Patent Application
20110057044
The present invention relates to an air conditioner managing apparatus.
Conventionally, a multi-type air conditioner, which comprises at least one outdoor unit and a plurality of indoor units, is often used in properties such as office buildings. In addition, to facilitate the management of a plurality of indoor units in such a property, a management system is employed (refer to Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2003-302092) that is provided with an air conditioner managing apparatus, which is for collecting information from the air conditioners in the same property, and that centrally manages the indoor units in the property.
However, in such a case, an administrator of the property must check the information collected by the air conditioner managing apparatus about all of the indoor units so that he or she can specify an indoor unit with some kind of problem and check the details thereof. As a result, the information about the indoor units with no problems and whose information does not need to be checked is also checked, which makes the work troublesome. An object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioner managing apparatus that, in a property such as an office building wherein a plurality of indoor units are installed, facilitates the work of specifying an indoor unit with a problem and checking the details thereof.
An air conditioner managing apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention comprises a storage unit, a first screen generating unit, a second screen generating unit, and a display switching unit. The storage unit accumulates operation data about numerous indoor units. The first screen generating unit generates a first screen wherein a plurality of indoor units—among target indoor units—with a problem can be visually verified based on the operation data. The second screen generating unit generates a second screen wherein the operation data related to one specific indoor unit can be visually verified. The display switching unit—when one indoor unit of the plurality of indoor units with the problem displayed in the first screen is selected and an input of a prescribed button is accepted—switches to the display of the second screen related to the selected indoor unit.
In the air conditioner managing apparatus according to the present invention, operation data about numerous indoor units is accumulated, and a first screen is generated wherein a plurality of indoor units—among target indoor units—with a problem can be visually verified. In addition, a second screen is generated wherein the operation data related to one specific indoor unit can be visually verified. Furthermore, when one indoor unit of the plurality of indoor units with the problem displayed in the first screen is selected and an input of a prescribed button is accepted, the display is switched to the second screen related to the single selected indoor unit.
Thereby, it is possible to easily specify an indoor unit with a problem based on the operation data related to a plurality of indoor units; furthermore, detailed information can be easily checked.
An air conditioner managing apparatus according to a second aspect of the present invention is the air conditioner managing apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention, and further comprises an identifying unit. The identifying unit identifies the plurality of the indoor units with the problem based on each viewpoint of a plurality of viewpoints. The first screen switchably displays, by viewpoint, the plurality of the indoor units with the problem.
In the air conditioner managing apparatus according to the present invention, the indoor units with the problem are identified based on each viewpoint of a plurality of viewpoints, and the indoor units with the problem are displayed, switchably by viewpoint, on the first screen. The plurality of viewpoints includes excessive consumption of electric power, long-time operation, reduced comfort, and the like.
Thereby, it is possible to easily check on, by viewpoint, the indoor units with a problem.
An air conditioner managing apparatus according to a third aspect of the present invention is the air conditioner managing apparatus according to the second aspect of the present invention, wherein the second screen switchably displays, based on the operation data, an operation status display screen that indicates an operation status of one indoor unit and an occurrence day display screen that indicates the problem occurrence day of the one indoor unit.
In the air conditioner managing apparatus according to the present invention, the operation data display screen displays the operation data of an identified indoor unit, and the occurrence day display screen displays the problem occurrence day.
Thereby, it is possible to easily check the problem occurrence day and the operation data for the problem occurrence day.
An air conditioner managing apparatus according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is the air conditioner managing apparatus according to the third aspect of the present invention, wherein the second screen displays a graph that aggregates the operation data in accordance with the plurality of viewpoints.
In the air conditioner managing apparatus according to the present invention, the second screen displays a graph that aggregates the operation data of one indoor unit in accordance with the plurality of viewpoints.
Thereby, it is possible to visually verify the operation data simultaneously for the plurality of viewpoints; for example, it is possible to grasp the occurrence status (e.g., time slot, severity, etc.), the cause, the correlation, and the like for a plurality of problems.
An air conditioner managing apparatus according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is the air conditioner managing apparatus according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, wherein the operation status includes an average operation status of the one indoor unit during a prescribed interval and the operation status of the one indoor unit during a prescribed day within the prescribed interval; and the second screen displays, side by side, a graph that indicates the average operation status during the interval and a graph that indicates the operation status for the prescribed day.
In the air conditioner managing apparatus according to the present invention, the second screen displays, side by side, a graph that indicates the average operation status during the interval and a graph that indicates the operation status for the prescribed day.
