Air conditioning system and control method

Abstract

[Problem] To provide an air conditioning system which uses an existing air conditioning device to make it possible to promote energy saving. [Solution] An air conditioning system 1 comprises: first to fourth air conditioning devices 10-1 to 10-4 which are respectively capable of independently performing air conditioning in first to fourth air-conditioned spaces 3-1 to 3-4 that are directly or indirectly in communication with each other; and an overall control unit 23 which controls the first to fourth air conditioning devices 10-1 to 10-4 such that, when performing overall control for controlling the first to fourth air conditioning devices 10-1 to 10-4 such that some of the first to fourth air-conditioned spaces 3-1 to 3-4 are supply spaces that are supplied with air-conditioning air and the other air-conditioned spaces are exhaust spaces that discharge return air, the air-conditioning air is supplied to the supply spaces and the return air from the exhaust spaces is discharged.

Description

Air conditioning system and control method

[0001] The present invention relates to an air conditioning system for controlling a plurality of air conditioners.

[0002] Conventionally, air conditioning has been performed for each air-conditioned space. For example, large spaces such as department stores are divided into multiple air-conditioned spaces that are connected to each other, and each air-conditioned space is sometimes air-conditioned independently. In this way, when the air conditioning of multiple air-conditioned spaces that are connected to each other is controlled independently, the air conditioning performed as a whole is often inefficient in terms of energy. In an extreme example, cooling is performed in a first air-conditioned space, while heating is performed in a second air-conditioned space adjacent to the first air-conditioned space.

[0003] In addition, efforts are being made to save energy by appropriately moving air between multiple virtually divided blocks in the air-conditioned space and using the conditioned air more efficiently (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0004] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2020-115075

[0005] However, in order to move air between blocks as in Patent Document 1, it is necessary to provide ducts and fans for moving the air, which poses the problem of high initial costs.

[0006] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and has an object to provide an air conditioning system or the like that can promote energy conservation by using existing air conditioning equipment.

[0007] In order to achieve the above object, an air conditioning system according to one aspect of the present invention comprises first to Nth air conditioning devices that can independently air-condition first to Nth air-conditioned spaces that are directly or indirectly connected to each other, and an overall control unit that controls the first to Nth air conditioning devices so that, when overall control is performed to control the first to Nth air-conditioning devices so that some of the first to Nth air-conditioned spaces become supply spaces that supply conditioned air and some of the other air-conditioned spaces become exhaust spaces that exhaust return air, conditioned air is supplied to the supply spaces and return air is exhausted from the exhaust spaces, where N is an integer of 2 or greater.

[0008] With this configuration, when overall control is performed, the air conditioning unit corresponding to the exhaust space does not supply conditioned air to the air-conditioned space, thereby reducing energy consumption accordingly. As a result, overall energy conservation can be promoted. Furthermore, because such energy conservation can be achieved by controlling multiple existing air conditioning units that can independently air-condition multiple air-conditioned spaces, there is no need to install additional ducts, etc., and highly efficient air conditioning can be achieved while reducing initial costs.

[0009] In addition, an air conditioning system according to one aspect of the present invention may further include a determination unit that determines some of the first to Nth air conditioning spaces to be supply spaces and some of the other air conditioning spaces to be exhaust spaces, and when performing overall control, the overall control unit may control the first to Nth air conditioning devices in accordance with the determination result by the determination unit.

[0010] With this configuration, for example, it becomes possible to change the supply space and the exhaust space in real time according to the conditions of a plurality of air-conditioned spaces.

[0011] In addition, an air conditioning system according to one aspect of the present invention may further include an acquisition unit that acquires the occupancy density in each of the first to Nth air conditioned spaces, and the determination unit may determine the air conditioned space with a occupancy density high enough to satisfy a predetermined condition as the supply space, and determine the air conditioned space with a occupancy density low enough to satisfy a predetermined condition as the exhaust space.

[0012] With this configuration, air conditioning can be performed without compromising the comfort of people in an air-conditioned space with a high population density.

[0013] In addition, an air conditioning system according to one aspect of the present invention may further include an acquisition unit that acquires the occupancy density of each of the first to Nth air conditioned spaces and the heat load corresponding to the occupancy density, and the determination unit may determine as the supply space an air conditioned space other than an air conditioned space where the occupancy density is low enough to satisfy a specified condition, but where the heat load is high enough to satisfy the specified condition.

[0014] With this configuration, it is possible to set an appropriate supply space according to the occupancy density and heat load.

[0015] In addition, an air conditioning system according to one aspect of the present invention may further include an acquisition unit that acquires the temperatures of each of the first to Nth air-conditioned spaces, and when cooling is performed in the first to Nth air-conditioned spaces, the determination unit may determine the air-conditioned space whose acquired temperature is high enough to satisfy a predetermined condition as the supply space, and determine the air-conditioned space whose acquired temperature is low enough to satisfy a predetermined condition as the exhaust space, and when heating is performed in the first to Nth air-conditioned spaces, the determination unit may determine the air-conditioned space whose acquired temperature is low enough to satisfy a predetermined condition as the supply space, and determine the air-conditioned space whose acquired temperature is high enough to satisfy a predetermined condition as the exhaust space.

[0016] With this configuration, for example, it is possible to perform air conditioning so that the temperatures of a plurality of air-conditioned spaces are similar overall.

[0017] In addition, in an air conditioning system according to one aspect of the present invention, when cooling is performed on the first to Nth air-conditioned spaces, the determination unit may determine the air-conditioned space with the lower target temperature as the supply space and the air-conditioned space with the higher target temperature as the exhaust space, and when heating is performed on the first to Nth air-conditioned spaces, the determination unit may determine the air-conditioned space with the higher target temperature as the supply space and the air-conditioned space with the lower target temperature as the exhaust space.

[0018] With this configuration, it is possible to perform air conditioning according to different target temperatures for each of a plurality of air-conditioned spaces.

[0019] In addition, an air conditioning system according to one aspect of the present invention may include a heat load prediction unit that predicts the overall heat load of the first to Nth air conditioned spaces, and the determination unit may determine more air conditioned spaces as supply spaces the greater the heat load predicted by the heat load prediction unit.

[0020] With this configuration, it is possible to operate a number of air conditioning units sufficient to cover the predicted heat load, and it is possible to more reliably adjust the entire air-conditioned space 1 through N to the desired temperature.

[0021] In addition, in an air conditioning system according to one aspect of the present invention, the first to Nth air conditioning spaces include a plurality of air conditioning spaces that are connected in the vertical direction, and when cooling is performed on the first to Nth air conditioning spaces, the air conditioning space located on the upper side becomes a supply space and the air conditioning space located on the lower side becomes an exhaust space, and when heating is performed on the first to Nth air conditioning spaces, the air conditioning space located on the lower side becomes a supply space and the air conditioning space located on the upper side becomes an exhaust space.

[0022] With this configuration, it becomes possible to air-condition a plurality of air-conditioning spaces as a whole by utilizing air convection.

[0023] In the air conditioning system according to one aspect of the present invention, the first to Nth air conditioned spaces may include a plurality of air conditioned spaces that are in communication with each other in the horizontal direction.

[0024] In addition, in an air conditioning system according to one aspect of the present invention, the overall control unit may perform overall control on the first to Nth air conditioning devices when the conditions for performing overall control are met, and may cause the first to Nth air conditioning devices to perform independent air conditioning respectively when the conditions for performing overall control are not met.

[0025] With this configuration, energy conservation can be promoted by performing overall control, and if the conditions for overall control are not met, comfort can be maintained in each air-conditioned space by performing independent control.

[0026] Furthermore, a control method according to one aspect of the present invention is a control method for first to Nth air conditioning devices that can independently condition first to Nth air-conditioned spaces that are directly or indirectly connected to each other, where N is an integer of 2 or greater, and when performing overall control of the first to Nth air conditioning devices so that some of the first to Nth air-conditioned spaces become supply spaces that supply conditioned air and some of the other air-conditioned spaces become exhaust spaces that exhaust return air, the control method includes a step of controlling the first to Nth air conditioning devices so that conditioned air is supplied to the supply spaces and return air is exhausted from the exhaust spaces.

[0027] According to an air conditioning system or the like according to one aspect of the present invention, when overall control is performed, it is possible to reduce the amount of energy consumed, thereby promoting energy conservation.

[0028] Schematic diagram showing the configuration of an air conditioning system according to an embodiment of the present invention. Schematic diagram showing the configuration of an air conditioning device in the same embodiment. Flowchart showing the operation of the air conditioning system according to the same embodiment. Illustrates an example of a supply space and an exhaust space in the same embodiment. Illustrates another example of a plurality of air-conditioned spaces in the same embodiment. Schematic diagram shows another example of the configuration of an air conditioning system according to the present embodiment.

