Thermal calculation system, thermal calculation method, and program

Abstract

A thermal calculation system (10) comprising: a selection unit (22a) that selects one story among the n stories of an n-story building (where n is a natural number greater than or equal to 2); a creation unit (22b) that creates a BIM model of the building on the basis of frame information for the building, and creates a first thermal calculation model for a target space on the basis of the created BIM model, said target space being an interior space of the selected one story; a setting unit (22c) that sets a boundary condition in the first thermal calculation model on the basis of the temperature of the target space and the result of a thermal load calculation for the building; a calculation unit (22d) that executes a thermal calculation for the target space on the basis of the first thermal calculation model in which the boundary condition has been set; and a display control unit (22e) that displays the result of the thermal calculation for the target space.

Description

Thermal calculation system, thermal calculation method, and program

[0001] The present invention relates to a thermal calculation system, a thermal calculation method, and a program.

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a system for calculating the thermal insulation performance of a building envelope and a method for calculating the thermal insulation performance of a building envelope.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2018-073152

[0004] The present invention provides a thermal calculation system and the like that can shorten the calculation time for thermal calculations.

[0005] A thermal calculation system according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises a selection unit that selects one of the n floors of an n-story building (n is a natural number greater than or equal to 2); a creation unit that creates a BIM (Building Information Modeling) model of the building based on structural information of the building and creates a first thermal calculation model of a target space, which is the interior space of the selected one floor, based on the created BIM model; a setting unit that sets boundary conditions for the first thermal calculation model based on the temperature of the target space and the results of a heat load calculation of the building; a calculation unit that performs a thermal calculation of the target space based on the first thermal calculation model with the boundary conditions set; and a display control unit that displays the results of the thermal calculation of the target space.

[0006] A thermal calculation method according to one aspect of the present invention is a thermal calculation method executed by a computer, and includes a selection step of selecting one of the n floors of an n-story building (n is a natural number greater than or equal to 2); a creation step of creating a BIM model of the building based on structural information of the building and creating a first thermal calculation model of a target space, which is the internal space of the selected one floor, based on the created BIM model; a setting step of setting boundary conditions for the first thermal calculation model based on the temperature of the target space and the results of a heat load calculation of the building; a calculation step of performing a thermal calculation of the target space based on the first thermal calculation model with the boundary conditions set; and a display control step of displaying the results of the thermal calculation of the target space.

[0007] A program according to one aspect of the present invention is a program for causing the computer to execute the thermal calculation method.

[0008] A thermal calculation system according to one aspect of the present invention can reduce the calculation time for thermal calculation.

[0009] Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a thermal calculation system according to an embodiment. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a building that is the target of thermal calculation by a thermal calculation system according to an embodiment. Fig. 3 is a flowchart of operational example 1 of thermal calculation. Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a plan view of an entire space including a target space and a non-target space. Fig. 5 is a flowchart of operational example 2 of thermal calculation. Fig. 6 is a flowchart of operational example 3 of thermal calculation. Fig. 7 is a flowchart of operational example 4 of thermal calculation.

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the embodiments described below are all comprehensive or specific examples. The numerical values, shapes, materials, components, component placement and connection forms, steps, and step order shown in the following embodiments are merely examples and are not intended to limit the present invention. Furthermore, among the components in the following embodiments, components not recited in independent claims will be described as optional components.

[0011] It should be noted that the drawings are schematic diagrams and are not necessarily strict illustrations. In addition, in the drawings, substantially the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and overlapping descriptions may be omitted or simplified.

[0012] (Embodiment) [Configuration] First, the configuration of a thermal calculation system according to an embodiment will be described. Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a thermal calculation system according to an embodiment. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a building that is the target of thermal calculation by the thermal calculation system according to an embodiment.

[0013] The thermal calculation system 10 is a system capable of simulating the thermal environment in the interior space of a building such as a house. The simulation of the thermal environment refers to, for example, computational fluid dynamics (CFD), and the simulation of the thermal environment provides a three-dimensional temperature distribution in the interior space of the building. The building to be simulated is an n-story building (n is a natural number equal to or greater than 2), and in the example of FIG. 2, it is a three-story building, and the interior spaces of each floor are connected by connecting spaces (such as spaces with stairs). Hereinafter, simulating the thermal environment will also be referred to as performing thermal calculations.

[0014] The thermal calculation system 10 does not perform thermal calculations for the entire space within a building, but rather performs thermal calculations for a target space, which is the interior space of one floor within the building. Furthermore, when performing thermal calculations for such target spaces, the thermal calculation system 10 simply calculates boundary conditions based on the results of heat load calculations and the temperature of the target space, and sets the calculated boundary conditions in the thermal calculation model. The boundary conditions here specifically refer to the temperatures of the ceiling, floor, and wall surfaces that define the target space. This allows the thermal calculation system 10 to significantly reduce the time required for thermal calculations.

[0015] In the past, the entire space where multiple floors are connected by interconnected spaces was calculated all at once using CFD. In this case, the entire building is divided into meshes, resulting in an enormous number of meshes. Also, although the volume of the interconnected spaces is small compared to the spatial volume of the entire building, it is necessary to smoothly connect the thermal environments of the upper and lower floors of the interconnected spaces, so it takes a long time to obtain a stable solution.