Thereby, it is possible to easily compare the average operation status during the interval and the operation status for the prescribed day; for example, it is possible to grasp the problem occurrence frequency, the problem severity for one day, and the like.
An air conditioner managing apparatus according to a sixth aspect of the present invention is the air conditioner managing apparatus according to any one aspect of the third through fifth aspects of the present invention, wherein the second screen displays a method of correcting the problem based on the operation status.
In the air conditioner managing apparatus according to the present invention, the indoor unit with a problem and the method of correcting that indoor unit's problem are displayed, which makes it possible to effectively manage the indoor unit.
An air conditioner managing apparatus according to a seventh aspect of the present invention is the air conditioner managing apparatus according to the sixth aspect of the present invention, wherein the first screen includes a distribution diagram that indicates the distribution of the indoor units based on the problem severity.
In the air conditioner managing apparatus according to the present invention, the distribution of the identified indoor units based on problem severity is displayed.
Thereby, it is possible to visually grasp the number of indoor units with a problem and the severity of that problem.
An air conditioner managing apparatus according to an eighth aspect of the present invention is the air conditioner managing apparatus according to the seventh aspect of the present invention and further comprises an input unit that inputs an identification condition for identifying the plurality of the indoor units with the problem.
In the air conditioner managing apparatus according to the present invention, the plurality of the indoor units with the problem is identified based on an identification condition input by the input unit.
Thereby, it is possible to flexibly meet the user's needs.
In the air conditioner managing apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention, it is possible to easily specify the indoor units with a problem based on the operation data related to a plurality of indoor units; furthermore, detailed information can be easily checked.
In the air conditioner managing apparatus according to the second aspect of the present invention, it is possible to check on, by viewpoint, the indoor units with a problem.
In the air conditioner managing apparatus according to the third aspect of the present invention, it is possible to easily check the problem occurrence day and the operation data for the problem occurrence day.
In the air conditioner managing apparatus according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to visually verify the operation data simultaneously for the plurality of viewpoints; for example, it is possible to grasp the occurrence status (e.g., time slot, severity, etc.), the cause, the correlation, and the like for a plurality of problems.
In the air conditioner managing apparatus according to the fifth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to easily compare the average operation data during the interval and the operation data for the prescribed day; for example, it is possible to grasp the problem occurrence frequency, the problem severity for one day, and the like.
In the air conditioner managing apparatus according to the sixth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to effectively manage the air conditioner.
In the air conditioner managing apparatus according to the seventh aspect of the present invention, it is possible to visually grasp the number of indoor units with a problem and the severity of that problem.
In the air conditioner managing apparatus according to the eighth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to flexibly meet the user's needs.
The following text explains an air conditioner managing system 100 according to a first embodiment of the present invention, referencing the drawings.
In the air conditioner managing system according to the present embodiment, a power supply 60 is connected to outdoor units 11a, 11b, 11c, . . . , and electric power from the power supply 60 is supplied to the air conditioners 10a, 10b, 10c, . . . via electric power supply lines. An electric power meter 70, which is provided in the electric power supply line that connects the power supply 60 and the outdoor units 11a, 11b, 11c, . . . , measures the electric power supplied to the air conditioners 10a, 10b, 10c, . . . (i.e., the total electric power consumption).
The air conditioner managing apparatus 40 according to the present embodiment identifies—among numerous indoor units 12aa-12ad, 12ba-12bd, 12ca-12cd, . . . installed in the property 1—those indoor units 12aa-12ad, 12ba-12bd, 12ca-12cd, . . . wherein prescribed problems are occurring and, furthermore, displays the details of these problems for each of the indoor units 12aa-12ad, 12ba-12bd, 12ca-12cd, . . . . The prescribed problems are excessive consumption of electric power, long-time operation, and reduced comfort.
The following text explains the configuration of the air conditioner managing apparatus 40 and each of the problems the air conditioner managing apparatus 40 manages; furthermore, the explanation is based on an illustrative example of a management screen that shows how the air conditioner managing apparatus 40 manages each of the problems.
