Sensor link assistance system, server, sensor link assistance method, and program

Abstract

A server (2) comprises a link setting screen generation unit (213) and an association degree estimation unit (214). The association degree estimation unit (214) estimates the association degree of each of one or more sensor terminals (5) with respect to an air conditioning system. The link setting screen generation unit (213): generates, on the basis of the association degree of each of the sensor terminals (5) estimated by the association degree estimation unit (214), screen data with which whether the association degree is high or low can be determined for each of the sensor terminals (5); and transmits the generated screen data to an operation terminal (7).

Description

Sensor cooperation support system, server, sensor cooperation support method and program

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a sensor cooperation support system, a server, a sensor cooperation support method, and a program.

[0002] An air conditioning system is known that controls an air conditioner using temperature data measured by a sensor terminal installed separately from the air conditioner. For example, the air conditioning system described in Patent Document 1 includes an air conditioning management device, an air conditioner that conditions a space to be air-conditioned, an internal temperature sensor, an external temperature sensor, and a controller that receives input from a user. The air conditioning management device includes a measurement acquisition unit that acquires a first measurement value measured by the internal temperature sensor and a second measurement value measured by the external temperature sensor, an environment variable calculation unit that calculates environment variables that indicate the environment of the space to be air-conditioned based on the first measurement value, the installation position of the internal temperature sensor, the second measurement value, and the installation position of the external temperature sensor, a setting value acquisition unit that acquires setting values ​​based on the user input received by the controller, and an air conditioning control unit that controls the air conditioner so that the environment variables are equal to the setting values.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2020-85372

[0004] In the air conditioning system described above, it is necessary to link the air conditioners and sensor terminals in advance. However, in cases where multiple air conditioning systems and multiple sensor terminals are installed, such as in office buildings and stores, it is not easy to select the appropriate sensor terminal to link with the air conditioning system, and the linking process is time-consuming.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a sensor collaboration support system, server, sensor collaboration support method, and program that can reduce the effort required to set up collaboration between an air conditioning system and a sensor terminal.

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, the sensor cooperation support system according to the present disclosure comprises: a relevance estimation means for estimating the relevance of each of one or more sensor terminals to an air conditioning system; and a relevance level presentation means for presenting to a user, based on the estimated relevance of each sensor terminal, whether the relevance of each sensor terminal is high or low in a manner that allows the user to determine whether the relevance is high or low.

[0007] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to reduce the effort required to set up a link between an air conditioning system and a sensor terminal.

[0008] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a sensor cooperation support system and the hardware configuration of a server in embodiment 1. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of a control unit provided in a server in embodiment 1. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of an indoor unit and an outdoor unit in embodiment 1. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of a sensor terminal in embodiment 1. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of an operation terminal in embodiment 1. Block diagram showing the functional configuration of a server in embodiment 1. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a cooperation setting details screen in embodiment 1. FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining estimation of association degree in embodiment 1. Flowchart showing the procedure of cooperation setting processing in embodiment 1. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a sensor cooperation support system and the hardware configuration of a server in embodiment 2. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of an indoor unit in embodiment 2. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of a sensor terminal in embodiment 2. Block diagram showing the functional configuration of a server in embodiment 2.

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0010] 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a sensor cooperation support system 1 according to the first embodiment. The sensor cooperation support system 1 is an example of a sensor cooperation support system according to the present disclosure. The sensor cooperation support system 1 is a system that supports cooperation between an air conditioning system that conditions the air of a building such as a house, a building, a store, or a facility and a sensor terminal, and includes a server 2, an indoor unit 3, an outdoor unit 4, sensor terminals 5 a and 5 b, wireless routers 6 a and 6 b, and an operation terminal 7.

[0011] <Server 2> The server 2 is an example of a server according to the present disclosure. The server 2 is an on-premise server or a cloud server, connected to a network N such as the Internet, and provides a service that supports collaboration between an air conditioning system and a sensor terminal. As shown in FIG. 1 , the server 2 includes, as its hardware configuration, a control unit 20, a communication unit 21, and an auxiliary storage device 22. As shown in FIG. 2 , the control unit 20 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 200, a read-only memory (ROM) 201, and a random-access memory (RAM) 202, and performs overall control of the server 2. Details of the functions of the server 2 realized by the control unit 20 will be described later.

[0012] Returning to FIG. 1 , the communication unit 21 is a communication interface including a communication driver integrated circuit (IC) and the like, and performs communication via the network N in accordance with instructions from the control unit 20. The auxiliary storage device 22 is a storage device including a readable / writable nonvolatile semiconductor memory, a hard disk drive (HDD), and the like. Examples of the readable / writable nonvolatile semiconductor memory include an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), and a flash memory. The auxiliary storage device 22 stores a collaboration assistance program that is a program for assisting collaboration between the air conditioning system and the sensor terminal, and data used when the collaboration assistance program is executed.

[0013] The server 2 can acquire the collaboration assistance program or an update program for updating the collaboration assistance program via communication from another server, terminal, etc. (not shown) and install it on itself. These programs can also 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, a HDD, an SSD (Solid-State Drive), or a memory card. When such a recording medium is directly or indirectly attached to the server 2, the server 2 can read the collaboration assistance program or update program from the recording medium and install it on itself.

[0014] <Wireless Routers 6a, 6b> The wireless routers 6a, 6b are both wireless LAN (Local Area Network) routers. The wireless routers 6a, 6b transmit frames received via wireless communication with devices (e.g., the indoor unit 3, the sensor terminals 5a, 5b, etc.) in the building in which they are installed to the server 2 via the network N, and also transmit frames received from the server 2 via the network N to devices in the building via wireless communication. The wireless routers 6a, 6b may be installed in the same building or in different buildings. In the following description, not only the wireless routers 6a, 6b but also all wireless LAN routers that communicate with the server 2 will be collectively referred to as the wireless router 6.

[0015] <Indoor Unit 3 and Outdoor Unit 4> The indoor unit 3 and the outdoor unit 4 constitute an air conditioning system and condition the indoor air of the building in which they are installed. The indoor unit 3 and the outdoor unit 4 are communicatively connected via a communication cable 8 and also via a refrigerant pipe (not shown) for circulating the refrigerant. As shown in FIG. 3 , the indoor unit 3 includes, as hardware components, a control unit 30, a wireless communication unit 31, an air conditioning communication unit 32, and an auxiliary storage device 33. Similar to a typical indoor unit, the indoor unit 3 also includes actuators such as an indoor fan and an indoor solenoid valve, a pipe temperature sensor for measuring the temperature of the refrigerant pipe, an indoor temperature sensor for measuring the indoor temperature, and an indoor humidity sensor for measuring the indoor humidity, but these components are not shown or described here. The indoor temperature sensor, indoor humidity sensor, and other sensors for measuring environmental information provided in the indoor unit 3 are each examples of internal sensors according to the present disclosure.

