Air-conditioning apparatus setting device, air-conditioning apparatus setting system, setting method, and program

Abstract

To provide an air-conditioning apparatus setting device capable of setting a suitable temperature sensor to be used for air-conditioning control among a plurality of temperature sensors, for an air-conditioning apparatus.SOLUTION: An information acquisition part 101 acquires temperature information showing a temperature measured by one of a plurality of temperature sensors and operation information showing the operation state of an air-conditioning apparatus 200. A determination part 102 determines whether the temperature sensor measuring the temperature information is installed in the same room with the air-conditioning apparatus 200 based upon the temperature information and operation information that the information acquisition part 101 acquires. A setting part 103 sets a temperature sensor to be used for air-conditioning control among the plurality of temperature sensors, for the air-conditioning apparatus 200 based upon the determination result of the determination part 102.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an air conditioning equipment setting device, an air conditioning equipment setting system, a setting method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] Air conditioners are installed in buildings such as office buildings. Air conditioners control the air conditioning by generating warm or cold air and sending it into the room. These air conditioners are equipped with a temperature sensor, and control the air conditioning in the room according to the room temperature measured by this temperature sensor. Typically, the temperature sensor is attached to the air intake of the indoor unit, which is part of the air conditioner. Also, a temperature sensor is often attached to the remote control that issues commands to the air conditioner.

[0003] Taking winter as an example, air conditioners control air conditioning by appropriately supplying warm air to realize a comfortable thermal environment for people in an office, for example. For this reason, it is desirable for the temperature sensor to measure the temperature of the indoor air, especially the air at a height of about 1 m above the floor where people move around. If the temperature sensor is installed at the air intake of the indoor unit, it may measure a temperature different from the temperature of the air at a height of about 1 m. One of the reasons for this is the temperature difference that occurs when the air in the room is not sufficiently stirred, and warm air tends to rise to the ceiling. Another reason is that the warm air discharged from the indoor unit hits the surrounding walls, pillars, etc. and returns to the intake, resulting in a short cycle in which such air is sucked in.

[0004] In this way, the temperature sensor installed in the indoor unit may not be able to measure the appropriate room temperature, especially the temperature of the air at a height of about 1m. Therefore, if possible, it is desirable to use another temperature sensor that can measure air at a height of about 1m. For example, if the remote control of an air conditioner has a built-in temperature sensor, and that remote control is installed in the same room as the room you want to heat, the temperature measured by the remote control's temperature sensor can be used as the control target. However, if the remote controls of multiple air conditioners are installed together in different rooms, the remote control's temperature sensor will measure the temperature of a room other than the room you want to heat. In such a case, the temperature measured by the remote control's temperature sensor cannot be used as the control target.

[0005] Air conditioners that can obtain temperature information from both the temperature sensor in the indoor unit and the temperature sensor in the remote control generally allow the main unit to set which temperature sensor to use for air conditioning control. Such settings can be manually performed by the air conditioner installer or the building manager. Note that the initial settings are often set to use the temperature sensor in the indoor unit for air conditioning control. However, if the indoor unit's temperature sensor is used for air conditioning control with the initial settings left unchanged without considering the effects of structures around the air conditioner, the above-mentioned short cycle may occur. When a short cycle occurs, the warm air expelled by the indoor unit is sucked in and measured as the room temperature, so it may be determined that the target temperature has been reached before the room is sufficiently warmed, and the supply of warm air may be stopped. On the other hand, after manually setting the temperature sensor of the remote control to be used for air conditioning control, for example, the partitions in the room may be changed to separate the room in which the remote control is installed from the room in which the air conditioner is installed. In this case, the temperature of the room to be heated by the air conditioner cannot be measured by the temperature sensor of the remote control, so even after the room has been sufficiently heated, it may be determined that the target temperature has not been reached, and the supply of warm air may continue.

[0006] When these inconveniences occur, it is necessary to manually change the settings of the air conditioning equipment again so that the appropriate temperature sensor is used. However, since the building manager is busy with normal operation work, he or she may not have time to change the settings of the air conditioning equipment, and once the settings have been changed, it is difficult to reset the settings to use the appropriate temperature sensor.

[0007] Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for measuring the temperature of a specific heat source in a room using a temperature sensor (thermopile) built into a remote control, and controlling the temperature as a control target. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0008] [Patent Document 1] JP 2009-109025 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0009] The technology disclosed in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1 is expected to enable air conditioning control without causing short cycles, using a temperature sensor built into the remote control.

[0010] However, with the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1, it was necessary to check whether the remote control was attached to the remote control holder, that is, whether the remote control was in the same room as the indoor unit (paragraph

[0096] and Figure 5).

[0011] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to provide an air conditioning equipment setting device, an air conditioning equipment setting system, a setting method, and a program that can set an appropriate temperature sensor to be used for air conditioning control in an air conditioning equipment from among multiple temperature sensors. [Means for solving the problem]

[0012] In order to achieve the above object, an air conditioning equipment setting device according to the present disclosure includes: An information acquisition means for acquiring temperature information indicating a temperature measured by any one of a plurality of temperature sensors and operation information indicating an operation state of the air conditioner; a determination means for determining whether or not a temperature sensor that measured the temperature information is installed in the same room as the air conditioner, based on the temperature information and the operation information acquired by the information acquisition means; a setting means for setting, in the air conditioner, a temperature sensor to be used for air conditioning control from among the plurality of temperature sensors based on a result of the determination by the determining means; Equipped with. Effect of the Invention

