Air Conditioning Apparatus, Control Method For Same, And Control Program

Abstract

An air purifier (10) that purifies air includes a comparing unit (11c) that compares indoor environment data acquired by an indoor environment acquiring unit (11a) with outdoor environment data that an outdoor environment acquiring unit (11b) has acquired via a communication network and a communication unit (15), and a speech control unit (11d) that controls speech of the air purifier (10) based on the comparison result.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present invention relates to an air conditioning apparatus that adjusts the state of air in a room and a control method therefor, and a control program.

BACKGROUND ART

[0002] Examples of the aforementioned air conditioning apparatus include air conditioners that have cooling/heating functions, air purifiers that have air cleaning functions of cleaning air in a room, humidifiers that have humidifying functions, and so forth. Generally, air purifiers detect the degree of impurity of the air in the room using an impurity sensor, and control operations of air purification in accordance with the detection results (e.g., air purifier described in PTL 1).

CITATION LIST

Patent Literature

[0003] PTL 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2012-097955

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

Technical Problem

[0004] In recent years, so-called network home appliances that are capable of communicating with external devices via a communication network are becoming commonplace. Accordingly, using information from an external device to perform appropriate operations is conceivable.

[0005] An aspect of the present invention has been made in light of the above-described problem, and it is an object thereof to provide an air conditioning apparatus or the like that performs operations in a more appropriate manner than conventionally, using information from an external device.

Solution to Problem

[0006] In order to solve the above problem, an air conditioning apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention is as air conditioning apparatus that executes air conditioning where a state of indoor air is adjusted. The air conditioning apparatus includes a detecting unit that detects a state of indoor air, an acquiring unit that acquires information of a state of outdoor air via a communication network, a comparing unit that compares the state of indoor air that the detecting unit has detected with the state of outdoor air that the acquiring unit has acquired, and an operation control unit that controls operations of the air conditioning apparatus based on a comparison result from the comparing unit.

Advantageous Effects of Invention

[0007] According to an aspect of the present invention, advantages can be yielded where operations can be performed in a more appropriate manner than conventionally, using information from an external device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0008] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an overview of an air conditioning support system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0009] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of an air purifier in the air conditioning support system.

[0010] FIG. 3 is a block unit illustrating a schematic configuration of a control unit and storage unit in the air purifier.

[0011] FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating the flow, of an example of speech control processing in the air purifier of the above configuration.

[0012] FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of speech control processing in an air purifier of an air conditioning support system according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0013] FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of the speech control processing.

[0014] FIG. 7 is a graph illustrating respective examples of change in PM 2.5 concentration over time, indoors and outdoors.

[0015] FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of an air purifier in an air conditioning support system according to yet another embodiment of the present invention.

[0016] FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of time lag measurement processing in the air purifier of the above configuration.

[0017] FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of drive control processing in the air purifier of the above configuration.

[0018] FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of an air purifier in an air conditioning support system according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0019] FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of airtightness determining processing in the air purifier of the above configuration.

[0020] FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of drive control processing in the air purifier of the above configuration.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

[0021] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail. Note that for the sake of convenience in description, members having the same functions as members shown in the embodiments are denoted by the same symbols, and description thereof will be omitted as appropriate.

First Embodiment

[0022] An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 1 through FIG. 4.

[0023] (Overview of Air Conditioning Support System)

[0024] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an overview of an air conditioning support system 1 according to the present embodiment. The air conditioning support system 1 has an air purifier 10 (air conditioning apparatus) installed in a user's home 50, a cloud server 20, and a mobile terminal 30 connected via a wide-area communication network 60 (communication network), as illustrated in FIG. 1. The air conditioning support system 1 supports air conditioning where the state of air in the room of the user's home 50 is adjusted. Note that while one air purifier 10, one cloud server 20, one mobile terminal 30, and one user's home 50 are exemplified in FIG. 1, these quantities and types are not restrictive.

[0025] The air purifier 10 purifies air in the room of the user's home 50. The air purifier 10 according to the present embodiment is a so-called network home appliance that has wireless communication functions for connecting with the wide-area communication network 60 and communicating with the cloud server 20. The wireless communication functions may be built into the main unit of the air purifier 10, or may be included in a communication adapter (omitted from illustration) externally attached to the main unit of the air purifier 10. Although the air purifier 10 has humidifying functions in the present embodiment, this does not have to be provided. Also, although the air purifier 10 is installed in the user's home 50 in the present embodiment as illustrated in FIG. 1, the location of installation is not restricted, and the air purifier 10 may be installed in an office or public space.

[0026] The mobile terminal 30 and air purifier 10 are registered in the cloud server 20 in a correlated manner in the present embodiment. The mobile terminal 30 is configured to be able to remotely operate the air purifier 10 registered in the cloud server 20 in a manner correlated with itself, via the cloud server 20. The mobile terminal 30 receives various types of information relating to the air purifier 10 registered in the cloud server 20 in a manner correlated with itself, from the cloud server 20. Examples of the mobile terminal 30 may include smartphones, tablet terminals, and the like. Multiple air purifiers 10 can be remotely operated from one mobile terminal 30. Also, one air purifier 10 can be remotely operated from multiple mobile terminals 30.

