Air-conditioning system

Abstract

An air-conditioning system includes an air-conditioning apparatus, a storage device, a deterioration estimation unit, a lifetime calculation circuitry, a control construction circuitry, and an air-conditioning control circuitry. The storage device stores the values of a plurality of contrast parameters indicating the operating status of a plurality of air-conditioning apparatuses including a contrast air-conditioning apparatus that is identical in condition to the air-conditioning apparatus and stores contrast deterioration information items indicating on a time-series basis the degree of deterioration. The deterioration estimation circuitry estimates, based on the values of an operation parameter and a contrast parameter, the degree of deterioration of the air-conditioning apparatus. The lifetime calculation circuitry extracts, based on the degree of deterioration, an extracted deterioration information item. The control construction circuitry constructs, based on the deterioration information item, a content of control that extends the life of the air-conditioning apparatus.

1 . An air-conditioning system comprising:
 an air-conditioning apparatus configured to carry out air conditioning in a room;   a plurality of air-conditioning sensors configured to sense values of a plurality of operation parameters indicating an operating status of the air-conditioning apparatus;   a storage device configured to store values of a plurality of contrast parameters indicating an operating status of a plurality of air-conditioning apparatuses including a contrast air-conditioning apparatus that is identical in condition to the air-conditioning apparatus and each including a plurality of components and store a plurality of contrast deterioration information items indicating on a time-series basis at least any of a degree of deterioration of each of the plurality of air-conditioning apparatuses, a degree of deterioration of each of the plurality of components in each of the plurality of air-conditioning apparatuses, and degrees of deterioration of two or more of the plurality of components in each of the plurality of air-conditioning apparatuses as based on the values of all or some of the plurality of contrast parameters;   a deterioration estimation circuitry configured to estimate a degree of deterioration of a physical object by cross-checking the values of all or some of the plurality of operation parameters sensed by the plurality of air-conditioning sensors against the values of all or some of the plurality of contrast parameters extracted of the contrast air-conditioning apparatus, the physical object being the air-conditioning apparatus or one or more of the plurality of components in the air-conditioning apparatus;   a lifetime calculation circuitry configured to extract, based on the degree of deterioration on a time-series basis in a predetermined cross-check time range as estimated by the deterioration estimation circuitry an extracted deterioration information item from among the plurality of contrast deterioration information items stored in the storage device and calculate a lifetime of the physical object from a current point in time to a time of failure using the extracted deterioration information item, the extracted deterioration information item being one of the contrast deterioration information items;   a control construction circuitry configured to construct, based on the extracted deterioration information item extracted by the lifetime calculation circuitry, a content of control for extending the lifetime calculated by the lifetime calculation circuitry; and   an air-conditioning control circuitry configured to control the air-conditioning apparatus based on the content of control constructed by the control construction circuitry.   
     
     
         2 . (canceled) 
     
     
         3 . The air-conditioning system of  claim 1 , wherein in a case in which the physical object is the air-conditioning apparatus, the deterioration estimation circuitry estimates a degree of deterioration of the air-conditioning apparatus based on a degree of deterioration of each of the plurality of components in the air-conditioning apparatus. 
     
     
         4 . The air-conditioning system of  claim 1 , wherein the lifetime calculation circuitry cross-checks one or more of the plurality of contrast deterioration information items indicating on a time-series basis the degree of deterioration of any of the plurality of air-conditioning apparatuses and the plurality of components in each of the plurality of air-conditioning apparatuses that corresponds to the physical object and the degree of deterioration of the physical object at a plurality of points in time in the cross-checking time range as estimated by the deterioration estimation circuitry, extracts the extracted deterioration information item from among the one or more deterioration information items based on a result of cross-checking, predicts the time of failure in the physical object using the extracted deterioration information item, and calculates the lifetime based on the time of failure and the current point in time. 
     
