Evaluation system, evaluation program, evaluation method

Abstract

The objective is to provide an evaluation system, evaluation program, and evaluation method for selecting equipment that can respond to future fluctuations in thermal load. [Solution] An evaluation system having a control unit for evaluating an air conditioning system, wherein the control unit derives evaluation information for the air conditioning system based on equipment configuration information relating to the equipment included in the air conditioning system and operating performance information of the air conditioning system, the equipment configuration information being information that reflects changes in the performance of the equipment in response to changes in the environment of the space to be air-conditioned by the air conditioning system, and the operating performance information being information that reflects changes in the load in response to changes in the environment of the space to be air-conditioned by the air conditioning system.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an evaluation system, an evaluation program, and an evaluation method.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, selection conditions are set based on the relationship between the specifications of an existing outdoor unit and the operation performance information, and an outdoor unit whose specifications match the set selection conditions is selected from the outdoor units in which the outdoor unit information is stored as a candidate for replacement equipment of the existing outdoor unit. A technique for this is known.

Prior Art Document

Patent Document

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the above-described conventional technique, since an updated device is selected using past operation performance information, a device corresponding to fluctuations in future heat load due to changes in user needs, changes in building conditions, changes in climate, etc. cannot be selected.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to provide an evaluation system, an evaluation program, and an evaluation method for selecting a device corresponding to fluctuations in future heat load.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] An evaluation system according to a first aspect of the present disclosure is an evaluation system having a control unit for evaluating an air conditioning system, The control unit, Based on the device configuration information regarding the devices included in the air conditioning system and the operation performance information of the air conditioning system, derives evaluation information of the air conditioning system, The aforementioned equipment configuration information is information that reflects changes in the performance of the equipment in response to changes in the environment of the space to be air-conditioned by the air conditioning system. The aforementioned operational performance information is an evaluation system that reflects changes in the load in response to changes in the environment of the air-conditioned space by the aforementioned air conditioning system.

[0007] According to a first aspect of this disclosure, equipment can be selected to accommodate future fluctuations in thermal load.

[0008] A second aspect of this disclosure is the evaluation system described in the first aspect, The control unit, The system acquires spatial environment information indicating the environment of the air-conditioned space and fluctuation information indicating the change when the environment of the air-conditioned space changes. This evaluation system uses the spatial environment information and the fluctuation information to estimate the change in the performance of the equipment in response to changes in the environment of the air-conditioned space, and the fluctuation in the load in response to changes in the environment of the air-conditioned space.

[0009] According to a second aspect of this disclosure, it is possible to estimate changes in operating performance information and equipment configuration information in response to changes in the environment.

[0010] A third aspect of this disclosure is the evaluation system described in the second aspect, The aforementioned spatial environmental information is The evaluation system includes equipment operation information related to the operation of equipment other than the aforementioned air conditioning system, spatial operation information related to the operation of the space to be air-conditioned by the aforementioned air conditioning system, spatial configuration information related to the configuration of the space to be air-conditioned by the aforementioned air conditioning system, and external environment information indicating the environment outside the space to be air-conditioned by the aforementioned air conditioning system.

[0011] According to a third aspect of this disclosure, estimation can be performed using information about the air conditioning system, information about the space to be air-conditioned, and information about the area outside the space to be air-conditioned, thereby improving the accuracy of the estimation.

[0012] A fourth aspect of the present disclosure is the evaluation system according to any one of the first to third aspects, where the control unit refers to a storage unit storing replacement device information regarding a candidate device that is a candidate for a device to be replaced with a device included in the air conditioning system, and identifies a candidate device that satisfies the conditions indicated by the evaluation information, and is an evaluation system.

[0013] According to the fourth aspect of the present disclosure, a device capable of coping with a future change in the environment of the air-conditioned space can be made understandable to an administrator or the like of the air conditioning system.

[0014] An evaluation program according to a fifth aspect of the present disclosure is for causing a control unit that evaluates an air conditioning system to execute a process of deriving evaluation information of the air conditioning system based on device configuration information regarding devices included in the air conditioning system and operation result information of the air conditioning system, where the device configuration information is information reflecting a change in the performance of the device according to a change in the environment of the air-conditioned space by the air conditioning system, and the operation result information is information reflecting a change in load according to a change in the environmental situation of the air-conditioned space by the air conditioning system.

[0015] According to the fifth aspect of the present disclosure, a device corresponding to a future change in heat load can be selected.

[0016] An evaluation method according to a sixth aspect of the present disclosure is an evaluation method by an evaluation system having a control unit that evaluates an air conditioning system, where the control unit derives evaluation information of the air conditioning system based on device configuration information regarding devices included in the air conditioning system and operation result information of the air conditioning system, where the device configuration information is information reflecting a change in the performance of the device according to a change in the environment of the air-conditioned space by the air conditioning system, The operation performance information is information reflecting fluctuations in load according to changes in the environment of the air-conditioned space by the air conditioning system.

[0017] According to the sixth aspect of the present disclosure, it is possible to select equipment corresponding to fluctuations in future heat load.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0018] [Figure 1] It is a diagram showing an example of the system configuration of the evaluation system. [Figure 2] It is a diagram showing an example of the air conditioning system. [Figure 3] It is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the evaluation device. [Figure 4] It is a diagram for explaining the functional configuration of the server device. [Figure 5] It is a diagram for explaining the outline of the operation of the evaluation system. [Figure 6] It is a flowchart for explaining the processing of the server device.

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0019] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the system configuration of the evaluation system.

[0020] The evaluation system 100 of the present embodiment includes a server device 200, an air conditioning system 300, and a terminal device 400. The server device 200 of the present embodiment communicates with the air conditioning system 300 and the terminal device 400 via a network such as the Internet.

[0021] The server device 200 of the present embodiment generates evaluation information for selecting equipment that can cope with future environmental changes in the space to be air-conditioned in the replacement of equipment included in the air conditioning system 300. The future environmental change is, in other words, a fluctuation in future heat load.

