CN110081564B

CN110081564B - Thermal image sensor system and thermal sensation estimation method

Info

Publication number: CN110081564B
Application number: CN201910289016.1A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 久保博子; 式井慎一; 楠龟弘一
Original assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co Ltd
Current assignee: Panasonic Holdings Corp
Priority date: 2014-02-17
Filing date: 2015-02-17
Publication date: 2021-09-14
Anticipated expiration: 2035-02-17
Also published as: JP6050543B2; JP2016169942A; CN110081564A; JP6077172B1; JP6412177B2; JPWO2015122201A1; JP2017062108A; JP6735323B2; CN110081563B; JP6001183B2; MY185353A; CN105339742B; CN109974244A; CN105339742A; JP2019032154A; CN110081566B; CN110081563A; WO2015122201A1; CN109974244B; CN110081566A

Abstract

Provided are a thermal image sensor system and a thermal sensation estimation method. A thermal image sensor system is provided with: a thermal image acquisition unit that acquires a thermal image representing a spatial temperature distribution; a calculation unit (i) for specifying a human-equivalent region including an exposed portion and a clothing portion of a human in the thermal image acquired by the thermal image acquisition unit, (ii) for specifying a human body temperature, which is a temperature of the human body including clothing in the space, based on a temperature distribution of the human-equivalent region, and (iii) for estimating a thermal sensation of the human body in the space based on a difference value between the human body temperature and an ambient temperature obtained from a temperature of a region other than the human-equivalent region; and a controller for controlling at least one of an air volume, an air temperature, and an air direction of an air conditioner for air conditioning the space, based on the estimated thermal sensation of the person in the space, wherein the calculator estimates the thermal sensation of the person based on a difference between the human body temperature and the ambient temperature and a predetermined threshold value.

Description

Thermal image sensor system and thermal sensation estimation method

This application is a divisional application of chinese patent application No. 201580000700.3 entitled "air conditioner and thermal image sensor system" filed on 17.2.2015.

Technical Field

The present invention relates generally to an air conditioner equipped with an infrared thermal imager (thermal image acquiring unit) capable of measuring a two-dimensional temperature distribution, and a thermal image sensor system used for the air conditioner.

Background

In recent years, various applications using infrared rays have been developed. Infrared rays in the near infrared region having a wavelength of 0.7 to 2.5 μm are used for night vision cameras, television remote controllers, and the like. In addition, infrared rays in the mid-infrared region having a wavelength of 2.5 to 4.0 μm are often used for the identification of substances. The identification of a substance is performed by measuring the transmission spectrum of a measurement object obtained by irradiating the measurement object with infrared rays, and by determining the absorption spectrum specific to the measurement object. Further, infrared rays in the far infrared region having a wavelength of 4.0 to 10 μm are used to measure the surface temperature of the substance. Since there is a peak of the blackbody radiation spectrum in the vicinity of normal temperature, the surface temperature of a substance can be measured in a non-contact manner by detecting infrared rays radiated from the substance. It is generally used as an infrared thermal imager to effectively obtain the surface temperature of a substance in two dimensions. Heretofore, infrared thermographs have been mainly used for industrial purposes such as heat distribution analysis in research and development, equipment maintenance in factories and the like, and quality control in production lines. In these applications, infrared thermal imagers having a relatively large number of pixels are often used.

On the other hand, recently, as in patent document 1, there is a trend to mount an infrared thermal imager on an air conditioner. In patent document 1, the position and activity of a person are estimated from the indoor temperature distribution, and the estimated result is fed back to the operation of the air conditioner. Thus, a more comfortable and efficient air conditioner can be realized.

In patent document 2, the skin temperature of the face or the like is measured to estimate the heat dissipation amount and the sleep depth, and the air conditioner is controlled according to the estimation result. In this way, a comfortable sleep can be provided.

In patent document 3, the surface temperature of the human body is detected, and the air conditioner is controlled according to the detected result. Thus, the comfort in the bathroom and the changing room can be further improved, and the thermal shock can be alleviated.

Documents of the prior art

Patent document

Patent document 1: japanese patent laid-open No. 2001-304655

Patent document 2: japanese laid-open patent publication No. 7-225042

Patent document 3: japanese laid-open patent publication No. 2002-22240

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

As in patent document 2, when an infrared thermal imager is used as a mechanism for detecting a very local temperature of a human body such as a face in an air conditioner, the measurement target region is narrow, and therefore, it is necessary to use an infrared thermal imager having a high number of pixels. Therefore, there is a problem that the cost of the air conditioner increases. Further, patent document 3 does not disclose or suggest how to measure the surface temperature of the human body and how to realize a comfortable environment.

The present invention has been made mainly to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a thermal image sensor system and a thermal sensation estimation method that can estimate whether a person feels a hot or cold sensation even with an inexpensive thermal infrared imager having a small number of pixels, thereby achieving a comfortable ambient temperature.

Means for solving the problems

In order to achieve the above object, a thermal image sensor system includes: a thermal image acquisition unit that acquires a thermal image representing a spatial temperature distribution; a calculation unit that (i) specifies a human-equivalent region including an exposed portion and a clothing portion of a human in the thermal image acquired by the thermal image acquisition unit, (ii) specifies a human body temperature, which is a temperature of the human body including clothing in a space, based on a temperature distribution of the human-equivalent region, and (iii) estimates a thermal sensation of the human body in the space based on a difference value between the human body temperature and an ambient temperature obtained from a temperature of a region other than the human-equivalent region; and a control unit that controls at least one of an air volume, an air temperature, and an air direction of an air conditioner that performs air conditioning control of the space, based on the thermal sensation of the person in the space estimated by the calculation unit; the arithmetic unit estimates the thermal sensation of the person based on a difference between the human body temperature and the ambient temperature and a predetermined threshold value.

In order to achieve the above object, a thermal sensation estimation method estimates a thermal sensation of a person by a computer from a thermal image acquired by a thermal image sensor that acquires the thermal image. The computer identifying a region corresponding to a person in the thermal image, the region including an exposed portion and a clothing portion of the person; the computer determines a temperature of a human body, which is a temperature of clothing included in a person in a space, based on the temperature distribution of the region corresponding to the person; the computer estimating a thermal sensation of the person in the space based on a difference value between the human body temperature and an ambient temperature obtained from a temperature of a region other than the region corresponding to the person; the computer controls at least one of an air volume, an air temperature, and an air direction of an air conditioner that performs air conditioning control of the space, based on the estimated thermal sensation of the person in the space; the estimation of the human thermal sensation is performed based on a difference between a difference value between the human body temperature and the ambient temperature and a predetermined threshold value.

ADVANTAGEOUS EFFECTS OF INVENTION

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a thermal image sensor system and a thermal sensation estimation method that can estimate a thermal sensation of a person to realize a comfortable ambient temperature at low cost.

Drawings

Fig. 1A is a diagram schematically showing the external appearance of an air conditioner 100 according to embodiment 1 of the present invention.

Fig. 1B shows an example of a thermal image used in the air conditioner 100.

Fig. 2 shows an example of the configuration of the air conditioner 100 according to embodiment 1.

Fig. 3 is a diagram illustrating the set point Tc.

Fig. 4A shows an example of the configuration of the air conditioner 100 according to modification 1.

Fig. 4B shows an example of the configuration of the air conditioner 100 according to modification 1.

Fig. 4C shows an example of the configuration of the air conditioner 100 according to modification 1.

Fig. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a circadian rhythm.

Fig. 6 shows an example of the configuration of an air conditioner 100 according to modification 2.

Fig. 7 shows an example of a thermal image used in modification 2.

Fig. 8A shows an example of the configuration of the air conditioner 100 according to modification 3.

Fig. 8B shows an example of the configuration of the air conditioner 100 according to modification 3.

Fig. 8C shows an example of the configuration of the air conditioner 100 according to modification 3.

Fig. 9 shows an example of the configuration of an air conditioner 100 according to modification 4.

Fig. 10 shows an example of a thermal image used in modification 4.

Fig. 11 is an example of a thermal image used in modification 4.

Fig. 12 shows an example of the configuration of an air conditioner 100 according to modification 4.

Fig. 13 is an example of a thermal image used in modification 4.

Fig. 14 shows an example of the configuration of an air conditioner 100 according to modification 4.

Fig. 15A shows an example of the configuration of an air conditioner 100 according to modification 5.

Fig. 15B shows an example of the configuration of the air conditioner 100 according to modification 6.

Fig. 16 shows an example of the configuration of an air conditioner 100 according to modification 7.

Fig. 17 shows an example of a thermal image and a temperature distribution used in modification 7.

Fig. 18 shows an example of a thermal image or the like used in modification 9.

Fig. 19 is an example of a thermal image or the like used in modification 10.

Fig. 20A shows an example of the configuration of an air conditioner 100 according to modification 10.

Fig. 20B shows an example of the configuration of the air conditioner 100 according to modification 10.

Fig. 21 shows an example of a thermal image used in modification 11.

Fig. 22 shows an example of the configuration of an air conditioner 100 according to modification 11.

Fig. 23 shows an example of the configuration of an air conditioner 100 according to modification 12.

Fig. 24 shows an example of the temperature distribution used in modification 12.

Fig. 25 shows an example of a thermal image or the like used in modification 13.

Fig. 26 shows an example of the configuration of an air conditioner 100 according to modification 13.

Fig. 27 is an example of a thermal image or the like used in modification 14.

Fig. 28 shows an example of the configuration of an air conditioner 100 according to modification 14.

Fig. 29 is a view schematically showing the external appearance of an air conditioner 200 according to embodiment 2 of the present invention.

Fig. 30 shows an example of the configuration of an air conditioner 200 according to embodiment 2.

Fig. 31 is an example of a screen of a remote controller used in the air conditioner 200.

Fig. 32 shows an example of the configuration of an air conditioner 200 according to embodiment 2.

Fig. 33 is an example of a screen of a remote controller used in the air conditioner 200.

Fig. 34 shows an example of the configuration of an air conditioner 200 according to embodiment 2.

Fig. 35 is an example of a screen of a remote controller used in the air conditioner 200.

