Air conditioning control system

Abstract

To provide air conditioning corresponding to a seat where a user is seated, even when individual air conditioning units cannot be installed for all seats.SOLUTION: An air conditioner 12a performs air conditioning in a first region including a plurality of seats. An air conditioner 12b performs air conditioning in a second region including a single seat. A control device 14 controls the air conditioners 12a and 12b. The control device 14: determines which of the seats a user is seated in; controls the air conditioner 12a on the basis of operation input into a mobile terminal 90 carried by the user when determining that the user is seated in the seat included in the first region; and controls the air conditioner 12b on the basis of the operation input into the mobile terminal 90 carried by the user when determining that the user is seated in the seat included in the second region.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to an air-conditioning control system for controlling an air conditioner.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a floor-blowing air-conditioning system.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] According to the system of Patent Document 1, air conditioning can be controlled individually for each seat, so the comfort of the user can be improved. However, due to restrictions on the installation space, etc., it may not be possible to install air conditioners individually for all seats. This invention aims to solve such problems and improve the comfort of the user without impairing the convenience of the user.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] The air-conditioning control system includes a first air-conditioning device that performs air conditioning in a first area, a second air-conditioning device that performs air conditioning in a second area, and a control device that controls the first and second air-conditioning devices. The control device determines in which area among the areas there is a user, and when it is determined that the user is in the first area, controls the first air-conditioning device based on an operation input to a portable terminal device carried by the user, and when it is determined that the user is in the second area, controls the second air-conditioning device based on an operation input to a portable terminal device carried by the user.

Effects of the Invention

[0006] When a user is seated in the second area, the second air conditioner is controlled, and when a user is seated in the first area, the first air conditioner is controlled. Therefore, the comfort of the user can be improved without impairing the convenience of the user.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0007]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0008] Referring to FIG. 1, the office 80 will be described. The office 80 is a space where users such as employees work, and is provided with a number of desks 81a to 81f and a plurality of air conditioners 12a to 12i. One or more seats are provided on the desks 81a to 81f. The office 80 has a free-address system, and in principle, users sit at their preferred seats to work. Here, the term "seated" refers not only to the state of actually sitting on the seat, but also to the state of using the seat, including the state of being near the seat. The air conditioner 12a conditions the air in the area 82a in the office 80. The area 82a includes, for example, all the desks 81a to 81i and all the seats provided thereon. The air conditioner 12b conditions the air in the area 82b in the office 80. The area 82b includes, for example, one of the seats provided on the desk 81e. The air conditioner 12c conditions the air in the area 82c in the office 80. The area 82c includes, for example, one seat provided on the desk 81e, which is different from the seat served by the air conditioner 12b. The air conditioner 12d conditions the air in the area 82d within the office 80. The area 82d includes, for example, one of the seats provided on the desk 81f. The air conditioner 12e conditions the air in the area 82e within the office 80. The area 82e includes, for example, one seat different from the air conditioner 12d among the seats provided on the desk 81f. The air conditioner 12f conditions the air in the area 82f within the office 80. The area 82f includes, for example, one seat different from the air conditioners 12b and 12c among the seats provided on the desk 81e. The air conditioner 12g conditions the air in the area 82g within the office 80. The area 82g includes, for example, one seat different from the air conditioners 12b, 12c, and 12f among the seats provided on the desk 81e. The air conditioner 12h conditions the air in the area 82h within the office 80. The area 82h includes, for example, one seat different from the air conditioners 12d and 12e among the seats provided on the desk 81f. The air conditioner 12i conditions the air in the area 82i within the office 80. The area 82i includes, for example, one seat different from the air conditioners 12d, 12e, and 12h among the seats provided on the desk 81f. Note that the air conditioners 12b to 12i are not independent air conditioners, and as described in Patent Document 1, they may be blowing devices that blow out air conditioned by another air conditioner. That is, as long as the air conditioning can be individually controlled, even if they are not independent air conditioners, they are treated as individual air conditioners.

[0009] Referring to FIG. 2, the air conditioning control system 10 will be described. The air conditioning control system 10 controls the air conditioning within the office 80. The control method of the air conditioning within the office 80 varies depending on the area. For the area 82a that includes a plurality of seats, the air conditioning is controlled by aggregating the opinions of the users sitting in those seats. For example, based on a majority vote of the opinions collected from the users, it is determined whether to raise or lower the set temperature. In contrast, for the areas 82b to 82i that each include only a single seat, the air conditioning is controlled more directly according to the instructions of the user sitting in that seat.

[0010] The air conditioning control system 10 has, for example, the air conditioning devices 12a to 12i, the position detection device 13, and the control device 14 described above.