[0027] The cloud server 20 acquires outdoor environment data in each region, and provides outdoor environment data of the region where the user's home 50 is included to the air purifier 10 in the present embodiment. Accordingly, identification data of the region where the user's home 50 is included is registered in the cloud server 20 in a manner correlated with the air purifier 10. Note that the cloud server 20 may collect outdoor environment data of each region from sensors installed in the region, or may acquire outdoor environment data of each region that has been collected by a different server.

[0028] The environment data includes data (information) indicating the state of the air, and data indicating other environmental states. Examples of the data indicating the state of the air include concentrations of airborne microparticles (e.g., dust, pollen, PM 10, PM 2.5, and so forth), odor levels, temperature, humidity, and so forth. Examples of the data indicating other environmental states include illuminance and so forth. Also, examples of the identification data include the address, postal code, name of prefecture, and so forth, of the user's home 50.

[0029] A wireless LAN (wireless local area network), which is a narrowband communication network, is installed in the user's home 50. A relay station 40 of the wireless LAN is connected to the wide-area communication network 60 including the Internet. The relay station 40 is communication equipment such as a WiFi (registered trademark) router, a WiFi (registered trademark) access point, or the like, for example. Although a configuration where the Internet is included as the wide-area communication network 60 is exemplified in the present embodiment, telephone networks, mobile communication networks, CATV (cable television) communication networks, satellite communication networks, and so forth, can also be used.

[0030] The cloud server 20 and the air purifier 10 are capable of communication via the wide-area communication network 60 and the relay station 40 of the wireless LAN. The cloud server 20 and the mobile terminal 30 are also capable of communication via the wide-area communication network 60. Internet connection of the mobile terminal 30 and wide-area communication network 60 is performed using 3G (3rd Generation), LTE (Long Term Evolution), in-home or public WiFi (registered trademark) access points, or the like. Note that the air purifier 10 and mobile terminal 30 are both wireless communication equipment, and can communicate with each other via the relay station 40 without going through the wide-area communication network 60. Further, known arrangements can be used for the cloud server 20 and the mobile terminal 30, and accordingly detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0031] (Overview of Air Purifier)

[0032] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of the air purifier 10. The air purifier 10 includes a control unit 11, a storage unit 12 (storage device), a drive unit 13, a sensor unit 14, a communication unit 15, an operating panel 16, and an audio output unit 17, as illustrated in FIG. 2.

[0033] The control unit 11 controls operations of each of the units of the air purifier 10, and is made up of a computer device configured of a computation processing unit, such as a CPU (central processing unit) or dedicated processor, or the like, for example. The control unit 11 centrally controls operations of the units of the air purifier 10 by reading out and executing programs, which are stored in the storage unit 12, for implementing various types of control in the air purifier 10. Details of the control unit 11 will be described later.

[0034] The storage unit 12 stores various types of data used in the air purifier 10, and includes RAM (Random access memory), ROM (read only memory), an HDD (Hard disk drive), or the like.

[0035] The drive unit 13 executes air conditioning operations of the air purifier 10 such as air purifying operations, humidifying operations, and so forth, by being supplied with electric power. Examples of the drive unit 13 include a blower fan for blowing out air, a discharging device to generate ions or the like in air, a heater to evaporate water, and so forth. The drive unit 13 is controlled by the control unit 11.

[0036] The sensor unit 14 senses indoor environment of the user's home 50 where the air purifier 10 is installed. The sensor unit 14 according to the present embodiment includes a dust sensor 14a that detects microparticles such as dust, pollen, PM 2.5, and so forth, that are airborne in the room, an odor sensor 14b for detecting odor, an illuminance sensor 14c for detecting illuminance, a temperature sensor 14d for detecting temperature, a humidity sensor 14e for detecting humidity, and a human-presence sensor 14f for detecting a person. The sensor unit 14 may further have a CO.sub.2 sensor to detect CO.sub.2 concentration in the room. Note that known arrangements can be used for these sensors, and accordingly detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0037] The air purifier 10 performs air purifying operations so that the detection level of the microparticles such as dust and the like and odor detection level are each a predetermined level or lower. In a case where the detection level of illuminance is a predetermined level or lower, i.e., in a case where it is dark in the room, the air purifier 10 performs low-mode air purifying operations. Thus, the environment sensed by the dust sensor 14a, odor sensor 14b, and illuminance sensor 14c are necessary for the air purifier 10 to control air purifying operations.

[0038] The communication unit 15 performs mutual communication with the cloud server 20 via the relay station 40 of the wireless LAN and wide-area communication network 60, under control of the control unit 11.

[0039] The operating panel 16 is a user interface for the user to input instructions to the air purifier 10, and notification to be made regarding the state of the air purifier 10 under control of the control unit 11. Examples of states of the air purifier 10 include the operating mode, temperature and humidity in the room, value where electric power consumption is converted into electricity charges, degree of impurity (dust, odor, etc.) of the air in the room, whether or not humidification is performed, and so forth.

