The air conditioner includes a thermal image acquirer that acquires a thermal image indicating a temperature distribution inside the air-conditioned space, and a thermal sensation estimator that estimates the thermal sensation of a person in the air-conditioned space based on the thermal image obtained from the thermal image acquirer and a parameter set in the air conditioner, the parameter prescribing at least one of a wind direction, a wind speed, and a wind temperature of wind emitted from the air conditioner.

A method is provided for controlling an HVAC system. The method includes receiving zone airflow target values for zones of a conditioned space. The method includes accessing a duct model including a first term that describes a flow factor for a zone damper as a nonlinear function of damper position, and a second term that describes zone airflow as a function of the flow factor and a branch pressure across zone-specific branches of an air circulation path. The method includes applying the zone airflow target values to the duct model to determine a damper position set, and actuating zone dampers to respective damper positions of the damper position set. The method may also include determining a value of total airflow to achieve the zone airflow target values with a total pressure target, and causing a fan to provide conditioned air with the value of the total airflow.

A method is provided for controlling an HVAC system. The method includes receiving zone airflow target values for zones of a conditioned space. The method includes accessing a duct model including a first term that describes a flow factor for a zone damper as a nonlinear function of damper position, and a second term that describes zone airflow as a function of the flow factor and a branch pressure across zone-specific branches of an air circulation path. The method includes applying the zone airflow target values to the duct model to determine a damper position set, and actuating zone dampers to respective damper positions of the damper position set. The method may also include determining a value of total airflow to achieve the zone airflow target values with a total pressure target, and causing a fan to provide conditioned air with the value of the total airflow.

In an airflow control system in a machine room where a plurality of ICT device groups (3a to 3f) is supplied with cold air blown out from a plurality of air conditioners (2a to 2c) an is cooled via an underfloor space, the airflow control system includes a partition that is openable and closable (4a to 4f) provided for each air conditioner in the underfloor space, and a controller that opens, when occurrence of an abnormality is detected in an air conditioner of the plurality of air conditioners, the partition between the air conditioner with the occurrence of the abnormality detected and another air conditioner adjacent to the air conditioner.

An air cleaner is provided that may include a case including a first suction inlet, the case having a cylindrical or cone shape; a fan housing provided inside of the case, the fan housing accommodating a fan therein; a filter provided at a suction side of the fan, the filter filtering foreign materials in air which is suctioned through the first suction inlet; and a housing suction flow path formed between an outer surface of the fan housing and an inner surface of the case, the housing suction flow path allowing air which is suctioned through the first suction inlet to flow toward and through the filter. The housing suction flow path may include a first flow path inlet having a predetermined first width, and a second flow path inlet through which air having passed through the first flow path inlet flows, the second flow path inlet having a second width greater than the first width.

A camera takes an image of a user. A room environment information sensor detects room environment information about an environment in a room where the user is present. An estimation unit estimates a concentration degree of the user based on the image of the user taken by the camera and the room environment information sensed by the room environment information sensor.

A droplet range control system includes a first obtainer that obtains environment information indicating at least wind speed in a space, wind direction in the space, temperature in the space, humidity in the space, or spatial scale, a second obtainer that obtains target information indicating positions and directions of faces of a first target and a second target in the space, an estimator that estimates a range of droplets from the first target on a basis of the environment information and the target information, and a controller that, if a respiration area of the second target exists within the range, conditions an environment in the space such that the respiration area gets out of the range.

Disclosed are an air outlet structure, an air outlet method for an air conditioner, and the air conditioner. The air outlet structure may include: a main air outlet channel, a main air outlet, an auxiliary air outlet and an adjusting device; the main air outlet and the auxiliary air outlet are communicated with the main air outlet channel; the adjusting device is provided between the main air outlet channel and the auxiliary air outlet as to make the main air outlet channel send out air through the main air outlet and/or the auxiliary air outlet. With the above structure, the air conditioner may have a broad air supplying scope and a uniform air speed and supply the air to an entire plane, and comfort of the air conditioner may be improved. Thus, the problem that an existing air conditioner has non-uniform air outlet effect may be effectively solved.

An indoor unit for an air-conditioning apparatus includes an air-sending unit configured to send air subjected to heat exchange with refrigerant to an air-conditioning target space through an air outlet, the air-conditioning target space being divided into a plurality of areas, an up-and-down airflow direction adjuster configured to adjust an angle in an up-and-down direction of a blowing direction of the air sent through the air outlet, a right-and-left airflow direction adjuster configured to adjust an angle in a right-and-left direction of the blowing direction of the air sent through the air outlet, and a controller configured to control the angle of the up-and-down airflow direction adjuster and the angle of the right-and-left airflow direction adjuster. The controller is configured to control the up-and-down airflow direction adjuster and the right-and-left airflow direction adjuster to continuously change the angle in the up-and-down direction and the angle in the right-and-left direction.

An indoor unit for an air-conditioning apparatus includes an air-sending unit configured to send air subjected to heat exchange with refrigerant to an air-conditioning target space through an air outlet, the air-conditioning target space being divided into a plurality of areas, an up-and-down airflow direction adjuster configured to adjust an angle in an up-and-down direction of a blowing direction of the air sent through the air outlet, a right-and-left airflow direction adjuster configured to adjust an angle in a right-and-left direction of the blowing direction of the air sent through the air outlet, and a controller configured to control the angle of the up-and-down airflow direction adjuster and the angle of the right-and-left airflow direction adjuster. The controller is configured to control the up-and-down airflow direction adjuster and the right-and-left airflow direction adjuster to continuously change the angle in the up-and-down direction and the angle in the right-and-left direction.