JP2001304655A - Human body detection device and air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a human body detection device for detecting the temperature distribution of a living space using matrix-form infrared detection element, and for detecting both traveling and moreover human bodies rapidly, accurately, and inexpensively while saving space, and an air conditioner for improving comfort in air-conditioning and at the same time saving energy. SOLUTION: A thermo-pile unit 10, where a plurality of thermo pile elements being arranged in a matrix that detect the temperature of each region, by dividing a living space into a plurality of regions are integrated, is provided, the uppermost column of the detection elements that have been arranged in a matrix form, for example, recognizes the presence or the absence of a human body that is present in the living space, based on the detection result of the temperature distribution including a region containing at least a horizontal surface, thus determining the amount of control of the air conditioner according to the recognition result and the temperature distribution of the living space.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a human body detecting device and an air conditioner for detecting a human body in a living space and controlling an air-conditioning environment and the like using the human body information.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, detection of a human body in a living environment and automatic control of the direction of air blown out of an air conditioner include the presence or absence of reflected light by a combination of a light emitting element and a light receiving plate, a pyroelectric type. There are known sensors and changes in the amount of infrared rays using a plurality of thermopiles, and those which drive these elements to two-dimensionally scan a living space to detect and control a human body.

However, in the case of using a light emitting element and a light receiving plate, it is necessary to provide a plurality of light receiving plates at different positions from the main body, so that the installation is complicated and the optical axis alignment for receiving the reflected light is complicated. However, the measurement accuracy of the human body was very poor for the large scale. On the other hand, with regard to the detection of the amount of infrared light by the infrared sensor, it is a method that can detect the presence of infrared light from the human body or the amount of change by simply attaching it to the main body. A sensor is required, and when the light-collecting area is widened, the average temperature with other parts including the human body is detected, so that the presence of the human body cannot be recognized accurately. In order to eliminate this problem, there is a method of providing a plurality of infrared sensors. However, at a practical level, the number of sensors is at most about two or three and the cost is high, but the measurement accuracy is still insufficient. The two-dimensional scanning method is too large for the apparatus, has a short mechanical life, is expensive, and so on, and cannot be put to practical use in an air conditioner.

In order to solve such a problem, for example, a conventional air conditioner disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 2517098 has been proposed. FIG. 14 is a sectional view showing the structure of this conventional air conditioner infrared sensor. In FIG. 14, electrodes 122 and 123 are formed on both surfaces of a pyroelectric thin film 121 to form one row in the horizontal direction. These electrodes 122, 1
In 23, a portion corresponding to one pixel is arranged in two dimensions vertically and horizontally. On the entire surface of the pyroelectric thin film 121, the direction of polarization is from the electrode 122 to the electrode 123. An output signal corresponding to each column is read from the electrode 126 at one end of each column. An electrode 127 is provided at the other end, and a slit 1 corresponding to the width of one pixel is provided in front of the two-dimensional array sensor.
Infrared rays are incident on each pixel by mechanically scanning 24 in the horizontal direction.

[0005] As the slit 124 moves, each pixel is irradiated with an amount of infrared light, and an output voltage proportional to the integral value of the amount of irradiated infrared light is sequentially output from the electrode 126. The air-conditioning target space is divided into 1024 unit spaces in front, rear, left and right as viewed from the air conditioner, and a human body extraction temperature is determined in advance from a heat source in each unit area to extract a human body-like object. This reduces the size and cost of the apparatus because only one processing circuit is required per row, and provides fine-tuned comfort by means of wind direction control means and air volume control means in response to signals from this sensor. It offers the ability to easily realize an air-conditioned space with good responsiveness.

[0006]

However, in the configuration of the air conditioner as described above, since the pyroelectric type is used as the infrared sensor, the scanning mechanism is used to detect the differential change amount obtained by the chopping function. Is required,
In particular, the mechanical scanning mechanism using the slit 124 requires approximately twice the length of the array sensor, is inefficient in space, and has a short mechanical failure life. Further, as the sensor element becomes finer, the scanning distance becomes finer, a precision mechanism is required, and high accuracy is required. Further, the scanning speed of the slit 124 greatly affects the detection performance. For example, there is a problem that an accurate human body cannot be measured unless the scanning speed is sufficiently high for a moving human body. Therefore, providing a mechanical scanning mechanism in consideration of the above is inappropriate in terms of performance, life, and cost.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problem. By setting an optimum light-condensing area of a plurality of detection areas, a moving human body and a stationary human body can be detected quickly, with high accuracy, in a small space, and at low cost. It is an object of the present invention to obtain a human body detection device that enables the above.

In addition, the air conditioner is controlled optimally based on the average temperature of a plurality of detection areas in a matrix, the average temperature of each row and column, and the results of human body detection, thereby optimally controlling the performance, wind direction, and wind speed of the air conditioner. It is an object of the present invention to obtain an air conditioner that improves comfort at the time and saves energy.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a human body detecting device and an air conditioner which can detect a temperature distribution in a living space without requiring mechanical scanning means.

[0010]

According to the present invention, there is provided a human body detecting apparatus, comprising: a temperature distribution detecting means in which a living space is divided into a plurality of regions and detecting elements are arranged in a matrix for detecting the temperature of each region; A storage unit for storing a plurality of temperature data detected by the distribution detection unit in association with a predetermined region in the divided regions, and a top row of the detection elements arranged in the matrix includes a region including at least a horizontal plane And a human body detecting means for recognizing the presence or absence of a human body existing in the living space based on the temperature distribution detection result of the living space output from the storage means.