[0016] On the other hand, in the present invention, multiple floors are first divided into single floors and CFD is performed. When performing thermal design for a building, it is not always necessary to perform thermal calculations for the entire building, but rather, thermal design for only the floor of interest may be required. In this way, by performing thermal calculations on only the required single floor, the spatial volume (= number of meshes) is reduced, and calculation time can be shortened. Furthermore, by determining boundary conditions including connected spaces in advance, the thermal influence of other floors can be ignored, making it possible to perform CFD on each single floor as a closed space. This makes it possible to obtain a stable solution in a short time.

[0017] Specifically, the thermal calculation system 10 includes an information terminal 20, a building structure information management server 30, a weather information management server 40, and an information processing server 50. The devices included in the thermal calculation system 10 will be described below.

[0018] The information terminal 20 is a computer that performs thermal calculations, such as a personal computer, and includes an input receiving unit 21, an information processing unit 22, a storage unit 23, a display unit 24, and a communication unit 25.

[0019] The input accepting unit 21 accepts user input. The input accepting unit 21 is, for example, an input device such as a mouse or a keyboard, and accepts user operations (such as click operations) as input. The input accepting unit 21 may also be another input device such as a touch panel, in which case it accepts user tap operations and the like as input.

[0020] The information processing unit 22 performs thermal calculations for the interior space of the building. The information processing unit 22 is realized, for example, by a microcomputer, but may also be realized by a processor. The information processing unit 22 includes, as functional components, a selection unit 22a, a creation unit 22b, a setting unit 22c, a calculation unit 22d, and a display control unit 22e. The functions of the selection unit 22a, the creation unit 22b, the setting unit 22c, the calculation unit 22d, and the display control unit 22e are realized, for example, by the microcomputer or processor constituting the information processing unit 22 executing a computer program stored in the storage unit 23.

[0021] The storage unit 23 is a storage device that stores computer programs and the like executed by the information processing unit 22. The storage unit 23 is realized by, for example, a semiconductor memory.

[0022] The display unit 24 displays a display screen (image) showing the results of the thermal calculation. The results of the thermal calculation are, for example, a three-dimensional temperature distribution in the target space. The display unit 24 is realized by a display panel such as a liquid crystal panel or an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) panel.

[0023] The communication unit 25 is a communication circuit (communication module) that enables the information terminal 20 to communicate with the building structure information management server 30, the weather information management server 40, and the information processing server 50 via a wide area communication network 60 such as the Internet. The communication unit 25 is, for example, a wired communication circuit that performs wired communication, but may also be a wireless communication circuit that performs wireless communication. There are no particular limitations on the communication standard for communication performed by the communication unit 25.

[0024] The structural body information management server 30 is a cloud computer that manages structural body information (specification information) of a building and provides the structural body information to the information terminal 20. The structural body information is information that serves as the basis for a BIM (Building Information Modeling) model, which will be described later.

[0025] The weather information management server 40 is a cloud computer that manages current and past weather information and provides weather information to the information terminal 20. The weather information includes solar radiation information, temperature information, humidity information, and the like.

[0026] The information processing server 50 is a cloud computer that supports the thermal calculation performed by the information terminal 20. The information processing server 50 functions, for example, as a storage server that stores data related to the thermal calculation, but may also cooperate with the information terminal 20 and execute some or all of the processing executed by the information terminal 20.

[0027] [Operation Example 1] When performing thermal calculations for a building, the calculation is generally performed for the entire building. In this case, the entire space within the building that is the subject of the thermal calculation is divided into minute meshes, resulting in an enormous number of meshes and an enormous calculation time. Furthermore, when each floor is connected by a connecting space, as in the example of Figure 2, the volume of the connecting space is small compared to the total volume of the space on each floor, so many iterative calculations are required until the thermal state of the entire building stabilizes (until the results of the thermal calculation converge), which poses a problem of long calculation time.

[0028] Depending on the purpose of the thermal calculation, it may not be necessary to perform thermal calculations for the entire space within a building; it may be sufficient to perform the calculation for the space located on a specific floor. Generally, however, thermal calculations are performed for the entire space within a building in this way.

[0029] Therefore, the thermal calculation system 10 aims to reduce calculation time by performing thermal calculations for spaces belonging to one floor of a building specified by a user. In order to perform thermal calculations for spaces belonging to one floor, the thermal calculation system 10 creates a thermal calculation model for the entire building from the BIM model of the entire building, and then creates a thermal calculation model for the spaces belonging to the specified floor.

[0030] Below, we will explain Operation Example 1 of thermal calculation by the thermal calculation system 10. Figure 3 is a flowchart of Operation Example 1 of thermal calculation. The target of the thermal calculation is the interior space of an n-story building, and in Operation Example 1, thermal calculation is performed assuming that an air conditioner is installed in the interior space. An air conditioner refers to an air conditioner, and is a device (air conditioning equipment) that can blow out air with regulated temperature and humidity.

[0031] The creation unit 22b of the information terminal 20 acquires the building structure information (S11). The creation unit 22b may acquire the building structure information from the building structure information management server 30 by communicating with the building structure information management server 30 using the communication unit 25, or may acquire the building structure information imported into the information terminal 20 by the user from a recording medium or the like.