[0013] According to the present disclosure, an appropriate temperature sensor to be used for air conditioning control from among a plurality of temperature sensors can be set in an air conditioning device. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] A block diagram showing the overall configuration of an air conditioning equipment setting system according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] Block diagram showing the configuration of air conditioning equipment [Diagram 3] A graph showing the relationship between the outdoor unit's operating status and the sensor value over time [Figure 4] 1 is a flowchart showing an example of a setting process executed by an air conditioning equipment setting device according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of an air conditioning equipment setting system according to a modified example of the second embodiment. [Figure 6] (a) is a graph showing the relationship between the operating state of the air conditioner and the sensor value over time, and (b) is a histogram showing the temperature distribution. [Figure 7] A table showing the results of sampling specific sensor values. [Figure 8] A graph showing specific sensor values [Figure 9] Frequency distribution table of specific sensor values [Figure 10] Histogram showing the temperature distribution of specific sensor values [Figure 11] Table showing calculated values ​​for each interval [Figure 12] FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of an air conditioning equipment setting system according to another embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0015] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In addition, the same or corresponding parts in the drawings are given the same reference numerals. In addition, the following describes a case where an air conditioner setting system is installed in an office building as an example of a building, but the present disclosure can also be applied to cases where an air conditioner setting system is installed in buildings such as work facilities and public facilities. In other words, the embodiments described below are for explanation purposes and do not limit the scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, a person skilled in the art can adopt an embodiment in which each or all of these elements are replaced with an equivalent, and these embodiments are also included in the scope of the present disclosure.

[0016] (Embodiment 1) 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of an air conditioner setting system 1 according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. As an example, the air conditioner setting system 1 is a system that is installed in a building, such as an office building, and automatically performs useful settings on an air conditioner 200 that air-conditions a room.

[0017] 1, the air conditioner setting system 1 includes an air conditioner setting device 100, an air conditioner 200, and a remote control 300. The air conditioner 200 includes a temperature sensor (an intake temperature sensor 212, described below). The remote control 300 also includes a built-in temperature sensor. In the air conditioner setting system 1, the air conditioner setting device 100 and the air conditioner 200 are connected to be able to communicate with each other via wired communication or wireless communication. The air conditioner 200 and the remote control 300 are also connected to be able to communicate with each other via wired communication or wireless communication. Therefore, the air conditioner setting device 100 is also able to obtain information about the remote control 300 through the air conditioner 200. Note that the air conditioner setting device 100 and the remote control 300 may be able to communicate with each other directly.

[0018] The air conditioning equipment setting device 100 is, for example, a server computer, and automatically performs useful settings for the air conditioning equipment 200 according to information acquired from the air conditioning equipment 200. This air conditioning equipment setting device 100 includes an information acquisition unit 101 which is an example of an information acquisition means, a determination unit 102 which is an example of a determination means, a setting unit 103 which is an example of a setting means, a communication unit 104, and a storage unit 105. The air conditioning equipment setting device 100 is a server computer and has, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), an auxiliary storage device represented by an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or SSD (Solid State Drive), and a communication unit represented by a wired LAN, wireless LAN, etc. The air conditioning equipment setting device 100 realizes an information acquisition unit 101, a judgment unit 102, a setting unit 103, etc. by, for example, a CPU using the RAM as a work memory and executing a program stored in the ROM or an auxiliary storage device to appropriately control the communication unit.

[0019] The information acquiring unit 101 acquires various information from the air conditioning equipment 200 through the communication unit 104. For example, the information acquiring unit 101 acquires operation information indicating the operation state of the air conditioning equipment 200, and temperature information (sensor value) indicating a temperature measured by a temperature sensor of the air conditioning equipment 200 or the remote control 300. The operation information includes, for example, information indicating whether an outdoor unit (outdoor unit 220 described later) of the air conditioning equipment 200 is ON / OFF, information indicating whether the air conditioning equipment 200 is operating / stopped, etc.

[0020] The determination unit 102 determines, based on the information acquired by the information acquisition unit 101, whether or not the remote control 300 is installed in the same room as the air conditioner 200 (more specifically, an indoor unit 210, which will be described later). The determination method in determining section 102 will be described in detail later.

[0021] Based on the determination result by the determining unit 102, the setting unit 103 sets, in the air conditioning equipment 200, a temperature sensor to be used for air conditioning control from among the remote control of the air conditioning equipment 200 (suction temperature sensor 212) and the temperature sensor of the remote control 300. For example, the setting unit 103 sets, in the air conditioning equipment 200, the temperature sensor to be used for air conditioning control, by transmitting setting information specifying the temperature sensor to the air conditioning equipment 200 via the communication unit 104.

[0022] The communication unit 104 communicates with the air conditioning equipment 200. For example, the communication unit 104 is controlled by the information acquisition unit 101 and receives operation information and temperature information from the air conditioning equipment 200. The communication unit 104 is also controlled by the setting unit 103 and transmits setting information according to the determination result of the determination unit 102 to the air conditioning equipment 200.

[0023] The storage unit 105 accumulates and stores the operating information and temperature information acquired by the information acquisition unit 101 in chronological order.

[0024] The air conditioner 200 controls the air conditioning of a room based on, for example, a command from a remote control 300. The air conditioner 200 includes, for example, an indoor unit 210 and an outdoor unit 220, as shown in FIG.

[0025] The indoor unit 210 is installed, for example, on a ceiling or a wall in a building, and conditions the air inside the room. The indoor unit 210 includes a communication unit 211, an intake temperature sensor 212, a setting storage unit 213, and an air conditioning control unit 214.

[0026] The communication unit 211 communicates with the air conditioner setting device 100 and with the remote control 300. For example, the communication unit 221 transmits operation information including information indicating ON / OFF of the outdoor unit 220 and information indicating whether the air conditioner 200 is operating / stopped to the air conditioner setting device 100. The communication unit 211 also transmits temperature information (sensor value) indicating the temperature measured by the intake temperature sensor 212 to the air conditioner setting device 100. Furthermore, the communication unit 221 receives temperature information (sensor value) indicating the temperature measured by a temperature sensor built into the remote control 300 from the remote control 300, and transmits the received temperature information to the air conditioner setting device 100 as the sensor value of the remote control 300. Furthermore, the communication unit 211 receives setting information sent from the air conditioner setting device 100.