[0016] The outdoor unit 4 has, as its hardware configuration, a control unit 40, an air conditioning communication unit 41, and an auxiliary storage device 42. In addition, like a general outdoor unit, the outdoor unit 4 also has actuators such as a compressor, an outdoor fan, and an electronic expansion valve, and sensors such as a pipe temperature sensor that measures the temperature of the refrigerant pipes and an outdoor air temperature sensor, but these components will not be shown or described here.

[0017] In the indoor unit 3, the control unit 30 is configured to include a CPU, ROM, RAM, etc., and performs overall control of the indoor unit 3. The wireless communication unit 31 is a communication interface configured to include a communication driver IC, etc., and performs wireless communication with the wireless router 6 (wireless router 6a in the example shown in FIG. 1 ) according to instructions from the control unit 30. The wireless communication unit 31 performs wireless LAN communication (for example, Wi-Fi (registered trademark) communication) with the wireless router 6. The air conditioning communication unit 32 is a communication interface configured to include a communication driver IC, etc., and sends and receives air conditioning-related data to and from the outdoor unit 4 via the communication cable 8 according to instructions from the control unit 30.

[0018] The auxiliary storage device 33 is a storage device configured with, for example, a readable / writable nonvolatile semiconductor memory such as an EPROM, an EEPROM, a flash memory, etc. The auxiliary storage device 33 stores an indoor unit program, which is a program for controlling the indoor unit 3, and data used when the indoor unit program is executed.

[0019] In the outdoor unit 4, the control unit 40 is configured to include a CPU, ROM, RAM, etc., and performs overall control of the outdoor unit 4. The air conditioning communication unit 41 is a communication interface configured to include a communication driver IC, etc., and transmits and receives air conditioning-related data to and from the indoor unit 3 via the communication cable 8 in accordance with instructions from the control unit 40. The auxiliary storage device 42 is a storage device configured, for example, by a readable and writable non-volatile semiconductor memory such as an EPROM, EEPROM, or flash memory. The auxiliary storage device 42 stores an outdoor unit program, which is a program for controlling the outdoor unit 4, and data used when the outdoor unit program is executed.

[0020] <Sensor Terminals 5a, 5b> The sensor terminals 5a, 5b are examples of sensor terminals according to the present disclosure. The sensor terminals 5a, 5b are devices that measure environmental information around themselves and transmit frames indicating the measured values ​​(hereinafter referred to as "sensor data") to the server 2 via a wireless router 6 (wireless router 6a or wireless router 6b in the example shown in FIG. 1). The sensor terminals 5a, 5b may be installed in the same building or in different buildings. In the following description, not only the sensor terminals 5a, 5b but also all sensor terminals that transmit sensor data to the server 2 via the wireless router 6 are collectively referred to as sensor terminals 5. As shown in FIG. 4, the sensor terminal 5 includes, as hardware components, a control unit 50, a wireless communication unit 51, a sensor unit 52, and an auxiliary storage device 53. The control unit 50 includes a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like, and performs overall control of the sensor terminals 5.

[0021] The wireless communication unit 51 is a communication interface including a communication driver IC and the like, and performs wireless communication (e.g., Wi-Fi (registered trademark)) with the wireless router 6 in accordance with instructions from the control unit 50. FIG. 1 shows the sensor terminal 5a performing wireless communication with the wireless router 6a, and the sensor terminal 5b performing wireless communication with the wireless router 6b. The sensor unit 52 is a circuit for measuring ambient environmental information. The environmental information includes, for example, air temperature and humidity. The auxiliary storage device 53 is a storage device configured, for example, with a readable / writable nonvolatile semiconductor memory such as an EPROM, an EEPROM, or a flash memory. The auxiliary storage device 53 stores a program for measuring environmental information and transmitting a frame indicating the measured value to the server 2 via the wireless router 6, as well as data used when the program is executed.

[0022] <Operation Terminal 7> The operation terminal 7 is an electronic device carried by an operator (an example of a user according to the present disclosure) such as an installer or system administrator of the air conditioning system. As shown in Fig. 5 , the operation terminal 7 includes, as hardware components, a control unit 70, an operation reception unit 71, a display 72, a communication unit 73, and an auxiliary storage device 74. The control unit 70 includes a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, etc., and performs overall control of the operation terminal 7.

[0023] The operation reception unit 71 is configured to include one or more input devices such as a keyboard, mouse, keypad, push button, touch panel, or touchpad, and receives operations from the worker and outputs a signal related to the received operation to the control unit 70. The display 72 is configured to include a display device such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL (Electroluminescence) display. The display 72 displays a screen or the like for receiving operations from the worker under the control of the control unit 70. The communication unit 73 is a communication interface configured to include a communication driver IC or the like, and communicates with the server 2 according to instructions from the control unit 70.

[0024] The auxiliary storage device 74 is composed of a readable / writable nonvolatile semiconductor memory, a HDD, etc. Examples of the readable / writable nonvolatile semiconductor memory include an EPROM, an EEPROM, a flash memory, etc. The auxiliary storage device 74 stores various programs including an application program (hereinafter referred to as a "work support app") for supporting a worker in linking the air conditioning system with the sensor terminal, and data used when these programs are executed.

[0025] The operation terminal 7 can acquire the work support app or an update program for updating the work support app via communication from the server 2 or a server, terminal, or the like (not shown), and install the program on itself. These programs can also be stored and distributed on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM, DVD, optical magnetic disk, USB memory, HDD, SSD, or memory card. When such a recording medium is directly or indirectly attached to the operation terminal 7, the operation terminal 7 can read the work support app or update program from the recording medium and install it on itself.

[0026] <Functional Configuration of Server 2> As shown in Fig. 6, the server 2 includes, as characteristic functions according to the present disclosure, a sensor data acquisition unit 210, an operation data acquisition unit 211, an operator authentication unit 212, a collaboration setting screen generation unit 213, and an association degree estimation unit 214. These functional units are realized by the control unit 20 of the server 2 executing the above-mentioned collaboration assistance program stored in the auxiliary storage device 22. The sensor data acquisition unit 210 receives and acquires sensor data sent periodically (e.g., every minute) from the sensor terminal 5 via the wireless router 6. The sensor data includes the device ID (identifier) ​​of the sensor terminal 5, information indicating the current date and time, the value of the measured environmental information, and router information about the wireless router 6 connected to the sensor terminal 5.

[0027] The router information includes the SSID (Service Set Identifier) ​​of the wireless router 6, the RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indicator) of the beacon received from the wireless router 6 measured by the sensor terminal 5, and the arrival time of the beacon received from the wireless router 6 measured by the sensor terminal 5. The sensor terminal 5 may not include the router information in the sensor data, but may separately transmit the router information to the server 2 periodically (for example, every minute).

