KR100837354B1 - Air conditioner and method of controlling airflow for the same - Google Patents

Abstract

An air conditioner and an airflow control method thereof are disclosed. Air conditioner according to the present invention; Resident recognizing means installed in the main body; And airflow control means for receiving the recognition information obtained from the occupant recognition means and supplying airflow only to the space where the occupant is present. In addition, the airflow control method of the air conditioner according to the present invention comprises the operation mode selection step; Obtaining cognitive information of the occupants; Storing the acquired recognition information; And tracking the occupants in accordance with the stored cognition information and controlling the airflow customized for the occupants. According to this, it is possible to track occupants according to the acquired cognitive information or to control the airflow according to the propensity of the occupants to prevent excessive cooling or heating of parts other than the target space where the occupants are located, thereby improving energy efficiency. There is an effect, and it is possible to reduce the time required to perform the desired heating and cooling.

Air Conditioner, Camera, Airflow Control Unit, Stereo Vision, Memory Unit

Description

Air conditioner and its airflow control method {AIR CONDITIONER AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING AIRFLOW FOR THE SAME}

1 is a view in which a general air conditioner is disposed in a room where a guest is present to discharge airflow;

2 is experimental data showing a temperature distribution of a room supplied with airflow by the air conditioner according to FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view illustrating an air conditioner having a room occupant recognizing means according to an embodiment of the present invention for discharging airflow by tracking a room occupant;

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the air conditioner of Figure 3,

5 is a front view showing the air conditioner of FIG.

6 is a view showing an extract of the first camera, the second camera, the airflow control means of FIG.

7 to 9 are views for explaining the principle of obtaining the 3D image information in stereo vision from the first camera, the second camera of FIG.

10 and 11 are flow charts showing the air flow control method of the air conditioner of FIG.

12 is experimental data showing a temperature distribution of a room supplied with airflow by the air conditioner according to FIG. 3;

13 is an experimental graph comparing the temperature change by time by the air conditioner according to FIGS. 1 and 3;

14 is an experimental graph comparing the amount of power consumed by the air conditioners according to FIGS. 1 and 3.

** Description of the symbols on the main parts of the drawings **

10, 100: air conditioner 110: main body

120: means for recognizing occupants 121: first camera

123: second camera 130: air flow control means

131: arithmetic unit 132: memory unit

133: drive unit

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an air conditioner, and more particularly, to an air conditioner and an airflow control method thereof for controlling airflow by receiving cognitive information of an occupant.

In general, an air conditioner is a device that cools or heats a room by using an air conditioning cycle of a refrigerant consisting of a compressor, a condenser, an expansion device, and an evaporator in order to create a more comfortable indoor environment.

Such a general air conditioner controls the airflow regardless of the occupant's cognitive information, that is, the number of occupants, the number of occupants, or the position and distance of the occupants. Here, the airflow control refers to a manual or automatic adjustment of factors such as wind speed, air volume, temperature, humidity, and direction of the air discharged by the air conditioner.

In other words, the factors are adjusted according to the temperature and humidity set by the occupant, or the air conditioner calculates the optimal comfort index felt by the occupant even if the occupant does not set the temperature and humidity.

1 is a view in which a general air conditioner is disposed in a room where a living room exists to discharge airflow. The arrow indicates the flow of air discharged from the air conditioner, that is, the air flow. The width of the arrow indicates the speed and volume of the air.

In FIG. 1, the two arrows have the same width. That is, the speed and amount of air are the same.

In Fig. 1, the state in which the occupants in the indoor area A has moved to the indoor area B and the airflow supplied thereto are shown.

Initially, the occupant operates the air conditioner by setting the space of the room A to be cooled or heated. Therefore, when the occupant is in the room area A, the occupant can maintain a desired state.

However, when the occupants move to the indoor zone B, airflow is not smoothly supplied to the indoor zone B.

