JP2023077700A - air conditioning system - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an air conditioning system properly performing indoor purification according to an indoor environment.SOLUTION: An air conditioning system includes: an air conditioner 10 capable of executing an operation for lowering indoor temperature and humidity; a discharge portion 20 for producing sterilization substances by discharging; a person detection portion 30 for detecting presence or absence of a person in a room; and control means for controlling the air conditioner 10 and the discharge portion 20 according to a result of the detection by the person detection portion 30. The control means makes the air conditioner 10 execute an operation for lowering the indoor temperature and humidity and makes the discharge portion 20 produce the sterilization substance and send the sterilization substances to the air conditioner 10 when no person is present in the room.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

The present disclosure relates to air conditioning systems.

Patent Literature 1 describes an air conditioner that sterilizes and deodorizes a room by circulating the room air while operating an ozone generator as an air conditioning technique for cleaning the room.

JP-A-5-322220

The air conditioner described in Patent Literature 1 operates the ozone generator at night when it is assumed that no one is in the room, and does not consider the actual presence or absence of people in the room. Therefore, when a person is present at night, ozone is emitted toward the person. Also, at night when the air conditioner is not air-conditioning the room, the room becomes a high-temperature, high-humidity environment, and there is a possibility that sufficient ozone is not generated by electric discharge. As described above, the air conditioner described in Patent Document 1 has a problem that it is difficult to perform appropriate operation according to the target indoor environment.

The present disclosure is intended to solve the above problems. An object of the present disclosure is to obtain an air conditioning system that appropriately cleans the room according to the environment of the room.

The air-conditioning system according to the present disclosure includes air-conditioning means capable of executing an operation that lowers the indoor temperature and humidity, discharge means that generates a sterilizing substance by electric discharge, and human detection means that detects the presence or absence of people in the room. and a control means for controlling the air conditioning means and the discharge means according to the detection result of the human detection means. When there is no one in the room, the control means causes the air conditioning means to operate to lower the temperature and humidity of the room, and causes the discharge means to generate the sterilizing substance, and the sterilizing substance to flow into the room through the air conditioning means. let me send

According to the present disclosure, it is possible to obtain an air conditioning system that appropriately cleans the room according to the indoor environment.

1 is a diagram schematically showing a room in which an air conditioning system according to Embodiment 1 is applied; FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an air conditioning system according to Embodiment 1; FIG. FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing an operation example of the air conditioning system according to Embodiment 1; FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a modification of the operation of the air conditioning system according to Embodiment 1; 4 is a diagram showing a modification of the equipment configuration of the air conditioning system according to Embodiment 1; FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a configuration that implements functions of a communication unit, an information acquisition unit, an input unit, an air conditioner control unit, an output unit, and a system control unit according to Embodiment 1; FIG.

Embodiments will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The same reference numerals in each figure indicate the same or corresponding parts. In addition, in the present disclosure, overlapping descriptions are appropriately simplified or omitted. It should be noted that the present disclosure can include all variations and combinations of configurations disclosed by the following embodiments within the scope of the present disclosure.

Embodiment 1.
FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing a room 100 to which an air conditioning system according to Embodiment 1 is applied. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the air conditioning system according to Embodiment 1. FIG. The air conditioning system according to the present embodiment includes an air conditioner 10 that air-conditions a room 100 . For convenience of explanation, some of the components provided in the air conditioner 10 in FIG. 1 are external devices of the air conditioner 10 in FIG. The air conditioning system according to the present disclosure can be realized by the air conditioner 10 alone, or by cooperation between the air conditioner 10 and an external device.

The air conditioner 10 can control the temperature of the room 100 while circulating the air in the room 100 by blowing air into the room 100 . The air conditioner 10 performs, for example, a heating operation for raising the temperature of the room 100, a cooling operation for lowering the temperature of the room 100, a dry operation for lowering the humidity in the room 100, and a blower for sending normal temperature air to the room 100. Operation such as driving can be executed.

Note that the air conditioner 10 does not necessarily have to be capable of executing all of the above operations. In the present embodiment, air conditioner 10 may at least be able to perform an operation that lowers the temperature and humidity in room 100 while blowing air into room 100 . The operation for reducing the temperature and humidity in the room 100 includes, for example, the cooling operation and the dry operation.

The air conditioner 10 includes, for example, devices such as a fan 11 for blowing air and a heat exchanger 12 for temperature control provided in a housing. The air conditioner 10 or devices such as the fan 11 and the heat exchanger 12 that constitute the air conditioner 10 correspond to air conditioning means according to the present disclosure.