[0027] The suction temperature sensor 212 is installed at an intake port provided in the indoor unit 210, and measures the temperature inside the room.

[0028] The setting storage unit 213 stores various settings. For example, the setting storage unit 213 stores the setting of the temperature sensor to be used for air conditioning control. That is, the setting storage unit 213 stores information indicating whether the intake temperature sensor 212 or the temperature sensor built into the remote control 300 is to be used for air conditioning control.

[0029] The air conditioning control unit 214 controls the indoor unit 210 and the outdoor unit 220. At that time, the air conditioning control unit 214 performs temperature control based on the sensor value obtained from the intake temperature sensor 212 or the sensor value obtained from the temperature sensor built into the remote control 300, based on the temperature sensor settings stored in the setting storage unit 213.

[0030] The outdoor unit 220 is connected to the indoor unit 210 through piping (not shown), and a refrigerant is circulated between the outdoor unit 220 and the indoor unit 210 through this piping. The outdoor unit 220 also includes, for example, a compressor, a heat source side heat exchanger, an evaporator, etc. (not shown), and a refrigeration cycle circuit for circulating the refrigerant is formed between the outdoor unit 220 and the indoor unit 210.

[0031] 1, the remote control 300 transmits a control command to the air conditioning equipment 200 in accordance with an operation by a user. The remote control 300 also has a built-in temperature sensor, and transmits a sensor value of this temperature sensor to the air conditioning equipment 200.

[0032] The following provides a more detailed explanation of the determination method in the determination unit 102 of the air conditioner setting device 100. Note that the following describes an example in which the air conditioner 200 is in heating operation in winter. Fig. 3 is a graph showing a time series relationship between the operating state of the air conditioning equipment 200 and the sensor value (temperature) measured by a standard temperature sensor. Times T1 to T2 in Fig. 3 indicate the period when the outdoor unit 220 is ON, and times T2 to T3 indicate the period when the outdoor unit 220 is OFF. Note that the graph shown in Fig. 3 shows the change in the sensor value when the outside air temperature is lower than the room temperature and a standard temperature sensor is installed in the same room as the indoor unit 210. 3, from time T1 to T2, the outdoor unit 220 is operating and the room heats up during that time, so the sensor value rises. On the other hand, from time T2 to T3, the outdoor unit 220 stops operating and warm air is not supplied, so the sensor value falls due to the influence of the outside air temperature.

[0033] Based on the above, during the operation state (ON state or OFF state) of the outdoor unit 220, statistics are taken as to whether the sensor value of the temperature sensor built into the remote control 30 is rising or falling. Specifically, the determination unit 102 counts up the frequency Nup of the sensor value rising during the ON state, and counts up the frequency Ndown of the sensor value falling during the OFF state. The determination unit 102 also divides the frequency Nup by the total ON state time N1 to calculate the proportion Pup of the time period in which the sensor value is rising. That is, the determination unit 102 calculates Pup = Nup / N1. Similarly, the determination unit 102 divides the frequency Ndown by the total OFF state time N2 to calculate the proportion Pdown of the time period in which the sensor value is falling. That is, the determination unit 102 calculates Pdown = Ndown / N2. The closer these Pup and Pdown values ​​are to 1, the closer they are to the state shown in the graph shown in Fig. 3 above, and the higher the possibility that the remote control 300 is in the same room as the indoor unit 210. Therefore, when the sum of the values ​​of Pup and Pdown exceeds a threshold value (1.5, for example), the determination unit 102 determines that the remote control 300 is in the same room as the indoor unit 210. In other words, when Pup + Pdown > 1.5, the determination unit 102 determines that the remote control 300 is in the same room as the indoor unit 210.

[0034] Here, to determine whether the sensor value is higher or lower than the previous sensor value, the sensor value may be compared with the immediately preceding value, or may be compared with a value from a certain period of time ago. However, the comparison is performed while the outdoor unit 210 remains in the ON or OFF state. In addition, since the operation state of the indoor unit 210 may not have switched sufficiently for a certain period of time (e.g., 10 minutes) after the operation state of the outdoor unit 220 is switched, collection of the sensor value may start after the certain period of time has elapsed after the operation state of the outdoor unit 220 is switched.

[0035] The operation of the air conditioner setting system 1 configured as above will be described in detail below with reference to Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a flow chart showing an example of setting processing executed by the air conditioner setting device 100. This setting processing is executed, for example, at regular intervals, sequentially. For example, it is executed after several weeks have passed since the previous setting processing was executed. Note that, in the case of the first time, it is started when the air conditioner 200 turns on the air conditioning operation.

[0036] When the setting process in FIG. 4 is started, first, the air conditioning equipment setting device 100 sets the temperature sensor from which data is obtained as a standard (step S11). For example, the air conditioner setting device 100 transmits command information to the air conditioner 200 and sets the sensor setting to the specified intake temperature sensor 212. After this, the air conditioner 200 performs temperature control based on the sensor value obtained from the intake temperature sensor 212.

[0037] The air conditioner setting device 100 acquires various information from the air conditioner 200 (step S12). For example, the information acquisition unit 101 acquires operation information and temperature information from the air conditioner 200. The temperature information includes the sensor value of the intake temperature sensor 212 and the sensor value of the remote control 300.

[0038] The air conditioner setting device 100 determines the installation location of the remote control 300 (step S13). For example, the determination unit 102 determines whether the remote control 300 is in the same room as the indoor unit 210 based on the operating state of the air conditioning equipment 200 and the sensor value of the remote control 300.