[0011] The position detection device 13 grasps the position of the user carrying the portable terminal device 90 (such as a smartphone) by detecting the position of the portable terminal device 90 carried by the user. For example, the portable terminal device 90 communicates with the NFC (Near Field Communication) tags installed in the respective seats, reads the data stored in the NFC tags, and transmits the read information. The position detection device 13 detects the position where the portable terminal device 90 exists by receiving and analyzing the information transmitted from the portable terminal device 90. Alternatively, when the portable terminal device 90 communicates with the control device 14 via a wireless LAN (Local Area Network), the position detection device 13 acquires information about the connected portable terminal device 90 from the access point device to which the portable terminal device 90 is connected for relaying the communication with the portable terminal device 90, and detects the position where the portable terminal device 90 exists by analyzing the acquired information.

[0012] The control device 14 is, for example, a server device, and controls the air conditioning devices 12a to 12d based on operations input by the user to the portable terminal device 90, the position of the portable terminal device 90 detected by the position detection device 13, and so on.

[0013] The control device 14 determines, based on the detection result by the position detection device 13, which seat the user carrying the portable terminal device 90 is sitting in. For example, when a user sits down on a seat, the mobile terminal device 90 is held near the NFC tag installed on that seat, and the operation is such that the mobile terminal device 90 communicates with the NFC tag. By doing so, when the mobile terminal device 90 communicates with the NFC tag, it can be determined that the user has taken a seat on that seat.

[0014] However, just this much cannot detect that the user has left the seat. Therefore, until it can be determined based on another ground that the user has left the seat, the user is treated as if they are still sitting on that seat.

[0015] As another ground, for example, there may be a case where the mobile terminal device 90 of the user communicates with an NFC tag installed on another seat. Since the range within which the NFC tag can communicate with the mobile terminal device 90 is very narrow, the mobile terminal device 90 will not communicate with the NFC tag unless the mobile terminal device 90 is intentionally held near the NFC tag. Therefore, when the mobile terminal device 90 communicates with another NFC tag, it is considered that the user has moved to another seat. Therefore, it can be determined that the user has left the original seat.

[0016] Also, it is considered that the mobile terminal device 90 carried by the user can be connected to an access point device existing in the vicinity if the user is sitting on that seat. Therefore, when the mobile terminal device 90 of the user is not connected to any of the access point devices existing in the vicinity of that seat, it is considered that the user has left that seat. For this reason, the control device 14 determines, for example, whether the mobile terminal device 90 of the user is connected to an access point device existing within a predetermined range (for example, a circle with a radius of 15 m) centered on the seat where the user is determined to be sitting. And when the mobile terminal device 90 is not connected to any of the access point devices, it is determined that the user has left that seat. Thereby, even when the user leaves the seat without moving to another seat, such as going out or moving to another floor, the fact that the user has left the seat can be determined.

[0017] Note that the range within which a mobile terminal device 90 can be connected to one access point device is relatively wide and generally includes a plurality of seats. Therefore, in the determination based on the access point device to which the mobile terminal device 90 is connected, it is impossible to determine which seat the user is sitting in. Also, even when the mobile terminal device 90 is connected to the same access point device, there is a possibility that the user has left the seat where they were sitting. However, when the user moves to another seat, as described above, it can be determined by the NFC tag. So, it is not that the user has moved to another seat, but rather, for example, the user is having a conversation with another user sitting in a nearby seat and has temporarily left the seat, and it is considered that the user will soon return to the original seat. Therefore, even in the determination of seat vacating based on the access point device, the accuracy required for operation can be ensured.

[0018] Note that when determining seat occupancy based on the NFC tag, if the mobile terminal device 90 is not connected to any access point device within the predetermined range, the wireless communication function of the mobile terminal device 90 may be turned off. Therefore, after determining seat occupancy based on the NFC tag, if the mobile terminal device 90 has never been connected to an access point device within the predetermined range, it may be acceptable not to perform the determination of seat vacating based on the access point device.

[0019] In this way, by combining the method of accurately determining which seat the user is sitting in but unable to determine seat vacating, and the method of being unable to determine the position in terms of each seat but being able to surely determine when the user leaves the range, in the special environment of the free-address office 80, the seating situation of the user can be grasped quite accurately.

[0020] After the departure determination based on the access point device, if the mobile terminal device 90 reconnects to an access point device within a predetermined range, even if the mobile terminal device 90 does not communicate with the NFC tag, it may be determined that the user has returned to the original seat. By doing so, it is possible to save the trouble of the user holding the mobile terminal device 90 over the NFC tag.