[0022] More specifically, the server device 200 uses spatial environment information that indicates future environmental changes in the space to be air-conditioned by the air conditioning system 300 to acquire equipment configuration information that reflects changes in equipment performance in response to environmental changes, and operational performance information that reflects fluctuations in load in response to environmental changes.

[0023] The server device 200 then generates evaluation information for selecting candidate equipment that can respond to future environmental changes, based on equipment configuration information that reflects the performance of the equipment in response to environmental changes, and operational performance information that reflects the changes in the environment. The evaluation information includes, for example, information indicating the conditions required for the equipment.

[0024] The air conditioning system 300 of this embodiment includes multiple air conditioners and adjusts the air in the site where the air conditioning system 300 is installed. In the following description, air conditioners will be simply referred to as equipment. Details of the air conditioning system 300 will be described later.

[0025] The terminal device 400 may be, for example, an information processing device used by the administrator of the air conditioning system 300. The server device 200 may output the generated evaluation information to the terminal device 400, and the terminal device 400 may display the evaluation information.

[0026] The server device 200 of this embodiment generates evaluation information for selecting equipment that can respond to future environmental changes. In other words, the server device 200 of this embodiment generates evaluation information for selecting equipment that can respond to future fluctuations in thermal load. The server device 200 then outputs the evaluation information to the terminal device 400.

[0027] Therefore, according to this embodiment, for example, when the manager of the air conditioning system 300 considers replacing equipment included in the air conditioning system 300, they can select equipment that can respond to future fluctuations in heat load.

[0028] In the example shown in Figure 1, the evaluation system 100 includes one server device 200, but it is not limited to this. The server device 200 included in the evaluation system 100 may be implemented using multiple information processing devices. Also, the number of air conditioning systems 300 and terminal devices 400 included in the evaluation system 100 may be any number. Furthermore, in Figure 1, the evaluation system 100 is shown to include an air conditioning system 300, but it is not limited to this. The air conditioning system 300 does not have to be included in the evaluation system 100.

[0029] Next, the air conditioning system 300 of this embodiment will be described with reference to Figure 2. Figure 2 is a diagram showing an example of an air conditioning system.

[0030] The air conditioning system 300 of this embodiment includes a combination of two outdoor units 301 and 302, six indoor units 311 to 316, and two ventilation devices 321 and 322.

[0031] In the example shown in Figure 2, outdoor units 301 and 302 are connected to three indoor units 311-313 and three indoor units 314-316, respectively, by refrigerant piping 331 and 332. Indoor units 311 and 312 are installed in room Ra, which is the space to be air-conditioned, and work in conjunction with outdoor unit 301 to perform air conditioning in room Ra.

[0032] In addition, indoor units 313 and 314 are installed in room Rb, which is the space to be air-conditioned, and work in conjunction with outdoor units 301 and 302 to perform air conditioning in room Rb. Furthermore, indoor units 315 and 316 are installed in room Rc, which is the space to be air-conditioned, and work in conjunction with outdoor unit 302 to perform air conditioning in room Rc.

[0033] Furthermore, ventilation device 321 is installed for room Ra and provides ventilation for room Ra. Ventilation device 322 is installed for both room Rb and room Rc and provides ventilation for both room Rb and room Rc.

[0034] Note that Figure 2 shows an example of the air conditioning system 300, and the configuration of the equipment included in the air conditioning system 300 of this embodiment is not limited to the example shown in Figure 2.

[0035] Next, the hardware configuration of the server device 200 in this embodiment will be described with reference to Figure 3. Figure 3 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the server device.

[0036] The server device 200 in this embodiment is a computer that includes an input device 21, an output device 22, a drive device 23, an auxiliary storage device 24, a memory device 25, a processor 26, and an interface device 27, all of which are interconnected via bus B.

[0037] The input device 21 is a device for inputting various types of information. The output device 22 is for outputting various types of information. The interface device 27 is used to connect to a network.

[0038] The evaluation program that implements the functions of the server device 200, as described later, is at least a part of the various programs that control the server device 200, and is provided, for example, by downloading from a network.

[0039] Furthermore, the evaluation program may be provided on a recording medium 28 on which the program is recorded. The recording medium 28 can be of various types, such as recording media that record information optically, electrically, or magnetically, such as CD-ROMs, flexible disks, and magneto-optical disks, or semiconductor memories that record information electrically, such as ROMs and flash memory.

[0040] Furthermore, the evaluation program, once downloaded from the network via the interface device 27, is installed on the auxiliary storage device 24.

[0041] The auxiliary storage device 24 implements the various storage units of the server device 200, storing programs installed on the server device 200, as well as various necessary files and information from the server device 200. The memory device 25 reads the evaluation program from the auxiliary storage device 24 and stores it when the server device 200 starts up. The processor 26 then performs various processes as described later, according to the evaluation program stored in the memory device 25.

[0042] Furthermore, the terminal device 400 in this embodiment is a computer having a processor and a memory device, and its hardware configuration may be the same as that shown in Figure 3, so a detailed explanation is omitted.

[0043] Next, the functions of the server device 200 in this embodiment will be described with reference to Figure 4. Figure 4 is a diagram illustrating the functional configuration of the server device.

[0044] The server device 200 of this embodiment includes an operation history storage unit 210, an equipment configuration storage unit 220, an evaluation storage unit 230, a replacement candidate storage unit 240, an equipment operation storage unit 250, a spatial operation storage unit 260, a spatial configuration storage unit 270, an environment storage unit 280, and a control unit 290.

[0045] The operation history storage unit 210, equipment configuration storage unit 220, evaluation storage unit 230, replacement candidate storage unit 240, equipment operation storage unit 250, spatial operation storage unit 260, spatial configuration storage unit 270, and environment storage unit 280 may be implemented, for example, by an auxiliary storage device 24 of the server device 200.