[0029] An air conditioning system according to the present invention will be described below using an embodiment. In the following embodiments, components and steps denoted by the same reference numerals are the same or equivalent, and repeated description may be omitted. The air conditioning system according to this embodiment controls a plurality of air conditioners that can independently perform air conditioning on a plurality of air-conditioned spaces that are directly or indirectly connected to each other, so that some of the air-conditioned spaces become supply spaces that supply conditioned air, and other air-conditioned spaces become exhaust spaces that exhaust return air.

[0030] 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of an air conditioning system 1 according to this embodiment. The air conditioning system 1 includes first to fourth air conditioners 10-1 to 10-4, an acquisition unit 21, a determination unit 22, and an overall control unit 23. When the first to fourth air conditioners 10-1 to 10-4 are not particularly distinguished from one another, they may be referred to as air conditioners 10. The same applies to other configurations.

[0031] The first to fourth air conditioners 10-1 to 10-4 are air conditioners that can independently condition the first to fourth air conditioned spaces 3-1 to 3-4 that are directly or indirectly connected to them. The air conditioned spaces 3 are spaces that are the targets of air conditioning by the air conditioning system 1. The air conditioned spaces 3 are not particularly limited, and may be, for example, offices, commercial facilities, stores, stations, airports, underground shopping malls, etc. As an example, the multiple air conditioned spaces 3 that are directly or indirectly connected to each other may be a single floor of a department store, etc. Note that FIG. 1 shows the first to fourth air conditioned spaces 3-1 to 3-4 in plan view.

[0032] The multiple air-conditioned spaces 3 that are directly or indirectly in communication may include, for example, multiple air-conditioned spaces 3 that are in communication in the vertical direction, or may include multiple air-conditioned spaces 3 that are in communication in the horizontal direction as shown in Fig. 1. Note that in this embodiment, a case will be mainly described in which the air-conditioning system 1 conditions four air-conditioned spaces 3, i.e., first to fourth air-conditioned spaces 3-1 to 3-4, but the number of air-conditioned spaces 3 that are the targets of air-conditioning by the air-conditioning system 1 is not important. The number of air-conditioned spaces 3 that are the targets of air-conditioning by the air-conditioning system 1 may be, for example, two, three, or four or more.

[0033] "Plural air-conditioned spaces 3 are in direct communication" may mean, for example, that the plural air-conditioned spaces 3 are adjacent to each other and are connected at the adjacent locations so that air can circulate within the spaces. A partition, such as a wall or a floor, may or may not be present between the plural air-conditioned spaces 3 that are in direct communication. In the former case, the plural air-conditioned spaces 3 may be in communication with each other through an opening 4 provided in the partition, as shown in FIG. 1 . In the latter case, the plural air-conditioned spaces 3 may be spaces formed by virtually dividing a larger space. As an example, air-conditioned spaces 3-1 and 3-2 in FIG. 1 are two air-conditioned spaces that are in direct communication with each other.

[0034] The phrase "multiple air-conditioned spaces 3 are indirectly connected" may mean, for example, that multiple air-conditioned spaces 3 are connected so that air can circulate within the spaces via other air-conditioned spaces 3 or other spaces (for example, corridors, stairs, atriums, escalators, unair-conditioned spaces, etc.) As an example, the air-conditioned spaces 3-1 and 3-4 in Figure 1 are two air-conditioned spaces that are indirectly connected.

[0035] The ability of the multiple air conditioners 10 to independently condition the multiple air-conditioned spaces 3 may mean, for example, that they can supply air at different temperatures to each air-conditioned space 3. In other words, the multiple air conditioners 10 may each be capable of independently setting the temperature of the supply air (SA) to the air-conditioned spaces 3.

[0036] 2 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the air conditioner 10. For example, the air conditioner 10 may include fans 11 and 12, a coil 13, a duct 14a for return air (RA), a duct 14b for introducing outside air (OA), a duct 14c for exhaust air (EA), dampers 15a to 15c provided in the ducts 14a to 14c, respectively, and a control unit 16 that controls the fans 11 and 12 and the dampers 15a to 15c. For example, one end of the exhaust duct 14c may be connected to the return air duct 14a at a position between the damper 15a and the fan 12. The air conditioning system 1 may further include, as necessary, a duct 31 for supplying conditioned air, the temperature of which has been adjusted by the air conditioner 10, to the air-conditioned space 3, and a duct 32 for return air from the air-conditioned space 3.

[0037] The blower 11 sends air whose temperature and humidity have been adjusted by the coil 13 to the air-conditioned space 3. The blower 11 may blow at least one of return air and outside air. The ratio of return air to outside air may be changed by, for example, adjusting the airflow rates of the dampers 15 a and 15 b.

[0038] The blower 12 exhausts the return air from the air-conditioned space 3 and / or sends it to the blower 11. The ratio of exhaust air to sending it to the blower 11 may be changed by adjusting the airflow rates of the dampers 15a and 15c, for example.

[0039] The coil 13 is a heat exchanger for adjusting the temperature of the air. For example, chilled water or hot water may be supplied to the coil 13 from a heat source device 9 having a boiler or a refrigerator. When cooling is performed by the air conditioner 10, chilled water may be supplied to the coil 13 from the heat source device 9, and when heating is performed by the air conditioner 10, hot water may be supplied to the coil 13 from the heat source device 9. The coil 13 may also adjust the humidity of the air, i.e., dehumidify. In this case, chilled water at a temperature equal to or lower than the dew point temperature of the air passing through the coil 13 may be supplied to the coil 13. For example, chilled water or hot water may be supplied to multiple air conditioners 10 from one heat source device 9, or chilled water or hot water may be supplied from two or more heat source devices 9.

[0040] The volume of supply air supplied to the air-conditioned space 3 may be adjusted, for example, by the blower 11, or by a variable air volume (VAV) device provided in the duct 31 through which the supply air passes. When adjusting the volume of air by the blower 11, the air conditioner 10 may use a blower 11 that can adjust the volume of air, such as an inverter-controlled blower 11 or a blower 11 that uses a DC motor.

[0041] The dampers 15a to 15c may be, for example, motor dampers, and the air volume may be adjusted by the control unit 16. For example, by adjusting the air volume of the dampers 15a and 15c, it is possible to change the proportion of the return air that is exhausted. Also, for example, by adjusting the air volume of the dampers 15a and 15b, it is possible to change the air volume of the outside air.

[0042] The control unit 16 may control the fans 11 and 12 and the dampers 15a to 15c. For example, when independent control is performed in the air conditioner 10, the control unit 16 may control the fans 11 and 12, etc. so that the temperature of the air in the air-conditioned space 3 becomes a target temperature set in the air conditioner 10. When overall control is performed in the air conditioning system 1, the control unit 16 may control the fans 11 and 12, etc. in accordance with instructions from the overall control unit 23.

[0043] The acquisition unit 21 acquires the occupancy density in each of the first to fourth air-conditioned spaces 3-1 to 3-4. The acquisition unit 21 may, for example, acquire the number of people in the air-conditioned space 3 and calculate the occupancy density in the air-conditioned space 3 using the acquired number of people. The acquisition unit 21 may also receive, for example, the occupancy density for each air-conditioned space 3 acquired by another device from that device. In this case, the acquisition unit 21 may acquire the occupancy density via a communication line such as the Internet, an intranet, or a LAN.

[0044] When acquiring the number of people in the air-conditioned spaces 3, the acquisition unit 21 may acquire the number of people present in the air-conditioned spaces 3, for example, using images captured by the cameras 5-1 to 5-4. Note that while FIG. 1 illustrates a case in which one camera 5 is arranged in one air-conditioned space 3, for example, the number of people in one air-conditioned space 3 may be acquired using images captured by multiple cameras 5. The acquisition unit 21 may also acquire the number of people for each air-conditioned space 3 using other methods. As an example, the acquisition unit 21 may acquire the number of people for each air-conditioned space 3 using a media access control (MAC) address included in a wireless signal transmitted from a mobile device such as a smartphone.

[0045] The acquisition unit 21 may, for example, use the number of people acquired for each air-conditioned space 3 to acquire the occupancy density for each air-conditioned space 3. The acquisition unit 21 may, for example, hold the area of ​​each air-conditioned space 3 and use this to calculate the occupancy density for that air-conditioned space 3 by dividing the number of people in the air-conditioned space 3 by the area of ​​that air-conditioned space 3.

