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 heat load. [Solution] An evaluation system having a control unit that evaluates an air conditioning system, wherein the control unit derives evaluation information for the air conditioning system based on equipment configuration information regarding the equipment included in the air conditioning system and operating history information of the air conditioning system, wherein the 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, and the operating history information is information that reflects fluctuations in 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 technology]

[0002] A conventional technique is known in which selection conditions are set based on the relationship between the specifications of an existing outdoor unit and operating performance information, and an outdoor unit whose specifications match the set selection conditions is selected from among the outdoor units whose outdoor unit information is stored as a candidate for replacing the existing outdoor unit. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6429702 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the conventional technology described above, updated equipment is selected using past operating performance information, so it is not possible to select equipment that corresponds to future fluctuations in heat load due to changes in user needs, changes in building conditions, changes in climate, etc.

[0005] The present disclosure aims to provide an evaluation system, evaluation program, and evaluation method for selecting equipment that responds to future fluctuations in heat load. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] An evaluation system according to a first aspect of the present disclosure is an evaluation system having a control unit that evaluates an air conditioning system, The control unit deriving evaluation information of the air conditioning system based on equipment configuration information relating to equipment included in the air conditioning system and operating performance information of the air conditioning system; the equipment configuration information is information that reflects changes in performance of the equipment in response to changes in the environment of the space to be air-conditioned by the air-conditioning system, The operating performance information is an evaluation system that is information that reflects load fluctuations in response to changes in the environment of the space to be air-conditioned by the air-conditioning system.

[0007] According to the first aspect of the present disclosure, it is possible to select equipment that corresponds to future fluctuations in heat load.

[0008] A second aspect of the present disclosure is the evaluation system according to the first aspect, The control unit acquiring spatial environment information indicating the environment of the air-conditioned space and fluctuation information indicating a fluctuation when the environment of the air-conditioned space changes; The evaluation system uses the spatial environment information and the fluctuation information to estimate changes in performance of the equipment in response to changes in the environment of the air-conditioned space, and fluctuations in load in response to changes in the environment of the air-conditioned space.

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

[0010] A third aspect of the present disclosure is the evaluation system according to the second aspect, The spatial environment information is The evaluation system includes equipment operation information related to the operation of facility equipment other than the air conditioning system, space operation information related to the operation of the space to be air-conditioned by the air conditioning system, space configuration information related 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.

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

[0012] A fourth aspect of the present disclosure is an evaluation system according to any one of the first to third aspects, The control unit Refer to a storage unit that stores replacement device information regarding candidate devices that are candidates for devices to be replaced with devices included in the air conditioning system; The evaluation system identifies candidate devices that satisfy the conditions indicated by the evaluation information.

[0013] According to the fourth aspect of the present disclosure, it is possible to allow an air conditioning system manager or the like to grasp devices that can respond to future changes in the environment of the air conditioned space.

[0014] An evaluation program according to the fifth aspect of the present disclosure, The control unit for evaluating the air conditioning system An evaluation program that executes a process of deriving evaluation information of the air conditioning system based on equipment configuration information related to equipment included in the air conditioning system and operating performance information of the air conditioning system, the equipment configuration information is information that reflects changes in performance of the equipment in response to changes in the environment of the space to be air-conditioned by the air-conditioning system, The operating record information is information that reflects fluctuations in load in response to changes in the environmental conditions of the space to be air-conditioned by the air-conditioning system.

[0015] According to the fifth aspect of the present disclosure, it is possible to select equipment that corresponds to future fluctuations in heat load.

[0016] The evaluation method according to the sixth aspect of the present disclosure includes: An evaluation method using an evaluation system having a control unit for evaluating an air conditioning system, The control unit deriving evaluation information of the air conditioning system based on equipment configuration information relating to equipment included in the air conditioning system and operating performance information of the air conditioning system; the equipment configuration information is information that reflects changes in performance of the equipment in response to changes in the environment of the space to be air-conditioned by the air-conditioning system, The operating performance information is information that reflects fluctuations in load in response to changes in the environment of the space to be air-conditioned by the air-conditioning system.