[0040] The audio output unit 17 is an audio output device such as a speaker or the like. The control unit 11 outputs audio based on audio data stored in the storage unit 12 from the audio output unit 17.

[0041] Note that the air purifier 10 is configured so as to be capable of being operated not only by remote operations from the mobile terminal 30, but also by near field wireless communication using infrared rays for example, from a remote controller that is omitted from illustration. Alternatively, operation by speech may be enabled.

[0042] The air purifier 10 further is provided with various members, such as a filter that is disposed in the flow path of air in the air purifier 10 to trap the microparticles in the air, a water tank storing water for the air purifier 10 to perform humidifying operations, and so forth, although omitted from the drawings. The sensor unit 14 also has various sensors, such as a sensor for sensing the water level in the water tank, a sensor for sensing blockage of the filter, and so forth. Blockage of the filter can be detected from change in amount of wind and pressure, degree of light transmission of the filter, and so forth. Sensing of blockage of the filter is used for notification prompting replacement of the filter. Note that the number of hours of use of the filter may be counted, and used for notification to prompt the replacement.

[0043] (Details of Air Purifier)

[0044] FIG. 3 is a block unit illustrating a schematic configuration of the control unit 11 and storage unit 12 in the air purifier 10. The control unit 11 has an indoor environment acquiring unit 11a (detecting unit), an outdoor environment acquiring unit 11b (acquiring unit), a comparing unit 11c, and a speech control unit 11d (operation control unit), as illustrated in FIG. 3. Also, the storage unit 12 has a speech content table 12a (annunciation correlation information).

[0045] The speech content table 12a includes speech content correlated with speech condition. The speech content table 12a may be stored in the air purifier 10 beforehand, or may be acquired from the cloud server 20 via the wide-area communication network 60, relay station 40, and communication unit 15, and stored in the storage unit 12.

[0046] The indoor environment acquiring unit 11a acquires (detects) environment data in the room which has been sensed (detected) by the sensor unit 14. The indoor environment acquiring unit 11a sends the acquired indoor environment data to the comparing unit 11c and the speech control unit 11d.

[0047] The outdoor environment acquiring unit 11b acquires outdoor environment data of the region including the user's home 50 from the cloud server 20 via the wide-area communication network 60, relay station 40, and communication unit 15. The outdoor environment acquiring unit 11b sends the acquired outdoor environment data to the comparing unit 11c.

[0048] The comparing unit 11c compares the indoor environment data from the indoor environment acquiring unit 11a and the outdoor environment data from the outdoor environment acquiring unit 11b. The comparing unit 11c notifies the speech control unit 11d of the comparison result.

[0049] In a case where a certain speech condition is satisfied, the speech control unit 11d controls the audio output unit 17 to reference the speech content table 12a of the storage unit 12 and speak speech content corresponding to the speech condition.

[0050] The speech control unit 11d further judges whether or not to perform the above speech on the basis of a comparison result from the comparing unit 11c in the present embodiment. Specifically, in a case where speech content of "ventilating the room is recommended" is selected from the speech content table 12a, the speech control unit 11d effects control not to speak the speech content in a case where the comparison result is that "data of outdoor environment from outdoor environment acquiring unit 11b is poorer than data of indoor environment from indoor environment acquiring unit 11a".

[0051] As one example, assumption will be made that the above speech content is correlated in the speech content table 12a with a speech condition of "indoor PM 2.5 concentration is 35 .mu.g/m.sup.3 or higher". In this case, even when the data of indoor environment from the indoor environment acquiring unit 11a satisfies the above speech condition, if the comparison result is that "outdoor PM 2.5 concentration is higher than indoor PM 2.5 concentration", control is effected by the speech control unit 11d so that the above speech content is not spoken.

[0052] Accordingly, operations of the air purifier 10 are controlled on the basis of the comparison result of the indoor environment data and outdoor environment data. Thus, more appropriate operations of the air purifier 10 can be realized, as compared to a conventional case where operations of the air conditioning apparatus are controlled on the basis of the state of the air in the room.

[0053] Also, speech (annunciation) to the user is controlled on the basis of the comparison result, and therefore more appropriate speech to the user can be realized. Also, in a case where the indoor environment data is better than the outdoor environment data, speech regarding ventilation is stopped, and therefore a situation where the indoor environment is worsened by performing ventilation can be avoided.

[0054] (Speech Control Processing)

[0055] FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of an example of speech control processing by the speech control unit 11d of the air purifier 10 of the above configuration. Note that the speech control processing illustrated in FIG. 4 may be performed periodically, or may be performed in accordance with some sort of trigger. As illustrated in FIG. 4, first, judgment is made regarding whether or not the indoor PM 2.5 concentration acquired from the indoor environment acquiring unit 11a satisfies a speech condition of 35 .mu.g/m.sup.3 or higher (S10). In a case where the speech condition is not satisfied (NO in S10), the air in the room is deemed to be clean, and the processing is ended without speaking.