[0032] Next, the creation unit 22b creates a BIM (Building Information Modeling) model of the entire building based on the acquired structural information (S12). A BIM model is a model that integrates multiple types of data related to a building. The BIM model includes information indicating the shape of the building that forms the interior space, the dimensions of the building, the components that make up the building, and the materials of the components. In addition, the BIM model in this embodiment also includes various data necessary to perform thermal calculations for the interior space within the building.

[0033] Next, the creation unit 22b acquires location condition information and weather information for the building (S13). The location condition information refers to the location of the building (latitude, longitude, city name), and the weather information includes temperature information, humidity information, and solar radiation information for the area where the building is located. The creation unit 22b can acquire temperature information and solar radiation information corresponding to the area and period (e.g., August of a normal year) that are the subject of the thermal calculation. For example, the creation unit 22b communicates with the weather information management server 40 using the communication unit 25 to acquire solar radiation information, temperature information, and humidity information from the weather information management server 40, and acquires location condition information manually input into the input receiving unit 21 by the designer. The creation unit 22b may also acquire location condition information and weather information manually input into the input receiving unit 21 by the user.

[0034] Next, the creation unit 22b converts the BIM model created in step S12 into a thermal calculation model and inputs building frame information (structure, materials, etc.) into the thermal calculation model. The creation unit 22b also selects air conditioners to be installed in the thermal calculation model based on the results of the thermal load calculation based on the building's location condition information and weather information acquired in step S13, and installs the selected air conditioners in the thermal calculation model. The creation unit 22b also determines the boundary conditions of the building from the results of a thermal load calculation performed separately using the BIM model, and inputs these into the thermal calculation model. The thermal load calculation provides the thermal load (kW) of each part of the building, such as the ceiling, walls, and floors.

[0035] As a result of the above processing, a second thermal calculation model, which is a thermal calculation model for the entire space (plural spaces) in the building, is created (S14).

[0036] Next, the selection unit 22a selects one of the n floors of the building based on the user's instruction input to the input receiving unit 21 (S15). The creation unit 22b creates a first thermal calculation model from the second thermal calculation model created in step S14, using a part of the second thermal calculation model that corresponds to the interior space (hereinafter also referred to as the target space) of the selected floor (S16).

[0037] Next, the setting unit 22c calculates the boundary conditions of the target space (S17) and sets the calculated boundary conditions in the first thermal calculation model (S18). Specifically, the setting unit 22c calculates the boundary conditions based on the result of the heat load calculation by the calculation unit 22d and the temperature of the target space, and sets the calculated boundary conditions in the first thermal calculation model. Details of the calculation method of the boundary conditions will be described later.

[0038] Next, the calculation unit 22d executes a thermal calculation of the target space based on the first thermal calculation model in which the boundary conditions have been set (S19). Various parameters (calculation conditions) required for the thermal calculation are set based on, for example, manual input by the user to the input receiving unit 21.

[0039] Next, the display control unit 22e displays the results of the thermal calculation on the display unit 24 (S20). The display control unit 22e displays, on the display unit 24, a display screen including, for example, an image (such as a heat map image) showing the three-dimensional distribution of temperature in the target space.

[0040] As described above, in operation example 1, the information terminal 20 can create a second thermal calculation model for the entire building from the BIM model of the entire building, and then create a first thermal calculation model for the selected floor, in order to perform thermal calculations for each floor.

[0041] [Calculation example of boundary conditions: Ceiling surface temperature] The thermal calculation system 10 calculates the boundary conditions simply as follows, and sets the calculated boundary conditions in the first thermal calculation model, thereby further shortening the time required for thermal calculation. Below, a specific calculation example of the boundary conditions will be explained. In the following explanation of the calculation example of the boundary conditions, if the building has n floors, the floor temperatures of each floor will be expressed as TF(1) to TF(n), and the ceiling temperatures of each floor will be expressed as TR(1) to TR(n).

[0042] In the above-mentioned operation example 1, it is assumed that heat is supplied to the target space by cooling or heating using an air conditioner, and the thermal calculation in operation example 1 assumes thermal calculations for determining the placement and number of air conditioners that can bring the target space closer to a predetermined target temperature.

[0043] Therefore, the temperature of the target space on the i-th floor in the calculation of the boundary conditions below is set to TA(i), and for example, the above target temperature is used. Note that, as in Operation Example 2 described below, the temperature TA(i) of the target space may be an average temperature based on the three-dimensional temperature distribution of the target space obtained by performing one or more thermal calculations.

[0044] Specifically, the boundary conditions calculated and set by the setting unit 22c are the temperature of the ceiling surface, the temperature of the floor surface, the temperature of the wall surface, the temperature of the connected space (see Figure 2, etc.), and the temperature of the non-target space (see Figure 4, etc., described below).

[0045] First, an example of calculating the temperature of the ceiling surface will be explained. If the floor on which the target space is located is not the top floor, there is no direct exchange of heat between the ceiling surface and the roof, and the temperature of the ceiling surface is considered to be correlated with the temperature of the target space, and can be expressed as a function of the temperature of the target space. Generally, in the target space, the temperature near the floor surface is low and the temperature near the ceiling surface is high. Because the temperature of the air near the ceiling surface affects the temperature of the ceiling surface, it is possible to estimate the temperature of the ceiling surface using the temperature of the target space.