[0039] Specifically, the determination unit 102 counts the frequency Nup of the sensor value increasing while the outdoor unit 220 is in the ON state, and counts the frequency Ndown of the sensor value decreasing while the outdoor unit 220 is in the OFF state. The determination unit 102 also divides the frequency Nup by the total ON state time N1 to calculate the percentage Pup of the time period in which the sensor value is increasing. Similarly, the determination unit 102 divides the frequency Ndown by the total OFF state time N2 to calculate the percentage Pdown of the time period in which the sensor value is decreasing. Then, when the sum of the Pup value and the Pdown value exceeds a threshold value (1.5 as an example), the determination unit 102 determines that the remote control 300 is in the same room as the indoor unit 210. When the sum of the Pup value and the Pdown value is less than the threshold value, the determination unit 102 determines that the remote control 300 is not in the same room as the indoor unit 210.

[0040] The air conditioning equipment setting device 100 determines whether or not the remote control 300 is in the same room as the indoor unit 210 (step S14). That is, based on the determination result of step S13 above, it is determined whether or not the remote control 300 is in the same room as the indoor unit 210.

[0041] When the air conditioner setting device 100 determines that the remote control 300 is not in the same room as the indoor unit 210 (step S14; No), it ends the setting process. In other words, it ends the setting process while maintaining the state set in the above-mentioned step S11.

[0042] On the other hand, if the remote control 300 determines that the room is the same as the indoor unit 210 (Step S14; Yes), the air conditioning equipment setting device 100 sets the temperature sensor from which the temperature is to be obtained to the temperature sensor built into the remote control 300 (Step S15). For example, the setting unit 103 sets the temperature sensor built into the remote control 300 as the temperature sensor to be used for air conditioning control in the air conditioning equipment 200 by transmitting setting information specifying the temperature sensor built into the remote control 300 to the air conditioning equipment 200 via the communication unit 104. After this, the air conditioning equipment 200 performs temperature control based on the sensor value obtained from the temperature sensor built into the remote control 300.

[0043] Through this setting process, it is determined whether the remote control 300 is in the same room as the indoor unit 210, and based on the result of this determination, the temperature sensor to be used for air conditioning control can be set in the air conditioner 200. As a result, an appropriate temperature sensor to be used for air conditioning control from among a plurality of temperature sensors can be set in the air conditioning equipment.

[0044] In the above described step S11 of the setting process, the case where the acquisition source is set to standard intake temperature sensor 212 has been described, but in this step S11, a temperature sensor built into remote control 300 may also be set as the acquisition source.

[0045] In addition, in step S13 of the above setting process, a case has been described in which the frequency of the sensor values ​​during periods when the outdoor unit 220 is ON and the frequency of the sensor values ​​during periods when the outdoor unit 220 is OFF are tallied, but instead, the frequency of the sensor values ​​during periods when the air conditioning equipment 200 is operating and the frequency of the sensor values ​​during periods when the air conditioning equipment 200 is stopped may be tallied.

[0046] In the above embodiment 1, a value (Pup + Pdown) representing the correlation between the operating state of the air conditioner and the temperature indicated by the sensor value is calculated, and then, based on whether the calculated value exceeds a threshold value, it is determined whether the remote control 300 is in the same room as the indoor unit 210. However, it may also be determined whether the remote control 300 is in the same room as the indoor unit 210 based on other values.

[0047] (Embodiment 2) Hereinafter, an air conditioning equipment setting system 1 according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described, which is characterized in that it determines whether the remote control 300 is in the same room as the indoor unit 210 based on a correlation coefficient between the sensor value of the suction temperature sensor 212 and the sensor value of a temperature sensor built into the remote control 300 during the same time period.

[0048] The air conditioner setting system 1 according to the second embodiment has the same configuration as the air conditioner setting system 1 according to the first embodiment shown in FIG.

[0049] Nevertheless, the determination unit 102 of the air conditioner setting device 100 calculates the correlation coefficient between the sensor value of the intake temperature sensor 212 and the sensor value of the temperature sensor built into the remote control 300 in the same time period. For example, when the sensor value of intake temperature sensor 212 at a certain time t is T1t and the sensor value of the temperature sensor built into remote control 300 is T2t, judgment unit 102 calculates a correlation coefficient from a pair of these values ​​for a certain time period. The closer this correlation coefficient is to 1, the more linear the relationship becomes. A high correlation between T1t and T2t is considered to mean that both are observing the temperature of the same room heated by the same air conditioner 200. Therefore, when the calculated correlation coefficient is equal to or greater than a threshold value, judgment unit 102 judges that remote control 300 is installed in the same room as indoor unit 210. On the other hand, when the calculated correlation coefficient is less than the threshold value, judgment unit 102 judges that remote control 300 is not installed in the same room as indoor unit 210.

[0050] The comparison between the sensor value of intake temperature sensor 212 and the sensor value of the temperature sensor built into remote controller 300 may also be determined by threshold processing after taking the sum of absolute values ​​of the differences or the sum of squares of the differences. This is also a method for determining whether the two values ​​are close to each other.

[0051] Also, an external temperature sensor installed in the same room as the indoor unit 210 may be temporarily used in place of the suction temperature sensor 212. For example, this is also applicable to an air conditioner setting system 2 further equipped with an external temperature sensor 400 as shown in Fig. 5. The external temperature sensor 400 is a device for accurately measuring the room temperature, and may be used in place of the suction temperature sensor 212 and compared with the sensor value of the temperature sensor built into the remote control 300.

[0052] In the air conditioner setting systems 1 and 2 according to the second embodiment, it is also determined whether the remote control 300 is in the same room as the indoor unit 210, and based on the result of this determination, the temperature sensor to be used for air conditioning control can be set in the air conditioner 200. As a result, an appropriate temperature sensor to be used for air conditioning control from among a plurality of temperature sensors can be set in the air conditioning equipment.

