JP2000283519A - Control device for air-conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To automatically set an OFF-timer and a recess timer according to the state of a user in a room when operation to set an OFF-timer is performed. SOLUTION: A control device on the indoor machine side of an air- conditioner having an OFF-timer function to stop operation and a recess timer function comprises an object to be detected sensor part 10; and an indoor machine control part 11. When the indoor machine control part 11 is set to an OFF-timer by a remote control 2, the presence of an object to be detected is decided at intervals of a specified time by an object to be detected sensor control part 11b, the number of presence times of the object to be detected is continuously counted by the presence-in-room counter of a timer counter part 11c and the number of absence times of the object to be detected is continuously counted. When the number of the absence times of the object to be detected earlier reaches a given value, OFF-timer setting of a timer setting part 11a is automatically switched to recess timer setting by an operation control part 11d. When the number of presence times of the object to be detected first attains a given value, the timer setting part 11a is automatically brought into OFF-timer setting.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a timer control technique for an off timer and a good night timer of an air conditioner. The present invention relates to a control device for an air conditioner that is used for convenience.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As shown in FIG. 3, for example, as shown in FIG. 3, an indoor unit controller (microcomputer, drive circuit, etc.) 1 operates a remote controller 2 and issues a predetermined command according to the indoor temperature to an outdoor unit controller. (A microcomputer, a drive circuit, etc.) 3 and the rotation of the indoor fan 4 is controlled.

The outdoor unit control unit 3 drives a four-way valve and a compressor 5 constituting a refrigeration cycle and drives an outdoor fan 6 in accordance with the predetermined command, and the refrigerant obtained by the refrigeration cycle is supplied to the indoor unit. Circulate to heat exchanger. Then, the cool air or hot air that has been heat-exchanged by the heat exchanger of the indoor unit is blown into the room, and the room is maintained under the conditions set by the user or the like.

On the other hand, the air conditioner has various timer functions. For example, when the stop time of the operation is set by the setting unit 2a of the remote controller 2 (when the off timer is set), the operation is performed at the set time. Stop. As a timer function, there is a sleep timer (sleep circuit). When a time is set by the setting section 2a of the remote controller 2, the sleep timer executes the sleep operation during the set time, and starts the operation after the set time elapses. Stop.

[0005] A good night circuit is a circuit that is set so that the user can fall asleep while gradually changing the room temperature and smoothing the body of the user. Specifically, the room temperature is excessively cooled or excessively heated. The set temperature is automatically corrected so that it does not occur.

[0006] In such an air conditioner, various timer functions can be selected according to the use of the user or the like. For example, a sleep timer is set at bedtime, and at other times, a simple power saving function is set. In this sense, the off timer (and the on timer) can be set.

[0007]

However, in the control device for the air conditioner, it is necessary to perform a setting operation corresponding to each timer function, and a remote control is set every time the sleep timer and the off timer (and the on timer) are set. 2, the setting operation had to be performed. Therefore, in order to switch to the sleep timer after setting the off timer, the remote controller 2 must be operated again. When the user falls asleep, normal room temperature control is performed until the set time of the set off timer, so that the room temperature becomes too cold or too warm, which may adversely affect the body.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to make it possible to automatically switch between setting of an off timer and a sleep timer, thereby improving operability and convenience. To provide a control device for an air conditioner.

[0009]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an air conditioner having a timer function of at least an off timer and a good night timer for stopping the operation while maintaining the room at a set temperature. In the control device of the machine, while the detection object detection means for detecting the detection object in the room, while determining the presence or absence of the detection object at regular intervals during the setting of the off timer, And a control means for switching from the setting of the off timer to the setting of the good night timer when a value obtained by continuously counting the absence of the detected object reaches a predetermined value.

According to the present invention, there is provided a control device for an air conditioner having a timer function of at least a cut-off timer or a good night timer for stopping the operation while maintaining the room at a set temperature. Object detection means for performing, while determining the presence or absence of the object to be detected at regular intervals during the setting of the off timer,
The number of occurrences of the detected object is counted, or the number of absences of the detected object is counted, and when the number of occurrences of the detected object reaches a predetermined value before the number of absences of the detected object, automatically. And control means for automatically switching to the setting of the sleep timer when the number of absences of the detected object reaches a predetermined value before the number of occurrences of the detected object. It is characterized by.

It is preferable that the apparatus further comprises setting means for arbitrarily changing the predetermined value. Thereby, the sensitivity for automatically switching to the setting of the off timer or the setting of the good night timer can be adjusted to the preference of the user or the like, and the convenience can be further improved.