[0046] In this case, the setting unit 22c assumes that the floor on which the target space is located is the i-th floor (i is a natural number greater than or equal to 2 and less than n) of an n-story building, and that the floor is not the top floor, and calculates the ceiling surface temperature TR(i) based on the formula TR(i) = TA(i) + αi, assuming that the temperature of the target space is TA(i) and αi is a coefficient.

[0047] On the other hand, the ceiling surface temperature TR(n) of the top floor may be higher than room temperature due to the influence of heat transfer from the roof, which has been heated by solar radiation, through the attic. For this reason, the setting unit 22c calculates the ceiling surface temperature TR(n) of the top floor based on the results of the heat load calculation by the calculation unit 22d. Specifically, the setting unit 22c calculates the ceiling surface temperature TR(n) based on the formula TR(n) = Cn. Cn is a constant determined according to the heat load on the ceiling of the target space, which is obtained as a result of the heat load calculation by the calculation unit 22d. The higher the roof temperature, the larger the value of Cn.

[0048] [Calculation example of boundary conditions: floor temperature] Next, an example of calculating the floor temperature will be described. If the floor on which the target space is located is not the lowest floor (first floor), the floor temperature is considered to be correlated with the temperature of the ceiling of the floor directly below the floor on which the target space is located, and can be expressed as a function of the temperature of the ceiling of the floor directly below the target space.

[0049] In this case, the setting unit 22c calculates the floor temperature TF(i) based on the formula TF(i) = TR(i-1) + Ci, where Ci is a constant determined according to the thermal load of the floor of the target space, which is obtained as a result of the thermal load calculation by the calculation unit 22d.

[0050] On the other hand, the floor temperature TF(1) of the lowest floor (first floor) is affected by geothermal heat (ground temperature) via the building's foundation structure. Therefore, the setting unit 22c calculates the floor temperature of the first floor based on the results of the heat load calculation (heat load of the building) performed by the calculation unit 22d. Specifically, the setting unit 22c calculates the floor temperature TF(1) of the first floor based on the formula TF(1) = C1. C1 is a constant determined according to the heat load of the floor of the target space obtained as a result of the heat load calculation. The higher the ground surface temperature, the larger the value of Cn.

[0051] [Example of Calculation of Boundary Conditions: Wall Surface Temperature] Next, an example of calculating the wall surface temperature will be described. Here, the wall surface refers to the inner wall surface of the exterior wall of a building. The temperature of the inner wall surface of the exterior wall is affected by the amount of solar radiation and is determined by the heat transfer through the exterior wall. For this reason, the setting unit 22c calculates the temperature of the wall surface (inner wall surface of the exterior wall) according to the result of the heat load calculation (heat load of the wall) by the calculation unit 22d.

[0052] [Example of Calculating Boundary Conditions: Connected Space] Next, an example of calculating the temperature of a connected space will be described. As shown in Fig. 2, the connected space is located on the floor to which the target space belongs, and connects the target space with a space on the floor immediately below or above the target space. Specifically, the connected space is a space with an open ceiling or a staircase.

[0053] Generally, the temperature of the connected space is relatively low in the lower part and relatively high in the upper part. The setting unit 22c calculates the temperature of the connected space by approximating the temperature between the maximum and minimum temperatures in such a temperature gradient with the temperature TA(i) of the target space. In other words, the temperature of the connected space is expressed as a function of the temperature of the target space.

[0054] Specifically, when the temperature of the target space on the i-th floor is TA(i) and βi is a coefficient, the setting unit 22c calculates the temperature TB(i) of the connected space based on the formula TB(i) = TA(i) + βi.

[0055] [Example of Calculation of Boundary Conditions: Non-target Space] It is possible that the entire space of a certain floor is divided by an interior wall such as a partition, and one of the two spaces divided by the interior wall is a target space for thermal calculation, and the other is a non-target space for thermal calculation. Figure 4 is a diagram showing an example of a floor plan of such an entire space. A method for calculating the boundary temperature when the entire space of a certain floor is divided into a target space and a non-target space in this way will be described.

[0056] The non-target space is usually not temperature-controlled by air conditioning or has insufficient ventilation. Therefore, it is assumed that the temperature of the non-target space approaches the outside air temperature due to heat transfer from the exterior wall A.

[0057] On the other hand, the non-target space is separated from the target space by an inner wall B (a wall with no heat transfer from the outside). Therefore, the setting unit 22c calculates the temperature TC(i) of the non-target space based on the formula TC(i) = γi × TD(i) + ηi × TA(i), using the temperature TD(i) of the inner surface of the outer wall A (with heat transfer from the outer wall A) and the temperature TA(i) of the target space, γi, and ηi as coefficients. In other words, the temperature TC(i) of the non-target space is the temperature of the wall surface of the inner wall B on the target space side. Note that TD(i) is calculated based on the heat load of the wall obtained as a result of the heat load calculation by the calculation unit 22d.

[0058] [Operation Example 2] In the above Operation Example 1, a predetermined target temperature was used, with TA(i) being the temperature of the target space on the i-th floor in the calculation of the boundary conditions. The target space temperature TA(i) may be a representative temperature of the target space based on a three-dimensional temperature distribution of the target space, obtained by actually performing thermal calculations. The representative temperature is, for example, the average temperature in the three-dimensional temperature distribution, but may also be the median temperature in the three-dimensional temperature distribution.