[0056] On the other hand, in a case where the speech condition is satisfied (YES in S10), judgment is made regarding whether the outdoor environment acquiring unit 11b has acquired outdoor PM 2.5 concentration (S11). This judgment can be performed on the basis of whether or not outdoor PM 2.5 concentration can be acquired from the outdoor environment acquiring unit 11b. Alternatively, this may be performed on the basis of the comparison result from the comparing unit 11c. The reason is that in a case where the outdoor environment acquiring unit 11b has not acquired the outdoor PM 2.5 concentration, the comparing unit 11c can notify the speech control unit 11d that comparison is difficult to be made.

[0057] In a case where the outdoor PM 2.5 concentration is acquired (YES in S11), the comparison result from the comparing unit 11c is referenced, and judgment is made regarding whether or not the indoor PM 2.5 concentration is higher than the outdoor PM 2.5 concentration (S12). In a case where the indoor PM 2.5 concentration is higher than the outdoor PM 2.5 concentration (YES in S12), the speech content of "ventilating the room is recommended" is caused to be spoken via the audio output unit 17 (S13). Accordingly, the indoor PM 2.5 concentration can be improved (lowered) by the user ventilating the room. Thereafter, the processing ends.

[0058] On the other hand, in a case where the indoor PM 2.5 concentration is lower than the outdoor PM 2.5 concentration (NO in S12), the speech is not performed and processing is ended. Thus, a situation where the indoor PM 2.5 concentration is further worsened (raised) by the user ventilating the room can be avoided. Note that in a case where the outdoor PM 2.5 concentration has not been acquired (NO in S11), the speech content is caused to be spoken via the audio output unit 17 (S13) in the same way as conventionally, and thereafter the processing ends.

[0059] [Modification]

[0060] Note that the comparison result from the comparing unit 11c may be one of the speech conditions in the speech content table 12a. In this case, the speech control unit 11d can cause the audio output unit 17 to speak the speech content corresponding to the comparison result from the comparing unit 11c.

[0061] For example, in a case where the comparison result is that the indoor PM 2.5 concentration is lower than the outdoor PM 2.5 concentration, speech can be made that "The air outdoors is less clean than the air indoors, so please refrain from ventilating the room.". On the other hand, in a case where the comparison result is that the indoor PM 2.5 concentration is higher than the outdoor PM 2.5 concentration, speech can be made that "Please ventilate the room.".

Second Embodiment

[0062] Next, description of another embodiment of the present invention will be made with reference to FIG. 5 and FIG. 6. The air conditioning support system 1 according to the present embodiment differs from the air conditioning support system 1 illustrated in FIG. 1 through FIG. 4 with regard to operations of speech control at the speech control unit 11d of the air purifier 10, differs in that certain data is added to the speech content table 12a, and the other configurations are the same.

[0063] In the present embodiment, in a case where a certain speech condition is satisfied but the speech content corresponding to the speech condition does not need to be spoken immediately, i.e., there is no urgency, the speech control unit 11d causes the speech content to be spoken when the human-presence sensor 14f detects a person. The speech content table 12a also includes whether or not there is the aforementioned urgency (urgency information) for each speech content in the present embodiment. In this case, appropriate speech can be performed to the user in comparison with the conventional case where speech of content without urgency is performed regardless of whether or not there is a user.

[0064] For example, a case will be assumed where speech content of "good morning" is correlated in the speech content table 12a with a speech condition of "the illuminance sensor 14c detecting that the surroundings are gradually becoming brighter", and urgency information of "no urgency" is correlated. At this time, even if the above speech condition is satisfied, the speech control unit 11d does not immediately speak, but rather speaks the above speech content when the human-presence sensor 14f detects a person.

[0065] FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 are flowcharts illustrating the flow of speech control processing at the speech control unit 11d according to the present embodiment. Note that the speech control processing in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 may each be performed periodically, or may be performed in accordance with some sort of trigger.

[0066] As illustrated in FIG. 5, judgment is made whether or not any of various speech conditions included in the speech content table 12a is satisfied (S20). In a case where none of these speech conditions is satisfied (NO in S20), the processing ends.

[0067] On the other hand, in a case where any of the speech conditions is satisfied (YES in S20), the speech content table 12a is referenced, and judgment is made regarding whether or not the speech content corresponding to the relevant speech condition has urgency (S21). In a case where there is urgency (YES in S21), the speech content is spoken via the audio output unit 17 (S22), and thereafter the processing ends. In a case where there is no urgency on the other hand (NO in S21), the speech content is suspended (S23), and thereafter the processing ends.

[0068] Judgment is made regarding whether or not the human-presence sensor 14f has detected a person (S30), as illustrated in FIG. 6. In a case where no person is detected (NO in S30), the processing ends. On the other hand, in case where a person is detected (YES in S30), judgment is made regarding whether or not there is speech content that has been suspended (S31). In a case where there is none of the speech content (NO in S31), the processing ends.

