WO2016088353A1

WO2016088353A1 - Environmental control equipment and environmental control system

Info

Publication number: WO2016088353A1
Application number: PCT/JP2015/005949
Authority: WO
Inventors: 理恵岩崎; 中村　新
Original assignee: 日本電気株式会社
Priority date: 2014-12-01
Filing date: 2015-11-30
Publication date: 2016-06-09
Also published as: JPWO2016088353A1; US20170328595A1

Abstract

This environmental control equipment controls a plurality of environmental devices for adjusting the environment of an area including a plurality of subareas and comprises: an acquisition unit that acquires environmental information indicating the environment of each of the plurality of subareas and a subarea restriction indicating the restrictions on the environment of each subarea; a target value calculation unit that uses the environmental information and the subarea restriction as a basis to select a control subarea, for which the environment thereof is to be changed, from among the plurality of subareas and determines a target value for the environment of the control subarea; and an influence calculation unit for determining whether or not the change in the environment of subareas other than the control subarea caused by controlling an environmental device in order to satisfy the target value of the control subarea satisfies the subarea restrictions of the other subareas.

Description

Environmental control device and environmental control system

The present invention relates to an environmental control device and an environmental control system.

In recent years, HEMS (Home Energy Management System), which is a technology for reducing energy consumption in houses, has attracted attention. In particular, it is required not only to save energy but also to control equipment so as to maintain comfort. One of the comfort indexes for objectively evaluating comfort is PMV (Predicted Mean Vote). In patent document 1, after changing the state of an apparatus, control which makes energy saving and comfort compatible is performed so that the effect based on a user's values may become the maximum.

In general, office floors of buildings, factory workplaces, classrooms at schools and university campuses, etc. are often in one room, and multiple workers and students often take different actions. Therefore, the comfortable environment varies depending on the characteristics and behavior of each person. For this reason, there is a case where the control of the environmental device in accordance with a specific human action or characteristic is an environment where other humans do not feel comfortable. Therefore, in Patent Document 2, the presence / absence of each person in the area and the work situation are monitored, and the control according to the work situation of the existing person is performed, thereby improving the comfort adapted to the work of each person.

In Patent Document 3, a room that is a control target area is divided into areas corresponding to each of a plurality of LED (Light Emitting Diode) lights, and the presence / absence of an employee is determined for each area. For the stay area, the target illuminance is determined according to the posture of the employee, and for the non-stay area, the illuminance determined according to the distance from the latest stay area is set as the target illuminance.

Japanese Patent No. 5491891 Japanese Patent No. 5514507 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-89841

Since a plurality of environmental devices are arranged in one room on an office floor or a factory, the control results of the environmental devices may interfere with each other. In patent document 3, the light emission intensity | strength of several LED illumination is controlled so that the room | chamber interior which is a control object becomes target illuminance distribution. However, in Patent Document 3, the illuminance of an area can be controlled in accordance with the posture of each individual employee, but the effect of controlling a specific area as the target illuminance on the illuminance of other areas is not considered. It was. For this reason, even if the illuminance of each area is determined according to the posture of each employee, the target illuminance may not actually be obtained due to interference between devices.
One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a mechanism for controlling environmental equipment in consideration of the influence on the environment of other subareas when control is performed with a specific subarea as the target environment. .

The environmental control device of the present invention
An environment control device that controls a plurality of environmental devices that adjust the environment of an area having a plurality of sub-areas,
An acquisition unit for acquiring environment information indicating an environment of each of the plurality of sub-areas and a sub-area constraint indicating an environment restriction of each of the sub-areas;
A target value calculation unit that selects a target subarea to change the environment from among a plurality of subareas based on environmental information and subarea constraints, and determines a target value of the environment of the target subarea;
Determine whether environmental changes in other sub-areas that are different from the target sub-area satisfy the sub-area constraints of the other sub-areas by controlling environmental equipment that satisfies the target value of the target sub-area And an influence calculating unit.

The environmental control system of the present invention
An environmental device for adjusting the environment of an area having a plurality of sub-areas;
An environmental information detector for detecting environmental information in the sub-area;
A control device that communicates with the environmental equipment, the environmental information detection unit, and the activity information detection unit;
The control device
An acquisition unit for acquiring environment information indicating an environment of each of the plurality of sub-areas and a sub-area constraint indicating an environment restriction of each of the sub-areas;
A target value calculation unit that selects a target subarea to change the environment from among a plurality of subareas based on environmental information and subarea constraints, and determines a target value of the environment of the target subarea;
Whether environmental changes that other sub-areas that are different from the target sub-area out of multiple sub-areas satisfy the sub-area constraints of the other sub-areas by controlling environmental equipment that satisfies the target value of the target sub-area And an influence calculation unit for judging.

According to the present invention, it is possible to control an environmental device in consideration of the influence on the environment of another subarea when control is performed with a specific subarea as a target environment.

It is a figure which shows an example of a structure of the environment control system in this embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the input user interface of subjective environment information in this embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the input user interface of subjective environment information in this embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the functional block of the environment control apparatus in this embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the operation | movement flow of the environmental control apparatus in this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the specific example of the control in this embodiment, and the change of an environment. It is a figure which shows the specific example of the control in this embodiment, and the change of an environment. It is a figure which shows the specific example of the control in this embodiment, and the change of an environment. It is a figure which shows an example of the operation | movement flow of the environmental control apparatus in this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the specific example of the control in this embodiment, and the change of an environment. It is a figure which shows the specific example of the control in this embodiment, and the change of an environment. It is a figure which shows the specific example of the control in this embodiment, and the change of an environment. It is a figure which shows the specific example of the control in this embodiment, and the change of an environment. It is a figure which shows the specific example of the control in this embodiment, and the change of an environment. It is a figure which shows the specific example of the control in this embodiment, and the change of an environment. It is a figure which shows the specific example of the control in this embodiment, and the change of an environment. It is a figure which shows an example of the functional block of the environment control apparatus in this embodiment.

Hereinafter, an environment control system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
[First Embodiment]
FIG. 1 shows an example of an environment control system in the present embodiment. The environmental control system in the present embodiment includes an environmental device 20 that adjusts the environment of an area 200 having a plurality of subareas, a power information detection unit 21, an environmental information detection unit 22, an activity information detection unit 23, and a control device. (Environment control device) 100. The environmental device 20, the power information detection unit 21, the environmental information detection unit 22, the activity information detection unit 23, and the control device 100 are connected to each other via a network and can transmit and receive data. In addition, the direction of the arrow in a drawing shows an example and does not limit the direction of the signal between blocks.

The environmental device 20 adjusts the environment of the area 200 having a plurality of sub-areas that affect each other. The area environment indicates area temperature, humidity, illuminance, air volume, wind direction, sound, smell, and the like. Examples of the environmental equipment 20 include air conditioning equipment, lighting equipment, air purifiers, and blinds.

Area 200 indicates a room or space where a plurality of people perform various tasks, tasks, learning, etc. (hereinafter simply referred to as tasks). The area 200 has a plurality of sub areas. Specific examples of the area 200 include at least one building such as an office building, a school building, a commercial facility, and a factory. Each of a room divided into a plurality of areas may be used as one sub-area. Moreover, it is good also considering each room and every floor as one subarea. When one room is divided into a plurality of subareas, the way of dividing is not particularly limited. For example, one room may be divided at equal intervals, or may be divided by a distance from the air outlet or illumination. Or you may divide | segment according to the use of a place. For example, each space divided by a conference space, office space, reception space, break space, etc. may be used as one sub-area.

The fact that a plurality of sub-areas influence each other means that the control of the environmental device 20 for one sub-area affects the environmental change of the other sub-areas. For example, different locations in one room, a plurality of floors sharing power consumption restrictions, and the like are sub-areas that affect each other.

The power information detection unit 21 detects power information indicating the power consumed in the area 200. The power consumed in the area 200 may be the power consumed by the load including the environmental device 20 or may be the power supplied to the load including the environmental device 20. As the power information detection unit 21, a power meter, a HEMS (Home Management System), a power sensor, or the like can be used. The power information detection unit 21 transmits the detected power information to the control device 100 via the network.

The method by which the power information detection unit 21 acquires power information is not particularly limited. For example, a power sensor may be installed for each load or outlet, and power consumption acquired by each sensor may be used as power information. By acquiring the power consumption for each load as power information, the operating status of the load can be detected. Alternatively, the power consumption of the area 200 may be acquired from a distribution board or a power meter and used as power information.

The environment information detection unit 22 acquires objective environment information and subjective environment information as information indicating the environment of the sub-area. The objective environment information indicates environment information of a sub-area that can be detected by a sensor. The objective environment information includes, for example, temperature, humidity, wind direction, air volume, light illuminance, color tone, amount of daylighting (direct light, indirect light), sound volume and frequency, smell, and the like. As an environment information detection unit for detecting objective environment information, for example, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, a human sensor, a sound sensor, or the like can be used. By arranging a plurality of these sensors, it is possible to detect objective environment information for each sub-area. One sensor may acquire environmental information of one subarea, and one sensor may acquire environmental information of a plurality of subareas. Alternatively, a plurality of sensors may be arranged in one subarea. Alternatively, the manager or user of the area may input objective environment information displayed on the thermometer or hygrometer using an arbitrary input device.

