JP7140313B2 - Air outlets and air conditioning systems - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an air outlet, and more particularly to a small air outlet for a floor that is suitable for task air conditioning and an air conditioning system using the same.

Conventionally, improvement of energy saving performance in buildings such as office buildings has been a major issue. At the same time, it is also required to improve the comfort of the indoor environment and improve the efficiency of the user's work. In order to meet these demands, in buildings, the adoption of an air conditioning system called task-ambient air conditioning, which combines task air conditioning and ambient air conditioning, is being promoted. Task air-conditioning refers to air-conditioning for task areas where users work (tasks) in a building, and particularly refers to controlling the environment, such as temperature, humidity, and air volume, in areas near individual users. Ambient air-conditioning refers to air-conditioning of the surrounding area (ambient area) of the task area, and refers to controlling the overall indoor environment.

In task ambient air conditioning, after managing the environment based on ambient air conditioning, the elements that change due to task air conditioning can be controlled for each individual user. For example, in the summer, the base room temperature is set at 27°C, and the temperature is lowered and the air volume is increased in areas where users are present to increase the cooling sensation, making it possible to achieve both comfort and energy-saving performance. Become.

One of such task air-conditioning techniques is to install outlets for blowing out conditioned air (for example, cold or warm air, or air with conditioned humidity) for each of a plurality of task areas. In this case, by holding adjusted air in the space between the floor slab and the floor and blowing out the air through the air outlet, it is possible to adjust the environment to a favorable one for each task area. In particular, by making it possible to adjust the presence/absence of air blowing, and the amount or direction of air blowing, environmental control for each user can be realized.

Various methods have been proposed to improve the operability and ease of adjustment of floor outlets used for such task air conditioning. For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses that an air outlet is provided at the tip of an extensible intake duct installed on the floor. Further, it is disclosed that an adjustment mechanism for adjusting the air volume and the air direction and a fan for supplementing the air volume are provided at the outlet.
Further, Patent Document 2 discloses providing opening/closing means for opening or closing an arbitrary outlet out of a plurality of outlets.
Patent document 3 also discloses a configuration including a shutter for changing the opening/closing state of the outlet and a controller for operating the shutter.

JP 2008-032255 A JP 2011-002104 A JP 2005-098696 A

In recent years, as shown by the spread of ZEBs (Zero Energy Buildings), consideration for the global environment is required, and further improvement in energy saving performance is required. In addition, it is necessary to further improve the work environment in order to realize work style reform. However, if the conventional configuration was used for task ambient air conditioning, there was a limit to these improvements.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a technique for improving air outlets used for task air conditioning.

The present invention employs the following configurations. i.e.
A floor outlet installed on the floor for blowing air from the underfloor space into the room,
a face portion including a portion to be placed on the floor;
a fan section having a fan;
a foot switch arranged such that the top portion is exposed from the face portion into the room;
The floor outlet is characterized in that the operating state of the fan changes according to the depression of the foot switch.
According to such a configuration, convenience is improved when the user controls the air volume.

The floor outlet according to the present invention further comprises
The face portion has a top portion placed on the floor and a body portion inserted into a hole provided in the floor,
A top portion of the foot switch may be configured to be lower than the surface of the top portion when a force is applied to the foot switch.
With such a configuration, the durability of the foot switch can be improved.

The floor outlet according to the present invention further comprises
It is possible to employ a configuration in which the body portion is inserted into an outlet hole provided in a floor panel material that constitutes the floor, and the top portion is fixed by being caught on the floor surface of the floor.
With such a configuration, there is no need to provide a mounting opening in the floor, so the strength of the panel is not reduced.

The floor outlet according to the present invention further comprises
further comprising a shutter that switches a state of ventilation between the underfloor space and the room;
The shutter comprises an upper shutter formed on the face portion and a lower shutter arranged below the upper shutter,
The upper shutter and the lower shutter each include a plurality of spokes arranged radially around a central portion, and the lower shutter rotates to switch between open and closed states,
The opening/closing state of the shutter can be changed according to the depression of the foot switch.
According to such a configuration, the user's intention can be more accurately reflected in the task air conditioning control.