[0028] The sensor data acquisition unit 210 stores the sensor data acquired from the sensor terminals 5 in the information storage unit 220. The information storage unit 220 stores a log of the sensor data of each sensor terminal 5. The information storage unit 220 is a memory area provided by the auxiliary storage device 22.

[0029] The operating data acquisition unit 211 receives and acquires operating data sent periodically (for example, every minute) from the indoor unit 3 via the wireless router 6. The operating data includes the device ID of the indoor unit 3, information indicating the current date and time, information indicating the operating status of the air conditioning system, and router information about the connected wireless router 6. The information indicating the operating status includes information indicating whether the indoor unit 3 is operating or stopped, information indicating the operating mode (cooling, heating, fan, etc.), information indicating the set temperature, set air volume, etc., and measurement values ​​of various sensors (for example, indoor temperature sensor, indoor humidity sensor, etc.) provided in each of the indoor unit 3 and the outdoor unit 4.

[0030] The router information includes the SSID of the wireless router 6, the RSSI of the beacon received from the wireless router 6, and the arrival time of the beacon received from the wireless router 6, each measured by the indoor unit 3. The indoor unit 3 may not include the router information in the operating data, but may separately transmit the router information to the server 2 periodically (for example, every minute).

[0031] The operating data acquisition unit 211 stores the operating data acquired from the indoor units 3 in the information storage unit 220. The information storage unit 220 stores a log of the operating data of the air conditioning system.

[0032] When a worker logs in to the work assistance app on the operation terminal 7, the worker authentication unit 212 receives a login account (worker ID and worker password) from the operation terminal 7 and authenticates the legitimacy of the worker based on the received login account. Note that the worker needs to register an account on the server 2 in advance, and the information storage unit 220 stores the login account of each worker whose account has been registered.

[0033] The collaboration setting screen generation unit 213 is an example of a degree of association presentation unit according to the present disclosure. When the worker authentication unit 212 authenticates that the worker is a legitimate worker, the collaboration setting screen generation unit 213 generates screen data showing a collaboration setting top screen for the worker and transmits the generated screen data to the operation terminal 7. The operation terminal 7 displays the collaboration setting top screen on the display 72 based on the screen data received from the server 2. The collaboration setting top screen displays a list of air conditioning systems corresponding to the worker and a list of sensor terminals 5 corresponding to the worker. Note that the information storage unit 220 stores in advance information linking the worker's login account with the corresponding air conditioning system and the corresponding sensor terminal 5.

[0034] The display items showing each air conditioning system in the list of air conditioning systems display information that allows the worker to recognize the air conditioning system, such as the system ID of the air conditioning system, the device IDs of the indoor units 3 and outdoor units 4, and the name of the location where the system is installed (address, building name, floor name, room name, etc.). Furthermore, the display items showing each air conditioning system are displayed using a GUI (Graphical User Interface) so that the worker can select them. Furthermore, the display items showing each sensor terminal 5 in the list of sensor terminals 5 display information that allows the worker to recognize the sensor terminal 5, such as the device ID of the sensor terminal 5, the sensor type, and the name of the location where the system is installed (address, building name, floor name, room name, etc.).

[0035] After presenting the above-mentioned collaboration setting top screen to the worker, when the worker performs an operation to select one of the air conditioning systems, the collaboration setting screen generation unit 213 generates screen data showing a collaboration setting details screen based on the estimation result by the association degree estimation unit 214 (described later) and transmits the generated screen data to the operation terminal 7. The operation terminal 7 displays the collaboration setting details screen on the display 72 based on the screen data received from the server 2. As shown in FIG. 7 , the collaboration setting details screen displays a list of display items showing each sensor terminal 5 corresponding to the worker, sorted in descending order of association with the air conditioning system. On the collaboration setting details screen, the display items showing each sensor terminal 5 are displayed by a GUI so that the worker can make a selection.

[0036] When the worker selects a display item indicating the sensor terminal 5 that the worker wants to link with the air conditioning system on the linkage setting details screen and presses the "OK" button, the server 2 determines that the linkage setting between the air conditioning system and the sensor terminal 5 is complete, and stores linkage information linking the identification information (e.g., system ID) of the air conditioning system with the identification information (e.g., device ID) of the sensor terminal 5 in the information storage unit 220. For an air conditioning system for which linkage setting has been completed, the server 2 periodically (e.g., every minute) transmits data indicating the latest measurement values ​​of the linked sensor terminal 5 (hereinafter referred to as "sensor terminal data") to the indoor unit 3 of the air conditioning system. This enables the air conditioning system to perform air conditioning using the measurement values ​​of the linked sensor terminal 5.

[0037] The relevance estimation unit 214 is an example of a relevance estimation means according to the present disclosure. When an air conditioning system to be worked on is selected by an operator on the collaboration setting top screen, the relevance estimation unit 214 estimates the relevance of each sensor terminal 5 corresponding to the operator to the selected air conditioning system. The relevance is an index indicating the strength of the relevance between the air conditioning system and the sensor terminal 5, and more specifically, the degree of influence that the air conditioning performed by the air conditioning system has on the measurement results of the sensor terminal 5. The relevance estimation unit 214 evaluates each predetermined evaluation item and assigns weights according to the evaluation results to quantify each evaluation item. The relevance estimation unit 214 then calculates the relevance of each sensor terminal 5 by aggregating the numerical values ​​of each evaluation item.

[0038] For example, the relevance estimation unit 214 evaluates six evaluation items, namely, "SSID of wireless router," "RSSI," "beacon arrival time," "IP address of wireless router," "measurement value of sensor," and "installation location information," as shown in Fig. 8. Each evaluation item will be described in detail below.

[0039] (1) SSID of the wireless router The relevance estimation unit 214 determines whether the SSID of the wireless router 6 (wireless router 6a in the example shown in FIG. 1) with which the indoor unit 3 in the air conditioning system selected by the operator communicates wirelessly matches the SSID of the wireless router 6 with which the sensor terminal 5 communicates wirelessly.

[0040] (2) RSSI If the SSID of the wireless router 6 with which the indoor unit 3 communicates wirelessly matches the SSID of the wireless router 6 with which the sensor terminal 5 communicates wirelessly, the association degree estimation unit 214 compares the RSSI measured by the indoor unit 3 with the RSSI measured by the sensor terminal 5 and determines whether the two are substantially identical. For example, if the difference between the two (absolute value) is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold, the association degree estimation unit 214 determines that the two are substantially identical. Note that if the SSID of the wireless router 6 with which the indoor unit 3 communicates wirelessly does not match the SSID of the wireless router 6 with which the sensor terminal 5 communicates wirelessly, the evaluation item is not used in estimating the association degree.

