Environmental control apparatus, environmental control system, environmental control method, and environmental control program

Abstract

An environmental control apparatus that is installed in a room and is portable, includes a sensor unit, a determination unit, and an output unit. The sensor unit senses the air environment of the room. The determination unit determines whether the air environment of the room is within the range of a comfort zone based on information about the air environment of the room. The output unit, based on at least the information about the determination result of the determination unit, outputs information or a signal in order to make the air environment of the room fall within the range of the comfort zone.

1 . An environmental control apparatus that is installed in a room and is portable, comprising:
 a sensor unit configured to sense an air environmental factor of an air environment of the room;   a determination unit configured to determine whether the air environment of the room is within a range of a comfort zone based on information about the air environment of the room; and   an output unit configured to output information or a signal based on at least information about a determination result of the determination unit in order to make the air environment of the room fall within the range of the comfort zone.   
   
   
       2 . The environmental control apparatus as recited in  claim 1 , wherein
 the output unit includes a send unit configured to send a control signal to an air conditioner based on at least the information about the determination result of the determination unit in order to condition the air environment of the room so that the air environment of the room falls within the range of the comfort zone.   
   
   
       3 . The environmental control apparatus as recited in  claim 2 , further comprising
 a generation unit configured to generate the control signal based on at least the information about the determination result of the determination unit so that the air environment of the room falls within the range of the comfort zone.   
   
   
       4 . The environmental control apparatus as recited in  claim 3 , further comprising
 a calculation unit configured to calculate an amount of energy that is needed for the air conditioner to condition the air environment of the room,   the generation unit generating the control signal based on at least the information about the determination result of the determination unit so that the amount of energy does not exceed a prescribed target upper limit value and so that the air environment of the room falls within the range of the comfort zone.   
   
   
       5 . The environmental control apparatus as recited in  claim 1 , wherein
 the output unit includes a send unit configured to send the determination result of the determination unit to an air conditioner that conditions the air environment of the room.   
   
   
       6 . The environmental control apparatus as recited in  claim 5 , further comprising
 a calculation unit configured to calculate an amount of energy that is needed for the air conditioner to condition the air environment of the room,   the determination unit determining whether the amount of energy exceeds a prescribed target upper limit value and whether the air environment of the room is within the range of the comfort zone based on the information about the air environment of the room.   
   
   
       7 . The environmental control apparatus as recited in  claim 1 , wherein
 the air environmental factor of the room includes at least one of temperature, dew point temperature differential, humidity, atmospheric pressure, airflow, toxic substance concentration, dust concentration, and negative ion concentration of the room.   
   
   
       8 . The environmental control apparatus as recited in  claim 1 , wherein
 the air environmental factor of the room includes at least two of temperature, dew point temperature differential, humidity, atmospheric pressure, airflow, toxic substance concentration, dust concentration, and negative ion concentration of the room, and   the determination unit assigns a priority order to the air environmental factor of the room, and determines whether the air environment of the room is within the range of the comfort zone based on information about the air environmental factor of the room.   
   
   
       9 . The environmental control apparatus as recited in  claim 1 , further comprising
 an input unit configured to input a sense of comfort with respect to the air environment of the room; and   a setting unit configured to set the comfort zone of the air environment of the room based on information about the sense of comfort.   
   
   
       10 . The environmental control apparatus as recited in  claim 9 , further comprising
 a storage unit configured to store the comfort zone that was set by the setting unit.   
   
   
       11 . The environmental control apparatus as recited in  claim 1 , wherein
 the output unit includes a recommendation unit configured to recommend an improving method of improving the air environment of the room based on at least the information about the determination result of the determination unit so that the air environment of the room falls within the range of the comfort zone.   
   
   
       12 . The environmental control apparatus as recited in  claim 11 , further comprising
 a vocalization unit configured to report the improving method by using speech based on information about the improving method that was recommended by the recommendation unit.   
   
   
       13 . The environmental control apparatus as recited in  claim 11 , further comprising
 a display unit configured to display the improving method on a screen based on information about the improving method that was recommended by the recommendation unit.   
   
   
       14 . The environmental control apparatus as recited in  claim 11 , wherein
 the air environmental factor of the room includes at least one of temperature, dew point temperature differential, humidity, atmospheric pressure, airflow, toxic substance concentration, dust concentration, and negative ion concentration of the room.   
   