This is because the conventional air conditioner controls the temperature of the indoor space to be cooled or heated based on the average temperature of the indoor space, so that the local temperature imbalance and the excessive area of the specific region (indoor area A in FIG. 1) are excessive. This is because a temperature decrease occurs. That is, the conventional air conditioner cannot control the temperature based on information such as the occupant's location.

2 shows a temperature distribution in a space other than the target space when the target temperature of the target space to be cooled is 26 ° C. As shown in FIG. 2, the temperature of the target space Z1 to be cooled and heated has reached a target temperature of 26 ° C., but the space adjacent to the target space has a temperature lower than the target temperature, resulting in excessive temperature drop. have.

However, the general air conditioner 10 described above has the same speed in the indoor areas A and B based on the average temperature of the indoor space, regardless of whether the occupants are occupant or the number of occupants or the location and distance of the occupants. The airflow is discharged in a positive amount.

Therefore, the factors such as the wind speed, air volume, temperature, humidity, direction of the air can not be actively adjusted according to the cognitive information, and the satisfaction of cooling and heating felt by the occupants is lowered.

In addition, since air is unilaterally discharged without appropriately controlling factors such as wind speed, air volume, temperature, humidity, and direction of the discharged air according to the cognitive information, the energy efficiency of the air conditioner decreases and the desired heating and cooling state is required. There was a problem that it takes a long time to reach.

The present invention has been made to solve the problems of the prior art as described above, an object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioner that can control the airflow by tracking the occupant in accordance with the acquired information of the occupant.

In addition, another object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioner control method of an air conditioner that controls a user's customized airflow according to the occupant's cognitive information.

The present invention, in order to achieve the object as described above, the body; Resident recognizing means installed in the main body; And airflow control means for receiving the recognition information obtained from the occupant recognition means and supplying airflow only to the space where the occupant is present.

Here, the air flow control means is characterized by supplying air flow by tracking the occupants. In addition, the occupant recognition means is characterized in that a plurality of cameras.

By configuring as described above, only the local space in which the occupants are present, not the entire indoor space, can control the temperature, which saves energy and enables fast heating and cooling.

On the other hand, the cameras, the first camera; And a second camera spaced apart from the first camera by a predetermined distance.

The cameras may include a first camera and a second camera spaced apart from the first camera by a predetermined distance, or include a first camera and a second camera located in line with the first camera.

In addition, the first camera and the second camera is characterized in that the symmetrical arrangement with respect to the center line of the main body.

The airflow control unit may be configured to calculate an optimal comfort index according to the cognitive information obtained by tracking the occupants and the rotation speed of the fan motor installed in the main body, the angle of the louver, the angle of the guide and the comp driving unit according to the optimal comfort index. It includes a drive unit for adjusting at least one or more of, it is preferable to further include a memory unit for storing the recognition information of the occupant acquired for the user-specific air flow control.

On the other hand, according to another field of the present invention, the present invention, operation mode selection step; Obtaining cognitive information of the occupants; Storing the acquired recognition information; And controlling the occupants in accordance with the stored cognition information to control the occupants customized airflow.

Here, the step of controlling the airflow tailored to the occupants is at least one of calculating the optimal comfort index from the stored occupant's cognitive information and the rotational speed of the fan motor, the angle of the louver, the angle of the guide and the comp driving unit according to the optimal comfort index. Adjusting the abnormalities.

The acquiring cognitive information of the occupant may include receiving a signal from a pair of cameras and a stereo vision acquiring acknowledgment information of the occupant from the signal, wherein the stereo vision may determine the position of the cameras. And a three-dimensional image information based on two independent image information obtained from the cameras.

The objects and features of this invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings will be described in detail with respect to the configuration and operation according to an embodiment of the present invention.

However, in describing the present invention, a detailed description of known functions or configurations will be omitted to clarify the gist of the present invention.