[0046] The determination unit 22 may determine some of the first to fourth air-conditioned spaces 3-1 to 3-4 as supply spaces and determine other air-conditioned spaces 3 as exhaust spaces. The determination unit 22 may make this determination, for example, when overall control is performed in the air-conditioning system 1. The determination unit 22 may, for example, determine each of all air-conditioned spaces 3 as either a supply space or an exhaust space. In this case, there will be no air-conditioned spaces 3 that are not determined as supply spaces and not determined as exhaust spaces. In this case, the determination unit 22 may, for example, only determine supply spaces. This is because the air-conditioned spaces 3 that are not determined as supply spaces will ultimately be determined as exhaust spaces. Alternatively, the determination unit 22 may, for example, only determine exhaust spaces. This is because the air-conditioned spaces 3 that are not determined as exhaust spaces will ultimately be determined as supply spaces. In this embodiment, a case where each air-conditioned space 3 is determined as a supply space or an exhaust space will be mainly described. That is, in this embodiment, the case where some of the four air-conditioning spaces 3 are determined to be supply spaces and the remaining air-conditioning spaces 3 other than the supply spaces are determined to be exhaust spaces will be mainly described.

[0047] On the other hand, the determination unit 22 may, for example, not determine some of all the air-conditioned spaces 3 as either supply spaces or exhaust spaces. In this case, there will be air-conditioned spaces 3 that are not determined as supply spaces and not determined as exhaust spaces. It is preferable that the determination unit 22 determine the supply spaces and exhaust spaces such that the air-conditioned spaces 3 that are neither supply spaces nor exhaust spaces are located between the supply spaces and exhaust spaces. Otherwise, conditioned air will not move to the air-conditioned spaces 3 that are neither supply spaces nor exhaust spaces. The determination unit 22 may, for example, maintain communication relationships between multiple air-conditioned spaces 3 and determine the supply spaces and exhaust spaces using the communication relationships. Note that an air-conditioned space 3 being located between a supply space and an exhaust space may mean, for example, that conditioned air moving from the supply space to the exhaust space passes through the air-conditioned space 3. It is also preferable that the determination result by the determination unit 22 includes both air-conditioned spaces 3 determined as supply spaces and air-conditioned spaces 3 determined as exhaust spaces. That is, it is preferable not to determine that there is no supply space or that there is no exhaust space.

[0048] For example, the determination unit 22 may determine an air-conditioned space 3 having a occupancy density high enough to satisfy a predetermined condition as a supply space, and may determine an air-conditioned space 3 having a occupancy density low enough to satisfy a predetermined condition as an exhaust space. The occupancy density acquired by the acquisition unit 21 may be used as the occupancy density. A occupancy density high enough to satisfy a predetermined condition may be, for example, a occupancy density higher than a predetermined first threshold. A occupancy density low enough to satisfy a predetermined condition may be, for example, a occupancy density lower than the first threshold. Note that when all air-conditioned spaces 3 are determined to be either supply spaces or exhaust spaces, an air-conditioned space 3 having a occupancy density equal to the first threshold may be determined to be, for example, a supply space or an exhaust space.

[0049] Furthermore, when the occupancy density in all air-conditioned spaces 3 is higher than the first threshold, when the occupancy density in all air-conditioned spaces 3 is lower than the first threshold, or when the number of supply spaces and exhaust spaces is fixed, for example, N-1 or fewer air-conditioned spaces 3 may be determined as supply spaces in order of highest occupancy density, and N-1 or fewer air-conditioned spaces 3 may be determined as exhaust spaces in order of lowest occupancy density. In this way, a occupancy density high or low enough to satisfy a predetermined condition may mean, for example, that the occupancy density is higher or lower than that of other air-conditioned spaces 3. However, it is assumed that the total number of supply spaces and the number of exhaust spaces is N or less. Here, the number of air-conditioned spaces 3 is N, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 2. When the occupancy density in all air-conditioned spaces 3 is higher than the first threshold, for example, N-1 air-conditioned spaces 3 may be determined as supply spaces, and one air-conditioned space 3 may be determined as an exhaust space. Furthermore, if the occupancy density in all air-conditioned spaces 3 is lower than the first threshold, for example, one air-conditioned space 3 may be determined to be a supply space and N-1 air-conditioned spaces 3 may be determined to be exhaust spaces.

[0050] The determination of the supply space and the exhaust space by the determination unit 22 may be repeated. Repeated determination by the determination unit 22 makes it possible to realize appropriate overall control according to the latest conditions of the multiple air-conditioned spaces 3. For example, even when the air-conditioned space 3 with the highest occupancy density changes, it becomes possible to realize overall control according to the change.

[0051] When the overall control unit 23 performs overall control to control the first to fourth air conditioners 10-1 to 10-4 so that some of the first to fourth air-conditioned spaces 3-1 to 3-4 become supply spaces that supply conditioned air and other air-conditioned spaces 3 become exhaust spaces that exhaust return air, the overall control unit 23 controls the first to fourth air conditioners 10-1 to 10-4 so that conditioned air is supplied to the supply spaces and return air is exhausted from the exhaust spaces. Exhausting return air from the exhaust spaces may mean, for example, exhausting all of the return air. The overall control unit 23 may control a certain air conditioner 10 by, for example, sending a control instruction to the control unit 16 of that air conditioner 10. Note that the multiple air-conditioned spaces 3 may include air-conditioned spaces 3 that are neither supply spaces nor exhaust spaces. Therefore, when the overall control unit 23 controls the first to fourth air conditioners 10-1 to 10-4 so that conditioned air is supplied to the supply space and return air is exhausted from the exhaust space, this includes, for example, not performing any control on the air conditioner 10 that conditions the air-conditioned space 3 that is neither the supply space nor the exhaust space, i.e., not operating that air conditioner 10.

[0052] For example, when a certain air-conditioned space 3 is a supply space, the overall control unit 23 may control the air conditioner 10 that conditions the air-conditioned space 3 to open the damper 15b and operate the blower 11, adjust the temperature of the outside air introduced via the duct 14b using the coil 13, and supply the conditioned air with the adjusted temperature to the air-conditioned space 3 via the duct 31. In this case, for example, the dampers 15a and 15c may be closed and the blower 12 may be stopped.

[0053] For example, when a certain air-conditioned space 3 serves as an exhaust space, the overall control unit 23 may control the air conditioners 10 that condition the air-conditioned space 3 to close damper 15a, open damper 15c, and operate blower 12 to exhaust return air through ducts 14a and 14c. In this case, for example, damper 15b may be closed and blower 11 may be stopped. Note that, as an example, the overall control unit 23 may adjust the airflow rates of the multiple air conditioners 10 so that the total airflow rate of the supply air in the supply spaces is the same as the total airflow rate of the exhaust air in the exhaust spaces.

[0054] For example, the overall control unit 23 may perform overall control on the first to fourth air conditioners 10-1 to 10-4 when the conditions for performing overall control are met, or may cause each of the first to fourth air conditioners 10-1 to 10-4 to perform independent air conditioning when the conditions for performing overall control are not met. Control of the air conditioners 10 performed in the latter case is sometimes referred to as independent control. As an example, the overall control unit 23 may determine to perform overall control when the occupancy density for each air-conditioned space 3 acquired by the acquisition unit 21 includes an air-conditioned space 3 with a occupancy density higher than a first threshold and an air-conditioned space 3 with a occupancy density lower than the first threshold, or when there is no air-conditioned space 3 with a occupancy density higher than the first threshold. However, when the occupancy density in all air-conditioned spaces 3 is higher than the first threshold, the overall control unit 23 may determine to cause each of the air conditioners 10 to perform independent control. As an example, when the supply space and the exhaust space are determined by the determination unit 22, the overall control unit 23 may determine that the conditions for performing overall control are met and perform overall control, and when the supply space and the exhaust space are not determined by the determination unit 22, the overall control unit 23 may determine that the conditions for performing overall control are not met and instruct each air conditioning unit 10 to perform independent control.

[0055] When performing overall control, the overall control unit 23 may control the first to fourth air conditioners 10-1 to 10-4 in accordance with the determination result by the determination unit 22. That is, the overall control unit 23 may control the air conditioners 10 that condition the air-conditioned space 3 determined to be the supply space by the determination unit 22 to supply conditioned air to the air-conditioned space 3, and may control the air conditioners 10 that condition the air-conditioned space 3 determined to be the exhaust space by the determination unit 22 to exhaust return air. Note that when performing independent control, the overall control unit 23 may instruct each air conditioner 10 to perform independent air conditioning. Each air conditioner 10 that receives this instruction may perform independent air conditioning for the air-conditioned space 3.

