Air-conditioning control device and air-conditioning control method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11041649-B2
Application number	US-201716331052-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 28, 2017
Priority date	Nov 16, 2016
Publication date	Jun 22, 2021
Grant date	Jun 22, 2021

Abstract

Change of a set room temperature of an air-conditioning apparatus leads to change of electric power consumed by the air-conditioning apparatus, and in a case of cooling, the consumed electric power increases as the set room temperature decreases. Consequently, a user has been unable to freely change the set room temperature. Thus, when the set room temperature is changed by the user, an evaporating temperature (refrigerant temperature) at which the electric power consumed by the air-conditioning apparatus does not change before and after the change is estimated and the air-conditioning apparatus is commanded for the evaporating temperature, which allows the user to pursue indoor comfort without worrying about the electric power consumed by the air-conditioning apparatus.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An air-conditioning control device, comprising:
an indoor humidity estimation unit configured to estimate an indoor humidity and a latent heat load at a second set room temperature of an air-conditioning apparatus including a refrigeration cycle when a first set room temperature is changed to the second set room temperature and the indoor humidity estimation unit receives the second set room temperature and a refrigerant temperature as a parameter of the refrigeration cycle;
a refrigeration cycle estimation unit configured to estimate consumed electric power at the second set room temperature when the refrigeration cycle estimation unit receives an outdoor air temperature, the refrigerant temperature, the indoor humidity, and the latent heat load; and
a refrigerant temperature calculation unit configured to change the refrigerant temperature to cause the indoor humidity estimation unit to repeat an estimation of the indoor humidity and the latent heat load and the refrigeration cycle estimation unit to repeat an estimation of the consumed electric power,
when the consumed electric power at the second set room temperature estimated by the refrigeration cycle estimation unit equals electric power consumed by the air-conditioning apparatus at the first set room temperature, the refrigerant temperature calculation unit being configured to calculate the refrigerant temperature with which the consumed electric power at the second set room temperature is estimated and command the air-conditioning apparatus for the refrigerant temperature.

2. The air-conditioning control device of claim 1 , wherein, when the consumed electric power at the second set room temperature estimated by the refrigeration cycle estimation unit does not equal the electric power consumed by the air-conditioning apparatus at the first set room temperature, the refrigerant temperature calculation unit is configured to calculate the refrigerant temperature with which consumed electric power at a third set room temperature is estimated by shifting the second set room temperature toward the first set room temperature in stages until the third set room temperature is reached and causing the consumed electric power at the third set room temperature estimated by the refrigeration cycle estimation unit to equal the electric power consumed by the air-conditioning apparatus at the first set room temperature.

3. The air-conditioning control device of claim 2 , further comprising a notification unit configured to issue a notification on information of the third set room temperature used when the refrigerant temperature is calculated by the refrigerant temperature calculation unit.

4. The air-conditioning control device of claim 3 , wherein the air-conditioning control device is configured to display the indoor humidity associated with the third set room temperature.

5. The air-conditioning control device of claim 1 , wherein the air-conditioning control device is configured to display the indoor humidity associated with the second set room temperature.

6. The air-conditioning control device of claim 1 , wherein the air-conditioning control device is divided into a master device and a slave device, and the second set room temperature is changed through the slave device.

7. An air-conditioning control device, comprising:
an indoor humidity estimation unit configured to estimate an indoor humidity and a latent heat load at a set candidate room temperature of an air-conditioning apparatus including a refrigeration cycle when the indoor humidity estimation unit receives the set candidate room temperature and a refrigerant temperature as a parameter of the refrigeration cycle;
a refrigeration cycle estimation unit configured to estimate consumed electric power at the set candidate room temperature when the refrigeration cycle estimation unit receives an outdoor air temperature, the refrigerant temperature, the indoor humidity, and the latent heat load;
a refrigerant temperature calculation unit configured to change the refrigerant temperature to cause the indoor humidity estimation unit to repeat an estimation of the indoor humidity and the latent heat load and the refrigeration cycle estimation unit to repeat an estimation of the consumed electric power and calculate the refrigerant temperature that equals the set candidate room temperature when the consumed electric power at the set candidate room temperature estimated by the refrigeration cycle estimation unit equals electric power consumed by the air-conditioning apparatus at a current set room temperature; and
a set candidate accumulation display unit configured to accumulate the refrigerant temperature at the set candidate room temperature when the consumed electric power calculated by the refrigerant temperature calculation unit equals the electric power consumed by the air-conditioning apparatus at the current set room temperature, and display the set candidate room temperature when the consumed electric power calculated by the refrigerant temperature calculation unit equals the electric power consumed by the air-conditioning apparatus at the current set room temperature.

8. The air-conditioning control device of claim 7 , wherein the set candidate accumulation display unit includes a selection unit configured to select a set room temperature from a list of combinations between the set candidate room temperature and the indoor humidity.

9. An air-conditioning control method, comprising:
an indoor humidity estimation step of estimating an indoor humidity and a latent heat load at a second set room temperature of an air-conditioning apparatus including a refrigeration cycle by changing a first set room temperature to the second set room temperature and inputting the second set room temperature and a refrigerant temperature as a parameter of the refrigeration cycle;
a refrigeration cycle estimation step of estimating consumed electric power at the second set room temperature by inputting an outdoor air temperature, the refrigerant temperature, the indoor humidity, and the latent heat load; and
a refrigerant temperature calculation step of changing the refrigerant temperature to cause the indoor humidity estimation step to repeat an estimation of the indoor humidity and the latent heat load and the refrigeration cycle estimation step to repeat an estimation of the consumed electric power, and when the consumed electric power at the second set room temperature estimated at the refrigeration cycle estimation step equals electric power consumed by the air-conditioning apparatus at the first set room temperature, calculating the refrigerant temperature with which the consumed electric power at the second set room temperature is estimated and commanding the air-conditioning apparatus for the refrigerant temperature.

Assignees

• Mitsubishi Electric Corp

Inventors

• Nakajima Osamu
• Motodani Mio
• Sawada Masae
• Tanaka Ryuta

Classifications

• F24F11/67

  Switching between heating and cooling modes · CPC title

• F24F2140/60

  Energy consumption · CPC title

• F24F2110/20

  Humidity · CPC title

• F24F2140/20

  Heat-exchange fluid temperature · CPC title

• F24F11/46 Primary

  Improving electric energy efficiency or saving · CPC title