[0053] (Embodiment 3) Hereinafter, an air conditioner setting system 1 according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure will be described, which is characterized in that it determines whether the remote control 300 is in the same room as the indoor unit 210 based on the temperature distribution of the collected sensor values.

[0054] The air conditioner setting system 1 according to the third embodiment has the same configuration as the air conditioner setting system 1 according to the first embodiment shown in FIG.

[0055] Nevertheless, the determination unit 102 of the air conditioner setting device 100 determines whether the remote control 300 is installed in the same room as the indoor unit 210 based on the relationship between the expected steady-state room temperature and the temperature distribution.

[0056] As in the above-described first embodiment, if the remote control 300 and the indoor unit 210 are in the same room, it is expected that the sensor value of the temperature sensor built into the remote control 300 will increase while the outdoor unit is ON, and that the sensor value of the temperature sensor built into the remote control 300 will decrease while the outdoor unit is OFF. In the air conditioner setting system 1 according to the third embodiment, a period during which the air conditioner 200 is operating and a period during which the air conditioner 200 is stopped will be described as examples.

[0057] Fig. 6(a) is a graph showing a time series relationship between the operating state of the air conditioner 200 and the sensor value (temperature) measured by a standard temperature sensor. Times T4 to T5 in Fig. 6(a) indicate the period when the air conditioner 200 is ON (period when in operation), and times T5 to T6 indicate the period when the air conditioner 200 is OFF (period when not in operation). Note that the graph shown in Fig. 6(a) shows the change in the sensor value in winter, when the outside temperature is lower than the room temperature and a standard temperature sensor is installed in the same room as the indoor unit 210. Note that it is assumed that the air conditioner 200 is performing heating operation during the period when the air conditioner 200 is ON. In Fig. 6(a), steady temperature S1 indicates, as an example, the outside air temperature, and steady temperature S2 indicates the set temperature of the air conditioner 200. From time T4 to T5 in Fig. 6(a), the air conditioner 200 is in heating operation, and the room warms up during that time, so the sensor value rises from steady temperature S1 to steady temperature S2, and is then maintained near steady temperature S2. On the other hand, from time T5 to T6, the operation of the air conditioner 200 stops, and warm air is not supplied to the room, so the sensor value drops from steady temperature S2 to steady temperature S1. That is, from time T4 to T5, when the air conditioner 200 is ON, the temperature distribution is expected to be centered on steady temperature S2, while from time T5 to T6, when the air conditioner 200 is OFF, the temperature distribution is expected to be centered on steady temperature S1. That is, the temperature distribution over the entire period from time T4 to T6 is expected to have two peaks, with the steady temperature S1 and the steady temperature S2 as shown in the histogram of FIG. 6(b).

[0058] For this reason, the determination unit 102 of the air conditioner setting device 100 determines whether the remote control 300 is installed in the same room as the indoor unit 210 by checking whether the temperature distribution during the period when the air conditioner 200 is ON and the period when the air conditioner 200 is OFF is unimodal, and whether the temperature distribution over the entire period obtained by aggregating the periods when the air conditioner 200 is ON and OFF is bimodal. In other words, if all of the following conditions are met: the temperature distribution during the period when the air conditioner 200 is ON is unimodal, the temperature distribution during the period when the air conditioner 200 is OFF is unimodal, and the temperature distribution over the entire period is bimodal, the determination unit 102 determines that the remote control 300 is installed in the same room as the indoor unit 210. On the other hand, if any one of the conditions is not met, the determination unit 102 determines that the remote control 300 is not installed in the same room as the indoor unit 210.

[0059] The manner in which this determination is made will be described below using specific data. It is assumed that the air conditioner 200 is in heating operation, with the temperature setting at this time being 26°C. 7 is a table showing the transition of the sensor value measured by the temperature sensor built into the remote control 300 during a certain time period (times 1 to 20). Note that the section type in the figure indicates a value according to the operating state of the air conditioner 200. Specifically, the section type indicates 1 when the air conditioner 200 is operating (when the air conditioner 200 is ON), and indicates 2 when the air conditioner 200 is stopped (when the air conditioner 200 is OFF). Fig. 8 is a graph showing the transition of the sensor value shown in Fig. 7. Fig. 9 is a frequency distribution table for section 1, section 2, and section 1+2 (i.e., all sections) for the sensor value shown in Fig. 7. Fig. 10 is a histogram of temperature distribution based on the frequency distribution table of Fig. 9.

[0060] As shown in FIG. 8, in section 1 where the air conditioner 200 is operating, warm air is supplied to the room, so the sensor value rises and remains near the set temperature of 26° C. On the other hand, in section 2 where the air conditioner 200 is stopped, warm air is not supplied to the room, so the sensor value falls and remains near 21° C., which is close to the outside temperature. The temperature in section 2 is determined by the thermal load in the room. The thermal load is the amount of heat per hour required to keep the room at the same temperature. For example, if there are many people who are heat-generating bodies or the insulation performance is high, the thermal load in the heating season will be low. If the insulation performance is low or the outside temperature is low, the temperature in section 2 tends to be lower.

[0061] The determination unit 102 of the air conditioner setting device 100 determines whether the temperature distribution in the section 1+2 is bimodal from such data. For example, the determination unit 102 determines whether the temperature distribution is bimodal by using statistical values ​​(moments) in the distribution, as shown in the document Knapp, Thomas R. "Bimodality revisited." Journal of Modern Applied Statistical Methods 6.1 (2007). Specifically, the determination unit 102 sets the square value of the third moment of the normalized thermo value as b1, and the fourth moment of the normalized thermo value as b2. The third moment indicates skewness, which is an index representing the asymmetry of the frequency distribution. The fourth moment indicates kurtosis, which is an index representing the sharpness of the frequency distribution. The determination unit 102 then obtains the value of b2-b1. It is known that the value of b2-b1 is greater than 1, and the smaller the value, the higher the bimodality. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 11, the determining unit 102 calculates the values ​​of b1, b2, and b2-b1 in the interval 1, interval 2, and interval 1+2, respectively.