[0056] Next, the operation of the air conditioning system 1 will be described using the flowchart in Figure 3. (Step S101) The overall control unit 23 determines whether to perform overall control. If a determination is made, the process proceeds to step S102. If not, the process of step S101 is repeated until a determination is made to perform overall control. Note that the overall control unit 23 may, for example, periodically or irregularly determine whether to perform overall control.

[0057] (Step S102) The acquisition unit 21 acquires the occupancy density for each air-conditioned space 3. The acquired occupancy density may be stored in, for example, a recording medium (not shown).

[0058] (Step S103) The overall control unit 23 determines whether to perform overall control using the occupancy density for each air-conditioned space 3 acquired by the acquisition unit 21. If overall control is to be performed, the process proceeds to step S104; if not, the process proceeds to step S106. The overall control unit 23 may determine to perform overall control, for example, if the occupancy density for each air-conditioned space 3 acquired by the acquisition unit 21 includes air-conditioned spaces 3 with occupancy densities that exceed a predetermined threshold and air-conditioned spaces 3 with occupancy densities that do not exceed a predetermined threshold, or if there are no air-conditioned spaces 3 with occupancy densities that exceed the threshold; otherwise, the overall control unit 23 may determine not to perform overall control.

[0059] (Step S104) The determination unit 22 uses the acquired occupancy density to determine some of the multiple air-conditioned spaces 3 as supply spaces and the rest as exhaust spaces. For example, the determination unit 22 may determine the air-conditioned spaces 3 whose occupancy density exceeds a threshold as supply spaces and the other air-conditioned spaces 3 as exhaust spaces.

[0060] (Step S105) The overall control unit 23 controls the multiple air conditioners 10 according to the determination result of step S104. That is, the overall control unit 23 may control the air conditioners 10 that condition the air-conditioned space 3 determined as the supply space to supply conditioned air to the air-conditioned space 3, and may control the air conditioners 10 that condition the air-conditioned space 3 determined as the exhaust space to exhaust return air from the air-conditioned space 3. Then, the process returns to step S101. Note that the control of the multiple air conditioners 10 in step S105 may be continued until the next different control (step S105 or step S106) is performed.

[0061] (Step S106) The overall control unit 23 instructs each air conditioner 10 to independently perform air conditioning on the air-conditioned space 3. In response to this instruction, each air conditioner 10 may independently perform air conditioning on the air-conditioned space 3. Then, the process returns to step S101. Note that the air conditioning by the multiple air conditioners 10 in step S106 may be continued until the next different control (step S105) is performed.

[0062] The order of the steps in the flowchart of Fig. 3 is an example, and the order of the steps may be changed as long as the same results are obtained. Also, in the flowchart of Fig. 3, the processing may be terminated by power-off or an interrupt to terminate the processing.

[0063] Next, the operation of the air conditioning system 1 according to this embodiment will be described using a specific example. In this specific example, it is assumed that a plurality of air conditioning units 10 are cooling a plurality of air-conditioned spaces 3.

[0064] When it is determined that overall control should be performed, the overall control unit 23 first transmits to the acquisition unit 21 an instruction to acquire the occupancy density for each of the plurality of air-conditioned spaces 3 (step S101). Upon receiving the instruction, the acquisition unit 21 acquires an image of each air-conditioned space 3 from the camera 5, counts the number of people present in each air-conditioned space 3 using the image, and calculates the occupancy density for each air-conditioned space 3 by dividing the counted number of people by the area of ​​each air-conditioned space 3, and transmits the calculated occupancy density to the determination unit 22 and the overall control unit 23 (step S102).

[0065] Upon receiving the occupancy density for each air-conditioned space 3, the overall control unit 23 compares each occupancy density with a predetermined threshold. In this specific example, assume that the occupancy density in air-conditioned spaces 3-1 and 3-4 exceeds the threshold, while the occupancy density in air-conditioned spaces 3-2 and 3-3 is below the threshold. The overall control unit 23 then determines that overall control should be performed because some air-conditioned spaces 3 have occupancy densities above the threshold and others do not, and instructs the determination unit 22 to determine supply spaces and exhaust spaces (step S103). Upon receiving this instruction, the determination unit 22 determines the air-conditioned spaces 3-1 and 3-4 with occupancy densities above the threshold as supply spaces, and the air-conditioned spaces 3-2 and 3-3 with occupancy densities below the threshold as exhaust spaces, and passes the determination results to the overall control unit 23 (step S104).

[0066] Upon receiving the determination result, the overall control unit 23 controls the first to fourth air conditioners 10-1 to 10-4 in accordance with the determination result (step S105). That is, as shown in FIG. 4, air cooled by chilled water is supplied from the first and fourth air conditioners 10-1 and 10-4 to the first and fourth air-conditioned spaces 3-1 and 3-4, respectively, and air from the second and third air-conditioned spaces 3-2 and 3-3 is exhausted by the second and third air conditioners 10-2 and 10-3, respectively. Note that, as shown in FIG. 4, the chilled conditioned air supplied to the air-conditioned space 3-1 flows into the second and third air-conditioned spaces 3-2 and 3-3 through the opening 4. Similarly, the chilled conditioned air supplied to the fourth air-conditioned space 3-4 also flows into the second and third air-conditioned spaces 3-2 and 3-3 through the opening 4. As a result, cooling is performed on all of the first to fourth air-conditioned spaces 3-1 to 3-4.

[0067] Although conditioned air is not directly supplied to the second and third air-conditioned spaces 3-2 and 3-3, conditioned air is supplied from the first and fourth air-conditioned spaces 3-1 and 3-4, and the occupancy density in the second and third air-conditioned spaces 3-2 and 3-3 is below a threshold, it is believed that the comfort of the occupants in the second and third air-conditioned spaces 3-2 and 3-3 will not be impaired. Furthermore, although the occupancy density in the first and fourth air-conditioned spaces 3-1 and 3-4 exceeds a threshold, conditioned air is directly supplied to the first and fourth air-conditioned spaces 3-1 and 3-4, so it is believed that the comfort of the occupants in the first and fourth air-conditioned spaces 3-1 and 3-4 will also be maintained. Furthermore, because conditioned air is not supplied from the second and third air conditioners 10-2 and 10-3 to the second and third air-conditioned spaces 3-2 and 3-3, energy consumption can be reduced accordingly, thereby promoting energy conservation.

[0068] On the other hand, if the occupancy density in all air-conditioned spaces 3 exceeds the threshold, the first to fourth air-conditioned spaces 3-1 to 3-4 may be independently air-conditioned by the first to fourth air conditioners 10-1 to 10-4 (step S106). As a result, although the occupancy density in the first to fourth air-conditioned spaces 3-1 to 3-4 exceeds the threshold, conditioned air is supplied directly to the first to fourth air-conditioned spaces 3-1 to 3-4, so it is believed that the comfort of the occupants in the first to fourth air-conditioned spaces 3-1 to 3-4 will be maintained.

[0069] As described above, according to the air conditioning system 1 of this embodiment, when the overall control is performed, the multiple air-conditioned spaces 3 are connected to each other, and conditioned air is supplied to the supply spaces while air is exhausted from the exhaust spaces. This allows the comfortable air in the supply spaces to move to the exhaust spaces, thereby providing comfortable air to both the supply spaces and the exhaust spaces. Furthermore, when the overall control is performed, the air conditioners 10 corresponding to the exhaust spaces do not supply conditioned air to the air-conditioned spaces 3, thereby reducing energy consumption accordingly. As a result, energy conservation can be promoted overall. Furthermore, since such energy conservation can be achieved by controlling multiple existing air conditioners 10 that can independently air-condition the multiple air-conditioned spaces 3, there is no need to install additional ducts or the like, and highly efficient air conditioning can be achieved while reducing initial costs.

[0070] Furthermore, by performing overall control in accordance with the determination result by the determination unit 22, it becomes possible to change the supply space and the exhaust space in real time in accordance with the state of the multiple air-conditioned spaces 3. For example, even if the crowded air-conditioned space 3 changes over time, it is possible to change the supply space in accordance with that change, and as a result, it becomes possible to maintain the overall comfort of the multiple air-conditioned spaces 3.

[0071] In addition, by performing overall control using the occupancy density acquired by the acquisition unit 21, air conditioning can be performed in a way that does not impair the comfort of people present in air-conditioned spaces 3 with high occupancy density, and energy consumption can be reduced by not supplying conditioned air to air-conditioned spaces 3 with low occupancy density.