[0046] Furthermore, each of the following may be provided for each air conditioning system 300: the operation history memory unit 210, the equipment configuration memory unit 220, the evaluation memory unit 230, the replacement candidate memory unit 240, the equipment operation memory unit 250, the spatial operation memory unit 260, the spatial configuration memory unit 270, and the environmental memory unit 280. In other words, each of these memory units may be provided for each building in which the air conditioning system 300 is installed.

[0047] The control unit 290 may be implemented by the processor 26 reading and executing an evaluation program stored in a memory device 25 or the like.

[0048] The operation performance storage unit 210 stores operation performance information. This operation performance information is information relating to the performance or experimental results of each piece of equipment included in the air conditioning system 300. The operation performance information in this embodiment may be obtained from the air conditioning system 300 via the interface device 27 of the server device 200 in this embodiment.

[0049] Furthermore, the operational performance information of this embodiment includes operational performance information collected from each piece of equipment included in the air conditioning system 300.

[0050] The operational performance information in this embodiment may include, for example, actual experimental data obtained from measurements of the actual equipment in a laboratory, or simulation experimental data obtained from simulations of equipment models.

[0051] Specifically, the operational performance information may include information indicating the air conditioning load of each piece of equipment included in the air conditioning system 300, and the air conditioning load for each section included in the space to be air-conditioned by the air conditioning system 300. In addition, the operational performance information may include, for example, information indicating the power status (on / off) of each of the indoor units 311 to 316 included in the air conditioning system 300, information indicating the set temperature of each of the indoor units 311 to 316, information indicating the operating mode (cooling / heating), information indicating the output capacity, etc.

[0052] Furthermore, the operational performance information may include outside temperature and indoor temperature. Additionally, the operational performance information may include performance data used in the machine learning described later.

[0053] The equipment configuration storage unit 220 stores equipment configuration information. In this embodiment, the equipment configuration information may be pre-entered by the administrator of the air conditioning system 300 and stored in the equipment configuration storage unit 220.

[0054] Specifically, the equipment configuration information includes information about the equipment included in the air conditioning system 300, cost information, etc. Furthermore, the equipment configuration information includes information indicating the model of each piece of equipment included in the air conditioning system 300.

[0055] Furthermore, the equipment configuration information includes information about the elements that make up each piece of equipment included in the air conditioning system 300, information indicating the characteristic values ​​of the elements that make up each piece of equipment, and setting information for controlling the elements that make up each piece of equipment. The elements that make up each piece of equipment may be, for example, a compressor, a fan, a heat exchanger, etc. The manager of the air conditioning system 300 may be the person who selects the equipment to replace the equipment included in the air conditioning system 300.

[0056] Furthermore, after the equipment included in the air conditioning system 300 has been replaced, information regarding the replaced equipment may be obtained from the replacement candidate storage unit 240 and included as part of the equipment configuration information.

[0057] The evaluation storage unit 230 stores evaluation information obtained through processing by the control unit 290. The evaluation information is generated by the control unit 290 executing the processing described later and stored in the evaluation storage unit 230.

[0058] The evaluation information is information that indicates the conditions required for the equipment constituting the air conditioning system 300, and includes information regarding the performance of the equipment. Specifically, the evaluation information in this embodiment includes information such as the power consumption and untreated heat load of the air conditioning system 300.

[0059] In this embodiment, by acquiring such evaluation information through processing by the control unit 290, the impact on performance due to variations in the amount of heat processed by each indoor unit included in the air conditioning system 300 can be understood through simulation.

[0060] The replacement candidate storage unit 240 stores replacement candidate information regarding equipment that may be replaced with other equipment constituting the air conditioning system 300.

[0061] Replacement candidate information may be pre-entered by the administrator of the air conditioning system 300 or the administrator of the evaluation system 100, and stored in the replacement candidate storage unit 240.

[0062] In the following explanation, equipment that may be replaced by other components of the air conditioning system 300 may be referred to as candidate equipment. Replacement candidate information includes information about the candidate equipment, cost information, etc. The items of information included in the replacement candidate information may be the same as the items included in the equipment configuration information.

[0063] The equipment operation memory unit 250 stores equipment operation information related to the operation of equipment other than the air conditioning system in the air-conditioned space. The equipment operation information is pre-entered by the administrator of the air conditioning system 300 and stored in the equipment operation memory unit 250.

[0064] Air conditioning equipment in an air-conditioned space refers to each component included in the air conditioning system 300. Specifically, air conditioning equipment includes, for example, two outdoor units 301 and 302, six indoor units 311 to 316, and two ventilation units 321 and 322. Equipment other than air conditioning equipment includes, for example, lighting fixtures, blinds attached to windows, furniture, and office equipment installed in the air-conditioned space.

[0065] Equipment operation information includes, for example, information indicating the type of lighting, the occupancy rate, and the usage rate of blinds. In other words, equipment operation information is information indicating the operating schedule of equipment other than air conditioning equipment. Equipment operation information may also include information regarding the maintenance of equipment other than air conditioning equipment. Maintenance information may include information indicating the maintenance and replacement schedules for equipment other than air conditioning equipment.

[0066] The spatial operation memory unit 260 stores spatial operation information relating to the air-conditioned space. This spatial operation information includes operational information regarding the operation of the air conditioning equipment in the air-conditioned space, and information regarding the use of the rooms included in the air-conditioned space. The spatial operation information is pre-entered by the administrator of the air conditioning system 300 and stored in the spatial operation memory unit 260.

[0067] Specifically, spatial operation information includes information indicating the use of the rooms included in the air-conditioned space, information indicating the presence or absence of partitions, ventilation rate, number of people using the room, indoor temperature setting, and information indicating whether the adjacent room is being cooled or heated.

[0068] The spatial configuration memory unit 270 stores spatial configuration information relating to the building structure other than the equipment installed in the space to be air-conditioned. Here, "building" refers to the building that includes the space to be air-conditioned. The spatial configuration information is pre-entered by the administrator of the air conditioning system 300 and stored in the spatial configuration memory unit 270.

[0069] Spatial configuration information specifically includes, for example, information indicating the type of glass used in the building, the amount of solar radiation, etc.