[0012] Further, the time for judging the presence / absence of the object to be detected at every predetermined time is counted within a predetermined time, and after automatically setting an off timer, or automatically setting the sleep timer. After switching to the setting, the presence / absence of the object to be detected is counted again, and the count switches from the setting of the sleep timer to the setting of the sleep timer, or returns to the setting of the sleep timer from the setting of the sleep timer. It is good to make it.

[0013]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention.
This will be described in detail with reference to FIG. In the figure, the same parts as those in FIG.

In FIG. 1, a control device for an air conditioner is provided at a predetermined position in an indoor unit to detect a detected object (moving body such as a user) in a room. An electronic infrared sensor) 10, a timer setting unit 11 a for setting a timer in accordance with a setting operation of a timer function (such as an off timer or a good night timer) from the remote control 2, and a detection while the off timer is being set. A detected object sensor control unit 11b that determines the presence or absence of a detected object at regular intervals (for example, 10 seconds) based on a detection signal from the body sensor unit 10. The timer / counter unit 11c counts at the time of the absence of the detected object, and counts at the absence counter. An operation control unit 11d for automatically setting a cut-off timer or a good night timer and an outdoor unit control for transmitting a control signal (command) necessary for the outdoor unit to the outdoor unit control unit 3 among the controls in the operation control unit 11d. And an indoor unit control section (microcomputer, drive circuit, etc.) 11 comprising a section 11e.

The indoor unit control section 11 also has the function of the indoor unit control section 1 shown in FIG. 3, and the control device for the air conditioner also includes the outdoor unit control section 3. In addition, if the air conditioner is already equipped with the detected object sensor, the detected object sensor unit 10
Need not be newly provided.

The operation of the control device for an air conditioner having the above configuration will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

First, when a user or the like operates the remote controller 2 (for example, a cooling operation or a heating operation of the air conditioner), the indoor unit control unit 11 sets a cut-off timer by a timer setting unit 11a. Is determined (step ST
1). If only a driving operation is performed, the process proceeds from step ST1 to ST2, and a driving (normal driving) process according to the driving operation is executed. In this case, the operation control unit 11d of the indoor unit control unit 11 performs control necessary for operation (cooling operation, heating operation, etc.) according to the setting state of the remote controller, and a necessary control signal is transmitted via the outdoor control unit 10e. Is transmitted to the outdoor unit controller 3 to perform room temperature control.

Here, the user or the like operates the setting unit 2 of the remote controller 2.
a, the process proceeds from step ST1 to step ST3, where the timer setting section 11a of the indoor control section 11 is set.
To set the normal timer. That is, the timer setting unit 1
At 1a, the off timer is set as usual (operation off time setting, etc.).

Subsequently, a predetermined time (10 seconds; fixed time) is measured by the timer / counter section 11c, and when this 10 seconds elapse (step ST4), the detected object sensor section 11b outputs a signal from the detected object sensor 10 Based on the detection signal, it is determined whether there is an object to be detected in the room (step ST5).
If the detected object sensor unit 10 is a pyroelectric infrared sensor, the detected object can be detected when the detected object moves.

If the detected object in the room is moving (for example, the user is active) and it is determined that the detected object is present, the process proceeds from step ST5 to ST6, where the timer / counter unit is operated. The absence counter of 11c is once reset, and the presence counter is incremented (+1) (step ST7). Subsequently, it is determined whether or not the value of the room presence counter is equal to or more than a predetermined value (for example, 18) (step ST8). When the occupancy counter has not reached 18, the process returns to step ST4, and the above-described processing is repeated every 10 seconds.

In this way, when the object to be detected is detected every 10 seconds and the occupancy counter reaches 18, the process proceeds to step ST.
From 8 to ST9, the occupancy counter is reset once,
The normal off timer is automatically set. That is, the off timer set in step ST3 is maintained as it is. However, when the detected object in the room stops moving (for example, the user falls asleep) before the presence counter reaches 18, and it is determined that there is no detected object,
The process proceeds from step ST5 to ST10 to reset the room presence counter and increment the absence counter (step ST11).

Subsequently, the absence counter is set to a predetermined value (for example, 1).
8) It is determined whether or not it is above (step ST1)
2). When the absence counter has not reached 18, the process returns to step ST4, and the above-described processing is repeated every 10 seconds. Then, a determination is made every 10 seconds that there is no detected object,
When the occupancy counter reaches 18, the process proceeds from step ST12 to ST13, where the absence counter is reset once, and the setting of the off timer is automatically switched to the setting of the good night timer.

After the processing in step ST9 and after the processing in step ST13, if the setting of the off timer is released by the remote controller 2, the process returns to step ST1 to wait for the resetting of the off timer.