[0059] An example of operation in which the average temperature of the target space obtained by actually performing thermal calculation is used as the temperature TA(i) of the target space will now be described. Figure 5 is a flowchart of an example of operation in thermal calculation.

[0060] The processing of steps S11 to S16 is the same as in Operation Example 1, and therefore detailed description thereof will be omitted. In steps S17 and S18, the setting unit 22c calculates the boundary conditions of the target space and sets them in the first thermal calculation model. As described above, the setting unit 22c calculates the floor temperature of the first floor, the ceiling temperature of the top floor, and the wall temperatures based on the results of the heat load calculation by the calculation unit 22d, and calculates the floor temperatures of floors other than the first floor, the ceiling temperatures of floors other than the top floor, the temperatures of connected spaces, and the temperatures of non-target spaces using the temperature TA(i) of the target space. Here, in Operation Example 2, the representative temperature of the target space obtained by actually performing thermal calculation is used as the temperature TA(i) of the target space. However, only the first time, a predetermined temperature is used as the temperature TA(i) of the target space. The predetermined temperature (initial temperature) used initially may be the target temperature described above or another temperature.

[0061] The calculation unit 22d executes a thermal calculation of the target space based on the first thermal calculation model for which the boundary conditions have been set (S19). The calculation unit 22d (or the setting unit 22c) determines whether the result of the thermal calculation has converged (S21). Whether the result of the thermal calculation has converged is determined, for example, by comparing the result of the previous calculation with the result of the current calculation. However, the result of the thermal calculation may be considered to have converged when the number of executions of the thermal calculation has reached a predetermined number.

[0062] When the calculation unit 22d determines that the results of the thermal calculation have not converged (No in S21), the setting unit 22c calculates a representative temperature of the target space based on the result of the most recent thermal calculation (S22), sets the calculated representative temperature as the temperature TA(i) of the target space, calculates new boundary conditions (S17), and sets them to the calculated first thermal calculation model (S18).

[0063] The processes of steps S17 to S19 and step S22 are repeated until it is determined that the result of the thermal calculation has converged (Yes in S21). That is, the setting unit 22c calculates new boundary conditions based on the result of the thermal calculation each time the thermal calculation is executed, and sets the calculated new boundary conditions in the first thermal calculation model. Each time new boundary conditions are set in the first thermal calculation model, the calculation unit 22d executes thermal calculation of the target space based on the first thermal calculation model in which the new boundary conditions have been set.

[0064] When it is determined that the result of the thermal calculation has converged (Yes in S21), the display control unit 22e displays the result of the thermal calculation on the display unit 24 (S20).

[0065] In this way, the thermal calculation system 10 can improve the accuracy of the thermal calculation by repeating the processes of steps S17 to S19 and step S22 until the results of the thermal calculation converge.

[0066] [Operation Example 3] In the above-mentioned Operation Example 1, after creating a second thermal calculation model of the entire building from the BIM model of the entire building, the first thermal calculation model of the selected floor is created. However, after creating a BIM model of the selected floor from the BIM model of the entire building, the first thermal calculation model of the selected floor may be created. Figure 6 is a flowchart of Operation Example 3 of thermal calculation.

[0067] The creation unit 22b of the information terminal 20 acquires the structural body information (S11). The creation unit 22b then creates a BIM model of the entire building based on the acquired structural body information (S12). In the third example operation, the BIM model of the entire building is also referred to as a second BIM model.

[0068] A BIM model is a model that integrates multiple types of data related to a building. BIM data includes information indicating the shape of the building that forms the interior space, the dimensions of the building, the components that make up the building, and the materials of the components. The BIM model in this embodiment also includes various data necessary to perform thermal calculations for the interior spaces within the building.

[0069] Next, the selection unit 22a selects one of the n floors of the building (S13a) based on the user's instruction input to the input receiving unit 21. The creation unit 22b creates a first BIM model (S14a) from the second BIM model created in step S12, the part corresponding to the interior space of the selected floor (i.e., the target space).

[0070] Next, the creation unit 22b acquires the location condition information and weather information of the building (S15a). The process of step S15a is similar to the process of step S13, and therefore a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0071] Next, the creation unit 22b creates a first thermal calculation model, which is a thermal calculation model for the target space, based on the first BIM model created in step S14a and the result of the thermal load calculation based on the building location condition information and weather information acquired in step S15a (S16a). Note that the thermal load calculation is performed by the calculation unit 22d.

[0072] In this way, the thermal calculation system 10 can create a BIM model of a selected floor from the BIM model of the entire building, and then create a first thermal calculation model of the selected floor.

[0073] [Operation Example 4] Operation Example 3 is an operation example in which the processes of steps S13 to S16 of Operation Example 1 are replaced with the processes of steps S13a to S16a, but the processes of steps S13 to S16 of Operation Example 2 can also be replaced with the processes of steps S13a to S16a. Figure 7 is a flowchart of Operation Example 4 of such thermal calculation. Note that each process in the flowchart of Figure 7 can be identified by taking into consideration Operation Examples 2 and 3, so detailed explanations will be omitted.