The fan 11 generates an air current in the air passage 10 a inside the housing of the air conditioner 10 . The fan 11 generates an air current, so that the air conditioner 10 draws in the air in the room 100 and then sends the air to the room 100 . Fan 11 and heat exchanger 12 are arranged in air passage 10a.

The air-conditioning system according to the present embodiment includes a discharge section 20 as an example of discharge means for generating a disinfecting substance by discharge. A sanitizing substance is a substance for controlling contamination. The sterilizing substance inactivates, for example, viruses, fungi or odorants. The sterilizing substance has, for example, a bactericidal, sterilizing or sterilizing effect.

The discharge unit 20 is built in the air conditioner 10 as shown in FIG. 1, for example. The discharge section 20 is arranged, for example, in the air passage 10a. The discharge unit 20 arranged in the air passage 10a generates a sterilizing substance in the air passage 10a by discharging into the air passage 10a. The sterilization substance generated in the air passage 10a is released into the room 100 by the air conditioner 10 blowing air into the room 100. As shown in FIG.

Note that the discharge unit 20 may be provided outside the air conditioner 10 as shown in FIG. 2, for example. The discharge unit 20 provided outside the air conditioner 10 is arranged in the room 100 where the air conditioner 10 is installed and on the leeward side of the air conditioner 10 . As a result, the air conditioner 10 blows air into the room 100 , so that the sterilizing substance generated by the discharge unit 20 is discharged throughout the room 100 .

Examples of the sterilizing substance generated by the discharge unit 20 include ozone, negative ions, radicals, active oxygen, and the like. It is sufficient that the discharge unit 20 can generate at least one type of sterilization substance. The discharge unit 20 generates a predetermined amount or more of the sterilizing substance in order to suppress contamination more reliably and in a short time. For example, when the sterilizing substance generated by the discharge unit 20 is ozone, it is desirable that the concentration of ozone immediately below the outlet of the air conditioner 10 is maintained at 0.05 ppm or more.

The air conditioning system according to the present embodiment includes a human detection unit 30 as an example of human detection means for detecting the presence or absence of people in the room 100 . The human detection unit 30 may be provided in the air conditioner 10 or may be provided separately as an external device of the air conditioner 10 . Thermal image detection, moving object detection, or the like can be used as a method for detecting the presence or absence of a person by the person detection unit 30 . Either or both of an infrared sensor and a real image camera can be used as the human detection unit 30, for example. One person detection unit 30 may be provided, or a plurality of persons may be installed. The human detection unit 30 is configured to sufficiently detect the presence or absence of people in the entire room 100 .

Moreover, as shown in FIG. 2, the air conditioning system according to the present embodiment includes a communication section 13, an information acquisition section 14, an input section 15, an air conditioner control section 16, an output section 17, and a system control section 200. FIG. The communication unit 13, the information acquisition unit 14, the input unit 15, the air conditioner control unit 16, the output unit 17, and the system control unit 200 control the air conditioner 10 and the discharge unit 20 according to the detection result of the human detection unit 30. It is an example of control means. The air conditioner control section 16 is for controlling the operation of the air conditioner 10, and the system control section 200 is for controlling the entire air conditioning system.

In the present embodiment, the air conditioner 10 has a communication function for exchanging information with external devices. The communication unit 13 implements this communication function. The communication unit 13 communicates with external devices such as the system control unit 200 through an arbitrary communication line such as the local network 201, for example.

Note that, for example, when the air conditioning system is implemented by the air conditioner 10 alone, the functions of the discharge unit 20 , the human detection unit 30 , the system control unit 200 and the like are installed in the air conditioner 10 . In this case, components such as the communication unit 13 for exchanging information with an external device of the air conditioner 10 may not necessarily be provided.

The information acquisition unit 14 acquires external information from the communication unit 13 . In addition, the information acquisition unit 14 acquires input information input to the input unit 15 by a remote control or the like, for example. The air conditioner control unit 16 determines the operation details of the air conditioner 10 based on the information acquired by the information acquisition unit 14 and outputs control information according to the operation details to the output unit 17 . The output unit 17 operates the fan 11 and the heat exchanger 12 according to control information from the air conditioner control unit 16 .

In this embodiment, the system control unit 200 carries out information communication with each device through the local network 201 and acquires external information. The system control unit 200 acquires operation information of the air conditioner 10, the discharge unit 20, and the like, for example. Also, the system control unit 200 controls the operation of the discharge unit 20 through the local network 201 . Note that the system control unit 200 may acquire operation information of the ventilation equipment 40 other than the air conditioner 10 . The ventilation device 40 is a device that ventilates the room 100 . The system control unit 200 may control the operation of the ventilation equipment 40 through the local network 201 . As an example, the system control unit 200 may link the air conditioner 10 and the ventilation device 40 .