[0070] The environmental memory unit 280 stores environmental information that describes the environment surrounding the building. This environmental information is pre-entered by the administrator of the air conditioning system 300 and stored in the environmental memory unit 280.

[0071] Environmental information specifically includes outside temperature, outside humidity, solar radiation, the orientation of the building, information indicating the presence or absence of shade, and information indicating the presence or absence of neighboring buildings.

[0072] Furthermore, the types of information stored in each of the aforementioned memory units are not limited to the examples given above, and may include information of other types.

[0073] Furthermore, in the following explanation, information including equipment operation information, spatial operation information, spatial configuration information, and environmental information may be referred to as spatial environment information. In other words, equipment operation information, spatial operation information, spatial configuration information, and environmental information are all included in spatial environment information.

[0074] Furthermore, in the example shown in Figure 4, a device operation memory unit 250, a spatial operation memory unit 260, a spatial configuration memory unit 270, and an environmental memory unit 280 are provided, and device operation information, spatial operation information, air conditioning configuration information, and environmental information are stored in each memory unit, but the system is not limited to this. The server device 200 may have a spatial environment memory unit instead of the device operation memory unit 250, spatial operation memory unit 260, spatial configuration memory unit 270, and environmental memory unit 280, and the device operation information, spatial operation information, air conditioning configuration information, and environmental information may be stored in the spatial environment memory unit as spatial environment information.

[0075] In this embodiment, information regarding the air conditioning system 300, information regarding the air-conditioned space to be air-conditioned by the air conditioning system 300, and information about the area outside the air-conditioned space are stored, and by using this information, the accuracy of the estimation by the fluctuation estimation unit 293 can be improved.

[0076] Next, the control unit 290 of this embodiment will be described. The control unit 290 of this embodiment includes an input receiving unit 291, a storage control unit 292, a fluctuation estimation unit 293, a margin setting unit 294, an evaluation estimation unit 295, a replacement candidate identification unit 296, and an output unit 297.

[0077] The input receiving unit 291 receives various inputs to the server device 200. Specifically, for example, the input receiving unit 291 receives inputs of equipment configuration information, replacement candidate information, and spatial environment information. The input receiving unit 291 also receives inputs of fluctuation information, which indicates changes in the environment of the space to be air-conditioned, and shows the amount of fluctuation in the spatial environment information. Details of the fluctuation information will be described later.

[0078] The storage control unit 292 stores the input information in each storage unit according to the type of information input by the input reception unit 291.

[0079] When fluctuation information is input, the fluctuation estimation unit 293 uses the fluctuation information and the spatial environment information stored in the server device 200 to estimate the fluctuation in the operating performance information corresponding to the change in the environment of the air-conditioned space. In other words, the fluctuation in the operating performance information is the fluctuation in the load of the air conditioning system 300. The fluctuation estimation unit 293 also estimates the fluctuation in the equipment configuration information corresponding to the change in the environment of the air-conditioned space. Details of the fluctuation estimation unit 293 will be described later.

[0080] The margin setting unit 294 sets the fluctuations in the operating performance information, which are the estimation results from the fluctuation estimation unit 293, as the margin of the operating performance information in accordance with the changes in the environment of the air-conditioned space. In addition, the margin setting unit 294 sets the fluctuations in the equipment configuration information as the margin of the equipment configuration information in accordance with the changes in the environment of the air-conditioned space.

[0081] In this embodiment, the margin refers to the variation in information that should be considered in order to perform air conditioning treatment in an air-conditioned space without being affected by future changes in the environment of the air-conditioned space.

[0082] The evaluation estimation unit 295 estimates evaluation information for the air conditioning system 300 to select equipment that responds to changes in the environment of the air-conditioned space, based on the operating performance information after margin setting (where margins have been set by the margin setting unit 294) and the equipment configuration information after margin setting (where margins have been set). Details of the evaluation estimation unit 295 will be described later.

[0083] The replacement candidate identification unit 296 identifies a replacement device from among the candidate devices whose replacement candidate information is stored in the replacement candidate storage unit 240 that satisfies the conditions indicated by the evaluation information obtained as an estimation result by the evaluation estimation unit 295.

[0084] The output unit 297 outputs various types of information from the server device 200. Specifically, for example, the output unit 297 outputs information indicating candidate equipment identified by the replacement candidate identification unit 296, and evaluation information which is the estimation result by the evaluation estimation unit 295, to the terminal device 400.

[0085] Next, with reference to Figure 5, an overview of the operation of the evaluation system 100 of this embodiment will be described. Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating the overview of the operation of the evaluation system.

[0086] In Figure 5, the equipment operation information stored in the equipment operation memory unit 250 is shown as "A," and the spatial operation information stored in the spatial operation memory unit 260 is shown as "B." Also in Figure 5, the spatial configuration information stored in the spatial configuration memory unit 270 is shown as "C," and the environmental information stored in the environmental memory unit 280 is shown as "D."

[0087] Spatial environment information, including equipment operation information, spatial operation information, spatial configuration information, and environmental information, includes parameters for calculating actual load and parameters that affect the load.

[0088] In Figure 5, the operating performance information stored in the operating performance storage unit 210 is indicated as "Q", the equipment configuration information stored in the equipment configuration storage unit 220 is indicated as "P", and the evaluation information is indicated as "R".

[0089] Operating performance information and equipment configuration information are parameters that are affected by the load itself and the increment of the load.

[0090] Furthermore, in Figure 5, among the fluctuation information received by the input reception unit 291, the fluctuation in equipment operation information is shown as "ΔA", the fluctuation in spatial operation information is shown as "ΔB", the fluctuation in spatial configuration information is shown as "ΔC", and the fluctuation in environmental information is shown as "ΔD".

[0091] In this embodiment, among the fluctuations in equipment operation information "ΔA", the fluctuations on an hourly or daily basis include, for example, the duration of lighting use and the operating rate of copiers in an office that is an air-conditioned space. In addition, among the fluctuations in equipment operation information "ΔA", the fluctuations on an annual basis include, for example, technological changes in lighting and furniture, and a decrease in lighting intensity due to power shortages.