The floor outlet according to the present invention further comprises
The foot switch has a configuration including a lighting unit that indicates the operating state of the fan,
The foot switch includes a lighting section,
According to the depression of the foot switch, an operation mode consisting of a combination of operating states of the fan and the shutter changes,
The lighting unit can have a configuration in which the lighting state changes according to the operation mode.
According to these configurations, the user can easily grasp the operating state of the outlet.

The floor outlet according to the present invention further comprises
The face portion has a circular depression in top view,
A configuration further comprising a disk-shaped wind direction adjusting part that can be attached to and detached from the recess,
The wind direction adjusting unit has a circular outer peripheral portion and a plurality of parallel plate-like portions arranged inside the outer peripheral portion;
The plate-like portion may be arranged at an angle of 60° to 80° with respect to the floor.
According to these configurations, it is possible to flexibly and easily change the wind direction of the airflow from the outlet.

The present invention also employs the following configuration. That is, an air conditioning system including a plurality of floor outlets according to any one of the above,
An information processing device that controls the operation mode of the plurality of floor outlets,
Each of the plurality of floor outlets is configured to air-condition a task area.
Furthermore, in the above air conditioning system,
The information processing device detects a plurality of can be configured to control the floor outlet.
According to these configurations, it is possible to flexibly control the task area according to the indoor conditions, and to realize good task air conditioning.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the technique for improving the outlet used for task air conditioning can be provided.

Sectional view showing the configuration of a room to which an air conditioning system is applied A plan view showing the state of a room to which an air conditioning system is applied Perspective view showing the structure of the floor outlet A plan view showing the structure of the floor outlet Plan view showing the structure of the face part of the floor outlet and the structure of the shutter Side view showing the structure of the floor outlet Bottom view showing the structure of the floor outlet Block diagram for explaining the configuration related to the control of the air conditioning system Table showing an example of air conditioning system operation control

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. However, the configuration blocks and their relative arrangement described below should be appropriately changed according to various conditions of the system to which the invention is applied, and the scope of this invention is limited to the following description. not a thing

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be preferably applied to an air outlet, a task air-conditioning device and a task air-conditioning system using the same, a building having them, and a control method thereof. The present invention can also be regarded as a program that operates using the computational resources of an information processing device and causes the information processing device to execute each step of each control method, and a computer-readable storage medium storing such a program. be done. The storage medium may be a non-temporary storage medium.

[Embodiment]
<System configuration>
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram for explaining how the task air-conditioning system 1 of this embodiment is applied, showing a cross section of a room located on one floor of a building. A room is roughly defined by a floor slab 10 that serves as a boundary with a lower floor, a ceiling slab 40 that serves as a boundary with an upper floor, and a wall surface 70 that serves as a boundary with the next room or the outside of the building. A floor slab 10 defines the lower bounding surface of the room and a ceiling slab 40 defines the upper bounding surface of the room. The floor slab 10 may also serve as the ceiling slab of the lower story. Similarly, the ceiling slab 40 may also serve as the floor slab of the upper story. The wall surface 70 is made of a structure such as a wall material, and the wall material may also serve as the wall surface of an adjacent room or the outer wall of the building. The lower boundary surface, upper boundary surface and walls may not be completely horizontal or vertical, and may have steps, protrusions or recesses.

The floor of the room has a double structure, and a floor material 20 is arranged above the floor slab 10 via a support member (not shown). As the floor material 20, it is preferable to use a combination of a plurality of square or rectangular floor panel materials. An underfloor space 30 is formed between the floor slab 10 and the floor material 20 . The floor material 20 defines a floor surface. In the example of this figure, the ceiling of the room also has a double structure, but this is only an example. A ceiling material 50 supported by a support member (not shown) is arranged under the ceiling slab 40 . A ceiling space 60 is formed between the ceiling slab 40 and the ceiling material 50 . The ceiling material 50 defines the ceiling surface. In each part that constitutes the ceiling space 60 and the underfloor space 30, it is preferable to use a member with high heat insulation or lay a heat insulating material in order to prevent the escape of the adjusted cold and hot air and prevent condensation. .