[0069] On the other hand, in a case where there is suspended speech content (YES in S31), judgment is made regarding whether or not it is appropriate to speak the speech content at the current point (S32). For example, if the speech content that has been suspended is "good morning" and the current time is evening, the speech content is not appropriate. In a case of not being appropriate (NO in S32), the flow advances to step S34. On the other hand, in a case of being appropriate to speak the speech content at the current point (YES in S32), the speech content is spoken via the audio output unit 17 (S33), and the flow advances to step S34.

[0070] In step S34, the speech content, which is to say, the speech content not appropriate to speak at the current point, or speech content that has been spoken is cancelled from the suspended speech content. Thereafter, the processing is ended.

[0071] (Additional Notes)

[0072] In a case where a certain speech condition is satisfied but the speech content corresponding to the speech condition has no urgency, the speech control unit 11d may speak the speech content at a time when the frequency of the human-presence sensor 14f detecting a person exceeds a reference value. This can be done by changing step S30 illustrated in FIG. 6 to a step of judging whether or not the above frequency of detecting a person exceeds a reference value.

Third Embodiment

[0073] Next, yet another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 7 through FIG. 10. The air conditioning support system 1 according to the present embodiment differs from the air conditioning support system 1 illustrated in FIG. 1 through FIG. 4 with regard to the configuration of the control unit 11 in the air purifier 10, and other configurations are the same.

[0074] Now, indoors is not normally a space that is completely airtight from the outdoors. Accordingly, the indoor environment will change in accordance with change in the outdoor environment.

[0075] FIG. 7 is a graph illustrating respective examples of change in PM 2.5 concentration over time, indoors and outdoors. It can be understood from referencing FIG. 7 that a while after the outdoor PM 2.5 concentration starts to rise, the indoor PM 2.5 concentration also starts to rise. Thus, there is a time lag .DELTA.t from the outdoor PM 2.5 concentration starting to rise until the indoor PM 2.5 concentration starts to rise.

[0076] Accordingly, the air purifier 10 according to the present embodiment measures the time lag between change (deterioration) in the outdoor environment and change in the indoor environment beforehand, and when the outdoor environment changes, the driving unit is controlled at a timing based on the above time lag, so as to handle the changing environment. In this case, the aforementioned air purifying can be executed at an appropriate timing before the indoor environment changes due to the outdoor environment changing. As a result, effects on the indoor environment due to the outdoor environment deteriorating can be suppressed.

[0077] That is to say, while passive control, where air purifying operations are strengthened upon the indoor environment deteriorating, has been conventionally performed, active control where air purifying operations are strengthened before the indoor environment deteriorating can be performed in the present embodiment.

[0078] FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of the air purifier 10 according to the present embodiment. The control unit 11 illustrated in FIG. 8 differs from the control unit 11 illustrated in FIG. 3 with regard to the point that a time lag measuring unit 11e (comparing unit) is provided instead of the comparing unit 11c, and the point that a drive control unit 11f (operation control unit) is provided instead of the speech control unit 11d, and other configurations are the same.

[0079] The time lag measuring unit 11e compares indoor environment data from the indoor environment acquiring unit 11a and outdoor environment data from the outdoor environment acquiring unit 11b, and measures the time lag, which is the period from the outdoor environment data starting to change until the indoor environment data starts to change. The time lag measuring unit 11e notifies the drive control unit 11f of the determined time lag.

[0080] The drive control unit 11f controls driving of the drive unit 13 on the basis of various detection results from the sensor unit 14, or on the basis of instructions from the user via the operating panel 16 or communication unit 15. For example, in a case where the dust sensor 14a detects a rise in PM 2.5 concentration, the blower fan is instructed to raise the rotation rate.

[0081] In the present embodiment, the drive control unit 11f acquires time lag from the time lag measuring unit 11e beforehand, and upon the outdoor environment from the outdoor environment acquiring unit 11b changing, controls the drive unit 13 to handle the change in environment, at a timing based on the time lag.

[0082] FIG. 9 and FIG. 10 are flowcharts illustrating the flows of time lag measurement processing and drive control processing at the time lag measuring unit 11e and drive control unit 11f of the air purifier 10 having the configuration described above. The processing illustrated in FIG. 9 and the processing illustrated in FIG. 10 are preferably performed in an alternating manner.

[0083] First, judgment is made regarding whether or not outdoor environment data has changed (S40), as illustrated in FIG. 9. In a case where outdoor environment data has not changed (NO in S40), the processing ends. On the other hand, in a case where outdoor environment data has changed (YES in S40), the flow stands by until indoor environment data changes (S41). Upon indoor environment data changing, the time lag between outdoor environment data changing and outdoor environment data changes is measured (S42), and the drive control unit 11f is notified of the measured time lag (S43). Thereafter, the processing ends.

[0084] As illustrated in FIG. 10, whether outdoor environment data has changed is first judged (S50). In a case where outdoor environment data has not changed (NO in S50), the processing ends. On the other hand, in a case where outdoor environment data has changed (YES in S50), a point in time where change in the outdoor environment data can be appropriately handled is determined on the basis of the time lag from the time lag measuring unit 11e (S51). Upon this point in time arriving (S52), the drive unit 13 controlled so as to handle the change in the outdoor environment data (S53). Thereafter, the processing ends.