3 is a view showing an air conditioner equipped with a room occupant recognizing means according to an embodiment of the present invention for discharging airflow by tracking a room occupant, FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the air conditioner of FIG. 3, and FIG. 5 is an air conditioner of FIG. 3. 6 is a view showing an extract of the first camera, the second camera and the airflow control means of FIG. 4, and FIGS. 7 to 9 show three-dimensional image information from the first camera and the second camera of FIG. Figures for explaining the principle of obtaining by stereo vision.

Referring to FIG. 3, the air conditioner 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention adjusts airflow appropriately by tracking the occupants based on the recognition information of the occupants, that is, the number, location or distance of the occupants. That is, when the occupant moves from the indoor area A 'to the indoor area B', only the space where the occupants are located is traced locally.

Here, the arrow of FIG. 3 indicates the flow of air discharged from the air conditioner, that is, the air flow, and the width of the arrow indicates the speed and amount of air. That is, the speed and the amount of cold wind blown to the indoor area A 'where the occupants existed initially are not significantly different from the speed and the amount of the cold wind blown to the indoor area B' where the occupants move.

Therefore, customized airflow or airflow control for the occupants is possible.

4 to 6, the air conditioner 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention, in order to properly adjust the air flow supplied to the air conditioner 100 by tracking the patient in accordance with the recognition information of the occupant. ) The main body 110; Re-patient recognition means 120 installed in the main body 110; And airflow control means 130 which receives the recognition information of the occupants from the occupant recognition means 120 and controls the airflow.

An inlet 111 is formed on the lower front surface of the main body 110, and an outlet 112 through which air is discharged is formed on the upper front surface of the main body 110. The discharge port 112 is provided with a louver 113 that can adjust the opening and closing of the discharge port 112 and the wind direction of the air flow up and down.

In addition, an inside of the discharge port 112 is provided with a separate guide (not shown) for adjusting the advancing direction of the airflow in the left and right directions. An operation panel 115 for operating the air conditioner 100 is installed at the center of the front surface of the main body 110.

A fan motor (not shown) is installed inside the main body 110 to adjust the amount and speed of airflow discharged through the discharge port 112. In addition, an air conditioning cycle (not shown) including a compressor, a condenser, an expansion mechanism, and an evaporator is provided. Of course, such an air conditioning cycle, the installation position may vary depending on whether the type of the air conditioner is separate or integrated.

In other words, the separate type installs the indoor unit of cooling / heating function on the indoor side and the outdoor unit of heat dissipation / cooling and compression function on the outdoor side and connects the two separated devices with refrigerant pipes, and the integrated type of cooling radiant compression Integrate the functions. This embodiment is an example of an integrated type air conditioner, in which case the air conditioning cycle (not shown) are all installed in the main body 110.

The occupant recognition means 120 collects occupant recognition information such as the presence of occupants, the number of occupants, the position and distance of the occupants. The occupant recognition unit 120 may be a voice recognition sensor or an ultrasonic sensor or a plurality of cameras.

Of course, if the cognitive information of the occupants can be collected in addition, any of the occupants cognition means 120 may be used.

The voice recognition sensor converts the voice of the occupant into an electrical signal and detects the presence of the occupant, the number of the occupants, the position and distance of the occupant from the converted electrical signal. On the other hand, the ultrasonic sensor detects the presence of the occupants, the number of occupants, the position and distance of the occupants from the reflected ultrasonic waves.

In this embodiment, a plurality of cameras are used as the occupant recognition means 120.

5 and 6, the occupant recognition unit 120 includes a first camera 121 and a second camera 123 spaced apart from the first camera 121 by a predetermined distance (L).

The first camera 121 and the second camera 123 are installed in front of the main body 110 in order to broaden the recognizable range. In addition, in order to secure a wide field of view, the first camera 121 and the second camera 123 are disposed symmetrically with respect to the center line V of the main body 110. Here, the lens of the first camera 121 and the second camera 123, it is preferable to use a fisheye lens that can put the subject of the entire hemisphere in one circle in order to secure a wide field of view.