Therefore, unless the off timer is canceled or not performed, the normal off timer is automatically set when the count value of the occupancy counter reaches 18 before the absence counter, and the absence counter is set. When the count value reaches 18 before the occupancy counter, the setting is automatically switched to the setting of the sleep timer.

Further, the above-described processing is performed for a predetermined time. Then, as described at the time of the determination of the presence of the detected object, if the presence of the detected object is determined again before the absence counter reaches 18, the process proceeds from step ST5 to ST6, where the absence counter is reset. The room counter is incremented (step ST7), and the above-described processing is repeated.

Thus, for example, even if the setting is once switched to the setting of the sleep timer, the determination of the presence of the object to be detected is made 1 after that.
After eight times, it is possible to return to the setting of the off timer again. Further, when either the room counter or the absence counter once reaches the predetermined value (18), the timer setting switching process may be terminated.

As described above, even if the off timer is set by the remote controller 2, the setting is automatically switched to the normal off timer or the good night timer in accordance with the state of the user in the room. It is not necessary to switch to the setting of the sleep timer again after setting the off timer by 2, and the operability and convenience are improved.

For example, after the user or the like sets the off timer, the user may fall asleep while entering the floor and reading a book. In such a case, the sleep timer is automatically set from the off timer setting. The setting is automatically adjusted so that the body is not cooled down or overheated.Therefore, there is no need to adversely affect the body of a sleeping user, etc. It can be carried out.

When the sleep timer is switched from the off timer to the sleep timer, the sleep timer is set to a time until the time of the sleep timer first set in step ST3 or a value empirically obtained in advance.

The number of counts (predetermined value) of the room counter and the absence counter can be changed to a number other than 18, and for example, a function of changing the setting of the predetermined value may be added to the remote controller 2 side. In this case, since the predetermined value is related to the timer switching sensitivity, it is possible to set the sensitivity to the preference of the user or the like, thereby achieving more convenience.

[0031]

According to the present invention described above, the following effects can be obtained. The present invention detects the state (presence / absence) of an object to be detected in a room at regular intervals when a setting operation of a turn-off timer is performed by a remote controller, and automatically determines when there is no activity of a user or the like. Because you can switch from the off timer setting to the sleep timer setting, for example,
After the off timer is set, if the user etc. tries to sleep or the user falls asleep, it is not necessary to reset the sleep timer with the remote control, improving operability and convenience. effective.

When the number of times of detection of the presence of the object reaches the predetermined value before the number of times of detection of the absence of the object, the off timer is automatically set. If it is determined that there is a sleep timer, a normal off timer is automatically set, and there is no inconvenience that a sleep timer different from the setting of the user or the like (off timer) is set.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram illustrating an embodiment of the present invention and illustrating a control device of an air conditioner.

FIG. 2 is a schematic flowchart for explaining the operation of the control device shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram for explaining a conventional control device for an air conditioner.

[Explanation of symbols]

1, 11 Indoor unit controller 2 Remote controller 2a Setting unit 10 Detected object sensor unit (detected object detecting means; pyroelectric infrared sensor) 11a Timer setting unit 11b Detected object sensor control unit 11c Timer / counter unit 11d Operation control Unit 11e Outdoor control unit

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. An air conditioner control device having a timer function of at least a shut-off timer or a sleep timer for stopping the operation while maintaining the room at a set temperature, for detecting an object to be detected in the room. While the setting of the off timer is performed and the presence or absence of the detected object is determined at regular intervals while the setting of the off timer is performed, a value obtained by continuously counting the absence of the detected object becomes a predetermined value. Control means for switching from the setting of the off timer to the setting of the good night timer when the time has reached. 2. An air conditioner control apparatus having a timer function of at least an off timer or a good night timer for stopping the operation while maintaining the room at a set temperature, for detecting an object to be detected in the room. And the presence / absence of the detected object is determined at regular intervals while the setting of the off timer is performed, and the number of occurrences of the detected object is counted, or the detected object is detected. If the number of occurrences of the detected object reaches a predetermined value before the number of absences of the detected object, an off timer is automatically set, and the number of absences of the detected object is counted. A control device for an air conditioner, comprising: control means for automatically switching to setting of the sleep timer when a predetermined value is reached before the number of times of detection of the detection object. 3. The control device for an air conditioner according to claim 1, further comprising setting means for arbitrarily setting and changing the predetermined value. 4. A timer for judging presence / absence of the object to be detected at predetermined time intervals within a predetermined time period, and automatically setting an off timer or automatically setting the sleep timer. After switching to the setting, the presence / absence of the object to be detected is counted again, and the count switches from the setting of the sleep timer to the setting of the sleep timer, or returns to the setting of the sleep timer from the setting of the sleep timer. The control device for an air conditioner according to claim 2, wherein