In this specification, the space between the floor surface and the ceiling surface in the height direction and surrounded by the wall surfaces in the width direction is defined as a living space available to the user. The living space is subject to environmental control by task air conditioning. When setting the task area and the ambient area, the setting method is arbitrary, and may be determined according to the purpose of use of the room, the structure of the building, the capacity of the air conditioning system, and the like. As an example, the range that the user normally uses in the height direction and width direction may be set as the task area. The task area is divided into a plurality of small areas according to size, and different control is possible for each area. As the ambient area, for example, a range of height above a predetermined level, a window side, a wall side, a doorway side, or the like may be set.

Also, if each user has a fixed seat, a task area centered around the seat or work area may be set for each user. If partitions are installed in the room, small areas may be divided for each partition. In the example shown in the figure, a task area is set, with small areas near the seats of the users 5a to 5c. However, the ranges in which the task air conditioning and the ambient air conditioning exert their respective air conditioning effects change with each other due to changes in airflow and various external factors. Therefore, it is not necessary to strictly define the boundary between the task area and the ambient area.

In the description of the present embodiment, for the sake of simplification of explanation, in the task area, air conditioning that can be controlled on demand by the user for each small area is called task air conditioning, and air conditioning that is controlled for the entire room is called ambient air conditioning. call. Further, in this embodiment, the task air conditioning is a system using air outlets arranged on the floor, and the ambient air conditioning is a system using air outlets on the ceiling. However, for task air conditioning, outlets may be provided on the ceiling and walls in addition to the floor. Also, for ambient air conditioning, outlets may be provided in the floor or walls in addition to or instead of the ceiling. In addition, radiation air conditioning may be used instead of air conditioning.

In this example, an air conditioner 300 is provided outside the wall surface 70a. The air conditioner 300 supplies conditioned air such as cool and warm air. The temperature of the air and the like are adjusted by a central controller (not shown) according to the season and air temperature. However, the arrangement of the air conditioner is not limited to the outdoor space, and may be arranged in a ceiling space or an underfloor space, or an air-conditioned room may be provided in the vicinity of the room. For simplification, only the Supply Air system for supplying conditioned air is shown here.

Conditioned task air conditioning air 210 supplied from the air conditioner 300 is introduced into the underfloor space via the duct 311 . The floor material 20 is provided with floor outlets 101a to 101c for each sub-region of task air conditioning. Note that the number and arrangement of the outlets are arbitrary. Details will be described later, but the floor outlets have the function of individually adjusting the wind direction and air volume. For example, the floor outlet 101a is closed and no airflow is generated. The floor outlet 101b blows out an airflow 221 in the direction of the user 5b with a weak air volume. The floor outlet 101c blows an airflow 222 upward with a strong air volume.

In addition to blowing air by a fan, an upward airflow generated by positive pressure in the underfloor space due to supply of air may be used. In addition to individual control, central control may be used to control the amount and direction of blown air. The air from the floor outlet blows out as a swirling flow, attracts and mixes the surrounding air, and air-conditions the room. Also, in this figure, the entire underfloor space is defined as a chamber, but ducts may be used to guide air from the air conditioner to individual outlets.

The conditioned ambient air conditioning air 220 supplied from the air conditioner 300 is introduced into the ceiling space via the duct 321 . The ceiling material 50 is provided with a plurality of ceiling outlets 50a for blowing ambient air conditioning air 220 accumulated in the ceiling space into the room. As the ceiling outlet, any type may be used, such as an embedded unit, one having a fan, or one having a nozzle or a slit. Also, as the ceiling material, a film-like member having a plurality of small holes, which is used for air conditioning and is called a membrane ceiling or cloth ceiling, may be used. Also, indoor units of the type used in conventional air conditioners may be used for ambient air conditioning.

<Arrangement>
FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an example of an installation method and installation state of a floor outlet in a room to which an air conditioning system is applied. In the figure, users and office furniture such as desks and chairs are omitted. The floor of the room has a double structure as described above. The floor panel material 420 spread over the room is the upper layer of the double structure and corresponds to the floor material 20 in FIG. In this embodiment, the floor panel material 420 is provided with an outlet hole 430 . That is, one side of each floor panel material 420 is provided with a hole half the size required for installing an outlet, and is usually covered with a removable cover. As shown in the figure, by laying two adjacent floor panel materials 420 so that their respective outlet holes 430 are joined, the outlet installed in the underfloor space can be exposed to the living space for use by the user. become.