[0085] [Additional Notes]

[0086] Note that the time lag measuring unit 11e may store history of measured time lags in the storage unit 12, and determine the time lag at the current point on the basis of the time lag history. The drive control unit 11f may also control the drive unit 13 to handle forecasts of outdoor environment, such as weather forecasts, pollen forecast, and so forth. In this case, step S50 can be changed to a step of judging whether or not a forecast that the outdoor environment data will change has been acquired.

Fourth Embodiment

[0087] Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 11 and FIG. 12. The air conditioning support system 1 according to the present embodiment differs from the air conditioning support system I illustrated in FIG. 1 through FIG. 4 with regard to the configuration of the control unit 11 in the air purifier 10, and other configurations are the same.

[0088] FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of the air purifier 10 according to the present embodiment. The control unit 11 illustrated in FIG. 11 differs from the control unit 11 illustrated in FIG. 8 with regard to the point that an airtightness determining unit 11 (comparing unit) is provided instead of the time lag measuring unit 11e, and the point that a drive control unit 11h (operation control unit) is provided instead of the drive control unit 11f, and other configurations are the same.

[0089] The indoor environment changes in accordance with change in the outdoor environment, as described above. However, it is conceivable that the effects of change in the indoor environment in accordance with change in the outdoor environment are dependent on the airtightness of the room. That is to say, it is conceivable that the lower the airtightness of the room is, the greater the effects will be, and the higher the airtightness of the room is, the smaller the effects will be. Referencing the graph in FIG. 7, it is conceivable that the difference .DELTA.x between the outdoor PM 2.5 concentration and the indoor PM 2.5 concentration corresponds to the airtightness.

[0090] Accordingly, in the air purifier 10 according to the present embodiment, the airtightness determining unit 11g calculates the difference .DELTA.x between the outdoor environment data and the indoor environment data during a steady state period where there is no change in the indoor environment data from the indoor environment acquiring unit 11a and the outdoor environment data from the outdoor environment acquiring unit 11b, and determines the airtightness of the room on the basis of the calculated difference .DELTA.x. The airtightness determining unit 11g notifies the drive control unit 11h of the airtightness data that has been determined.

[0091] The drive control unit 11h controls driving of the drive unit 13 on the basis of various detection results from the sensor unit 14, or on the basis of instructions from the user via the operating panel 16 or communication unit 15, in the same way as the above-described drive control unit 11f. In the present embodiment, the drive control unit 11h acquires airtightness from the airtightness determining unit 11g beforehand, and when the outdoor environment from the outdoor environment acquiring unit 11b changes, controls the drive unit 13 so as to handle the change in the environment taking into consideration the airtightness from the airtightness determining unit 11g.

[0092] For example, in a case where airtightness is low, an arrangement where the drive control unit 11h operates the drive unit 13 as following can be conceived. That is to say, even if the airborne pollen count outdoors is low, air purifying operations to handle pollen are performed. Also, in a case of a weather forecast of rain, an air purifier 10 that has humidifying functions stops humidifying operations (humidifying running) beforehand, while an air purifier 10 that has dehumidifying functions executes strong dehumidifying operations (dehumidifying running) beforehand. Also, in a case of a weather forecast of dry weather, an air purifier 10 that has humidifying functions executes strong humidifying operations beforehand.

[0093] On the other hand, in a case where airtightness is high, an arrangement where the drive control unit 11h operates the drive unit 13 as following can be conceived. That is to say, if the airborne pollen count outdoors is high, air purifying operations to handle pollen are performed. Also, in a case or a weather forecast of rain, an air purifier 10 that has humidifying functions executes low-mode humidifying operations beforehand, while an air purifier 10 that has dehumidifying functions executes low-mode dehumidifying operations beforehand. In a case of a weather forecast of dry weather, an air purifier 10 that has humidifying functions executes low-mode humidifying operations beforehand.

[0094] Now, it is conceivable that rooms with high airtightness are poorly ventilated. Accordingly, is a case of high airtightness, an arrangement is conceivable where the drive control unit 11h causes the drive unit 13 to execute strong air purifying operations.

[0095] According to the above configuration, the airtightness can be comprehended, whereby effects on the indoor environment based on the outdoor environment can be comprehended. Accordingly, the air purifying operations in accordance with change in the outdoor environment can be appropriately executed, taking airtightness into consideration.

[0096] FIG. 12 and FIG. 13 are respective flowcharts illustrating the flow of airtightness determination processing and drive control processing at the airtightness determining unit 11g and drive control unit 11h of the air purifier 10 having the above configuration. The processing illustrated in FIG. 12 and the processing illustrated in FIG. 13 are preferably performed as appropriate.

[0097] First, judgment is made regarding whether or not neither environment data of indoors nor outdoors has changed (S60), as illustrated in FIG. 12. If at least one of the environment data has changed (NO in S60), the processing ends. On the other hand, in a case where neither of the environment data has changed (YES in S60), the airtightness of the room is determined on the basis of the difference .DELTA.x between the outdoor environment data and the indoor environment data (S61), and the drive control unit 11h is notified of the airtightness that has been determined (S62). Thereafter, the processing ends.