[0072] In the present embodiment, the case where the occupancy density in each air-conditioned space 3 is acquired by the acquisition unit 21 has been mainly described, but this is not necessarily the case. The acquisition unit 21 may acquire the temperature of the air-conditioned space 3 instead of the occupancy density. In this case, the acquisition unit 21 may acquire, for example, the temperature of each of the first to fourth air-conditioned spaces 3-1 to 3-4. More specifically, the acquisition unit 21 may measure the temperature of each air-conditioned space 3 using a temperature sensor disposed in each air-conditioned space 3, or may receive the temperature measured by the temperature sensor disposed in each air-conditioned space 3 from the temperature sensor. In the latter case, the acquisition unit 21 may acquire the temperature via a communication line such as the Internet, an intranet, or a LAN.

[0073] The temperature in each air-conditioned space 3 may be measured using, for example, one temperature sensor or multiple temperature sensors. In the latter case, the temperature of one air-conditioned space 3 may be a representative value of the temperatures measured by the multiple temperature sensors. The representative value may be, for example, an average value, a median value, a maximum value, a minimum value, etc.

[0074] When the temperature of the air-conditioned space 3 is acquired by the acquisition unit 21, the overall control unit 23 may determine whether to perform overall control, for example, as follows: When cooling is performed on multiple air-conditioned spaces 3, the overall control unit 23 may determine to perform overall control when there are air-conditioned spaces 3 with temperatures higher than a predetermined second threshold and air-conditioned spaces 3 with temperatures lower than the second threshold, or when the temperatures of all air-conditioned spaces 3 are lower than the second threshold, and may otherwise determine to perform independent control.

[0075] When overall control is performed and multiple air-conditioned spaces 3 are cooled, the determination unit 22 may, for example, determine an air-conditioned space 3 whose acquired temperature is high enough to satisfy a predetermined condition as a supply space, and may determine an air-conditioned space 3 whose acquired temperature is low enough to satisfy the predetermined condition as an exhaust space. A temperature high enough to satisfy a predetermined condition may, for example, be higher than a second threshold value, or may be higher than the other air-conditioned spaces 3. Furthermore, a temperature low enough to satisfy a predetermined condition may, for example, be lower than the second threshold value, or may be lower than the other air-conditioned spaces 3. For example, when the temperatures of all air-conditioned spaces 3 are lower than the second threshold value, the determination unit 22 may determine an air-conditioned space 3 whose acquired temperature is highest as a supply space, and determine the other air-conditioned spaces 3 as exhaust spaces.

[0076] In addition, if an air-conditioned space 3 whose acquired temperature is higher than the second threshold is determined to be a supply space, and an air-conditioned space 3 whose acquired temperature is lower than the second threshold is determined to be an exhaust space, and if all air-conditioned spaces 3 are determined to be supply spaces or exhaust spaces, an air-conditioned space 3 whose temperature is equal to the second threshold may, for example, be determined to be a supply space or an exhaust space.

[0077] Furthermore, for example, when heating is performed on multiple air-conditioned spaces 3, the overall control unit 23 may determine to perform overall control when there are air-conditioned spaces 3 with temperatures lower than a predetermined third threshold and air-conditioned spaces 3 with temperatures higher than the third threshold, or when the temperatures of all air-conditioned spaces 3 are higher than the third threshold, and may determine to perform independent control otherwise.

[0078] When overall control is performed and heating is performed on multiple air-conditioned spaces 3, the determination unit 22 may, for example, determine an air-conditioned space 3 whose acquired temperature is low enough to satisfy a predetermined condition as a supply space, and may determine an air-conditioned space 3 whose acquired temperature is high enough to satisfy a predetermined condition as an exhaust space. A temperature low enough to satisfy a predetermined condition may, for example, be lower than a third threshold value, or may be lower than the other air-conditioned spaces 3. Furthermore, a temperature high enough to satisfy a predetermined condition may, for example, be higher than the third threshold value, or may be higher than the other air-conditioned spaces 3. For example, when the temperatures of all air-conditioned spaces 3 are higher than the third threshold value, the determination unit 22 may determine an air-conditioned space 3 whose acquired temperature is lowest as a supply space, and determine the other air-conditioned spaces 3 as exhaust spaces.

[0079] In addition, if an air-conditioned space 3 whose acquired temperature is lower than the third threshold is determined to be a supply space and an air-conditioned space 3 whose acquired temperature is higher than the third threshold is determined to be an exhaust space, and if all air-conditioned spaces 3 are determined to be supply spaces or exhaust spaces, an air-conditioned space 3 whose temperature is equal to the third threshold may, for example, be determined to be a supply space or an exhaust space.

[0080] Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the case where the current occupancy density in each air-conditioned space 3 is acquired by the acquisition unit 21 has been mainly described, but the acquisition unit 21 may also acquire a future occupancy density in each air-conditioned space 3. In this case, the acquisition unit 21 may, for example, acquire in advance the occupancy density in each air-conditioned space 3 at the time when control related to the air conditioner 10 is performed. The determination unit 22 may then determine the supply space and the exhaust space using the future occupancy density acquired by the acquisition unit 21. Note that for information on acquiring the future occupancy density, i.e., predicting the occupancy density, see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2020-115075.

[0081] Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the case where the overall control unit 23 does not control the air conditioner 10 for the air-conditioned space 3 that is neither a supply space nor an exhaust space has been mainly described, but this is not necessarily the case. For example, the overall control unit 23 may perform control to circulate air for the air-conditioned space 3 that is neither a supply space nor an exhaust space. In this case, the control unit 16 for the air-conditioned space 3 that is neither a supply space nor an exhaust space may, for example, operate the fans 11 and 12 to supply return air to the air-conditioned space 3. In other words, the air in the air-conditioned space 3 may be circulated without exhausting return air or introducing outside air. In this case, the damper 15a may be open and the dampers 15b and 15c may be closed.

[0082] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the acquisition unit 21 may, for example, acquire the occupancy density of each of the multiple air-conditioned spaces 3 and acquire a thermal load corresponding to the acquired occupancy density for each of the multiple air-conditioned spaces 3. For example, when cooling is performed, the thermal load of a certain air-conditioned space 3 acquired by the acquisition unit 21 may be higher as the occupancy density in that air-conditioned space 3 increases, and lower as the occupancy density in that air-conditioned space 3 decreases. For example, when heating is performed, the thermal load of a certain air-conditioned space 3 acquired by the acquisition unit 21 may be lower as the occupancy density in that air-conditioned space 3 increases, and higher as the occupancy density in that air-conditioned space 3 decreases. For example, the acquisition unit 21 may substitute the occupancy density acquired for a certain air-conditioned space 3 into a predetermined function, and use the result as the thermal load of that air-conditioned space. The predetermined function may, for example, be an increasing function or a decreasing function. Furthermore, the acquisition unit 21 may acquire a thermal load taking into account factors other than occupancy density, such as outdoor temperature, etc.

[0083] Furthermore, the determiner 22 may determine, as the supply space, an air-conditioned space 3 for which the occupancy density and thermal load acquired by the acquirer 21 are high enough to satisfy a predetermined condition, and may determine, as the exhaust space, an air-conditioned space 3 for which the occupancy density and thermal load acquired by the acquirer 21 are low enough to satisfy a predetermined condition. The occupancy density and thermal load being high enough to satisfy a predetermined condition may, for example, mean that the occupancy density is higher than a fourth threshold and the thermal load is higher than a fifth threshold. The occupancy density and thermal load being low enough to satisfy a predetermined condition may, for example, mean that the occupancy density is lower than a fourth threshold and the thermal load is lower than a fifth threshold. Note that a occupancy density equal to the fourth threshold may be determined to be high enough to satisfy a predetermined condition, or may be determined to be low enough to satisfy a predetermined condition. Furthermore, a thermal load equal to the fifth threshold may be determined to be high enough to satisfy a predetermined condition, or may be determined to be low enough to satisfy a predetermined condition.

[0084] Furthermore, whether the occupancy density and heat load are high enough to satisfy the specified conditions may be determined using, for example, a function that uses the occupancy density and heat load as arguments. For example, the function may be an increasing function of the occupancy density and an increasing function of the heat load. In this case, if the result of substituting the occupancy density and heat load into the function is greater than a sixth threshold, the occupancy density and heat load may be determined to be high enough to satisfy the specified conditions. If the result of substituting the occupancy density and heat load into the function is less than the sixth threshold, the occupancy density and heat load may be determined to be low enough to satisfy the specified conditions. Note that if the result of substituting the occupancy density and heat load into the function is equal to the sixth threshold, the occupancy density and heat load may be determined to be high or low enough to satisfy the specified conditions. Furthermore, for example, N-1 or fewer air-conditioned spaces 3 may be determined as supply spaces in descending order of the function value, and N-1 or fewer air-conditioned spaces 3 may be determined as exhaust spaces in descending order of the function value. N is the number of air-conditioned spaces 3, and the sum of the number of supply spaces and the number of exhaust spaces is equal to or less than N. By determining the supply space and exhaust space in this manner, for example, when cooling is performed, the air-conditioned space 3 with a high occupancy density becomes the supply space, and when heating is performed, the air-conditioned space 3 with a medium occupancy density becomes the supply space.