The air conditioner managing apparatus 40 comprises a local controller 20, which is connected to the outdoor units 11a, 11b, 11c, . . . , and a comprehensive managing apparatus 30, which is connected to the local controller 20. The local controller 20 acquires operation data about the plurality of indoor units 12aa-12ad, 12ba-12bd, 12ca-12cd, . . . via the outdoor units 11a, 11b, 11c, . . . . The comprehensive managing apparatus 30 comprehensively manages the operation data the local controller 20 acquires. Here, operation data is data related to either an operation history or an operation state. The data related to the operation history refers to information about a power supply ON/OFF state, a thermostat ON/OFF state, an operation mode (i.e., a cooling mode, a heating mode, a ventilating mode, and the like), a set temperature, an indoor temperature (i.e., an inlet temperature), and the like of the indoor units 12aa-12ad, 12ba-12bd, 12ca-12cd, . . . connected to the outdoor units 11a, 11b, 11c, . . . . The data related to the operation state are values detected by various sensors attached to the air conditioners 10a, 10b, 10c, . . . . Based on the operation data, it is possible to obtain information about operation time, a degree of opening of an indoor expansion valve, and the like of each of the indoor units 12aa-12ad, 12ba-12bd, 12ca-12cd, . . . . Furthermore, the operation time in the present embodiment is, specifically, the thermostat ON time of the indoor units 12aa-12ad, 12ba-12bd, 12ca-12cd, . . . . Here, the thermostat ON time is the time during which the indoor units 12aa-12ad, 12ba-12bd, 12ca-12cd, . . . supply cooling or heat. The following text explains the configurations of the local controller 20 and the comprehensive managing apparatus 30, referencing
The local controller 20 principally comprises a communication unit 21, a storage unit 22, and a control unit 23.
The communication unit 21 is an input-output port that sends signals to and receives signals from the air conditioners 10a, 10b, 10c, . . . and the comprehensive managing apparatus 30.
The storage unit 22 has an operation data storage area 22a and an electric power consumption value storage area 22b.
The operation data acquired by an information acquiring unit 23a, which is discussed below, from the air conditioners 10a, 10b, 10c, . . . is stored in the operation data storage area 22a. Specifically, the operation data storage area 22a is a tabular database, as shown in
Values related to the total electric power consumption (i.e., total electric power consumption values) of the air conditioners 10a, 10b, 10c, . . . measured by the electric power meter 70 are stored in the electric power consumption value storage area 22b. Specifically, the electric power consumption value storage area 22b is also a tabular database, as shown in
Furthermore, in addition to the abovementioned area, the storage unit 22 has an area that stores a management program capable of being read and executed by the control unit 23, which is discussed below.
The control unit 23 principally comprises the information acquiring unit 23a and a transmission unit 23b. The information acquiring unit 23a acquires at prescribed intervals (in the present embodiment, every minute) operation data from the air conditioners 10a, 10b, 10c, . . . via the communication unit 21. The transmission unit 23b transmits at prescribed intervals (in the present embodiment, every minute) information stored in the operation data storage area 22a and the electric power consumption value storage area 22b to the comprehensive managing apparatus 30 via the communication unit 21.
The comprehensive managing apparatus 30 principally comprises a communication unit 31, an input unit 32, a storage unit 33, a control unit 34, and a display unit 35.
The communication unit 31 is an input-output port that sends signals to and receives signals from the local controller 20.
The input unit 32 accepts instructions from a user. Upon acceptance of an instruction by the input unit 32, a process corresponding to that instruction is executed by the comprehensive managing apparatus 30 and/or by the local controller 20 via the comprehensive managing apparatus 30. For example, if the input unit 32 accepts an instruction to turn ON the power supply of the air conditioners 10a, 10b, 10c, . . . , then a power supply ON instruction is transmitted to the air conditioners 10a, 10b, 10c, . . . via the local controller 20. In addition, upon acceptance of an input of a prescribed interval by the input unit 32, an aggregation interval, which is the target interval during which a process is performed by the comprehensive managing apparatus 30 (discussed below), is determined. Furthermore, upon the user's inputting of an instruction to a screen displayed by the display unit 35 (discussed below), the instruction is accepted by the input unit 32.
The storage unit 33 has an operation data storage area 33a, an electric power consumption value storage area 33b, an average value storage area 33c, a reference value storage area 33d, a corrective action data storage area 33e, and a determined value storage area 33f.