[0092] Furthermore, among the fluctuations "ΔB" in the spatial operation information in this embodiment, hourly and daily fluctuations include, for example, ventilation by opening windows. Also, among the fluctuations "ΔB" in the spatial operation information, weekly and monthly fluctuations include, for example, changes in room use or changes in air conditioning zones. Furthermore, among the fluctuations "ΔB" in the spatial operation information, yearly fluctuations include increased ventilation due to infectious disease outbreaks, changes in the number of working days, and relaxation of set temperatures.

[0093] Furthermore, among the fluctuations "ΔC" in the spatial configuration information in this embodiment, the fluctuations on an hourly or daily basis include changes in the type of window glass, etc. Also, among the fluctuations "ΔC" in the spatial configuration information, the fluctuations on an annual basis include an increase in drafts due to the aging of the building structure that is the air-conditioned space.

[0094] Furthermore, among the fluctuations "ΔD" in the environmental information in this embodiment, the fluctuations on an hourly or daily basis include weather, outside temperature, and outside humidity. In addition, among the fluctuations "ΔD" in the environmental information, the fluctuations on an annual basis include the rise in outside temperature due to global warming.

[0095] Furthermore, in Figure 5, the change in operating performance information corresponding to the change in the environment of the air-conditioned space indicated by the fluctuation information is shown as "ΔQ," and the change in equipment configuration information corresponding to the change in the environment of the air-conditioned space indicated by the fluctuation information is shown as "ΔP."

[0096] In this embodiment, the fluctuation estimation unit 293 receives spatial environment information and fluctuation information, namely "A+ΔA", "B+ΔB", "C+ΔC", and "D+ΔD", as input when the environment changes.

[0097] The variable information "ΔA", "ΔB", "ΔC", and "ΔD" may be entered by the administrator of the air conditioning system 300, or they may be values ​​assumed or estimated by a simulation conducted separately. Furthermore, in this embodiment, it is sufficient that at least one of "ΔA", "ΔB", "ΔC", and "ΔD" is set, and it is not necessary for all of them to be set. In addition, in this embodiment, the value of "ΔA", "ΔB", "ΔC", and "ΔD" for which no value has been entered may be set to "0".

[0098] Furthermore, the method for reflecting changes in the environment of the air-conditioned space in the spatial environment information is not limited to adding the change to each of the equipment operation information, spatial operation information, air conditioning configuration information, and environmental information stored in each memory unit, as described above. In this embodiment, as a method for reflecting changes in the environment of the air-conditioned space in the spatial environment information, a method of multiplying each of "A", "B", "C", and "D" by a multiplier to reflect the change in the environment may be used.

[0099] In this case, the magnification used to reflect changes in the equipment operation information is "α A " indicates that the magnification that reflects changes in spatial operation information is "α B " indicates that the magnification factor that reflects the change in spatial configuration information is "α C " indicates that the magnification factor that reflects changes in environmental information is "α D In this case, the fluctuation estimation unit 293 provides spatial environment information and fluctuation information, specifically "A × α A "B×α B "C×α C "D×α D " is entered.

[0100] In this embodiment, when spatial environment information and fluctuation information indicating changes in the environment of the air-conditioned space are input to the fluctuation estimation unit 293, it estimates the fluctuation amount "ΔQ" of the operating performance information corresponding to the changes in the environment of the air-conditioned space.

[0101] Here, the variation estimation unit 293 of this embodiment will be described. The variation estimation unit 293 of this embodiment may estimate the variation "ΔQ" of the operating performance information using a trained air conditioning performance model constructed by a machine learning algorithm such as a neural network algorithm such as a multilayer perceptron (MLP).

[0102] In this case, the fluctuation "ΔQ" in the operational performance information represents the fluctuation per unit time over a predetermined period. The predetermined period may be, for example, one year, and the unit time may be one hour within a day.

[0103] The air conditioning performance model is a pre-trained model that uses spatial environment information ("A+ΔA", "B+ΔB", "C+ΔC", "D+ΔD") which reflects fluctuation information as explanatory variables, and the fluctuation amount ΔQ of the operating performance information, or the operating performance information "Q+ΔQ" after setting a margin using the fluctuation amount "ΔQ" of the operating performance information as the margin, as the dependent variable.

[0104] Here, if the output of the air conditioning performance model is the operating performance information "Q + ΔQ" after margin setting, the operating performance information "Q" stored in the operating performance storage unit 210 is subtracted from the operating performance information "Q + ΔQ" which is the output of the air conditioning performance model to obtain the "variation ΔQ" (estimated time series value).

[0105] Furthermore, the fluctuation estimation unit 293 of this embodiment may estimate the fluctuation ΔQ of the operating performance information using the first air conditioning performance model and the second air conditioning performance model.

[0106] The first air conditioning performance model is a pre-trained model that uses equipment operation information "A", spatial operation information "B", spatial configuration information "C", and environmental information "D" included in the spatial environment information as explanatory variables, and operational performance information "Q" as the dependent variable. The second air conditioning performance model is a pre-trained model that takes spatial environment information ("A+ΔA", "B+ΔB", "C+ΔC", "D+ΔD") reflecting fluctuation information as input, and outputs operational performance information "Q+ΔQ" after margin setting.

[0107] The fluctuation estimation unit 293 may obtain the fluctuation amount "ΔQ" by subtracting the operating performance information "Q", which is the output of the first air conditioning performance model, from the operating performance information "Q+ΔQ", which is the output of the second air conditioning performance model, after setting the margin.

[0108] In all cases, the operational performance information "Q+ΔQ" after setting the margin for spatial operation information can be the value obtained by adding this estimated fluctuation "ΔQ" to the operational performance information "Q".

[0109] Furthermore, the fluctuation estimation unit 293 of this embodiment may estimate the fluctuation "ΔQ" of the operating performance information by simulating the air conditioning performance against a physical model of the air-conditioned space. The physical model of the air-conditioned space may be a simple heat balance model, a model provided in simulation software, etc., and may be constructed in advance.