[0085] Furthermore, in this embodiment, when the acquisition unit 21 acquires the occupancy density of each of a plurality of air-conditioned spaces 3 and the heat load corresponding to that densities, the determination unit 22 may determine, as a supply space, an air-conditioned space 3 other than an air-conditioned space 3 whose occupancy density acquired by the acquisition unit 21 is low enough to satisfy a predetermined condition, but whose heat load acquired by the acquisition unit 21 is high enough to satisfy the predetermined condition. An air-conditioned space 3 whose occupancy density is low enough to satisfy the predetermined condition may be, for example, an air-conditioned space 3 whose occupancy density is lower than a seventh threshold. In this case, the determination unit 22 does not determine, as a supply space, an air-conditioned space 3 whose occupancy density is low enough to satisfy the predetermined condition. An air-conditioned space 3 whose occupancy density is low enough to satisfy the predetermined condition may be, for example, an air-conditioned space 3 that can be determined to be substantially empty. Such an air-conditioned space 3 does not require air conditioning and therefore may not be determined as a supply space. An air-conditioned space 3 whose heat load is high enough to satisfy a predetermined condition may be, for example, an air-conditioned space 3 whose heat load is higher than an eighth threshold, or a predetermined number of air-conditioned spaces 3 identified in order of increasing heat load. The predetermined number may be determined in advance, for example, or may be determined according to the heat loads of the multiple air-conditioned spaces 3, as will be described later.

[0086] An air-conditioned space 3 other than an air-conditioned space 3 with a occupancy density low enough to satisfy a predetermined condition and with a heat load high enough to satisfy a predetermined condition may be determined as the supply space. For example, when cooling is performed, an air-conditioned space 3 with a high occupancy density may be determined as the supply space, and when heating is performed, an air-conditioned space 3 with a occupancy density that is neither too low nor too high may be determined as the supply space. In this case, the method for determining the exhaust space does not matter. As an example, the determination unit 22 may determine an exhaust space such that an air-conditioned space 3 that is neither a supply space nor an exhaust space is located between the supply space and the exhaust space.

[0087] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the determination unit 22 may determine the number of supply spaces according to the heat loads of the multiple air-conditioned spaces 3. In this case, as shown in FIG. 6, the air-conditioning system 1 may further include a heat load prediction unit 24. The heat load prediction unit 24 predicts, for example, the overall heat load of the multiple air-conditioned spaces 3. The multiple air-conditioned spaces 3 may be, for example, all air-conditioned spaces 3, which may be the first to fourth air-conditioned spaces 3-1 to 3-4 in FIG. 6. Furthermore, it is preferable that the heat load prediction unit 24 predicts the heat loads of the multiple air-conditioned spaces 3 at the time when control is performed by the overall control unit 23. Heat load prediction will be described later.

[0088] The determination unit 22 may determine more air-conditioned spaces 3 as supply spaces as the heat load predicted by the heat load prediction unit 24 is greater, and determine fewer air-conditioned spaces 3 as supply spaces as the heat load predicted by the heat load prediction unit 24 is smaller. That is, the greater the predicted heat load, the more air-conditioned spaces 3 may become supply spaces, and the smaller the predicted heat load, the fewer air-conditioned spaces 3 may become supply spaces. In this case, for example, the number of exhaust spaces may or may not be the same as the number of supply spaces. For example, when the capacity of each air conditioner 10 is maintained, the determination unit 22 may identify one or more air conditioners 10 that can cover the predicted heat load and determine the air-conditioned spaces 3 corresponding to the identified air conditioner 10 as supply spaces.

[0089] Next, heat load prediction will be described. For example, if multiple pairs of heat loads of multiple air-conditioned spaces 3 at a certain time and outdoor air temperatures at that time are prepared in advance, the heat load prediction unit 24 can obtain the predicted outdoor air temperatures and use the multiple pairs to identify the heat load corresponding to the predicted outdoor air temperatures, thereby obtaining a predicted heat load. A similar process can be performed using a learning model. In this case, the learning model may be trained using multiple pairs of training input information, which is information at a certain time, and training output information, which is the heat load of multiple air-conditioned spaces 3 at that time. The learning model may be, for example, a neural network or an SVM. The training input information may include, for example, weather information, time information, or event information.

[0090] The weather information is information about the weather at a certain point in time, and may include, for example, the outside air temperature, the outside air humidity, the outside air specific enthalpy, information indicating the weather, the amount of precipitation, the wind speed, the hours of sunshine, or other information related to the weather. It is usually preferable that the weather information is information about the weather in the vicinity of the multiple air-conditioned spaces 3.

[0091] The time information is information relating to a period including a certain point in time, and may include, for example, days of the week such as Monday or Tuesday, months such as January or February, seasons such as spring, summer, autumn, or winter, information indicating whether it is a weekday or a holiday, time periods such as early morning, morning rush hour, lunchtime, or evening rush hour, or other information relating to the period.

[0092] The event information is information relating to an event, and may include, for example, information relating to an event in a plurality of air-conditioned spaces 3, information relating to an event in a space adjacent to or near a plurality of air-conditioned spaces 3, or other information relating to the event. The event information may include, for example, information indicating whether or not an event is taking place, information indicating the scale of the event, such as large-scale or medium-scale, or information indicating the type of event, such as a sale or demonstration.

[0093] When predicting a heat load using a trained learning model, the heat load prediction unit 24 may acquire input information for the time point to be predicted, input the acquired input information into the learning model, and acquire a heat load output from the learning model in accordance with the input. The output heat load serves as the prediction result. The time point to be predicted may be, for example, a time point several hours from the present. It is preferable that the input information includes the same type of information as the input training information. The heat load prediction unit 24 may, for example, acquire weather information for the time point to be predicted from a server that provides weather information. The heat load prediction unit 24 may also, for example, acquire time information for the time point to be predicted from a calendar unit (not shown). The heat load prediction unit 24 may also, for example, acquire event information for the time point to be predicted from a server that provides event reports.

[0094] In this way, by determining the number of supply spaces according to the predicted heat load, it is possible to perform air conditioning using the number of air conditioners 10 that can cover the predicted heat load, and it becomes possible to more reliably adjust the multiple air-conditioned spaces 3 to the desired temperature. Furthermore, because it is possible to determine the number of air conditioners 10 to operate according to the predicted heat load, it is also possible to avoid operating an excessive number of air conditioners 10 relative to the heat load of the multiple air-conditioned spaces 3.

[0095] Furthermore, in this embodiment, conditioned air does not necessarily need to be supplied to an air-conditioned space 3 where the occupancy density acquired by the acquisition unit 21 is lower than a predetermined threshold. As an example, the predetermined threshold may be set to a value that allows determination that there are substantially no people in the air-conditioned space 3 where the occupancy density is lower than the predetermined threshold. In this case, it is preferable that the determination unit 22 does not determine, for example, an air-conditioned space 3 where the occupancy density is lower than the predetermined threshold as a supply space. Furthermore, the determination unit 22 does not need to determine, for example, a supply space or an exhaust space such that an air-conditioned space 3 where the occupancy density is lower than the predetermined threshold is located between the supply space and the exhaust space.

[0096] Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the determination unit 22 mainly determines the supply space and the exhaust space using the results acquired by the acquisition unit 21, but this is not necessarily the case. The determination unit 22 may determine the supply space, etc., without using the results acquired by the acquisition unit 21. In this case, the air conditioning system 1 may not be equipped with the acquisition unit 21. Furthermore, as an example, when cooling multiple air-conditioned spaces 3, the determination unit 22 may determine the air-conditioned space 3 with a lower target temperature as the supply space and the air-conditioned space 3 with a higher target temperature as the exhaust space. When heating multiple air-conditioned spaces 3, the determination unit 22 may determine the air-conditioned space 3 with a higher target temperature as the supply space and the air-conditioned space 3 with a lower target temperature as the exhaust space. In this case, a target temperature may be set for each air-conditioned space 3. The determination unit 22 may, for example, acquire target temperatures from multiple air conditioners 10, respectively. In addition, when the decision unit 22 makes a decision based on the target temperature, for example, the overall control unit 23 may determine to perform overall control when the absolute value of the difference between the maximum and minimum values ​​of the target temperature is greater than a predetermined threshold value which is a positive real number, and may determine to perform independent control when this is not the case.

