Control device, air conditioning system, control method for air conditioner, and program

Abstract

A control board (20) for an air conditioner comprises: a feedback control unit (212) that controls the air conditioner so that the indoor temperature becomes a preset temperature on the basis of control parameters; a thermal characteristic model parameter calculation unit (214) that calculates the parameters of a thermal characteristic model relating to the thermal characteristic of an object to be controlled; a control parameter determination unit (215) that determines control parameters on the basis of the parameters of the thermal characteristic model; and a thermal characteristic model parameter-update assessment unit (213) that assesses whether the parameters of the thermal characteristic model need to be updated, on the basis of the difference between the outdoor and indoor environments when the control parameters were last updated and the latest outdoor and indoor environments. The thermal characteristic model parameter calculation unit (214) calculates the parameters of the thermal characteristic model if it is assessed by the thermal characteristic model parameter-update assessment unit (213) that the parameters of the thermal characteristic model need to be updated. Thus, power consumption is minimized without impairing the user comfort.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a control device, an air conditioning system, and a control method for an air conditioner. and Progra to the muscle and.

Background Art

[0002] In an air conditioner that performs air conditioning in a room so that the indoor temperature becomes the set temperature input by the user, a technique is known for suitably controlling the air conditioner against a large change in the indoor thermal environment to be air-conditioned (for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the air conditioner described in Patent Document 1, by an online system identifier, the state of the thermal environment of the usage part where the indoor unit is arranged, which is based on at least the heat capacity of the usage part and the heat transfer coefficient, and the relationship between the driving frequency of the compressor and the capacity of the air conditioner are identified moment by moment based on a plurality of predetermined observation amounts.

[0005] In a method where the online system identifier identifies the above parameters moment by moment during operation as in the air conditioner described in Patent Document 1, there is a problem that the calculation load is large and the power consumption increases.

[0006] The present disclosure has been made to solve the above problems, and a control device, an air conditioning system, and a control method for an air conditioner that can suppress power consumption by suppressing the calculation load without impairing the comfort of the user. and Progra the muscleIt aims to provide.

Means for Solving the Problem

[0007] To achieve the above object, the control device according to the present disclosure includes: Feedback control means for controlling the air conditioner so that the indoor temperature becomes the set temperature based on the control parameter; Model parameter calculation means for calculating the parameters of the thermal characteristic model regarding the thermal characteristics of the control object; Control parameter determination means for determining the control parameter based on the parameters of the thermal characteristic model; Update necessity determination means for determining whether it is necessary to update the parameters of the thermal characteristic model based on the differences between the outdoor environment and the indoor environment when the control parameter was last updated and the latest outdoor environment and indoor environment; a learned model storage means for storing a learned model for inferring an estimated heat load amount from input data including at least one of outdoor temperature, indoor temperature, indoor humidity, human body heat load, equipment heat load, ventilation heat load, indoor wall temperature, and indoor floor plan; a thermal image processing means for estimating at least one of human body heat load, equipment heat load, ventilation heat load, indoor wall temperature, and indoor floor plan from a thermal image of the interior; and includes: the update necessity determination means acquires input data including the latest outdoor temperature, indoor temperature, and indoor humidity, and at least one of the latest human body heat load, equipment heat load, ventilation heat load, indoor wall temperature, and indoor floor plan; acquires an estimated heat load amount based on the acquired input data and the learned model; determines whether it is necessary to update the parameters of the thermal characteristic model based on the acquired estimated heat load amount and the estimated heat load amount at the time of the previous update of the control parameter; When it is determined by the update necessity determination means that it is necessary to update the parameters of the thermal characteristic model, the model parameter calculation means calculates the parameters of the thermal characteristic model.

Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to suppress the power consumption without impairing the comfort of the user.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0009]

Figure 1

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Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0011] (Embodiment 1) FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of the air conditioner 1 according to the present disclosure. The air conditioner 1 is an example of the air conditioner according to the present disclosure and an example of an air conditioning system. The air conditioner 1 is a heat pump type air conditioner that uses a natural refrigerant such as HFC (hydrofluorocarbon) such as R32 or CO2 as a refrigerant, and is a so-called room air conditioner. As shown in FIG. 1, the air conditioner 1 includes an outdoor unit 2 installed outdoors and an indoor unit 3 installed indoors. The outdoor unit 2 and the indoor unit 3 are connected via a refrigerant pipe 4 for circulating the refrigerant and a communication line 5.

[0012] The outdoor unit 2 includes a control board 20, a compressor 21, a four-way switching valve 22, an outdoor heat exchanger 23, an outdoor electromagnetic expansion valve 24, an outdoor fan 25, an outdoor temperature sensor 26, and an outdoor heat exchanger temperature sensor 27. The indoor unit 3 includes a control board 30, an indoor heat exchanger 31, an indoor electromagnetic expansion valve 32, an indoor fan 33, an indoor temperature sensor 34, and an indoor heat exchanger temperature sensor 35. The compressor 21, the four-way switching valve 22, the outdoor heat exchanger 23, and the outdoor electromagnetic expansion valve 24 in the outdoor unit 2 and the indoor electromagnetic expansion valve 32 and the indoor heat exchanger 31 in the indoor unit 3 are annularly connected by the refrigerant pipe 4. Thereby, a refrigerant circuit is configured.

[0013] In the outdoor unit 2, the control board 20 is an example of the control device according to the present disclosure and an example of the air conditioning control means. As shown in FIG. 2, the control board 20 includes a microcomputer 200, a communication interface 201, and an auxiliary storage device 202. The microcomputer 200 is a microcontroller that comprehensively controls the air conditioner 1. Details of the functions of the control board 20 realized by the microcomputer 200 will be described later. The communication interface 201 is an interface for communicating with the control board 30 of the indoor unit 3 via the communication line 5.

[0014] The auxiliary storage device 202 is composed of a rewritable non-volatile semiconductor memory such as an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory) or a flash memory. The auxiliary storage device 202 stores various programs including a program for executing air-conditioning control (hereinafter referred to as the "air-conditioning control program") and data used when these programs are executed.

[0015] The control board 20 can acquire the above air-conditioning control program or an update program for updating the air-conditioning control program from another device via communication. Also, these programs can be stored and distributed on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read Only Memory), a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), a magneto-optical disk, a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), an SSD (Solid State Drive), or a memory card. When such a recording medium is directly or indirectly attached to the outdoor unit 2, the control board 20 may read and acquire the air-conditioning control program or the update program from the recording medium.

[0016] Returning to FIG. 1, the compressor 21 compresses the refrigerant. Specifically, the compressor 21 compresses the refrigerant that is low-temperature and low-pressure and discharges the refrigerant that has become high-pressure and high-temperature to the four-way switching valve 22. The compressor 21 is provided with an inverter circuit that can change the rotation speed according to the drive frequency. The compressor 21 is communicably connected to the control board 20 via a communication line (not shown) and changes the drive frequency, that is, the rotation speed, according to a command from the control board 20.