[0041] (3) Beacon Arrival Time If the SSID of the wireless router 6 with which the indoor unit 3 communicates wirelessly matches the SSID of the wireless router 6 with which the sensor terminal 5 communicates wirelessly, the association degree estimation unit 214 compares the beacon arrival time measured by the indoor unit 3 with the beacon arrival time measured by the sensor terminal 5, and determines whether the two values ​​are substantially the same. For example, if the difference (absolute value) between the two values ​​is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold, the association degree estimation unit 214 determines that the two values ​​are substantially the same. Note that if the SSID of the wireless router 6 with which the indoor unit 3 communicates wirelessly does not match the SSID of the wireless router 6 with which the sensor terminal 5 communicates wirelessly, the evaluation item is not used in estimating the association degree.

[0042] (4) IP (Internet Protocol) address of the wireless router The relevance estimation unit 214 determines whether the location information (e.g., country, region, etc.) estimated from the IP address of the wireless router 6 with which the indoor unit 3 communicates wirelessly matches the location information estimated from the IP address of the wireless router 6 with which the sensor terminal 5 communicates wirelessly.

[0043] (5) Sensor Measurement Value (Instantaneous Value) The relevance estimation unit 214 compares the measurement value (instantaneous value) of the sensor provided in the indoor unit 3 with the measurement value (instantaneous value) of the sensor terminal 5, and evaluates the measurement value (instantaneous value) of the sensor terminal 5. Specifically, the relevance estimation unit 214 calculates the difference value (absolute value) between the measurement value of the sensor provided in the indoor unit 3 and the measurement value of the sensor terminal 5, and determines whether the calculated difference value is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold value. However, if the indoor unit 3 does not have the same type of sensor as the sensor terminal 5, the evaluation item is not used in estimating the relevance.

[0044] (6) Installation Location Information The relevance degree estimation unit 214 determines whether or not the installation location information (e.g., address, building name, floor name, room name, etc.) of the air conditioning system registered when the account of the air conditioning system was registered on the server 2 matches the installation location information of the sensor terminal 5 registered when the account of the sensor terminal 5 was registered on the server 2. However, if the installation location information of at least one of the air conditioning system and the sensor terminal 5 is not registered, the evaluation item is not used in estimating the relevance degree.

[0045] The above (1) to (4) and (6) are examples of position evaluation items related to the present disclosure, and the above (5) is an example of each of the sensor value evaluation item and the instantaneous value evaluation item related to the present disclosure.

[0046] In the above (1) to (3), if the SSID of the wireless router 6 with which the indoor unit 3 communicates wirelessly matches the SSID of the wireless router 6 with which the sensor terminal 5 communicates wirelessly, and the RSSI and beacon arrival time of both are substantially the same, then the distance between the installation location of the indoor unit 3 and the installation location of the sensor terminal is short, and it can be said that the air conditioning by the air conditioning system has a large effect on the measurement results of the sensor terminal 5. On the other hand, based on the evaluation of (5) alone, even if the measurement values ​​of both sensors are close, it cannot be said that the air conditioning by the air conditioning system has a large effect on the measurement results of the sensor terminal 5 (for example, it is expected that there will not be a large difference between the measurement values ​​of both if they are on the same floor), and therefore the weights of (1) to (3) are set higher than (5).

[0047] Furthermore, if the installation location information in (6) is information that indicates in detail the positional relationship with other devices, such as a floor map, the relevance estimation unit 214 estimates the RSSI and beacon arrival time measured by the indoor unit 3 and the sensor terminal 5, respectively, based on the information, compares these estimated values ​​with the actual measured values, and if the estimated values ​​and the measured values ​​are close to each other, the installation location information may be considered to be reliable information, and the weight of (6) may be higher than that of the other evaluation items.

[0048] For example, in the case shown in FIG. 1, the degree of association of the sensor terminal 5a is higher than the degree of association of the sensor terminal 5b.

[0049] 9 is a flowchart showing the steps of the collaboration setting process executed by the server 2. When the server 2 completes authentication of the worker who has performed a login operation to the work assistance app on the operation terminal 7, the server 2 executes the following collaboration setting process.

[0050] (Step S100) The server 2 reads and acquires information about the air conditioning system and information about the sensor terminal 5 corresponding to the worker from the information storage unit 220. After that, the process of the server 2 proceeds to step S101.

[0051] (Step S101) The server 2 generates screen data showing a linkage setting top screen that displays a list of air conditioning systems and a list of sensor terminals 5 corresponding to the worker. After that, the process of the server 2 proceeds to step S102.

[0052] (Step S102) The server 2 transmits screen data indicating the generated link setting top screen to the operation terminal 7. After that, the process of the server 2 proceeds to step S103.

[0053] (Step S103) The server 2 determines whether or not the worker has selected the air conditioning system to be worked on. If the worker has selected the air conditioning system to be worked on (Step S103; YES), the processing of the server 2 proceeds to Step S104. If the worker has not selected the air conditioning system to be worked on (Step S103; NO), the server 2 continues the processing of Step S103.

[0054] (Step S104) The server 2 estimates the relevance of each sensor terminal 5 corresponding to the worker to the selected air conditioning system. After that, the process of the server 2 proceeds to step S105.

[0055] (Step S105) The server 2 generates screen data showing a collaboration setting details screen on which a list of items indicating the respective sensor terminals 5 is displayed in descending order of relevance. After that, the process of the server 2 proceeds to step S106.

[0056] (Step S106) The server 2 transmits screen data indicating the generated cooperation setting details screen to the operation terminal 7. After that, the process of the server 2 proceeds to step S107.

[0057] (Step S107) The server 2 determines whether or not the worker has selected a sensor terminal 5 to be linked. If the worker has selected a sensor terminal 5 to be linked (Step S107; YES), the process of the server 2 proceeds to Step S108. If the worker has not selected a sensor terminal 5 to be linked (Step S107; NO), the server 2 continues the process of Step S107.

[0058] (Step S108) The server 2 stores, in the information storage unit 220, collaboration information that links the identification information of the air conditioning system selected by the worker with the identification information of the sensor terminal 5 selected by the worker. Thereafter, the server 2 ends the collaboration setting process.

[0059] As described above, the sensor cooperation support system 1 in this embodiment estimates the degree of association of each sensor terminal 5 with an air conditioning system selected by the worker, and presents the worker with a list in which display items representing each sensor terminal 5 are arranged in descending order of their degree of association with the air conditioning system. This allows the worker to easily determine whether the degree of association is high or low for each sensor terminal 5, making it easy to select an appropriate sensor terminal 5 to be cooperated with. This reduces the effort required to set up cooperation between the air conditioning system and the sensor terminal 5.