In addition, on the basis of two independent image information obtained from the first camera 121 and the second camera 123, the first camera 121 and the second camera ( 123 lies in a straight line on the horizontal line (H).

Stereo vision is a process of reconstructing two two-dimensional images in three dimensions. It is a method of generating a three-dimensional model in consideration of the fact that the human eye uses the visual difference between both eyes when recognizing the depth of the object. From the left and right input images, the predicted variation, which is matching information between two images, is extracted, and a part of the model to be generated is extracted. The final three-dimensional model is generated by assigning the disparity information predicted to the extracted feature as depth information. In general, the geometric model of the camera in stereo vision has a structure in which two cameras are looking at an object, and various shapes are shown depending on the application.

Hereinafter, the principle of obtaining the 3D image information in the stereo vision from the first camera 121 and the second camera 123 will be described. The stereo vision step may include a correction step of determining positions of each of the first camera 121 and the second camera 123; And obtaining three-dimensional image information based on two independent image information obtained from the first camera 121 and the second camera.

Referring to FIGS. 7 and 8, the first camera 121 and the second camera 123 incline and view the subject p at a predetermined angle θ. Here, p1 is a subject p formed on the CD (Charge Coupled Device) of the first camera 121, and p2 is a subject p formed on the CD of the second camera 123. The uppercase letter XYZ represents the world coordinate system, and O represents the origin of the world coordinate system. Lowercase xyz represents the relative coordinate system of the first camera 121 and the second camera 123, O1 represents the center of the first camera 121, O2 represents the center of the second camera 123, respectively.

The position of the first camera 121 can be obtained as a position vector from the zero point of the absolute coordinate system to the center 01 of the first camera 121, and the position of the second camera 123 is from the zero point of the absolute coordinate system. Each can be obtained as a position vector up to the center 02 of the second camera 123. By doing so, the correction step of determining the positions of the first camera 121 and the second camera 123 is completed.

Next, referring to FIGS. 8 and 9, the image information of the subject p1 formed on the CD of the first camera 121 is obtained based on the origin 01 of the relative coordinate system, and is the CC of the second camera 123. The video information of the subject p2 formed on the DI is obtained based on the origin 02 of the relative coordinate system. That is, the subject p1 and the subject p2 are represented by dots as many as the number of pixels of the CD, and the coordinates of the subject p1 are obtained based on the origin 01 and 02 of the relative coordinate system. ) And the independent image information of each of the subject p2 are obtained.

Using the method of edge or vertex detection, which is image processing, or cross-correlation or generic algorithm, two independent image information of the subject (p1) and the subject (p2) thus obtained are obtained. 3D image information of the final object p is obtained using a method such as a fuzzy algorithm.

The three-dimensional image information thus obtained can determine the recognition information of the occupants, that is, the number of occupants, the number of occupants, the position and distance of the occupants.

Meanwhile, referring to FIG. 6, the airflow control unit 130 controls the airflow according to the occupant recognition information obtained as described above. For this purpose, the airflow control unit 130 calculates an optimal comfort index. ); And a driving unit for controlling at least one of the rotation speed of the fan motor (not shown) installed in the main body 110, the vertical rotation of the louver 113, the left and right rotation of the guide (not shown), and the comp driving unit according to the optimum comfort index. 133.

The apparatus may further include a memory unit 132 storing recognition information obtained by the occupant recognition means. The memory unit 132 stores the recognition information unique to the occupants to perform a customized airflow control according to each occupant.

For example, there are some people who want to receive cold or warm air directly from their bodies, such as their faces, depending on their personal preferences. Therefore, by storing the inclination of the occupants in the memory unit 132, it is possible to control the air flow customized according to the occupants present in the indoor space. As a result, it is possible to save energy consumed for heating and cooling, and to reduce the time required to perform desired heating and cooling.

Hereinafter, the airflow control method of the air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention.