In this embodiment, the floor outlet 101 is installed in the outlet hole 430 . In the drawing, the outlet hole 430 in which the floor outlet 101 is installed is shown in black. In order to easily install the floor outlet in the outlet hole, the floor outlet is configured to have a body part that fits into the outlet hole and a face part that is exposed in the room, and the face part is hooked on the floor and fixed. It should be structured. For example, in a relatively widely used floor panel material, the outlet hole is approximately square with a side of 85 mm. In that case, the cross-sectional shape of the body portion of the floor outlet 101 is set to a substantially square size that fits into the outlet hole. Alternatively, an adapter member may be used when the cross-sectional shape of the floor outlet and the shape of the outlet hole are different.

By using outlet holes in this way, floor outlets can be installed at appropriate positions according to the size of the user's task area (small area) and the distance between users. For example, in the figure, floor outlets 101a-101c contribute to the air conditioning of small areas 260a-260c, respectively, although this depends on wind direction, air volume, and external conditions. In addition, since a large number of outlet holes are normally provided on the floor, the degree of freedom in the installation position of the floor outlet is increased, and the task area can be determined flexibly. again,
By using the existing outlet holes, the strength of the floor panel material is not impaired. However, a hole may be drilled at a desired position instead of using an outlet hole provided in advance.

<Structure of air outlet>
An example of the overall structure of the floor outlet 101 of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The floor outlet is generally connected to a circular face portion 170 exposed above the floor surface, an airflow direction adjustment portion 180 detachable in a circular depression in the center of the face portion 170, and a lower portion of the face portion 170 when installed. A shutter driving section 160 and a fan section 150 connected to the lower portion of the shutter driving section are provided. A foot switch 190 is provided so that a portion of the face portion 170 is exposed to the inside of the room. The face portion 170, the shutter drive portion 160, and the fan portion 150 may be connected by any method.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the installed floor outlet as viewed from above. The face portion 170 in this example can be divided into three parts when viewed from above. The central portion of the face portion is a circular depression portion 171 in top view, which is shaped to fit with a substantially disk-shaped wind direction adjusting portion 180 . With such a configuration, the user can freely rotate the wind direction adjusting unit 180 fitted in the recess 171 in any direction by 360 degrees to adjust the wind direction. There is a flat portion 172 around it, and further around there is an inclined portion 173 that gently slopes toward the floor. With such a configuration, the stability when installed is improved, and it is possible to suppress catching when the user walks or moves the office furniture.

In the drawing, of the foot switch 190, the upper portion of a cylindrical housing portion 192 and the lighting portion 191 composed of an LED embedded in the housing portion are exposed to the inside of the room. A housing portion 192 of the foot switch is installed in a hole formed in the face portion 170 so as to be able to be pushed down. However, the lighting part is not limited to the LED. Also, the lighting section may be provided at a position different from that of the foot switch.

The wind direction adjusting unit 180 also includes a circular outer peripheral portion 181 having a diameter slightly narrower than the inner diameter of the recess, and a plurality of elongated plate-like portions 182 arranged in parallel inside the outer peripheral portion 181 . This structure forms a slit 183 for passage of conditioned air from below. Note that in FIG. 4 , the upper shutter of the recessed portion can be seen through the gap of the slit portion 183 . The plate-like portion 182 is arranged so as not to be perpendicular to the floor surface when the outlet is installed. By setting the angle in this way, when the user manually rotates the airflow direction adjusting unit, the airflow blowing direction is diversified. It is also possible to prepare a plurality of wind direction adjusting units having different angles so that the user can use the desired type. The angle is preferably about 60° to 80°, typically 70°.

FIG. 5A is a plan view of the face portion 170 viewed from above, and shows a state in which the wind direction adjusting portion is removed from the recess portion 171. FIG. The bottom surface of the recessed portion 171 also serves as an upper shutter 174 . A peripheral portion of the upper shutter 174 is connected and fixed to the flat portion 172 . By combining the upper shutter with the lower shutter of the shutter driving section, it is possible to block the passage of the airflow. The upper shutter 174 in this example has a shape in which a plurality of plate-like spoke portions 177 radially arranged around a hub portion 176 are combined. The airflow sent from below by the fan blows upward through the gaps 175 between the spokes. A hole 178 for inserting a foot switch is formed in the face portion.