The operation data storage area 33a stores operation data of the air conditioners 10a, 10b, 10c, . . . transmitted from the local controller 20. The operation data storage area 33a is a tabular database, as in
Information related to electric power consumption is stored in the electric power consumption value storage area 33b. Specifically, the information related to the electric power consumption includes a value related to the total electric power consumption of the air conditioners 10a, 10b, 10c, . . . transmitted from the local controller 20 (i.e., the total electric power consumption value) and a value related to the electric power consumption of each of the indoor units 12aa-12ad, 12ba-12bd, 12ca-12cd, . . . calculated by an apportioning unit 34a (i.e., the electric power consumption values), which is discussed below. The total electric power consumption value is stored in a format identical to that of the total electric power consumption value stored in the electric power consumption value storage area 22b discussed above. Namely, it is stored in a tabular database, as shown in
An average of the electric power consumption values, which is calculated by an average value calculating unit 34b (discussed below), is stored in the average value storage area 33c. The average value storage area 33c is likewise a tabular database, as shown in
A reference value of the electric power consumption values, which is determined by a reference value determining unit 34c (discussed below), is stored in the reference value storage area 33d.
Data related to a plurality of corrective actions, which is selected by a corrective action selecting unit 34f (discussed below), is stored in the corrective action data storage area 33e.
The prescribed value that the input unit 32 accepts from the user is stored in the determined value storage area 33f.
The control unit 34 comprises the apportioning unit 34a, the average value calculating unit 34b, the reference value determining unit 34c, an identifying unit 34d, a correcting unit 34e, the corrective action selecting unit 34f, a first screen generating unit 34g, a second screen generating unit 34h, and a display switching unit 34i.
The apportioning unit 34a apportions the total electric power consumption value of the air conditioners 10a, 10b, 10c, . . . stored in the electric power consumption value storage area 33b among the operation data stored in the operation data storage area 33a and calculates the electric power consumption of each of the indoor units 12aa-12ad, 12ba-12bd, 12ca-12cd, . . . . Specifically, as shown in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. H5-157336, the total electric power consumption is apportioned in accordance with information such as the degree of opening of the expansion valve of each of the indoor units 12aa-12ad, 12ba-12bd, 12ca-12cd, and the electric power consumption of each of the indoor units 12aa-12ad, 12ba-12bd, 12ca-12cd, . . . is calculated. Furthermore, the electric power consumption values calculated by the apportioning unit 34a are stored in the electric power consumption value storage area 33b discussed above.
Based on the information stored in the operation data storage area 33a and the electric power consumption value storage area 33b, the average value calculating unit 34b calculates the average electric power consumption per day of all of the indoor units 12aa-12ad, 12ba-12bd, 12ca-12cd, . . . over the prescribed interval accepted by the input unit 32 discussed above. The average value calculated by the average value calculating unit 34b is stored in the average value storage area 33c discussed above.
Based on the information stored in the operation data storage area 33a and the electric power consumption value storage area 33b, the reference value determining unit 34c determines the reference value for determining which of the indoor units 12aa-12ad, 12ba-12bd, 12ca-12cd, . . . are consuming a large amount of electric power. This will be explained in detail using the <Target Problem and Determination Reference> column, which is discussed below. Furthermore, the reference value determined by the reference value determining unit 34c is stored in the reference value storage area 33d discussed above.
The identifying unit 34d identifies the indoor units 12aa-12ad, 12ba-12bd, 12ca-12cd, . . . whose electric power consumption exceeds the reference value. Specifically, the identifying unit 34d compares the average of the electric power consumption per day of each of the indoor units 12aa-12ad, 12ba-12bd, 12ca-12cd, . . . over the prescribed interval accepted by the input unit 32 discussed above with the reference value per day over the prescribed interval determined by the reference value determining unit 34c and identifies those indoor units 12aa-12ad, 12ba-12bd, 12ca-12cd, . . . whose electric power consumption exceeds the reference value.
In accordance with an instruction accepted by the input unit 32, the correcting unit 34e corrects the identification result produced by the identifying unit 34d. Here, the correcting unit 34e performs its correction on the identification results for electric power consumption and reduced comfort. Correcting the identification result for electric power consumption means correcting the electric power consumption value of each of the indoor units 12aa-12ad, 12ba-12bd, 12ca-12cd, . . . , taking into consideration the air conditioning capacity of the identified indoor units 12aa-12ad, 12ba-12bd, 12ca-12cd, . . . . Here, the air conditioning capacity is the horsepower or the capacity (kW), or the like of the indoor units 12aa-12ad, 12ba-12bd, 12ca-12cd, . . . . In accordance with the instruction, the correcting unit 34e divides the electric power consumption value of each of the indoor units 12aa-12ad, 12ba-12bd, 12ca-12cd, . . . by the horsepower. In the present embodiment, the correction of electric power consumption is performed by default. Correcting the identification result for reduced comfort involves ranking the indoor units 12aa-12ad, 12ba-12bd, 12ca-12cd, . . . taking into consideration the rate of occurrence of reduced comfort. In accordance with an instruction, the correcting unit 34e ranks each of the indoor units 12aa-12ad, 12ba-12bd, 12ca-12cd, . . . taking into consideration the reduced comfort occurrence rate. Specifically, the equation reduced comfort time×(reduced comfort time÷operation time) is used to calculate the reduced comfort time taking into consideration the occurrence rate.