[0060] Furthermore, the relevance is calculated by evaluating each of multiple evaluation items, including a location evaluation item relating to the installation location of the air conditioning system and the installation location of the sensor terminal 5, and a sensor value evaluation item relating to a comparison between the measurement value of the sensor equipped in the indoor unit 3 of the air conditioning system and the measurement value of the sensor terminal 5, and then weighting the evaluation results to quantify each evaluation item, thereby enabling accurate estimation.

[0061] (Modification 1) There is no limitation on the number of indoor units 3 and outdoor units 4 that constitute the air conditioning system, as long as there is one or more of each.

[0062] (Variation 2) In the sensor cooperation support system 1, the wireless router 6 may be configured to measure the RSSI when receiving a frame from a device (indoor unit 3, sensor terminal 5), and transmit a frame storing its own device ID, the device ID of the device, and the measured RSSI to the server 2. In this case, the indoor unit 3 and the sensor terminal 5 do not need to measure the RSSI of the beacon received from the wireless router 6 with which they are connected for communication.

[0063] (Variation 3) In the above embodiment, the server 2 is configured to generate screen data showing a linkage setting top screen and screen data showing a linkage setting details screen and transmit them to the operation terminal 7. However, the server 2 may be configured to transmit information showing a list of air conditioning systems corresponding to the worker and a list of sensor terminals 5 corresponding to the worker to the operation terminal 7, and the operation terminal 7 may generate a linkage setting top screen based on the information and display it on the display 72. Similarly, the server 2 may be configured to transmit information showing the estimated relevance of each sensor terminal 5 to the operation terminal 7, and the operation terminal 7 may generate a linkage setting details screen based on the information and display it on the display 72.

[0064] (Variation 4) The indoor unit 3 and the sensor terminal 5 may be configured to communicate with the server 2 using a carrier line such as LTE (Long-Term Evolution) or LPWA (Low Power, Wide Area) without going through the wireless router 6. In this case, instead of the evaluation items (1) to (4) related to the wireless router 6, an evaluation item related to the location of the wireless base station is provided to estimate the degree of association.

[0065] (Modification 5) The indoor unit 3 and the sensor terminal 5 may be equipped with a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver to acquire accurate position information of each and use it to estimate the degree of association.

[0066] (Variation 6) An evaluation item (an example of a time change evaluation item according to the present disclosure) may be added as a sensor value evaluation item for the degree of association, which compares the time changes (time differential values) of the measurement values ​​of the sensor provided in the indoor unit 3 and the sensor terminal 5 over a certain period of time to determine whether there is a correlation between the trends in the time changes of the two measurement values. If there is a correlation between the trends in the time changes of the two measurement values, then regardless of the evaluation result of (5) above, the weight for this evaluation item may be higher than the weight for (5). This makes it possible to estimate the degree of association with higher accuracy.

[0067] (Variation 7) The relevance estimation unit 214 of the server 2 may estimate the relevance of a sensor terminal 5 for which collaboration has been set up with the air conditioning system at predetermined times during operation (for example, at regular intervals). In this configuration, the server 2 further includes a user notification unit (an example of a notification means according to the present disclosure) not shown, and if the relevance of the sensor terminal 5 becomes lower than at the time of collaboration setup by a certain amount or more, the user notification unit notifies the worker of this via the operation terminal 7. This makes it possible to immediately address a case where the relevance decreases, for example, if the sensor terminal 5 is moved due to an office layout change after collaboration setup.

[0068] (Variation 8) The sensor terminal 5 may be provided with a display device such as an LED (Light-Emitting Diode), and when a worker selects a sensor terminal 5 to be linked via the link setting details screen, or when the link setting is completed, the sensor terminal 5 may notify the worker of this via the display device. This allows the worker working on site to visually confirm whether the link setting has been performed as intended.

[0069] (Variation 9) The sensor terminal 5 may be provided with a display device such as an LED, and the sensor terminal 5 may notify the worker of its own relevance level estimated by the server 2 via the display device. For example, a sensor terminal 5 with a high relevance level keeps its display device lit at all times. Also, for example, a sensor terminal 5 with a low relevance level blinks its display device (the lower the relevance level, the longer the off time). This allows the worker working on site to visually check the relevance level of the sensor terminal 5 for which they are attempting to set up collaboration, along with the actual sensor terminal 5, and makes it possible to check whether there is any discrepancy between the worker's assumption and their understanding.

[0070] (Variation 10) When generating screen data showing the collaboration setting details screen, the collaboration setting screen generation unit 213 of the server 2 may generate screen data that displays a list in which the background color of the display items representing each sensor terminal 5 is changed according to the degree of relevance with the air conditioning system (for example, the background of the display items of sensor terminals 5 with a high degree of relevance is made a light color and the background of the display items of sensor terminals 5 with a low degree of relevance is made a dark color), or may generate screen data that displays a GUI-displayed list, such as by blinking the background of the display items of sensor terminals 5 with a high degree of relevance. Alternatively, when generating screen data showing the collaboration setting details screen, the collaboration setting screen generation unit 213 may generate screen data that displays a list in which the display items representing each sensor terminal 5 numerically display the degree of relevance of that sensor terminal 5.

[0071] (Modification 11) All or part of the functional units (see FIG. 6) of the server 2 may be implemented by dedicated hardware, such as 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.

[0072] The technical ideas according to the above-described modifications may be realized independently or in appropriate combination.

[0073] Second Embodiment Next, a second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. In the following description, components and the like common to the first embodiment will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

[0074] 10 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a sensor cooperation support system 10 according to the second embodiment. The sensor cooperation support system 10 is an example of a sensor cooperation support system according to the present disclosure. The sensor cooperation support system 10 is a system that supports cooperation between an air conditioning system that conditions the air of a building such as a house, a building, a store, or a facility and a sensor terminal, and includes a server 11, an indoor unit 12, an outdoor unit 4, sensor terminals 13 a and 13 b, a wireless router 14, and an operation terminal 7.

[0075] <Server 11> The server 11 is an example of a server according to the present disclosure. The server 11 is an on-premise server or a cloud server, is connected to a network N such as the Internet, and provides a service that supports collaboration between an air conditioning system and a sensor terminal. As shown in Fig. 10 , the server 11 has the same hardware configuration as the server 2 according to the first embodiment, that is, includes a control unit 20, a communication unit 21, and an auxiliary storage device 22. Details of the functions of the server 11 realized by the control unit 20 of the server 11 will be described later.

