Air-conditioning system control device

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing air-conditioning systems face difficulties in achieving responsiveness and stability of room temperature when the designed and actual heat loads do not match, or when unknown or differently characterized heat radiation apparatuses, such as radiators and floor heating systems, are used.

Innovation Solution

An air-conditioning system control device that learns the heat transfer characteristics of a building and heat medium utilization apparatus characteristics from operation data to determine a temperature command, improving responsiveness and stability by adjusting control parameters accordingly.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Speed

If feed-forward control is performed on the basis of the relationship between outside air temperature and building heat load, then responsiveness is improved and energy saving is achieved, but control accuracy deteriorates when designed heat load and actual heat load do not match or when unknown heat radiation apparatus are used

Engineering Contradiction:
ImproveresponsivenessVSAvoidcontrol accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
SpeedVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs feedback control by comparing the actual indoor temperature with the target temperature and adjusting the heat source apparatus output based on the temperature deviation. This feedback mechanism compensates for inaccuracies in feed-forward control caused by mismatches between designed and actual heat loads, thereby maintaining control accuracy while preserving responsiveness.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The system automatically learns and updates the building heat load characteristics and heat radiation apparatus characteristics through accumulated operation data without requiring manual intervention or precise prior knowledge of the apparatus configuration. This self-learning capability enables the system to adapt to unknown or changing heat radiation apparatus while maintaining accurate control.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

2Stability of the object's composition

If the target value of refrigerant physical quantity is controlled on the basis of learned air-conditioning load characteristics, then temperature variation in air-conditioned space is reduced, but control accuracy deteriorates when heat radiation apparatus having greatly different characteristics are used

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetemperature stabilityVSAvoidadaptability to different heat radiation apparatus
Core Design Contradiction:
Stability of the object's compositionVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The system separately learns and stores building heat load characteristics and heat radiation apparatus characteristics as independent parameter sets. This segmentation allows the system to select and combine appropriate characteristics for different heat radiation apparatus configurations, thereby maintaining both temperature stability and adaptability to various apparatus types.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes the learned characteristic parameters based on the type and configuration of heat radiation apparatus detected or selected. By adjusting the learned parameters to match the actual apparatus characteristics, the system maintains accurate control and temperature stability regardless of which heat radiation apparatus is being used.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Ease of manufacture

If control parameters are set based on designed heat load values, then initial control performance is acceptable, but responsiveness and stability deteriorate when actual heat load differs from designed heat load

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinitial control setupVSAvoidcontrol reliability
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary learning of actual building heat load characteristics and heat radiation apparatus characteristics during initial operation or through a learning period. This preliminary action updates the control parameters from designed values to actual measured values, ensuring reliable control performance while maintaining ease of initial setup.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system automatically updates control parameters through self-learning from accumulated operation data without requiring manual recalibration or intervention. This self-service capability ensures that control reliability is maintained even when actual heat load differs from designed values, while keeping the initial setup simple.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentEP3279579B1Air-conditioning system control device
Publication Date: 2019.10.30 MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORP
  • EP3279579B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP3279579B1 patent drawingFigure 3~5
  • EP3279579B1 patent drawingFigure 6~8

AI summary

Improvement of responsiveness and stability of room temperature are achieved by learning each of a heat transfer characteristic of a building and a heat medium utilization apparatus characteristic from operation data even when, for example, a heat medium utilization apparatus to be connected is unknown. A control command determiner (52) includes an output water temperature command reference value determiner (56) configured to determine an output water temperature command reference value on the basis of a building characteristic (58) and a heat radiation apparatus characteristic (59) that are learned by a characteristic calculator (53), an outside air temperature, and a set temperature, and an output water temperature command correction value determiner (57) configured to determine an output water temperature command correction value on the basis of a correction coefficient, the set temperature, and an indoor temperature. The control command determiner (52) is configured to determine a control command for a water air-conditioning system (1) by adding the output water temperature command correction value to the output water temperature command reference value.