The corrective action selecting unit 34f selects an appropriate corrective action for each problem taking into consideration the operation data, such as the set temperature and the operation time, of the indoor units 12aa-12ad, 12ba-12bd, 12ca-12cd, . . . identified by the identifying unit 34d. Specifically, corrective actions include reexamining the set temperature, reexamining the operation schedule, performing a filter inspection, and the like.
Based on the various values stored in the storage unit 33, the first screen generating unit 34g generates a first screen for displaying the information about the identified indoor units 12aa-12ad, 12ba-12bd, 12ca-12cd, . . . on the display unit 35. The first screen is a screen capable of switching the viewpoint and the indoor units 12aa-12ad, 12ba-12bd, 12ca-12cd, . . . identified by that viewpoint. In detail, tabs that display the identification result of each viewpoint of the plurality of viewpoints (i.e., excessive electric power consumption, long-time operation, and reduced comfort) are formed in the first screen. In each tab, the details of the corresponding identification result are displayed using a table and a scatter diagram. The first screen corresponds to an identification screen, which is discussed below, and is a screen wherein all of the identified indoor units 12aa-12ad, 12ba-12bd, 12ca-12cd, . . . can be visually verified. The second screen generating unit 34h generates a second screen, wherein the operation data related to a specific indoor unit of the identified indoor units 12aa-12ad, 12ba-12bd, 12ca-12cd, . . . can be visually verified. In detail, the second screen is a screen capable of switching between a tab that displays an operation status and a tab that displays problem occurrence days, both of which are based on the operation data related to the specific indoor unit. In the tab that displays the operation status, a graph is displayed that indicates the average operation status for the interval and the operating status for one day of the specific indoor unit. In the tab that displays the problem occurrence days, a table is displayed that indicates the problem occurrence days related to the plurality of viewpoints (i.e., excessive electric power consumption, long-time operation, and reduced comfort) of the specific indoor unit. In the second screen, a graph that aggregates operating data by the plurality of viewpoints is displayed. The second screen corresponds to a detailed screen, which is discussed below.
In accordance with an instruction that the input unit 32 accepts from the user, the display switching unit 34i switches the display from the first screen, which is displayed by the display unit 35, to the second screen, which displays the details of the indoor unit selected on the first screen. Namely, in accordance with an instruction from the user, the display switching unit 34i switches the screen displayed by the display unit 35 from the identification screen, which displays the identification results of all of the indoor units, to the detailed screen of the single indoor unit selected on the identification screen.
The display unit 35 is a display screen for displaying the information received by the comprehensive managing apparatus 30, displaying the first screen, displaying the second screen, and the like. The information displayed by the display unit 35 will be explained in detail in the <Illustrative Example of Management Screen and Operation> section.
The following text explains the prescribed problems, namely, excessive electric power consumption, long-time operation, and reduced comfort, of the indoor units identified by the air conditioner managing apparatus 40 according to the present embodiment.
The excessive consumption of electric power means that the electric power consumption value is large. The air conditioner managing apparatus 40 determines the reference value related to excessive electric power consumption, identifies the indoor units 12aa-12ad, 12ba-12bd, 12ca-12cd, . . . that have consumed amounts of electric power that exceed the reference value, and furthermore displays those identified indoor units 12aa-12ad, 12ba-12bd, 12ca-12cd, . . . in descending order based on their electric power consumption value. Furthermore, if their electric power consumption value has been corrected by the correcting unit 34e discussed above, then the order is determined based on the value corrected by the correcting unit 34e.