Fig. 36 shows an example of the structure of a thermal image sensor system 300 according to an application of the present invention.

Detailed Description

< summary of various embodiments of the invention >

An air conditioner according to an aspect of the present invention is an air conditioner for controlling air conditioning of a space, including: a thermal image acquisition unit that acquires a thermal image representing a spatial temperature distribution; a calculation unit (i) that specifies a region corresponding to a person in the thermal image acquired by the thermal image acquisition unit, (ii) that specifies a human body temperature, which is a temperature of the person in the space, based on a temperature distribution of the region corresponding to the person, and (iii) that estimates a thermal sensation of the person in the space based on a difference value between the human body temperature and an ambient temperature obtained from a temperature of a region other than the region corresponding to the person; and a control unit for controlling at least one of the air volume, the air temperature, and the air direction of the air conditioner based on the thermal sensation of the person in the space estimated by the calculation unit. The thermal image acquisition unit and the calculation unit may constitute a thermal image sensor system separate from the air conditioner.

The calculation unit may estimate the thermal sensation of the person based on a difference between a difference value of the human body temperature and the ambient temperature and a predetermined threshold value.

The control unit may perform control to increase the ambient temperature when a difference value obtained by subtracting the ambient temperature from the human body temperature is greater than a predetermined threshold value, and perform control to decrease the ambient temperature when the difference value obtained by subtracting the ambient temperature from the human body temperature is less than the predetermined threshold value.

Further, the calculation unit may correct the predetermined threshold value based on the amount of human activity.

The calculation unit may correct the predetermined threshold value based on whether the air conditioner is performing the cooling operation or the heating operation.

The predetermined threshold value may be corrected based on the ambient temperature.

The calculation unit may determine the human body temperature based on an average temperature value of all pixels in the region corresponding to the human body in the thermal image.

The calculation unit may divide the human equivalent region into a plurality of human body parts, weight each of the plurality of human body parts, and determine the human body temperature based on an average temperature value of all pixels of the weighted human equivalent region.

Further, the calculation unit may reduce the weight of the human body part with the skin exposed out of the plurality of human body parts as compared with the other human body parts.

The calculation unit may divide the human equivalent region into a plurality of temperature ranges, weight each of the plurality of temperature ranges, and determine the human body temperature based on an average temperature value of all pixels of the weighted human equivalent region.

The calculation unit may decrease the weight of the side with a lower temperature and increase the weight of the side with a higher temperature in the plurality of temperature ranges.

The calculation unit may determine the human body temperature based on an average temperature value of all pixels in the region corresponding to the human body in the thermal image and a maximum temperature value of all pixels.

Further, the calculation unit may determine the ambient temperature based on a mode value of the temperature of the pixels in a region other than the region corresponding to the person.

Further, the calculation unit may specify a floor area or/and a ceiling area included in the space in the thermal image, and specify the ambient temperature based on the temperature of the floor area or/and the temperature of the ceiling area.

The calculation unit may use, as the ambient temperature, a value measured by a temperature sensor that is worn by a person in the space or attached to an object worn by the person.

The calculation unit may use, as the ambient temperature, a value measured by a temperature sensor provided in the air conditioner and acquiring the ambient temperature of the air conditioner, or a value measured by a temperature sensor attached to a remote controller capable of remotely operating the air conditioner.

The calculation unit may specify a region indicating a temperature in a predetermined range in the thermal image as a region corresponding to a human.

The calculation unit may specify, as the human-equivalent regions, regions in the thermal image that indicate a temperature in a predetermined range and are continuous at least a predetermined number of times.

As another aspect, the present invention provides an air conditioner for controlling air conditioning of a space, including: a thermal image acquisition unit that acquires a thermal image representing a spatial temperature distribution; a calculation unit that specifies a region corresponding to a person in the thermal image acquired by the thermal image acquisition unit and estimates a thermal sensation of the person in a space in the specified region; and a notification unit configured to notify the person in the space of the thermal sensation of the person in the space estimated by the calculation unit.

The notification unit may notify the person in the space by displaying an image, a character, or a symbol indicating the thermal sensation of the person in the space on a display unit provided in the air conditioner main body or a display unit provided in a remote controller of the air conditioner.

The notification unit may notify the person in the space of the thermal sensation of the person by changing the display color of the display unit.

The calculation unit may generate a correction image in which characters or symbols representing the thermal sensation of the person in the space are superimposed around the coordinates of the area corresponding to the person in the thermal image, and the notification unit may notify the person in the space of the thermal sensation by displaying the correction image on the display unit.

The notification unit may notify a terminal other than the air conditioner via a network of an instruction to display an image, a character, or a symbol indicating the thermal sensation of a person in the space on a display unit of the terminal.

The notification unit may transmit, to a terminal other than the air conditioner via a network, (i) the thermal image, (ii) information on the coordinates of the area corresponding to the person specified by the arithmetic unit, (iii) information on the estimated thermal sensation, and (iv) a command to display, on a display unit of the terminal, a corrected image in which characters or symbols representing the thermal sensation of the person in the space are superimposed around the coordinates of the area corresponding to the person in the thermal image generated by the arithmetic unit.

Further, the calculation unit may generate a correction image in which characters or symbols indicating the thermal sensation of the person in the space are superimposed around the coordinates of the area corresponding to the person in the thermal image, and the notification unit may notify a terminal other than the air conditioner of an instruction to display the correction image on a display unit of the terminal via a network.

The calculation unit may specify the human body temperature, which is the temperature of the human in the space, based on the temperature distribution of the region corresponding to the human, and estimate the thermal sensation of the human in the space based on a difference value between the human body temperature and the ambient temperature obtained from the temperature of the region other than the region corresponding to the human.

The air conditioner may further include a correction receiving unit that receives correction of the estimated thermal sensation, and the arithmetic unit may correct the estimated thermal sensation based on information received by the correction receiving unit.

The air conditioner may further include a correction receiving unit that receives a correction of the estimated thermal sensation, and the calculation unit may estimate the thermal sensation of the person based on a difference between a difference value between the human body temperature and the ambient temperature and change the predetermined threshold value based on the information received by the correction receiving unit.

As another aspect, the present invention provides an air conditioner for controlling air conditioning of a space, including: a thermal image acquisition unit that acquires a thermal image representing a spatial temperature distribution; a temperature sensor that acquires a temperature around the air conditioner; a calculation unit that specifies a region corresponding to a person in the thermal image acquired by the thermal image acquisition unit when the ambient temperature acquired by the temperature sensor is within a predetermined temperature range, and estimates the thermal sensation of the person in the space in the specified region; and a control unit that controls at least one of the air volume, the air temperature, and the air direction of the air conditioner based on the thermal sensation of the person in the space estimated by the arithmetic unit when the ambient temperature acquired by the temperature sensor is within a predetermined temperature range.

Further, the calculation unit may not perform the calculation when the ambient temperature is not within the predetermined temperature range, and the control unit may determine and control the control content regarding at least one of the air volume, the air temperature, and the air direction of the air conditioner according to the ambient temperature when the ambient temperature is not within the predetermined temperature range.

As another aspect, the present invention provides a thermal image sensor system including: a thermal image acquisition unit that acquires a thermal image representing a spatial temperature distribution; and a calculation unit that (i) specifies a region corresponding to a person in the thermal image acquired by the thermal image acquisition unit, (ii) specifies a human body temperature, which is a temperature of the person in the space, based on a temperature distribution of the region corresponding to the person, and (iii) estimates a thermal sensation of the person in the space based on a difference value between the human body temperature and an ambient temperature obtained from a temperature of a region other than the region corresponding to the person.

As another aspect, the present invention provides a thermal sensation estimation method for estimating a thermal sensation of a person from a thermal image acquired by a thermal image sensor that acquires a thermal image, the thermal sensation estimation method including identifying a region corresponding to the person in the thermal image, identifying a human body temperature that is a temperature of the person in a space based on a temperature distribution of the region corresponding to the person, and estimating the thermal sensation of the person in the space based on a difference value between the human body temperature and an ambient temperature obtained from a temperature of a region other than the region corresponding to the person.

As another aspect, the present invention provides a thermal sensation estimation program for estimating a thermal sensation of a person from a thermal image acquired by a thermal image sensor that acquires a thermal image, the thermal sensation estimation program including: (i) the thermal image acquiring unit acquires a thermal image of a person in a space, and the thermal image acquiring unit acquires a thermal image of the person in the space.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the same elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof may be omitted. In order to facilitate understanding of the drawings, each constituent element is schematically illustrated as a main body.

The embodiments described below are all specific examples of the present invention. The numerical values, shapes, constituent elements, steps, and the order of the steps shown in the following embodiments are merely examples, and do not limit the gist of the present invention. Among the components of the following embodiments, those described in independent claims not representing the highest concept will be described as arbitrary components. In all the embodiments, the contents can be combined. The configurations described in the respective modifications of the embodiments are also the same, and the configurations described in the respective modifications may be combined.

< detailed description of various embodiments of the invention >

[ embodiment 1 ]

An air conditioner 100 according to embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

In fig. 2, the air conditioner 100 according to embodiment 1 includes a thermal image acquisition unit 110, a temperature sensor 120, a calculation unit 130, a control unit 160, a louver 171, a compressor 172, and a fan 173. The arithmetic unit 130 includes a position specifying unit 131, a human body temperature calculating unit 132, a temperature difference value calculating unit 133, a thermal sensation estimating unit 134, and a set point setting unit 135. Each configuration of the air conditioner 100 may be disposed in any one of an indoor unit installed indoors and an outdoor unit installed outdoors. The air conditioner 100 may have a configuration other than these configurations.

The thermal image acquisition unit 110 is a so-called infrared thermal imager mounted on the front surface of the air conditioner 100. The thermal image acquisition unit 110 has a viewing angle Φ in the left-right direction, and can acquire a two-dimensional thermal image of an object present in the space in front of the air conditioner 100. The thermal image acquisition unit 110 also has a viewing angle in the vertical direction, and can recognize the presence of the person 102 in the space in front of the air conditioner 100. The thermal image acquisition unit 110 has a structure in which two-dimensional thermal images can be acquired at one time, for example, having pixel groups arranged in a two-dimensional matrix. In addition to this structure, the thermal image acquisition unit 110 may have a structure in which, for example, pixel groups (line sensors) arranged in a one-dimensional manner are provided and a two-dimensional thermal image is acquired by one-dimensionally scanning the pixel groups, or may have a structure in which one or more pixels are provided and one or more pixels are two-dimensionally scanned and a two-dimensional thermal image is acquired. Here, the configuration of the thermal image acquisition unit 110 is not limited.