[0017] The four-way switching valve 22 is a component for switching the circulation direction of the refrigerant. When the operating mode is cooling, the state of the four-way switching valve 22 is as shown by the solid line in Fig. 1. Thereby, the refrigerant circulates in the order of the compressor 21, the four-way switching valve 22, the outdoor heat exchanger 23, the outdoor electromagnetic expansion valve 24, the indoor electromagnetic expansion valve 32, and the indoor heat exchanger 31. On the other hand, when the operating mode is heating, the state of the four-way switching valve 22 is as shown by the dashed line in Fig. 1. Thereby, the refrigerant circulates in the order of the compressor 21, the four-way switching valve 22, the indoor heat exchanger 31, the indoor electromagnetic expansion valve 32, the outdoor electromagnetic expansion valve 24, and the outdoor heat exchanger 23.

[0018] The outdoor heat exchanger 23 performs heat exchange between the outdoor air (i.e., outside air) sucked in by the outdoor fan 25 and the refrigerant. The outdoor heat exchanger 23 functions as a condenser when the operating mode of the air conditioner 1 is cooling, and functions as an evaporator when the operating mode of the air conditioner 1 is heating.

[0019] The outdoor electromagnetic expansion valve 24 is installed between the outdoor heat exchanger 23 and the indoor electromagnetic expansion valve 32, and decompresses and expands the refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant pipe 4. The outdoor electromagnetic expansion valve 24 is, for example, an electromagnetic expansion valve whose throttle opening can be adjusted by a stepping motor (not shown). The outdoor electromagnetic expansion valve 24 is communicably connected to the control board 20 via a communication line (not shown), and changes the opening degree according to a command from the control board 20 to adjust the pressure of the refrigerant.

[0020] The outdoor fan 25 is, for example, a propeller fan, sucks in outside air, and sends out the air heat-exchanged by the outdoor heat exchanger 23 to the outside. The outdoor fan 25 is communicably connected to the control board 20 via a communication line (not shown), and changes the rotation speed according to a command from the control board 20.

[0021] The outdoor temperature sensor 26 measures the temperature of the outdoor air sucked in by the outdoor fan 25. The outdoor temperature sensor 26 is communicably connected to the control board 20 via a communication line (not shown) and outputs a signal indicating the measured temperature of the outdoor air (hereinafter referred to as "outdoor temperature") to the control board 20. The outdoor heat exchanger temperature sensor 27 measures the temperature of the outdoor heat exchanger 23. The outdoor heat exchanger temperature sensor 27 is communicably connected to the control board 20 via a communication line (not shown) and outputs a signal indicating the measured temperature of the outdoor heat exchanger 23 to the control board 20.

[0022] In the indoor unit 3, the control board 30 includes, although not shown in the figures, a microcontroller that comprehensively controls the indoor unit 3 according to commands from the outdoor unit 2, an interface for communicating with the control board 20 of the outdoor unit 2 via the communication line 5, and a communication interface configured to communicate with a remote controller (not shown) either wired or wirelessly, and an auxiliary storage device composed of a readable and writable non-volatile semiconductor memory such as an EEPROM and a flash memory.

[0023] The indoor heat exchanger 31 performs heat exchange between the indoor air sucked in by the indoor fan 33 and the refrigerant from the outdoor unit 2. The indoor heat exchanger 31 functions as an evaporator during the cooling operation and as a condenser during the heating operation.

[0024] The indoor electromagnetic expansion valve 32 is installed between the indoor heat exchanger 31 and the outdoor electromagnetic expansion valve 24 and decompresses and expands the refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant pipe 4. The indoor electromagnetic expansion valve 32 is, for example, an electromagnetic expansion valve whose throttle opening can be adjusted by a stepping motor (not shown). The indoor electromagnetic expansion valve 32 is communicably connected to the control board 30 via a communication line (not shown) and changes the opening according to a command from the control board 30 to adjust the pressure of the refrigerant.

[0025] The indoor fan 33 is, for example, a propeller fan, which sucks in the indoor air and sends out the air heat-exchanged by the indoor heat exchanger 31 into the room. The indoor fan 33 is communicably connected to the control board 30 via a communication line (not shown), and changes its rotation speed according to a command from the control board 30.

[0026] The indoor temperature sensor 34 measures the temperature of the air sucked in by the indoor fan 33 (i.e., the indoor temperature). The indoor temperature sensor 34 is communicably connected to the control board 30 via a communication line (not shown), and outputs a signal indicating the measured indoor temperature to the control board 30. The indoor heat exchanger temperature sensor 35 measures the temperature of the indoor heat exchanger 31. The indoor heat exchanger temperature sensor 35 is communicably connected to the control board 30 via a communication line (not shown), and outputs a signal indicating the measured temperature of the indoor heat exchanger 31 to the control board 30. The outdoor temperature sensor 26 of the outdoor unit 2 and the indoor temperature sensor 34 of the indoor unit 3 are an example of the environment acquisition means according to the present disclosure.

[0027] Subsequently, the functions of the control board 20 provided in the outdoor unit 2 will be described in detail. As shown in FIG. 3, functionally, the control board 20 includes a sensor information acquisition unit 210, a setting information acquisition unit 211, a feedback control unit 212, a heat characteristic model parameter update determination unit 213, a heat characteristic model parameter calculation unit 214, and a control parameter determination unit 215. These functional units are realized by the microcomputer 200 executing the above-described air-conditioning control program stored in the auxiliary storage device 202.

[0028] The sensor information acquisition unit 210 acquires sensor information. The sensor information includes the measurement results of the outdoor temperature sensor 26, the measurement results of the outdoor heat exchanger temperature sensor 27, the measurement results of the indoor temperature sensor 34, and the measurement results of the indoor heat exchanger temperature sensor 35. Among the acquired sensor information, the sensor information acquisition unit 210 supplies the measurement results of the outdoor temperature sensor 26 and the measurement results of the indoor temperature sensor 34 to the feedback control unit 212. In addition, the sensor information acquisition unit 210 separates and stores the acquired sensor information in the sensor information storage unit 230 in time series. The sensor information storage unit 230 is a memory area provided by the auxiliary storage device 202.

[0029] The setting information acquisition unit 211 acquires setting information. The setting information is information related to the operation of the air conditioner 1 set by the user via a remote control, an operation panel, etc. (none of which are shown). The setting information acquisition unit 211 supplies the acquired setting information to the feedback control unit 212 and separates and stores the setting information in the setting information storage unit 231 in time series. The setting information storage unit 231 is a memory area provided by the auxiliary storage device 202.

[0030] The feedback control unit 212 is an example of the feedback control means according to the present disclosure. Based on the control parameters, the feedback control unit 212 performs feedback control on each actuator (i.e., the compressor 21, the outdoor electromagnetic expansion valve 24, the outdoor fan 25, the indoor electromagnetic expansion valve 32, the indoor fan 33) in the air conditioner 1 so that the temperature deviation between the set temperature set by the user and the indoor temperature disappears. In the present embodiment, the control parameters mean the parameters (Kp, Ti, Td) of PID control. The feedback control unit 212 generates information indicating the control value for each actuator (hereinafter referred to as "control value information"), outputs the generated control value information to each actuator, and separates and stores the control value information in the control value information storage unit 232 in time series. The control value information storage unit 232 is a memory area provided by the auxiliary storage device 202.