Subjective environment information indicates the evaluation of the sub-area user's environment. The subjective environment information is information that changes depending on the behavior and situation of the subarea user or the subarea user. The subjective environment information is, for example, an evaluation indicating whether it is comfortable or uncomfortable. As other examples, there may be evaluations such as hot, cold with respect to temperature and humidity, annoyance with sound, quietness, bright with respect to light, darkness, odor and the like.

The method by which the environment information detection unit 22 detects subjective environment information is not particularly limited. For example, subjective environment information may be acquired from a user or user of an area using a questionnaire or an input device. FIG. 2 shows an example of a terminal display that acquires subjective environment information. Subjective environment information can be acquired when the user of the area inputs an evaluation to the terminal. As in the example shown in FIG. 3, the type and granularity of the acquired subjective environment information can be changed according to the question content and options displayed on the input screen. Alternatively, the subjective environment information may be detected using a human sensor or a camera. For example, an operation in which a user in the sub-area turns on the fan or removes the jacket may be detected as subjective environment information indicating that the user is hot. Or you may detect the thermal index computed based on the objective environment information which the environment information detection part 22 detected as subjective environment information. The thermal index includes: Corrected Effective Temperature (Corrected Effective Temperature: CET), New Effective Temperature (New Effective Temperature: ET *), Standard New Effective Temperature (Standard New Effective Temperature: SET *), Predicted Mean (Predicted Mean) Vote: PMV). The index can be appropriately selected according to the objective environment information to be detected.

The environment information detection unit 22 associates the detected objective environment information and subjective environment information with the position information that uniquely identifies the position where the environment information is detected, and transmits it to the control device 100. The position information may be information that uniquely identifies the subarea in which the environment information is detected. Alternatively, it may be information that uniquely identifies the environment information detection unit 22 such as a sensor that has acquired the environment information.

The activity information detection unit 23 acquires activity information indicating the activity contents of the users in each sub-area. The activity contents of the users in the sub-area include the presence / absence of people in the area, the number of people in the sub-area, the posture of the area user (standing, sitting, size of gesture, etc.). Alternatively, work contents, actions, schedules, and the like of area users may be used.

As the activity information detection unit 23, a human sensor or a surveillance camera can be used. In addition, the user of the sub-area may input the work content and action using an input device or the like arranged in the area. The activity information detection unit 23 associates the detected activity information with the subarea identifier that uniquely identifies the subarea in which the activity information is detected, and transmits it to the control device 100.

The control device 100 instructs control of the environmental device 20 based on the acquired information. FIG. 4 shows an example of a functional block diagram of the control device 100. The control device 100 in this embodiment includes an acquisition unit 50, a calculation unit 60, and a control instruction unit 70. The calculation unit 60 includes a target value calculation unit 61, an operation calculation unit 62, and an influence calculation unit 63.

The acquisition unit 50 acquires objective environment information and subjective environment information from the environment information detection unit 22, and acquires activity information from the activity information detection unit 23. Further, the acquisition unit 50 acquires a sub-area constraint indicating a restriction on the environment of each sub-area. Furthermore, the acquisition unit 50 may acquire power information indicating the power consumption of the area and an area constraint indicating an environment restriction of the area 200 having a plurality of sub areas. The acquisition unit 50 transmits the acquired information to the calculation unit 60. Further, the acquired information may be transmitted to a storage unit (not shown).

The sub-area constraint indicates the environment limit of each sub-area. In other words, the sub-area constraint indicates a range allowed as an environment of each sub-area. For example, the sub-area constraint may define a range such as temperature, illuminance, or air volume indicated by the objective environment information for the sub-area, or may define a range of environmental evaluation distribution or number indicated by the subjective environment information. . Or the range of the environment according to the activity which activity information shows, and the range of the evaluation of the environment according to the activity may be defined. Alternatively, it may be a combination of a plurality of these, or may be defined within a range of indices based on environmental information or subjective environmental information. The method for determining these subarea constraints is not particularly limited.

For example, sub-area constraints that maintain the comfort of sub-area users may be determined. In this case, for example, a threshold of PPD (Predicted percent of dissatisfied) may be provided as a sub-area constraint. PPD is an index that is calculated from temperature, humidity, metabolic rate, clothing amount, air volume, etc., and calculates the PPD value from the numerical value indicated by the objective environment information. If it exceeds the threshold (there are many uncomfortable people), lower it Such control may be performed. For example, the temperature of air conditioning is increased or decreased and the air volume is adjusted. Furthermore, the threshold value of the PPD may be changed for each room or season. This is because the metabolic rate may be different between the sub-area where individual desk work is performed and the sub-area where active discussion is held, and the amount of clothes differs between summer and winter.

Alternatively, subarea constraints may be generated so as to keep productivity in the subarea constant. From the activity information acquired by the activity information detection unit 23, a threshold value of the activity amount in the sub-area may be set. When past activity data exists, a target activity amount may be set, and for example, when the activity amount falls by some percent from the amount, the equipment may be controlled. For example, when a worker is working on a document in a sub-area, the key type amount per unit time in a comfortable state of the worker is acquired as activity information, and the key type amount is reduced by 10% You may control environmental equipment.

If the owner operating the area wants to keep the electricity bill below a certain amount, the target electricity bill may be set as a sub-area constraint. For example, the target electricity bill may be determined for the entire area, and the sub-area may be controlled so as not to exceed the charge. When there is one air conditioner in the entire area, it is only necessary to calculate how much the electricity cost will be for the entire area when different settings are applied for each sub-area. In the case where air conditioners are attached to each sub-area, the electricity cost may be calculated for each air conditioner and summed up.

The acquisition unit 50 may acquire a subarea constraint in which the subarea constraint is associated with the corresponding subarea identifier. The area restriction indicates a restriction on the environment of the area 200 having a plurality of subareas. For example, the upper limit value and the lower limit value of the power consumption of the area 200 may be used. Alternatively, the operating rate of the plurality of environmental devices 20 in the area 200 and the upper limit value and the lower limit value of the number of operating devices may be used. Alternatively, the average value of the objective environment such as the temperature and humidity of the area 200, the number of evaluations of the user's environment indicated by the subjective environment information, and the like may be used. For example, the number of evaluations indicates the number of evaluations that evaluate whether the user in the sub-area is comfortable or uncomfortable with the environment.

The method by which the acquisition unit 50 acquires sub-area constraints and area constraints is not particularly limited. For example, the acquisition unit 50 may acquire a sub-area constraint or an area constraint held by an external computer or server via a network. Or you may receive the subarea restrictions and area restrictions which the manager and user of the area transmitted.

The target value calculation unit 61 acquires subjective environment information, objective environment information, activity information, and subarea constraints from the acquisition unit 50. The target value calculation unit 61 compares the acquired environment information with the subarea constraint, and determines whether or not the acquired environment information satisfies the subarea constraint. The target value calculation unit 61 determines whether or not the evaluation of the subarea user's environment indicated by the subjective environment information is within an allowable range. For example, it is assumed that the target value calculation unit 61 has acquired a sub-area constraint indicating the lower limit value of the number of “comfort” evaluations. The target value calculation unit 61 determines that the subarea constraint is satisfied when the evaluation of “comfort” included in the subjective environment information is equal to or greater than the lower limit value indicated by the subarea constraint.

Alternatively, it is assumed that the target value calculation unit 61 acquires a sub-area constraint that links the type of activity and the temperature range in the sub-area when each activity is performed. In this case, the target value calculation unit 61 determines whether or not the user behavior of the subarea indicated by the acquired activity information and the temperature of the subarea indicated by the objective environment information satisfy the corresponding subarea constraint.

As another example, the target value calculation unit 61 may calculate an index using at least one of the acquired subjective environment information, objective environment information, and activity information. The target value calculation unit 61 may determine whether the calculated index satisfies the sub-area constraint. For example, a work efficiency index for evaluating the content, quality, quantity, etc. of work performed in the sub-area may be obtained based on the activity information. The business efficiency index is determined based on activities that greatly contribute to the achievement of the business goals of the subarea users. The activity content and the work efficiency index may be fixed, or may differ depending on the affiliation, role, and activity phase of the subarea user. The target value calculation unit 61 may determine whether or not the calculated business efficiency index is within the range of the business efficiency index indicated by the subarea constraint. By calculating an index using at least one of subjective environment information, objective environment information, and activity information, a target value based on a plurality of pieces of information can be uniquely determined.