In embodiment 1, when the person 102 is present in the space at the angle of view Φ in front of the air-conditioning apparatus 100 as shown in fig. 1A, the thermal image acquisition unit 110 can acquire the thermal image 103a including the temperature distribution of the person 102 as shown in fig. 1B. The thermal image 103a will be described below.

In the thermal image 103a, the higher the temperature of the object in the space, the higher the density of the object. In fig. 1B, the higher the temperature of the pixel, the more black the pixel is displayed. Further, the display regarding the thermal image is not limited thereto.

Currently, the person 102 shown in fig. 1A is wearing a coat 102a and trousers 102 b. The surface temperature of the jacket 102a and the trousers 102b is close to the ambient temperature. Therefore, for example, when the ambient temperature is about 25 ℃, the surface temperature of the person 102 detected by the thermal image acquisition unit 110 is lower in the parts of the jacket 102a and the trousers 102b than in other parts (face, head, hands, feet) where the skin is exposed. Thus, the surface temperatures of the jacket 102a and the pants 102b are displayed at a relatively low density (color close to the color of the surrounding pixels) as compared with the surface temperature of the exposed portion of the skin. In the temperature environment, since the ambient temperature is lower than the temperature of the clothing surface, when no object having an ambient temperature or lower is present inside the angle of view Φ, the density of the region other than the person in the thermal image 103a becomes the lowest. For example, when the room temperature is about 25 ℃, the temperature distribution shown in the thermal image 103a is obtained when the skin temperature of the face is about 33 ℃ on average, the temperature of the jacket 102a is about 27 ℃, the temperature of the both hands (exposed portions) is about 30 ℃, the temperature of the pants 102b is about 28 ℃, and the temperature of the both feet (exposed portions) is about 29 ℃. However, the temperature of the surface of the jacket 102a, the trousers 102b, and the like may reach other temperatures depending on the material, thickness, and the like of the jacket. In addition, the surface temperature of the skin is also inconsistent due to individual differences, activity amounts, and the like. When the person 102 is not present and the temperature of the object present within the angle of view Φ is uniform, the distribution is uniform as shown in the thermal image 103B in fig. 1B.

Next, each configuration and function of the air conditioner 100 will be explained.

The temperature distribution acquired by the thermal image acquisition unit 110 is transmitted to the calculation unit 130 as a thermal image. The temperature sensor 120 is a sensor such as a thermistor or thermocouple that can measure the temperature of a point in space or a point on the surface of a component. The temperature sensor 120 is disposed, for example, in an air inlet of the air conditioner 100, and measures the ambient temperature. The position of the temperature sensor 120 may be disposed at a place other than the air inlet, and the position is not limited here. The ambient temperature detected by the temperature sensor 120 is sent to the arithmetic unit 130.

In the computing unit 130, the position specifying unit 131 analyzes the thermal image transmitted from the thermal image acquisition unit 110, and specifies the position of the person 102 in the space. The method of determining the position of the person is described later. The human body temperature calculation unit 132 analyzes the thermal image transmitted from the thermal image acquisition unit 110, and determines an area estimated to correspond to the human 102. Then, the human body temperature calculation unit 132 cuts the determined region, and determines (obtains) an average value of the temperatures of the cut regions as the human body temperature. The method of determining the human region and the method of calculating the average value of the temperature will be described later. The temperature difference value calculation unit 133 obtains the human body temperature (a value) calculated by the human body temperature calculation unit 132 and the ambient temperature (B value) detected by the temperature sensor 120, and obtains a temperature difference value (C value) between the two (that is, C is a-B).

The thermal sensation estimator 134 obtains the temperature difference value (C value) calculated by the temperature difference value calculator 133. The thermal sensation estimator 134 acquires the set point Tc set by the set point setting unit 135. Then, the thermal sensation estimator 134 compares the temperature difference value (C value) with the set point Tc to determine whether the person 102 feels hot or cold (hereinafter referred to as thermal sensation).

Here, the set point Tc set by the set point setting unit 135 is a temperature difference value (C value) [ -human body temperature (a value) -ambient temperature (B value) ], at the time when a person feels no heat or cold. That is, as shown in fig. 3, if the difference value is smaller than the set point Tc, in other words, if the ambient temperature rises with respect to the human body temperature, the human body feels warm and hot in accordance with the amount of the rise. On the other hand, if the differential value is larger than the set point Tc, in other words, the ambient temperature is decreased with respect to the human body temperature, the human feels cool and cold by the amount of the decrease. The value of the set point Tc can be found by experiment, for example, or can be calculated by simulation.

In this way, the arithmetic unit 130 can estimate the position and the thermal sensation of the person 102 present within the angle of view Φ. The estimated position and thermal sensation of the person 102 are input to the controller 160. The controller 160 controls the louver 171, the compressor 172, and the fan 173 based on the thermal sensation determined by the thermal sensation estimator 134 of the calculator 130. For example, when it is determined that the person 102 feels hot, the control unit 160 performs control to direct the louver 171 toward the direction in which the person 102 is present and to operate the compressor 172 and the fan 173 to generate cool air. In this way, the person 102 no longer feels hot but can be comfortable because the ambient temperature of the person 102 drops.

As described above, the thermal sensation is estimated by obtaining the human body temperature (value a), which is the average temperature of the region corresponding to the person 102, and the temperature difference value (value C) between the human body temperature (value a) and the ambient temperature (value B) of the person 102, and the following effects are obtained.

In general, the room temperature can be set by an air conditioner, but cannot be set according to the amount of clothes to be put on the person. For example, in summer, even if the set temperature is the same, the feeling is different, for example, if the clothing is thin, the person feels cool, and if the clothing is thick, the person feels hot. For example, in the case of winter, even if the set temperature is the same, the feeling pattern is different such that a person feels cold if the clothing is thin, and the person feels warm if the clothing is thick. That is, if the amount of clothing is different, the thermal sensation of the human body is different even if the ambient temperature is the same. Thus, the thermal sensation varies depending on the amount of clothing by simply maintaining the ambient temperature at the same temperature, and the set temperature of the air conditioner needs to be changed.

As in the present embodiment, the amount of heat dissipated from the body in consideration of the clothing is estimated by obtaining the temperature difference value (C value) between the human body temperature (a value), which is the average temperature of the region corresponding to the person 102 including the clothing region, and the ambient temperature (B value) of the person 102. Generally, since the energy a person takes up per day is approximately the same, it is preferable to also maintain the heat emitted from the body to be approximately constant. Thus, the thermal sensation can be estimated by comparing the temperature difference value (C value), which is an index of the amount of heat dissipated from the body, with the set point Tc determined in advance based on the ideal amount of heat dissipated. If the thermal sensation can be estimated, the thermal sensation can be continuously estimated with high accuracy in the arithmetic unit 130 without, for example, the person 102 having to intentionally notify the amount of the clothing even if the amount of the clothing is changed. As a result, there is an effect that a comfortable space can be provided without changing the set temperature one by one regardless of the amount of clothes.

As other effects, the following effects can be expected. In the present embodiment, the average value of the region corresponding to the person 102 is obtained as a value extracted from the thermal image 103 a. Therefore, even an image with a low resolution may be used. For example, if the nose temperature is to be measured in order to estimate the thermal sensation, the resolution of the thermal image corresponding to the amount of resolution of an area of several square centimeters indoors is required. However, according to the present embodiment, since it is only necessary to obtain the average value of the region corresponding to the person 102, such a high resolution is not necessary. This provides an effect that the thermal image acquiring unit 110 having a low resolution and being inexpensive can sufficiently estimate the thermal sensation of the person 102.

Of course, the driving amount of the control unit 160 for the louver 171, the compressor 172, and the fan 173 may be constant regardless of the deviation amount of the temperature difference value (C value) from the set point Tc, or may be changed in accordance with the deviation amount. For example, when the offset amount is large, the drive amounts of the compressor 172 and the fan 173 may be increased, and when the offset amount is small, the drive amounts of the compressor 172 and the fan 173 may be decreased.

In addition, several modifications are described below.

(modification 1)

In modification 1, the set point Tc is varied with time based on the case where the human core body temperature varies within one day (generally referred to as "circadian rhythm").

Fig. 4A is a diagram showing a configuration of the air conditioner 100 according to modification 1. The arithmetic unit 130 according to the modification shown in fig. 4A further includes a circadian rhythm storage unit 136 and a clock 137. The circadian rhythm storage unit 136 stores, for example, a typical circadian rhythm (a core body temperature of a person that fluctuates in one day) shown in fig. 5(a) in the form of a table. The clock 137 is an internal clock of the air conditioner 100, and gives information on time to the set point setting unit 135. The set point setting unit 135 refers to the time of the clock 137, and sets a set point Tc corrected in accordance with the time based on the core body temperature stored in the circadian rhythm storage unit 136. As in this modification, by estimating the thermal sensation based on the set point Tc corrected by the set point setting unit 108, it is possible to maintain a comfortable environment corresponding to a change in the manner of human perception of the ambient temperature during a day according to the circadian rhythm.

In addition, the core body temperature is generally higher in the afternoon than in the morning, and thus it is known that even the same temperature feels relatively warmer in the afternoon than in the morning. Thus, the set point Tc in the afternoon may be set high, and the set point Tc may be corrected in proportion to the body temperature fluctuation amount of the circadian rhythm.