[0031] The thermal characteristic model parameter update determination unit 213 is an example of the update necessity determination means according to the present disclosure. The thermal characteristic model parameter update determination unit 213 determines whether it is necessary to update the parameters of the thermal characteristic model regarding the thermal characteristics of the control target based on the differences between the outdoor environment and the indoor environment at the time of the previous update of the control parameters and the latest outdoor environment and the indoor environment. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, the thermal characteristic model parameter update determination unit 213 includes a latest data acquisition unit 216, a data acquisition unit 217 at the time of control parameter update, and a determination unit 218. The latest data acquisition unit 216 acquires the latest outdoor temperature and indoor temperature from the sensor information storage unit 230.

[0032] The data acquisition unit 217 at the time of control parameter update acquires the outdoor temperature and indoor temperature at the time of control parameter update from the control parameter information storage unit 233. The control parameter information storage unit 233 is an example of the control parameter information storage means according to the present disclosure and is a memory area provided by the auxiliary storage device 202. In the control parameter information storage unit 233, the most recently determined (i.e., updated) control parameters and the outdoor temperature and indoor temperature at the time of the update are stored. The determination unit 218 determines whether it is necessary to update the parameters of the thermal characteristic model, that is, whether it is necessary to calculate the parameters of the thermal characteristic model, based on the latest outdoor temperature and indoor temperature and the outdoor temperature and indoor temperature at the time of control parameter update.

[0033] The thermal characteristic model parameter calculation unit 214 is an example of the model parameter calculation means according to the present disclosure. When it is determined by the thermal characteristic model parameter update determination unit 213 that it is necessary to calculate the parameters of the thermal characteristic model, the thermal characteristic model parameter calculation unit 214 calculates the parameters of the thermal characteristic model based on the history of the indoor temperature acquired from the sensor information storage unit 230 and the history of the control value information of each actuator acquired from the control value information storage unit 232. The thermal characteristic model parameter calculation unit 214 supplies the calculated parameters of the thermal characteristic model, the outdoor temperature and indoor temperature at the time of calculating the parameters of the thermal characteristic model, and the indoor temperature and the control value information of each actuator at the start of operation to the control parameter determination unit 215.

[0034] The control parameter determination unit 215 is an example of the control parameter determination means according to the present disclosure. The control parameter determination unit 215 determines the control parameters of each actuator based on the parameters of the thermal characteristic model supplied from the thermal characteristic model parameter calculation unit 214, the indoor temperature at the start of operation, the control value information of each actuator, and the latest set temperature acquired from the setting information storage unit 231. The control parameter determination unit 215 stores the determined control parameters and the outdoor temperature and indoor temperature at the time of determining the control parameters (i.e., when updating the control parameters) in the control parameter information storage unit 233. When the control parameters have not been updated by the control parameter determination unit 215 even once, the control board 20 operates the feedback control unit 212 with the initially set control parameters.

[0035] The control parameter information storage unit 233 stores information indicating the control parameters of each actuator and information indicating the outdoor temperature and indoor temperature when the control parameters are determined. Note that in the control parameter information storage unit 233, the control parameters of each actuator are stored separately in a comfort - oriented mode for making the indoor temperature reach the set temperature as soon as possible and an energy - saving mode for making the power consumption as small as possible.

[0036] The feedback control unit 212 acquires the control parameters of each actuator from the control parameter information storage unit 233 at a predetermined timing such as when the power of the air conditioner 1 is restarted. At this time, the user selects either the comfort - oriented mode or the energy - saving mode, and the user's selection result is notified to the feedback control unit 212 via the setting information acquisition unit 211. When the user has not selected a mode, one of the modes is notified to the feedback control unit 212 as the initial setting. The feedback control unit 212 acquires the control parameters of each actuator corresponding to the mode selected by the user or the initially set mode from the control parameter information storage unit 233.

[0037] FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the procedure of control parameter determination processing executed by the control board 20 of the outdoor unit 2. The control parameter determination processing is executed, for example, when the user performs a stop operation via a remote controller or an operation panel, or when the set temperature is changed.

[0038] (Step S1) The heat characteristic model parameter update determination unit 213 of the control board 20 acquires the latest outdoor temperature and indoor temperature from the sensor information storage unit 230, and acquires the outdoor temperature and indoor temperature at the time of control parameter update from the control parameter information storage unit 233. Thereafter, the processing of the control board 20 transitions to step S2.

[0039] (Step S2) The heat characteristic model parameter update determination unit 213 determines whether it is necessary to update the parameters of the heat characteristic model. Specifically, the heat characteristic model parameter update determination unit 213 compares the acquired latest (i.e., this time) outdoor temperature and indoor temperature with the outdoor temperature and indoor temperature at the time of the previous control parameter update, and at least one of the difference between the current outdoor temperature and the outdoor temperature at the previous update and the difference between the current indoor temperature and the indoor temperature at the previous update exceeds a predetermined threshold value, it is determined that the heat characteristics inside and outside the room have changed since the previous update, and it is determined that it is necessary to update the parameters of the heat characteristic model. If it is determined that it is necessary to update the parameters of the heat characteristic model (step S2; YES), the processing of the control board 20 transitions to step S3.

[0040] On the other hand, when both the difference between the current outdoor temperature and the outdoor temperature at the previous update and the difference between the current indoor temperature and the indoor temperature at the previous update do not exceed the predetermined threshold values respectively, the heat characteristic model parameter update determination unit 213 considers that the heat characteristics inside and outside the room have not changed, determines that it is not necessary to update the parameters of the heat characteristic model (step S2; NO), and ends the control parameter determination processing.

[0041] (Step S3) The thermal characteristic model parameter calculation unit 214 acquires the history of the indoor temperature from the sensor information storage unit 230 and acquires the history of the control value information of each actuator from the control value information storage unit 232. Thereafter, the process of the control board 20 transitions to step S4.

[0042] (Step S4) The thermal characteristic model parameter calculation unit 214 calculates the parameters of the thermal characteristic model. Note that whether it is a continuous-time system or a discrete-time system, a first-order lag system or a higher-order lag system, a single-input single-output system or a multi-input multi-output system depends on the design specifications of the air conditioner 1, the control target, and the linearization method. In the present embodiment, a discrete-time system, a single-input single-output system, and a first-order lag system considering dead time will be described.

[0043] The time response of the thermal characteristic model of the first-order lag system considering dead time with the heat quantity Qm(t) supplied to the room as the input and the indoor temperature Tc(t) as the output is represented by, for example, the following formula (Equation 1).

[0044]

Equation

[0045] Here, t s is the recording period of the control value of each actuator and the indoor temperature, (t) is a variable representing the time series, and (t + t s ) represents the next of (t) in time series. Also, K is the system gain, T is the time constant, and L is the dead time, and these are the parameters of the thermal characteristic model. The thermal characteristic model parameter calculation unit 214 calculates the time response of Tc(t) with the Qm(t) calculated from the control value x m (t) of each actuator acquired from the control value information storage unit 232 as the input. For the dead time L, when the accuracy is higher than the recording period, rounding down or rounding up processing is performed as necessary.

[0046] Subsequently, the thermal characteristic model parameter calculation unit 214 calculates the error between the calculated Tc(t) and the indoor temperature Tm(t) acquired from the sensor information storage unit 230. For example, the mean squared error MSE is used as the evaluation function for the minimum error. The thermal characteristic model parameter calculation unit 214 changes the system gain K, the time constant T, and the dead time L to calculate the time response of the thermal characteristic model, and calculates the combination of the system gain K, the time constant T, and the dead time L that minimizes the mean squared error MSE. In the above manner, the thermal characteristic model parameter calculation unit 214 calculates the parameters of the thermal characteristic model. Thereafter, the processing of the control board 20 transitions to step S5.