[0017] According to the sixth aspect of the present disclosure, it is possible to select equipment that corresponds to future fluctuations in heat load. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a system configuration of an evaluation system. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of an air conditioning system. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a hardware configuration of an evaluation device. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a server device. [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an outline of the operation of the evaluation system. [Figure 6] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a process of the server device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

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

[0020] The evaluation system 100 of this embodiment includes a server device 200, an air conditioning system 300, and a terminal device 400. The server device 200 of this 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 this embodiment generates evaluation information for selecting equipment that can adapt to future environmental changes in the space to be air-conditioned when replacing equipment included in the air-conditioning system 300. Future environmental changes, in other words, are future fluctuations in the heat load.

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

[0023] The server device 200 then generates evaluation information for selecting candidate devices that can adapt to future environmental changes from the device configuration information that reflects the environmental changes on the device performance and the operating performance information that reflects the environmental changes. The evaluation information includes, for example, information indicating the conditions required for the devices.

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

[0025] The terminal device 400 may be, for example, an information processing device used by an 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] In this way, the server device 200 of this embodiment generates evaluation information for selecting equipment that can adapt to future environmental changes. In other words, the server device 200 of this embodiment generates evaluation information for selecting equipment that can adapt to future fluctuations in heat load. Then, the server device 200 outputs the evaluation information to the terminal device 400.

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

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

[0029] Next, an air conditioning system 300 of this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 2. Fig. 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, 302, six indoor units 311 to 316, and two ventilators 321, 322.

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

[0032] Indoor units 313 and 314 are installed in room Rb, which is a space to be air-conditioned, and perform air conditioning processing for room Rb in conjunction with outdoor units 301 and 302, respectively. Furthermore, indoor units 315 and 316 are installed in room Rc, which is a space to be air-conditioned, and perform air conditioning processing for room Rc in conjunction with outdoor unit 302.

[0033] Further, the ventilation device 321 is installed for the room Ra and ventilates the room Ra. The ventilation device 322 is installed for both the room Rb and the room Rc and ventilates the room Rb and the room Rc.

[0034] It should be noted that FIG. 2 shows an example of the air conditioning system 300, and the configuration of the devices included in the air conditioning system 300 of this embodiment is not limited to the example shown in FIG.

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

[0036] The server device 200 of this embodiment is a computer including 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 a bus B.

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

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

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

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

[0041] The auxiliary storage device 24 realizes each storage unit etc. of the server device 200, and stores the programs installed in the server device 200 as well as various files, information etc. required by the server device 200. The memory device 25 reads and stores the evaluation program from the auxiliary storage device 24 when the server device 200 is started. The processor 26 then realizes various processes as described below in accordance with the evaluation program stored in the memory device 25.

[0042] Furthermore, the terminal device 400 of this embodiment is a computer having a processor and a memory device, and its hardware configuration may be the same as the configuration shown in FIG. 3, so a description thereof will be omitted.

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

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

[0045] The operating 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 space operation memory unit 260, the space configuration memory unit 270, and the environment memory unit 280 may be realized, for example, by an auxiliary memory device 24 possessed by the server device 200.

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

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

[0048] The operating performance information is stored in the operating performance storage unit 210. The operating performance information is information related to the performance or experimental results of each device included in the air conditioning system 300. The operating performance information of this embodiment may be acquired from the air conditioning system 300 via the interface device 27 of the server device 200 of this embodiment.

[0049] Moreover, the operating history information of this embodiment includes operating history information collected from each device included in the air conditioning system 300.

[0050] The operational performance information of this embodiment may include, for example, actual machine experiment data as a measurement result of an actual machine in a laboratory, or simulation experiment data as a simulation result of an equipment model.

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

[0052] The driving performance information may include the outdoor temperature and the indoor temperature, and may also include performance information used in machine learning, which will be described later.

[0053] Equipment configuration information is stored in the equipment configuration storage unit 220. The equipment configuration information of this embodiment may be input in advance by an administrator of the air conditioning system 300 or the like 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, information about costs, etc. The equipment configuration information also includes information indicating the model of each equipment included in the air conditioning system 300.

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

[0056] After a device included in the air conditioning system 300 is replaced, information about the replaced device may be acquired from the replacement candidate storage unit 240 and used as part of the device configuration information.