In the present embodiment, the air conditioner managing apparatus 40 uses the equation y=k·a·x to determine the reference value for determining which of the indoor units 12aa-12ad, 12ba-12bd, 12ca-12cd, . . . is consuming excessive electric power. Here, y is the reference value of the electric power consumption over the prescribed interval, x is an average operation time during the interval, k is a prescribed value determined when identification conditions are set, and a is the slope of the average electric power. The average electric power is the straight line approximation calculated using the least squares method for the average electric power consumption during the interval and the average operation time during the interval of each of the indoor units. Furthermore, when the average electric power consumption during the interval is given as y(i)<i=1, 2, . . . n (n: number of indoor units)> and the average operation time during the interval is given as x(i)<i=1, 2, . . . n (n: number of indoor units)>, the approximation curve is expressed by y=a·x, wherein the slope a is derived based on the equation below in which the squared error is minimized.
Long-time operation refers to operation wherein a cumulative operation time per day exceeds a prescribed determination value. The prescribed determination value is a prescribed value set by the user. In the present embodiment, the air conditioner managing apparatus 40 identifies those indoor units whose long-time operation occurrence day count during the target aggregation interval is greater than or equal to one day and furthermore displays the identified indoor units in descending order based on their long-time operation occurrence day count. The method of calculating the long-time operation occurrence day count, as shown in
(iii) Reduced Comfort
Reduced comfort refers to cases wherein an inlet temperature does not reach a temperature set in the indoor unit and to a state wherein a value of the difference between the average inlet temperature per hour and the average set temperature per hour is greater than or equal to the prescribed determination value. In the present embodiment, the air conditioner managing apparatus 40 identifies those indoor units wherein the reduced comfort state was greater than or equal to one hour during the target aggregation interval and furthermore displays the identified indoor units in order of the length of time spent in the reduced comfort state. Furthermore, if the correcting unit 34e discussed above made a correction, then the order is determined based on the corrected value by the correcting unit 34e. In the method of calculating the reduced comfort time, as shown in
The following text explains the screens displayed by the display unit 35 of the air conditioner managing apparatus 40. Furthermore, in
In
In
Like
Furthermore, in the lower part of the identification screen, a Display Details button (i.e., a symbol 705), a Set Identification Conditions button (i.e., a symbol 706), a Print Screen button (i.e., a symbol 707), and a Close button (i.e., a symbol 708) are provided. Pressing the Print Screen button (i.e., the symbol 707) prints the displayed screen, and pressing the Close button (i.e., the symbol 708) closes the identification screen. If a specific indoor unit is selected in any of the tables 504, 602, 702 of the identification screen and the Display Details button (i.e., the symbol 705) is pressed, then the input unit 32 accepts an instruction from the user, and the display switching unit 34i switches the display from the identification screen to the details screen, which displays the detailed information of the specific, single indoor unit that was selected. The following text explains the details screen that displays the detailed information, referencing
The details screen of the single, selected indoor unit has a tab (i.e., a symbol 801) that shows the details of the operation status and a tab (i.e., a symbol 802) that shows the details of the problem occurrence days. In
The screen shown in
The settings screen is provided with a location (i.e., a symbol 1001) wherein the dates of the target interval is input, locations (i.e., symbols 1002a-1002c) wherein the target indoor unit of the indoor units 12aa-12ad, 12ba-12bd, 12ca-12cd, . . . is selected, a location (i.e., a symbol 1003) for changing the determination criteria for excessive electric power consumption, a location (i.e., a symbol 1004) for changing the determination criteria for long-time operation, and a location (i.e., a symbol 1005) for changing the determination criteria for reduced comfort. In the locations (i.e., the symbols 1002a-1002c) wherein the target indoor unit of the indoor units 12aa-12ad, 12ba-12bd, 12ca-12cd, . . . is selected, the indoor units to be identified can be registered as a group and the conditions for identifying the problems can be set per group of the indoor units 12aa-12ad, 12ba-12bd, 12ca-12cd,
(1) If a plurality of multi-type air conditioners, each of which includes the plurality of indoor units 12aa-12ad, 12ba-12bd, 12ca-12cd, . . . , are installed in an office building and the like as illustrated in the present embodiment, then an administrator, who ascertains the operation status of the indoor units 12aa-12ad, 12ba-12bd, 12ca-12cd, . . . , checks the information regarding all of the indoor units 12aa-12ad, 12ba-12bd, 12ca-12cd, . . . using the air conditioner managing apparatus 40, which collects the information of each of the indoor units 12aa-12ad, 12ba-12bd, 12ca-12cd, . . . . At this time, to check whether, for example, the indoor units 12aa-12ad, 12ba-12bd, 12ca-12cd, . . . are running efficiently or are operating needlessly, a considerable amount of time and labor is needed to check each and every one of the indoor units 12aa-12ad, 12ba-12bd, 12ca-12cd, . . . .