[0021] Even though the mobile terminal device 90 is connected to any access point device, if the mobile terminal device 90 does not communicate with the NFC tag and it is not possible to determine which seat the user has taken, the control device 14 may send a message to that effect to the mobile terminal device 90 and prompt the user to hold the mobile terminal device 90 over the NFC tag.

[0022] After thus ascertaining the seat where the user is seated, the control device 14 determines the air conditioner controlled by the operation of that user.

[0023] That is, if the seat where the user is seated is included in area 82a, the opinion of that user is grasped based on the operation of that user. Since area 82a includes a plurality of seats, there may be a plurality of users in area 82a. Therefore, the opinions of all the users seated in the seats in area 82a are aggregated to control the air conditioner 12a. For example, an application program for air conditioner control is installed in advance in the mobile terminal device 90. The user starts this application program and inputs an operation by tapping a button displayed on the screen. The operation input by the user is transmitted to the control device 14 via a wireless LAN, a public communication line, or the like. The control device 14 controls the air conditioners 12a to 12d based on the operation content received from the mobile terminal device 90. For example, the number of opinions of "too hot" and the number of opinions of "too cold" are tallied, and if the number of opinions of "too hot" is larger, the set temperature is lowered. Conversely, if the number of opinions of "too cold" is larger, the set temperature is raised.

[0024] In addition, when the seat where the user is sitting is included in areas 82b to 82i, the corresponding air conditioners 12b to 12i are controlled based on the operation of the user. For example, the user starts an application program for air conditioning control and adjusts the air volume of the air conditioner by sliding a slide bar displayed on the screen. The control device 14 sets the air volume of the air conditioner based on the air volume set by the user.

[0025] The control device 14 may transmit the determined seating status of the user to the mobile terminal device 90 and cause the mobile terminal device 90 to display a screen corresponding to the area in which the seat where the user is sitting is included. When it is determined based on the received seating status determination result that the user is sitting on a seat included in area 82a, the application program displays a majority vote screen. On the majority vote screen, as described above, for example, the user's opinions such as "too hot" and "too cold" can be input. Also, when it is determined that the user is sitting on a seat included in areas 82b to 82i, a direct operation screen is displayed. On the direct operation screen, as described above, the corresponding air conditioner can be directly operated. In this way, based on the determination result by the control device 14, the screen displayed by the mobile terminal device 90 automatically switches, so that the labor of the user's operation can be reduced. Note that since areas 82b to 82i are included in area 82a, the seats included in areas 82b to 82i are also included in area 82a. Therefore, when it is determined that the seat where the user is sitting is included in areas 82b to 82i, both the direct operation screen and the majority vote screen may be displayed. In this case, the direct operation screen and the majority vote screen may be displayed simultaneously, or the two screens may be switched and displayed. Alternatively, only the direct operation screen may be displayed without displaying the majority vote screen.

[0026] When it is determined that the user has left the seat included in area 82a, the control device 14 may exclude the vote by that user from the majority vote tabulation. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the opinions of users who are already gone from being reflected in the control of the air conditioner 12a.

[0027] When it is determined that the user has left the seat included in the areas 82b to 82i, the control device 14 may stop the corresponding air conditioners 12b to 12i. Thereby, energy consumption can be suppressed.

[0028] When it is determined that the user who has left the seat included in the areas 82b to 82i has reseated in the same seat, the control device 14 may operate the corresponding air conditioners 12b to 12i based on the operation content at the time of leaving the seat. Thereby, the trouble of operation by the user can be saved.

[0029] When it is determined that the user who has left the seat included in the areas 82b to 82i has seated in a seat included in another area among the areas 82b to 82i, the control device 14 may operate the corresponding air conditioners 12b to 12i based on the operation content at the time of leaving the seat. However, since the air conditioning effect may vary depending on the seat, the user may be waited for a new operation to operate the air conditioners 12b to 12i.

[0030] The embodiments described above are examples for facilitating the understanding of the present invention. The present invention is not limited thereto, and includes those variously modified, changed, added, or removed without departing from the scope defined by the appended claims. This can be easily understood by those skilled in the art from the above description.

[0031] This air conditioning control system maximally considers more individual needs in the air conditioning control of an office space and provides a comfortable office environment. Specifically, when the user touches the NFC tags installed on all seats with his / her own smartphone, individual or overall area air conditioning control can be performed according to the NFC corresponding to the seat. Also, by using the APs (Wi-Fi) installed in various places, it is determined whether the user has left the NFC tag, and the air conditioning control target is switched.