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

[0058] The evaluation information indicates the conditions required for the devices constituting the air conditioning system 300, and includes information on the performance of the devices. Specifically, the evaluation information in this embodiment includes 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, it is possible to grasp the impact on performance of variations in the amount of heat processed by each indoor unit included in the air conditioning system 300 through simulation.

[0060] The replacement candidate storage unit 240 stores replacement candidate information relating to devices that may be replaced with devices that configure the air conditioning system 300.

[0061] The replacement candidate information may be input in advance by the administrator of the air conditioning system 300, the administrator of the evaluation system 100, or the like, and stored in the replacement candidate storage unit 240.

[0062] In the following description, devices that may be replaced with devices constituting the air conditioning system 300 may be referred to as candidate devices. The replacement candidate information includes information about the candidate devices, information about costs, etc. The information items included in the replacement candidate information may be the same as the items included in the device configuration information.

[0063] Equipment operation information related to the operation of facility equipment other than air conditioning equipment in the air-conditioned space is stored in the equipment operation storage unit 250. The equipment operation information is input in advance by a manager of the air conditioning system 300 or the like and stored in the equipment operation storage unit 250.

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

[0065] The equipment operation information includes, for example, information indicating the type of lighting, the lighting rate, and the usage rate of blinds. In other words, the equipment operation information is information indicating the operation schedule of facility equipment other than air conditioning equipment. The equipment operation information may also include information regarding the maintenance of facility equipment other than air conditioning equipment. Information regarding maintenance may include information indicating the maintenance and replacement times of facility equipment other than air conditioning equipment.

[0066] The space operation storage unit 260 stores space operation information related to the air-conditioned space. The space operation information includes operation information related to the operation of the air-conditioning equipment in the air-conditioned space and information related to the purpose of the rooms included in the air-conditioned space. The space operation information is input in advance by an administrator of the air-conditioning system 300 or the like and stored in the space operation storage unit 260.

[0067] Specifically, the space operation information includes information indicating the purpose of the rooms included in the air-conditioned space, information indicating whether or not there are partitions, ventilation volume, the number of people using the room, the indoor set temperature, and information indicating whether or not the adjacent room is air-conditioned or heated.

[0068] The spatial configuration storage unit 270 stores spatial configuration information related to the structure of the building other than the equipment installed in the air-conditioned space. Note that the building here refers to a building that includes the air-conditioned space. The spatial configuration information is input in advance by the manager of the air-conditioning system 300 or the like and stored in the spatial configuration storage unit 270.

[0069] Specifically, the spatial configuration information includes, for example, information indicating the type of glass the building has, the amount of solar radiation, and the like.

[0070] Environmental information indicating the environment surrounding the building is stored in the environment storage unit 280. The environmental information is input in advance by a manager of the air conditioning system 300 or the like and stored in the environment storage unit 280.

[0071] Specifically, the environmental information includes information indicating the outside temperature, outside humidity, amount of solar radiation, the direction the building faces, whether there is shade, whether there is an adjacent building, and the like.

[0072] The types of information stored in each of the above-mentioned storage units are not limited to the examples described above, and may include information other than the types of information described above.

[0073] In the following description, information including device operation information, space operation information, space configuration information, and environment information may be referred to as space environment information. In other words, device operation information, space operation information, space configuration information, and environment information are information included in space environment information.

[0074] 4, the device operation storage unit 250, the space operation storage unit 260, the space configuration storage unit 270, and the environment storage unit 280 are provided, and each storage unit stores device operation information, space operation information, air conditioning configuration information, and environmental information, but this is not limited to this. The server device 200 may have a space environment storage unit instead of the device operation storage unit 250, the space operation storage unit 260, the space configuration storage unit 270, and the environment storage unit 280, and the device operation information, space operation information, air conditioning configuration information, and environmental information may be stored in the space environment storage unit as space environment information.

[0075] In this embodiment, by storing information about the air conditioning system 300, information about the air-conditioned space to be air-conditioned by the air-conditioning system 300, and information about the outside of the air-conditioned space, and using this information, the accuracy of 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 has an input receiving unit 291, a storage control unit 292, a fluctuation estimating unit 293, a margin setting unit 294, an evaluation estimating unit 295, a replacement candidate identifying 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 device configuration information, replacement candidate information, and spatial environment information. The input receiving unit 291 also receives inputs of variation information that indicates a change in the environment of the air-conditioned space and indicates a variation in the spatial environment information. The variation information will be described in detail 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 receiving unit 291.