[0098] As illustrated in FIG. 13, first, judgment is made regarding whether or not there is change in outdoor environment data (S70). In a case where there is no change in the outdoor environment data (NO in S70), the processing ends. On the other hand, in a case where the outdoor environment data has changed (YES in S70), the drive unit 13 is controlled so as to be able to handle change in the outdoor environment data, taking the airtightness from the airtightness determining unit 11g into consideration (S71). Thereafter, the processing ends.

[0099] [Additional Notes]

[0100] Although the air purifier 10 that purifies air in a room is described in the present embodiment, the present invention can be applied to any air conditioning apparatus that adjusts the condition of air in a room, such as air conditioners, humidifiers, and so forth.

[0101] Also, outdoor environment data is acquired from the cloud server 20 in the above embodiments, but outdoor environment data detected by various sensors installed outdoors may be acquired via a narrowband communication network, such as a wireless LAN or the like.

[0102] [Example of Realization by Software]

[0103] The control block (particularly control unit 11) of the air purifier 10 may be realized by a logic circuit (hardware) formed in an integrated circuit (IC chip) or the like, or may be realized by software using a CPU (Central Processing Unit).

[0104] In a case of the latter, the air purifier 10 has a CPU that executes commands of programs that are software realizing each of the functions, ROM (Read Only Memory) or a storage device (these are referred to as "recording media") where the programs and various types of data are computer (or CPU)-readably recorded, RAM (Random Access Memory) where the programs are loaded, and so forth. The object of the present invention is realized by a computer (or CPU) reading the programs from the recording media and executing. For the recording media, "non-transitory tangible media", for example, a tape, disk/disc, card, semiconductor memory, programmable logical circuit, or the like, can be used. The above programs may be supplied to the computer via any transmission medium (communication network, broadcast waves, etc.) that is capable of transmitting the programs. Note that one form of the present invention may be realized in the form of data signals embedded in carrier waves realized by electronic transmission of the above programs.

[0105] [Summarization]

[0106] An air conditioning apparatus according to a first form of the present invention is an air conditioning apparatus that executes air conditioning where a state of indoor air is adjusted. The air conditioning apparatus includes a detecting unit that detects a state of indoor air, an acquiring unit that acquires information of a state of outdoor air via a communication network, a comparing unit that compares the state of indoor air that the detecting unit has detected with the state of outdoor air that the acquiring unit has acquired, and an operation control unit that controls operations of the air conditioning apparatus based on a comparison result from the comparing unit.

[0107] According to the above configuration, operations of the air conditioning apparatus are controlled based on the comparison result of the state of indoor air and state of outdoor air. Thus, more appropriate operations of the air conditioning apparatus can be realized, as compared to a conventional case where operations of the air conditioning apparatus are controlled based on the state of the indoor air.

[0108] Note that examples of the state of the air include temperature, humidity, concentrations of airborne microparticles, odor levels, and so forth. Examples of the microparticles include dust, pollen, PM 10, PM 2.5, and so forth. The state of the outdoor air may be the state of air near the home, or may be the state of air of the region where the house is included. Information of the state of outdoor air can be acquired from detectors that detect the state of outdoor air, or a server that provides the state of outdoor air, or some other external device, via a communication network, to acquire the state of outdoor air.

[0109] In an air conditioning apparatus according to a second form of the present invention, in the first form, the operation control unit may control annunciation to a user based on a comparison result from the comparing unit. In this case, more appropriate annunciation to the user can be realized. Note that this annunciation may be performed via an annunciation device included in the air conditioning apparatus, or may be performed via a communication device, communication network, and user terminal.

[0110] In an air conditioning apparatus according to a third form of the present invention, in the second form, in a case where the state of indoor air is better than the state of outdoor air, the operation control unit may stop annunciation for ventilation. In this case, a situation where the state of the air indoors is worsened by performing ventilation can be avoided.

[0111] In an air conditioning apparatus according to a fourth form of the present invention, the air conditioning apparatus of the second form may further include a human-presence sensor that detects a person, and a storage device that stores annunciation correlation information, where content of the annunciation, and urgency information indicating whether the content has urgency, are correlated. The operation control unit may reference the annunciation correlation information, and annunciation of content without urgency may be performed in a case where the human-presence sensor detects a person. In this case, annunciation can be made to the user that is more appropriate as compared to a conventional case where annunciation of content not having urgency is performed regardless of whether or not a user is present.

[0112] In an air conditioning apparatus according to a fifth form of the present invention, in the any one of the first through forth forms, the comparing unit may measure a time lag between change of the state of indoor air and change of the state of outdoor air, and when the state of outdoor air changes, the operation control unit may execute air conditioning corresponding to the change at a timing based on the time lag. In this case, the air conditioning can be executed at an appropriate timing before the state of the indoor air changes, due to the state of the outdoor air changing. As a result, effects on the state of the indoor air due to the state of the outdoor air deteriorating can be suppressed.