Fig. 4B is a diagram showing another configuration of the air conditioner 100 according to modification 1. The modification shown in fig. 4B is a configuration in which the internal clock 137 is replaced with an external clock 190. In this modification, it is considered that the waking time and the sleeping time vary from person to person, and the time of the clock 190 (e.g., alarm clock) of the person is referred to instead of the clock of the air conditioner 100. For example, the reference position of the circadian rhythm stored in the circadian rhythm storage section 136 can be changed based on the wake-up timing set in the clock 190. The clock 190 may be a lighting device for a bedroom, a sleep meter, or the like, in addition to the alarm clock. A sleep meter is a meter that can estimate a time of sleep, a time of getting up, a sleep time, a sleep depth, and the like from a physical activity of a person. That is, the time of getting up and the time of going to bed can be estimated from the timing of turning on/off the illumination of the bedroom and the value of the sleep meter. As in this modification, a comfortable air conditioner optimized for each individual can be provided.

Fig. 4C is a diagram showing another configuration of the air conditioner 100 according to modification 1. The modification shown in fig. 4C is a configuration in which a plurality of circadian rhythms are stored in the circadian rhythm storage unit 136, and a circadian rhythm determination unit 138 is further provided. In circadian rhythms, the temperature variation range is large for people living regularly, and is smaller for people living irregularly. For example, as shown in fig. 5(b), a circadian rhythm (rhythm 1) of a regular person and a circadian rhythm (rhythm 2) of an irregular person are stored in the circadian rhythm storage section 136. The circadian rhythm determination unit 138 determines whether the patient is regular or irregular based on the time of getting up and bedtime obtained from the clock 190, and notifies the set point setting unit 135 of the determination result. The set point setting unit 135 selects one of the

circadian rhythms

1 and 2 based on the determination notified from the circadian rhythm determination unit 138, and sets the set point Tc. As in this modification, it is possible to provide a comfortable air conditioner optimized for each individual according to the regularity or irregularity in the living habits of the individual.

Here, the circadian rhythm is expressed by being divided into two items, i.e., a regular life and an irregular life, as an example, but it is needless to say that the circadian rhythm may be further divided. The circadian rhythm shown in fig. 5 is a schematic example, and the body temperature fluctuation range and the like may be arbitrarily set, but the circadian rhythm is not limited to this.

(modification 2)

In modification 2, the set point Tc is varied according to the activity amount based on the fact that, when the amount of heat radiated from the body increases due to exercise, the body feels warmer than when the body is still.

Fig. 6 is a diagram showing a configuration of an air conditioner 100 according to modification 2. In the modification shown in fig. 6, the calculation unit 130 further includes an activity amount calculation unit 139 and a buffer 140. For example, in fig. 7, the thermal image 103c is a thermal image at time T1, and the thermal image 103d is a thermal image at time T2 that is later than time T1 by a predetermined time. At this time, the position specifying unit 131 specifies the position of the person 102 at the time T1 from the thermal image 103c or specifies the position of the person 102 at the time T2 from the thermal image 103 d. The buffer 140 stores the positions of the persons specified at the respective times by the position specifying unit 131. The activity amount calculation unit 139 estimates the amount of activity of the person 102 from the amount of change in the position of the person stored in the buffer 140, and sends the estimated amount of activity to the set point setting unit 135. The set point setting unit 135 corrects the set point Tc based on the activity amount estimated by the activity amount calculation unit 139. According to this modification, the thermal sensation corresponding to the activity level of the person can be estimated. Based on the thermal sensation obtained by the estimation, the controller 160 can control the compressor 172 and the fan 173 in accordance with the activity of the person. This makes it possible to provide a comfortable environment even when the user moves.

In addition, when the activity amount is large, the heat dissipation amount is generally large, and therefore the set point Tc is increased depending on the activity amount. Note that, although the activity amount is estimated focusing on the change in the position of the person, the activity amount may be estimated by monitoring the position of a high-temperature portion, such as a hand, that is not the position of the person. Thus, even when a work is performed on the seat as in ironing, the activity amount can be estimated, and therefore, a more comfortable air conditioner can be provided.

In modification 2, a method of using a change in position of a person in a thermal image is described as an example of estimating the activity amount. However, the method of estimating the amount of activity is not particularly limited as long as it can estimate the amount of activity, and may be a method other than the method using the thermal image.

(modification 3)

In modification 3, the set point Tc is varied according to the season, based on the fact that the feeling patterns in the summer and the winter are different even with the same temperature.

In particular, since the temperature difference in the four seasons in japan is clearly noticeable, it is known that the feeling patterns in summer and winter are different even if the temperature is the same. In general, in hot seasons such as summer, the body is used to heat, and therefore, even if the ambient temperature is high (for example, 28 ℃), the body feels comfortable. In contrast, in cold seasons such as winter, the body is used to cold, and thus even if the ambient temperature is low (for example, 20 ℃), the body feels comfortable. Thus, even if the temperature difference value between the ambient temperature and the average temperature of the person is smaller in summer than in other seasons, the user feels comfortable, and even if the temperature difference value between the ambient temperature and the average temperature of the person is larger in winter than in other seasons, the user feels comfortable.

Fig. 8A is a diagram showing the configuration of the air conditioner 100 according to modification 3. In the modification shown in fig. 8A, the calculation unit 130 further includes a heating/cooling determination unit 141. The heating/cooling determination unit 141 determines a control mode of whether the air conditioner 100 is performing a heating operation or a cooling operation. The set point setting unit 135 corrects the set point Tc based on the determination result of the control mode in the heating/cooling determination unit 141. For example, if the control mode is the cooling operation, the set point Tc is set to 3.0 ℃, and if the control mode is the heating operation, the set point Tc is set to 4.0 ℃. Thus, a comfortable air conditioner can be provided that is also suitable for the thermal sensation of the body depending on the season.

Fig. 8B is a diagram showing another configuration of the air conditioner 100 according to modification 3. The modification shown in fig. 8B is a configuration in which the heating/cooling determination unit 141 is not provided, but the ambient temperature detected by the temperature sensor 120 is input to the set point setting unit 135. The set point setting unit 135 estimates the current season from the ambient temperature (temperature before the room is made comfortable by the air conditioner) detected by the temperature sensor 120, and corrects the set point Tc. Of course, the set point setting unit 135 may directly correct the set point Tc based on the ambient temperature detected by the temperature sensor 120 without estimating the season. The ambient temperature may be the ambient temperature estimated by the thermal sensation estimator 134 from the thermal image (described later in modification 7).

Fig. 8C is a diagram showing another configuration of the air conditioner 100 according to modification 3. In the modification shown in fig. 8C, the arithmetic unit 130 further includes a calendar unit 142. The calendar section 142 has information of the date. The set point setting unit 135 estimates the current season from the date obtained from the calendar unit 142, and corrects the set point Tc. Thus, a comfortable air conditioner can be provided that is also suitable for the body's compliance with the thermal sensation based on the season.

(modification 4)

In modification 4, the set point Tc is individually changed based on the fact that the thermal sensation felt by a person varies among persons even in the same environment.

As a method of identifying an individual from the thermal image, for example, a height can be detected. For example, a thermal image 103e of X and a thermal image 103f of Y are shown in fig. 10. The height of the person can be easily obtained by calculation from the standing position and the height of the person on the image. That is, the distance from the person to the air conditioner 100 is known from whether the standing position on the image is up or down, and the height can be calculated from the acquired height of the person. With respect to X of the thermal image 103e and Y of the thermal image 103f, it is possible to distinguish individuals from each other according to the height.

Fig. 9 is a diagram showing a configuration of an air conditioner 100 according to modification 4. In the modification shown in fig. 9, the arithmetic unit 130 further includes a human recognition unit 143 and a buffer 144. The person identification unit 143 analyzes the thermal image acquired by the thermal image acquisition unit 110, and identifies the person from the height as described above. Buffer 144 has previously stored for each person (X and Y in this example) a set point Tc. The buffer 144 receives the result of identification of the individual from the person identification unit 143, and transmits the set point Tc stored for the individual to the set point setting unit 135.

Here, the set point Tc for each person can be determined as follows. For example, the air conditioner 100 is operated while the temperature is changed by standing a person at a position where the thermal image acquisition unit 110 can acquire the thermal image. Then, at a timing when the user feels neither hot nor cold, a specific signal is input to the air conditioner 100 by the user (for example, transmission is performed by a remote controller (not shown)). The air conditioner 100 calculates a set point based on the ambient temperature acquired by the temperature sensor 120 when a specific signal is input, the human body temperature specified by the human body temperature calculation unit 132, and the like, and stores the set point in the buffer 144 together with the individual height information acquired by the human identification unit 143. In addition, when the set point Tc for each person is set, information (cold feeling, heat feeling, cold syndrome (japanese: cold え syndrome, english: sensitivity to cold), etc.) notified by the person himself may be added. For example, the set point of Y, which informs itself of chills, is set to be low. By setting in this way, the heat dissipation amount is controlled to be relatively lowered, and therefore, there is an effect that it is possible to make it difficult to feel cold even in cold syndromes.

In this way, the set point setting unit 135 acquires and sets the set point Tc of the individual identified by the person identifying unit 143 from the buffer 144. Then, the thermal sensation estimator 134 determines the thermal sensation based on the individual set point Tc. This makes it possible to realize an air conditioner capable of optimizing the ambient temperature for an individual.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the height is calculated from the thermal image obtained by the thermal image obtaining section 110 to perform the identification of the individual. However, the method of identifying the individual is not limited to this method, and other methods may be used. For example, the individual may be identified based on the difference in the temperature distribution, or the individual may be identified based on an image of a CCD camera or the like provided separately.

[ method for determining temperature (A value) of human body ]

Next, a method of calculating the human body temperature (a value), which is the average temperature of the region corresponding to the person 102 in the calculation unit 130, will be described with reference to fig. 11.

For example, as described above, when the room temperature is about 25 ℃, the skin temperature of the face is about 33 ℃ on average, the temperature of the jacket 102a is about 27 ℃, the temperature of the both hands (exposed portions) is about 30 ℃, the temperature of the pants 102b is about 28 ℃, and the temperature of the both feet (exposed portions) is about 29 ℃. This makes it possible to define the region corresponding to the person 102, which is higher than the predetermined temperature by comparison with the ambient temperature detected by the temperature sensor 120. In this way, the calculation unit 130 calculates information on the region of the person for calculating the body temperature (a value) or the position of the person 102 to be output to the control unit 160.