The human body detecting means has a moving human body detecting section for detecting a movement of a human body from a continuous positive / negative extreme value change in a time series of a plurality of detecting elements arranged in a matrix. It is determined that the stationary human body in the living space and the absence of the person in the living space are determined by the output of the section and the time measuring means.

Further, the time series measurement time intervals for acquiring the positive and negative continuous extreme value changes are obtained by detecting extreme value changes at at least two or more different measurement intervals.

Further, the air conditioner according to the present invention comprises a capacity generating means for generating a hot and cold capacity temperature, a blowing means for blowing the capacity generating means to blow hot or cold air outside the main body with high and low strength, In an air conditioner provided with a wind direction means for changing the wind direction and wind speed of wind or cold wind, and a condition setting means for inputting operating conditions in a main body, a living space is divided into a plurality of areas on the front surface of the main body, and the temperature of each area is controlled. Temperature distribution detecting means in which detecting elements are arranged in a matrix to be detected, and storage means for storing a plurality of temperature data detected by the temperature distribution detecting means one by one in association with a predetermined area in the divided areas, The top row of the detection elements arranged in the matrix includes at least a region including a horizontal plane, and is present in the living space based on the temperature distribution detection result of the living space output from the storage unit. A human body detecting unit that recognizes the presence or absence of a human body, a temperature determining unit that determines a control amount of at least one of the capacity generating unit and the blowing unit based on the temperature distribution detection result, and the temperature distribution detecting unit. A wind direction / wind speed determining means for determining a control amount of the wind direction means based on the result is provided.

[0014] The temperature determining means may include a setting condition of the condition setting means, a recognition result of the human body detecting means, and an average temperature calculating means for calculating an average temperature detected by the plurality of detecting elements arranged in the matrix. Is used to determine the control amount.

Further, the wind direction / wind speed determining means calculates a recognition result of the human body detecting means and a row average temperature in each of a row direction and a column direction detected by the plurality of detecting elements arranged in a matrix. The control amount is determined based on each output of the calculating means and the column average temperature calculating means.

The temperature distribution detecting means is a thermopile.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a human body detecting device, wherein a living space is divided into a plurality of regions, and temperature detecting elements are arranged in a matrix for detecting the temperature of each area. Storage means for storing the plurality of temperature data in association with a predetermined area in the divided areas, and the top row of the detection elements arranged in a matrix includes an area including at least a horizontal plane, and the output of the storage means A human body detecting means for recognizing the presence or absence of a human body present in the living space based on the temperature distribution detection result of the living space, and a communication means capable of communicating with a portable information device. .

Further, the temperature distribution detecting means is a thermopile.

[0019]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiment 1 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an indoor unit of a separate type room air conditioner as one embodiment of an air conditioner according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of a main part of the indoor unit shown in FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a thermopile unit, FIG. 4 is a control block diagram of the air conditioner, FIG. 5 is a side view and a top view showing a detection area of the thermopile unit when an indoor unit is installed in a living space,
FIG. 6 is a side view and a top view showing a detection area of the thermopile unit when the floor-standing type air conditioner is installed in a living space.

FIG. 1 or FIG. 2 shows an indoor heat exchanger 2 arranged inside an indoor unit main body 1 of a room air conditioner, a blower fan 3 arranged downstream of the indoor heat exchanger 2, and an indoor unit main body 1 1 shows a suction port 4 disposed at the front of the air conditioner, a suction port 4 for blowing the air passing through the indoor heat exchanger 2 into the room when the blower fan 3 is driven, and a blowout port 5. Further, the upper and lower vanes 6 arranged at the outlet 5 and determining the vertical blowing direction of the blowing wind, and the right and left vanes 7 determining the horizontal blowing direction of the blowing wind are both driving motors (not shown). ). In addition, illustration and description are omitted for parts that are not directly related to the gist of the present invention, such as an outdoor unit of an air conditioner and a refrigeration cycle.

The thermopile module 8 is a temperature distribution detecting means for detecting a temperature distribution in a room which is a living space in which the indoor unit main body 1 is installed. The thermopile module 8 is configured in a 4 × 4 matrix, which will be described in detail later, and a condenser lens is arranged on the front surface of the indoor unit main body 1 so as to be substantially obliquely downward, and a detection element group arranged in a matrix. Is arranged so as to include a region including a horizontal plane.

FIG. 3 shows a thermopile 9Aa of 16 elements.
The thermopile unit 10 in which さ れ る 9Dd are arranged in a 4 × 4 matrix is shown. In addition, when expressing any thermopile among the thermopiles 9Aa to 9Dd, it is described as “thermopile 9”. Uppercase letters A, B, C, and D of the first alphabet indicate the order from the first row, and lowercase letters a, b, c, and d of the next alphabet indicate the order from the first column. Thermopiles 9Aa to 9Dd in the present embodiment are arranged in a matrix of 4 rows and 4 columns.