[0076] <Indoor Unit 12> The indoor unit 12, together with the outdoor unit 4, constitutes an air conditioning system and conditions the air indoors in the building in which it is installed. The indoor unit 12 is communicatively connected to the outdoor unit 4 via a communication cable 8 and is also connected via a refrigerant pipe (not shown) for circulating the refrigerant. As shown in FIG. 11 , the indoor unit 12 includes, as its hardware configuration, a control unit 30, a wireless communication unit 31, an air conditioning communication unit 32, an auxiliary storage device 33, and a second wireless communication unit 34. Similar to a typical indoor unit, the indoor unit 12 also includes actuators such as an indoor fan and an indoor solenoid valve, a pipe temperature sensor for measuring the temperature of the refrigerant pipe, an indoor temperature sensor for measuring the indoor temperature, and an indoor humidity sensor for measuring the indoor humidity, but these components are not shown or described here. The indoor temperature sensor, indoor humidity sensor, and other sensors for measuring environmental information provided by the indoor unit 12 are each examples of internal sensors according to the present disclosure.

[0077] The hardware configuration of the indoor unit 12 differs from the hardware configuration of the indoor unit 3 in embodiment 1 (see FIG. 3 ) in that it newly includes a second wireless communication unit 34, but in other respects the configurations of the two are similar. The second wireless communication unit 34 is a communication interface configured to include a communication driver IC and the like, and performs local wireless communication (hereinafter referred to as "local wireless communication") with the sensor terminal 13a, the sensor terminal 13b, etc. in accordance with instructions from the control unit 30. As the local wireless communication, the second wireless communication unit 34 performs, for example, BLE (Bluetooth (registered trademark) Low Energy) communication.

[0078] <Sensor terminals 13a, 13b> The sensor terminals 13a, 13b are examples of sensor terminals according to the present disclosure. The sensor terminals 13a, 13b are devices that measure environmental information around them and transmit sensor data, which is a frame indicating the measured value, to the server 11 via the indoor unit 12. The sensor terminals 13a, 13b may be installed in the same building or in different buildings. In the following description, not only the sensor terminals 13a, 13b but also all sensor terminals that transmit sensor data to the server 11 will be collectively referred to as sensor terminals 13.

[0079] 12 , the sensor terminal 13 includes a control unit 50, a second wireless communication unit 54, a sensor unit 52, and an auxiliary storage device 53. The hardware configuration of the sensor terminal 13 differs from the hardware configuration of the sensor terminal 5 in embodiment 1 (see FIG. 4 ) in that the sensor terminal 13 includes a second wireless communication unit 54 instead of the wireless communication unit 51, but otherwise the configurations of the two are similar. The second wireless communication unit 54 is a communication interface including a communication driver IC and the like, and performs local wireless communication such as BLE communication with the indoor unit 12 and the like in accordance with instructions from the control unit 50.

[0080] <Wireless router 14> The wireless router 14 is a wireless LAN router that transmits frames received via wireless communication with devices (such as the indoor unit 12) within the building in which it is installed to the server 11 via the network N, and also transmits frames received from the server 11 via the network N to devices within the building via wireless communication.

[0081] 13 , the server 11 includes, as characteristic functions according to the present disclosure, a sensor data acquisition unit 215, an operating data acquisition unit 216, an operator authentication unit 212, a linkage setting screen generation unit 213, and an association degree estimation unit 217. These functional units are realized by the control unit 20 of the server 11 executing a linkage support program stored in the auxiliary storage device 22, which is a program for supporting linkage work between the air conditioning system and the sensor terminal. The functional configuration of the server 11 differs from the functional configuration of the server 2 of the first embodiment (see FIG. 6 ) in that the server 11 includes a sensor data acquisition unit 215, an operating data acquisition unit 216, and an association degree estimation unit 217 instead of the sensor data acquisition unit 210, the operating data acquisition unit 211, and the association degree estimation unit 214. In other respects, the configurations of the two servers are similar.

[0082] The sensor data acquisition unit 215 receives and acquires sensor data sent periodically (for example, every minute) from the sensor terminal 13 via the indoor unit 12 and wireless router 14. The sensor data includes the device ID of the sensor terminal 13, information indicating the current date and time, and the value of the measured environmental information. When the indoor unit 12 receives sensor data from the sensor terminal 13 via local wireless communication, it transmits the received sensor data to the server 11 via the wireless router 14. The sensor data acquisition unit 215 stores the sensor data acquired from the sensor terminal 13 in the information storage unit 220. The information storage unit 220 stores a log of the sensor data from each sensor terminal 13.

[0083] The operating data acquisition unit 216 receives and acquires operating data sent periodically (for example, every minute) from the indoor unit 12 via the wireless router 14. The operating data includes the device ID of the indoor unit 12, information indicating the current date and time, information indicating the operating state of the air conditioning system, and sensor terminal information about the sensor terminal 13 communicating locally wirelessly. The information indicating the operating state includes information indicating whether the indoor unit 12 is operating or stopped, information indicating the operating mode (cooling, heating, fan, etc.), information indicating the set temperature, set air volume, etc., and measurement values ​​of various sensors (for example, indoor temperature sensor, indoor humidity sensor, etc.) provided in each of the indoor unit 12 and the outdoor unit 4.

[0084] The sensor terminal information includes the device ID of the sensor terminal 13 and the RSSI of the frame received from the sensor terminal 13, which is measured by the indoor unit 12. Note that the indoor unit 12 may not include the sensor terminal information in the operation data, but may separately transmit the sensor terminal information to the server 11 periodically (for example, every minute).

[0085] The operating data acquisition unit 216 stores the operating data acquired from the indoor units 12 in the information storage unit 220. The information storage unit 220 stores a log of the operating data of the air conditioning system.

[0086] The relevance estimation unit 217 is an example of a relevance estimation means according to the present disclosure. When an air conditioning system to be worked on is selected by an operator on the collaboration setting top screen displayed on the operation terminal 7, the relevance estimation unit 217 estimates the relevance of each sensor terminal 13 corresponding to the operator with respect to the selected air conditioning system. Similar to the relevance estimation unit 214 of the first embodiment, the relevance estimation unit 217 evaluates each predetermined evaluation item and assigns weights according to the evaluation results to quantify each evaluation item. The relevance estimation unit 217 then calculates the relevance of each sensor terminal 13 by aggregating the numerical values ​​of each evaluation item. For example, the relevance estimation unit 217 evaluates three evaluation items: "RSSI," "sensor measurement value," and "installation location information." Details of each evaluation item are described below.

[0087] (1) RSSI The RSSI measured by the indoor unit 12 in local wireless communication with the sensor terminal 13 is compared with the RSSI measured by the indoor unit 12 in local wireless communication with each of the other sensor terminals 13, and the ranking of the RSSI magnitude in local wireless communication with the sensor terminal 13 is obtained.

