Multi-Unit Air Conditioning Control for Balanced Energy-Saving Cycles
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing air-conditioning control methods for multiple units in a living room space often result in unbalanced energy-saving control time spans, leading to significant temperature fluctuations and discomfort.
Innovation Solution
An air-conditioning control device that calculates and sets a balanced control order for each air-conditioner based on their locations, ensuring balanced energy-saving control time spans across the space to reduce power consumption and temperature fluctuations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If energy-saving control is performed simultaneously on all air-conditioners, then power consumption is reduced, but temperature fluctuates sharply causing poor environmental comfort
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs energy-saving control periodically by deactivating air-conditioners in sequential cycles rather than simultaneously. Each air-conditioner is deactivated for a predetermined time period, then reactivated, creating a periodic on-off pattern that maintains temperature stability while reducing overall power consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The living room space is divided into multiple zones, and air-conditioners are segmented and controlled individually rather than as a single group. This allows different air-conditioners to be deactivated at different times, preventing sharp temperature rises in any single zone while maintaining energy savings across the entire space.
2Loss of energy
If deactivation control is repeated in arranged order of zones, then energy-saving control is performed on all air-conditioners, but time span for energy-saving control becomes unbalanced in each zone
Solution Approach 1:
The control system dynamically adjusts the deactivation sequence and timing based on real-time temperature conditions in each zone. Rather than following a fixed arranged order, the system adapts the control sequence to maintain balanced time spans for energy-saving control across all zones, preventing intensive deactivation in any single area.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors temperature in each zone and uses this feedback to adjust the deactivation control timing. When temperature in a zone approaches the setpoint, the system modifies the deactivation schedule to ensure balanced time spans, preventing excessive temperature fluctuations while maintaining energy efficiency.
3Loss of energy
If deactivation control is performed intensively in first half of cycle, then power consumption is reduced during that period, but no deactivation control is performed in latter half causing great temperature fluctuation
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements periodic deactivation control that distributes energy-saving operations evenly throughout the entire cycle rather than concentrating them in the first half. This ensures that deactivation control is performed in a balanced manner across both halves of the cycle, maintaining temperature stability while achieving energy savings.
Data Source
AI summary
An air-conditioning control device controls a plurality of air-conditioners (indoor devices) disposed at different locations within a predetermined living room space. A data manager stores location information for each air-conditioner (indoor device). A distance calculator calculates a distance between respective air-conditioners (indoor devices) based on the location information. A control order setter sets, based on the distance between respective air-conditioners (indoor devices) calculated by the distance calculator, a control order of each air-conditioner (indoor device) on which energy-saving control is to be performed in such a way that time spans for performing the energy-saving control that controls respective air-conditioners (indoor devices) for a predetermined time to suppress power consumption in respective sections of the living room space are balanced. The control executer repeatedly executes the energy-saving control on each air-conditioner (indoor device) in accordance with the control order set by the control order setter.