[0079] When the fluctuation information is input, the fluctuation estimation unit 293 estimates the amount of fluctuation in the operation performance information in response to changes in the environment of the air conditioned space, using the fluctuation information and the spatial environment information stored in the server device 200. In other words, the amount of fluctuation in the operation performance information is the amount of fluctuation in the load in the air conditioning system 300. The fluctuation estimation unit 293 also estimates the amount of fluctuation in the equipment configuration information in response to changes 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 fluctuation in the operation performance information, which is the estimation result by the fluctuation estimation unit 293, as a margin for the operation performance information in accordance with changes in the environment of the air conditioned space. In addition, the margin setting unit 294 sets the fluctuation in the equipment configuration information as a margin for the equipment configuration information in accordance with changes in the environment of the air conditioned space.

[0081] The margin in this embodiment refers to the amount of fluctuation in information that should be taken into consideration in order to perform air conditioning processing in the 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 of the air conditioning system 300 for selecting equipment that corresponds to changes in the environment of the air-conditioned space, based on the operating record information after margin setting in which the margin has been set by the margin setting unit 294 and the equipment configuration information after margin setting in which the margin has been set. Details of the evaluation estimation unit 295 will be described later.

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

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

[0085] Next, an outline of the operation of the evaluation system 100 of this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 5. Fig. 5 is a diagram for explaining an outline of the operation of the evaluation system.

[0086] 5, the equipment operation information stored in the equipment operation storage unit 250 is indicated as "A," and the space operation information stored in the space operation storage unit 260 is indicated as "B." Also, in Fig. 5, the space configuration information stored in the space configuration storage unit 270 is indicated as "C," and the environment information stored in the environment storage unit 280 is indicated as "D."

[0087] The space environment information, which includes equipment operation information, space operation information, space configuration information, and environment information, includes parameters for calculating the actual load and parameters that affect the load.

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

[0089] The operational performance information and the equipment configuration information are parameters that are affected by the load itself or an increase in the load.

[0090] Also, in Figure 5, among the variable information received by the input receiving unit 291, the variable in the equipment operation information is indicated as "ΔA", the variable in the space operation information is indicated as "ΔB", the variable in the space configuration information is indicated as "ΔC", and the variable in the environment information is indicated as "ΔD".

[0091] Of the fluctuations "ΔA" in the equipment operation information in this embodiment, hourly and daily fluctuations include, for example, the lighting duration, the operation rate of a copier in an office that is an air-conditioned space, etc. Furthermore, of the fluctuations "ΔA" in the equipment operation information, annual fluctuations include, for example, technological changes in lighting and fixtures, and a decrease in lighting illuminance due to a power shortage.

[0092] Furthermore, among the fluctuations "ΔB" in the space operation information in this embodiment, hourly or daily fluctuations include, for example, ventilation by opening a window. Furthermore, among the fluctuations "ΔB" in the space operation information, weekly or monthly fluctuations include, for example, a change in the use of a room or a change in air conditioning zone. Furthermore, among the fluctuations "ΔB" in the space operation information, yearly fluctuations include, for example, an increase in ventilation volume due to an infectious disease outbreak, a change in the number of working days, and a reduction in the set temperature.

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

[0094] Furthermore, among the fluctuations "ΔD" in the environmental information in this embodiment, fluctuations on an hourly or daily basis include weather, outdoor temperature, outdoor humidity, etc. Furthermore, among the fluctuations "ΔD" in the environmental information, fluctuations on an annual basis include an increase in outdoor temperature due to global warming, etc.

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

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

[0097] The fluctuation information "ΔA", "ΔB", "ΔC", and "ΔD" may be input by the manager of the air conditioning system 300, or may be assumed or estimated values ​​based on a separately performed simulation. In addition, the fluctuation information of this embodiment only requires that at least one of "ΔA", "ΔB", "ΔC", and "ΔD" be set, and not all of them need to be set. In addition, in this embodiment, if a value is not input for "ΔA", "ΔB", "ΔC", or "ΔD", the value may be set to "0".