The target value calculation unit 61 determines the target value of the environment that satisfies the subarea constraint for the subarea that does not satisfy the subarea constraint. For example, it is assumed that subjective environment information in which half of the evaluation is “hot” is acquired for a sub-area having a sub-area restriction indicating that “a majority of sub-area users evaluate as comfortable”. In this case, a temperature at which a majority of the sub-area users evaluate as comfortable is obtained as a target value.

The operation calculation unit 62 obtains the environmental device 20 and the operation of the environmental device 20 necessary for making the target area equal to the target value in the sub-area to be controlled. Here, making the sub-area environment equal to the target value may include bringing the sub-area environment closer to the target value. For example, when a target value for temperature is acquired from the target value calculation unit 61, an air conditioning facility is selected as the environmental device 20 to be operated. On the other hand, when a target value for illuminance is acquired from the target value calculation unit 61, lighting, blinds, or the like is selected as the environmental device 20 to be operated. The operation calculation unit 62 determines the operation of the selected environmental device 20. The operation calculation unit 62 determines operations such as ON / OFF of the environmental device 20, an operation mode, and a set value so that the objective environment of the operation target area becomes a target value. The operation calculation unit 62 transmits the determined operation to the influence calculation unit 63.

The influence calculation unit 63 obtains a change in the environment of another sub-area when the environmental device 20 is operated by the operation obtained by the operation calculation unit 62. The influence calculation unit 63 obtains a change in the environment of another subarea when the environmental device 20 is operated based on the operation acquired from the operation calculation unit 62 and the environment information of the other subarea.

Environmental change refers to changes in the objective environment such as temperature, humidity, wind direction, air volume, lighting, volume, interior, and smell that can be detected by the sensor, and subjective responses and evaluations to human subjective environments. Show subjective changes in the environment. Environmental changes include the direction and amount of environmental changes. For example, when the air conditioning equipment is the environmental device 20 to be operated, how many times the temperature rises or how much the temperature falls. In the case of a subjective change in the environment, it may be predicted whether the evaluation of the user in the sub-area will be improved or worsened. As another example, a change in an index indicating comfort or production efficiency may be calculated based on an objective environmental change or a subjective environmental change. In addition, when the restriction indicating the upper limit value of the energy consumption amount of the area is acquired as the area restriction, the change of the energy consumption amount of the area when the environmental device 20 is operated so as to reach the target value is calculated. Also good. There is no particular limitation on the method for predicting the evaluation of the user in the sub-area from the objective environment change. For example, the evaluation of the environment after the operation of the environmental device 20 may be predicted by referring to the request of the sub-area user acquired in the past and the evaluation of the environment. Alternatively, the range of the objective environment that the user has evaluated as “comfortable” in the past is recorded, and if the sub-area where the user is within the range by operating the environmental equipment 20, it is determined that the evaluation for the environment has been improved. May be.

Note that the influence calculation unit 63 may obtain a change in the environment for all other subareas that are different from the operation target subarea, or may change the environment according to the operation target environmental device 20 obtained by the operation calculation unit 62 and the operation. Other sub-areas for calculating the change of may be selected. The influence calculation unit 63 can select other subareas depending on the subarea to be operated and the distance from the environmental device 20 to be operated and the positional relationship. For example, it is assumed that an air conditioner having a plurality of outlets is the environmental device 20 to be operated, and the air volume from each outlet is correlated. In this case, a sub-area within a certain distance from each outlet may be used as another sub-area for calculating the environmental change. Alternatively, a subarea adjacent to the operation target subarea may be used as another subarea for calculating the environmental change.

The influence calculation unit 63 acquires the subarea constraints of the other subarea from the acquisition unit 50, and determines whether or not the predicted change in the environment of the other subarea is within the range of the corresponding subarea constraint. When the change in the environment of the other subarea is within the range of the subarea restriction, the influence calculation unit 63 transmits the operation of the environmental device 20 acquired from the operation calculation unit 62 to the control instruction unit 70. On the other hand, when the change in the environment of the other subarea is outside the range of the other subarea constraints, the influence calculation unit 62 instructs the operation calculation unit 62 to recalculate the operation. The influence calculation unit 63 may transmit an area identifier indicating another sub-area that does not satisfy the sub-area constraint to the operation calculation unit 62 together with a recalculation instruction. Further, when there is an area restriction, it is determined whether the operation of the environmental device 20 satisfies the area restriction. For example, the influence calculation unit 63 may determine whether the energy consumption of the area after the operation satisfies the area constraint. Alternatively, it may be determined whether the environment or index of the entire area having a plurality of subareas satisfies the area constraint. If the area constraint is not satisfied, the target value and operation may be recalculated so as to satisfy the area constraint. Alternatively, the number of subareas to be operated may be changed.

The control instruction unit 70 outputs an operation instruction to the environmental device 20 to be operated. The control instruction unit 70 may be connected to the environmental device 20 via a network and directly transmit a control signal to the environmental device 20. Or the control instruction | indication part 70 may transmit a control signal to the terminal which the administrator and user of a server or an area have. The manager or user of the area may control the environmental device 20 based on the acquired control signal, or the terminal that has received the control signal may transmit the control signal to the environmental device 20.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the control device 100 in the present embodiment.

In step S101, the acquisition unit 50 acquires objective environment information indicating environmental information that can be detected by the sensor for each subarea, and subjective environment information indicating evaluation of the user of the subarea with respect to the environment. The acquisition unit 50 transmits the acquired objective environment information and subjective environment information to the calculation unit 60.

In step S102, the acquisition unit 50 acquires activity information indicating the user activity contents in each sub-area. The acquisition unit 50 transmits the acquired activity information to the calculation unit 60.

In step S103, the acquisition unit 50 acquires a sub-area constraint indicating a restriction on the environment of each sub-area. The method by which the acquisition unit 50 acquires the sub area constraint is not particularly limited. For example, a storage unit (not shown) holds a table that associates an identifier for identifying each subarea with a corresponding subarea constraint, and the acquisition unit 50 acquires the subarea constraint for each subarea by referring to the table. May be. Or the acquisition part 50 may produce | generate a subarea constraint based on the acquired activity information and the user identifier which shows the user of a subarea. The acquisition unit 50 transmits the acquired subarea restriction to the calculation unit 60.

In step S104, the target value calculation unit 61 determines whether the acquired environment information satisfies the sub-area constraint. When the acquired environment information of each sub-area satisfies the sub-area constraint of the sub-area, the operation in the control device 100 is terminated.

On the other hand, if the acquired environmental information of each sub-area does not satisfy the sub-area constraint, the process proceeds to step S105. In step S105, the target value calculation unit 61 calculates the target value of the environment that needs to be achieved in order to satisfy the subarea constraint for the subarea that does not satisfy the subarea constraint. The target value calculation unit 61 transmits the obtained target value to the operation amount calculation unit 62.

In step S106, the operation calculation unit 62 acquires the operation target subarea and the target value of the subarea from the target value calculation unit 61. The operation calculation unit 62 determines the environmental device 20 to be operated and its operation based on the acquired target value. The operation calculation unit 61 transmits the environmental device 20 to be operated and its operation to the influence calculation unit 63.

In step S107, the influence calculation unit 63 calculates a change in the environment of another sub-area when the operation is performed by the operation acquired from the operation calculation unit 62. The environmental change in the other sub-area may be an objective environmental change such as temperature, illuminance, or sound when the environmental device 20 is controlled. You may calculate the change of the subjective environment information which shows the change of evaluation with respect to a user's environment. For example, the number of people whose evaluation changes from “comfortable” to “hot” when the temperature of another sub-area increases by 1 ° C. may be calculated.

The method for calculating the objective environmental change is not particularly limited. For example, the distribution of subarea temperatures, airflows, and the like may be obtained using a distributed flow analysis method. The distributed flow analysis method is a technique for calculating the temperature and air flow distribution of a space from boundary conditions based on CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics). Or based on the illumination contribution ratio of the illumination arrange | positioned in the area 200, you may calculate the change of the illumination intensity of each subarea. As a method for obtaining the illuminance contribution rate, for example, a method described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-89841 can be used. In addition, an objective environment distribution in each sub-area in the area 200 may be calculated using a known method, and an objective change in the environment may be obtained based on the calculation result.

The method for calculating the change in evaluation of the user's environment is not particularly limited. For example, the influence calculation unit 63 may hold a table in which past objective environment information and subjective environment information are associated with each other. The influence calculation unit 63 may use the subjective environment corresponding to the objective environment calculated by referring to the table as the subjective environment information after the operation. Alternatively, the subjective environmental change may be predicted based on the objective environmental change predicted by the influence calculation unit 63. For example, the new effective temperature ET * may be calculated using temperature and humidity. ET * has a comfort threshold defined by experiments under various conditions. If the value of ET * is outside the range of the comfort threshold, it can be estimated that it is uncomfortable. In addition, you may use the other well-known method for the method of calculating evaluation with respect to an environment.

