Apparatus control device, apparatus control system, and program for controlling a heating-cooling combinatinon apparatus based on a metabolic history of a user

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9733652-B2
Application number	US-201314388070-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 25, 2013
Priority date	Mar 29, 2012
Publication date	Aug 15, 2017
Grant date	Aug 15, 2017

Abstract

An apparatus control system includes a metabolic amount measurement device measuring a metabolic amount, and an apparatus control device controlling a heating-cooling combination apparatus. A control content storage unit stores thermal sensations and control contents of the heating-cooling combination apparatus. The metabolic amount measured by the metabolic amount measurement device is inputted to an input unit. A metabolic amount storage unit stores a history of the metabolic amount inputted to the input unit before. A calculation unit calculates the thermal sensation using the metabolic amount inputted to the input unit. A correction unit corrects the thermal sensation calculated by the calculation unit using the history of the metabolic amount stored in the metabolic amount storage unit. An apparatus control unit controls the heating-cooling combination apparatus according to a control content stored in the control content storage unit in association with the thermal sensation corrected by the correction unit.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An apparatus control device comprising a processor and memory for controlling a heating-cooling combination apparatus and that is used together with a metabolic amount measurement device configured to measure a metabolic amount of a user of the heating-cooling combination apparatus, the apparatus control device comprising:
a control content storage unit configured to store and associate thermal sensations of the user with control contents of the heating-cooling combination apparatus;
an input unit configured to receive input of the metabolic amount measured by the metabolic amount measurement device;
an operation unit configured to calculate a thermal sensation using the metabolic amount that is inputted to the input unit;
an apparatus control unit configured to control the heating-cooling combination apparatus according to a control content stored in the control content storage unit in association with the thermal sensation that is calculated by the operation unit; and
a metabolic amount storage unit configured to store a history of the metabolic amount inputted to the input unit,
wherein the operation unit comprises:
a calculation unit configured to calculate the thermal sensation using the metabolic amount inputted to the input unit;
a correction unit configured to correct the thermal sensation calculated by the calculation unit using the history of the metabolic amount before change stored in the metabolic amount storage unit when the metabolic amount inputted to the input unit is changed.

2. The apparatus control device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a detection information acquisition unit configured to acquire detection information that denotes whether or not the user exists in an indoor space in which a thermal environment is changed by the heating-cooling combination apparatus; and
a clocking unit configured to clock an elapsed time from a time at which a presence of the user in the indoor space is detected using the detection information acquired by the detection information acquisition unit,
wherein the correction unit is configured to correct the thermal sensation calculated by the calculation unit, using the history of the metabolic amount before change stored in the metabolic amount storage unit and the elapsed time clocked by the clocking unit when the metabolic amount inputted to the input unit is changed.

3. The apparatus control device according to claim 2 , further comprising:
a weather condition acquisition unit configured to acquire a weather condition of an outdoor, wherein the correction unit is configured to correct the thermal sensation calculated by the calculation unit, using the history of the metabolic amount before change stored in the metabolic amount storage unit, the elapsed time clocked by the clocking unit, and the weather condition acquired by the weather condition acquisition unit when the metabolic amount inputted to the input unit is changed.

4. The apparatus control device according to claim 1 , wherein the correction unit comprises:
a first determination function for determining whether or not an absolute value of an variation of the metabolic amount inputted to the input unit is more than or equal to a threshold; and
a second determination function for determining a relationship between the metabolic amount before change and the metabolic amount after change,
wherein, in a case where the absolute value is more than or equal to the threshold, the correction unit is configured to correct the thermal sensation calculated by the calculation unit so as to increase the thermal sensation, and output a corrected thermal sensation to the apparatus control unit when the metabolic amount after change is less than the metabolic amount before change,
the correction unit being configured to correct the thermal sensation calculated by the calculation unit so as to decrease the thermal sensation, and output a corrected thermal sensation to the apparatus control unit when the metabolic amount after change is more than the metabolic amount before change, and
wherein, in a case where the absolute value is less than the threshold, the correction unit is configured to output the thermal sensation calculated by the calculation unit without correcting to the apparatus control unit.

5. An apparatus control system comprising:
the apparatus control device according to claim 1 ; and
the metabolic amount measurement device configured to measure the metabolic amount.

6. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium containing a program for causing a computer to function as:
a control content storage unit configured to store and associate thermal sensations of a user of a heating-cooling combination apparatus with control contents of the heating-cooling combination apparatus;
an input unit configured to receive input of a metabolic amount of the user measured by a metabolic amount measurement device;
a calculation unit configured to calculate a thermal sensation using the metabolic amount that is inputted to the input unit;
a metabolic amount storage unit configured to store a history of the metabolic amount inputted to the input unit;
a correction unit configured to correct the thermal sensation calculated by the calculation unit using the history of the metabolic amount before change stored in the metabolic amount storage unit when the metabolic amount inputted to the input unit is changed; and
an apparatus control unit configured to control the heating-cooling combination apparatus according to a control content stored in the control content storage unit in association with the thermal sensation that is corrected by the correction unit.

7. The apparatus control device according to claim 2 , wherein the correction unit comprises:
a first determination function for determining whether or not an absolute value of an variation of the metabolic amount inputted to the input unit is more than or equal to a threshold; and
a second determination function for determining a relationship between the metabolic amount before change and the metabolic amount after change,
wherein, in a case where the absolute value is more than or equal to the threshold, the correction unit is configured to correct the thermal sensation calculated by the calculation unit so as to increase the thermal sensation, and output a corrected thermal sensation to the apparatus control unit when the metabolic amount after change is less than the metabolic amount before change,
the correction unit being configured to correct the thermal sensation calculated by the calculation unit so as to decrease the thermal sensation, and output a corrected thermal sensation to the apparatus control unit when the metabolic amount after change is more than the metabolic amount before change, and
wherein, in a case where the absolute value is less than the threshold, the correction unit is configured to output the thermal sensation calculated by the calculation unit without correcting to the apparatus control unit.

8. The apparatus control device according to claim 3 , wherein the correction unit comprises:
a first determination function for determining whether or not an absolute value of an variation of the metabolic amount inputted to the input unit is more than or equal to a threshold; and
a second determination function for determining a relationship between the metabolic amount before change and the metabolic amount after change,
wherein, in a case where the absolute value is more than or equal to the threshold, the correction unit is configured to correct the thermal sensation calculated by the calculation unit so as to increase the thermal sensation, and output a corrected thermal sensation to the apparatus cont

Assignees

• Panasonic Corp
• Panasonic Ip Man Co Ltd

Inventors

• Mise Atsushi

Classifications

• F24F2120/00

  Control inputs relating to users or occupants · CPC title

• F24F11/64

  using pre-stored data · CPC title

• F24F2011/0064

  Mechanical Engineering · mapped topic

• G05D23/19 Primary

  characterised by the use of electric means {(G05D23/1393 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• F24F2011/0058

  Mechanical Engineering · mapped topic