FIG. 5B shows the lower shutter 162 arranged on the side near the floor surface (the side connected to the face section) in the shutter driving section 160 during installation. The lower shutter also has a hub portion 166 at its center and a plurality of plate-like spoke portions 167 radially connected around the hub portion 166 , and gaps 165 are formed between the spokes. The lower shutter 162 has a size that fits within a substantially rectangular cross-section of the shutter driving portion when viewed from above, and has an angle occupied by at least one gap portion 165 in the rotating direction with the center of the hub portion (symbol A) as the center of rotation. can be rotated (symbol R). The rotational power is arbitrary, and in this example, the forward and backward motion of a linear solenoid (not shown) that is housed in the housing and connected to the small hole 169 is converted into the rotational motion of the shutter. In addition, anything such as a rotary solenoid or a motor may be used as long as it can obtain rotational power.

By rotating the lower shutter, the open/closed state of the passage between the room and the underfloor space can be easily changed. That is, when the gap 175 of the upper shutter and the gap 165 of the lower shutter overlap each other, an airflow passage is formed. On the other hand, when the gap 175 of the upper shutter and the spoke 167 of the lower shutter, and the spoke 177 of the upper shutter and the gap 165 of the lower shutter are overlapped with each other, the shutter is closed. Since the lower shutter may come into contact with the upper shutter or the like, self-lubricating resin is preferably used for the blades of the lower shutter to improve abrasion resistance and durability.

Opening and closing of the shutter may be interlocked with operation control of the fan by a foot switch. For example, when the foot switch instructs to stop the fan, the shutter is closed at the same time. This prevents the airflow from the underfloor space caused by the positive pressure, and more accurately reflects the user's intention to stop the task air conditioning. Note that the shutter is not limited to the rotary type. For example, a direct-acting method or a method in which the feather members are folded or unfolded may be used. However, if a circular shutter as shown in the figure is used, it is possible to make the air volume and air direction uniform. Also, the power for opening and closing the shutter may be manual.

FIG. 6 is a side view of the floor outlet 101. FIG. As shown, the face portion 170 can be considered divided into a body portion 179a and a top portion 179b. When the body part 179a is inserted under the floor, the top part 179b above the body part is caught on the floor surface and the edge of the outlet hole, and the outlet is fixed to the floor. Therefore, the body portion 179a is designed to have a shape and size (here, a substantially square cross section with one side slightly smaller than 85 mm) to fit in the socket. The shutter driving portion 160 and the fan portion 150 are also designed to have a shape and size that allow them to be inserted into the outlet hole. In the illustrated example, each member has a substantially square cross section, and the three members are fixed together by four screws 154 . The shutter drive unit 160 is provided with a connector 164 for connecting a control line in order to receive power from an external power supply, input a control signal from an external control circuit, and transmit state information to the outside. there is

FIG. 7 is a bottom view of the floor outlet 101. FIG. As the fan unit 150, for example, a small and quiet fan that is used for a PC can be used. The fan unit 150 has a footswitch bearing, and controls the state of the airflow according to the depression of the footswitch by the user. The fan unit may also be connected to an external power source or control circuit via a control line (not shown) to receive a control command or transmit a state signal that is information indicating the state. Although FIG. 7 shows the back surface of the top portion of the face portion 170, this back surface may be provided with braces or notches in order to reinforce, prevent slippage, and reduce member costs.

The material of each member constituting the floor outlet can be arbitrarily selected according to the required performance and cost. For example, it is made of resin, or metal such as aluminum or stainless steel. In addition, any processing method such as injection molding, casting, or lathe processing may be used. Also, the size of each member constituting the floor outlet can be freely determined according to the required performance and cost. The same applies to fan performance. However, the overall height of the outlet must be within the range of the underfloor space, which is generally 100 to 200 mm.