[0088] (2) Sensor Measurement Value (Instantaneous Value) The relevance estimation unit 217 compares the measurement value (instantaneous value) of the sensor provided in the indoor unit 12 with the measurement value (instantaneous value) of the sensor terminal 13, and evaluates the measurement value (instantaneous value) of the sensor terminal 13. Specifically, the relevance estimation unit 217 calculates the difference value (absolute value) between the measurement value of the sensor provided in the indoor unit 12 and the measurement value of the sensor terminal 13, and determines whether the calculated difference value is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold. However, if the indoor unit 12 does not have the same type of sensor as the sensor terminal 13, the evaluation item is not used in estimating the relevance.

[0089] (3) Installation Location Information The relevance degree estimation unit 217 determines whether or not the installation location information (e.g., address, building name, floor name, room name, etc.) of the air conditioning system registered when the account of the air conditioning system was registered on the server 11 matches the installation location information of the sensor terminal 13 registered when the account of the sensor terminal 13 was registered on the server 11. However, if the installation location information of at least one of the air conditioning system and the sensor terminal 13 is not registered, the evaluation item is not used in estimating the relevance degree.

[0090] The above (1) and (3) are examples of position evaluation items according to the present disclosure, and the above (2) is an example of a sensor value evaluation item and an instantaneous value evaluation item according to the present disclosure.

[0091] In addition, if the installation location information is information that indicates in detail the positional relationship with other devices, such as a floor map, the relevance estimation unit 217 estimates the RSSI of each sensor terminal 13 in local wireless communication measured by the indoor unit 12 based on the information, compares these estimated values ​​with the actual measured values, and if the estimated values ​​and the measured values ​​are close to each other, the installation location information may be considered to be reliable information, and the weight of (3) may be higher than that of the other evaluation items.

[0092] For example, in the case shown in FIG. 10, the degree of association of the sensor terminal 13a is higher than the degree of association of the sensor terminal 13b.

[0093] As in the first embodiment, the collaboration setting screen generation unit 213 generates screen data for a collaboration setting details screen (see FIG. 7 ) that displays a list of display items indicating the sensor terminals 13 corresponding to the worker, sorted in descending order of their degree of collaboration with the air conditioning system, based on the estimation result by the relevance estimation unit 217, and transmits the generated screen data to the operation terminal 7. Then, when the worker selects the sensor terminal 13 to be collaborated with, the server 11 stores in the information storage unit 220 collaboration information that links the identification information of the air conditioning system selected by the worker with the identification information of the sensor terminal 13 selected by the worker.

[0094] As described above, the sensor cooperation support system 10 in this embodiment estimates the degree of association of each sensor terminal 13 with an air conditioning system selected by the worker, and presents the worker with a list in which display items representing each sensor terminal 13 are arranged in descending order of their degree of association with the air conditioning system. This allows the worker to easily determine whether the degree of association is high or low for each sensor terminal 13, making it easy to select an appropriate sensor terminal 13 to cooperate with. This reduces the effort required to set up cooperation between the air conditioning system and the sensor terminal 13.

[0095] Furthermore, the relevance is calculated by evaluating each of multiple evaluation items, including a location evaluation item relating to the installation location of the air conditioning system and the installation location of the sensor terminal 13, and a sensor value evaluation item relating to a comparison between the measurement value of the sensor equipped in the indoor unit 12 of the air conditioning system and the measurement value of the sensor terminal 13, and then weighting the evaluation results to quantify each evaluation item, thereby enabling accurate estimation.

[0096] (Modification 1) There is no limitation on the number of indoor units 12 and outdoor units 4 that constitute the air conditioning system, as long as there is one or more of each.

[0097] (Variation 2) In the above embodiment, the server 11 is configured to generate screen data showing a linkage setting top screen and screen data showing a linkage setting details screen and transmit them to the operation terminal 7. However, the server 11 may be configured to transmit information showing a list of air conditioning systems corresponding to the worker and a list of sensor terminals 13 corresponding to the worker to the operation terminal 7, and the operation terminal 7 may generate a linkage setting top screen based on the information and display it on the display 72. Similarly, the server 11 may be configured to transmit information showing the estimated relevance of each sensor terminal 13 to the operation terminal 7, and the operation terminal 7 may generate a linkage setting details screen based on the information and display it on the display 72.

[0098] (Variation 3) The indoor unit 12 may be configured to communicate with the server 11 using a carrier line such as LTE or LPWA without going through the wireless router 14. In this case, a new evaluation item regarding the location of the wireless base station may be provided to estimate the relevance.

[0099] (Modification 4) The indoor unit 12 and the sensor terminal 13 may be equipped with a GPS receiver so that accurate position information of each can be acquired and used to estimate the degree of association.

[0100] (Variation 5) An evaluation item for the degree of association (an example of a time change evaluation item according to the present disclosure) may be added to compare the time changes (time differential values) of the measurement values ​​of the sensor provided in the indoor unit 12 and the sensor terminal 13 over a certain period of time to determine whether there is a correlation between the trends in the time changes of the two measurement values. If there is a correlation between the trends in the time changes of the two measurement values, the weight for this evaluation item may be higher than the weight for (2), regardless of the evaluation result of (2) above. This makes it possible to estimate the degree of association with higher accuracy.

[0101] (Variation 6) The relevance estimation unit 217 of the server 11 may estimate the relevance of a sensor terminal 13 for which collaboration has been set up with the air conditioning system at predetermined times during operation (for example, at regular intervals). In this configuration, the server 11 further includes a user notification unit (an example of a notification means according to the present disclosure) not shown, and when the relevance of the sensor terminal 13 becomes lower than at the time of collaboration setup by a certain amount or more, the user notification unit notifies the worker of this fact via the operation terminal 7. This makes it possible to immediately address a case where the relevance decreases, for example, when the sensor terminal 13 is moved due to an office layout change after collaboration setup.

[0102] (Variation 7) The sensor terminal 13 may be provided with a display device such as an LED, and when a worker selects a sensor terminal 13 to be linked via the link setting details screen, or when the link setting is completed, the sensor terminal 13 may notify the worker of this via the display device. This allows the worker working on site to visually confirm whether the link setting has been performed as intended.

[0103] (Variation 8) The sensor terminal 13 may be provided with a display device such as an LED, and the worker may be notified of its own relevance level estimated by the server 11 via the display device. For example, a sensor terminal 13 with a high relevance level keeps its display device constantly lit. Also, for example, a sensor terminal 13 with a low relevance level blinks its display device (the lower the relevance level, the longer the off time). This allows the worker working on site to visually check the relevance level of the sensor terminal 13 for which collaboration is being set up, along with the actual sensor terminal 13, and makes it possible to check whether there is any discrepancy between the worker's assumption and understanding.