However, in the air conditioner managing system according to the present embodiment, the air conditioner managing apparatus 40 provides determination references based on prescribed problems, namely, on the three indicators of excessive electric power consumption, long-time operation, and reduced comfort, identifies which indoor units 12aa-12ad, 12ba-12bd, 12ca-12cd, . . . exceed the relevant determination reference, and generates the identification screen that displays those indoor units 12aa-12ad, 12ba-12bd, 12ca-12cd, . . . . In this identification screen, the identification results of all target indoor units 12aa-12ad, 12ba-12bd, 12ca-12cd, . . . are displayed, which makes it possible to grasp the problems as a whole. Thereby, it is possible to limit the number of the indoor units 12aa-12ad, 12ba-12bd, 12ca-12cd, . . . that needs to be checked. In addition, the air conditioner managing apparatus 40 generates the details screen that displays the detailed information of the indoor units 12aa-12ad, 12ba-12bd, 12ca-12cd, . . . identified based on the three indicators. Thereby, it is possible to check in detail the status of problems that occurred in the target interval for a single indoor unit. Furthermore, the display switching unit 34i switches the identification screen displayed by the display unit 35 to the details screen of the single indoor unit selected via the identification screen. Accordingly, it is possible to easily specify the information of the indoor unit to be checked and to reduce the time and labor expended in performing that check.
(2) To estimate the amount of electric power consumed by the plurality of indoor units 12aa-12ad, 12ba-12bd, 12ca-12cd, . . . in an office building and the like, as exemplified in the present embodiment, the electric power consumption value of each of the indoor units is calculated by apportioning the total electric power consumption value among them. However, it is not appropriate to conclude that energy must be conserved for every one of the indoor units 12aa-12ad, 12ba-12bd, 12ca-12cd, . . . that exhibits a large electric power consumption value. Namely, even if the use of one of the indoor units 12aa-12ad, 12ba-12bd, 12ca-12cd, . . . is kept to the minimum necessary, there is still the case wherein that indoor unit will be used all day long and the case wherein that indoor unit will not be used all day long; in the former case, the electric power consumption value will be large, and consequently the above conclusion should not be made simply by comparing its electric power consumption value.
However, the air conditioner managing apparatus 40 according to the present invention acquires data related both to the operation history and to the operation state of each of the indoor units 12aa-12ad, 12ba-12bd, 12ca-12cd, . . . , and, based on this data, identifies those indoor units 12aa-12ad, 12ba-12bd, 12ca-12cd, . . . whose electric power consumption value per day during the prescribed interval is higher than the reference value. Namely, because the result of the identification takes into consideration the set temperature, the operation time, and the like, it is possible to easily specify the indoor units 12aa-12ad, 12ba-12bd, 12ca-12cd, . . . for which energy can be conserved. Furthermore, when identifying those indoor units 12aa-12ad, 12ba-12bd, 12ca-12cd, . . . that can save energy, the air conditioner managing apparatus 40 according to the present embodiment considers the air conditioning capacity of each of the indoor units. Specifically, when identifying those indoor units that can save energy or when setting the order of priority, if the electric power consumption value of a given indoor unit is large with respect to its rated air conditioning capacity, a correction—in addition to the correction wherein the order of priority of an indoor unit whose electric power consumption value is large with respect to its operation time is increased—is made that increases that indoor unit's order of priority. Accordingly, it is possible to compare the electric power consumption values taking into consideration differences in the air conditioning capacities.
(3) In addition, the air conditioner managing apparatus 40 according to the present embodiment can display the identification results for those indoor units 12aa-12ad, 12ba-12bd, 12ca-12cd, . . . determined to exhibit reduced comfort based on the values corrected by the reduced comfort occurrence rate as discussed above. For example, if we consider the case wherein the average time determined to exhibit reduced comfort is three hours when the average operation time per day is eight hours and the case wherein the average time determined to exhibit reduced comfort is two hours when the average operation time per day is four hours, then the problem severity of the latter is greater. Accordingly, displaying the identification results based on the values corrected for occurrence rate makes it possible to increase the priority of an indoor unit whose problem severity is substantially greater.
(1) The air conditioner managing apparatus 40 in the present embodiment comprises the local controller 20 and the comprehensive managing apparatus 30, but the air conditioner managing apparatus 40 may be a single apparatus that has the functions provided to the local controller 20 and the comprehensive managing apparatus 30.