For example, in this case, if a pixel portion higher than the ambient temperature (25 ℃) by 1 ℃ or more is estimated as human 102, a region surrounded by a thick line shown in fig. 11(a) can be set as a region corresponding to a human. In this way, a pixel portion equal to or larger than a predetermined value may be determined as a region corresponding to a person. In addition, a case where a predetermined number or more of pixel portions at 26 ℃ or higher are continuous may be added as a condition for specifying a human region. For example, as shown in fig. 11(b), the thermal image may include a region such as a lighting fixture that generates heat at 26 ℃. In this case, if a region in which pixels at 26 ℃ or higher are continuous by 10 pixels or more is recognized as a person, for example, the heat generating object such as the lighting fixture is not detected as a person. This enables a human to be detected with high accuracy, and therefore, the thermal sensation can be reliably estimated, and a comfortable surrounding environment can be provided.

In the above-described embodiment, the region corresponding to the ambient temperature of 1 ℃ or higher is set as the region corresponding to the human, but not only the lower limit temperature but also the upper limit temperature may be set. For example, the upper limit temperature may be 40 ℃, and a region higher than 40 ℃ may not be a region corresponding to a human. In this case, for example, as shown in fig. 11(c), if an object that generates heat due to factors other than metabolism of the human body, such as a smartphone, is present in a pocket of the chest and the region is higher than 40 ℃, the region may be removed from the region corresponding to the human body. In this way, the amount of heat dissipated by metabolism of the human can be accurately predicted, and therefore, the thermal sensation can be estimated with higher accuracy, and a more comfortable surrounding environment can be provided.

In this embodiment, the region corresponding to a person is set using as a threshold whether or not the temperature is higher than the ambient temperature by 1 ℃ or more, but may be set to, for example, 26 ℃ regardless of the ambient temperature, and may be set freely. It should be noted that the number of consecutive pixels is, for example, 10 pixels, but is not limited to 10 pixels, and may be set as appropriate according to the specification of the thermal image acquisition mechanism to be used. Although the upper limit temperature is 40 ℃, this is merely an example, and other temperatures may be set, and the upper limit temperature is not limited to 40 ℃. In addition, the thermal images acquired in time series may be compared, and a portion where there is activity may be regarded as an area corresponding to the person 102, but the mode is not limited thereto.

Here, as an optimum configuration, the average temperature value of the region corresponding to the person 102 is determined (obtained) as the human body temperature (a value) from the thermal image in the calculation unit 130, and the thermal sensation of the person 102 is estimated. However, the amount of heat dissipated from the clothing may be estimated by obtaining the difference from the ambient temperature, and other values may be used as the body temperature. For example, the integrated value of the temperature of the region corresponding to the person 102 may be the maximum value, and may be other modes, median values, and the like, and this is not limited here.

In addition, the case where the ambient temperature is about 25 ℃ is described so far. However, when the ambient temperature is high, for example, about 33 ℃, the temperature of the jacket 102a and the pants 102b is almost different from the ambient temperature even when the skin temperature of the face is about 33 ℃ on average, and both temperatures reach about 33 ℃. In addition, since the temperatures of both hands (exposed portions) and feet are also equal to the ambient temperature, it is difficult to detect the region of the person 102 on the thermal image.

However, if the ambient temperature is about 33 ℃, the body feels stuffy due to no heat dissipation from the skin or the like. Therefore, at this time, the controller 160 may directly determine the ambient temperature and start the cooling operation without determining (calculating) the thermal sensation and the position of the person by the calculator 130. The structure at this time is shown in fig. 12. When the ambient temperature is equal to or higher than the predetermined temperature, cooling is started regardless of the thermal sensation, and the ambient temperature is set to be equal to or lower than the predetermined temperature (for example, 33 ℃). Since the human region can be distinguished if the ambient temperature is equal to or lower than the predetermined temperature (predetermined temperature range), the thermal sensation can be estimated by the arithmetic unit 130, and a comfortable ambient environment can be provided.

Here, the predetermined temperature is set to 33 ℃. The predetermined temperature may be set to be lower as long as it is lower than the surface temperature of the exposed portion of the face of the person, and the temperature and the range are not limited herein. The processing for estimating the thermal sensation by the thermal sensation estimator 134 described above and controlling the controller 160 is executed regardless of the ambient temperature (without limiting the temperature range). However, for example, when the ambient temperature is 10 ℃, anyone will feel cold, and when the ambient temperature is 30 ℃, anyone will feel hot. Therefore, the control unit 160 may be limited to the case where the ambient temperature measured by the temperature sensor 120 is within a predetermined range, and the thermal sensation may be estimated by the thermal sensation estimator 134 to control the thermal sensation. In the case of the ambient temperature not exceeding the predetermined range, the heating operation can be performed without estimating the thermal sensation, and in the case of the ambient temperature not exceeding the predetermined range, the cooling operation can be performed without estimating the thermal sensation. Thus, the load of calculation by the calculation unit 130 can be reduced, and an air conditioner with less power consumption can be provided. Here, the range of the ambient temperature for estimating the thermal sensation is set to 10 ℃ to 30 ℃, but the range is not limited to this range and may be freely set within a range not departing from the gist. Note that the effect of estimating the thermal sensation within the predetermined temperature range described above is not dependent on the thermal sensation estimation method, and similar effects can be obtained even by methods other than the thermal sensation estimation method described in the present embodiment.

Further, by acquiring a thermal image (reference thermal image) when a person is not present in the range of the angle of view Φ in advance, and acquiring a difference value between the actually acquired thermal image and the reference thermal image in the arithmetic unit 130, it is possible to directly obtain a temperature difference value (C value) which is a difference value between the human body temperature (a value) and the ambient temperature (B value). This will be described with reference to fig. 13 and 14. The thermal image 103g shown in fig. 13(a) is a reference thermal image acquired in a case where the person 102 is not present within the field angle Φ. Since the lighting fixture is present at the angle of view Φ, a region having a high temperature is present in the region of the lighting fixture. In the configuration shown in fig. 14, the reference thermal image is stored in the background data buffer 145. Next, the thermal image 103h shown in fig. 13(b) is a thermal image acquired with the person 102 present within the field angle Φ. The thermal image 103h is output to the difference value processing unit 146. The difference value processing unit 146 acquires the difference value between the thermal image 103h and the thermal image 103g stored in the background data buffer 145. This image becomes a thermal image 103i shown in fig. 13 (c). Since the ambient temperature is subtracted from the thermal image, it is not necessary to calculate the C value by performing subtraction processing in the arithmetic unit 130 as in the configuration of fig. 2. The obtained thermal image 103i can obtain a temperature difference value (C value) by obtaining an average value of each pixel with a region of a predetermined temperature or higher as a region corresponding to the person 102. Then, based on the obtained temperature difference value (C value), the thermal sensation can be estimated by the thermal sensation estimator 134.

In this way, since the temperature sensor 120 is not required, the air conditioner can be configured more inexpensively. Even if a heat generating object such as a lighting fixture is present, the region corresponding to the person can be reliably detected by obtaining the difference value. Here, whether or not there is a person within the angle of view Φ may be determined to be unmanned when the acquired thermal images are compared in time series and no fluctuation is present for a predetermined time or longer. The predetermined time is preferably about 5 minutes, for example, and may be set appropriately according to the specification or may be adjustable.

The air conditioner 100 is usually present at a position higher than the position of the person 102, and the high temperature is usually a high temperature. Therefore, a value lower by a certain temperature than the value measured by the temperature sensor 120 may be set as the ambient temperature (B value). The ambient temperature (B value) may be set by shifting the value measured by the temperature sensor 120 by a constant temperature according to the height, position, and other conditions at which the air conditioner 100 is installed.

Further, modifications are described below.

Here, the air conditioner 100 also has a receiver 180. In the above embodiment, the temperature sensor 120 attached to the air conditioner 100 is used as the temperature sensor, and here, a case where measurement is performed by a temperature sensor separately provided from the air conditioner 100 is described.

(modification 5)

Fig. 15A is a diagram showing a configuration of an air conditioner 100 according to modification 5. The modification shown in fig. 15A is a configuration in which a remote control 191 is separately provided from the air conditioner 100. The remote control 191 is provided with a temperature sensor 193 and a transmitter 194. In general, the remote control 191 is used for turning on and off the operation of the air conditioner 100, adjusting the wind direction, the wind volume, the temperature, and the like, and in the modification 5, a temperature sensor 193 is added to the remote control 191 to measure the ambient temperature.

The ambient temperature measured by the temperature sensor 193 is output to the transmitter 194, and from there, wirelessly transmitted to the receiver 180 in the air conditioner 100. The actions after this are the same as described above. Normally, the remote control 191 is located closer to a person in the room than the main body of the air conditioner 100, and therefore the temperature measured by the remote control 191 is closer to the ambient temperature of the person in the room. This further improves the accuracy of the thermal sensation estimated by the arithmetic unit 130, and provides a more comfortable environment.

(modification 6)

Fig. 15B is a diagram showing the configuration of the air conditioner 100 according to modification 6.

The modification shown in fig. 15B is a configuration in which a wearable terminal 192 is separately provided from the air conditioner 100. Similar to the remote control 191, the wearable (wearable) terminal 192 includes a temperature sensor 193 and a transmitter 194. The wearable terminal 192 is worn by a person in a room. The wearable terminal 192 may be, for example, various terminals such as a hand-held activity meter (active account meter), a smart phone, a watch-type smart watch, or other terminals such as smart glasses. The ambient temperature measured by the temperature sensor 193 mounted to such a body-worn device is transmitted from the transmitter 194 to the receiver 180 of the air conditioner 100. The subsequent actions are the same as described above.

As described above, since the ambient temperature measured by the wearable terminal 192 or other device worn around the body is directly measured, the accuracy of the thermal sensation estimated in the arithmetic unit 130 is further improved, and a more comfortable ambient environment can be provided.