   
       15 . The environmental control apparatus as recited in  claim 11 , wherein
 the air environmental factor of the room includes at least two of temperature, dew point temperature differential, humidity, atmospheric pressure, airflow, toxic substance concentration, dust concentration, and negative ion concentration of the room, and   the determination unit assigns a priority order to the air environmental factor of the room, and determines whether the air environment of the room is within the range of the comfort zone based on information about the air environmental factor of the room.   
   
   
       16 . The environmental control apparatus as recited in  claim 11 , wherein
 the air environmental factor of the room includes at least two of temperature, dew point temperature differential, humidity, atmospheric pressure, airflow, toxic substance concentration, dust concentration, and negative ion concentration of the room, and   the recommendation unit assigns a priority order to the air environmental factor of the room, and recommends, based on at least the information about the determination result of the determination unit, a method of improving the air environment of the room so that it falls within the range of the comfort zone.   
   
   
       17 . The environmental control apparatus as recited in  claim 11 , wherein
 the improving method includes at least one of a ventilation method and an operation method of an air conditioner that conditions the air environment of the room.   
   
   
       18 . The environmental control apparatus as recited in  claim 17 , wherein
 the operation method of the air conditioner is an improving method for at least one of an operation mode, a set temperature, a set humidity, a set airflow, a set wind direction, an amount of dehumidification, an amount of humidification, an amount of ventilation, and an air cleaning performance of the air conditioner.   
   
   
       19 . The environmental control apparatus as recited in  claim 11 , further comprising
 an input unit configured to input a sense of comfort with respect to the air environment of the room; and   a setting unit configured to set the comfort zone of the air environment of the room based on information about the sense of comfort.   
   
   
       20 . The environmental control apparatus as recited in  claim 19 , further comprising
 a storage unit configured to store the comfort zone that was set by the setting unit.   
   
   
       21 . An environmental control system comprising:
 the environmental control apparatus as recited in  claim 2 ; and   an air conditioner configured to condition the air environment of the room based on information received from the environmental control apparatus so that the air environment of the room falls within the range of the comfort zone.   
   
   
       22 . An environmental control method wherein an apparatus, which is installed in a room and is portable, controls an air environment of the room, comprising:
 sensing the air environment of the room;   determining whether the air environment of the room is within a range of a comfort zone based on information about the air environment of the room; and   outputting information or a signal in order to make the air environment of the room fall within the range of the comfort zone based on at least the information about the determination result.   
   
   
       23 . The environmental control method as recited in  claim 22 , wherein
 the outputting information or a signal includes sending a control signal to an air conditioner, which conditions the air environment of the room, so that the air environment of the room falls within the range of the comfort zone based on at least the information about the determination result.   
   
   
       24 . The environmental control method as recited in  claim 22 , wherein
 the outputting information or a signal includes sending the information about the determination result to an air conditioner that conditions the air environment of the room.   
   
   
       25 . The environmental control method as recited in  claim 22 , wherein
 the outputting information or a signal includes recommending a method of improving the air environment of the room so that it falls within the range of the comfort zone based on at least the information about the determination result.   
   
   
       26 . A computer readable medium with an environmental control program stored thereon that causes an apparatus, which is installed in a room and is portable, to control an air environment of the room, comprising instructions for performing:
 sensing the air environment of the room;   determining whether the air environment of the room is within a range of a comfort zone based on information about the air environment of the room; and   outputting information or a signal in order to make the air environment of the room fall within the range of the comfort zone based on at least information about the determination result.   
   
   
       27 . The computer readable medium as recited in  claim 26 , wherein
 the outputting information or a signal includes sending a control signal to an air conditioner, which conditions the air environment of the room, so that the air environment of the room falls within the range of the comfort zone based on at least the information about the determination result.   
   
   
       28 . The computer readable medium as recited in  claim 26 , wherein
 the outputting information or a signal includes sending the information about the determination result to an air conditioner that conditions the air environment of the room.   
   
   
       29 . The computer readable medium as recited in  claim 26 , wherein
 the outputting information or a signal includes recommending a method of improving the air environment of the room so that it falls within the range of the comfort zone based on at least the information about the determination result.