[0047] (Step S5) The control parameter determination unit 215 determines the control parameters based on the parameters of the thermal characteristic model calculated in step S4, the indoor temperature at the start of operation, the control value information of each actuator, and the latest set temperature acquired from the setting information storage unit 231. A feedback control simulator (not shown) is built into the control parameter determination unit 215, and the control value x c (t) of each actuator, the amount of heat Qc(t) supplied to the room, and the indoor temperature Tc(t) are calculated. The amount of heat Qc(t) supplied to the room is calculated as a function f(x c (t)) of the control value x c (t) of each actuator.

[0048] Note that if the temperature of the indoor heat exchanger 31 drops too much during the cooling operation, water droplets will condense on the indoor heat exchanger 31 and scatter into the room. Therefore, in order to prevent the temperature of the indoor heat exchanger 31 from dropping too much (that is, not falling below the dew point), a constraint condition may be given to the control value x c (t) indicating the frequency of the compressor 21.

[0049] The time response of the first-order lag system thermal characteristic model considering the dead time L with the amount of heat Qc(t) supplied to the room as the input, the control period as t c , and the indoor temperature Tc(t) as the output is represented by the following formula (Equation 2).

[0050]

Number

[0051] In this simulation, as shown in FIG. 6, the arrival time t at which the indoor temperature Tc(t) reaches the set temperature, r the maximum overshoot amount ΔTmax, and the control value x c (t) of each actuator are used to calculate the power consumption E. The integration time for calculating the power consumption E is, for example, the time t from startup until the set temperature is reached, r the time t from startup until it falls within the specified error range ±ΔTe with respect to the set temperature, e the time t from startup until a previously specified time t a is used.

[0052] The control parameter determination unit 215 changes the combination of control parameters to calculate the time response of the thermal characteristics model, and calculates the arrival time t r and the combination of control parameters that minimizes the power consumption E, respectively. When calculating the combination of control parameters that minimizes the arrival time t r and the power consumption E, respectively, more suitable operating conditions can be selected by giving constraint conditions for the maximum overshoot amount ΔTmax and the arrival time t r . By excluding combinations of control parameters for which the maximum overshoot amount ΔTmax exceeds the allowable value, operating conditions that deviate significantly from the set temperature can be excluded.

[0053] The control parameter determination unit 215 stores the calculated control parameters of each actuator together with the outdoor temperature and the indoor temperature in the control parameter information storage unit 233. Then, the control board 20 ends the control parameter determination process. The feedback control unit 212 updates the control parameters of each actuator to the values read from the control parameter information storage unit 233 at a predetermined timing such as when the power of the air conditioner 1 is restarted. At this time, as described above, either the comfort - priority mode or the energy - saving mode is selected by the user, and such a selection result is notified to the feedback control unit 212 via the setting information acquisition unit 211.

[0054] When the comfort - priority mode is selected by the user, the feedback control unit 212 reads from the control parameter information storage unit 233 the control parameters of each actuator corresponding to the comfort - priority mode, that is, the control parameters of each actuator for which the arrival time t r becomes the minimum. Also, when the energy - saving mode is selected by the user, the feedback control unit 212 reads from the control parameter information storage unit 233 the control parameters of each actuator corresponding to the energy - saving mode, that is, the control parameters of each actuator for which the power consumption E becomes the minimum.

[0055] As described above, in the air conditioner 1 according to the first embodiment, since it is possible to realize air - conditioning following changes in the indoor and outdoor environments, it is possible to suppress the deterioration of the user's comfort.

[0056] Further, when at least one of the difference between the latest outdoor temperature and the outdoor temperature at the time of the previous update and the difference between the latest indoor temperature and the indoor temperature at the time of the previous update exceeds a predetermined threshold value respectively, the control board 20 of the outdoor unit 2 determines that the indoor and outdoor heat characteristics have changed since the previous update, and determines that it is necessary to update the parameters of the heat characteristic model. Then, the control board 20 calculates the parameters of the heat characteristic model and determines the control parameters only when it is determined that it is necessary to update the parameters of the heat characteristic model. For this reason, the number of times of updating the control parameters can be reduced, the calculation load can be suppressed, and the power consumption of the air conditioner 1 can be suppressed.

[0057] (Modification Example 1) The heat characteristic model parameter update determination unit 213 may have a plurality of threshold values for determining the necessity of update and subdivide the determination conditions. In this case, as shown in FIG. 7, the control parameter information storage unit 233 stores control parameters for each determined condition. In the example shown in FIG. 7, two threshold values, a first threshold value T1 and a second threshold value T2, are used as the threshold values of the difference in outdoor temperature for determining the necessity of update, and two threshold values, a third threshold value T3 and a fourth threshold value T4, are used as the threshold values of the difference in indoor temperature.

[0058] As can be seen from FIG. 7, when the difference between the latest outdoor temperature and the outdoor temperature at the time of the previous update is equal to or less than the first threshold value T1 and the difference between the latest indoor temperature and the indoor temperature at the time of the previous update is equal to or less than the third threshold value T3, the heat characteristic model parameter update determination unit 213 determines that it is not necessary to update the parameters of the heat characteristic model. In other cases, that is, when the difference between the latest outdoor temperature and the outdoor temperature at the time of the previous update is greater than the first threshold value T1 or the difference between the latest indoor temperature and the indoor temperature at the time of the previous update is greater than the third threshold value T3, the heat characteristic model parameter update determination unit 213 determines that it is necessary to update the parameters of the heat characteristic model.

[0059] In FIG. 7, when the difference between the latest outdoor temperature and the outdoor temperature at the time of the previous update is equal to or less than a first threshold value T1, and the difference between the latest indoor temperature and the indoor temperature at the time of the previous update is equal to or less than a fourth threshold value T4, the control parameter ρ in the comfort - priority mode c,1 and the control parameter ρ in the energy - saving mode e,1 are associated with each other. ρ is a control constant, and the subscripts c and e represent the comfort - priority mode and the energy - saving mode respectively, and the subscript 1 represents the first case. Note that the threshold values of the outdoor temperature and the indoor temperature for determining whether an update is necessary are not limited to two each, and may be three or more.

[0060] As described above, when the control parameter is stored in the control - parameter information storage unit 233 for each determined condition, the feedback control unit 212 determines the control parameter in the control - parameter determination process shown in FIG. 5, and after being stored in the control - parameter information storage unit 233, based on the difference between the current outdoor temperature and the outdoor temperature at the time of the previous update, and the difference between the current indoor temperature and the indoor temperature at the time of the previous update, a more suitable control parameter may be read from the control - parameter information storage unit 233.

[0061] That is, when the control parameter is determined due to the user's stop operation, if the temperature differences (the difference between the outdoor temperature at that time and the outdoor temperature at the time of the previous update, and the difference between the indoor temperature at that time and the indoor temperature at the time of the previous update) when the operation of the air conditioner 1 is stopped and the temperature differences in the next start - up operation are different, using the control parameter updated at the time of stop, that is, the most recently updated control parameter, there is a possibility that comfort will be impaired. Therefore, by being able to select a more suitable control parameter based on each temperature difference at the time of start - up operation, a decrease in comfort can be suppressed.