Also, the system control unit 200 acquires the detection result of the human detection unit 30 through the local network 201 . The system control unit 200 determines the content of control according to the detection result of the human detection unit 30 and transmits information on the content of the control to the communication unit 13 through the local network 201 . Also, the system control unit 200 controls the discharge unit 20 according to the detection result of the human detection unit 30 .

In the present embodiment, the communication unit 13, the information acquisition unit 14, the input unit 15, the air conditioner control unit 16, the output unit 17, and the system control unit 200 control the air conditioner 10 when there is no person in the room 100. While executing the operation for lowering the temperature and humidity of the room 100, the discharge unit 20 is caused to generate a sterilizing substance and the air conditioner 10 is caused to send the sterilizing substance to the room 100.例文帳に追加As a result, the sterilizing substance can be generated while the room 100 is in a low-temperature and low-humidity environment, and the sterilizing substance can be sufficiently generated efficiently. In addition, according to the detection result of the human detection unit 30, the sterilization substance can be discharged into the room 100 when there is actually no human in the room. According to the present embodiment, disinfecting substances such as ozone are not released to humans. According to the present embodiment, the inside of the air conditioner 10, the air in the room 100, the furniture, the floor surface, etc. can be cleaned to

Further, as shown in FIG. 2 , the air conditioning system according to the present embodiment may include an environment sensor 50 that detects environmental information of the room 100 . The environment sensor 50 corresponds to a sensor that detects the temperature and humidity in the room, a sensor that detects the concentration of disinfecting substances, a sensor that measures the concentration of contaminants in the room, and the like. Only one environment sensor 50 may be provided, or a plurality of environment sensors may be provided. Environment information detected by the environment sensor 50 is acquired by the system control unit 200 through the local network 201 . System control unit 200 may control air conditioner 10 and discharge unit 20 according to environmental information detected by environment sensor 50 .

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an operation example of the air conditioning system according to Embodiment 1. FIG. With reference to FIG. 3, the flow of the sterilization operation in which the air conditioning system configured as described above cleans the room 100 will be described.

After the operation of the air conditioning system is started, first, the operation state of each device is obtained (step S100). The process of step S<b>100 is performed by the system control unit 200 . After that, the presence or absence of people in the room 100 is determined (step S101). The process of step S101 is performed by the human detection unit 30, the system control unit 200, the air conditioner control unit 16, and the like. When there is no person in the room 100, the sterilization operation is performed (step S102). When there is a person in the room 100, the sterilization operation is not performed (step S103).

When carrying out the sterilization operation, the operation of the discharge unit 20 is started (step S104), and the operation of the air conditioner 10 is started (step S105). By the process of step S105, the air conditioner 10 operates to lower the temperature and humidity in the room, and blows air into the room 100. FIG. Through the processing from step S100 to step S105, the sterilizing substance is efficiently discharged into the room 100 where no one is present, and the room 100 is cleaned.

As an example, the operation of the discharge unit 20 and the operation of the air conditioner 10 are maintained for a predetermined time (step S106). During this predetermined time period, the sterilizing substance is released into the room 100 . After that, the operation of the discharge unit 20 is ended (step S107). After the operation of the discharge unit 20 ends, the room 100 is kept filled with the sterilizing substance for a predetermined time (step S108), and the sterilizing operation ends (step S109).

A state in which the room 100 is filled with the sterilizing substance means that the concentration of the sterilizing substance in the air in the room 100 is equal to or higher than a predetermined value. The period of time during which the room 100 is filled with the sterilizing substance is set based on the physical properties of the contaminant, such as the CT value of the virus, and the concentration of the sterilizing substance. For example, when influenza virus is to be removed and ozone with a concentration of 0.1 ppm is generated, it is desirable to keep the ozone filled in the room 100 for about 3 hours. The operation of the discharge unit 20 and the air conditioner 10 for maintaining the state in which the sterilizing substance is filled in the room 100 is controlled according to the concentration of the sterilizing substance in the room 100 detected by the environment sensor 50, for example. . By operating according to the detection result of the environment sensor 50, more appropriate operation becomes possible. For example, according to the detection result of the environment sensor 50, the output of the discharge by the discharge unit 20, the amount of air blown by the air conditioner 10, and the like are controlled.