[0062] Then, for example, the judgment unit 102 sets the threshold value to 1.7, and judges that the signal is not bimodal if the value of b2-b1 is equal to or greater than the threshold value, and judges that the signal is bimodal if the value of b2-b1 is less than the threshold value. This judgment is performed for section 1, section 2, and section 1+2, and when all of the following requirements 1 and 2 are satisfied, the judgment unit 102 judges that the remote control 300 is installed in the same room as the indoor unit 210.

[0063] Requirement 1: Neither the distribution in interval 1 nor the distribution in interval 2 is bimodal. Requirement 2: The distribution in interval 1+2 is bimodal.

[0064] That is, in section 1 where the air conditioner 200 is operating, the measured temperature is checked to see if it is fluctuating near the steady temperature indicated by the set temperature, and in section 2 where the air conditioner 200 is stopped, the measured temperature is checked to see if it is fluctuating near the steady temperature indicated by the outside air temperature. Then, in section 1+2, the measured temperature is checked to see if it has a bimodal distribution centered on both steady temperatures.

[0065] If the remote control 300 is not in the same room as the indoor unit 210, the temperature sensor built into the remote control 300 will measure a sensor value that does not match the operating state of the air conditioner 200. Therefore, the determination unit 102 will determine that the distribution of either section 1 or section 2 is bimodal, or that the distribution in section 1+2 is not bimodal. For example, as an example in which section 1 and section 2 are inconsistent with the actual operating state of the air conditioner 200, if the data from time 5 to 14 shown in FIG. 7 are aggregated as one section, b2 of that section will be 1.57 and b1 will be 0.07. Then, the value of b2-b1 will be 1.50, and the determination result will be that the distribution in that section is bimodal. In other words, since the above requirement 1 is not met, the determination unit 102 will determine that the remote control 300 is not installed in the same room as the indoor unit 210.

[0066] In the air conditioner setting system 1 according to the third embodiment, it is also determined whether the remote control 300 is in the same room as the indoor unit 210, and based on the result of this determination, the temperature sensor to be used for air conditioning control can be set in the air conditioner 200. As a result, an appropriate temperature sensor to be used for air conditioning control from among a plurality of temperature sensors can be set in the air conditioning equipment.

[0067] (Embodiment 4) Hereinafter, an air conditioner setting system 1 according to a fourth embodiment of the present disclosure will be described, which is characterized in that it determines whether the remote control 300 is in the same room as the indoor unit 210 based on the similarity of the temperature distribution.

[0068] The air conditioner setting system 1 according to the third embodiment has the same configuration as the air conditioner setting system 1 according to the first embodiment shown in FIG.

[0069] Nevertheless, the determination unit 102 of the air conditioner setting device 100 not only checks the temperature distribution of the temperature sensor built into the remote control 300, but also compares the similarity of the temperature distributions.

[0070] Specifically, the determining unit 102 tabulates the temperature distribution (frequency distribution) as shown in FIG. 10 for both the intake temperature sensor 212 of the indoor unit 210 and the temperature sensor built into the remote control 300, in the same manner as in the third embodiment described above.

[0071] At this time, determination unit 102 calculates the similarity between the temperature distribution of intake temperature sensor 212 and the temperature distribution of the temperature sensor built into remote control 300. As a specific method, determination unit 102 calculates the similarity between both temperature distributions using the L1 norm or the L2 norm. Note that the L1 norm indicates the sum of absolute values ​​of the difference in frequency at each temperature. Also, the L2 norm indicates the sum of squared values ​​of the difference in frequency at each temperature. At this time, it can be determined that the smaller the calculated value is, the closer the two distributions are and the more similar they are. Furthermore, even if the room temperature is the same, there may be a difference in the temperatures measured by intake temperature sensor 212 and the temperature sensor built into remote control 300 due to differences in the installation positions in the vertical direction. In anticipation of such a case, judgment unit 102 may shift the temperature of one of the temperature distributions by a constant N, which can be positive or negative, and then calculate the similarity between the two temperature distributions using the L1 norm or the L2 norm. This constant N may be a predetermined value, or may be a value that minimizes the similarity.

[0072] Having calculated the similarity in this manner, the determination unit 102 compares the similarity with a predetermined threshold value to determine whether the remote control 300 is installed in the same room as the indoor unit 210. In other words, when the calculated similarity is equal to or greater than the threshold value, the determination unit 102 determines that the remote control 300 is installed in the same room as the indoor unit 210. On the other hand, when the calculated similarity is less than the threshold value, the determination unit 102 determines that the remote control 300 is not installed in the same room as the indoor unit 210.

[0073] In the air conditioner setting system 1 according to the fourth embodiment, it is also determined whether the remote control 300 is in the same room as the indoor unit 210, and based on the result of this determination, the temperature sensor to be used for air conditioning control can be set in the air conditioner 200. As a result, an appropriate temperature sensor to be used for air conditioning control from among a plurality of temperature sensors can be set in the air conditioning equipment.

[0074] (Other embodiments) Although the first to fourth embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, various modifications and applications are possible in implementing the present disclosure.

[0075] For example, instead of the air conditioner setting device 100, the present invention can also be applied to an air conditioner setting system 3 using a cloud server 600 as shown in FIG. In other words, the cloud server 600 may have the configuration of the air conditioner setting device 100 in the first to fourth embodiments described above.

[0076] In the above first to fourth embodiments, the information acquisition unit 101, the determination unit 102, and the setting unit 103 are realized by the CPU using the RAM as a work memory and executing a program stored in the ROM or an auxiliary storage device. However, each of these functions may be realized by dedicated hardware. The dedicated hardware is, for example, a single circuit, a composite circuit, a programmed processor, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or a combination of these.