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

[0099] In this case, the magnification for reflecting changes in the equipment operation information is set as "α A " and the magnification for reflecting changes in the space operation information is "α B " and the magnification for reflecting the change in the spatial configuration information is "α C " and the magnification for reflecting changes in environmental information is "α D In this case, the variation estimation unit 293 receives the spatial environment information and the variation information as "A×α A "," B × α B "," C×α C "," "D×α D " is entered.

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

[0101] Here, the fluctuation estimation unit 293 of this embodiment will be described. The fluctuation estimation unit 293 of this embodiment may estimate the fluctuation "ΔQ" in 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 amount "ΔQ" of the driving performance information is the fluctuation amount per unit time in a predetermined period. The predetermined period may be, for example, one year, and the unit time may be one hour in one day.

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

[0104] Here, when the output of the air conditioning performance model is the operating performance information "Q+ΔQ" after margin setting, the "fluctuation ΔQ" (estimated time series value) can be obtained by subtracting the operating performance information "Q" stored in the operating performance memory unit 210 from the operating performance information "Q+ΔQ" that is the output of the air conditioning performance model.

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

[0106] The first air conditioning performance model is a trained model that uses equipment operation information "A," space operation information "B," space configuration information "C," and environmental information "D," which are included in the spatial environment information, as explanatory variables, and operating performance information "Q" as the objective variable. The second air conditioning performance model is a trained model that uses spatial environment information that reflects fluctuation information ("A+ΔA," "B+ΔB," "C+ΔC," "D+ΔD") as input, and outputs operating 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 after margin setting, "Q+ΔQ", which is the output of the second air conditioning performance model.

[0108] In either case, the operating performance information "Q+ΔQ" after setting the margin of the spatial operation information can be calculated by adding the fluctuation amount "ΔQ" as an estimated value to the operating performance information "Q".

[0109] Furthermore, the fluctuation estimation unit 293 of this embodiment may estimate the fluctuation "ΔQ" in the operating performance information by performing an air-conditioning performance simulation on 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, or the like, or may be constructed in advance.

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

[0111] Specifically, the fluctuation estimation unit 293 uses the equipment operation information "A," the space operation information "B," the space configuration information "C," and the environment information "D" to construct a physical model or set them as simulation conditions, and calculates the operation performance information "Q," which is the result of the first simulation. Furthermore, the fluctuation estimation unit 293 uses the space environment information ("A+ΔA," "B+ΔB," "C+ΔC," and "D+ΔD") reflecting the fluctuation information to construct a physical model or set them as simulation conditions, and calculates the operation performance information "Q+ΔQ," which is the result of the second simulation. Then, the fluctuation estimation unit 293 can obtain the fluctuation "ΔQ" by subtracting the first simulation result from the second simulation result.

[0112] Furthermore, as described above, the fluctuation estimation unit 293 may estimate the fluctuation "ΔQ" by combining a machine learning model related to air conditioning performance and an air conditioning performance simulation, for example, using the method disclosed in Patent Document: JP 2022-044555 A.

[0113] Specifically, the fluctuation estimation unit 293 corrects the first simulation result from the air conditioning performance simulation using the air conditioning performance error estimated by the air conditioning performance error estimation model, and calculates corrected operating performance information "Q'", which is the corrected first simulation result. Furthermore, the fluctuation estimation unit 293 corrects the second simulation result from the air conditioning performance simulation using the air conditioning performance error estimated by the above-mentioned air conditioning performance error estimation model, and calculates corrected operating performance information "Q'+ΔQ'", which is the corrected second simulation result. Next, the fluctuation estimation unit 293 subtracts the corrected first simulation result from the corrected second simulation result, to obtain the corrected fluctuation "ΔQ'".

[0114] This reduces errors in the air conditioning performance simulation caused by insufficient simulation conditions or deviations of the simulation conditions from reality, and enables a more accurate estimate of the fluctuation "ΔQ" in the operating performance information "Q."