(modification 7)

The case where the ambient temperature is estimated from the thermal image, not the temperature sensor, will be described. Fig. 16 is a diagram showing the configuration of an air conditioner 100 according to modification 7. The configuration of fig. 16 differs from the configuration of fig. 2 in that an ambient temperature estimating unit 147 is provided instead of the temperature sensor 120. The ambient temperature estimating unit 147 inputs the thermal image from the thermal image acquiring unit 110, and calculates the ambient temperature (B value). Here, the processing in the ambient temperature estimating unit 147 will be described.

Fig. 17(a) is a thermal image 103j captured by the thermal image acquisition unit 110, and is assumed to include a region corresponding to the person 102 and the lighting fixture. Further, the ambient temperature is about 23 ℃, the skin temperature of the face is about 33 ℃ on average, the temperature of the upper garment 102a is about 27 ℃, the temperature of both hands (exposed portions) is about 30 ℃, the temperature of the pants 102b is about 28 ℃, and the temperature of both feet (exposed portions) is about 29 ℃.

A histogram or histogram of the thermal image 103j is calculated in the ambient temperature estimating unit 147. This statistical chart is shown in fig. 17 (b). As in the above-described example, it is considered that 26 ℃ to 40 ℃ is set as a region corresponding to a human and the other regions are set as a background region in a room. Then, 23 ℃ that corresponds to a mode value other than the person 102 is detected as an ambient temperature (B value). In this thermal image 103j, although there is a region corresponding to a lighting fixture in a region other than a region corresponding to a person, since the proportion of the heat generating elements other than a person in the room is generally small, the ambient temperature can be obtained with high accuracy by obtaining a mode value in the region other than the region corresponding to a person. In this way, the temperature sensor 120 can be omitted, and thus a cheaper air conditioner can be provided.

(modification 8)

The statistical map calculation may be applied to the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 120 (for example, the configuration of fig. 2) attached to the air conditioner 100. For example, when the temperature accuracy of the temperature sensor 120 is ± 2 ℃, and the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 120 is 24 ℃ as in fig. 17(c), for example, the mode value in the statistical graph of the thermal image 103j within 24 ℃ ± 2 ℃ (23 ℃ in fig. 17 (c)) may be set as the ambient temperature (B value). In this way, the ambient temperature (B value) can be estimated with higher accuracy. In addition, since the air conditioner is generally installed at a high position in a room, the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 120 is often higher than the ambient temperature of a person. Thus, a range in which a measurement deviation or the like is added to a temperature lower than the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 120 by a predetermined temperature may be used as the range in which the ambient temperature (B value) exists.

(modification 9)

Other methods of inferring ambient temperature from thermal images are described. Fig. 18(a) shows a state where the air conditioner 100 is mounted on a wall surface in a room, and the thermal image acquisition unit 110 has a vertical viewing angle θ. The thermal image acquisition unit 110 is disposed so as to include the ceiling 104 and the floor 105 in the room, at the vertical angle of view θ. In addition, in the room, the person 102 stands and enters the inside of the angle of view θ in the vertical direction of the thermal image acquisition unit 110. Fig. 18(b) schematically shows a thermal image acquired by the thermal image acquisition unit 110 in this state as a thermal image 103 k. In the thermal image 103k, there are both an area corresponding to the ceiling 104 and an area corresponding to the floor 105 in addition to the area corresponding to the person 102. Here, the temperature of the area corresponding to the floor 105 and the temperature of the area corresponding to the ceiling 104 may be acquired, and the average value may be used as the ambient temperature of the person 102. Generally, the temperature of the ceiling is higher than that of the floor because warm air rises. Since the periphery of the position where a person is located substantially in the middle between the ceiling and the floor, the ambient temperature can be estimated with high accuracy by obtaining the average value of the temperature of the region corresponding to the ceiling 104 and the temperature corresponding to the floor 105. In this way, the temperature sensor 120 can be omitted, and therefore, a more inexpensive air conditioner can be provided.

The region corresponding to the floor 105 may be used as the temperature near the standing position of the person 102, and the region corresponding to the ceiling 104 may be extracted from the uppermost row of pixels in the thermal image 103k, and the method of selection is not limited. Here, the average value of the temperature of the area corresponding to the ceiling 104 and the temperature of the area corresponding to the floor 105 is used, but the average value may be a value other than the average value, and for example, the calculation may be performed by increasing the ratio of the temperature of the area corresponding to the floor 105 when the temperature at a lower position is estimated, and conversely, increasing the ratio of the temperature of the area corresponding to the ceiling 104 when the temperature at a higher position is estimated, and the calculation method is not limited.

(modification 10)

Thus far, a thermal image of the front side of the person 102 is described, and other various situations are considered in addition to the actual indoor situation. Here, as another situation, a description will be given of a calculation method of the calculation unit relating to a situation in which the vehicle is moving backward and a situation in which the vehicle is just entering or leaving a cold region.

The thermal image 103m of fig. 19(a) is a thermal image of the person 102 facing the front. The thermal image 103n of fig. 19(b) is a thermal image of the person 102 facing rearward. The thermal image 103p in fig. 19(c) is a thermal image of the person 102 facing the front immediately after entering the room from a cold place. Fig. 20A is a diagram showing the configuration of an air conditioner 100 according to modification 10. In the modification shown in fig. 20A, the configuration of the human body temperature calculation unit 148 of the calculation unit 130 is different from that of fig. 2.

The human body temperature calculation unit 148 analyzes the thermal image transmitted from the thermal image acquisition unit 110, and obtains an average value (a value) of the temperatures of the region corresponding to the person 102. The human body temperature calculation unit 148 obtains the maximum value (D value) of the temperature of the region corresponding to the person 102. Then, in the human body temperature calculation section 148, it is determined what state the person 102 in the thermal image is in, based on the average value (a value) of the temperatures and the maximum value (D value) of the temperatures. For example, when the average value (a value) of the temperatures does not fall within a predetermined range (for example, 25 ℃ ± 3 ℃) but is 22 ℃ or less, it is determined that the person just entered the room from a cold place and the whole body is cold. Similarly, when the temperature was 28 ℃ or higher, it was judged that the room just entered from a hot place. When the average value (value a) of the temperatures is in the range of 25 ℃ ± 3 ℃ and the maximum value (value D) of the temperatures is, for example, 31 ℃ or less, it is determined that the temperature is directed rearward. This is because the temperature of the face is usually about 33 ℃, and if the temperature is equal to or lower than this, it is determined that the face is facing backward because it is considered that the temperature of the face cannot be measured.

By combining the average value (a value) and the maximum value (D value) of the temperature in this way, it is possible to estimate what state the person 102 is in. Accordingly, as shown in fig. 19(d), the thermal image 103p shown in fig. 19(c) is judged to be in a state of entering the room from a cold place because the average value (a value) of the temperatures is out of the range of 25 ℃ ± 3 ℃. In the thermal image 103n, the average value (a value) of the temperatures is in the range of 25 ℃ ± 3 ℃, but the maximum value (D value) of the temperatures is 31 ℃ or less, and therefore it is determined that the state is not in the transition state but is directed rearward. In the thermal image 103m, since the average value (a value) of the temperatures is in the range of 25 ℃ ± 3 ℃, and the maximum value (D value) of the temperatures is also 31 ℃ or more, it is judged that the state is not in the transition state but is directed to the front.

The average value (a value) of the temperatures of the thermal image 103m determined to be directed to the front side may be set as the human body temperature (E value) which is the calculation result in the human body temperature calculation unit 148. On the other hand, when it is determined that the person enters the room from a cold place as in the thermal image 103p, the person 102 may be warmed by directly giving an instruction to the controller 160 without performing the thermal sensation estimation. When it is determined that the temperature is directed rearward as in the thermal image 103n, a correction value obtained by multiplying the average value (a value) of the temperatures by a constant of a predetermined value may be used as the human body temperature (E value). The difference between the human body temperature (E value) thus set and the ambient temperature (B value) obtained from the temperature sensor 120 is obtained to obtain a temperature difference value (C value), and the thermal sensation is estimated and controlled by the thermal sensation estimator 134. Thus, even in a transient state or a state not facing the front of a human, control according to the thermal sensation of the human can be performed.

Note that, as in the configuration of fig. 20B, the human body state determination unit 149 capable of determining the state of the human body may be provided, and the average value (a value) of the temperatures may not be corrected by the human body temperature calculation unit 148. In other words, when the human body status determining unit 149 determines that the human body 102 is oriented rearward, the thermal sensation can be estimated by correcting the value of the set point Tc by the set point setting unit 135, and when it is determined that the human body has entered the room from a cold place, the human body 102 may be directly instructed to warm the human body 102 without performing the thermal sensation estimation.

In the above description, the criterion for determining the state of the human being based on the average value (a value) and the maximum value (D value) of the temperatures in the human body temperature calculation unit 148 and the human body state determination unit 149 is shown as the criterion in which the temperature ranges are 25 ℃ ± 3 ℃ and the maximum value is 31 ℃. However, these temperatures are of course an example, and other values may be used.

When the human body state determination unit 149 determines that the human body 102 continues to face rearward for a predetermined period (for example, about 10 minutes) or more, a warning means (not shown) may be used to warn the human body 102 of the direction toward the thermal image acquisition unit 110 of the air conditioner 100. In this way, the thermal sensation can be accurately estimated without changing the set point Tc or the average value (a value) of the corrected temperatures, and therefore, a comfortable ambient environment can be provided. Note that the warning means may be a means other than the guidance by sound, such as a display lamp not shown attached to the main body, or a means other than the guidance by sound, such as a remote controller. In addition, the prescribed period for issuing the warning may be longer or shorter than 10 minutes.

(modification 11)

In this modification, the case where the entire human-equivalent region in the thermal image is processed as a whole has been described as an example of processing the human-equivalent region by dividing it into a plurality of human body parts. Fig. 22 is a diagram showing the configuration of the air conditioner 100 according to modification 11. In the modification shown in fig. 22, the arithmetic unit 130 includes a site identifying unit 150 and a weighted addition unit 151.