[0062] (Modification 2) The control parameter determination process shown in FIG. 5 may be executed by a computer provided separately from the air conditioner 1. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of the air conditioning system 10 in this modification example. The air conditioning system 10 is an example of the air conditioning system according to the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 8, the air conditioning system 10 includes an air conditioner 1' and a control device 11. The air conditioner 1' and the control device 11 are communicably connected to each other via a communication line 12. Note that the communication between the air conditioner 1' and the control device 11 may be performed wirelessly.

[0063] The air conditioner 1' is an example of the air conditioner according to the present disclosure. The hardware configuration of the air conditioner 1' is the same as that of the air conditioner 1 (see FIG. 1). However, the control board 20 of the outdoor unit 2 included in the air conditioner 1' does not include the functional units shown in FIG. 3 and does not execute the control parameter determination process shown in FIG. 5.

[0064] The control device 11 is an example of the control device according to the present disclosure and an example of the air conditioning control means. The control device 11 is a computer that controls each actuator of the air conditioner 1', that is, the compressor 21, the outdoor electromagnetic expansion valve 24, the outdoor fan 25, the indoor electromagnetic expansion valve 32, and the indoor fan 33. As shown in FIG. 9, as a hardware configuration, it includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 110, a communication interface 111, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 112, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 113, and an auxiliary storage device 114. These components are interconnected via a bus 115.

[0065] The CPU 110 controls the control device 11 in an overall manner. The communication interface 111 is hardware for communicating with the air conditioner 1' via the communication line 12. Note that the communication interface 111 may be hardware for wirelessly communicating with the air conditioner 1'.

[0066] The ROM 112 stores a plurality of firmware and data used when these firmware are executed. The RAM 113 is used as a working area for the CPU 110. The auxiliary storage device 114 is composed of a readable and writable non-volatile semiconductor memory, an HDD, etc. The readable and writable non-volatile semiconductor memory is, for example, an EEPROM, a flash memory, etc. The auxiliary storage device 114 stores various programs including the above-described air-conditioning control program and data used when these programs are executed.

[0067] The control device 11 can acquire, by communication from another device, the above-described air-conditioning control program or an update program for updating the air-conditioning control program. Also, these programs can be stored and distributed on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM, a DVD, a magneto-optical disk, a USB memory, an HDD, an SSD, a memory card, etc. When such a recording medium is directly or indirectly attached to itself, the control device 11 may read and acquire the air-conditioning control program or the update program from the recording medium.

[0068] The control device 11 includes each functional unit shown in FIG. 3 and executes the control parameter determination process shown in FIG. 5. Each of the functional units included in the control device 11 is realized by the CPU 110 executing the air-conditioning control program stored in the auxiliary storage device 114.

[0069] (Modification Example 3) At least a part of the sensor information storage unit 230, the setting information storage unit 231, the control value information storage unit 232, and the control parameter information storage unit 233 included in the control board 20 in the above embodiment may be provided in a server such as a cloud server that is communicatively connected to the air conditioner 1 via a network such as the Internet. By doing so, the capacity of the auxiliary storage device 202 mounted on the control board 20 can be reduced. Further, the server may be provided with at least a part of the heat characteristic model parameter update determination unit 213, the heat characteristic model parameter calculation unit 214, and the control parameter determination unit 215 included in the control board 20 in the above embodiment.

[0070] (Modification Example 4) All or part of the functional units (see FIG. 3) of the control board 20 may be realized by dedicated hardware. Dedicated hardware is, for example, a single circuit, a composite circuit, a programmed processor, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or a combination thereof.

[0071] The technical ideas according to the above modification examples may be realized independently or in appropriate combination.

[0072] (Embodiment 2) Next, Embodiment 2 of the present disclosure will be described. In the following description, components common to Embodiment 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.

[0073] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of the air conditioner 13 in Embodiment 2. The air conditioner 13 is an example of the air conditioner according to the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 10, in the air conditioner 13, in addition to the control board 30, the indoor heat exchanger 31, the indoor electromagnetic expansion valve 32, the indoor fan 33, the indoor temperature sensor 34, and the indoor heat exchanger temperature sensor 35 in the indoor unit 3, an indoor humidity sensor 36 for measuring the indoor humidity and an infrared sensor 37 are added.

[0074] In Embodiment 1, it was determined whether to calculate the parameters of the heat characteristic model based on the outdoor temperature measured by the outdoor temperature sensor 26 of the outdoor unit 2 and the indoor temperature measured by the indoor temperature sensor 34 of the indoor unit 3. In Embodiment 2, in addition to the outdoor temperature and the indoor temperature, it is determined whether to calculate the parameters of the heat characteristic model based on the information acquired by the indoor humidity sensor 36 and the infrared sensor 37 of the indoor unit 3.

[0075] The infrared sensor 37 scans infrared rays to detect the temperature of the indoor space. The infrared sensor 37 is composed of, for example, thermopiles arranged in the vertical direction and scanned horizontally at regular intervals. A plurality of vertical thermal images (that is, one-dimensional thermal images) acquired by the infrared sensor 37 are created by scanning the infrared sensor 37 in the horizontal direction, and after the scanning is completed, the plurality of vertical thermal images are synthesized to create a two-dimensional thermal image in the room.

[0076] The sensor information acquisition unit 210 of the present embodiment also acquires the measurement result of the indoor humidity sensor 36 and the thermal image created by the infrared sensor 37 as sensor information and stores them in the sensor information storage unit 230.

[0077] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the configuration of the heat characteristic model parameter update determination unit 213 provided in the control board 20 of the air conditioner 13 in Embodiment 2. As shown in FIG. 11, the heat characteristic model parameter update determination unit 213 in Embodiment 2 includes a latest data acquisition unit 216, a data acquisition unit 217 at the time of control parameter update, an inference unit 219, and a determination unit 218.

[0078] The latest data acquisition unit 216 acquires the latest outdoor temperature, indoor temperature, indoor humidity, and thermal image from the sensor information storage unit 230. The data acquisition unit 217 at the time of control parameter update acquires the estimated heat load amount at the time of control parameter update from the control parameter information storage unit 233.

[0079] The inference unit 219 uses the learned model stored in the learned model storage unit 234, which is a learned model for inferring the estimated heat load amount from the outdoor temperature, indoor temperature, indoor humidity, and thermal image generated in advance by learning, to infer the estimated heat load amount. That is, the inference unit 219 can obtain the estimated heat load amount inferred from these input data by inputting the acquired outdoor temperature, indoor temperature, indoor humidity, and thermal image into this learned model. The learned model storage unit 234 is an example of the learned model storage means according to the present disclosure and is a memory area provided by the auxiliary storage device 202.

[0080] The determination unit 218 determines whether it is necessary to calculate the parameters of the heat characteristic model based on the estimated heat load amount at the time of the previous update acquired by the data acquisition unit 217 at the time of control parameter update and the estimated heat load amount inferred by the inference unit 219. Specifically, when the difference between the latest estimated heat load amount and the estimated heat load amount at the time of the previous update exceeds a predetermined threshold, the determination unit 218 determines that the heat characteristics between indoors and outdoors have changed since the previous update, and determines that it is necessary to update the parameters of the heat characteristic model.