[0110] In this embodiment, the air conditioning performance simulation is a dynamic heat load (air conditioning load) simulation, which can be performed using known simulation software such as EnergyPLus®. In this case, the fluctuation "ΔQ" is obtained by performing a dynamic load (air conditioning load) simulation on the physical model of the air-conditioned space.

[0111] Specifically, the fluctuation estimation unit 293 uses equipment operation information "A", spatial operation information "B", spatial configuration information "C", and environmental information "D" to construct a physical model or set it as a simulation condition to calculate the first simulation result, operational performance information "Q". The fluctuation estimation unit 293 also uses spatial environment information ("A+ΔA", "B+ΔB", "C+ΔC", "D+ΔD") that reflects the fluctuation information to construct a physical model or set it as a simulation condition to calculate the second simulation result, operational performance information "Q+ΔQ". Finally, the fluctuation estimation unit 293 can obtain the fluctuation amount "ΔQ" by subtracting the first simulation result from the second simulation result.

[0112] Furthermore, as described above, the fluctuation estimation unit 293 may use a combination of a machine learning model related to air conditioning performance and an air conditioning performance simulation to estimate the fluctuation "ΔQ", for example, using the method disclosed in Patent Document No. 2022-044555.

[0113] Specifically, the fluctuation estimation unit 293 applies a correction to the first simulation result obtained from the air conditioning performance simulation using the air conditioning performance error estimated by the air conditioning performance error estimation model, and calculates the corrected operating performance information "Q'", which is the first simulation result after correction. The fluctuation estimation unit 293 also applies a correction to the second simulation result obtained from the air conditioning performance simulation using the air conditioning performance error estimated by the air conditioning performance error estimation model, and calculates the corrected operating performance information "Q'+ΔQ'", which is the second simulation result after correction. Subsequently, the fluctuation estimation unit 293 can obtain the corrected fluctuation amount "ΔQ'" by subtracting the corrected first simulation result from the corrected second simulation result.

[0114] This suppresses errors in air conditioning performance simulations caused by insufficient simulation conditions or deviations from actual conditions, and allows for obtaining a more accurate estimate of the fluctuation "ΔQ" of the operational performance information "Q".

[0115] Furthermore, in the fluctuation estimation unit 293 of this embodiment, the fluctuation amount "ΔQ" of the operating performance information may be calculated using a predetermined calculation formula. The predetermined calculation formula may be a calculation formula that uses the energy consumption rate of each piece of equipment included in the air conditioning system 300 as an indicator.

[0116] Furthermore, the fluctuation estimation unit 293 of this embodiment may perform simulations that reflect changes in the environment of the space to be air-conditioned in the configuration of the equipment of the air conditioning system 300, and estimate the fluctuation amount "ΔP" of the equipment configuration information.

[0117] For example, the fluctuation estimation unit 293 may use the fluctuation amount "ΔQ" of the operating performance information to determine the amount by which the performance of the equipment of the air conditioning system 300 is reduced, and use this as the fluctuation amount "ΔP" of the equipment configuration information. Alternatively, the fluctuation estimation unit 293 may use the change in equipment performance due to aging as the fluctuation amount "ΔP" of the equipment configuration information. Changes in equipment performance due to aging may include, for example, a decrease in airflow due to filter clogging, which is affected by the maintenance interval.

[0118] In this embodiment, by having the fluctuation estimation unit 293, it is possible to estimate fluctuations in operating performance information and equipment configuration information corresponding to fluctuation information.

[0119] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the fluctuation amount "ΔP" of the equipment configuration information does not need to be estimated by the fluctuation estimation unit 293, and may be a predetermined value. Also, the fluctuation amount "ΔP" of the equipment configuration information may be input together with the fluctuation information from a terminal device 400 or the like by, for example, the administrator of the air conditioning system 300.

[0120] In this embodiment, when the margin setting unit 294 sets the operating performance information variation "ΔQ" and the equipment configuration information variation "ΔP" to operating performance information "Q" and equipment configuration information "P", the server device 200 inputs the operating performance information "Q+ΔQ" and equipment configuration information "P+ΔP" after margin setting to the evaluation estimation unit 295 to obtain evaluation information "R+ΔR".

[0121] The evaluation information "R+ΔR" is an estimated result obtained when the operating performance information "Q+ΔQ" after margin setting and the equipment configuration information "P+ΔP" after margin setting are input to the evaluation estimation unit 295. In other words, the evaluation information "R+ΔR" is an estimated result obtained when a margin is set in at least one of the operating performance information and equipment configuration information input to the evaluation estimation unit 295.

[0122] The evaluation estimation unit 295 outputs evaluation information R if no margin is set for either the operating performance information Q or the equipment configuration information P, for which no margin is set. Therefore, the evaluation information "R + ΔR" can be said to be evaluation information that reflects the changes in the environment of the air-conditioned space.

[0123] Here, the evaluation estimation unit 295 will be described. In this embodiment, the evaluation estimation unit 295 may estimate the evaluation information R using a trained air conditioning evaluation model constructed by a machine learning algorithm such as a neural network algorithm like a multilayer perceptron.

[0124] The air conditioning evaluation model in this embodiment is a trained model with operational performance information "Q+ΔQ" after margin setting and equipment configuration information "P+ΔP" after margin setting as explanatory variables, and evaluation information R as the objective variable. In this embodiment, if ΔQ and ΔP are not set, the values ​​of ΔQ and ΔP may be set to 0.

[0125] Furthermore, the evaluation estimation unit 295 may estimate the evaluation information R by performing an air conditioning evaluation simulation on a physical model of the air conditioning system 300. The air conditioning evaluation simulation may be a power consumption simulation, for example, when power consumption is used as the evaluation information R.

