakes up in the conditioned room,
In the deodorizing operation, the indoor unit sends mist containing charged fine particle water to the conditioned room to deodorize the air in the conditioned room,
The indoor unit is
After starting the sleep operation that is performed when the user is sleeping, if an instruction to stop the indoor unit is received from the user, it is determined that the user has woken up in the conditioned room, and the deodorizing operation is performed;
The sleep driving includes a first driving and a second driving performed after the first driving is completed,
In the first operation, the airflow rate of the indoor unit is set to a minimum, and the temperature of the conditioned room is maintained at a first temperature at which the user can sleep comfortably.
In the second operation, the air volume of the indoor unit is set to a minimum air volume, and the temperature of the conditioned room is set to a second temperature higher than the first temperature.
Air conditioning system. A sensor is provided in the conditioned room and is capable of communicating with the indoor unit,
The sensor detects odor components and transmits a detection signal to the indoor unit.
The indoor unit changes the execution time of the deodorizing operation based on the detection signal received from the sensor.
The air conditioning system of claim 1 . The sensor is provided within a predetermined range from the head of the user lying on the bed.
The air conditioning system according to claim 2 . The indoor unit is provided with electronic equipment different from the indoor unit,
The electronic device is installed in the conditioned room and has a deodorizing function,
the indoor unit transmits instruction information to the electronic device to instruct the electronic device to execute the deodorizing function after a user of the conditioned room wakes up in the conditioned room;
The electronic device receives the instruction information and executes the deodorizing function to deodorize the air in the conditioned room.
The air conditioning system according to any one of claims 1 to 3 . a server device connected to a communication network;
the indoor unit and the electronic device are connected to the communication network and are capable of communicating with the server device;
The indoor unit transmits the instruction information to the electronic device via the server device.
The air conditioning system according to claim 4. a step in which an indoor unit of the air conditioner performs a deodorizing operation to deodorize the air in the conditioned room after a user of the conditioned room wakes up in the conditioned room;
In the deodorizing operation, the indoor unit sends mist containing charged fine particle water to the conditioned room to deodorize the air in the conditioned room,
The indoor unit is
After starting the sleep operation that is performed when the user is sleeping, if an instruction to stop the indoor unit is received from the user, it is determined that the user has woken up in the conditioned room, and the deodorizing operation is performed;
The sleep driving includes a first driving and a second driving performed after the first driving is completed,
In the first operation, the airflow rate of the indoor unit is set to a minimum, and the temperature of the conditioned room is maintained at a first temperature at which the user can sleep comfortably.
In the second operation, the air volume of the indoor unit is set to a minimum air volume, and the temperature of the conditioned room is set to a second temperature higher than the first temperature.
A method for controlling an air conditioning system. It has an outdoor unit and an indoor unit,
the indoor unit performs a deodorizing operation to deodorize the air in the conditioned room after a user of the conditioned room wakes up in the conditioned room,
In the deodorizing operation, the indoor unit sends mist containing charged fine particle water to the conditioned room to deodorize the air in the conditioned room,
The indoor unit is
After starting the sleep operation that is performed when the user is sleeping, if an instruction to stop the indoor unit is received from the user, it is determined that the user has woken up in the conditioned room, and the deodorizing operation is performed;
The sleep driving includes a first driving and a second driving performed after the first driving is completed,
In the first operation, the airflow rate of the indoor unit is set to a minimum, and the temperature of the conditioned room is maintained at a first temperature at which the user can sleep comfortably.
In the second operation, the air volume of the indoor unit is set to a minimum air volume, and the temperature of the conditioned room is set to a second temperature higher than the first temperature.
Air conditioning equipment. The processor of the indoor unit of the air conditioning device is
After a user of the conditioned room wakes up in the conditioned room, the operation execution unit functions as a deodorizing operation that deodorizes the air in the conditioned room,
the operation execution unit, in the deodorizing operation, sends mist containing charged fine particle water to the conditioned room to deodorize the air in the conditioned room;
The operation execution unit
After starting the sleep operation that is performed when the user is sleeping, if an instruction to stop the indoor unit is received from the user, it is determined that the user has woken up in the conditioned room, and the deodorizing operation is performed;
The sleep driving includes a first driving and a second driving performed after the first driving is completed,
In the first operation, the airflow rate of the indoor unit is set to a minimum, and the temperature of the conditioned room is maintained at a first temperature at which the user can sleep comfortably.
In the second operation, the air volume of the indoor unit is set to a minimum air volume, and the temperature of the conditioned room is set to a second temperature higher than the first temperature.
program.