[0097] Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the overall control unit 23 mainly performs overall control in accordance with the determination result by the determination unit 22. However, this is not necessarily the case. If the determination result by the determination unit 22 is not used in the overall control, the air conditioning system 1 may not include the determination unit 22. If the air conditioning system 1 does not include the determination unit 22, the overall control unit 23 may, for example, set the multiple air-conditioned spaces 3 as supply spaces and exhaust spaces in a predetermined manner when performing overall control. As an example, if multiple air-conditioned spaces 3 are cooled and some of the multiple air-conditioned spaces 3 are connected vertically, the upper air-conditioned space 3 may be the supply space, and the lower air-conditioned space 3 may be the exhaust space. As another example, if multiple air-conditioned spaces 3 are heated and some of the multiple air-conditioned spaces 3 are connected vertically, the lower air-conditioned space 3 may be the supply space, and the upper air-conditioned space 3 may be the exhaust space.

[0098] FIG. 5 is a front view showing an example of multiple air-conditioned spaces 3 that are connected in the vertical direction. When cooling the multiple air-conditioned spaces 3 shown in FIG. 5, for example, the third and fourth air-conditioned spaces 3-3 and 3-4 may serve as supply spaces, and the first and second air-conditioned spaces 3-1 and 3-2 may serve as exhaust spaces. As another example, the fourth air-conditioned space 3-4 may serve as a supply space, and the first air-conditioned space 3-1 may serve as an exhaust space. When heating the multiple air-conditioned spaces 3 shown in FIG. 5, for example, the first and second air-conditioned spaces 3-1 and 3-2 may serve as supply spaces, and the third and fourth air-conditioned spaces 3-3 and 3-4 may serve as exhaust spaces. As another example, the first air-conditioned space 3-1 may serve as a supply space, and the fourth air-conditioned space 3-4 may serve as an exhaust space. By configuring the supply spaces and exhaust spaces in this manner, the vertical movement of air between the air-conditioned spaces 3 can be promoted by convection. Even in this case, conditioned air is supplied to the supply space and air is exhausted from the exhaust space, so a flow of conditioned air can be created from the supply space to the exhaust space accordingly. Therefore, compared to when air movement between air-conditioned spaces 3 relies solely on convection, comfortable air can be moved from the supply space to the exhaust space more quickly. In Figure 5, the opening 4 may be, for example, a space such as a staircase, an atrium, or an escalator.

[0099] As another example, an air-conditioned space 3 of high importance, for example, an air-conditioned space 3 in a department store that sells luxury goods, may serve as the supply space, and an air-conditioned space 3 of low importance may serve as the exhaust space. The air-conditioned space 3 of low importance may be, for example, an air-conditioned space 3 other than the air-conditioned space 3 of high importance, or may be any other air-conditioned space 3. In this way, it is possible to ensure the comfort of the air-conditioned space 3 of high importance and also to reduce overall energy consumption.

[0100] As another example, the air-conditioned space 3 with an entrance to the outside may be the supply space, and the air-conditioned space 3 without an entrance to the outside may be the exhaust space. This is because if the air-conditioned space 3 with an entrance to the outside is the exhaust space, air from outside will flow into the air-conditioned space 3 through the entrance.

[0101] As another example, the air-conditioned space 3 with a high thermal load may be the supply space, and the air-conditioned space 3 with a low thermal load may be the exhaust space. For example, when cooling is performed, the air-conditioned space 3 with a high thermal load may be the air-conditioned space 3 in which many electronic devices are located.

[0102] In this way, when no decision is made by the decision unit 22, it is pre-set for each air-conditioned space 3 whether it will be a supply space or an exhaust space during cooling and heating, and the overall control unit 23 may control each air conditioning device 10 according to that setting when performing overall control.

[0103] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the case where the overall control unit 23 determines whether to perform overall control has been mainly described, but this is not necessarily the case. When the multiple air-conditioned spaces 3 are set as supply spaces and exhaust spaces in a predetermined manner, the air-conditioning system 1 may only perform overall control according to that setting.

[0104] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the description has been mainly given of the case where the air conditioning system 1 is realized using a plurality of existing air conditioning units 10, but it goes without saying that even when a plurality of new air conditioning units 10 are introduced, it is also possible to control the plurality of air conditioning units 10 as in the air conditioning system 1 according to this embodiment.

[0105] Furthermore, in the above embodiments, each process or function may be realized by centralized processing by a single device or a single system, or may be realized by distributed processing by multiple devices or multiple systems.

[0106] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, when two or more components included in the air conditioning system 1 have a communication device, an input device, etc., the two or more components may physically have a single device, or may have separate devices.

[0107] In the above embodiments, each component may be configured with dedicated hardware, or a software-implementable component may be implemented by executing a program. For example, a software-implementable component may be implemented by a program execution unit such as a CPU reading and executing a software program recorded on a recording medium such as a hard disk or semiconductor memory. During execution, the program execution unit may execute the program while accessing a storage unit or recording medium. The program may also be executed by being downloaded from a server or the like, or by being read from a predetermined recording medium (e.g., an optical disk, a magnetic disk, a semiconductor memory, etc.). The program may also be used as a program constituting a program product. The program may be executed by a single computer or multiple computers. That is, centralized processing or distributed processing may be performed.

[0108] Furthermore, the above-described embodiments are merely examples for specifically implementing the present invention, and are not intended to limit the technical scope of the present invention. The technical scope of the present invention is defined by the claims, not by the description of the embodiments, and is intended to include modifications within the literal scope of the claims and within the scope of equivalent meanings.

Claims

1. A system comprising: first to Nth air conditioning devices capable of independently conditioning first to Nth air-conditioned spaces that are directly or indirectly connected to each other; an acquisition unit that acquires the occupancy density of each of the first to Nth air-conditioned spaces; a determination unit that determines some of the first to Nth air-conditioned spaces to be supply spaces that supply conditioned air, and determines some of the other air-conditioned spaces to be exhaust spaces that exhaust return air; and an overall control unit that, when performing overall control to control the first to Nth air conditioning devices so that some of the first to Nth air-conditioned spaces become supply spaces and some of the other air-conditioned spaces become exhaust spaces, controls the first to Nth air conditioning devices so that conditioned air is supplied to the supply spaces and return air is exhausted from the exhaust spaces in accordance with the determination result made by the determination unit, wherein N is an integer of 2 or greater; The determination unit determines an air-conditioned space having a high occupancy density that satisfies a predetermined condition as a supply space, and determines an air-conditioned space having a low occupancy density that satisfies a predetermined condition as an exhaust space.

2. A system comprising: first to Nth air conditioning devices capable of independently conditioning first to Nth air-conditioned spaces that are directly or indirectly connected to each other; an acquisition unit that acquires the occupancy density of each of the first to Nth air-conditioned spaces and the heat load corresponding to the occupancy density; a determination unit that determines some of the first to Nth air-conditioned spaces to be supply spaces that supply conditioned air, and determines some of the other air-conditioned spaces to be exhaust spaces that exhaust return air; and an overall control unit that, when performing overall control to control the first to Nth air-conditioning devices so that some of the first to Nth air-conditioned spaces become supply spaces and some of the other air-conditioned spaces become exhaust spaces, controls the first to Nth air-conditioning devices so that conditioned air is supplied to the supply spaces and return air is exhausted from the exhaust spaces, in accordance with the determination result by the determination unit, wherein N is an integer of 2 or more; The determination unit determines, as the supply space, an air-conditioned space other than an air-conditioned space in which the occupancy density is low enough to satisfy a predetermined condition, and in which the heat load is high enough to satisfy a predetermined condition.

3. A system comprising: first to Nth air conditioning devices capable of independently conditioning first to Nth air-conditioned spaces that are directly or indirectly connected to each other; an acquisition unit that acquires the temperatures of the first to Nth air-conditioned spaces; a determination unit that determines some of the first to Nth air-conditioned spaces to be supply spaces that supply conditioned air, and determines some of the other air-conditioned spaces to be exhaust spaces that exhaust return air; and an overall control unit that, when performing overall control to control the first to Nth air conditioning devices so that some of the first to Nth air-conditioned spaces become supply spaces and some of the other air-conditioned spaces become exhaust spaces, controls the first to Nth air conditioning devices so that conditioned air is supplied to the supply spaces and return air is exhausted from the exhaust spaces in accordance with the determination result by the determination unit, wherein N is an integer of 2 or greater; The determination unit determines, when cooling is performed in the first to Nth air-conditioned spaces, the air-conditioned space whose acquired temperature is high enough to satisfy a predetermined condition as the supply space, and determines, when heating is performed in the first to Nth air-conditioned spaces, the air-conditioned space whose acquired temperature is low enough to satisfy a predetermined condition as the supply space, and determines, when heating is performed in the first to Nth air-conditioned spaces, the air-conditioned space whose acquired temperature is low enough to satisfy a predetermined condition as the supply space, and determines, when heating is performed in the first to Nth air-conditioned spaces, the air-conditioned space whose acquired temperature is high enough to satisfy a predetermined condition as the exhaust space.