In FIG. 4, a condenser lens 11 is disposed in front of the thermopile unit 10 and condenses infrared rays radiated from a detection area 12 of the thermopile module 8 to the thermopile unit 10. Scan unit 13
Selects an output signal from the thermopile 9 by an address signal described later. The amplification unit 14 includes the scanning unit 13
Is a first amplifying means for amplifying the output signal selected in the above to a predetermined level. The reference temperature element 15 is a thermopile 9
Is a contact-type element including a thermistor or the like arranged close to the cold junction. The amplifier 16 is a second amplifier that amplifies the output signal from the reference temperature element 15 to a predetermined level. The differential amplifier 17 compares and amplifies the output signal amplified by the amplifier 14 and the output signal amplified by the amplifier 16 as inputs. The thermopile module 8 includes the thermopile unit 10, the scanning unit 13, and the amplifying unit 1.
4, 16 and the reference temperature element 15 and the differential amplifier 17 are wrapped in a can package or the like, and the condenser lens 11 is arranged on the surface of the package.

FIG. 4 shows a microcomputer further including the following components (hereinafter referred to as "microcomputer").
27 is shown. That is, the signal output unit 18 sends the thermopile 9Aa to the scanning unit 13 at a predetermined timing.
Address signals up to 9Dd are output. The multiplexer 19 is connected to the differential amplifier 17 of the thermopile module 8.
From the thermopile 9Aa-9D
Select / switch d. The A / D converter 20 converts the voltage output from the multiplexer 19 into a digital signal. The temperature data converter 21 converts the digital signal output of the A / D converter 20 into temperature data. The storage unit 22
This is storage means for storing temperature data output from the temperature data conversion unit 21.
It has a storage buffer corresponding to the element.

Further, the microcomputer 27 has a signal output unit 18
And an output signal from the storage unit 22, and performs an arithmetic process according to the purpose, and outputs the indoor heat exchanger 2 and the blower fan 3.
A control determining unit 23 for determining a control amount of the capability is built in. The control determination unit 23 includes a human body detection unit 24, a temperature determination unit 25, and a wind direction / wind speed determination unit 26. The microcomputer 27 includes a motor (not shown) for controlling the processing capacity of the heat exchanger 2, controlling the rotation speed of the blower fan 3, and moving the upper and lower vanes 6 and the right and left vanes 7 according to the output result of the control determining unit 23. A driver 28 for controlling is connected.

FIGS. 5 and 6 show an indoor unit main body 1 as an air conditioner or a living space 29 to which a floor type air conditioner 30 is attached, and a human body 31 existing in the living space.
It is shown. As is clear from FIGS. 5 and 6, the detection area of the uppermost row 9 </ b> A of the thermopile 9 is arranged at a position including the horizontal plane Z.

Next, the operation of the air conditioner will be described with reference to FIGS. In the following description, when the indoor unit main body 1 and the floor-mounted air conditioner 30 as the air conditioner are collectively referred to as an air conditioner.

When a power switch (not shown) is turned on,
The refrigeration cycle operates to heat or cool the indoor heat exchanger 2 and the blower fan 3 is driven to rotate,
The air in the living space 29 sucked from the suction port 4 is
The heat is exchanged by the heat exchanger 2 and discharged from the outlet 5 into the living space 29 again as warm air or cool air. At this time, the blowing direction of hot air or cold air is determined by the upper and lower vanes 6 and the right and left vanes 7.

On the other hand, since the thermopile module 8 and the microcomputer 27 are also energized, infrared rays radiated from the living space 29, which is the detection area, are collected by the condenser lens 11 and received by the thermopile unit 10. The thermopile 9 of the thermopile unit 10 changes its temperature by receiving light, converts the temperature difference between the hot junction and the cold junction of the thermocouple into a voltage, and outputs the voltage.

At this time, the scanning unit 13 outputs one of the output voltages of the thermopile unit 10, for example, the thermopile 9, according to the output signal output from the signal output unit 18.
The output voltage from Aa is selected, and the selected voltage is output to the amplifier 14. On the other hand, the reference temperature element 15 arranged near the cold junction of the thermopile unit 10 detects the ambient temperature, that is, the absolute temperature, and outputs a voltage to the amplifier 16. The output voltages amplified by these amplifying units 14 and 16 are compared and amplified by the differential amplifying unit 17, so that even if the ambient temperature changes, the temperature of the detected area 12 is accurately detected as a voltage value. be able to.

The voltage compared and amplified by the differential amplifier 17 is input to an A / D converter 20 built in the microcomputer 27 to become a digital signal. The digital signal is converted by the temperature data converter 21 into a temperature signal. The data is converted into data and stored in the storage unit 22 as temperature data of the thermopile 9Aa. By performing the above operation 16 times in order from the thermopile 9Aa to the thermopile 9Dd, the temperature data of all the thermopiles 9 can be stored in the storage unit 22. By providing a plurality of storage units 22, it is possible to store the temperature data of the thermopile 9 for each time series. Upon receiving the temperature data stored in the storage unit 22 and the address signal data from the signal output unit 18, the control determination unit 23 performs an arithmetic process.