     
         5 . The air-conditioning system of  claim 1 , to wherein the lifetime calculation circuitry extracts the extracted deterioration information item from among one or more of the plurality of contrast deterioration information items indicating on a time-series basis the degree of deterioration of any of the contrast air-conditioning apparatus and the plurality of components in the contrast air-conditioning apparatus. 
     
     
         6 . The air-conditioning system of  claim 1 , wherein
 the storage device stores, in association with each of the plurality of contrast deterioration information items, one or more patterns of control for delaying deterioration of each of the plurality of air-conditioning apparatuses, each of the plurality of components in each of the plurality of air-conditioning apparatuses, or two or more of the plurality of components in each of the plurality of air-conditioning apparatuses, and   the control construction circuitry constructs the content of control using at least one of the one or more patterns of control associated with the extracted deterioration information item.   
     
     
         7 . The air-conditioning system of  claim 6 , wherein
 the storage device stores, in association with each other, two or more of or one of the plurality of contrast deterioration information items indicating on a time-series basis a degree of deterioration of any of the plurality of air-conditioning apparatuses and the plurality of components in each of the plurality of air-conditioning apparatuses and a plurality of the patterns of control for delaying deterioration of any of the plurality of air-conditioning apparatuses and the plurality of components in each of the plurality of air-conditioning apparatuses,   the storage device stores weights assigned separately to each of the plurality of patterns of control,   greater ones of the weights are assigned separately to each of the plurality of patterns of control in ascending order of extension of a life of any of the plurality of air-conditioning apparatuses and the plurality of components in each of the plurality of air-conditioning apparatuses, and   in a case in which the plurality of patterns of control are associated with the extracted deterioration information item, the control construction circuitry selects the at least one pattern of control from among the plurality of patterns of control in descending order of the weights assigned thereto.   
     
     
         8 . The air-conditioning system of  claim 7 , wherein the weights are defined by artificial intelligence learning. 
     
     
         9 . The air-conditioning system of  claim 7 , wherein
 the deterioration estimation circuitry estimates the degree of deterioration of the physical object based on the values of all or some of the plurality of operation parameters of the air-conditioning apparatus as sensed at a point in time after passage of a predetermined correction time since a point in time at which the air-conditioning apparatus started operating in accordance with the content of control constructed by the control construction circuitry,   in a case in which the degree of deterioration estimated by the deterioration estimation circuitry is higher than or equal to the degree of deterioration at a point in time after passage of the correction time in the extracted deterioration information item and the plurality of patterns of control are associated with the extracted deterioration information item, the control construction circuitry reduces a weight assigned to the at least one pattern of control used in construction of the content of control, and   the control construction circuitry constructs the content of control using at least one of the plurality of patterns of control other than the at least one pattern of control used in the construction of the content of control.   
     
     
         10 . The air-conditioning system of  claim 6 , wherein
 the deterioration estimation circuitry estimates the degree of deterioration of the physical object based on the values of all or some of the plurality of operation parameters of the air-conditioning apparatus as sensed at a point in time after passage of a predetermined correction time since a point in time at which the air-conditioning apparatus started operating in accordance with the content of control constructed by the control construction circuitry,   in a case in which the degree of deterioration estimated by the deterioration estimation circuitry is higher than or equal to the degree of deterioration at a point in time after passage of the correction time in the extracted deterioration information item and the plurality of patterns of control are associated with the extracted deterioration information item, the control construction circuitry constructs the content of control using at least one of the plurality of patterns of control other than the at least one pattern of control used in construction of the content of control.   
     
     
         11 . The air-conditioning system of  claim 6 , wherein
 the air-conditioning apparatus carries out air conditioning in the room by causing refrigerant to circulate through a refrigerant circuit and causing the refrigerant and air inside and outside the room to exchange heat with each other,   the air-conditioning apparatus includes
 a compressor provided in the refrigerant circuit and configured to compress and discharge the refrigerant, 
 an expansion valve provided in the refrigerant circuit and configured to decompress the refrigerant, and 
 an air-sending device configured to send heat-exchanged air into or out of the room, and 
   any of the one or more patterns of control is control of change in frequency of the compressor, control of change in air volume of the air-sending device, or control of change in opening degree of the expansion valve.   
     
