Study on air-conditioning control system considering individual thermal sensation

Abstract

Increased satisfaction with thermal environments in office significantly affects workplace productivity. Conventional air-conditioning systems are intended to achieve a uniform thermal environment across the entire air-conditioned space. However, due to differences in thermal sensation among individuals, it is difficult to improve occupants’ thermal satisfaction merely by providing a uniform thermal environment. In this study, we developed an air-conditioning system called the Smart Wellness Control System with the aim of realizing air conditioning that responds to individual variance in thermal satisfaction. The system collects data from sensors about the locations of individual occupants and the thermal environments to which they are exposed, records this data together with their votes on their thermal sensation, and modifies and learns their comfort indices accordingly to control the speeds of personal fans and the air temperature setting. We conducted a questionnaire survey of occupants in an actual office building equipped with this system; the results indicated that use of the Smart Wellness Control System increased their satisfaction with the thermal environment by about 50% and increased their productivity by about 25%.

Clarifying Optimum Setting Temperatures and Airflow Positions for Personal Air Conditioning System on Flight

“…In the human sitting state, several studies have verified the effectiveness of a personal airconditioning system placed in front of or behind the human body [5][6] . However, since comfort was evaluated by calculating PMV (Predicted Mean Vote) and other indices, the comfort of each individual was not considered.…”

“…Although the personal air-conditioning systems to improve the comfort of individuals have been investigated in some previous works [5][6] , but most of them have been carried out inside the building, and less on airplanes. Few studies have been conducted on personal air distribution systems considering comfort and health, but not the sense of individuals.…”