[0074] [Modification] In the above embodiment, any existing method may be used for creating the BIM model and the second thermal calculation model. Note that detailed descriptions of the BIM model and the second thermal calculation model are omitted.

[0075] Furthermore, any existing method may be used for the heat load calculation in the above embodiment, and detailed explanation of the heat load calculation is omitted.

[0076] Furthermore, the thermal calculation system 10 may acquire a BIM model (first BIM model or second BIM model) from another system (external system), and it is not necessary for the BIM model to be created by the thermal calculation system 10. Similarly, the thermal calculation system 10 may acquire a thermal calculation model (first BIM model or second BIM model) from another system (external system), and it is not necessary for the BIM model to be created by the thermal calculation system 10.

[0077] [Effects, etc.] Hereinafter, examples of inventions obtained from the disclosure of this specification will be given, and effects, etc. obtained from the inventions will be described.

[0078] Invention 1 is a thermal calculation system 10 comprising a selection unit 22a that selects one of the n floors of an n-story building (n is a natural number greater than or equal to 2), a creation unit 22b that creates a BIM model of the building based on structural information of the building and creates a first thermal calculation model of a target space, which is the interior space of the selected floor, based on the created BIM model, a setting unit 22c that sets boundary conditions for the first thermal calculation model based on the temperature of the target space and the results of a heat load calculation of the building, a calculation unit 22d that performs a thermal calculation of the target space based on the first thermal calculation model for which the boundary conditions have been set, and a display control unit 22e that displays the results of the thermal calculation of the target space.

[0079] Such a thermal calculation system 10 can reduce the calculation time for thermal calculations by performing thermal calculations for spaces belonging to one floor of a building specified by the user.

[0080] Invention 2 is a thermal calculation system 10 of Invention 1, in which the creation unit 22b creates a second thermal calculation model of the entire space within the building based on the created BIM model and the results of thermal load calculation based on the building's location condition information and weather information, and the part of the created second thermal calculation model that corresponds to the target space is used as the first thermal calculation model.

[0081] Such a thermal calculation system 10 can create a second thermal calculation model of the entire building from the BIM model of the entire building, and then create a first thermal calculation model of the selected floor.

[0082] Invention 3 is a thermal calculation system 10 of Invention 1, in which the creation unit 22b creates a first thermal calculation model based on the part of the created BIM model corresponding to the target space and the results of a thermal load calculation based on the building's location condition information and weather information.

[0083] Such a thermal calculation system 10 can create a BIM model of a selected floor from the BIM model of the entire building, and then create a first thermal calculation model of the selected floor.

[0084] Invention 4 is a thermal calculation system 10 of any of Inventions 1 to 3, in which the setting unit 22c sets the temperature of the ceiling surface of the target space as a boundary condition, and if one floor is not the top floor, the temperature of the ceiling surface is expressed as a function of the temperature of the target space.

[0085] Such a thermal calculation system 10 can easily calculate the temperature of the ceiling surface as a boundary condition.

[0086] Invention 5 is a thermal calculation system 10 of Invention 4, in which, when one floor is not the top floor, the floor is the i-th floor (i is a natural number greater than or equal to 2 and less than n) of an n-story building, the temperature of the target space is TA(i) and αi is a coefficient, and the temperature of the ceiling surface TR(i) is expressed by the formula TR(i) = TA(i) + αi, and when the one floor is the top floor, the temperature of the ceiling surface is determined based on the results of a heat load calculation for the building.

[0087] Such a thermal calculation system 10 can appropriately calculate the temperature of the ceiling surface as a boundary condition, taking into consideration whether the target space is located on the top floor or not.

[0088] Invention 6 is a thermal calculation system 10 of any of Inventions 1 to 5, in which the setting unit 22c sets the floor temperature of the target space as a boundary condition, and if one floor is not the lowest floor, the floor temperature is expressed as a function of the ceiling temperature of the space on the floor immediately below the target space.

[0089] Such a thermal calculation system 10 can easily calculate the floor temperature as a boundary condition.

[0090] Invention 7 is a thermal calculation system 10 of Invention 6, in which, when one floor is not the lowest floor, the floor is the i-th floor (i is a natural number between 2 and n) of an n-story building, the temperature of the ceiling surface is TR(i), and the floor temperature TF(i) is expressed by the formula TF(i) = TR(i-1) + Ci, where Ci is a constant determined according to the results of a heat load calculation for the building, and when one floor is the lowest floor, the floor temperature is determined based on the results of the heat load calculation for the building.

[0091] Such a thermal calculation system 10 can appropriately calculate the floor temperature as a boundary condition, taking into consideration whether the target space is located on the lowest floor or not.

[0092] Invention 8 is a thermal calculation system 10 of any of Inventions 1 to 7, in which the setting unit 22c sets the temperature of the wall surface of the target space as a boundary condition, and the temperature of the wall surface is determined based on the results of a heat load calculation of the building.

[0093] Such a thermal calculation system 10 can easily calculate the temperature of the wall surface as a boundary condition.

[0094] Invention 9 is a thermal calculation system 10 of any of Inventions 1 to 8, in which one floor includes a connecting space that connects the target space with the space on the floor directly below or above the one floor, the setting unit 22c sets the temperature of the connecting space as a boundary condition, and the temperature of the connecting space is expressed as a function of the temperature of the target space.