[0126] These simulations can be performed using, for example, known simulation software such as EnergyPLus®. In this case, the operational performance information "Q+ΔQ" after margin setting and the equipment configuration information "P+ΔP" after margin setting may be used to construct a physical model or set as simulation conditions to calculate the evaluation information R, which is the simulation result.

[0127] Furthermore, as described above, the evaluation estimation unit 295 may use a combination of a machine learning model related to air conditioning evaluation and an air conditioning evaluation simulation to estimate the evaluation information R, for example, using the method disclosed in Patent Document No. 2022-044555.

[0128] Specifically, the evaluation estimation unit 295 applies a correction to the evaluation information R obtained as a result of the air conditioning evaluation simulation using the air conditioning evaluation error estimated by the air conditioning evaluation error estimation model (which has learned the error of the results under the simulation conditions), and calculates the corrected evaluation information R', which may be the estimation result of the evaluation estimation unit 295. This makes it possible to suppress errors in the air conditioning evaluation simulation caused by insufficient simulation conditions or deviations from actual simulation conditions, and to obtain more accurate estimation results.

[0129] Next, with reference to Figure 6, the processing of the server device 200 in the evaluation system 100 of this embodiment will be described. Figure 6 is a flowchart illustrating the processing of the server device.

[0130] In this embodiment, the server device 200 receives input of fluctuation information indicating changes in the environment of the space to be air-conditioned via the input reception unit 291 (step S601). Subsequently, the server device 200 inputs the spatial environment information, including equipment operation information, spatial operation information, spatial configuration information, and environmental information stored in the equipment operation storage unit 250, spatial operation storage unit 260, spatial configuration storage unit 270, and environment storage unit 280, along with the fluctuation information, to the fluctuation estimation unit 293 (step S602).

[0131] Next, the server device 200 acquires the fluctuation amount "ΔQ" of the operating performance information output from the fluctuation estimation unit 293 and the fluctuation amount "ΔP" of the equipment configuration information (step S603). Subsequently, the server device 200 uses the margin setting unit 294 to set the fluctuation amount "ΔQ" and the fluctuation amount "ΔP" as margins for the operating performance information stored in the operating performance storage unit 210 and the equipment configuration information stored in the equipment configuration storage unit 220 (step S604).

[0132] Next, the server device 200 inputs the operational performance information after margin setting, in which the variable "ΔQ" is set as the margin, and the equipment configuration information after margin setting, in which the variable "ΔP" is set as the margin, to the evaluation estimation unit 295 (step S605).

[0133] The server device 200 acquires the evaluation information output from the evaluation estimation unit 295 (step S606). The acquired evaluation information may be stored in the evaluation storage unit 230 by the storage control unit 292.

[0134] Next, the server device 200 uses the replacement candidate identification unit 296 to identify candidate equipment from among the candidate equipment whose replacement candidate information is stored in the replacement candidate storage unit 240, according to the evaluation information, equipment that can be replaced with equipment included in the air conditioning system 300 (step S607).

[0135] Next, the server device 200 outputs information indicating the identified candidate device to the terminal device 400 via the output unit 297 (step S608).

[0136] The following describes a specific example of the operation of the evaluation system 100 of this embodiment.

[0137] First, we will explain the case where the following conditions are input as variable information: ambient temperature (general design conditions, values ​​of ambient temperature calculated from statistics over the past few years at a certain location) and equipment degradation conditions.

[0138] When fluctuation information is input to the server device 200, it inputs the input fluctuation information, along with spatial environment information including equipment operation information, spatial operation information, spatial configuration information, and environmental information, to the fluctuation estimation unit 293.

[0139] The fluctuation estimation unit 293 estimates a fluctuation "ΔQ" in the operating performance information from the difference between the ambient temperature when the load is at its peak and the ambient temperature indicated by the fluctuation information, as recorded in the operating performance information stored in the operating performance storage unit 210.

[0140] Furthermore, the fluctuation estimation unit 293 estimates the fluctuation amount "ΔP" of the equipment configuration information from the difference between the equipment performance indicated by the equipment configuration information stored in the equipment configuration storage unit 220 and the equipment performance when it deteriorates based on the equipment deterioration conditions indicated by the fluctuation information.

[0141] Next, the server device 200 inputs the modified operating performance information "Q+ΔQ" (where the variation "ΔQ" in the operating performance information and the variation "ΔP" in the equipment configuration information are set as margins) and the equipment configuration information "P+ΔP" into the evaluation estimation unit 295, and obtains the evaluation information estimated by the evaluation estimation unit 295.

[0142] The evaluation information obtained here may represent the equipment conditions necessary to maintain the environment of the air-conditioned space at the same level as the current environment, even if there are changes in outside temperature or deterioration in equipment performance in the future.

[0143] When evaluation information is acquired, the server device 200 uses the replacement candidate identification unit 296 to identify candidate devices from among the candidate devices whose replacement candidate information is stored in the replacement candidate storage unit 240 that meet the conditions indicated by the evaluation information.

[0144] In this embodiment, the evaluation information referenced when selecting candidate equipment includes information that can respond to changes in the usage conditions of the air-conditioned space and fluctuations in heat load due to climate changes. In this embodiment, for example, when replacing equipment included in the air conditioning system 300, the manager of the air conditioning system 300 can be made aware of equipment that can respond to future changes in the environment of the air-conditioned space.

[0145] Furthermore, although this embodiment has been described on the premise of replacing equipment included in an existing air conditioning system 300, it is not limited to this. This embodiment may also be applied, for example, when setting up a new air conditioning system 300.

[0146] In this case, the equipment configuration information stored in the equipment configuration storage unit 220 may be the equipment configuration information of temporary equipment to be included in the newly installed air conditioning system 300, and the operation performance information stored in the operation performance storage unit 210 may be the operation performance information obtained through simulation or the like.

[0147] In this way, candidate equipment identified based on evaluation information obtained by inputting fluctuation information to the server device 200 can be selected as equipment to be included in the newly installed air conditioning system 300.