4. A system comprising: first to Nth air conditioning devices capable of independently conditioning first to Nth air-conditioned spaces that are directly or indirectly connected to each other; a determination unit that determines some of the first to Nth air-conditioned spaces to be supply spaces that supply conditioned air, and determines some of the other air-conditioned spaces to be exhaust spaces that exhaust return air; and an overall control unit that, when performing overall control to control the first to Nth air conditioning devices so that some of the first to Nth air-conditioned spaces become supply spaces and some of the other air-conditioned spaces become exhaust spaces, controls the first to Nth air conditioning devices so that conditioned air is supplied to the supply spaces and return air is exhausted from the exhaust spaces in accordance with the determination result by the determination unit, wherein N is an integer of 2 or greater; an air conditioning system, wherein the determination unit, when cooling is performed on the first to Nth air-conditioned spaces, determines the air-conditioned space with the lower target temperature to be the supply space and determines the air-conditioned space with the higher target temperature to be the exhaust space, and, when heating is performed on the first to Nth air-conditioned spaces, determines the air-conditioned space with the higher target temperature to be the supply space and determines the air-conditioned space with the lower target temperature to be the exhaust space.

5. An air conditioning system comprising: first to N air conditioning devices capable of independently air-conditioning first to N air-conditioned spaces that are directly or indirectly connected to each other; a heat load prediction unit that predicts the overall heat load of the first to N air-conditioned spaces; a determination unit that determines some of the first to N air-conditioned spaces to be supply spaces that supply conditioned air, and some of the other air-conditioned spaces to be exhaust spaces that exhaust return air; and an overall control unit that, when performing overall control to control the first to N air conditioning devices so that some of the first to N air-conditioned spaces become supply spaces and some of the other air-conditioned spaces become exhaust spaces, controls the first to N air conditioning devices so that conditioned air is supplied to the supply spaces and return air is exhausted from the exhaust spaces, in accordance with the determination result by the determination unit, wherein N is an integer greater than or equal to 2, and the determination unit determines more air-conditioned spaces to be supply spaces the greater the heat load predicted by the heat load prediction unit.

6. An air conditioning system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the first to Nth air conditioning spaces include a plurality of air conditioning spaces that are connected in a horizontal direction.

7. An air conditioning system as described in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the overall control unit performs overall control over the first to Nth air conditioning devices when the conditions for performing overall control are met, and causes the first to Nth air conditioning devices to perform independent air conditioning respectively when the conditions for performing overall control are not met.

8. A control method for first to Nth air conditioners capable of independently conditioning first to Nth air conditioned spaces that are directly or indirectly connected to each other, wherein N is an integer of 2 or greater, the control method comprising the steps of: acquiring occupancy densities in each of the first to Nth air conditioned spaces; determining some of the first to Nth air conditioned spaces as supply spaces that supply conditioned air, and determining other some of the air conditioned spaces as exhaust spaces that exhaust return air; and controlling the first to Nth air conditioners so that some of the first to Nth air conditioned spaces become supply spaces and other some of the air conditioned spaces become exhaust spaces, in accordance with the results of the determination in the step of determining supply spaces and exhaust spaces, when performing overall control of the first to Nth air conditioners so that some of the first to Nth air conditioned spaces become supply spaces and other some of the air conditioned spaces become exhaust spaces, In the step of determining the supply space and the exhaust space, an air-conditioned space with a high enough occupancy density to satisfy a predetermined condition is determined as the supply space, and an air-conditioned space with a low enough occupancy density to satisfy a predetermined condition is determined as the exhaust space.

9. A control method for first to Nth air conditioners capable of independently conditioning first to Nth air conditioned spaces that are directly or indirectly connected to each other, wherein N is an integer of 2 or greater, the control method comprising the steps of: acquiring the occupancy density of each of the first to Nth air conditioned spaces and a heat load corresponding to the occupancy density; determining some of the first to Nth air conditioned spaces as supply spaces that supply conditioned air, and determining other some of the air conditioned spaces as exhaust spaces that exhaust return air; and controlling the first to Nth air conditioners so that some of the first to Nth air conditioned spaces become supply spaces and other some of the air conditioned spaces become exhaust spaces, in accordance with the results of the determination in the step of determining the supply spaces and the exhaust spaces, when performing overall control of the first to Nth air conditioners so that some of the first to Nth air conditioned spaces become supply spaces and other some of the air conditioned spaces become exhaust spaces, In the step of determining the supply space and exhaust space, an air-conditioned space other than an air-conditioned space where the occupancy density is low enough to satisfy a predetermined condition, but where the heat load is high enough to satisfy a predetermined condition, is determined as the supply space.

10. A control method for first to Nth air conditioners capable of independently conditioning first to Nth air conditioned spaces that are directly or indirectly connected to each other, wherein N is an integer of 2 or greater, the control method comprising the steps of: acquiring temperatures of the first to Nth air conditioned spaces; determining some of the first to Nth air conditioned spaces as supply spaces that supply conditioned air, and determining other some of the air conditioned spaces as exhaust spaces that exhaust return air; and controlling the first to Nth air conditioners so that conditioned air is supplied to the supply spaces and return air is exhausted from the exhaust spaces, when performing overall control of the first to Nth air conditioners so that some of the first to Nth air conditioned spaces become supply spaces and other some of the air conditioned spaces become exhaust spaces, in accordance with the results of the determination in the step of determining supply spaces and exhaust spaces. In the step of determining the supply space and the exhaust space, when cooling is performed on the first to Nth air-conditioned spaces, the air-conditioned space whose acquired temperature is high enough to satisfy a predetermined condition is determined to be the supply space, and the air-conditioned space whose acquired temperature is low enough to satisfy a predetermined condition is determined to be the exhaust space, and when heating is performed on the first to Nth air-conditioned spaces, the air-conditioned space whose acquired temperature is low enough to satisfy a predetermined condition is determined to be the supply space, and the air-conditioned space whose acquired temperature is high enough to satisfy a predetermined condition is determined to be the exhaust space.

11. A control method for first to Nth air conditioners capable of independently conditioning first to Nth air conditioned spaces that are directly or indirectly connected to each other, wherein N is an integer of 2 or greater, the control method comprising the steps of: determining some of the first to Nth air conditioned spaces as supply spaces that supply conditioned air, and determining other some of the air conditioned spaces as exhaust spaces that exhaust return air; and controlling the first to Nth air conditioners so that conditioned air is supplied to the supply spaces and return air is exhausted from the exhaust spaces, when performing overall control of the first to Nth air conditioners so that some of the first to Nth air conditioned spaces become supply spaces and other some of the air conditioned spaces become exhaust spaces, in accordance with the results of the determination in the step of determining the supply spaces and the exhaust spaces. In the step of determining the supply space and the exhaust space, when cooling is performed on the first to Nth air-conditioned spaces, the air-conditioned space with the lower target temperature is determined to be the supply space, and the air-conditioned space with the higher target temperature is determined to be the exhaust space, and when heating is performed on the first to Nth air-conditioned spaces, the air-conditioned space with the higher target temperature is determined to be the supply space, and the air-conditioned space with the lower target temperature is determined to be the exhaust space.

12. A control method for first to Nth air conditioners that can independently air-condition first to Nth air-conditioned spaces that are directly or indirectly connected to each other, wherein N is an integer greater than or equal to 2, comprising: a step of predicting the overall heat load of the first to Nth air-conditioned spaces; a step of determining some of the first to Nth air-conditioned spaces as supply spaces that supply conditioned air, and determining some of the other air-conditioned spaces as exhaust spaces that exhaust return air; and a step of controlling the first to Nth air conditioners so that some of the first to Nth air-conditioned spaces become supply spaces and some of the other air-conditioned spaces become exhaust spaces, in accordance with the results of the determination in the step of determining supply spaces and exhaust spaces, so that conditioned air is supplied to the supply spaces and return air is exhausted from the exhaust spaces, when performing overall control of the first to Nth air conditioners so that some of the first to Nth air-conditioned spaces become supply spaces and some of the other air-conditioned spaces become exhaust spaces, wherein in the step of determining supply spaces and exhaust spaces, the greater the heat load predicted in the step of predicting the heat load, the more air-conditioned spaces are determined to be supply spaces.

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