[0077] Furthermore, by applying a program that defines the operation of the air conditioning equipment setting device 100 according to the above-mentioned embodiments 1 to 4 to an existing personal computer or information terminal device, it is possible to cause the personal computer or information terminal device to function as the air conditioning equipment setting device 100 according to the embodiments 1 to 4.

[0078] Furthermore, the method of distribution of such a program is arbitrary; for example, the program may be stored on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disk Read-Only Memory), a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk), or a memory card and distributed, or the program may be distributed via a communications network such as the Internet.

[0079] Various embodiments and modifications of the present disclosure are possible without departing from the broad spirit and scope of the present disclosure. The above-described embodiments are for explaining the present disclosure and do not limit the scope of the present disclosure. In other words, the scope of the present disclosure is indicated by the claims, not the embodiments. Various modifications made within the scope of the claims and the scope of the disclosure equivalent thereto are considered to be within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0080] Various aspects of the present disclosure are summarized below as appendices.

[0081] (Appendix 1) An information acquisition means for acquiring temperature information indicating a temperature measured by any one of a plurality of temperature sensors and operation information indicating an operation state of the air conditioner; a determination means for determining whether or not a temperature sensor that measured the temperature information is installed in the same room as the air conditioner, based on the temperature information and the operation information acquired by the information acquisition means; a setting means for setting, in the air conditioner, a temperature sensor to be used for air conditioning control from among the plurality of temperature sensors based on a result of the determination by the determining means; An air conditioning equipment setting device comprising: (Appendix 2) The determination means calculates a value representing a correlation between the operating state of the air conditioning equipment indicated in the operating information and the temperature indicated in the temperature information, and if the calculated value exceeds a threshold, determines that the temperature sensor that measured the temperature information is installed in the same room as the air conditioning equipment, and if the calculated value is equal to or less than the threshold, determines that the temperature sensor that measured the temperature information is not installed in the same room as the air conditioning equipment. 2. An air conditioning equipment setting device as described in appendix 1. (Appendix 3) the information acquisition means acquires the temperature information from both a first temperature sensor included in the air conditioner and a second temperature sensor included in a remote control; the determination means calculates a correlation coefficient between the temperature information of the first temperature sensor and the temperature information of the second temperature sensor in the same time period, and determines that the remote control is installed in the same room as the air conditioner if the calculated correlation coefficient is equal to or greater than a threshold, and determines that the remote control is not installed in the same room as the air conditioner if the calculated correlation coefficient is less than the threshold. 2. An air conditioning equipment setting device as described in appendix 1. (Appendix 4) The operation information acquired by the information acquisition means includes information indicating an operation period or a stop period, The determination means collects a first temperature distribution during the operating period, a second temperature distribution during the stopped period, and a third temperature distribution during the operating period and the stopped period, and if the first temperature distribution and the second temperature distribution are unimodal and the third temperature distribution is bimodal, determines that the temperature sensor that measured the temperature information is installed in the same room as the air conditioner, and if the requirements are not met, determines that the temperature sensor that measured the temperature information is not installed in the same room as the air conditioner. 2. An air conditioning equipment setting device as described in appendix 1. (Appendix 5) the information acquisition means acquires the temperature information from both a first temperature sensor included in the air conditioner and a second temperature sensor included in a remote control; the determination means calculates a similarity between a temperature distribution based on the first temperature sensor and a temperature distribution based on the second temperature sensor, and if the calculated similarity is equal to or greater than a threshold, determines that the remote control is installed in the same room as the air conditioner, and if the calculated similarity is less than the threshold, determines that the remote control is not installed in the same room as the air conditioner. 2. An air conditioning equipment setting device as described in appendix 1. (Appendix 6) the setting means sets, in the air conditioner, the temperature sensor that the determination means has determined to be installed in the same room as the air conditioner, as a temperature sensor to be used for air conditioning control. 5. An air conditioning equipment setting device according to claim 2 or 4. (Appendix 7) the setting means sets the second temperature sensor in the air conditioner as a temperature sensor to be used for air conditioning control when the determination means determines that the remote control is installed in the same room as the air conditioner. 6. An air conditioning equipment setting device according to claim 3 or 5. (Appendix 8) An air conditioner setting system in which an air conditioner setting device and an air conditioner are communicatively connected, The air conditioning equipment setting device is An information acquisition means for acquiring temperature information indicating a temperature measured by any one of a plurality of temperature sensors and operation information indicating an operation state of the air conditioner; a determination means for determining whether or not a temperature sensor that measured the temperature information is installed in the same room as the air conditioner, based on the temperature information and the operation information acquired by the information acquisition means; a setting means for setting a temperature sensor to be used for air conditioning control from among the plurality of temperature sensors to the air conditioning equipment based on a result of the determination by the determining means; The air conditioning device performs air conditioning control using the temperature measured by the temperature sensor set by the setting means. Air conditioning equipment setting system. (Appendix 9) A setting method executed by an air conditioning equipment setting device, an information acquisition step of acquiring temperature information indicating a temperature measured by any one of a plurality of temperature sensors and operation information indicating an operation state of the air conditioner; a determination step of determining whether or not a temperature sensor that measured the temperature information is installed in the same room as the air conditioner, based on the temperature information and the operation information acquired in the information acquisition step; a setting step of setting a temperature sensor to be used for air conditioning control from among the plurality of temperature sensors in the air conditioning equipment based on a result of the determination step; A setting method comprising: (Appendix 10) On the computer, an information acquisition step of acquiring temperature information indicating a temperature measured by any one of a plurality of temperature sensors and operation information indicating an operation state of the air conditioner; a determination step of determining whether or not a temperature sensor that measured the temperature information is installed in the same room as the air conditioner, based on the temperature information and the operation information acquired in the information acquisition step; a setting step of setting, in the air conditioner, a temperature sensor to be used for air conditioning control from among the plurality of temperature sensors based on a result of the determination step; A program for executing. [Industrial Applicability]