Hereinafter, the operation and the arithmetic processing will be described with reference to FIG.
This will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 5 shows the indoor unit main body 1.
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example in which one human body is present in the detection area 12 of the thermopile unit 10 when is installed in the living space 29. Here, FIG. 5A is a side view showing a detected area of a row group of the thermopile module 8, and FIG. 5B is a top view showing a detected area of a column group of the thermopile module 8, and FIG. (c) is a rear view showing the detection area on the inner wall surface viewed from the thermopile module 8. FIG. 6 shows the detection area 12 of the thermopile unit 10 when the floor type air conditioner 30 is installed in the living space 29.
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example in which one human body is present in FIG. Here, FIG. 6A is a side view showing a detected area of a row group of the thermopile module 8, and FIG. 6B is a top view showing a detected area of a column group of the thermopile module 8. As is clear from FIG. 6, the detection area of the uppermost row 9A of the thermopile 9 is arranged at a position including the horizontal plane Z with respect to the living space 29. In FIG. 5, the uppermost row 9A faces downward including the horizontal plane, and in FIG. Row 9A is arranged downward including the horizontal plane.

When the detection area of the uppermost row 9A of the thermopile 9 is arranged at a position including the horizontal plane Z with respect to the living space 29,
First, even when the indoor unit 1 is installed at a certain height of the wall surface as shown in FIG. 5, and even in the living space 29 where the depth distance from the indoor unit 1 is long, the temperature distribution is detected from all regions. And the existence of the human body 31 existing in the living space 29 is also possible. Similarly, even when installed at a position lower than the floor, such as a floor-standing air conditioner 30 as shown in FIG. 6, the arrangement is such that the presence of the floor surface, wall surface, and human body 31 can always be detected.

FIG. 7 shows a time-series transition of temperature data detected by the thermopile 9 of the thermopile module 8 when the human body 31 walks in the direction of the arrow in FIG. Here, the “measurement time 1” may be a predetermined time detected by the thermopile 9 of 16 elements, or a predetermined time for reading the time-series data stored in the storage unit 22. If one second is set, (t1) and (t2) handle data at time series intervals of one second, two seconds, three seconds,.... The “measurement time 2” has an integer multiple of the measurement time 1. For example, if n = 2, (t1 × n) (t2 × n) means 2 seconds, 4 seconds, 6 seconds,.
It handles data with long time series intervals.

In FIG. 7, "differential temperature at each measurement time" indicates a time-series transition of temperature data detected by the thermopile 9 of 16 elements, which is a difference temperature at each measurement time, and this difference is equal to or more than a predetermined value. The element is determined by determining that the movement of the human body has occurred (hereinafter, this element is defined as "ignition element"). Further, "difference temperature from the average temperature other than the firing element" is a means for correcting minus difference data generated when the human body moves or moves from one element area, and the human body is still present even though the difference is minus. In this case, it can be recognized that a plus element, that is, a human body exists, by comparing (difference) with the average temperature of the other elements except the firing element.

In other words, the difference temperature for each measurement time during the measurement time 1 process will be described. At time t1, the human body enters the thermopile 9Bd and 9Cd regions of the thermopile module 8 and when the ambient temperature is set at 20 ° C. To measure the absolute temperatures 25 ° C. and 24 ° C., and calculate the difference to obtain + 5 ° C. and + 4 ° C. positive firing elements. Next, at time t2, the human body exits from the thermopile 9Bd, 9Cd region by about half, and the change from 25 ° C to 22 ° C and 2
The change from 4 ° C to 22 ° C results in minus ignition elements of -3 ° C and -2 ° C. On the other hand, thermopile 9Bc, 9Cc
Since the human body enters about half of the area, positive firing elements of + 3 ° C. and + 2 ° C. are similarly generated. The firing element changes according to the time-series difference data, and the movement of the human body can be recognized by the firing element.

However, at time t1, it is impossible to judge whether the thermopiles 9Bd and 9Cd have all the human bodies removed or remain due to the negative firing.
Therefore, the difference from the average temperature other than the ignition element, that is, the thermopile 9Bd, 9Cd, 9Bc, 9
The thermopile 9 is calculated by calculating the temperature average value of the elements other than Cc.
The difference between the temperatures of Bd and 9Cd is calculated. Average temperature 20
Assuming that the temperature is C, the thermopiles 9Bd and 9Cd are 22C and 22C, respectively, so the differences are calculated as + 2C and + 2C, and the presence of the human body can be recognized.

Similarly, the human body can be recognized even at the measurement time 2, and when the walking speed of the human body is extremely slow, the distinction between the area movements can be made by increasing the measurement interval. . That is, it is possible to recognize a human body and its position with high accuracy by checking the difference in the firing element at each measurement time. Although the present embodiment has been described using two types of measurement time, it goes without saying that by preparing a plurality of types, detailed human body movements that are not further affected by the human body moving speed can be measured. In addition, a planar (two-dimensional) temperature distribution of the living space 29 can be naturally obtained.

Next, the operation of the air conditioner according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flowcharts shown in FIGS. First, the overall flow shown in FIG. 8 will be described.

The user operates the main body switch or the remote control switch (not shown) to press the operation start button and the air conditioning mode selection button (step S10).
1). The air-conditioning mode selection is, for example, "person-centered air-conditioning",
This is a selection of “room-center air-conditioning” and “manual” where temperature, wind speed, and wind direction are each fixed. In this embodiment, a state when “person-centered air-conditioning” is selected will be described. When the operation start button is pressed, the heat exchanger 2 and the blower fan 3 are driven, and the upper and lower vanes 6 are opened (step S102). The thermopile module 8 and the microcomputer 27 arranged on the front of the indoor unit main body 1 also operate, and the thermopile 9A
Based on a to 9Dd, the temperature of the living space 4 × 4 = 16 area is detected (step S103). Step S1
Step 03 is repeated every measurement time (for example, 1 second) of the difference. The difference 1 measurement time may be a time for shortening the detection time, collecting a plurality of data, and reading an average value thereof. What is important here is that the use of an electrical scan configuration such as the thermopile module 8 allows the temperature in 16 regions to be measured with a high speed of, for example, the order of milliseconds, so that it is not affected by the moving speed of the human body.