[0081] FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the necessity determination process for updating the parameters of the heat characteristic model executed by the heat characteristic model parameter update determination unit 213 in the second embodiment.

[0082] (Step S10) The heat characteristic model parameter update determination unit 213 acquires the latest outdoor temperature, indoor temperature, indoor humidity, and thermal image from the sensor information storage unit 230. Then, the process of the heat characteristic model parameter update determination unit 213 transitions to step S11.

[0083] (Step S11) The heat characteristic model parameter update determination unit 213 inputs the acquired outdoor temperature, indoor temperature, indoor humidity, and thermal image into the learned model stored in the learned model storage unit 234 to obtain the estimated heat load amount. Thereafter, the process of the heat characteristic model parameter update determination unit 213 transitions to step S12.

[0084] (Step S12) The heat characteristic model parameter update determination unit 213 determines whether it is necessary to calculate the parameters of the heat characteristic model based on the acquired estimated heat load amount and the estimated heat load amount at the time of the previous control parameter update acquired from the control parameter information storage unit 233, that is, determines whether it is necessary to update the parameters of the heat characteristic model. When the heat characteristic model parameter update determination unit 213 determines that it is necessary to update the parameters of the heat characteristic model, the estimated heat load amount acquired this time is stored in the control parameter information storage unit 233 by the control parameter determination unit 215 after the control parameters are determined.

[0085] As described above, in the air conditioner 13 according to the second embodiment, the outdoor temperature, indoor temperature, indoor humidity, and thermal image are input into the learned model to obtain the estimated heat load amount, and it is determined whether it is necessary to update the control parameters based on the acquired estimated heat load amount and the estimated heat load amount at the time of the previous update.

[0086] Thereby, even when it is difficult for a person to determine the threshold value for determination based on a rule in advance for a plurality of inputs, it is possible to accurately determine whether it is necessary to update the parameters of the heat characteristic model, and the control parameters can be updated at a more appropriate timing.

[0087] Also, by using the indoor humidity as an input, it becomes possible to consider the latent heat load required for dehumidifying the indoor humidity in addition to the sensible heat load required for lowering the indoor temperature.

[0088] In addition, by using the thermal image as an input, it becomes possible to estimate information such as human body heat load, equipment heat load, ventilation heat load, indoor wall temperature, and indoor floor plan. By using the human body heat load, it is possible to consider the heat load generated by heat emission from people, and it becomes possible to make a determination considering the heat load that changes depending on the presence or absence of people, the number of people, size, etc. Also, by using the equipment heat load, it becomes possible to make a determination considering the heat load generated by heat emission from lighting equipment and electronic equipment.

[0089] In addition, by using the ventilation heat load, it becomes possible to make a determination considering the heat load generated by the exchange of indoor and outdoor air when ventilating by opening a window or a door. By using the indoor wall temperature, it becomes possible to make a determination considering the heat insulation performance of the walls, floor, and ceiling of the room. Also, by using the indoor floor plan, it becomes possible to make a determination considering the size of the room volume. Thus, by using the thermal image as an input, it is expected to have the effect of being able to more accurately determine the change in the indoor environment between the current time and when the control parameters are updated.

[0090] (Modification Example 1) In the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which the pre-generated learned model is stored in the control board 20 has been described. However, the control board 20 may be provided with a model generation unit that generates a learned model for inferring the estimated heat load amount. For example, the model generation unit generates a learned model for inferring the estimated heat load amount based on learning data acquired by communication from a plurality of other air conditioners 13. The plurality of other air conditioners 13 may be installed in the same building as the air conditioner 13, or may be installed in different buildings.

[0091] The model generation unit learns, for example, an estimated heat load amount corresponding to input data (i.e., outdoor temperature, indoor temperature, indoor humidity, and thermal image) by supervised learning using a neural network. The neural network is composed of an input layer to which the input data is input, an output layer from which the output data is output, and at least one intermediate layer (also referred to as a hidden layer), and each layer is composed of a plurality of nodes. The number of nodes in the input layer corresponds to the number of input data, and the number of nodes in the output layer corresponds to the number of output data. FIG. 13 shows an example of a three-layer neural network. In the example shown in FIG. 13, the input layer is composed of nodes X1 to X3, the intermediate layer is composed of nodes Y1 to Y2, and the output layer is composed of nodes Z1 to Z3.

[0092] The model generation unit uses the data set included in the learning data as teacher data, and adjusts the weights of the connections between the layers (in the example shown in FIG. 13, the weights w11 to w16 between the input layer and the intermediate layer and the weights w21 to w26 between the intermediate layer and the output layer) so that the output data output from the output layer when the input data (i.e., outdoor temperature, indoor temperature, indoor humidity, and thermal image) is input to the input layer becomes the correct data (i.e., the estimated heat load amount), thereby performing learning and generating a learned model.

[0093] Note that it is also possible to add the air conditioner 13 targeted for acquisition of the learning data midway or exclude it from the acquisition target. Furthermore, it is also possible to apply the learned model generated in one air conditioner 13 to another air conditioner 13 and update and use it by relearning in the air conditioner 13.

[0094] Also, as the learning algorithm used in the model generation unit, deep learning that learns the extraction of the feature quantity itself can be adopted, or machine learning may be executed according to other known methods, for example, genetic programming, functional logic programming, support vector machine, etc.

[0095] (Modification Example 2) The control parameter determination process shown in FIG. 5 and the parameter update necessity determination process of the heat characteristic model shown in FIG. 12 may be executed by a computer provided separately from the air conditioner 13. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of the air conditioning system 14 in this modified example. The air conditioning system 14 is an example of the air conditioning system according to the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 14, air conditioners 13'A to 13'C are installed in a plurality of rooms A to C in the same building B, and each actuator included in each of the air conditioners 13'A to 13'C is controlled by the server 15. The air conditioners 13'A to 13'C and the server 15 are communicably connected via a network N such as the Internet.

[0096] The air conditioners 13'A to 13'C are examples of the air conditioner according to the present disclosure. The hardware configuration of the air conditioners 13'A to 13'C is the same as that of the air conditioner 1 (see FIG. 1). However, the control board 20 of the outdoor unit 2 included in the air conditioners 13'A to 13'C does not include the functional parts shown in FIGS. 3 and 11, and does not execute the processes shown in FIGS. 5 and 12.

[0097] The server 15 is an example of the control device according to the present disclosure and an example of the air conditioning control means. The server 15 is a computer that controls each actuator of the air conditioners 13'A to 13'C, that is, the compressor 21, the outdoor electromagnetic expansion valve 24, the outdoor fan 25, the indoor electromagnetic expansion valve 32, and the indoor fan 33. The hardware configuration of the server 15 is the same as that of the control device 11 in the modified example 2 of the first embodiment (see FIG. 9). The server 15 includes each functional part shown in FIGS. 3 and 11, and executes the control parameter determination process shown in FIG. 5 and the parameter update necessity determination process of the heat characteristic model shown in FIG. 12.