In step S108, the influence calculation unit 63 determines whether the calculated change in the environment of the other subarea satisfies the subarea constraint of the other subarea. The influence calculation unit 63 determines whether or not the obtained subjective environment satisfies the subjective environment indicated by the sub-area constraint. Alternatively, the influence calculation unit 63 determines whether or not the objective environment of the other sub-area after the change is within the range of the objective environment that is acceptable for performing the activity indicated by the activity information of the other sub-area.

When the change in the environment of the other subarea does not satisfy the other subarea constraints, the influence calculation unit 63 instructs the target value calculation unit 61 and the operation calculation unit 62 to change the operation. The target value calculation unit 61 that has received the change instruction may change the target value. Alternatively, the operation calculation unit 62 may change the operation of the environmental device 20 or the environmental device 20 to be operated without changing the target value. When the change in the environment of the other subarea satisfies the constraints of the other subarea, the influence calculation unit 63 transmits the operation target environmental device 20 and information indicating the operation thereof to the control instruction unit 70.

In step S109, the control instruction unit 70 instructs the environmental device 20 to be operated to drive with the operation acquired from the influence calculation unit 63. The control instruction unit 70 may transmit an instruction signal indicating an operation to the environmental device 20 to be operated, and the environmental device 20 may be operated according to the instruction signal. Or the control instruction | indication part 70 may transmit the information which shows the environmental equipment 20 and operation to be operated to the computer and output device which the user and manager of a subarea and an area possess. A sub-area or a user or administrator of the area can operate the environmental device 20 based on the acquired information.

In the above example, it is determined whether the sub-area environmental information acquired by the acquisition unit 50 satisfies the sub-area constraint, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, an index based on at least one of environment information and activity information may be calculated, and it may be determined whether the calculated index satisfies a subarea constraint. As an index to be calculated, for example, a productivity index for evaluating the production efficiency of work performed in a sub-area may be defined. An example of the productivity index is shown below. The productivity index can be shown as a function of the index calculation values of the objective environment index, the subjective environment index, and the business efficiency index.

Objective environment index values, subjective environment index values, and business efficiency index values can be calculated by quantifying objective environment information, subjective environment information, and activity information. The objective environment index may be obtained from functions such as temperature, humidity, wind direction, and air volume. The subjective environment index is quantified by determining parameters from the evaluation of the sub-area environment. For example, the input amount of the subarea user may be used as it is, or a parameter may be calculated from the input amount and used. For example, a method of quantifying the evaluations of “hot”, “cold”, and “comfortable” as evaluations for temperature is a method that uses the user's evaluation as it is. Alternatively, secondary information or meta-information of subjective environment information such as the time evaluated by the user and the number of times the evaluation is input may be used as a parameter.

Business efficiency takes into account the contents, quality, quantity, etc. of work and work performed by users in the sub-area. The business efficiency can be calculated based on the activity contents of the users in each sub-area indicated by the activity information. For example, you may acquire the work content and attitude | position of a subarea user as activity information. For example, when document creation is acquired as business content, the time spent sitting may be business efficiency. The business efficiency can be appropriately changed according to the department, job type, job title, and business phase. The business efficiency can be quantified based on a predetermined business efficiency calculation standard based on the standard. For example, business efficiency may be measured by the amount of text created within a predetermined time, or by the amount of a PC key type, or by the number of products assembled at the factory or the number of defective products. May be.

The function form related to the productivity index may be, for example, a linear combination of index elements or a function of the function. Here, an example of a linear function in which an index element is weighted is shown.

Each index value in Equation (2) is an objective environment index value, a subjective environment index value, and a work efficiency index value, and is a linear combination function in which each index is weighted. The index weight may be calculated according to the importance of the index element when evaluating the productivity index. The index weight may be determined according to the importance of the work / work content and work environment indicated by the activity information. Whether the productivity indicated by the sub-area constraint can be maintained or not can be determined based on the productivity index obtained using Equation (2).

As described above, according to the present embodiment, when the change in the environment of another sub-area satisfies the corresponding sub-area constraint, the control for changing the environment of the sub-area to be operated can be executed. According to this embodiment, since the operation of the environmental device 20 to be controlled is determined in consideration of the influence on the environment of the sub area other than the control target, the environment of the sub area to be controlled changes. However, the environment of other subareas can be maintained within the scope of the corresponding subarea constraints.

In addition, since changes in the environment of other subareas when the target subarea is set as the target value are taken into account, even if the target value for the environment is determined, the environment may actually meet the target due to interference between multiple environmental devices. The inconvenience that it cannot be maintained can be reduced.
[Specific example 1 of operation]
Next, the operation of the embodiment for carrying out the present invention will be described using a specific example. As an example, assume that one floor of the office is one area. In the area, there are a plurality of conference rooms, a plurality of meeting corners, and a plurality of work desks, each of which is a sub-area. The environmental equipment 20 is assumed to be an air conditioner having one heat source and three wind outlets. Also assume that there are A, B, C, and D sub-area users in the area.

First, the control device 100 acquires the current objective environment information and subjective environment information from the environment information detection unit 22. In this specific example, it is assumed that the temperature of the sub-area is acquired as objective environment information, and any evaluation of hot, comfortable, or cold is acquired as subjective environment information for each sub-area user. 6A to 6C show examples of information obtained by associating the acquired objective environment information, subjective environment information, subarea, and subarea user. In this specific example, it is assumed that worker A is present at the work desk and workers B, C, and D are in the conference room.

Next, the acquisition unit 50 acquires subarea constraints for each of the work desk and the conference room. Here, the work desk and the conference room have a sub-area constraint indicating that “a state where more than half of the workers feel comfortable” is satisfied.

The target value calculation unit 61 determines whether each sub area satisfies the area constraint based on the acquired objective environment information, subjective environment information, and sub area constraint. Since the worker A feels “hot”, the work desk where the worker A is present does not satisfy the sub-area restriction. Therefore, the target value calculation unit 61 determines a target value for the work desk.

When a request for an objective environment such as “how many times the sub-area temperature is desired” is acquired as the subjective environment information, the objective environment request indicated by the acquired subjective environment information may be used as a target value as it is. In this specific example, information indicating the sensory temperature that represents the heat and cold felt by humans is acquired as subjective environment information, so the objective environment information is obtained from the temperature sensor corresponding to the subarea in which the subjective environment information is input. As temperature data. Since worker A has entered “hot”, a temperature once lower than the temperature of the work desk where worker A is located is set as the target value.

The operation calculation unit 62 selects the environmental device 20 to be operated and calculates the operation. Assume that the calculated operation is as shown in FIG. 6B. The operation calculation unit 62 selects air conditioning as the environmental device 20 to be operated, sets the temperature of the heat source to 26 ° C., increases the air volume of the air outlet 1 closest to the work desk, and the air volume of the air outlet 1 closest to the conference room. , And the air volume at the outlet 3 close to other sub-areas unattended is set as medium.

Next, the influence calculation unit 63 predicts how the temperature of each sub-area and the user's evaluation for the environment of each sub-area change. A calculation example predicted by the influence calculation unit 63 is shown in FIG. 6C. Once the temperature of the observation point can be calculated, it is predicted how the subjective environment information indicating the evaluation of the environment will change in the next subarea where the worker is present. This is done by quoting the value of the environment information detection unit 22 near the worker's position. In this specific example, the influence calculation unit 63 holds a history in which the sub-area identifier, temperature, and environmental change are linked. The influence calculation unit 63 can predict a change in the evaluation of the environment of the subarea from the temperature after the operation of each subarea. An example of the objective environment information and the subjective environment information after the operation predicted by the influence calculation unit 63 is shown in FIG. 6C.

Next, the influence calculation unit 63 determines whether another subarea different from the subarea to be controlled satisfies the corresponding other subarea constraint. In the example of FIG. 6C, the subjective environment information of the worker A who is a user of the operation-target subarea is “comfortable” and satisfies the subarea constraint. Furthermore, since more than half of the conference rooms that are not the sub-area to be operated evaluate as “comfortable”, it is determined that the conference rooms that are the other sub-areas also satisfy the sub-area constraint. Therefore, the influence calculation unit 63 transmits the operation shown in FIG. 6B to the control instruction unit 70, and the control instruction unit 70 controls the air conditioning.
[Second Embodiment]
When performing environmental control, there are restrictions on the amount of energy consumption and restrictions on the arrangement and output of the environmental equipment 20, and it may be difficult to satisfy the demands of all subareas. Conventionally, in such a case, a person has responded by stopping the environmental device 20 of a low priority part, but it has been difficult to automate it. In the present embodiment, the operation of the environmental device 20 is determined in consideration of the environmental impact of other subareas and the priority between subareas.

An example of a functional block diagram of the control device 100 in the present embodiment is shown in FIG. 4 as in the first embodiment. The control device 100 in the present embodiment includes an acquisition unit 50, a calculation unit 60, and a control instruction unit 70. The calculation unit 60 includes a target value calculation unit 61, an operation calculation unit 62, and an influence calculation unit 63. Hereinafter, description of functions similar to those of the first embodiment will be omitted as appropriate.