For example, the temperature of a cold person, particularly hands and feet, is easily affected by the ambient temperature, and becomes a temperature close to the ambient temperature. In this case, since the difference between the ambient temperature and the temperature of the area such as the hands and the feet is small, it is determined that the amount of heat radiation is small. Therefore, in this modification, each body part is weighted. The part discriminating unit 150 discriminates the head, the body, the hands, the legs, and the feet of the region corresponding to the person 102 as shown in fig. 21, for example, and divides the region into five human body parts. Then, the part discriminating portion 150 calculates an average value of the temperatures for each of the plurality of divided human body parts. The weighted addition unit 151 receives the temperature average value of each body part calculated by the part identification unit 150, and gives a weight to the temperature average value of each body part. The temperature difference value calculation unit 133 obtains a temperature difference value (C value) from the weighted average value (F value) of the temperatures and the ambient temperature (B value). In addition, instead of calculating the average temperature value for each body part, the temperatures of all pixels included in each body part may be weighted, and as a result, the same average temperature value (F value) may be obtained.

Here, when the weight of the hand and the foot, which are the exposed human body parts (exposed parts), is reduced, the thermal sensation of the human can be more accurately reflected, and the thermal sensation can be estimated with high accuracy. Here, five human body parts, i.e., the head, the body, the hands, the legs, and the feet, are used, but the five human body parts are not limited to the above, and more human body parts may be distinguished or fewer human body parts may be distinguished. The weighting for each body part may be performed in combination with the human recognition unit 143 shown in fig. 9. That is, the weighting may be given to each human body part different from person to person, which is discriminated by the person discriminating section 143. In this case, the buffer 144 may have a weighting coefficient.

(modification 12)

Fig. 23 is a diagram showing the configuration of an air conditioner 100 according to modification 12.

In the modification shown in fig. 23, the arithmetic unit 130 includes a weighted addition unit 151 and a temperature range division unit 152.

As shown in fig. 24, the temperature range dividing unit 152 divides the region corresponding to the person 102 in the acquired thermal image into a plurality of (six in fig. 24) temperature ranges. Further, the temperature range division unit 152 analyzes how many pixels the number of pixels in each temperature range has. The weighted addition unit 151 gives a weight to each range divided by the temperature range dividing unit 152. For example, among the divided temperature ranges, the weighting of the relatively low temperature range close to the outside air temperature may also be reduced. Then, the weighted addition unit 151 calculates an average value of the weighted temperature ranges as the human body temperature (F value). The temperature difference value calculation unit 133 obtains a temperature difference value (C value) from the human body temperature (F value) calculated by the weighted addition unit 151 and the ambient temperature (B value). This enables more accurate estimation of the thermal sensation even when the hands and feet are cold.

Here, as a countermeasure against the cold syndrome, the weighting on the low temperature side is reduced in the region corresponding to the person 102. However, the weighting coefficient may be arbitrarily changed according to the purpose, and the coefficient and the number of divisions are not limited here.

(modification 13)

Next, a process when the person 102 sits behind the table 106 will be described. Fig. 26 is a diagram showing the configuration of an air conditioner 100 according to modification 13. In the modification shown in fig. 26, the calculation unit 130 includes a layout estimation unit 153.

In a room such as a living room, furniture such as a table and a shelf is placed, and therefore, in the thermal image captured by the thermal image acquisition unit 110, a part of the body may be blocked and captured. For example, when a thermal image is captured when the lower body of the person 102 is blocked by the table 106 as shown in fig. 25(a), the lower body is still blocked as shown in the thermal image 103r of fig. 25 (b). Note that the dotted line in fig. 25(b) is supplemented to show the arrangement of the table 106, and does not show temperature information. Therefore, the layout estimation section 153 estimates the layout of the room from the thermal image obtained from the thermal image acquisition section 110, and estimates whether the obtained surface temperature information of the person 102 is the temperature information of the whole body or the temperature information of a part of the body from the estimated layout. In the case of an image of only the upper body of the body, such as the thermal image 103r, the average value of the surface temperature of the person 102 is higher than the average value of the surface temperature of the whole body because the proportion of the region of the face, which is determined to be relatively high in temperature, is large in the region of the person 102. Thus, when the layout estimation unit 153 estimates that the thermal image 103r is only an image of the upper body of the body, the set point Tc set in the set point setting unit 135 is increased. This enables accurate estimation of the thermal sensation even in the case of furniture such as a table 106 and a rack. This enables control of the air conditioner in an actual state.

In addition, the position of the lowest side of the region identified as a human in the thermal image can be predicted as the foot. Thus, the layout estimation unit 153 can estimate the layout by continuously plotting the lowest position of the region identified as a person in the thermal image acquired by the thermal image acquisition unit 110 (in other words, determining the walking trajectory of the person) and learning the region not plotted in the region as a region where furniture such as a table is placed. The method of estimation is not limited to this method, and may be estimated by image recognition by capturing an image with a CCD camera or the like, not shown, and the method is not limited to this method.

(modification 14)

Next, estimation of the thermal sensation of a person facing the lateral side will be described. Fig. 28 is a diagram showing the configuration of an air conditioner 100 according to modification 14. In the modification shown in fig. 28, the calculation unit 130 includes a human direction estimation unit 154.

When the person is facing the lateral side, the average value of the surface temperature of the person obtained from the thermal image decreases because the proportion of the region of the face portion having a relatively high temperature decreases as compared with the case of facing the front side. Therefore, the human orientation estimation unit 154 estimates the orientation of the human from the thermal image obtained from the thermal image acquisition unit 110. For example, when it is estimated from the thermal image 103s that the person 102 is oriented to the right, the person orientation estimating unit 154 calculates the average value of the surface temperatures calculated from the thermal image 103s to be low, and lowers the set point Tc set in the set point setting unit 108. Thus, even when a person is not facing the front, the thermal sensation can be accurately estimated. This enables control of the air conditioner in an actual state.

Further, the human direction estimating unit 154 recognizes that, for example, when the human is oriented to the lateral side, the temperature distribution of the upper portion of the human 102 recognized as the thermal image 103s is not bilaterally symmetrical. This makes it possible to estimate the orientation of the person from the temperature distribution on the top of the image. Note that, here, the case of being directed to the lateral side is described, but it is needless to say that the case of being directed to the rear side is also possible. For example, although the temperature of the face of a person is usually about 33 ℃, when the maximum value of the temperature distribution in the upper part of the region corresponding to the person is significantly lower than 33 ℃, it is estimated that the temperature is measured low due to the influence of the hair. In this case, it can be estimated that the vehicle is moving backward. Of course, the method of estimating the orientation of the person may be another method, and for example, the person may be imaged by a CCD camera or the like, not shown, and estimated by image recognition such as recognizing a target position, and the method is not limited to this.

[ 2 nd embodiment ]

The air conditioner 200 according to embodiment 2 of the present invention is the air conditioner 100 shown in embodiment 1, and has a configuration in which a notification unit 210 is attached to a position that can be visually confirmed by the person 102.

Fig. 29 is a view schematically showing the external appearance of an air conditioner 200 according to embodiment 2 of the present invention. In fig. 29, the air conditioner 200 includes a thermal image acquisition unit 110 attached to the front surface of the casing, a calculation unit 230 attached to the inside, and a control unit 160. The thermal image acquisition unit 110 has the same configuration as that described in embodiment 1, has a viewing angle Φ in the left-right direction, and can measure a two-dimensional thermal image of an object present in the space in front of the air conditioner 200. The thermal image that can be acquired is the same as that described in embodiment 1, and therefore, a description thereof is omitted here.

Next, the configuration and function of the air conditioner 200 will be described with reference to fig. 30. The thermal image including the temperature distribution of the person acquired by the thermal image acquisition unit 110 is transmitted to the calculation unit 230. The arithmetic unit 230 specifies the position of the person 102 from the thermal image input from the thermal image acquisition unit 110, and estimates the thermal sensation. The estimation of the thermal sensation by the computing unit 230 may be estimated from the difference value between the human body temperature and the ambient temperature as in the above-described embodiment 1, but may be estimated from the temperature of the hand or nose of the person acquired from the thermal image as another method, and is not necessarily estimated from the thermal image, and the method is not limited thereto.

The controller 160 controls the louver 171, the compressor 172, and the fan 173 based on the thermal sensation and the position of the person 102 estimated by the arithmetic unit 230, and operates to comfortably maintain the ambient temperature of the person 102. In addition, in the present embodiment, the thermal sensation of the person 102 estimated by the arithmetic unit 230 is given to the notification unit 210. The notification unit 210 includes a display unit, such as an LED, provided in the main body of the air conditioner 200. The LED changes the color of light emission based on the thermal sensation of the person 102 estimated by the arithmetic unit 230. For example, the computing unit 230 emits light in green when it is estimated that the person 102 is comfortable, emits light in a warm color system such as red and orange when it is estimated to be hot, and emits light in a cold color system such as blue and water when it is estimated to be cold.

In this way, the person 102 can immediately determine how the air conditioner 200 is estimating the thermal sensation of the person. This makes it possible to predict whether air conditioning will be performed more intensively thereafter or will be reduced because of the near-comfort, and therefore, there is an effect that it is no longer uncomfortable.

In addition, if the thermal sensation displayed on the notification unit 210 differs from the thermal sensation currently perceived by the user, the set point Tc set by the set point setting unit 135 in the calculation unit 230 can be changed (corrected thermal sensation) by the remote controller 291 shown in fig. 31, for example. For example, when the notification unit 210 emits green light (it is estimated that it is comfortable), but the person 102 feels hot, the button "hot" of the remote control 291 can be pressed to instruct correction. The signal transmitted from the remote controller 291 in response to the depression of the button is received as a correction receiving unit by the receiver 280 shown in the configuration of fig. 32, and the received signal is transferred to the set point setting unit 135 in the arithmetic unit 230. For example, as shown in embodiment 1, when the thermal sensation is estimated based on the difference value between the human body temperature and the ambient temperature, the set point Tc as the threshold value may be set (changed) slightly. In this way, the control unit 160 can lower the ambient temperature of the person 102 by lowering the temperature of the compressor 172, thereby providing comfort to the person.