[0032] This air conditioning control system enables indoor positioning when office users (hereinafter referred to as users) use their smartphones to touch the NFC tags installed for each seat or connect to the APs (Wi-Fi) in each area. Accordingly, the operation screens of personal air conditioners and area air conditioners are automatically switched, and the air conditioners are controlled according to the position. This makes it possible to realize a "system that can automatically switch" according to the position, "air conditioning control according to each person's preference" and "reflect the opinions of all office users", and provide the most suitable air conditioning control for the environment. After the switch, for example, the following operations become possible. (1) Personal air conditioning control: When detected in an area where personal air conditioning operations are possible from the location information, it is also reflected on the air conditioning operation screen on the app, enabling personal air conditioning operations for individuals. As operation contents, on / off operations and air volume switching of the personal air conditioner can be performed. Also, when it is determined from the location information that the user has left the seat, the air conditioner automatically turns off, and an energy-saving effect can be expected. (2) Area air conditioning control: When detected in an area where only area-specific air conditioning operations are possible from the location information, it is also reflected on the air conditioning operation screen on the app, enabling operations of the corresponding area air conditioner. Regarding the operation contents, for example, an air conditioning system called "majority-rule air conditioning" is introduced, and the users detected in the area report "hot / cold" and the results are tabulated to perform the most suitable air conditioning control for each area. After the current location is determined from the location information, the air conditioner for controlling the air conditioning operation screen automatically switches according to the position. Determine the position according to the connection to the AP and NFC tag through the installed app. Add automatic control such as stopping the air conditioning operation when it is determined that the user has left the seat. This enables more detailed air conditioning control according to the needs of individual users, so that comfort can be pursued and the satisfaction with air conditioning control can be improved. When controlling the air conditioning for the entire space, by switching between personal air conditioning and area air conditioning according to the location, it becomes possible to widely reflect the opinions of office users, thus resolving disputes over temperature settings in shared spaces and providing a more comfortable workplace environment. With air conditioning control using NFC tags, an AP, and a smartphone, intuitive and easy operation is possible. Also, since remote operation through an app is possible and no physical operation is required, it is excellent in terms of hygiene and convenience as there is no need to directly operate the control panel. By not only switching the air conditioning control according to the user's location but also introducing a mechanism to automatically turn off the air conditioning when it is determined that the user has left their seat, unnecessary power consumption can be suppressed and an energy-saving effect can be expected.

Explanation of Signs

[0033] 10 Air conditioning control system, 12a - 12i Air conditioning units, 13 Position detection device, 14 Control device, 80 Office, 81a - 81f Desks, 82a - 82i Areas, 90 Portable terminal device.

Claims

1. A first air conditioner for air-conditioning a first area, A second air conditioner for air-conditioning a second area, A control device for controlling the first and second air conditioners, and comprising: The control device: determines in which area among the areas there is a user, when it is determined that the user is in the first area, controls the first air conditioner based on an operation input to a mobile terminal device carried by the user, when it is determined that the user is in the second area, controls the second air conditioner based on an operation input to a mobile terminal device carried by the user. An air-conditioning control system.

2. The first area includes a plurality of seats, The second area includes a single seat, The control device: when it is determined that the user is seated on a seat included in the first area, determines that the user is in the first area, when it is determined that the user is seated on a seat included in the second area, determines that the user is in the second area. The air-conditioning control system according to Claim 1.

3. The control device: aggregates the opinions of a plurality of users based on operations input to mobile terminal devices carried by the plurality of users determined to be in the first area, and controls the first air conditioner based on the aggregated opinions. The air-conditioning control system according to Claim 1 or 2.

4. The control device: displays on the mobile terminal device carried by the user determined to be in the first area a majority voting screen on which the user's opinion can be input, and obtains the user's opinion based on the operation input by the user on the majority voting screen. The air-conditioning control system according to Claim 3.

5. The control device: when it is determined that the user determined to be in the first area has left the seat included in the first area, excludes the user's opinion from the aggregation result, and controls the first air conditioner based on the aggregation result excluding the user's opinion. The air-conditioning control system according to Claim 3.

6. The control device: displays on the mobile terminal device carried by the user determined to be in the second area a direct operation screen for directly operating the second air conditioner, and controls the second air conditioner based on the operation input by the user on the direct operation screen. The air-conditioning control system according to Claim 1 or 2.

7. The control device: When it is determined that the user who is determined to be in the second said area has left the seat included in the second said area, the second air conditioner is stopped. The air conditioning control system according to claim 1 or 2.

8. The control device When it is determined that the user who is determined to have left the seat included in the second said area has reseated on the seat, based on the operation input to the portable terminal device when the user last seated on the seat, the second air conditioner is controlled. The air conditioning control system according to claim 7.

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