[0115] Furthermore, the fluctuation estimation unit 293 of this embodiment may calculate the fluctuation "ΔQ" of the operating performance information using a predetermined calculation formula. The predetermined calculation formula may be a calculation formula using the energy consumption rate of each device included in the air conditioning system 300 as an index.

[0116] Furthermore, the fluctuation estimation unit 293 of this embodiment may perform a simulation or the like in which the change in the environment of the air-conditioned space is reflected in the configuration of the equipment of the air-conditioning system 300, and estimate the fluctuation amount "ΔP" in the equipment configuration information.

[0117] For example, the fluctuation estimation unit 293 may set the amount of decrease in performance of the equipment of the air conditioning system 300 based on the fluctuation "ΔQ" in the operating performance information as the fluctuation "ΔP" in the equipment configuration information. Furthermore, the fluctuation estimation unit 293 may set the amount of change in performance of the equipment due to aging as the fluctuation "ΔP" in the equipment configuration information. The change in performance of the equipment due to aging may be, for example, something that is affected by the maintenance interval, such as a decrease in airflow due to clogged filters.

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

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

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

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

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

[0123] Here, we will explain the rating estimation unit 295. The rating estimation unit 295 of this embodiment may estimate the rating information R using a trained air conditioning rating model constructed by a machine learning algorithm such as a neural network algorithm like a multilayer perceptron.

[0124] The air conditioning evaluation model of this embodiment is a trained model that uses the operating performance information after margin setting "Q+ΔQ" and the equipment configuration information after margin setting "P+ΔP" as explanatory variables, and the evaluation information R as the objective variable. Note that 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 known simulation software such as EnergyPLus (registered trademark). In this case, the operating performance information after margin setting "Q+ΔQ" and the equipment configuration information after margin setting "P+ΔP" may be used to construct a physical model or set as simulation conditions to calculate evaluation information R, which is the simulation result.

[0127] Furthermore, as described above, the evaluation estimation unit 295 may estimate the evaluation information R by combining a machine learning model related to air conditioning evaluation with an air conditioning evaluation simulation, for example, using the method disclosed in Patent Document: JP 2022-044555 A.

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

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

[0130] The server device 200 of this embodiment receives input of variation information indicating changes in the environment of the air-conditioned space via the input receiving unit 291 (step S601). Next, the server device 200 inputs spatial environment information, including the equipment operation information, space operation information, space configuration information, and environmental information stored in the equipment operation storage unit 250, space operation storage unit 260, space configuration storage unit 270, and environment storage unit 280, as well as variation information, to the variation estimation unit 293 (step S602).

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

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

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

[0134] Next, the server device 200, through the replacement candidate identification unit 296, identifies candidate devices that can be replaced with the equipment included in the air conditioning system 300 from among the candidate devices whose replacement candidate information is stored in the replacement candidate memory unit 240, based on the evaluation information (step S607).

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

[0136] A specific example of the operation of the evaluation system 100 of this embodiment will be described below.

[0137] First, a case will be described in which the outside air temperature conditions (general design conditions, the value of the outside air temperature calculated from statistics for the past few years at a certain location) and the deterioration conditions of the equipment are input as fluctuation information.

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

[0139] The fluctuation estimation unit 293 estimates the fluctuation "ΔQ" in the driving performance information from the difference between the outside air temperature when the load peaks in the driving performance information stored in the driving performance memory unit 210 and the outside air temperature indicated by the fluctuation information.

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

[0141] Next, the server device 200 inputs the set operating performance information "Q+ΔQ", in which the fluctuation amount "ΔQ" in the operating performance information and the fluctuation amount "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 in the evaluation estimation unit 295.

[0142] The evaluation information obtained here may be the equipment conditions for maintaining the environment of the air-conditioned space at the same level as the current environment, even if there is a change in the outside air temperature or a deterioration in the performance of the equipment in the future.

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

[0144] In this embodiment, the evaluation information referenced when selecting candidate devices is information including conditions that can accommodate changes in the usage conditions of the air-conditioned space and fluctuations in heat load due to climate changes. This allows the manager of the air-conditioning system 300 to understand which devices can accommodate future environmental changes in the air-conditioned space, for example, when replacing devices included in the air-conditioning system 300.