10 and 11 are flowcharts illustrating a air flow control method of the air conditioner of FIG. 3.

3, 6, 10, and 11, the airflow control method of the air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an operation mode selection step (S10); Receiving recognition information of the occupants (S20); Storing the acquired recognition information (S25); And controlling the airflow according to the acquired recognition information (S30).

The operation mode selection step (S10) is a step in which the occupant sets the operation of the air conditioner 100 to the manual mode or the automatic mode by a button or a voice.

That is, in the manual mode, the airflow can be unilaterally controlled according to the taste of the occupants regardless of the presence of the occupants, the number of the occupants, the position and distance of the occupants. Alternatively, the acquired acknowledgment information of the occupants is automatically received, and accordingly, the airflow can be controlled according to the tastes of the occupants. Of course, various other algorithms can be considered.

On the other hand, in the automatic mode, the air conditioner 100 automatically adjusts factors such as wind speed, air volume, temperature, humidity, and direction by calculating the optimal comfort index according to the cognitive information of the occupants. do.

Receiving the recognition information of the occupant (S20) may include receiving a signal from a pair of cameras (121, 123) (S21); And a stereo vision step (S23) of acquiring cognitive information of the occupants such as the presence of the occupants, the number of occupants, the position and distance information of the occupants from the signal.

It is transmitted from the cameras 121 and 123 to the calculation unit 131 of the airflow control means 130 in the form of a signal that the occupant in the indoor area A has moved to the indoor area B. The calculator 131 calculates the presence of the occupants, the number of the occupants, the position and distance of the occupants using the stereo vision. In addition, the calculating unit 131 calculates the optimal comfort index from the calculated position and distance of the occupant.

The stereo vision step (S23), a correction step (S23a) for determining the position of the cameras (121, 123); And obtaining three-dimensional image information based on two independent image information obtained from the cameras 121 and 123 (S23b). Detailed description thereof is as described above and will be omitted.

In the storing of the acquired recognition information (S25), the recognition information obtained by receiving the recognition information of the occupant (S20) is stored in the memory unit 132. Here, the method may include inputting information on the amount or intensity of airflow required according to the propensity of the occupants to the memory unit 132.

The controlling of the airflow (S30) may include calculating the optimal comfort index from the stored occupant's cognitive information (S31) and the rotation speed of the fan motor (not shown) according to the optimal comfort index, of the louver 113. And adjusting at least one of an angle, an angle of the guide (not shown), or a comp driving part (not shown) (S33).

It is required according to the personal inclination of the occupants present in the indoor area A ', but the amount or intensity of the airflow is different, so the step of adjusting (S33) should adjust the airflow according to the recognition information stored in the memory unit 132. .

In addition, since the indoor area B 'is farther from the air conditioner 100 than the indoor area A', the cold air should be blown harder to the indoor area B '.

In summer, the driving unit 133 adjusts the angle of the louver 113 upward so that the cool air falls from the top to the bottom, and adjusts the angle of the guide (not shown) to the target indoor area, and the fan motor Increase the number of revolutions of Si) to provide more cold air.

If, in winter, the temperature of the indoor area is increased due to the temperature of the occupants, the angle of the louver 113 is adjusted downward so that the hot air rises from the bottom up to provide more warm air to the indoor area than in summer, According to the recognition information of whether to supply directly or indirectly to the occupants should adjust the angle of the guide (not shown) or the number of rotation of the fan motor (not shown).

FIG. 12 is experimental data showing a temperature distribution of a room supplied with airflow by the air conditioner according to FIG. 3, FIG. 13 is an experimental graph comparing time-dependent temperature changes by the air conditioners according to FIGS. 1 and 3, and FIG. Experimental graph comparing the power consumption by time by the air conditioner according to FIGS. 1 and 3.

According to FIG. 12, even when the target space Z3 is set to 26 ° C. as the target temperature by the air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention, the surrounding space adjacent to the target space Z3 is excessively cooled or the temperature is uneven. It can be seen that.

