Air conditioning control device, air conditioning control method and program

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing air-conditioning control methods in multi-zone living spaces often result in unbalanced energy-saving control time spans, leading to significant temperature fluctuations and discomfort for occupants.

Innovation Solution

An air-conditioning control device that calculates and sets a balanced control order for multiple air-conditioners based on their distances, ensuring that energy-saving controls are distributed evenly across the space to reduce power consumption and temperature fluctuations.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of energy

If energy-saving control is performed simultaneously on all air-conditioners, then power consumption is reduced, but temperature in the living room space sharply rises causing poor environmental comfort

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepower consumptionVSAvoidtemperature in living room space
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of energyVSTemperature

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements periodic energy-saving control by alternating the operation of multiple air-conditioners in cycles. Instead of simultaneous deactivation, air-conditioners are deactivated in sequence across different time periods, ensuring continuous temperature maintenance while achieving overall energy savings.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #19Periodic action

Solution Approach 2:

The living room space is divided into multiple zones, and energy-saving control is applied segmentally to different air-conditioners in different zones. This segmentation allows the system to maintain temperature in active zones while deactivating others, preventing sharp temperature rises.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Loss of energy

If deactivation control is repeatedly performed in arranged order of zones, then energy-saving control is achieved, but time span for energy-saving control becomes unbalanced causing great temperature fluctuation

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepower consumptionVSAvoidtemperature stability
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of energyVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies different control strategies to different zones based on their specific characteristics and occupancy patterns. Each zone receives customized energy-saving control timing and duration, ensuring balanced temperature maintenance across all areas while achieving comprehensive energy savings.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The system monitors temperature conditions in real-time and adjusts the energy-saving control schedule dynamically. When temperature fluctuations are detected, the control algorithm modifies the deactivation timing and duration for subsequent cycles, maintaining temperature stability while preserving energy-saving benefits.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentEP2607804B1Air conditioning control device, air conditioning control method and program
Publication Date: 2019.08.28 MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORP
  • EP2607804B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2607804B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2607804B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

An air-conditioning control device (4) controls a plurality of air-conditioners (indoor devices) disposed at different locations within a predetermined living room space. A data manager (40) stores location information (82) for each air-conditioner (indoor device). A distance calculator (51) calculates a distance between respective air-conditioners (indoor devices) based on the location information (82). A control order setter (52) sets, based on the distance between respective air-conditioners (indoor devices) calculated by the distance calculator (51), 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 (53) repeatedly executes the energy-saving control on each air-conditioner (indoor device) in accordance with the control order set by the control order setter (52).