[0145] Furthermore, although the present embodiment has been described on the premise of replacing devices included in the existing air conditioning system 300, the present embodiment is not limited to this. For example, the present embodiment may be applied to a case where a new air conditioning system 300 is set up.

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

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

[0148] In addition, in the above example, the margin for responding to environmental changes in the air-conditioned space was set in the operating history information and the equipment configuration information, but the margin for responding to environmental changes in the air-conditioned space may also be included in the evaluation information.

[0149] The margin in the evaluation information may be 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] A case where the evaluation information includes a margin will be described below. Here, it is assumed that the outside air temperature condition is input as the fluctuation information.

[0151] When fluctuation information is input to the server device 200, the fluctuation estimation unit 293 estimates a fluctuation "ΔQ" in the driving performance information from the difference between the outside air temperature when the load peaks in the driving performance information stored in the driving performance storage unit 210 and the outside air temperature indicated by the fluctuation information. The fluctuation "ΔQ" here is an increase in load that serves as a margin to be taken with respect to the load indicated by the driving performance information.

[0152] Here, let us assume that, of the load indicated by the fluctuation amount "ΔQ," a load increment of 1 is converted into an increase of 20 rotations in the rotation speed of the compressor of the outdoor unit. In this case, if the rotation speed of the compressors of outdoor units 301 and 302 included in air conditioning system 300 is limited to an increase of 10 rotations per load increment, then in order to respond to the environmental change indicated by the fluctuation information, an outdoor unit having a compressor with an additional 10 rotations increase per 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 rotation 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 memory unit 220.

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

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

[0156] Then, the evaluation estimation unit 295 outputs evaluation information including the conditions estimated as margins.

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

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

[0159] Although the embodiments have been described above, it will be understood that various changes in form and details can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0160] 100 rating system 200 Server device 210 Operation record memory 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 Equipment

Claims

1. An evaluation system having a control unit for evaluating an air conditioning system, The control unit deriving evaluation information of the air conditioning system based on equipment configuration information relating to equipment included in the air conditioning system and operating performance information of the air conditioning system; the equipment configuration information is information after a fluctuation in performance of the equipment estimated based on an environment change in the space to be air-conditioned by the air-conditioning system has been set, An evaluation system, wherein the operating record information is information after load fluctuations estimated based on changes in the environment of the space to be air-conditioned by the air-conditioning system have been set.

2. The control unit acquiring spatial environment information indicating the environment of the air-conditioned space and fluctuation information indicating a fluctuation when the environment of the air-conditioned space changes; The evaluation system according to claim 1, wherein the spatial environment information and the fluctuation information are used to estimate a fluctuation in performance of the equipment in response to a change in the environment of the air-conditioned space and a fluctuation in the load in response to a change in the environment of the air-conditioned space.

3. The spatial environment information is The evaluation system of claim 2, further comprising: equipment operation information relating to the operation of facility equipment other than the air conditioning system; space operation information relating to the operation of the space to be air-conditioned by the air conditioning system; space 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 Refer to a storage unit that stores replacement device information regarding candidate devices that are candidates for devices to be replaced with devices included in the air conditioning system; The evaluation system according to claim 1 , further comprising: identifying candidate devices that satisfy the conditions indicated by the evaluation information;

5. The control unit for evaluating the air conditioning system An evaluation program that executes a process of deriving evaluation information of the air conditioning system based on equipment configuration information related to equipment included in the air conditioning system and operating performance information of the air conditioning system, the equipment configuration information is information after a fluctuation in performance of the equipment estimated based on an environment change in the space to be air-conditioned by the air-conditioning system has been set, The evaluation program, wherein the operating record information is information after load fluctuations estimated based on changes in the environment of the space to be air-conditioned by the air-conditioning system have been set.

6. An evaluation method using an evaluation system having a control unit for evaluating an air conditioning system, The control unit deriving evaluation information of the air conditioning system based on equipment configuration information relating to equipment included in the air conditioning system and operating performance information of the air conditioning system; the equipment configuration information is information after a fluctuation in performance of the equipment estimated based on an environment change in the space to be air-conditioned by the air-conditioning system has been set, The evaluation method, wherein the operating record information is information after a load fluctuation portion estimated based on an environmental change in a space to be air-conditioned by the air-conditioning system has been set.

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