When the temperatures of the 16 areas are stored in the storage section 22, 16 pieces of temperature data are registered in the “current temperature buffer” representing the current temperature (step S104), and then the “current temperature buffer” is registered. The temperature difference (deviation) from the temperature one second before is calculated by subtracting the value of the “pre-temperature buffer” representing the temperature distribution one second before from
Buffer "(step S105). Since the value of the "pre-temperature buffer" is zero at the time of the first temperature measurement, the zero is recognized and the difference 1 calculation is passed only for the first time. Subsequently, it is checked whether it is the calculation time of the difference 2 (step S106). The difference 2 calculation time is set to an integral multiple of the difference 1 measurement time. For example, if twice the time is set, step S10
In the judgment of 6, the answer is YES at two-second intervals, so the flow proceeds to step S107. If NO, steps S107 and S1
08 and the process proceeds to step S109.

In step S107, 16 pieces of temperature data measured at intervals of 2 seconds are converted into “current temperature 2” representing the current temperature.
Buffer. " Next, this "current temperature 2 buffer"
The temperature difference (deviation) from the temperature two seconds before is calculated by subtracting the value of the "previous temperature 2 buffer" representing the temperature distribution two seconds before from, and the answer is stored in the "difference 2 buffer" ( Step S108). Since the value of the "previous temperature 2 buffer" is zero in a time less than 2 seconds from the time of the second temperature measurement, the zero difference is recognized and the difference 2 calculation is passed only for the first time.

"Difference 1 buffer" generated by the above processing
With the values of the “difference 2 buffer” and the “current temperature”, the subroutine processing of the human body detecting unit 24 as the control determining unit 23 (step S109), the subroutine processing of the temperature determining unit 25 (step S110), Wind direction / wind speed determination unit 2
The subroutine process 6 (step S111) is executed. The details of each process will be described later. Thereafter, the presence / absence of a stop signal by a stop button or the like is checked (step S112). If there is no stop signal, the heat exchanger 2, the heat exchanger 2, The blower fan 3, the upper and lower vanes 6, and the left and right vanes 7 are operated. If there is a stop signal, the operation of the heat exchanger 2 and the blower fan 3 is stopped via the driver 28, and the upper and lower vanes 6 and the left and right vanes 7 are returned to predetermined positions and stopped.

The control amount by the control determining unit 23 when "human-centered air conditioning" is selected by the operation mode selection is determined by the output from the human body detecting unit 24. For example, if the human body is no longer in the living space 29, , The heat exchanger 2, the blower fan 3, the upper and lower vanes 6, the left and right vanes 7 are stopped, the performance of the heat exchanger 2 is optimized according to the amount of movement or the stationary state of the moving human body, and the blowing direction toward the human body Energy saving and the optimal air conditioning environment for the human body can be realized.

Next, the details of the subroutine processing of the human body detecting section 24 in step S109 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

First, it is checked whether or not the “difference 1 buffer” value generated in the above process is fired, that is, whether or not the value exceeds a predetermined threshold (step S201). In FIG. 7, the thermopiles 9Bd and 9Cd elements or the thermopiles 9Bc and 9Cc elements correspond thereto. If it is a firing element, it recognizes that the human body is moving, and sets “0” in the human body stationary timer and resets it (step S202). If not, the process proceeds to step S203. Step S
In step 204, information indicating that there is a moving human body is received at the difference 1, and the detailed moving human body is detected by the subroutine processing of the first moving human body detecting unit described in detail with reference to FIG. 10, and the process proceeds to step S205.

In step S203, information indicating that there is no firing with difference 1 is received, and it is checked again whether or not the “difference 2 buffer” value generated by the above processing has fired, that is, whether or not the value exceeds a predetermined threshold value. If there is, it is recognized that the human body is moving, and “0” is set in the human body stationary timer and reset (step S207). If not, the process proceeds to step S208. In step S209, information on the presence of a moving human body is received at the difference 2, and a detailed moving human body is detected by the subroutine processing of the second moving human body detecting unit described in detail with reference to FIG. 10, and the process proceeds to step S205. In step S205, the detailed human body information output by the subroutine processing of the first and second moving human body detection units is determined, and in step S206, 0 is set in the unmanned flag to determine that the person is manned, and the process returns. .

In step S208, information indicating that there is no firing element is received in the difference 1 and the difference 2, and the presence or absence of the human body element that is currently determined in step S205 is checked. For example, if there is a stationary human body even if there is no human body movement, step S210
If there is neither a moving human body nor a stationary human body, the flow proceeds to step S211. In step S210, the human body stationary timer is incremented, and in the next step S212, the unmanned human body timer is canceled by zero, and in the next step S213, it is checked whether or not the value of the human body stationary timer exceeds a predetermined value T1. Here, if it exceeds the predetermined value T1, the human body stationary element is determined. The predetermined value T1 is preferably a timer on the order of minutes. For example, when the timer is set to about 1 minute, the human body element is determined as the human body stationary element when the human body is stopped for one minute. If the value does not exceed the predetermined value T1, the process skips step S214 and proceeds to step S215.