Due to the characteristic of being installed on the floor, the foot switch 190 is required to have durability so that it will not break even if it is stepped on with a strong force or an object or the like is placed on the switch. In FIG. 6, symbol T denotes the height of the top of the foot switch when no force is applied, and symbol S denotes the height of the flat portion of the face portion. At this time, it is preferable that the height T of the top portion can be the same as or lower than the height S of the flat portion. As a result, the foot switch will not be damaged even if a strong force is applied. In this way, in order to realize the function that the top of the foot switch is lower than the surface of the top, for example, the housing 192 may be structured so that the overall length changes according to the applied force. . As the variable length structure, for example, a structure in which two members that are vertically slidable are combined can be used. Alternatively, an elastic member such as a spring may be arranged at the base of the housing portion 192 .

<Operation>
FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration related to control of the air conditioning system of this embodiment. Only one of the plurality of outlets is shown in this figure. In this figure, the floor outlet 101 related to task air conditioning and the ambient air conditioner 330 related to ambient air conditioning change their operating states according to both the operation by the user 5 and the remote control by the information processing device 208 for central control. However, the processing of the present invention can be carried out as long as there is at least a floor outlet that operates according to the user's operation.

The information processing device 208 is a device that includes computational resources such as a CPU and memory, user interfaces such as a mouse, keyboard, and display, communication means, and the like, and can preferably use a PC or workstation. The information processing device 208 has a function of receiving data from sensors and transmitting control values to various air conditioners or their control circuits. The human sensor 211 is a sensor that determines whether or not a user is present in a predetermined area in the room, and transmits the information as human information to the information processing apparatus. As the human sensor, an infrared sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, a sensor combining an optical camera and image analysis software, or the like can be used. The environment sensor 212 acquires at least indoor temperature information and transmits it to the information processing apparatus as an environment detection value. Humidity, illuminance, and the like may also be acquired. In this example, the human sensor and the environment sensor acquire person information and environment detection values for each task area (small area) and person information and environment detection values for the entire room. Data for each task area is mainly used for controlling task air conditioning, and data for the entire room is mainly used for controlling ambient air conditioning.

In this example, a plurality of floor outlets (101a, 101b, 101c, . . . ) are controlled by the control circuit 102. FIG. A control circuit 102 controls a plurality (eg, eight) of floor outlets. When the user 5 presses the footswitch 190, a press signal is sent to the control circuit. The control circuit transmits a wind speed control parameter to the fan section 150 and an opening/closing control parameter to the shutter driving section 160 according to the current operating state and the number of times the switch is pressed. However, the relationship between the control circuit and the floor outlets is not limited to this drawing, and each floor outlet may be provided with a control circuit.

FIG. 9 is a table for explaining combinations (operation modes) of states of the fan, shutter and LED. Here, it is assumed that the fan unit has three states of "stopped/weak air volume/high air volume", and the open/closed state of the shutter has two states of "closed/vented". Also, the control circuit can receive a status signal from the fan unit 150 . The state signal is represented by, for example, one of "stop, weak, strong" and is used for control by the control circuit or information processing device.

In the example of FIG. 9A, the operating mode of task air conditioning is switched each time the foot switch is pressed. Specifically, combinations (1-1) to (1
-3) is repeated. Combination (1-1) is a state in which task air conditioning is turned off in the target task area. When the user presses the switch once, the combination shifts to (1-2) and enters the weak operation state, and the LED blinks. When the user further presses the switch, the combination (1-3) is entered and the strong operation state is entered, and the LED is always lit.
In FIG. 9B, the number of combinations is four. The difference from FIG. 9A is that there is a combination (2-2). In this state, the fan is stopped but the shutter is open. Therefore, mild air conditioning is performed by blowing air from the underfloor space, which has become positive pressure.

The order and combination of the fan, shutter and LED states shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B are merely examples and are not limiting. Further, the operating state of the fan may be controlled more finely. Also, the air conditioning system may be provided with a mode switching function. The mode switching function is a function of switching between a plurality of operation patterns (for example, the pattern in FIG. 9A and the pattern in FIG. 9B) according to instructions from the information processing apparatus or user's operation.

Conventionally, when adjusting the air volume at a general floor air outlet, a dial-type knob using a variable amplifier or the like and different buttons for each desired air volume (for example, low/medium/high buttons) are used. rice field. However, such methods require the user to bend over or reach out when making adjustments. On the other hand, the switch of the present invention can be adjusted by stretching the legs while seated, thus improving comfort.