[0148] Furthermore, in the example described above, the margin for responding to changes in the environment of the air-conditioned space was set in the operational performance information and the equipment configuration information, but the margin for responding to changes in the environment of the air-conditioned space may also be included in the evaluation information.

[0149] The margin in the evaluation information is estimated by the evaluation estimation unit 295 and may be included as part of the evaluation information output from the evaluation estimation unit 295.

[0150] The following explains the case where the evaluation information includes a margin. Here, we assume that the ambient temperature is entered as variable information.

[0151] In the server device 200, when fluctuation information is input, the fluctuation estimation unit 293 estimates a fluctuation amount "ΔQ" in the operating performance information from the difference between the ambient temperature when the load is at its peak in the operating performance information stored in the operating performance storage unit 210 and the ambient temperature indicated by the fluctuation information. Here, the fluctuation amount "ΔQ" is the increase in load that should be taken as a margin for the load indicated by the operating performance information.

[0152] Here, let's assume that a load increment of 1, as indicated by the fluctuation "ΔQ", corresponds to an increase of 20 rotations in the compressor speed of the outdoor unit. In this case, if the maximum increase in the compressor speed of the outdoor units 301 and 302 included in the air conditioning system 300 is 10 rotations for every 1 load increment, then in order to respond to the environmental changes indicated by the fluctuation information, an outdoor unit with a compressor that can increase by another 10 rotations for every 1 load increment is required.

[0153] Therefore, the fluctuation estimation unit 293 estimates the fluctuation amount "ΔP" of the equipment configuration information from the difference between the equipment configuration information when the rotational speed of the compressors of the outdoor units 301 and 302 included in the air conditioning system 300 is increased by 20 revolutions and the equipment configuration information "P" stored in the equipment configuration storage unit 220.

[0154] Next, the server device 200 inputs the operational performance information, in which the fluctuation "ΔQ" is set as a margin, and the equipment configuration information, in which the fluctuation "ΔP" is set as a margin, to the evaluation estimation unit 295.

[0155] Here, the evaluation estimation unit 295 may further estimate conditions that serve as a margin to respond to changes in the environment of the air-conditioned space in the evaluation information. For example, the condition estimated here may be that the outdoor unit includes an outdoor unit whose rotational speed is set to an upper limit equal to or greater than the rotational speed corresponding to the increase in load indicated by the fluctuation "ΔQ".

[0156] The evaluation estimation unit 295 then outputs the evaluation information, which includes the conditions estimated as margins, to the evaluation estimation unit 295.

[0157] When the server device 200 acquires evaluation information, the replacement candidate identification unit 296 refers to the replacement candidate storage unit 240 and identifies equipment that meets the conditions indicated by the evaluation information as candidate equipment. Here, for example, the replacement candidate identification unit 296 may identify equipment as candidate equipment that has a margin of 20 rotations in compression rotation speed relative to the operating performance information.

[0158] In this embodiment, margins may be set for each of the operating performance information, equipment configuration information, and evaluation information.

[0159] Although embodiments have been described above, it should be understood that various modifications to the form and details are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0160] 100 Evaluation System 200 Server Devices 210 Driving record storage unit 220 Equipment configuration storage section 230 Evaluation memory unit 240 Exchange candidate storage unit 250 Equipment Operation Memory Unit 260 Spatial operation storage unit 270 Spatial configuration memory unit 280 Environment memory section 290 Control Unit 300 Air Conditioning System 400 terminal devices

Claims

1. An evaluation system having a control unit for evaluating an air conditioning system, The control unit, Based on the equipment configuration information relating to the equipment included in the air conditioning system and the operating performance information of the air conditioning system, evaluation information for the air conditioning system is derived. The aforementioned equipment configuration information is information that reflects changes in the performance of the equipment in response to changes in the environment of the space to be air-conditioned by the air conditioning system. The aforementioned operational performance information is an evaluation system in which the load fluctuations in response to changes in the environment of the air-conditioned space by the air conditioning system are reflected.

2. The control unit, The system acquires spatial environment information indicating the environment of the air-conditioned space and fluctuation information indicating the change when the environment of the air-conditioned space changes. The evaluation system according to claim 1, which uses the spatial environment information and the fluctuation information to estimate the change in the performance of the equipment in response to the change in the environment of the space to be air-conditioned, and the change in the load in response to the change in the environment of the space to be air-conditioned.

3. The aforementioned spatial environmental information is The evaluation system according to claim 2, comprising: equipment operation information relating to the operation of equipment other than the air conditioning system; spatial operation information relating to the operation of the space to be air-conditioned by the air conditioning system; spatial configuration information relating to the configuration of the space to be air-conditioned by the air conditioning system; and external environment information indicating the environment outside the space to be air-conditioned by the air conditioning system.

4. The control unit, The system refers to a storage unit that stores replacement equipment information regarding candidate equipment that is a candidate for replacement equipment with equipment included in the aforementioned air conditioning system, The evaluation system according to claim 1, which identifies candidate devices that satisfy the conditions indicated by the evaluation information.

5. In the control unit that evaluates the air conditioning system, An evaluation program that performs a process to derive evaluation information for the air conditioning system based on equipment configuration information relating to the equipment included in the air conditioning system and operating performance information of the air conditioning system, The aforementioned equipment configuration information is information that reflects changes in the performance of the equipment in response to changes in the environment of the space to be air-conditioned by the air conditioning system. The aforementioned operational performance information is an evaluation program that reflects changes in the load in response to changes in the environment of the space to be air-conditioned by the air conditioning system.

6. An evaluation method using an evaluation system having a control unit for evaluating an air conditioning system, The control unit, Based on the equipment configuration information relating to the equipment included in the air conditioning system and the operating performance information of the air conditioning system, evaluation information for the air conditioning system is derived. The aforementioned equipment configuration information is information that reflects changes in the performance of the equipment in response to changes in the environment of the space to be air-conditioned by the air conditioning system. An evaluation method wherein the aforementioned operational performance information is information that reflects changes in the load in response to changes in the environment of the space to be air-conditioned by the air conditioning system.

Images