In step S215, it is checked whether or not the value of the above-mentioned human body stationary timer exceeds a predetermined value T2. If the value exceeds the predetermined value T2, the human body element and the human body stationary element are cleared (step S216), and the process returns to step S206. . If not exceeded, step S216 is passed and step S2
Return to 06. The predetermined value T2 in step S215 is preferably a timer of a time order. For example, if the timer is set to about one hour, the human body element and the human body stationary element are cleared when the human body is stopped for one hour. The purpose here is when the human body does not move in time order, or when there is no human body movement in time order, for example, it can detect a human body that has fallen out of the detection area due to disturbance such as rise in floor temperature due to sunshine. An object of the present invention is to improve the accuracy of detecting a moving human body by refreshing the human body element and the human body stationary element memory once by judging that there is no human body or the human body has fallen asleep and does not move.

In step S211, since there is no moving human body information and there is no human body element, the non-human body timer is incremented to count the time when no human body exists in the area. Next step S21
At 7, it is checked whether or not the value of the unmanned body timer exceeds a predetermined value T3. If the value exceeds the predetermined value T3, the unmanned flag is set to 1 to determine that the vehicle is unmanned (step S).
218). The predetermined value T3 is preferably a timer on the order of several tens of minutes. For example, if the timer is set to about 10 minutes, when a moving human body and a stationary human body are not detected for more than 10 minutes, the unmanned state is determined. The element and the stationary human body element are cleared, and the subroutine is ended by return. If the value of the unmanned body timer does not exceed the predetermined value T3, the subroutine is completed by passing steps S218 and S219.

Next, the subroutine (S204, S207) of the moving human body detecting section shown in FIG. 9 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. Note that the subroutine processing of the first and second moving human body detection units is substantially the same except for the detailed flag relationship, and therefore the description will be summarized as one.

First, upon receiving the information indicating that there is a firing element for human body movement, the polarity of the firing element is checked. Step S
Numeral 301 denotes a positive polarity check, and if all are not negative, a negative check is performed (step S30).
2) Otherwise, the process proceeds to step S303 by recognizing that only a negative firing element has been generated. In the negative check in step S302, if all are not positive, it is recognized that both positive and negative firing elements have been generated, and step S3 is performed.
The process proceeds to step S305. Otherwise, the process recognizes that only a positive firing element has been generated, and proceeds to step S305.

In step S304, upon receiving information on the occurrence of bipolar firing elements, it is checked whether or not firing elements having different polarities are peripheral elements. For example, in the example of the measurement time 1 shown in FIG. 7, the thermopile d row and the c row are adjacent peripheral elements, and in the example of the measurement time 2, the thermopile c row and the b row are minus and the a row is a plus peripheral element. Since it is a change, the process proceeds to step S306 as normal data. Here, for example, in the case of a bipolar change in a distant place such as the columns a and d, or the rows A and D, the process returns as a noise component or a simultaneous movement of a plurality of human bodies without performing the post-processing. Even if there is a possibility that a plurality of human bodies may move, one moving human body can be reliably detected by performing measurement for a continuous measurement time.

In step S306, as described with reference to FIG. 7, as a process for determining whether or not a human body remains in the minus firing element, a difference from the average temperature of elements other than the firing element is calculated. In the example of time 1, it is determined that the human body remains because the thermopiles Bd and Cd, which are minus firing elements, are higher than the other average temperatures, and the minus firing element and the plus firing element B are determined in step S308.
c and Cc are stored, and in step S309, the firing element stored in the human body element, which means that a human body is present, is updated (including addition / deletion) and the process returns. In the example of the measurement time 2, the thermopiles Bc, Cc,
Since there is no difference between Bb and Cb from the other average temperatures, it is determined that the human body has fallen out, and only the thermopile Ba, Ca which is a positive firing element is stored in step S305, and step S309 is performed.
To update the firing element.

In step S310, information on only the minus firing element is received, and it is checked whether or not this minus element was a human body element until the previous time. In other words, if the element where the human body was in the past fired minus,
In step S310, the same minus element processing as in step S306 is performed. If the difference temperature is positive in step S311, the minus ignition element is stored in step S312, and the process proceeds to step S309. This processing can be detected by this processing when, for example, the human body existing in the row a goes out of the area by about half. If the difference temperature is not positive in step S311, the conventional human body firing element is reset in step S313, and the process proceeds to step S309.
If the negative firing element is not the conventional human body element in step S303, the process returns as a disturbance without any processing.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the case of using a thermopile, which is a thermal infrared sensor, will be described as an example in consideration of the ease of handling, such as no need for cooling, and the cost, which can be applied to electrical equipment. However, another infrared sensor, for example, an image sensor may be used as long as the detection time of a plurality of elements is fast. Although 16 elements of a 4 × 4 matrix are used as the number of elements, the number of matrices and the total number of elements are not limited to this number, but the number of elements is preferably 4 or more in the row direction and 16 or more. Furthermore, although two types of difference measurement times are provided and described, the number may be longer.