Note that when a load is placed on the foot switch, the switch always outputs a push signal. Therefore, the control circuit or information processing device detects the duration of the press signal, and if the press state continues for a certain time (for example, 10 seconds), it is preferable to stop state switching or task air conditioning.

As described above, by using a foot switch for the floor outlet of the task air conditioner, the user does not need to bend down or reach out to control the air volume, improving user comfort. Also, as described above, the use of the shutter linked to the foot switch eliminates the need to manually open and close the shutter, thereby improving comfort. Also, if lighting means such as an LED is used, the user can easily know the current state of task air conditioning. Also, if central control is performed using an information processing device, a human sensor, and an environment sensor, it is possible to realize task-ambient air conditioning that balances the entire living space. In addition, by using the existing outlet holes when installing the outlet, it is possible to reduce the installation work load and maintain the strength of the floor. In addition, since the peripheries of the recessed portion and the wind direction adjusting portion are circular, the blowing direction can be freely adjusted. Furthermore, by making the structure and combination of members as shown in each figure, it is possible to realize a compact structure that can be installed even in a narrow underfloor space while being able to use both the fan and the shutter.

Various configurations such as those described in this specification may be combined in any way, and any combination can exhibit effects that cannot be obtained with conventional floor outlets.

20: floor material, 30: underfloor space, 101: floor outlet, 150: fan section, 170: face section, 190: foot switch

Claims (11)

A floor outlet installed on the floor for blowing air from the underfloor space into the room,
a face portion including a portion to be placed on the floor;
a fan section having a fan;
A single footswitch positioned so that its top portion is exposed from the face portion into the room, the single footswitch having a single lighting portion embedded in the housing of the footswitch. When,
a shutter that switches a state of ventilation between the underfloor space and the room;
with
Each time the single footswitch is pressed , the opening/closing state of the shutter and the operating state of the fan change to provide a plurality of operations corresponding to the state of the air blown out from the underfloor space into the room. As the modes are cyclically switched, the lighting state of the single lighting unit is switched to indicate the operating mode.
A floor outlet, characterized by: The plurality of operation modes include a mode in which air conditioning is stopped by closing the shutter and the fan is stopped, and a mode in which mild air conditioning is performed by opening the shutter and stopping the fan. and a mode in which normal air conditioning is performed by opening the shutter and operating the fan.
The floor outlet according to claim 1, characterized in that: The face portion has a top portion placed on the floor and a body portion inserted into a hole provided in the floor,
3. The floor outlet according to claim 1, wherein when a force is applied to the foot switch, the top of the foot switch is lower than the surface of the top part. The body portion is inserted into an outlet hole provided in a floor panel material constituting the floor, and the top portion is fixed by being caught on the floor surface of the floor.
The floor outlet according to claim 3 , characterized in that: The shutter comprises an upper shutter formed on the face portion and a lower shutter arranged below the upper shutter,
Each of the upper shutter and the lower shutter includes a plurality of spokes arranged radially around a central portion, and the lower shutter rotates to switch between open and closed states .
The floor outlet according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , characterized in that: The face portion has a circular depression in top view,
6. The floor outlet according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , further comprising a disk-shaped wind direction adjusting part that can be attached to and detached from the recess. 7. The floor outlet according to claim 6 , wherein the wind direction adjusting part has a circular outer periphery and a plurality of parallel plate-shaped parts arranged inside the outer periphery. 8. The floor outlet according to claim 7 , wherein the plate-like portion is arranged at an angle of 60° to 80° with respect to the floor. a plurality of floor outlets according to any one of claims 1 to 8 installed in the room;
an information processing device for controlling operation modes of the plurality of floor outlets;
with
each of the plurality of floor outlets is used for air conditioning in the task area ;
The operation mode changes according to both the information processing device and the depression of the foot switch.
An air conditioning system characterized by: The information processing device detects a plurality of 10. The air conditioning system of claim 9 , wherein the floor outlet of the is controlled. The information processing device stops switching the operation mode or stops air conditioning in the task area when the state in which the foot switch is pressed continues for a predetermined time or longer.
The air conditioning system according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that:

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