[0104] (Variation 9) When generating screen data showing the collaboration setting details screen, the collaboration setting screen generation unit 213 of the server 11 may generate screen data that displays a list in which the background color of the display items representing each sensor terminal 13 is changed according to the degree of association with the air conditioning system (for example, the background of the display items of sensor terminals 13 with a high degree of association is made a light color and the background of the display items of sensor terminals 13 with a low degree of association is made a dark color), or may generate screen data that displays a GUI-displayed list, such as by blinking the background of the display items of sensor terminals 13 with a high degree of association. Alternatively, when generating screen data showing the collaboration setting details screen, the collaboration setting screen generation unit 213 may generate screen data that displays a list in which the display items representing each sensor terminal 13 are numerically displayed as the degree of association of that sensor terminal 13.

[0105] (Modification 10) All or part of the functional units of the server 11 (see FIG. 13) may be realized by dedicated hardware, such as a single circuit, a composite circuit, a programmed processor, an ASIC, an FPGA, or a combination thereof.

[0106] The technical ideas according to the above-described modifications may be realized independently or in appropriate combination.

[0107] The present disclosure allows various embodiments and modifications without departing from the broad spirit and scope. Furthermore, the above-described embodiments are intended to explain the present disclosure and do not limit the scope of the present disclosure. In other words, the scope of the present disclosure is defined by the claims, not the embodiments. Various modifications made within the scope of the claims and within the meaning of the disclosure equivalent thereto are considered to be within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0108] The present disclosure can be suitably employed in a system for air conditioning a building.

[0109] 1, 10 Sensor cooperation support system, 2, 11 Server, 3, 12 Indoor unit, 4 Outdoor unit, 5, 5a, 5b, 13, 13a, 13b Sensor terminal, 6, 6a, 6b, 14 Wireless router, 7 Operation terminal, 8 Communication cable, 20, 30, 40, 50, 70 Control unit, 21, 73 Communication unit, 22, 33, 42, 53, 74 Auxiliary storage device, 31, 51 Wireless communication unit, 32, 41 Air conditioning communication unit, 34, 54 Second wireless communication unit, 52 Sensor unit, 71 Operation reception unit, 72 Display, 200 CPU, 201 ROM, 202 RAM, 210, 215 Sensor data acquisition unit, 211, 216 Operation data acquisition unit, 212 Operator authentication unit, 213 Cooperation setting screen generation unit, 214, 217 Association degree estimation unit, 220 Information storage unit

Claims

1. A correlation estimation means for estimating the correlation of one or more sensor terminals with respect to an air conditioning system, The system includes a relevance level indication means that, based on the estimated relevance level of each sensor terminal, presents to the user in a manner that allows for the determination of whether the relevance level of each sensor terminal is high or low, The correlation estimation means evaluates each of a plurality of evaluation items, including a location evaluation item relating to the installation location of the air conditioning system and the installation location of the sensor terminal, and a sensor value evaluation item relating to the comparison between the measured value of the internal sensor of the air conditioning system and the measured value of the sensor terminal. It then estimates the correlation of each sensor terminal by quantifying each evaluation item by weighting it according to the evaluation results. Sensor integration support system.

2. The sensor value evaluation items include an instantaneous value evaluation item relating to a comparison between the instantaneous measurement value of the internal sensor and the instantaneous measurement value of the sensor terminal, and a time change evaluation item relating to a comparison between the time change of the measurement value of the internal sensor and the time change of the measurement value of the sensor terminal. If there is a correlation between the time change of the measurement value of the internal sensor and the time change of the measurement value of the sensor terminal in the time change evaluation item, the weight given to the time change evaluation item is set higher than the weight given to the instantaneous value evaluation item, regardless of the evaluation result of the instantaneous value evaluation item. The sensor linkage support system according to claim 1.

3. The system further includes a notification means for notifying the user if the degree of association between a sensor terminal configured to link with the air conditioning system and the air conditioning system decreases by a certain amount compared to when the link was configured. The sensor linkage support system according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The aforementioned sensor terminal is equipped with a display device and notifies the user via the display device when it is selected as a target for integration or when the integration settings are completed. The sensor linkage support system according to claim 1 or 2.

5. The sensor terminal is equipped with a display device and notifies the user of its own relevance, estimated by the relevance estimation means, via the display device. The sensor linkage support system according to claim 1 or 2.

6. The aforementioned relevance level display means presents the user with a list of display items representing each sensor terminal, arranged in order of decreasing relevance to the air conditioning system. The sensor linkage support system according to claim 1 or 2.

7. The aforementioned relevance level indication means presents the user with a list in which the background color of the display item representing each sensor terminal is changed according to its relevance to the air conditioning system. The sensor linkage support system according to claim 1 or 2.

8. The aforementioned relevance level indication means presents the user with a list in which the degree of relevance to the air conditioning system is numerically displayed for each display item representing the sensor terminal. The sensor linkage support system according to claim 1 or 2.

9. A correlation estimation means for estimating the correlation of one or more sensor terminals with respect to an air conditioning system, The system includes a relevance level indication means that, based on the estimated relevance level of each sensor terminal, presents to the user in a manner that allows for the determination of whether the relevance level of each sensor terminal is high or low, The correlation estimation means evaluates each of a plurality of evaluation items, including a location evaluation item relating to the installation location of the air conditioning system and the installation location of the sensor terminal, and a sensor value evaluation item relating to the comparison between the measured value of the internal sensor of the air conditioning system and the measured value of the sensor terminal. It then estimates the correlation of each sensor terminal by quantifying each evaluation item by weighting it according to the evaluation results. server.

10. The degree of relevance of one or more sensor terminals to the air conditioning system is estimated by evaluating each of several evaluation items, including a position evaluation item relating to the installation location of the air conditioning system and the installation location of the sensor terminal, and a sensor value evaluation item relating to the comparison between the measured values ​​of the internal sensors of the air conditioning system and the measured values ​​of the sensor terminal, and then quantifying each evaluation item by weighting it according to the evaluation results. Based on the estimated correlation of each sensor terminal, the system presents to the user in a manner that allows them to determine whether the correlation of each sensor terminal is high or low. Sensor integration support method.

11. Computers, Correlation estimation means for estimating the degree of relevance of each of one or more sensor terminals to an air conditioning system. Based on the estimated degree of relevance of each sensor terminal, it functions as a relevance level indication means that presents to the user in a manner that allows for the determination of whether the degree of relevance is high or low for each sensor terminal. The correlation estimation means evaluates each of a plurality of evaluation items, including a location evaluation item relating to the installation location of the air conditioning system and the installation location of the sensor terminal, and a sensor value evaluation item relating to the comparison between the measured value of the internal sensor of the air conditioning system and the measured value of the sensor terminal. It then estimates the correlation of each sensor terminal by quantifying each evaluation item by weighting it according to the evaluation results. program.