The acquisition unit 50 acquires environment information, activity information, priority information, and sub-area constraints. Furthermore, power information and area restrictions may be acquired.

Priority information indicates the priority for environmental control of the subarea. For example, as a priority, when there are a plurality of small rooms or work spaces as a plurality of sub-areas, priority may be given to a sub-area at a specific location, such as giving priority to the customer service purpose or the work space of an important person. Alternatively, the priority may specify priority sub-area activity information such as “the place where discussions are most exciting”. Or, specify the size of the detected subjective environment information, comfort level, and work efficiency index calculated based on the environmental information, such as “Prefer subareas with many negative evaluations as an evaluation of the environment of subarea users” It may be a priority. A plurality of subareas may have different priorities, and a priority may be set for each of two or more subarea groups.

The method by which the acquisition unit 50 acquires priority information is not particularly limited. For example, a storage unit (not shown), a server, or the like of the control device 100 may hold the priority information in advance. The acquisition unit 50 may access the storage unit or the server and acquire priority information. The acquisition unit 50 transmits the acquired information to the calculation unit 60.

The target value calculation unit 61 acquires the environment information, activity information, and sub-area constraints received from the acquisition unit 50. The target value calculation unit 61 compares the acquired environment information with the subarea constraint, and determines whether or not the acquired environment information satisfies the subarea constraint. The target value calculation unit 61 determines the target value of the environment that satisfies the subarea constraint for the subarea that does not satisfy the subarea constraint. The target value calculation unit 61 transmits the determined target value to the operation calculation unit 62.

The operation calculation unit 62 selects the environmental device 20 necessary for setting the target value, and obtains the operation of the environmental device 20. The operation calculation unit 62 determines the environmental device 20 necessary for setting the objective environmental information of the area to be controlled as the target value, and determines the operation of the determined environmental device 20. For example, when a target value for temperature is acquired from the target value calculation unit 61, an air conditioning facility is selected as the environmental device 20 to be operated. On the other hand, when the target value with respect to the illuminance is acquired from the target value calculation unit 61, lighting, blinds, and the like are selected as the environmental equipment 20 to be operated. The operation calculation unit 62 determines the operation of the selected environmental device 20. The operation calculation unit 62 determines the operation of the on / off of the environmental device 20, the operation mode, and the set value so that the environment of the operation target sub-area becomes the target value. The operation calculation unit 62 transmits the determined operation to the influence calculation unit 63.

The influence calculation unit 63 acquires the subarea constraints of the other subarea from the acquisition unit 50, and determines whether or not the predicted change in the environment of the other subarea is within the range of the corresponding subarea constraint. When the change in the environment of the other subarea is within the range of the subarea restriction, the influence calculation unit 63 transmits the operation of the environmental device 20 acquired from the operation calculation unit 62 to the control instruction unit 70. Further, when there is an area restriction, it is determined whether the operation of the environmental device 20 satisfies the area restriction. For example, the influence calculation unit 63 may determine whether the energy consumption of the area 200 after the operation satisfies the area constraint. Alternatively, it may be determined whether the environment or index of the area 200 having a plurality of subareas satisfies the area constraint. If the area constraint is not satisfied, the target value and operation may be recalculated so as to satisfy the area constraint. Alternatively, the number of subareas to be operated may be changed.

When the sub area constraint is not satisfied, the influence calculation unit 63 compares the priority of the sub area to be operated with the priority of the other sub area with the other sub area that does not satisfy the sub area constraint.
When the priority of the subarea to be operated is higher than the priority of other subareas, the influence calculation unit 63 determines to operate the environmental device 20 by the operation calculated by the operation calculation unit 62. The influence calculation unit 63 transmits the identifier indicating the determined environmental device 20 to be operated and the operation of the environmental device 20 to the control instruction unit 70.

When the priority of the other sub-area is higher than the priority of the sub-area to be operated, the influence calculation unit 63 rejects the operation calculated by the operation calculation unit 62. The influence calculation unit 63 instructs the target value calculation unit 61 and the operation calculation unit 62 to recalculate at least one of the target value and the operation. The influence calculation unit 63 may transmit, to the operation calculation unit 62, a subarea identifier indicating another subarea that does not satisfy the subarea constraint together with a recalculation instruction.

The control instruction unit 70 receives from the influence calculation unit 63 information indicating the identifier indicating the operation target environmental device 20 and the operation of the environmental device 20. The control instruction unit 20 may control the environmental device 20 by transmitting an operation to the environmental device 20 to be operated. Alternatively, an identifier indicating the environmental device 20 to be operated and information indicating the operation may be transmitted to the administrator or user computer of the area 200. The manager or user of the area can control the environmental device 20 based on information displayed on the display unit of the computer.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the control device 100 in the present embodiment.

In step S201, the acquisition unit 50 acquires objective environment information indicating environmental information that can be detected by the sensor for each sub-area and subjective environment information indicating evaluation of the user of the sub-area. The acquisition unit 50 transmits the acquired objective environment information and subjective environment information to the calculation unit 60.

In step S202, the acquisition unit 50 acquires activity information indicating the user activity contents in each sub-area. The acquisition unit 50 transmits the acquired activity information to the calculation unit 60.
In step S <b> 203, the acquisition unit 50 acquires subarea constraint information indicating the environmental restrictions of each subarea. The method by which the acquisition unit 50 acquires the sub area constraint is not particularly limited. For example, the storage unit may hold a table that associates an identifier for identifying each subarea with a corresponding subarea constraint. The acquisition unit 50 may acquire a subarea constraint for each subarea with reference to the table. The acquisition unit 50 transmits the acquired subarea restriction to the calculation unit 60.

In step S204, the acquisition unit 50 acquires the priority for environmental control of the subarea. The method for acquiring the priority of the subarea is not particularly limited. For example, the storage unit may hold a table in which identifiers specifying each sub-area are associated with priorities. Alternatively, the priority input by the user or administrator of the area 200 may be acquired.

In step S205, the target value calculation unit 61 determines whether the acquired environment information satisfies the sub-area constraint. When the acquired environmental information and activity information of each sub-area satisfy the sub-area restriction indicated by the sub-area restriction, the operation in the control device 100 is terminated.

On the other hand, if the acquired environmental information and activity information of each sub-area does not satisfy the sub-area constraint, the process proceeds to step S206.

In step S206, the target value calculation unit 61 determines a target value that satisfies the subarea constraint for the subarea that does not satisfy the subarea constraint. Here, the target value indicates the value of objective environment information of the sub-area to be operated. If the subjective environment information or the comfort, work efficiency, or productivity obtained based on the environment information does not satisfy the sub-area constraints, the target value calculation unit 61 sets the objective environment information such that these indices satisfy the sub-area constraints. Determine the value. The target value calculation unit 61 transmits the determined target value to the operation calculation unit 62.

In step S207, the operation calculation unit 62 acquires the target value of the sub-area to be operated from the target value calculation unit 61. The operation calculation unit 62 selects the environmental device 20 to be operated to set the objective environment information of the operation target sub-area as a target value. Further, the operation of the selected environmental device 20 is determined. Here, the operation of the environmental device 20 indicates the output of the environmental device 20. For example, the on / off of the environmental device 20, the operation mode, the strength setting value, the direction, and the like are operations. The operation calculation unit 62 transmits the selected environmental device 20 to be operated and the operation to the influence calculation unit 63.

In step S208, the influence calculation unit 63 acquires the operation target environmental device 20 and the operation of the environmental device 20 received from the operation calculation unit 62. The influence calculation unit 63 obtains a change in the environment of another subarea that is different from the operation target subarea due to the operation obtained by the operation calculation unit 62 of the environmental device 20. The influence calculation unit 63 determines whether or not the change in the environment of the other subarea satisfies the subarea constraint of the other subarea. When the change in the environment of the other subarea satisfies the subarea constraint of the other subarea, the influence calculation unit 63 transmits the environmental device 20 to be operated and information indicating the operation to the control instruction unit 70.

If the change in the environment of the other sub-area does not satisfy the constraints of the other sub-area, the process proceeds to step S209. In step S209, the influence calculation unit 63 compares the priority of the operation target sub-area with the priority of other sub-areas that do not satisfy the constraint. When the priority of the sub-area to be operated is higher than the priority of other sub-areas, it is determined to operate the environmental device 20 by the operation obtained by the operation calculation unit 62.

On the other hand, when the priority of the sub-area to be operated is lower than the priority of the other sub-areas, the influence calculation unit 63 rejects the operation obtained by the operation calculation unit 62. The influence calculation unit 63 may instruct the operation so that the change in the environment or activity of another sub-area with high priority falls within the range of the constraint condition of the other sub-area with high priority. Alternatively, it may be determined that the environmental device 20 is not operated.