[0095] Such a thermal calculation system 10 can simply calculate the temperature of the connected space as a boundary condition.

[0096] Invention 10 is a thermal calculation system 10 of Invention 9, in which one floor is the i-th floor (i is a natural number less than or equal to n) of an n-story building, the temperature of the target space is TA(i), and βi is a coefficient, and the temperature TB(i) of the connected space is expressed by the formula TB(i) = TA(i) + βi.

[0097] Such a thermal calculation system 10 can simply calculate the temperature of the connected space as a boundary condition.

[0098] Invention 11 is a thermal calculation system 10 of any of Inventions 1 to 10, in which one floor includes a non-target space that is adjacent to the target space across an inner wall and is not subject to thermal calculation, and the setting unit 22c sets the temperature of the non-target space as a boundary condition, and one floor is the i-th floor (i is a natural number less than or equal to n) of an n-story building, and when the temperature of the target space is TA(i), the temperature of the inner surface of the exterior wall of the non-target space facing the outdoors is TD(i), and γi and ηi are coefficients, the temperature TC(i) of the non-target space is expressed by the formula TC(i) = γi × TD(i) + ηi × TA(i).

[0099] Such a thermal calculation system 10 can easily calculate the temperature of the non-target space as a boundary condition.

[0100] Invention 12 is a thermal calculation system 10 of any of Inventions 1 to 11, in which the setting unit 22c calculates new boundary conditions based on the results of a thermal calculation each time the thermal calculation is performed, and sets the calculated new boundary conditions in the first thermal calculation model, and the calculation unit performs a thermal calculation of the target space based on the first thermal calculation model in which the new boundary conditions are set each time a new boundary condition is set in the first thermal calculation model.

[0101] Such a thermal calculation system 10 can easily calculate boundary conditions while improving the accuracy of thermal calculations.

[0102] Invention 13 is the thermal calculation system 10 of any one of Inventions 1 to 11, wherein the temperature of the target space is a predetermined target temperature of the target space.

[0103] Such a thermal calculation system 10 can simply calculate the boundary conditions using a predetermined target temperature.

[0104] Invention 14 is a thermal calculation method executed by a computer such as a thermal calculation system 10 (information terminal 20), and includes a selection step of selecting one of n floors of an n-story building (n is a natural number greater than or equal to 2), a creation step of creating a BIM model of the building based on structural information of the building and creating a first thermal calculation model of a target space, which is the interior space of the selected floor, based on the created BIM model, a setting step of setting boundary conditions for the first thermal calculation model based on the temperature of the target space and the results of a heat load calculation of the building, a calculation step of performing a thermal calculation of the target space based on the first thermal calculation model with the boundary conditions set, and a display control step of displaying the results of the thermal calculation of the target space.

[0105] Such a thermal calculation method can reduce the calculation time for thermal calculations by performing thermal calculations on spaces belonging to one floor of a building specified by the user.

[0106] A fifteenth aspect of the present invention is a program for causing a computer to execute the thermal calculation method of the fourteenth aspect of the present invention.

[0107] According to such a program, the computer can perform thermal calculations for spaces belonging to one floor of a building specified by the user, thereby reducing the calculation time for thermal calculations.

[0108] (Other Embodiments) Although the embodiments have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments.

[0109] For example, in the above embodiment, the thermal calculation system is realized by multiple devices. In this case, the components of the thermal calculation system described in the above embodiment may be distributed among the multiple devices in any manner. The thermal calculation system may also be realized as a single device. For example, the thermal calculation system may be realized as a single device corresponding to an information terminal. The thermal calculation system may also be realized as a client-server system in which some of the functions of the information terminal are distributed to an information processing server.

[0110] In the above-described embodiment, the processing performed by a specific processing unit may be performed by another processing unit. The order of multiple processing operations may be changed, or multiple processing operations may be performed in parallel.

[0111] In the above-described embodiments, each component may be realized by executing a software program suitable for that component, or by a program execution unit such as a CPU or processor reading and executing a software program recorded on a recording medium such as a hard disk or semiconductor memory.

[0112] Furthermore, each component may be realized by hardware. Each component may be a circuit (or integrated circuit). These circuits may form a single circuit as a whole, or each may be a separate circuit. Furthermore, each of these circuits may be a general-purpose circuit or a dedicated circuit.

[0113] Furthermore, the general or specific aspects of the present invention may be realized as a system, an apparatus, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, or a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM, or as any combination of a system, an apparatus, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, and a recording medium.

[0114] For example, the present invention may be realized as the thermal calculation system or information terminal of the above-described embodiment. The present invention may also be realized as a thermal calculation method executed by a computer such as the thermal calculation system of the above-described embodiment. The present invention may also be realized as a program (computer program product) for causing a computer to execute such a thermal calculation method, or as a computer-readable non-transitory recording medium on which such a program is recorded.

[0115] In addition, the present invention also includes forms obtained by applying various modifications to each embodiment that a person skilled in the art would think of, or forms realized by arbitrarily combining the components and functions of each embodiment within the scope of the present invention.

