Air-conditioning management device, air-conditioning management method, and program
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing air conditioning management systems struggle to quickly identify and address wasteful operation caused by open windows or doors, leading to inefficient power consumption, as they fail to accurately determine the positions of such openings and do not effectively notify occupants to prevent such conditions.
Innovation Solution
An air conditioning management device that communicates with air conditioners and remotely monitors their operation, using area settings data and real-time monitoring to determine wasteful operation and notify users of the specific door or window causing inefficiency, allowing for immediate correction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If air conditioners operate to reach set temperature and humidity, then comfortable environment is achieved, but power consumption increases when windows or doors are open causing wasteful operation
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously monitors air conditioner operation status, room temperature, and humidity levels, then provides feedback to determine whether the air conditioner is operating wastefully. This feedback loop enables real-time detection of wasteful operation conditions and triggers notifications to occupants, allowing them to close open windows or doors to restore efficient operation and reduce power consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The air conditioner management device acts as an intermediary between the air conditioner system and the occupants. It receives data from the air conditioner, analyzes operation patterns, determines wasteful operation conditions, and communicates findings to occupants through notifications. This intermediary role enables indirect monitoring and control without requiring direct intervention in the air conditioner's operation.
2Loss of information
If monitoring apparatus tracks air conditioner operation, then wasteful operation can be detected, but positions of windows and doors causing wasteful operation cannot be identified
Solution Approach 1:
The system transitions from direct physical sensing of window/door positions to an informational approach by analyzing air conditioner operation data patterns. Instead of measuring the physical state of windows and doors directly, the system infers their state from the air conditioner's operation characteristics, such as prolonged operation beyond normal cooling cycles or abnormal temperature fluctuations, thereby identifying the dimension of operation patterns as a proxy for physical state.
3Device complexity
If occupants are not notified of wasteful operation, then system complexity is reduced, but occupants cannot be made mindful about preventing wasteful operation and rapid response is prevented
Solution Approach 1:
The system empowers occupants to self-correct wasteful operation conditions by providing them with information about the problem through notifications. Instead of requiring complex automated control systems to physically adjust settings or close windows, the notification system enables occupants to take self-initiated action to close open windows or doors, thereby resolving the wasteful operation condition through their own awareness and response.
Data Source
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AI summary
An air conditioning management device (300) is mutually communicably connected to multiple air conditioners (100), and is equipped with: a storage that stores connection information that indicate remote control devices (110) respectively controlling the plurality of air conditioners (100), the air conditioners (100) connected thereto; a wasteful operation determiner that determines whether or not any of the plurality of air conditioners (100) are in a wasteful operating state; and a wasteful operation notifier which, in the case where wasteful operation determiner determines that at least one of the plurality of air conditioners (100) is in a wasteful operating state, notifies that the air conditioner (100) is in a wasteful operating state to the remote control device (110) connected to that air conditioner, on the basis of the connection information stored in the storage.