As described above, by causing the set point setting unit 135 in the air conditioner 200 to recognize the currently perceived thermal sensation by the remote controller 291 or the like, it is possible to provide a comfortable surrounding environment optimized for each individual. In this case, as shown in fig. 9 of embodiment 1, by identifying the individual to be set and storing the setting of the thermal sensation in the buffer 144, it is possible to realize a comfortable air conditioner optimized for the individual to be used.

In the above, three colors are used as the colors to be emitted, but it is needless to say that the colors to be emitted may be changed in a pseudo manner in accordance with the shift amount from the set point Tc, and other colors may be used.

In the above example, the notification of the thermal sensation of the person is described using the LED provided in the notification unit 210, but may be displayed by characters or the like on, for example, a display unit provided in the remote control 291. That is, as shown in fig. 34, the thermal sensation estimated by the arithmetic unit 230 may be transmitted from the transmitter 294 to the remote control 291, and the received result may be displayed on the screen of the display unit by the remote control 291 that receives the thermal sensation as shown in fig. 33. In this way, the person 102 can immediately determine how the air conditioner 200 is currently making inferences. This makes it possible to predict whether air conditioning will be performed more intensively thereafter or will be reduced because of the near-comfort, and therefore, there is an effect that it is no longer uncomfortable. It is needless to say that the thermal image obtained as shown in fig. 35 may be displayed so that the thermal sensation of a plurality of persons is perceived. Note that, here, the thermal sensation is displayed by characters on the remote controller as the notification unit 210, and the thermal sensation is displayed by the color of the LED on the air conditioner, but the mechanism for notification may be other mechanisms, such as a smartphone, a tablet computer, and the like, and the mechanism is not limited here.

For example, the arithmetic unit 230 may generate a correction image in which characters or symbols representing the thermal sensation of the person in the space are superimposed around the coordinates of the area corresponding to the person in the thermal image, and the notification unit 210 may notify the thermal sensation of the person in the space to the person in the space by displaying the correction image on the display unit. This makes it possible to display the estimated result of the thermal sensation of the person in a small display area such as a display unit of the remote controller. Further, even for example, a user who does not know that the function of estimating the thermal sensation is installed in the system can recognize that the display is a display in which the system estimates the thermal sensation of the user.

The notification unit 210 may notify a terminal other than the air conditioner 200 of an instruction to display an image, a character, or a symbol indicating the thermal sensation of a person in the space on a display unit of the terminal via a network. Here, the terminals other than the air conditioner 200 may be any terminals having a display function and a communication function, such as a smartphone and a handwriting panel. Thus, the user can grasp the current estimated thermal sensation with a smartphone or the like that is always held without holding the remote controller with his/her hand.

The notification unit 210 may transmit the thermal image, the information on the coordinates of the area corresponding to the person specified by the calculation unit 230, and the instruction to display, on the display unit of the terminal, the corrected image in which the characters or symbols representing the thermal sensation of the person in the space are superimposed around the coordinates of the area corresponding to the person in the thermal image generated by the calculation unit 230, to the terminal other than the air conditioner 200 via the network. That is, the air conditioner 200 generates and displays a correction image at an external terminal only by sending necessary information to the external terminal. This eliminates the need for significant processing such as generation of a corrected image by the air conditioner 200, thereby reducing the amount of processing on the air conditioner 200 side.

The calculation unit 230 may generate a correction image in which characters or symbols indicating the thermal sensation of the person in the space are superimposed around the coordinates of the area corresponding to the person in the thermal image, and the notification unit 210 may notify a terminal other than the air conditioner 200 of an instruction to display the correction image on a display unit of the terminal via the network. That is, the air conditioner 200 generates a necessary correction image, and an external terminal performs only a process of displaying the correction image. Thus, the user can grasp the current thermal sensation estimation state without storing a special algorithm (algorithm) for generating the correction image in an external terminal.

The calculation unit 230 may determine the human body temperature, which is the temperature of the human in the space, based on the temperature distribution of the region corresponding to the human, and estimate the thermal sensation of the human in the space based on a difference value between the human body temperature and the ambient temperature obtained from the temperature of the region other than the region corresponding to the human.

In the above-described

embodiments

1 and 2, the example in which the position specifying unit 131 specifies the position of the person from the thermal image acquired by the thermal image acquisition unit 110 has been described. However, the method of specifying the position of the person is not limited to this method, and other methods may be used. For example, the position of the person may be determined based on information different from sensors (pyroelectric sensors, cameras, millimeter wave radars, and the like) provided separately for the

air conditioners

100 and 200 and the like.

In the above-described

embodiments

1 and 2, information on the position of the person specified by the position specifying unit 131 may be output to the human body temperature calculating unit 132. This makes it possible to reduce or omit the process of "analyzing the thermal image and determining the region estimated to correspond to the person 102" by the human body temperature calculation unit 132.

[ means of application ]

In the above-described

embodiments

1 and 2, the air conditioner incorporating the configuration of acquiring a thermal image and/or the configuration of estimating the thermal sensation of a person has been described. However, the configuration for acquiring the thermal image and/or the configuration for estimating the thermal sensation of the person may be modularized to form a separate configuration.

For example, as shown in fig. 36, the thermal image acquisition unit 110, the human body temperature calculation unit 132, the temperature difference value calculation unit 133, the thermal sensation estimation unit 134, and the set point setting unit 135 can be modularized to form a versatile thermal image sensor system 300. If the air conditioner is modularized in this manner, it is expected that the air conditioner in which the thermal image sensor system 300 is mounted will be reduced in size and cost. In the thermal image sensor system 300 having such a general purpose, the air conditioner may supply the temperature difference value calculation unit 133 with the required ambient temperature from the temperature sensor provided in the self-body or the remote controller, or the ambient temperature estimation unit 147 may be included in the configuration to estimate the ambient temperature required by the temperature difference value calculation unit 133 from the thermal image acquired by the thermal image acquisition unit 110, for example. The thermal image sensor system 300 can be mounted to a device other than an air conditioner by forming a module in such a manner as to be independent. The device other than the air conditioner is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include a camera, an illumination device, and a mobile terminal such as a smartphone.

Further, the configuration for estimating the thermal sensation of the human may be a separate configuration (not shown) as software. That is, the recording medium (including a magnetic disk, an external memory, and the like) may be written with the processing (programs) relating to the human body temperature calculator 132, the temperature difference value calculator 133, the thermal sensation estimator 134, and the set point setting unit 135. The behavior of providing the processing (program) related to the human body temperature calculator 132, the temperature difference value calculator 133, the thermal sensation estimator 134, and the set point setter 135 via the network is also included. In this case, the main body for processing the software may be an arithmetic unit installed in the air conditioner, an arithmetic unit included in a PC (personal computer), a smartphone, or the like, or processing may be performed by a cloud server or the like via a network. In this case, information on the thermal image may be acquired from the outside.

The example of forming the modular or software-independent structure described here is not limited to the example described above, and some of the structures included in the arithmetic unit 130 or the arithmetic unit 230 may be modular or software-independent.

It is to be understood that the configuration shown in the above-described embodiment is an example, and various modifications can be added within a range not departing from the gist of the invention. It is needless to say that the above-described embodiments and modified inventions may be used in combination.

Industrial applicability of the invention

The air conditioner of the present invention is practical in that it can provide a comfortable surrounding environment without operation by accurately estimating the thermal sensation of a human with a low-cost configuration.

Description of the reference numerals

100. 200 air conditioner

102 person

102a coat

102b trousers

103 a-103 s thermal image

104 ceiling

105 floor

106 tables

110 thermal image acquisition unit

120. 193 temperature sensor

130. 230 arithmetic unit

131 position determining part

132. 148 human body temperature calculating part

133 temperature difference value calculating part

134 cold and heat feeling inference unit

135 set point setting part

136 circadian rhythm storage unit

137. 190 clock

138 circadian rhythm determination unit

139 activity calculation unit

140. 144 buffer

141 heating/cooling determination unit

142 calendar part

143 person identification part

145 background data buffer

146 differential value processing section

147 ambient temperature estimating unit

149 human body state judging part

150 site determination part

151 weighted addition unit

152 temperature range separation part

153 layout estimating part

160 control part

171 shutter

172 compressor

173 fan

180. 280 receiver

191. 291 remote controller

192 wearable terminal

194. 294 transmitter

210 notification unit

300 thermal image sensor system

Claims

1. A thermal image sensor system,

the disclosed device is provided with:

a thermal image acquisition unit that acquires a thermal image representing a spatial temperature distribution;

a calculation unit that (i) specifies a human-equivalent region including an exposed portion and a clothing portion of a human in the thermal image acquired by the thermal image acquisition unit, (ii) specifies a human body temperature, which is an average temperature of a human body in a space including clothing, based on a temperature distribution of the human-equivalent region, and (iii) calculates a difference value between the human body temperature and an ambient temperature obtained from a temperature of a region other than the human-equivalent region as an index of a heat dissipation amount of the human body included in connection with the clothing, and estimates a thermal sensation of the human body in the space based on the difference value; and

a controller for controlling at least one of an air volume, an air temperature, and an air direction of an air conditioner for controlling air conditioning of the space based on the thermal sensation of the person in the space estimated by the calculator,

the arithmetic unit estimates the thermal sensation of the person based on a difference between the human body temperature and the ambient temperature and a predetermined threshold value.

2. A thermal sensation estimation method for estimating a thermal sensation of a person by a computer based on a thermal image acquired by a thermal image sensor for acquiring the thermal image,

the computer identifying a region corresponding to a person in the thermal image, the region including an exposed portion and a clothing portion of the person;

the computer determines an average temperature of the person in the space including clothing, that is, a human body temperature, based on the temperature distribution of the region corresponding to the person;

as an index of the amount of heat dissipated by the person included in the clothing, the computer calculates a difference value between the human body temperature and an ambient temperature obtained from a temperature of a region other than the region corresponding to the person, and estimates a thermal sensation of the person in the space based on the difference value;

the computer controls at least one of an air volume, an air temperature, and an air direction of an air conditioner that performs air conditioning control of the space, based on the estimated thermal sensation of the person in the space;

the estimation of the human thermal sensation is performed based on a difference between a difference value between the human body temperature and the ambient temperature and a predetermined threshold value.