[0098] In this way, by connecting the air conditioners 13’A to 13’C via the server 15, for example, it becomes possible to perform air conditioning taking into account the indoor temperatures of adjacent rooms, and when predicting the wall temperature, it becomes possible to improve the accuracy. Specifically, if the air conditioner 13’B in the room B adjacent to the room A is operating and the indoor temperature of the room B is approaching the set temperature, the temperature of the wall of the room A adjacent to the room B will be close to the set temperature of the air conditioner 13’B. Also, if the air conditioner 13’B is not operating, the temperature of the wall of the room A adjacent to the room B will be close to the outside air temperature.

[0099] In addition, the server 15 holds the floor plan information of the building B in advance. As a result, it is possible to grasp in advance the difference in the heat load amount caused by the difference in the room floor plan, and it is possible to improve the estimation accuracy of the heat load amount. The floor plan information of the building B includes information indicating the layout of each room in the building B, such as whether it is a corner room or a middle room, and whether it is on the top floor or not. For example, by knowing in advance which surface of the room is in contact with the outside air from information such as whether a certain room is a corner room or a middle room, and whether it is on the top floor or not, it is possible to improve the accuracy of predicting the heat load from the outside air.

[0100] For rooms determined to have the same or similar room floor plans, the stored information in the control parameter information storage unit 233 may be shared. By sharing the stored information, the update frequency of the control parameters is increased compared to the case of operating with one air conditioner 13’. As a result, it is possible to more quickly suppress the deterioration of the user's comfort.

[0101] (Modification 3) The modification of Embodiment 1 can also be applied in this embodiment.

[0102] The technical ideas according to the above modifications may be realized individually or in appropriate combinations.

[0103] (Embodiment 3) Next, Embodiment 3 of the present disclosure will be described. In the following description, components common to Embodiment 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and their description will be omitted.

[0104] As shown in FIG. 15, a thermal image processing unit 220 is added as a functional configuration to the control board 20 provided in the outdoor unit 2 in Embodiment 3. The sensor information acquisition unit 210 of the present embodiment outputs the thermal image obtained from the infrared sensor 37 (see FIG. 10) among the acquired sensor information to the thermal image processing unit 220, and stores the other sensor information in the sensor information storage unit 230.

[0105] The thermal image processing unit 220 is an example of the thermal image processing means according to the present disclosure. The thermal image processing unit 220 estimates the human body heat load, equipment heat load, ventilation heat load, indoor wall temperature, and indoor floor plan from the thermal image input from the sensor information acquisition unit 210. The estimated human body heat load, equipment heat load, ventilation heat load, indoor wall temperature, and indoor floor plan are stored in the sensor information storage unit 230.

[0106] The sensor information storage unit 230 stores the sensor information input from the sensor information acquisition unit 210 and the human body heat load, equipment heat load, ventilation heat load, indoor wall temperature, and indoor floor plan input from the thermal image processing unit 220 in association with each other as a sensor information history.

[0107] The thermal characteristic model parameter update determination unit 213 of the present embodiment has the same configuration as the thermal characteristic model parameter update determination unit 213 of Embodiment 2 (see FIG. 11). However, in the present embodiment, the latest data acquisition unit 216 acquires the latest outdoor temperature, indoor temperature, indoor humidity, human body heat load, equipment heat load, ventilation heat load, indoor wall temperature, and indoor floor plan from the sensor information storage unit 230.

[0108] Then, the inference unit 219 of the present embodiment uses a learned model stored in the learned model storage unit 234, which is a learned model generated in advance by learning, to infer the estimated heat load amount from the outdoor temperature, indoor temperature, indoor humidity, human body heat load, equipment heat load, ventilation heat load, indoor wall temperature, and indoor layout. That is, the inference unit 219 of the present embodiment can obtain the estimated heat load amount inferred from these input data by inputting the acquired outdoor temperature, indoor temperature, indoor humidity, human body heat load, equipment heat load, ventilation heat load, indoor wall temperature, and indoor layout into this learned model.

[0109] As described above, the control board 20 in Embodiment 3 estimates and obtains the human body heat load, equipment heat load, ventilation heat load, indoor wall temperature, and indoor layout from the thermal image obtained by the infrared sensor 37, and stores them in the sensor information storage unit 230. The information on values such as the human body heat load, equipment heat load, ventilation heat load, indoor wall temperature, and indoor layout has a smaller data size compared to the thermal image. Therefore, in the sensor information storage unit 230, the amount of data to be stored can be reduced. Note that the thermal image processing unit 220 estimates at least one of the human body heat load, equipment heat load, ventilation heat load, indoor wall temperature, and indoor layout from the indoor thermal image, and the learned model may be for inferring the estimated heat load amount from input data including the outdoor temperature, indoor temperature, and indoor humidity and at least one of the human body heat load, equipment heat load, ventilation heat load, indoor wall temperature, and indoor layout.

[0110] (Modification Example 1) All or part of the functional units (see FIG. 15) of the control board 20 may be realized by dedicated hardware. Dedicated hardware is, for example, a single circuit, a composite circuit, a programmed processor, an ASIC, an FPGA, or a combination thereof.

[0111] (Modification Example 2) The modification examples of Embodiment 1 and Embodiment 2 can also be applied in the present embodiment.

[0112] The technical ideas according to the above-described respective modified examples may be realized independently or may be realized in appropriate combination.

[0113] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments and respective modified examples, and various changes are of course possible without departing from the gist of the present disclosure.

[0114] This application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2022-017169 filed on February 7, 2022. The entire specification, claims, and drawings thereof are incorporated herein by reference.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0115] 1, 1’, 13, 13’A to 13’C Air conditioner, 2 Outdoor unit, 3 Indoor unit, 4 Refrigerant pipe, 5, 12 Communication line, 10, 14 Air conditioning system, 11 Control device, 15 Server, 20, 30 Control board, 21 Compressor, 22 Four-way switching valve, 23 Outdoor heat exchanger, 24 Outdoor electromagnetic expansion valve, 25 Outdoor fan, 26 Outdoor temperature sensor, 27 Outdoor heat exchanger temperature sensor, 31 Indoor heat exchanger, 32 Indoor electromagnetic expansion valve, 33 Indoor fan, 34 Indoor temperature sensor, 35 Indoor heat exchanger temperature sensor, 36 Indoor humidity sensor, 37 Infrared sensor, 110 CPU, 111, 201 Communication interface, 112 ROM, 113 RAM, 114, 202 Auxiliary storage device, 115 Bus, 200 Microcomputer, 210 Sensor information acquisition unit, 211 Setting information acquisition unit, 212 Feedback control unit, 213 Thermal characteristic model parameter update determination unit, 214 Thermal characteristic model parameter calculation unit, 215 Control parameter determination unit, 216 Latest data acquisition unit, 217 Data acquisition unit at the time of control parameter update, 218 Determination unit, 219 Inference unit, 220 Thermal image processing unit, 230 Sensor information storage unit, 231 Setting information storage unit, 232 Control value information storage unit, 233 Control parameter information storage unit, 234 Learned model storage unit

