Air-conditioning system and central management apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9727041-B2
Application number	US-201214432523-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 13, 2012
Priority date	Nov 13, 2012
Publication date	Aug 8, 2017
Grant date	Aug 8, 2017

Abstract

An air-conditioning system includes an air-conditioning apparatus, a user information input terminal, and a central management apparatus. The user information input terminal detects entrance of a user into a room and transmits an entrance-interlocking signal including user identification information for identifying the user to the central management apparatus. Upon receipt of the entrance-interlocking signal, the central management apparatus determines a control objective of the air-conditioning apparatus according to priority of user attribute of one or more users in the room and an energy saving level currently set, and cause the air-conditioning apparatus to perform an interlocking control in accordance with the determined control objective.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An air-conditioning system comprising:
an air-conditioning apparatus that performs air-conditioning of a room;
an entrance-interlocking trigger device that detects entrance of a user into the room and transmits an entrance-interlocking signal including user identification information for identifying the user; and
a central management apparatus that receives the entrance-interlocking signal and controls the air-conditioning apparatus based on the entrance-interlocking signal,
wherein the central management apparatus includes:
a user information database storing user attributes associated with the user identification information;
an interlocking setting database group including a priority database storing priority levels associated with the respective user attributes, an attribute interlocking database storing attribute-specific preset temperatures associated with the respective user attributes, and an energy saving mode setting database storing one or more energy saving levels each specifying a preset temperature of the room based on the attribute-specific preset temperature as a control objective of the air-conditioning apparatus;
a setting input unit for selecting the energy saving level; and
an interlocking control calculation unit; and
an exit-interlocking trigger device that detects exiting of the user from the room and transmits an exit-interlocking signal including the user identification information for identifying the user, and
the interlocking control calculation unit is configured to:
identify, upon detecting new entrance of a user into the room based on the entrance-interlocking signal from the entrance-interlocking trigger device, the user attribute of each of one or more users present in the room including the user who has newly entered the room based on the user information database;
determine, based on the interlocking setting database group, the priority level of each of the one or more user attributes that have been identified, and identify the attribute-specific setting information corresponding to the user attribute of a highest priority among the priority levels that were determined, thereby determining the control objective according to the energy saving level selected by the setting input unit;
recognize user presence status of the room and identify the user attribute of each of the one or more users in the room;
designate the control objective allocated to the user attribute of a highest rank of a priority order among the one or more user attributes, as the room-specific control objective of the room; and
transmit an air-conditioning apparatus control signal indicating the determined control objective, to the air-conditioning apparatus,
wherein the interlocking control calculation unit is configured to (i) update, upon receipt of the exit interlocking signal, the priority level among the one or more user attributes of the one or more users in the room, then (ii) update the room-specific control objective of the room based on the updated priority level among the one or more user attributes identified with respect to the room, and then (iii) transmit an air-conditioning apparatus control signal indicating the updated room-specific control objective, to the air-conditioning apparatus.

2. The air-conditioning system of claim 1 ,
wherein the interlocking control calculation unit is further configured to, upon receipt of the exit-interlocking signal:
identify the user who has left the room based on the user identification information included in the exit-interlocking signal upon receipt of the exit-interlocking signal, and identify the user attribute of each of one or more users present in the room except for the user who has left the room, based on the user information database;
update the control objective based on the user attribute having a highest priority among the one or more user attributes identified; and
transmit an air-conditioning apparatus control signal indicating the updated control objective, to the air-conditioning apparatus.

3. An air-conditioning system comprising:
an air-conditioning apparatus including a plurality of indoor units that perform air-conditioning of a plurality of rooms; and
a plurality of entrance-interlocking trigger devices respectively provided at entrances of the plurality of rooms, and configured to detect entrance of a user into the respective rooms and transmit an entrance-interlocking signal including user identification information for identifying the user and terminal identification information representing an identification number of the entrance-interlocking trigger device; and
a central management apparatus that receives the entrance-interlocking signal and controls the air-conditioning apparatus based on the entrance-interlocking signal,
wherein the central management apparatus includes:
a user information database storing user attributes associated with the user identification information;
an interlocking setting database group including a priority database storing priority levels associated with the respective user attributes, an attribute interlocking database storing attribute-specific preset temperatures associated with the respective user attributes, and an energy saving mode setting database storing one or more energy saving levels in each of which a combination of control objectives of the air-conditioning apparatus allocated to each rank of priority order determined based on the priority level is specified, the control objectives each including at least a preset temperature of the room based on the attribute-specific preset temperature;
a setting input unit for selecting the energy saving level;
an interlocking control calculation unit; and
an exit-interlocking trigger device that detects exiting of a user from the room and transmits an exit-interlocking signal including the user identification information for identifying the user, and
the interlocking control calculation unit is configured to:
identify, upon detecting new entrance of a user into a priority order determination area collectively composed of the plurality of rooms based on the entrance-interlocking signal from the entrance-interlocking trigger device, the room that the user has entered based on the terminal identification information included in the entrance-interlocking signal, and identify the user attribute of each of one or more users present in the priority order determination area including the user who has newly entered the room based on the user information database;
determine, based on the interlocking setting database group, a rank of priority order of each of the one or more user attributes identified, and allocate the control objective according to the energy saving level selected by the setting input unit based on the attribute-specific preset temperature corresponding to the user attribute, to the user attribute of each rank;
recognize user presence status of each of the plurality of rooms and identify the user attribute of each of the one or more users in the room with respect to each of the rooms;
designate a control objective allocated to the user attribute of a highest rank of the priority order among the one or more user attributes identified with respect to each of the rooms, as the room-specific control objective of the room; and
transmit an air-conditioning apparatus control signal indicating the room-specific control objective determined with respect to each of the plurality of rooms, to the air-conditioning apparatus,
wherein the interlocking control calculation unit is configured to (i) update, upon receipt of the exit-interlocking signal, the priority order in the priority order determination area, (ii) update the room-specific control objective of each of the rooms based on the updated priority order among the one or more user at

Assignees

• Yamada Hirohisa
• Mitsubishi Electric Corp

Inventors

• Yamada Hirohisa

Classifications

• F24F11/52

  Indication arrangements, e.g. displays · CPC title

• F24F11/56

  Remote control · CPC title

• G05B2219/2614

  HVAC, heating, ventillation, climate control · CPC title

• F24F11/47

  Responding to energy costs · CPC title

• F24F11/65

  for selecting an operating mode · CPC title