     
         12 . The air-conditioning system of  claim 1 , wherein the contrast air-conditioning apparatus satisfies at least either a condition where a difference between a value of a capacity parameter of the contrast air-conditioning apparatus and a value of a capacity parameter of the air-conditioning apparatus is less than or equal to a predetermined capacity threshold or a condition where a difference between a value of an environment parameter of the contrast air-conditioning apparatus and a value of an environment parameter of the air-conditioning apparatus is less than or equal to a predetermined environment threshold. 
     
     
         13 . The air-conditioning system of  claim 1 , wherein
 the air-conditioning apparatus carries out air conditioning in the room by causing refrigerant to circulate through a refrigerant circuit and causing the refrigerant and air inside and outside the room to exchange heat with each other,   the air-conditioning apparatus includes a compressor provided in the refrigerant circuit and configured to compress and discharge the refrigerant,   the contrast air-conditioning apparatus satisfies at least either a condition where a difference between a value of a capacity parameter of the contrast air-conditioning apparatus and a value of a capacity parameter of the air-conditioning apparatus is less than or equal to a predetermined capacity threshold or a condition where a difference between a value of an environment parameter of the contrast air-conditioning apparatus and a value of an environment parameter of the air-conditioning apparatus is less than or equal to a predetermined environment threshold,   the value of the capacitor parameter is defined by information indicating a model or specifications, a model number, a value of set electric power that is inputted to the compressor at an early stage of use of the compressor, or a value of a set electrical current that is applied to the compressor at an early stage of use of the compressor, and   the value of the environmental parameter is defined by an installation position of the air-conditioning apparatus, a temperature of the installation position, a weather of the installation position, accumulated time of use of the air-conditioning apparatus, an average number of persons in the room, an amount of the refrigerant, a length of a refrigerant pipe through which the refrigerant circulates in the refrigerant circuit, a time average or accumulation of values of electric power that is inputted to the compressor, or a time average or accumulation of values of electrical current that is applied to the compressor.   
     
     
         14 . The air-conditioning system of  claim 11 , wherein one of the plurality of operation parameters is electric power that is inputted to the compressor or an electrical current that is applied to the compressor. 
     
     
         15 . The air-conditioning system of  claim 1 , wherein
 the air-conditioning apparatus further includes a remote controller configured to remotely control the air-conditioning apparatus, and   in a case in which the air-conditioning apparatus is operating in accordance with the content of control constructed by the control construction circuitry, the remote controller displays, on a screen, at least one of information indicating that the content of control is being executed, information indicating the content of control, and the lifetime.   
     
     
         16 . The air-conditioning system of  claim 1 , wherein
 the air-conditioning system includes the storage device in a server on a network and includes the deterioration estimation circuitry, the lifetime calculation circuitry, the control construction circuitry, and the air-conditioning control circuitry in the air-conditioning apparatus,   the air-conditioning apparatus includes an air-conditioning communication circuitry configured to communicate with the server,   the deterioration estimation circuitry controls the air-conditioning communication unit so that the air-conditioning communication circuitry sends, to the server, a first request signal that requests all or some of the values of the plurality of contrast parameters, stored in the storage device, that indicate an operating status of the contrast air-conditioning apparatus,   the lifetime calculation circuitry controls the air-conditioning communication circuitry so that the air-conditioning communication circuitry sends, to the server, a second request signal that requests one or more of the plurality of contrast deterioration information items indicating on a time-series basis the degree of deterioration of any of the contrast air-conditioning apparatus and the plurality of components in the contrast air-conditioning apparatus that corresponds to the physical object, and   the control construction circuitry controls the air-conditioning communication circuitry so that the air-conditioning communication circuitry sends a third request signal that requests the one or more patterns of control associated in the storage device with the extracted deterioration information item extracted by the lifetime calculation circuitry.   
     