The air conditioner 10 and the ventilator 40 may be interlocked in order to efficiently maintain the state in which the sterilizing substance is filled in the room 100 . For example, the system control unit 200 may stop the ventilation operation by the ventilation device 40 during at least one of the operation of the discharge unit 20 and a certain period of time after the operation of the discharge unit 20 is finished. As a result, the state in which the room 100 is filled with the sterilizing substance can be efficiently maintained.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a modification of the operation of the air conditioning system according to Embodiment 1. In FIG. Since steps S200 to S208 in FIG. 4 are the same as steps S100 to S108 described above, the description thereof is omitted.

After the process of step S208 is completed and the state in which the sterilizing substance is filled in the room 100 is maintained for a certain period of time, the ventilation operation is performed by the ventilation device 40 (step S209). As a result, it is possible to quickly discharge the sterilization substance that affects humans to the outside of the room. Thus, in the modification shown in FIG. 4 , the ventilator 40 operates in conjunction with the air conditioner 10 and the discharge unit 20 . The ventilation operation by the ventilation device 40 is continued until the concentration of the sterilizing substance in the room 100 becomes equal to or less than a predetermined value (step S210), after which the sterilizing operation is finished (step S211).

Further, as another modification, for example, the system control unit 200 causes the ventilation device 40 to perform ventilation operation during at least one of the operation of the discharge unit 20 and a certain period of time after the end of the operation, so that the room 100 is adjacent to the room 100. It may be in a state of negative pressure with respect to another room. By keeping the room 100 in a negative pressure state, it is possible to suppress the outflow of the sterilizing substance into another room.

When the room 100 is put into a negative pressure state by the ventilation device 40, if the exhaust amount of the ventilation device 40 is too large, most of the sterilization substance is discharged to the outside, and the sterilization efficiency of the room 100 is lowered. . Therefore, it is desirable that the amount of air exhausted by the ventilator 40 when the room 100 is in a negative pressure state is minimal. The minimum exhaust amount for keeping the room 100 in a negative pressure state is appropriately set according to the volume of the room 100, the atmospheric environment, and the like. The amount of air exhausted by the ventilator 40 when the room 100 is in a negative pressure state is set to be smaller than the amount of air exhausted during normal ventilation operation, for example.

For example, the system control unit 200 may cooperatively control a door lock mechanism that locks the door for entering the room 100 in order to prevent the human body from being exposed to the disinfecting substance. The system control unit 200 may operate the door lock mechanism during at least one of the operation of the discharge unit 20 and a certain period of time after the end of the operation. A specific example of the door lock mechanism is an automatic door lock mechanism installed in a hotel room or the like.

In addition, the air conditioning system may be provided with a display unit such as a lamp or a monitor outside the room 100 in order to prevent the human body from being exposed to the sterilizing substance. The system control unit 200 may cause the display unit to display an alert indicating prohibition of entering the room during at least one of the operation of the discharge unit 20 and a certain period of time after the end of the operation.

The locking of the door by the door lock mechanism and the display of the alert by the display unit are, for example, based on the detection result of the environment sensor 50 that measures the concentration of the sterilizing substance in the room 100, and the concentration of the sterilizing substance in the room 100 is the reference value. It should be canceled when:

Moreover, FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a modification of the equipment configuration of the air conditioning system according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 5, a catalytic filter 18 that removes the sterilizing substance generated by the discharge section 20 may be provided. The catalyst filter 18 is arranged on the air passage of the air conditioner 10, which is an example of air conditioning means. The catalytic filter 18 is arranged, for example, in the air passage 10a. By installing the catalyst filter 18 , it is possible to quickly remove sterilization substances remaining in the room 100 while circulating the air in the room 100 with the air conditioner 10 .

Further, as shown in FIG. 5, a damper 19 is provided that can selectively switch the airflow path of the air conditioner 10 between an air path 10a that passes through the catalyst filter 18 and an air path 10b that does not pass through the catalyst filter 18. may be The system control unit 200 controls the damper 19 so that the airflow path of the air conditioner 10 becomes the airflow path 10b during at least one of the operation of the discharge unit 20 and a certain period of time after the end of the operation, and the room 100 is sterilized. The damper 19 may be controlled so that the air passage by the air conditioner 10 becomes the air passage 10a after the substance-filled state is maintained for a certain period of time.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a configuration that implements the functions of the communication unit 13, the information acquisition unit 14, the input unit 15, the air conditioner control unit 16, the output unit 17, and the system control unit 200 according to the first embodiment. Each function of each unit, which is an example of the control means according to the present disclosure, is realized by, for example, a processing circuit. The processing circuitry may be dedicated hardware 600 . The processing circuitry may comprise processor 601 and memory 602 . A portion of the processing circuitry may be formed as dedicated hardware 600 and may further comprise a processor 601 and a memory 602 . In the example shown in FIG. 6, part of the processing circuitry is formed as dedicated hardware 600 . Moreover, in the example shown in FIG. 6, the processing circuit further comprises a processor 601 and a memory 602 in addition to the dedicated hardware 600 .