[0113] In an air conditioning apparatus according to a sixth form of the present invention, in the any one of the first through fifth forms, based on a difference between a steady state of outdoor air and a steady state of indoor air, the comparing unit may determine airtightness of indoors as to outdoors, and the operation control unit may take the airtightness into consideration when the operation control unit executes air conditioning corresponding to change in the state of outdoor air. Due to being able to comprehend the airtightness, effects on the state of indoor air based on the state of outdoor air can be comprehended. Accordingly, the air conditioning to handle change in the state of the outdoor air can be appropriately executed taking the airtightness into consideration.

[0114] A control method for an air conditioning apparatus according to a seventh form of the present invention is a control method for an air conditioning apparatus that executes air conditioning where a state of indoor air is adjusted, the method includes a detecting step of detecting a state of indoor air, an acquiring step of acquiring information of a state of outdoor air via a communication network, a comparing step of comparing the state of indoor air detected in the detecting step with the state of outdoor air acquired in the acquiring step, and a control step of controlling operations of the air conditioning apparatus based on a comparison result from the comparing step. In this case, advantages the same as the first form above can be had.

[0115] The air conditioning apparatus according to the forms of the present invention may be realized by a computer. In this case, a control program for the air conditioning apparatus that causes the computer to realize the air conditioning apparatus by causing the computer to operate as components (software elements) of the air conditioning apparatus, and a computer-readable recording medium in which the program is recorded, are encompassed by the scope of the present invention.

[0116] The present invention is not restricted to the above-described embodiments. Various modifications can be made within the scope set forth in the Claims, and embodiments acquired by appropriately combining technical measures disclosed in different embodiments also are included in the technical scope of the present disclosure. Further, new technical features can be formed by combining technical measures disclosed in each of the embodiments.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST

[0117] 1 air conditioning support system

[0118] 10 air purifier (air conditioning apparatus)

[0119] 11 control unit

[0120] 11a indoor environment acquiring unit (detecting unit)

[0121] 11b outdoor environment acquiring unit (acquiring unit)

[0122] 11c comparing unit

[0123] 11d speech control unit (operation control unit)

[0124] 11e time lag measuring unit (comparing unit)

[0125] 11f, 11h drive control unit (operation control unit)

[0126] 11g airtightness determining unit (comparing unit)

[0127] 12 storage unit (storage device)

[0128] 12a speech content table (annunciation correlation information)

[0129] 13 drive unit

[0130] 14 sensor unit

[0131] 14a dust sensor

[0132] 14b odor sensor

[0133] 14c illuminance sensor

[0134] 14d temperature sensor

[0135] 14e humidity sensor

[0136] 14f human-presence sensor

[0137] 15 communication unit

[0138] 16 operating panel

[0139] 17 audio output unit

[0140] 20 cloud server

[0141] 30 mobile terminal

[0142] 40 relay station

[0143] 50 user's home

[0144] 60 wide-area communication network (communication network)

Claims

1. An air conditioning apparatus that executes air conditioning where a state of indoor air is adjusted, the air conditioning apparatus comprising: a detecting unit that detects a state of indoor air; an acquiring unit that acquires information of a state of outdoor air via a communication network; a comparing unit that compares the state of indoor air that the detecting unit has detected with the state of outdoor air that the acquiring unit has acquired; and an operation control unit that controls operations of the air conditioning apparatus based on a comparison result from the comparing unit.

2. The air conditioning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the operation control unit controls annunciation to a user, based on a comparison result from the comparing unit.

3. The air conditioning apparatus according to claim 2, wherein, in a case where the state of indoor air is better than the state of outdoor air, the operation control unit stops annunciation for ventilation.

4. The air conditioning apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising: a human-presence sensor that detects a person; and a storage device that stores annunciation correlation information, where content of the annunciation, and urgency information indicating whether the content has urgency, are correlated, wherein the operation control unit references the annunciation correlation information, and annunciation of content without urgency is performed in a case where the human-presence sensor detects a person.

5. The air conditioning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the comparing unit measures a time lag between change of the state of indoor air and change of the state of outdoor air, and wherein, when the state of outdoor air changes, the operation control unit executes air conditioning corresponding to the change at a timing based on the time lag.

6. The air conditioning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, based on a difference between a steady state of outdoor air and a steady state of indoor air, the comparing unit determines airtightness of indoors as to outdoors, and wherein the operation control unit takes the airtightness into consideration when the operation control unit executes air conditioning corresponding to change in the state of outdoor air.

7. A control program that causes a computer to function as the air conditioning apparatus according to claim 1, the control program causing the computer to function as the units.

8. A control method for an air conditioning apparatus that executes air conditioning where a state of indoor air is adjusted, the method comprising: a detecting step of detecting a state of indoor air; an acquiring step of acquiring information of a state of outdoor air via a communication network; a comparing step of comparing the state of indoor air detected in the detecting step with the state of outdoor air acquired in the acquiring step; and a control step of controlling operations of the air conditioning apparatus based on a comparison result from the comparing step.

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