     
         17 . The air-conditioning system of  claim 16  wherein
 the air-conditioning communication circuitry communicates with a terminal having a communication function, and 
 in a case in which the air-conditioning apparatus is operating in accordance with the content of control constructed by the control construction circuitry, the air-conditioning communication circuitry sends, to the terminal, a command signal that gives an instruction to display, on a screen, at least one of information indicating that the content of control is being executed, information indicating the content of control, and the lifetime. 
 
     
     
         18 . The air-conditioning system of  claim 1 , wherein
 the air-conditioning system includes the storage device, the deterioration estimation circuitry, the lifetime calculation circuitry, and the control construction circuitry in a server on a network and includes the air-conditioning control circuitry in the air-conditioning apparatus,   the air-conditioning apparatus includes an air-conditioning communication circuitry configured to communicate with the server, and   the air-conditioning communication circuitry receives, from the server, a control signal representing the content of control constructed by the control construction circuitry.   
     
     
         19 . The air-conditioning system of  claim 18 , wherein
 the air-conditioning communication circuitry communicates with a terminal having a communication function, and   in a case in which the air-conditioning apparatus is operating in accordance with the content of control constructed by the control construction circuitry, the air-conditioning control circuitry controls the air-conditioning communication circuitry so that the air-conditioning communication circuitry sends, to the terminal, a command signal that gives an instruction to display, on a screen, at least one of information indicating that the content of control is being executed, information indicating the content of control, and the lifetime.   
     
     
         20 . The air-conditioning system of  claim 1 , wherein
 the air-conditioning system includes the storage device in a server on a network, includes the deterioration estimation circuitry, the lifetime calculation circuitry, and the control construction circuitry in a terminal having a communication function, and includes the air-conditioning control circuitry in the air-conditioning apparatus,   the air-conditioning apparatus includes an air-conditioning communication circuitry configured to communicate with the server and the terminal,   the terminal includes a terminal communication circuitry configured to communicate with the air-conditioning apparatus and the server,   the deterioration estimation circuitry controls the terminal communication circuitry so that the terminal communication circuitry sends, to the server, a first request signal that requests all or some of the values of the plurality of contrast parameters, stored in the storage device, that indicate an operating status of the contrast air-conditioning apparatus,   the lifetime calculation circuitry controls the terminal communication circuitry so that the terminal communication circuitry sends, to the server, a second request signal that requests one or more of the plurality of contrast deterioration information items indicating on a time-series basis the degree of deterioration of any of the contrast air-conditioning apparatus and the plurality of components in the contrast air-conditioning apparatus that corresponds to the physical object, and   the control construction circuitry controls the terminal communication circuitry so that the terminal communication circuitry sends a third request signal that requests the one or more patterns of control associated in the storage device with the extracted deterioration information item extracted by the lifetime calculation circuitry, and   the control construction circuitry instructs the air-conditioning control circuitry via the terminal communication circuitry to control the air-conditioning apparatus based on the content of control thus constructed.   
     
     
         21 . The air-conditioning system of  claim 20 , wherein
 the terminal includes
 a terminal display circuitry configured to display information on a screen, and 
 a terminal control circuitry configured to control the terminal display circuitry, 
   in a case in which the air-conditioning apparatus is operating in accordance with the content of control constructed by the control construction circuitry, the air-conditioning control circuitry controls the air-conditioning communication circuitry so that the air-conditioning communication circuitry sends, to the terminal, a command signal that gives an instruction to display, on a screen, at least one of information indicating that the content of control is being executed, information indicating the content of control, and the lifetime, and   in a case in which the terminal communication circuitry received the command signal, the terminal control circuitry controls the terminal display circuitry so that the terminal display circuitry displays at least one of the information indicating that the content of control is being executed, the information indicating the content of control, and the lifetime.   
     
     
         22 - 23 . (canceled)