[0082] The present disclosure can provide an air conditioning equipment setting device, air conditioning equipment setting system, setting method, and program that can set an appropriate temperature sensor to be used for air conditioning control in an air conditioning equipment from among a plurality of temperature sensors. [Explanation of symbols]

[0083] 1, 2, 3 Air conditioner setting system, 100 Air conditioner setting device, 101 Information acquisition unit, 102 Determination unit, 103 Setting unit, 104 Communication unit, 105 Memory unit, 200 Air conditioner, 210 Indoor unit, 211 Communication unit, 212 Intake temperature sensor, 213 Setting memory unit, 214 Air conditioner control unit, 220 Outdoor unit, 300 Remote control, 400 External temperature sensor, 600 Cloud server

Claims

1. An information acquisition means for acquiring temperature information indicating a temperature measured by any one of a plurality of temperature sensors and operation information indicating an operation state of the air conditioner; a determination means for determining whether or not a temperature sensor that measured the temperature information is installed in the same room as the air conditioner, based on the temperature information and the operation information acquired by the information acquisition means; a setting means for setting, in the air conditioner, a temperature sensor to be used for air conditioning control from among the plurality of temperature sensors based on a result of the determination by the determining means; An air conditioning equipment setting device comprising:

2. The determination means calculates a value representing a correlation between the operating state of the air conditioning equipment indicated in the operating information and the temperature indicated in the temperature information, and if the calculated value exceeds a threshold, determines that the temperature sensor that measured the temperature information is installed in the same room as the air conditioning equipment, and if the calculated value is equal to or less than the threshold, determines that the temperature sensor that measured the temperature information is not installed in the same room as the air conditioning equipment. The air conditioning equipment setting device according to claim 1.

3. the information acquiring means acquires the temperature information from both a first temperature sensor included in the air conditioner and a second temperature sensor included in a remote control; the determination means calculates a correlation coefficient between the temperature information of the first temperature sensor and the temperature information of the second temperature sensor in the same time period, and if the calculated correlation coefficient is equal to or greater than a threshold, determines that the remote control is installed in the same room as the air conditioner, and if the calculated correlation coefficient is less than the threshold, determines that the remote control is not installed in the same room as the air conditioner. The air conditioning equipment setting device according to claim 1.

4. The operation information acquired by the information acquisition means includes information indicating an operation period or a stop period, the determination means compiles a first temperature distribution during the operating period, a second temperature distribution during the stopped period, and a third temperature distribution during the operating period and the stopped period, and if the first temperature distribution and the second temperature distribution are unimodal and the third temperature distribution is bimodal, determines that the temperature sensor that measured the temperature information is installed in the same room as the air conditioner, and if the requirements are not met, determines that the temperature sensor that measured the temperature information is not installed in the same room as the air conditioner. The air conditioning equipment setting device according to claim 1.

5. the information acquiring means acquires the temperature information from both a first temperature sensor included in the air conditioner and a second temperature sensor included in a remote control; the determination means calculates a similarity between a temperature distribution based on the first temperature sensor and a temperature distribution based on the second temperature sensor, and if the calculated similarity is equal to or greater than a threshold, determines that the remote control is installed in the same room as the air conditioner, and if the calculated similarity is less than the threshold, determines that the remote control is not installed in the same room as the air conditioner. The air conditioning equipment setting device according to claim 1.

6. the setting means sets, in the air conditioner, the temperature sensor that the determination means has determined to be installed in the same room as the air conditioner, as a temperature sensor to be used for air conditioning control. The air conditioning equipment setting device according to claim 2 or 4.

7. the setting means sets the second temperature sensor in the air conditioner as a temperature sensor to be used for air conditioning control when the determination means determines that the remote control is installed in the same room as the air conditioner. The air conditioner setting device according to claim 3 or 5.

8. An air conditioner setting system in which an air conditioner setting device and an air conditioner are communicatively connected, The air conditioning equipment setting device is An information acquisition means for acquiring temperature information indicating a temperature measured by any one of a plurality of temperature sensors and operation information indicating an operation state of the air conditioner; a determination means for determining whether or not a temperature sensor that measured the temperature information is installed in the same room as the air conditioner, based on the temperature information and the operation information acquired by the information acquisition means; a setting means for setting a temperature sensor to be used for air conditioning control from among the plurality of temperature sensors to the air conditioning equipment based on a result of the determination by the determining means; The air conditioning device performs air conditioning control using the temperature measured by the temperature sensor set by the setting means. Air conditioning equipment setting system.

9. A setting method executed by an air conditioning equipment setting device, an information acquisition step of acquiring temperature information indicating a temperature measured by any one of a plurality of temperature sensors and operation information indicating an operation state of the air conditioner; a determination step of determining whether or not a temperature sensor that measured the temperature information is installed in the same room as the air conditioner, based on the temperature information and the operation information acquired in the information acquisition step; a setting step of setting a temperature sensor to be used for air conditioning control from among the plurality of temperature sensors in the air conditioning equipment based on a result of the determination step; A setting method comprising:

10. On the computer, an information acquisition step of acquiring temperature information indicating a temperature measured by any one of a plurality of temperature sensors and operation information indicating an operation state of the air conditioner; a determination step of determining whether or not a temperature sensor that measured the temperature information is installed in the same room as the air conditioner, based on the temperature information and the operation information acquired in the information acquisition step; a setting step of setting, in the air conditioner, a temperature sensor to be used for air conditioning control from among the plurality of temperature sensors based on a result of the determination step; A program for executing the above.

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