In addition, according to FIG. 13, as time passes, the air conditioner according to the present invention does not increase the deviation between the target temperature and the average temperature, but the conventional air conditioner increases the deviation between the target temperature and the average temperature. In particular, after 15 minutes it can be seen that the temperature deviation is significantly increased when using a conventional air conditioner.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 14, it can be seen that as time passes, the use of the air conditioner according to the present invention reduces the amount of power consumption compared to the case of using a conventional air conditioner. In particular, it can be seen that the difference in the amount of power consumption when using the air conditioner according to the present invention and the conventional air conditioner according to the present invention from 12 to 13 minutes elapses significantly.

As described above, the air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention, the occupant recognition means for acquiring the recognition information such as the presence or absence of the occupants or the number and location of the occupants; And airflow control means capable of appropriately adjusting factors such as wind speed, air volume, temperature, humidity, direction of the air actively discharged according to the cognitive information.

In addition, the airflow control method of the air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention proposes a control method for supplying airflow by tracking the room occupants by using the occupant recognition means and airflow control means or to supply airflow in accordance with the propensity of the occupants have.

Therefore, there is an effect of improving the satisfaction with the heating and cooling that the occupants feel. In addition, according to the acquired recognition information, the wind speed, air volume, temperature, humidity, direction, etc. of the discharged air can be adjusted according to the propensity of the occupants, so that parts other than the target space where the occupants are present are excessively cooled or heated. It can prevent temperature non-uniformity and keep track of heating and cooling for each space by occupant tracking.

In addition, by controlling the temperature of only the indoor space where the occupants are located by tracking the occupants, it is possible to reduce the power consumption or energy, and to reduce the time required to perform the desired heating and cooling as compared with the existing air conditioning.

Claims (13)

main body; An occupant recognizing means provided in the main body and disposed symmetrically with respect to the center line V of the main body, the first and second cameras being disposed in a straight line on a horizontal line H; And Receiving the occupant recognition information of the occupant's location and distance from the occupant recognition means as a signal to determine the recognition information of the occupant as a stereo vision, the airflow control means for supplying airflow only in the space where the occupant is located; , The air flow control means, A calculator for tracking an occupant and calculating an optimal comfort index according to the acquired cognitive information; And a driving unit configured to adjust at least one of the rotational speed of the fan motor, the louver angle, the guide angle, and the comp driving unit according to the optimum comfort index. delete delete delete delete delete delete delete The air flow control means of claim 1, The air conditioner further comprises a memory unit for storing the acknowledgment information of the occupants of the occupants for the customized airflow control. In-room recognizing means comprising a main body, a first camera and a second camera disposed on the main body, symmetrically with respect to the center line V of the main body, and arranged in a straight line on a horizontal line H, and the in-patient Air flow control means for receiving the occupant recognition information of the occupant's location and distance from the recognition means as a signal to determine the acknowledgment information of the occupant as a stereo vision, tracking the occupants and supplying airflow only to the space where the occupant is located; In the airflow control method of the conditioner, Selecting an operation mode; Obtaining cognitive information of the occupants; Storing the acquired recognition information; And The airflow control method of the air conditioner comprising; step of tracking the occupants in accordance with the stored cognition information to control the occupants customized. The method of claim 10, wherein the control of the user's personalized airflow comprises: Calculating an optimal comfort index from stored cognitive information of the occupants; And And controlling at least one or more of the rotational speed of the fan motor, the angle of the louver, the angle of the guide, and the comp driving unit according to the optimum comfort index. The method of claim 10, wherein acquiring cognitive information of the occupants is Receiving a signal from a pair of cameras; And And a stereo vision step of acquiring cognitive information of the occupants from the signal. The method of claim 12, wherein the stereo vision step, A correction step of determining the positions of the cameras; And And obtaining three-dimensional image information based on two independent image information obtained from the cameras.

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