In step S210, the control instruction unit 70 acquires information indicating the operation target environmental device 20 and the operation of the environmental device 20 from the calculation unit 60. The control instruction unit 70 may transmit an operation signal indicating an operation to the environmental device 20. Alternatively, an operation signal may be transmitted to an area manager or a user's computer or terminal via a network. The computer that has received the received operation signal displays the environmental device 20 to be operated and its operation on the display unit. The manager or user of the area may operate the environmental device 20 based on the display.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the operation is recalculated when the sub-area with high priority does not satisfy the sub-area constraint. According to the present embodiment as described above, the environmental device 20 can be operated so as to maintain an environment in which a sub-area with high priority satisfies the sub-area constraint.
[Specific example 2 of operation]
Assume that there are multiple meeting rooms, multiple meeting corners, and multiple seats on one floor of the office, each of which is a sub-area. The environmental equipment 20 is assumed to be an air conditioner having one heat source and a plurality of wind outlets.

First, the acquisition unit 50 of the control device 100 acquires information on the current environment from the environment information detection unit 22. The acquisition method may be a method of installing temperature sensors, humidity sensors, and illuminance sensors that automatically transmit the temperature to the server by wireless or the like, or a method using temperature sensors or humidity sensors attached to the air conditioner. A method in which the administrator manually inputs the numerical values of the thermometer and the hygrometer periodically may be used.

Next, the acquisition unit 50 acquires a control target value from an administrator or the like. The target value may be a uniform value such as 28 ° C. for the entire area, or may be set for each sub-area. Here, it is assumed that the entire area is set to 28 ° C. It is assumed that the value acquired by the acquisition unit 50 has been converted to the target value of each temperature observation point of each subarea as shown in FIG. 8A for later calculation by the target value calculation unit 61. The sub-area and the temperature observation point do not need to coincide with each other, and there may be a plurality of temperature observation points in one sub-area as shown in FIG. 8A.

Next, the acquisition unit 50 acquires information on subarea restrictions and priorities of each subarea. Here, it is assumed that the manager of the management company that manages the environmental devices 20 on the office floor inputs the sub-area restrictions, and the person in charge of the company on the floor sets priority information. The sub-area constraint may be, for example, the value of contract power contracted with an electric power company in the building, or may be the power value of an energy saving target based on the contract power. Moreover, the preset target temperature of each air conditioner in the floor, which is known as a rule for each floor from the energy saving target, may be used. In this specific example, it is assumed that the sub-area restriction is an upper limit value of power consumption of the entire area. An example of setting the priority is shown in FIG. 8B. Meeting rooms A and B have higher priority than other areas because customers may visit.

The target value calculation unit 61 acquires the target value from the acquisition unit 50. The target value calculation unit 61 selects the conference room A, the conference room B, the self-seat area B, and the self-seat area C as sub-areas for changing the environment, and determines a target value indicating that the room temperature is 28 ° C.

Next, the operation calculation unit 62 calculates the operation of the environmental equipment 20 for achieving the target value. An example of the calculation result is shown in FIG. 8C. This example shows that the set temperature of the heat source is changed to 26 ° C., the air volume at the air outlet 1 is strong, the air volume at the air outlet 2 is weak, and the air volume at the air outlet 3 is medium. When there are multiple air outlets in one heat source, there is a correlation between the air volume, such as if the air volume at the air outlet near the heat source is maximized, the air volume at the air outlet far from the heat source will be weakened. It is necessary to decide.

When the operation can be calculated, the influence calculation unit 63 calculates a change in the environment of another sub-area when the operation is performed. Further, since the sub-area restriction is the power consumption amount of the entire area, the necessary power amount is also calculated by performing the operation. Then, the influence calculation unit 63 determines whether the calculated result satisfies the sub-area constraint. When other subareas do not satisfy the subarea constraint, recalculation is performed in the target value calculation unit 61 and the operation calculation unit 62. At the time of recalculation, the setting of a place with a low priority is finely adjusted based on the priority table shown in FIG. 8B. For example, from FIGS. 8A and 8B, it is determined that the environment is not changed for the temperature observation point 3 in the self-seat area B having a low priority and the temperature observation point 4 in the self-seat area C. Alternatively, the target values of the self-seat area B and the self-seat area C with low priority may be raised by 1 ° C or lowered by 1 ° C. This is performed until the change in the environment of the other subareas calculated by the influence calculation unit 63 reaches a value that satisfies the corresponding subarea constraint, and if the value is determined, the air conditioner is actually controlled.
[Specific example 3 of operation]
In this specific example, it is assumed that there are a plurality of assembly lines on one floor in a factory where parts are assembled. Assume that each assembly line is a sub-area. The environmental equipment 20 is assumed to be an air conditioner having one heat source and a plurality of wind outlets.

The acquisition unit 50 acquires the temperature of each sub area from the environment information detection unit 22, and acquires the production amount of each sub area as activity information. An example of the acquired temperature and activity information of each sub-area is shown in FIG. 9A.

Next, the acquisition unit 50 acquires the priority from the manager of the line. An example of priority is shown in FIG. 9B. In the case of an assembly plant, there are lines that must be in operation at all times, and there are lines that change fluidly in priority, such as lines through which products are coming soon. The administrator then sets the priority according to the time.

Next, the acquisition unit 50 acquires sub-area constraints from the line manager. Here, the minimum value of the product assembly number (productivity) per unit time of each line is acquired as a sub-area constraint. An example of the sub-area constraint is shown in FIG. 9C. Since the complexity of the work differs depending on the line, the constraint is set for each line here, but the same constraint value may be used for all the lines.

The target value calculation unit 61 selects a subarea for changing the environment based on the acquired activity information and subarea constraints. Here, according to FIG. 9A and FIG. 9C, the product boxing line B does not satisfy the sub-area constraint, so a target value that satisfies the sub-area constraint is calculated. Here, it is assumed that a target value “20 product packaging quantities” is calculated as the target value.

Next, the operation calculation unit 62 calculates the operation of the environmental equipment 20 to achieve the target value. Assume that the calculation result is the same as in FIG. 8C. The influence calculation unit 63 calculates the influence on other subareas when operated by the operation calculated by the operation calculation unit 62. Since the sub-area constraint is productivity, the influence calculation unit 63 calculates the predicted temperature of each sub-area when the environmental equipment 20 is operated according to the operation of FIG. 8C and estimates the productivity at that temperature. Calculate with For example, the productivity may be estimated by referring to data in which the past temperature is associated with the productivity at that time. An example of the influence of other subareas calculated by the influence calculation unit 63 is shown in FIG. 9D.

The influence calculation unit 63 determines whether the calculated productivity of other subareas satisfies the corresponding subarea constraint. In the example of FIG. 9D, it can be seen that the productivity of the part assembly line B and the product boxing line A does not satisfy the sub-area constraint. Here, the parts assembly line B has the same priority as the product packaging line B, which is the sub-area to be operated, and the product packaging line A has a lower priority than the product packaging line B, which is the sub-area to be operated. Therefore, the operation is recalculated so that the component assembly line B which is another sub-area satisfies the corresponding sub-area constraint. For example, if the target temperature of each temperature observation point is set and the operation of the device is requested, the recalculation method may change the target temperature of the part assembly line B from the current target temperature. As a result of the recalculation, if an operation that can satisfy the sub-area constraint is obtained, it is determined as the final operation. If an operation that satisfies the sub-area constraints of the low-priority product boxing line A is required due to the installation location of the environmental equipment 20 or the interference of a plurality of outlets, the operation may be the final operation.

In the examples so far, there is only one restriction, but there may be a plurality of restrictions. When there are a plurality of constraints, a control method that satisfies all the constraints may be calculated. Alternatively, when the constraints conflict with each other, a control method that satisfies a high priority constraint may be calculated. For example, productivity and an upper limit value of energy consumption are given as constraints, and the energy constraint may have a higher priority than the productivity constraint. In this case, there may be a sub-area that does not satisfy the productivity constraint. A control method in which all sub-areas satisfy at least energy constraints can be the final operation.
[Specific Example 4 of Operation]
In this specific example, it is assumed that the store is a clothing store where consumers come to shop. Divide the store into multiple sub-areas. The environmental equipment 20 is assumed to be an air conditioner having one heat source and a plurality of wind outlets. In this specific example, it is assumed that the number of people in the sub-area is acquired as the activity information, and the priority is defined to be higher in the sub-area with a larger number of people.

The activity information detection unit 23 detects the position of the person in the sub area and acquires the number of persons for each sub area. As the acquisition method, a human sensor or an infrared sensor may be used, or a camera image may be detected. Alternatively, the consumer may transmit BLUETOOTH (registered trademark) radio waves from a smartphone or mobile phone, receive radio waves from a receiver installed on a store pillar or desk, and count the number of people.

The acquisition unit 50 acquires environmental information, activity information, priority, and sub-area restrictions for stores that are areas. Here, it is assumed that the upper limit value of power consumption that can be used in the store is acquired as a sub-area constraint. Further, the number of persons in each sub-area detected by the activity information detection unit 23 is acquired as activity information. It is assumed that the priority defines that a sub-area with a larger number of people has a higher priority.