Claims

1. Feedback control means for controlling the air conditioner so that the indoor temperature becomes the set temperature based on control parameters; Model parameter calculation means for calculating parameters of a thermal characteristic model regarding the thermal characteristics of a control target; Control parameter determination means for determining control parameters based on the parameters of the thermal characteristic model; Update necessity determination means for determining whether it is necessary to update the parameters of the thermal characteristic model based on the differences between the outdoor environment and indoor environment at the time when the control parameters were last updated and the latest outdoor environment and indoor environment; Learned model storage means for storing a learned model for inferring an estimated heat load amount from input data including the outdoor temperature, indoor temperature, and indoor humidity and at least one of the human body heat load, equipment heat load, ventilation heat load, indoor wall temperature, and indoor floor plan; Thermal image processing means for estimating at least one of the human body heat load, equipment heat load, ventilation heat load, indoor wall temperature, and indoor floor plan from the thermal image of the interior of the room, comprising: The update necessity determination means: Acquires input data including the latest outdoor temperature, indoor temperature, and indoor humidity and at least one of the latest human body heat load, equipment heat load, ventilation heat load, indoor wall temperature, and indoor floor plan; Acquires an estimated heat load amount based on the acquired input data and the learned model; Determines whether it is necessary to update the parameters of the thermal characteristic model based on the acquired estimated heat load amount and the estimated heat load amount at the time when the control parameters were last updated; The model parameter calculation means calculates the parameters of the thermal characteristic model when it is determined by the update necessity determination means that it is necessary to update the parameters of the thermal characteristic model. A control device.

2. The update necessity determination means determines whether it is necessary to update the parameters of the thermal characteristic model when the operation of the air conditioner is stopped; The control parameter determination means determines control parameters based on the updated parameters of the thermal characteristic model and stores the determined control parameters in control parameter information storage means. The control device according to claim 1.

3. The control parameter determination means performs a simulation for each combination of control parameters while changing the values of the control parameters, and determines optimal control parameters based on an evaluation function of the simulation results. The control device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. an environment acquisition means for acquiring the latest outdoor environment and indoor environment; when it is determined that it is necessary to update the parameters of the thermal characteristics model regarding the thermal characteristics of the control target based on the outdoor environment and indoor environment at the time of the previous update of the control parameters and the latest outdoor environment and indoor environment, calculate the parameters of the thermal characteristics model, determine the control parameters based on the parameters of the thermal characteristics model, and control an air conditioner so that the indoor temperature becomes the set temperature based on the control parameters, the air conditioning control means; comprises a learned model storage means for storing a learned model for inferring an estimated heat load amount from input data including an outdoor temperature, an indoor temperature, and an indoor humidity, and at least one of a human body heat load, an equipment heat load, a ventilation heat load, an indoor wall temperature, and an indoor floor plan; estimate at least one of a human body heat load, an equipment heat load, a ventilation heat load, an indoor wall temperature, and an indoor floor plan from a thermal image of the interior of the room; acquire input data including the latest outdoor temperature, indoor temperature, and indoor humidity, and at least one of the latest human body heat load, equipment heat load, ventilation heat load, indoor wall temperature, and indoor floor plan; acquire an estimated heat load amount based on the acquired input data and the learned model; an air conditioning system that determines whether it is necessary to update the parameters of the thermal characteristics model based on the acquired estimated heat load amount and the estimated heat load amount at the time of the previous update of the control parameters.

5. The air conditioning control means determines whether it is necessary to update the parameters of the thermal characteristics model when the operation of the air conditioner is stopped, determines the control parameters based on the updated parameters of the thermal characteristics model, and stores the determined control parameters in the control parameter information storage means. The air conditioning system according to claim 4.

6. The air conditioning control means performs a simulation for each combination of control parameters while changing the value of the control parameters, and determines the optimal control parameters based on the evaluation function of the simulation results. The air conditioning system according to claim 4 or 5.

7. The thermal image processing means estimates at least one of a human body heat load, an equipment heat load, a ventilation heat load, an indoor wall temperature, and an indoor floor plan from a thermal image of the interior of the room; The update necessity determination means; Obtain input data including the latest outdoor temperature, indoor temperature, and indoor humidity, and at least one of the latest human body heat load, equipment heat load, ventilation heat load, indoor wall temperature, and indoor floor plan. Based on the input data including the outdoor temperature, indoor temperature, and indoor humidity, and at least one of the human body heat load, equipment heat load, ventilation heat load, indoor wall temperature, and indoor floor plan, and a trained model for inferring the estimated heat load amount from the input data, obtain the estimated heat load amount. Based on the obtained estimated heat load amount and the estimated heat load amount when the control parameter was last updated, determine whether it is necessary to update the parameters of the heat characteristic model regarding the heat characteristics of the control object. When it is determined by the update necessity determination means that it is necessary to update the parameters of the heat characteristic model, the model parameter calculation means calculates the parameters of the heat characteristic model. The control parameter determination means determines the control parameter based on the parameters of the heat characteristic model. A control method for an air conditioner, wherein the feedback control means controls the air conditioner based on the control parameter so that the indoor temperature becomes the set temperature.

8. The update necessity determination means determines whether it is necessary to update the parameters of the heat characteristic model when the operation of the air conditioner is stopped. The control parameter determination means determines the control parameter based on the updated parameters of the heat characteristic model, and stores the determined control parameter in the control parameter information storage means. The control method for an air conditioner according to claim 7.

9. The control parameter determination means performs a simulation for each combination of control parameters while changing the value of the control parameter, and determines the optimal control parameter based on the evaluation function of the simulation result. The control method for an air conditioner according to claim 7 or 8.

10. A computer, Feedback control means for controlling the air conditioner based on the control parameter so that the indoor temperature becomes the set temperature, Model parameter calculation means for calculating the parameters of the heat characteristic model regarding the heat characteristics of the control object, Control parameter determination means for determining the control parameter based on the parameters of the heat characteristic model Update necessity determination means for determining whether it is necessary to update the parameters of the thermal characteristic model based on the differences between the outdoor environment and the indoor environment when the control parameters were last updated and the latest outdoor environment and the indoor environment; A program that functions as thermal image processing means for estimating at least one of the human body heat load, equipment heat load, ventilation heat load, indoor wall temperature, and indoor floor plan from an indoor thermal image; The update necessity determination means: Obtains input data including the latest outdoor temperature, indoor temperature, and indoor humidity and at least one of the latest human body heat load, equipment heat load, ventilation heat load, indoor wall temperature, and indoor floor plan; Obtains an estimated heat load amount based on a learned model for inferring an estimated heat load amount from input data including outdoor temperature, indoor temperature, and indoor humidity and at least one of the human body heat load, equipment heat load, ventilation heat load, indoor wall temperature, and indoor floor plan, and the obtained input data; Determines whether it is necessary to update the parameters of the thermal characteristic model based on the obtained estimated heat load amount and the estimated heat load amount when the control parameters were last updated; The model parameter calculation means calculates the parameters of the thermal characteristic model when it is determined by the update necessity determination means that it is necessary to update the parameters of the thermal characteristic model. A program.

11. The update necessity determination means determines whether it is necessary to update the parameters of the thermal characteristic model when the operation of the air conditioner is stopped; The control parameter determination means determines control parameters based on the updated parameters of the thermal characteristic model and stores the determined control parameters in the control parameter information storage means. The program according to claim 10.

12. The control parameter determination means performs simulations for each combination of control parameters while changing the values of the control parameters, and determines optimal control parameters based on an evaluation function of the simulation results. The program according to claim 10 or 11.

Images