Embodiment 2 FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the air-conditioning apparatus according to the present embodiment. In this embodiment, the contents of temperature determining unit 25 when “room center air conditioning” is selected will be described. Note that the basic configuration of the air-conditioning apparatus is the same as that of Embodiment 1, and thus the description is omitted. Further, the same or corresponding parts as in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted. When “man-centered air conditioning” is selected by the operation mode selection, the control amount is determined based on the information of the human body detection information and the radiation temperature of the floor surface and the wall surface of the living space 29.

Next, the operation of the temperature determining unit 25 in the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of the temperature determining unit 25 shown in FIG. First, step S40
At step 1, the unmanned flag output from the human body detection unit 24 is checked. If the unmanned flag is 1, it is determined that there is no human body, and the target temperature is set to the minimum (step S402), and the process proceeds to step S404. If the unmanned flag is 0, the temperature target is set to the set temperature because there is a human body (step S4).
03), proceed to step S404. In step S404, it is checked whether or not the target temperature has become equal to the air temperature in the living space, that is, the suction temperature of the indoor unit main body 1. If the target temperature has become equal to the target temperature, the process proceeds to step S405 in order to perform target temperature correction based on human body information. If no, go to step S406.

In step S405, the average temperature of the current temperature of the thermopile 9 excluding the human body element is calculated.
After subtracting this average temperature from the suction temperature in 407, the average temperature is stored in the temperature difference buffer, and the flow advances to step S408.
Here, the average temperature of the current temperature of the thermopile 9 excluding the human body element is calculated because the human body element occupies a wide area of the thermopile 9 when the human body approaches the thermopile module 8, so that the average of the element excluding the human body element is calculated. And Also, if the unmanned flag is set originally, 1
The average value processing of the temperatures of all six elements is performed.

In step S408, the temperature difference buffer generated in S407 is checked, and if the difference between the air temperature and the floor wall temperature is large (for example, 10 ° C. or more), the human body becomes cold due to the radiation temperature from the floor wall. In order to feel, in step S409, the target temperature is maintained or + α is set to make the temperature setting comfortable for the human body. Conversely, when the temperature difference buffer is not large, the target temperature is set to the target temperature −α in step S410 because the influence of radiation is small, and energy-saving operation can be realized while maintaining a comfortable environment. In step S406, information indicating that the target temperature and the suction temperature are not equal is received, and the two temperatures are compared. If the suction temperature is high, the target temperature is greatly reduced in step S412, and if not, the target temperature is maintained and raised to the target value. The target temperature is maintained by both operations. These target temperature settings (S409, S410,
After S412 and S413), the capability of the heat exchanger 2 is determined in step S411, and the process returns.

In the present embodiment, the surface temperature of the floor or the wall surface is detected in addition to the information of the human body, and when it is considered that the human body feels cold due to the radiation temperature from the floor or the wall surface, the target temperature is maintained or + α is set and the human body is set. To a comfortable temperature setting. On the other hand, when the influence of the reverse radiation is small, the target temperature is set to the target temperature -α, and energy-saving operation can be realized while maintaining a comfortable environment. For example, in a situation where a hot carpet is laid on the floor as a combined operation with other air conditioners, the temperature can be gradually reduced to the target temperature,
A comfortable air-conditioning environment can be realized without wasting power.

Embodiment 3 FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the operation of the air-conditioning apparatus according to the present embodiment, and in particular, the operation mode setting “room center” in the present embodiment.
The contents of the wind direction / air volume determination unit 26 when “man-centered” and “manual” are selected will be described. Note that the basic configuration of the air-conditioning apparatus is the same as that of Embodiment 1, and thus the description is omitted. Further, the same or corresponding parts as in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted. When any one of "room center", "person center", and "manual" is selected by the operation mode selection, the control amount according to the selected mode is determined by the information of the human body detection information and the radiation temperature of the floor surface and the wall surface of the living space 29. To determine.

Next, the wind direction / air volume determination unit 2 shown in FIG.
The operation of the wind direction / wind speed determination unit 26 in the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. First,
In step S501, the average temperature of the four rows in the row direction (front and rear) and the four columns in the column direction (left and right) of the current temperature excluding the human body element is calculated. Next, in step S502, the unmanned flag is checked,
If unmanned, the wind speed is set to low in step S503, and the process proceeds to step S504. If unmanned, the process proceeds to step S5.
Go to 05. In step S504, the average temperature difference in the four rows in the row direction is compared. Here, if the temperature difference during heating is large, the upper and lower vanes 6 are directed to the row with the lower average temperature in step S506, and the temperature in the room is made uniform by intensively heating the row with the lower temperature. I do. If the temperature difference is small, the vertical vanes 6 are swung up and down in step S508 to make settings for keeping the room temperature uniform.

In step S507, the average temperature differences in the four rows in the column direction are compared. Here, if the temperature difference is large during heating, the left and right vanes 7 are directed to the row with the lower average temperature in step S509, and the temperature in the room is made uniform by intensively heating the row with the lower temperature. I do. If the temperature difference is small, the left and right vanes 7 are swung to the left and right in step S510 to perform setting for maintaining the uniformity of the room temperature.