The target value calculation unit 61 obtains a target value of power consumption that is equal to or lower than the upper limit value of energy consumption for a sub-area that does not satisfy the sub-area constraint. The operation calculation unit 62 determines the air conditioning operation so that the power consumption becomes the target value.

Based on the operation obtained by the operation calculation unit 62, the influence calculation unit 63 calculates a change in the environment of another sub-area. When other subareas do not satisfy the corresponding subarea restriction, the priority and the target temperature for each subarea are calculated again. For example, during the cooling period, the target temperature of the sub-area with the largest number of sub-areas is lowered, and the target temperature of the sub-area with few or no people is left or raised and recalculated.
[Third Embodiment]
Even in a sub-area with a high priority, there is a case where priority is not necessarily required, for example, there are no people in the sub-area and there is a low demand for comfort. On the other hand, there may be a strong demand for the environment in a sub-area with a low priority. In this case, there is a possibility that an inconvenience that the environment of the subarea having a large change demand is not improved in order to maintain the environment of the subarea having a low demand. Therefore, the environment control system in the present embodiment controls the environmental device 20 based on the priority of the subarea and the strength of the request for the change in the environment of the subarea.

FIG. 10 shows an example of functional blocks of the control device 100 in the present embodiment. The control device 100 according to the present embodiment includes an acquisition unit 50, a target value calculation unit 61, an operation calculation unit 62, an influence calculation unit 63, and a request degree calculation unit 64, and a control instruction unit 70. . Hereinafter, descriptions of functions common to the first and second embodiments will be omitted as appropriate.

The acquisition unit 50 acquires objective environment information, subjective environment information and activity information, priority, and sub-area constraints. Further, power information and area restrictions may be acquired. The acquisition unit 50 transmits the acquired objective environment information, subjective environment information, activity information, subarea constraints, and priority to the calculation unit 60.

The request level calculation unit 64 calculates the request level using the environment information acquired from the acquisition unit 50. Furthermore, you may calculate a request degree using activity information. For example, the number of users in the sub area is acquired as activity information. The number of times of evaluation of the environment acquired as subjective environment information with respect to the number of people in the sub-area and the ratio of the number of persons may be obtained, and the higher the evaluation, the higher the degree of request may be determined. The request level calculation unit 64 transmits the calculated request level to the influence calculation unit 63.

Requirement level indicates the level of demand for changes in the sub-area environment. The higher the requirement, the stronger the desire to maintain or change the sub-area environment.

The request level calculation unit 64 may obtain the request level from the frequency at which the environment information detection unit 22 detects the subjective environment information or the number of evaluations included in the subjective environment information. For example, the degree of request may be the number of times the sub-area user inputs subjective environment information within a certain period, or the number of people who have input. For example, an evaluation with a large number of evaluation persons or an evaluation with a large number of evaluation inputs within a certain period may be determined to be more demanding. Alternatively, it is assumed that an evaluation having multiple stages such as “very hot, hot, comfortable, cold, very cold” is acquired as subjective environment information. In this case, it is determined that the evaluation of “very hot” and “very cold” is higher than the evaluation of “hot” and “cold”.

The target value calculation unit 61 acquires subjective environment information, objective environment information, activity information, and subarea constraints from the acquisition unit 50. Further, power information and area restrictions may be acquired. The target value calculation unit 61 compares the acquired environment information with the subarea constraint, and determines whether or not the acquired environment information satisfies the subarea constraint. Further, it may be determined whether or not an index obtained based on at least one of subjective environment information, objective environment information, and activity information satisfies a sub-area constraint. When at least one subarea of the plurality of subareas does not satisfy the subarea constraint, the target value calculation unit 61 calculates the environmental target value again for the subarea that does not satisfy the subarea constraint. The target value calculation unit 61 transmits the target value to the operation calculation unit 62.

The operation calculation unit 62 selects an environmental device 20 necessary for making the environment of the sub-area to be controlled equal to the target value, and obtains an operation of the environmental device 20. Here, making the sub-area environment equal to the target value may include bringing the sub-area environment closer to the target value. The operation calculation unit 62 obtains an operation indicating an operation state (on, off, operation mode) of the environmental device 20 and a set value of the environmental device 20 such that the objective environment of the operation target area becomes a target value. The operation calculation unit 62 transmits the obtained operation to the influence calculation unit 63.

The influence calculation unit 63 obtains a change in the environment of another sub-area when the environmental device 20 is operated by the operation obtained by the operation calculation unit 62. The influence calculation unit 63 obtains a change in the environment of another subarea when the environmental device 20 is operated based on the operation acquired from the operation calculation unit 62 and the environment information of the other subarea. Further, the operation calculation unit 62 may further predict a change in the environment of the other subarea based on the amount of change in the environment of the other subarea.

The influence calculation unit 63 determines whether or not environmental changes in other subareas satisfy the corresponding subarea constraint. When the other subarea does not satisfy the constraint, the influence calculation unit 63 acquires the priority and the request level for the other subarea that does not satisfy the subarea constraint and the subarea to be operated. When the priority of the sub-area to be operated is higher than the priority of other sub-areas and the request level is high, the influence calculation unit 63 decides to operate the environmental device 20 by the operation calculated by the operation calculation unit 62. To do. On the other hand, when the priority of the operation target sub-area is higher than the other sub-areas and the request level is lower than the other sub-areas, the influence calculation unit 63 rejects the operation in the operation calculated by the operation calculation unit 62. The influence calculation unit 63 instructs the target value calculation unit 61 and the operation calculation unit 62 to recalculate at least one of the target value and the operation. The influence calculation unit 63 may transmit, to the operation calculation unit 62, a subarea identifier indicating another subarea that does not satisfy the subarea constraint together with a recalculation instruction.

Thus, whether or not the environmental device 20 can be operated is determined using the priority level and the request level. Therefore, a variable request degree can be reflected on the priority according to the situation of the subarea user or the user.

The control instruction unit 70 receives from the influence calculation unit 63 information indicating the identifier indicating the operation target environmental device 20 and the operation of the environmental device 20. The control instruction unit 20 may control the environmental device 20 by transmitting an operation to the environmental device 20 to be operated. Alternatively, an identifier indicating the environmental device 20 to be operated and information indicating the operation may be transmitted to the area manager or the user's computer. The manager or user of the area can control the environmental device 20 based on information displayed on the display unit of the computer.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the environmental device 20 can be controlled based on the priority of the sub area and the strength of the request for the change in the environment of the sub area. According to the present embodiment as described above, it is possible to change the priority sub-area according to the degree of demand for environmental changes. For this reason, the environmental equipment 20 can be controlled in accordance with the presence / absence of a person in the sub-area and the user's activity.

Further, according to the present embodiment, the environmental equipment 20 is controlled based on the degree of request. Therefore, it is possible to determine a target value or an operation that satisfies a sub-area constraint for a sub-area having a high degree of request among sub-areas having the same priority.