[0116] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 Thermal calculation system 20 Information terminal 21 Input reception unit 22 Information processing unit 22a Selection unit 22b Creation unit 22c Setting unit 22d Calculation unit 22e Display control unit 23 Storage unit 24 Display unit 25 Communication unit 30 Building structure information management server 40 Weather information management server 50 Information processing server 60 Wide area communication network

Claims

1. A thermal calculation system comprising: a selection unit that selects one of the n floors of an n-story building (n is a natural number greater than or equal to 2); a creation unit that creates a BIM (Building Information Modeling) model of the building based on structural information of the building, and creates a first thermal calculation model of a target space, which is the interior space of the selected one floor, based on the created BIM model; a setting unit that sets boundary conditions for the first thermal calculation model based on the temperature of the target space and the results of a heat load calculation of the building; a calculation unit that performs thermal calculation of the target space based on the first thermal calculation model with the boundary conditions set; and a display control unit that displays the results of the thermal calculation of the target space.

2. The thermal calculation system described in claim 1, wherein the creation unit creates a second thermal calculation model of the entire space within the building based on the created BIM model and the results of heat load calculations based on the building's location condition information and weather information, and the part of the created second thermal calculation model that corresponds to the target space is used as the first thermal calculation model.

3. The thermal calculation system described in claim 1, wherein the creation unit creates the first thermal calculation model based on the part of the created BIM model that corresponds to the target space and the results of thermal load calculation based on the location condition information of the building and weather information.

4. The thermal calculation system of claim 1, wherein the setting unit sets the temperature of the ceiling surface of the target space as the boundary condition, and if the one floor is not the top floor, the temperature of the ceiling surface is expressed as a function of the temperature of the target space.

5. If the one floor is not the top floor, the one floor is the i-th floor (i is a natural number greater than or equal to 2 and less than n) of the n-story building, the temperature of the target space is TA(i) and αi is a coefficient, and the temperature of the ceiling surface TR(i) is expressed by the formula TR(i) = TA(i) + αi; and if the one floor is the top floor, the temperature of the ceiling surface is determined based on the results of a heat load calculation for the building. A thermal calculation system as described in claim 4.

6. The thermal calculation system of claim 1, wherein the setting unit sets the floor temperature of the target space as the boundary condition, and if the one floor is not the lowest floor, the floor temperature is expressed as a function of the ceiling temperature of the space on the floor directly below the target space.

7. A thermal calculation system as described in claim 6, wherein, when the one floor is not the lowest floor, the one floor is the i-th floor (i is a natural number between 2 and n) of the n-story building, and the temperature of the ceiling surface is TR(i), the floor temperature TF(i) is expressed by the formula TF(i) = TR(i-1) + Ci, where Ci is a constant determined according to the results of the heat load calculation of the building, and when the one floor is the lowest floor, the floor temperature is determined based on the results of the heat load calculation of the building.

8. The thermal calculation system of claim 1, wherein the setting unit sets the temperature of the wall surface of the target space as the boundary condition, and the temperature of the wall surface is determined based on the results of a heat load calculation of the building.

9. The thermal calculation system of claim 1, wherein the one floor includes a connecting space that connects the target space with a space on the floor directly below or above the one floor, the setting unit sets the temperature of the connecting space as the boundary condition, and the temperature of the connecting space is expressed as a function of the temperature of the target space.

10. A thermal calculation system as described in claim 9, wherein the one floor is the i-th floor (i is a natural number less than or equal to n) of the n-story building, the temperature of the target space is TA(i), and βi is a coefficient, the temperature TB(i) of the connected space is expressed by the formula TB(i) = TA(i) + βi.

11. The thermal calculation system of claim 1, wherein the one floor includes a non-target space that is adjacent to the target space across an inner wall and is not subject to thermal calculation, the setting unit sets the temperature of the non-target space as the boundary condition, the one floor is the i-th floor (i is a natural number less than or equal to n) of the n-story building, the temperature of the target space is TA(i), the temperature of the inner surface of the exterior wall of the non-target space facing the outdoors is TD(i), and γi and ηi are coefficients, the temperature TC(i) of the non-target space is expressed by the formula TC(i) = γi × TD(i) + ηi × TA(i).

12. A thermal calculation system as described in any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the setting unit calculates new boundary conditions based on the results of the thermal calculation each time the thermal calculation is performed, and sets the calculated new boundary conditions to the first thermal calculation model, and the calculation unit performs a thermal calculation of the target space based on the first thermal calculation model to which the new boundary conditions have been set each time the new boundary conditions are set to the first thermal calculation model.

13. A thermal calculation system according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the temperature of the target space is a predetermined target temperature of the target space.

14. A thermal calculation method executed by a computer, comprising: a selection step of selecting one of the n floors of an n-story building (n is a natural number greater than or equal to 2); a creation step of creating a BIM model of the building based on structural information of the building, and creating a first thermal calculation model of a target space, which is the internal space of the selected one floor, based on the created BIM model; a setting step of setting boundary conditions for the first thermal calculation model based on the temperature of the target space and the results of a heat load calculation of the building; a calculation step of performing a thermal calculation of the target space based on the first thermal calculation model with the boundary conditions set; and a display control step of displaying the results of the thermal calculation of the target space.

15. A program for causing a computer to execute the thermal calculation method according to claim 14.

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