(2) The present embodiment explained the air conditioner managing system that uses the single air conditioner managing apparatus 40 to manage a plurality of the air conditioners 10a, 10b, 10c, . . . in one property; however, as shown in
In such a case, a remote management apparatus 50 comprises a communication unit 51, a display unit 52, an input unit 53, and a control unit 54. The communication unit 51 sends signals to and receives signals from the air conditioner managing apparatuses 40a, 40b, 40c, . . . , and a screen needed for processing in the remote management apparatus 50 is displayed by the display unit 52. The input unit 53 accepts instructions from the user. The control unit 54 comprises an information acquiring unit 54a, an average value calculating unit 54b, a reference value determining unit 54c, a correcting unit 54d, and a transmitting unit 54e. The information acquiring unit 54a acquires from the air conditioner managing apparatuses 40a, 40b, 40c, . . . the operation data acquired by the air conditioner managing apparatuses 40a, 40b, 40c, . . . from the air conditioners 10a, 10b, 10c. The average value calculating unit 54b, the reference value determining unit 54c, and the correcting unit 54d of the remote management apparatus 50 have the same functions as the average value calculating unit 34b, the reference value determining unit 34c, and the correcting unit 34e of the comprehensive managing apparatus 30 in the present embodiment. The transmitting unit 54e transmits to the air conditioner managing apparatuses 40a, 40b, 40c, . . . the values acquired by the average value calculating unit 54b, the reference value determining unit 54c, and the correcting unit 54d. Thereby, each of the air conditioner managing apparatuses 40a, 40b, 40c, . . . can acquire the reference value and the average value that takes into consideration not only the operation data acquired from the air conditioners 10a, 10b, 10c, . . . installed in one property, but also the operation data acquired from other air conditioners 10a, 10b, 10c, . . . . Thereby, it is possible to compare the reference value and the average value based on a large amount of operation data for the electric power consumption values of each of the indoor units 12aa-12ad, 12ba-12bd, 12ca-12cd, . . . .
(3) In the present embodiment, the straight line approximation calculated using the least squares method is used as the average electric power and the reference value is determined based thereon; however, the reference value may be determined using a correction value obtained by the method of the present embodiment.
(4) In the present embodiment, the operation time is the thermostat ON time of each of the indoor units 12aa-12ad, 12ba-12bd, 12ca-12cd, . . . , but the operation time may be the time during which each of the indoor units 12aa-12ad, 12ba-12bd, 12ca-12cd, . . . is operating. In such a case, the operation time may be determined to be the time during which the power supply of the given indoor unit of the indoor units 12aa-12ad, 12ba-12bd, 12ca-12cd, . . . is ON; furthermore, the operation time may also be the time when only the fan is running.
(5) The corrective action selecting unit 34f considers the operation data, such as the set temperature and the operation time, of the indoor units 12aa-12ad, 12ba-12bd, 12ca-12cd, . . . identified by the identifying unit 34d and selects an appropriate corrective action for each problem; however, a plurality of corrective actions may be stored for each problem and, based on the identification results, one corrective action may be selected from among the plurality of corrective actions.
(6) In the present embodiment, the graphs (i.e., the symbols 804a, 804b) that show the operating status for a specific day display the first day of the aggregation interval as a default; however, the default may be set such that the day with the highest problem severity is displayed.
(7) In the details screens shown in
Furthermore, in the screen that displays the details regarding problem occurrence days in
(8) By selecting the Set Identification Conditions button (i.e., the symbol 706) provided in the lower part of the identification screen (in
Furthermore, as shown in
(9) In the air conditioner managing apparatus 40 according to the present embodiment, when a specific indoor unit of the indoor units 12aa-12ad, 12ba-12bd, 12ca-12cd, . . . is selected in the table 504 (refer to
The above text explained an embodiment of the present invention based on the drawings, but the specific constitution is not limited to these embodiments, and it is understood that variations and modifications may be effected without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
The present invention is useful as an air conditioner managing apparatus that facilitates the work of specifying and checking the details of indoor units with problems in a property such as an office building wherein a plurality of indoor units are installed.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2003-302092
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008-014247 | Jan 2008 | JP | national |
| 2008-028926 | Feb 2008 | JP | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/JP2009/050706 | 1/20/2009 | WO | 00 | 7/16/2010 |