A program for realizing all or part of the functions of the embodiments described above is recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, and the program recorded on the recording medium is read by a computer (or computer system) and executed. By doing so, you may process each part. Examples of the “computer” include a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The “computer-readable recording medium” is, for example, a non-transitory storage device. Examples of non-temporary storage devices include a magneto-optical disk, a ROM (Read Only Memory), a portable medium such as a nonvolatile semiconductor memory, and a hard disk built in a computer system. The “computer-readable recording medium” may be a temporary storage device. As an example of a temporary storage device, for example, a communication line in the case of transmitting a program via a network such as the Internet or a communication line such as a telephone line, or a volatile memory inside a computer system can be cited. Further, the program may be for realizing a part of the above-described functions, and may be capable of realizing the above-described functions in combination with a program already recorded in the computer system. .
The present invention has been described above with reference to the embodiments, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. Various changes that can be understood by those skilled in the art can be made to the configuration and details of the present invention within the scope of the present invention.
[Appendix 1]
An environment control device that controls a plurality of environmental devices that adjust the environment of an area having a plurality of sub-areas,
An acquisition unit for acquiring environment information indicating an environment of each of the plurality of sub-areas, and a sub-area constraint indicating an environment restriction of each of the sub-areas;
A target value calculation unit that selects a target subarea whose environment is to be changed from the plurality of subareas based on the environment information and the subarea constraint, and determines a target value of the environment of the target subarea; ,
Due to the control of the environmental equipment that satisfies the target value of the target subarea, a change in the environment received by another subarea different from the target subarea among the plurality of subareas is changed in the subarea of the other subarea. An impact calculator that determines whether the area constraint is satisfied,
Environmental control device.
[Appendix 2]
The acquisition unit further acquires activity information indicating an activity of each of the plurality of sub-areas,
The target value calculation unit determines the target value of the environment of the target subarea and the target subarea based on the environment information, the activity information, and the subarea constraint.
The environmental control device according to attachment 1.
[Appendix 3]
A control instruction unit;
When a change in the environment of another subarea by the control of the environmental device that satisfies the target value satisfies the subarea constraint of the other subarea,
The control instruction unit outputs a control instruction to the environmental device to be operated;
The environmental control device according to appendix 1 or 2.
[Appendix 4]
When a change in the environment of another subarea by the control of the environmental device that satisfies the target value does not satisfy the subarea restriction of the other subarea,
The influence calculation unit instructs the target value calculation unit to recalculate the target value.
The environmental control device according to appendix 1 or 2.
[Appendix 5]
The environment information includes objective environment information indicating an environment of a subarea that can be detected by a sensor, and subjective environment information indicating an evaluation of a user of the subarea with respect to the environment.
The environmental control device according to any one of supplementary notes 1 to 3.
[Appendix 6]
The change in environment indicates a change in at least one of an environment of a subarea detectable by a sensor and an evaluation of a user in the subarea.
The environmental control device according to any one of appendices 1 to 5.
[Appendix 7]
An operation calculator that calculates the operation of the environmental equipment that satisfies the target value;
The influence calculation unit selects a sub-area affected by the operation as the other sub-area based on the operation of the environmental device.
The environmental control device according to any one of appendices 1 to 6.
[Appendix 8]
The acquisition unit further acquires an area constraint indicating a restriction of control for an area having a plurality of sub-areas,
The operation calculation unit determines the target value so as to satisfy the area constraint.
The environmental control device according to any one of appendices 1 to 7.
[Appendix 9]
Obtaining priorities for environmental control of the plurality of sub-areas;
The influence calculation unit determines the priority of the target subarea and the priority of the other subarea when a change in environment of the other subarea does not satisfy the subarea restriction of the other subarea. Compare,
Determining whether to operate the environmental equipment based on the result of the comparison;
The environmental control device according to any one of appendices 1 to 8.
[Appendix 10]
When the priority of the target subarea is lower than the priority of the other subarea,
The target value calculation unit recalculates a target value so that a change in the environment of the other subarea satisfies the subarea constraint of the other subarea.
The environmental control device according to appendix 9.
[Appendix 11]
When the priority of the target subarea is higher than the priority of the other subarea, the control instruction unit outputs a control instruction to the environmental device to be operated.
The environmental control device according to appendix 9.
[Appendix 12]
The target value calculation unit calculates a target value of the subarea so that a productivity index indicating a degree of productivity calculated using the environmental information and the activity information of the subarea satisfies the subarea constraint. ,
The influence calculation unit determines whether a change in the productivity index of the other subarea when the environmental device that satisfies the target value is satisfied satisfies the corresponding subarea constraint.
The environmental control device according to any one of appendices 1 to 11.
[Appendix 13]
An environmental device for adjusting the environment of an area having a plurality of sub-areas;
An environmental information detector for detecting environmental information of the sub-area;
A control device that communicates with the environmental equipment, the environmental information detection unit, and the activity information detection unit;
The controller is
An acquisition unit for acquiring environment information indicating an environment of each of the plurality of sub-areas, and a sub-area constraint indicating an environment restriction of each of the sub-areas;
A target value calculation unit that selects a target subarea whose environment is to be changed from the plurality of subareas based on the environment information and the subarea constraint, and determines a target value of the environment of the target subarea; ,
Due to the control of the environmental equipment that satisfies the target value of the target subarea, a change in the environment received by another subarea different from the target subarea among the plurality of subareas is changed in the subarea of the other subarea. An impact calculator that determines whether the area constraint is satisfied,
Environmental control system.
[Appendix 14]
Obtaining environmental information indicating the environment of each of the plurality of sub-areas, and sub-area constraints indicating the environment restrictions of each of the sub-areas;
Based on the environment information and the subarea constraint, select a target subarea to change the environment from among the plurality of subareas,
Determining a target value for the environment of the target sub-area;
By controlling an environmental device that satisfies the target value of the target subarea, an environmental change received by another subarea different from the target subarea among the plurality of subareas is changed in the other subarea. Determine if sub-area constraints are met,
Control method.
[Appendix 15]
Obtaining environmental information indicating the environment of each of the plurality of sub-areas, and sub-area constraints indicating the environment restrictions of each of the sub-areas;
Based on the environment information and the subarea constraint, select a target subarea to change the environment from among the plurality of subareas,
Determining a target value for the environment of the target sub-area;
By controlling an environmental device that satisfies the target value of the target subarea, an environmental change received by another subarea different from the target subarea among the plurality of subareas is changed in the other subarea. Determine if sub-area constraints are met,
A program that causes a computer to execute.

This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2014-242726 filed on Dec. 1, 2014, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Control apparatus 200 Area 20 Environmental equipment 21 Power information detection part 22 Environmental information detection part 23 Activity information detection part 50 Acquisition part 60 Calculation part 70 Control instruction | indication part

Claims

An environment control device that controls a plurality of environmental devices that adjust the environment of an area having a plurality of sub-areas,
An acquisition unit for acquiring environment information indicating an environment of each of the plurality of sub-areas, and a sub-area constraint indicating an environment restriction of each of the sub-areas;
Based on the environment information and the sub-area constraints, a target sub-area for changing the environment from the plurality of sub-areas is selected, and a target value calculation unit that determines a target value of the environment of the target sub-area;
Due to the control of the environmental equipment that satisfies the target value of the target subarea, a change in the environment received by another subarea different from the target subarea among the plurality of subareas is changed in the subarea of the other subarea. An impact calculator that determines whether the area constraint is satisfied,
Environmental control device.
The acquisition unit further acquires activity information indicating an activity of each of the plurality of sub-areas,
The target value calculation unit determines the target value of the environment of the target subarea and the target subarea based on the environment information, the activity information, and the subarea constraint.
The environment control device according to claim 1.
A control instruction unit;
When a change in the environment of another subarea by the control of the environmental device that satisfies the target value satisfies the subarea constraint of the other subarea,
The control instruction unit outputs a control instruction to the environmental device to be operated;
The environment control device according to claim 1 or 2.
When a change in the environment of another subarea by the control of the environmental device that satisfies the target value does not satisfy the subarea restriction of the other subarea,
The influence calculation unit instructs the target calculation unit to recalculate the target value.
The environment control device according to claim 1 or 2.
The environment information includes objective environment information indicating an environment of a subarea that can be detected by a sensor, and subjective environment information indicating an evaluation of a user of the subarea with respect to the environment.
The environment control apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3.
The change in environment indicates a change in at least one of an environment of a subarea detectable by a sensor and an evaluation of a user in the subarea.
The environment control device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.
An operation calculator that calculates the operation of the environmental equipment that satisfies the target value;
The influence calculation unit selects a sub-area affected by the operation as the other sub-area based on the operation of the environmental device.
The environment control device according to any one of claims 1 to 6.
The acquisition unit further acquires an area constraint indicating a restriction of control for an area having a plurality of sub-areas,
The target calculation unit determines the target value so as to satisfy the area constraint.
The environment control device according to any one of claims 1 to 7.
Obtaining priorities for environmental control of the plurality of sub-areas;
The influence calculation unit determines the priority of the target subarea and the priority of the other subarea when a change in environment of the other subarea does not satisfy the subarea restriction of the other subarea. Compare,
Determining whether to operate the environmental equipment based on the result of the comparison;
The environment control apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8.
When the priority of the target subarea is lower than the priority of the other subarea,
The target value calculation unit recalculates a target value so that a change in the environment of the other subarea satisfies the subarea constraint of the other subarea.
The environment control device according to claim 9.
When the priority of the target subarea is higher than the priority of the other subarea, the control instruction unit outputs a control instruction to the environmental device to be operated.
The environment control device according to claim 9.
The target value calculation unit calculates a target value of the subarea so that a productivity index indicating a degree of productivity calculated using the environment information and the activity information satisfies the subarea constraint,
The influence calculation unit determines whether a change in the productivity index of the other subarea when the environmental device that satisfies the target value is satisfied satisfies the corresponding subarea constraint.
The environment control device according to any one of claims 2 to 11.
An environmental device for adjusting the environment of an area having a plurality of sub-areas;
An environmental information detector for detecting environmental information of the sub-area;
A control device that communicates with the environmental equipment, the environmental information detection unit, and the activity information detection unit;
The controller is
An acquisition unit for acquiring environment information indicating an environment of each of the plurality of sub-areas, and a sub-area constraint indicating an environment restriction of each of the sub-areas;
A target value calculation unit that selects a target subarea whose environment is to be changed from the plurality of subareas based on the environment information and the subarea constraint, and determines a target value of the environment of the target subarea; ,
Due to the control of the environmental equipment that satisfies the target value of the target subarea, a change in the environment received by another subarea different from the target subarea among the plurality of subareas is changed in the subarea of the other subarea. An impact calculator that determines whether the area constraint is satisfied,
Environmental control system.