A processing circuit, part of which is at least one piece of dedicated hardware 600, can be, for example, a single circuit, multiple circuits, programmed processors, parallel programmed processors, ASICs, FPGAs, or combinations thereof. .

When the processing circuit includes at least one processor 601 and at least one memory 602, the functions of each unit, which is an example of the control means according to the present disclosure, are realized by software, firmware, or a combination of software and firmware.

Software and firmware are written as programs and stored in memory 602 . The processor 601 implements the functions of each unit by reading and executing programs stored in the memory 602 . The processor 601 is also called a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a central processing unit, a processing unit, an arithmetic unit, a microprocessor, a microcomputer, or a DSP. The memory 602 corresponds to, for example, non-volatile or volatile semiconductor memory such as RAM, ROM, flash memory, EPROM and EEPROM, magnetic disk, flexible disk, optical disk, compact disk, mini-disk and DVD.

In this way, the processing circuit can realize the function of each part, which is an example of the control means according to the present disclosure, by hardware, software, firmware, or a combination thereof. Note that each function of each unit, which is an example of a control unit, may be realized by cooperation of a plurality of devices, or may be realized by a single device. Moreover, at least part of each function of each part, which is an example of the control means, may be implemented in a server or the like on an external network.

10 air conditioner 10a air course 10b air course 11 fan 12 heat exchanger 13 communication unit 14 information acquisition unit 15 input unit 16 air conditioner control unit 17 output unit 18 catalyst filter 19 damper , 20 discharge unit, 30 person detection unit, 40 ventilation equipment, 50 environment sensor, 100 room, 200 system control unit, 201 local network, 600 dedicated hardware, 601 processor, 602 memory

Claims (9)

an air conditioning means capable of executing an operation that lowers the indoor temperature and humidity;
a discharge means for generating a sterilizing substance by discharging;
a person detection means for detecting the presence or absence of a person in the room;
a control means for controlling the air conditioning means and the discharge means according to the detection result of the human detection means;
with
When no one is in the room, the control means causes the air conditioning means to operate to lower the temperature and humidity in the room, and causes the discharge means to generate a sterilizing substance to release the sterilizing substance. An air conditioning system for directing said air conditioning means to said room. 2. The air-conditioning system according to claim 1, wherein said control means stops the ventilation operation of a ventilation device for ventilating said indoor space during at least one of the operation of said discharge means and a certain period of time after the end of operation of said discharge means. 3. The air conditioning system according to claim 2, wherein the control means causes the ventilation device to perform the ventilation operation after maintaining the state in which the disinfecting substance is filled in the room for a certain period of time by stopping the ventilation operation of the ventilation device. . 2. The air conditioning system according to claim 1, wherein said control means causes a ventilation device for ventilating said room to perform a ventilation operation during at least one of the operation of said discharge means and a certain period of time after the end of operation of said discharge means. The control means controls the discharge means and the air conditioning means so that the room is filled with the sterilizing substance according to the detection result of the sensor that measures the concentration of the sterilizing substance in the room. The air conditioning system according to any one of claims 1 to 4. 6. The controller according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the control means operates a door lock mechanism for locking a door for entering the room during at least one of the operation of the discharge means and a certain period of time after the end of the operation of the discharge means. air conditioning system as described in paragraph 1. The control means causes a display unit provided outside the room to display an alert indicating that entry into the room is prohibited during at least one of the operation of the discharge means and a certain period of time after the end of the operation of the discharge means. The air conditioning system according to any one of claims 1 to 6. 8. The air conditioning system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein a catalyst filter for removing a sterilizing substance is provided in the air passage of said air conditioning means. A damper is provided that can selectively switch the air passage between an air passage that passes through the catalyst filter and an air passage that does not pass through the catalyst filter,
The control means controls the damper so that the airflow path does not pass through the catalytic filter during at least one of the operation of the discharge means and a certain period of time after the end of the operation. 9. The air conditioning system according to claim 8, wherein the damper is controlled so that the air passage becomes an air passage passing through the catalyst filter after a state of filling the room is maintained for a certain period of time.

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