On the other hand, in step S505, receiving the manned information, the wind speed is set to the medium setting first, and the next step S5
At 11, check the operation mode setting. If "room center" is set, the process proceeds to step S504, where vane control for equalizing the room temperature is set. If the setting is “human-centered”, “apply wind to human” in step S512
It is checked whether or not the selection is made, and if the setting is "apply", in step S513, the upper and lower and right and left vanes 6 and 7 are both swung toward the human body element, that is, in the direction in which the human body exists, or the bottom line of the human body element, Make settings to blow air toward the feet of. In addition, if the setting is not "apply", the upper and lower and right and left vanes 6 and 7 are both set to be blown in a direction surrounding the human body, thereby enabling air conditioning around the human body without directly applying the wind. If “manual” is set in step S511, the wind direction / wind speed that is manually set in step S515 is set. After each setting, the subroutine is exited by return.

As described above, by controlling the wind direction by comparing the average values of the rows and columns, for example, the temperature change due to sunlight from windows existing in the living space 29 or opening and closing, and furthermore, the connection with other air conditioners. Even if temperature unevenness occurs due to the combined operation, a stable value can be obtained by processing with the average value in the row and column directions, and the direction setting can be performed because the operation direction of the vertical and horizontal vanes 6 and 7 can be synchronized. Become simple. This makes it possible to realize an optimal air conditioning environment that is “centered on people” or “centered on a room”.

Embodiment 4 FIG. 13 is a control block diagram of the human body detection device according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention. Note that the basic configuration of the human body detection device is the same as that of the first embodiment, and a description thereof will be omitted. Further, the same or corresponding parts as in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

Next, the operation of the human body detecting device according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the block diagram shown in FIG.

The user presses a "security button" (not shown) using the indoor unit main body 1 or a remote control switch when going out or the like, and sets a mode in which only the human body detecting section 24 of the control determining section 23 can operate. . The output of the human body detection unit 24 is automatically transmitted to the communication unit 32 provided in the indoor unit main body 1 when the human body element firing is detected when the security mode is set. A notification is sent to the user's portable information device 34, for example, a mobile phone or the like via the base station 33.
In the portable information device 34, by displaying the element image from the human body detection unit 24 on a display device such as an LCD at the same time as the notification, the user can confirm that a suspicious person has entered or a fire has occurred.

At the same time that a signal is sent to the portable information device 34 when an abnormality occurs, a signal is sent to the video device in the home via the communication unit 32 or the power line, and the information obtained from the human body detecting unit 24 is obtained. Automatic recording may be performed. Furthermore, when used as an air conditioner as another application, it can also be displayed on a screen of a home television or the like via the communication unit 32 or the power line. Thereby, the temperature distribution of the living space 29 at the time of air conditioning, the detection of a human body, and the like can be visualized, and efficient temperature management becomes possible.

[0071]

According to the present invention, at least the top row of the temperature distribution detecting means, such as a thermopile, in which the living space is divided into a plurality of areas and the detecting elements are arranged in a matrix for detecting the temperature of each area, is provided. By including a region including a horizontal plane, by providing a human body detection means for recognizing the presence or absence of a human body present in the living space based on the temperature distribution detection result,
Even when the indoor unit is installed at a certain height above the wall surface or in a living space where the depth distance from the indoor unit is long, the temperature distribution can be detected from all areas, and the temperature of the floor surface and wall surface can be detected. It is possible to obtain an arrangement capable of always detecting the distribution and the presence of the human body.

Further, by providing the space-saving and high-speed human body detecting means, the moving human body can be measured by the difference value due to the continuous extreme value change, and the presence or absence of the human body can be determined by the time measuring means. It is possible to detect a human body with high accuracy without being affected by disturbances such as solar radiation from other heating elements and windows.

Further, since the extreme value change is detected at at least two or more different measurement time intervals of the time series for acquiring the continuous positive / negative extreme value change, when the walking speed of the human body is different, etc. By preparing a plurality of measurement intervals, it is possible to clearly distinguish the movement of the area, and to recognize a human body and its position with high accuracy. For this reason, a detailed human body movement that is not affected by the human body moving speed can be measured.

Further, by providing the space-saving and high-speed human body detecting means, the air conditioner can be controlled using the highly accurate human body detection information and the temperature distribution information of the living environment in a wide area. It is possible to perform an operation that can be obtained, is efficient, and can save energy.

The control amount is determined based on the setting conditions of the condition setting means, the recognition result of the human body detecting means, and the output of the average temperature calculating means for calculating the average temperature detected by the plurality of detecting elements arranged in a matrix. As a result, space-saving, high-speed human body detection means detects the surface temperature of the floor and walls in addition to the information of the human body, while maintaining the comfortable environment taking into account the effect of the sensible temperature on the human body by the radiation temperature from the floor and walls. Energy saving operation can be realized. In addition, in the situation where a hot carpet is laid on the floor as a combination operation with other air conditioning equipment, the temperature can be gradually lowered to the target temperature, and a comfortable air conditioning environment can be realized without using unnecessary power. it can.

The recognition result of the human body detecting means and the outputs of the row average temperature calculating means and the column average temperature calculating means for calculating the average temperatures in the row direction and the column direction detected by the plurality of detecting elements arranged in a matrix. By controlling the wind direction by comparing the average value of rows and columns with space-saving, high-speed human body detection means, the control amount is determined by A stable value can be obtained because the processing is performed by the average value in the row and column directions even with respect to the temperature change and the occurrence of temperature unevenness due to the combined operation with other air conditioners. Further, since the operation directions of the vertical and horizontal vanes can be synchronized with each other, the direction can be easily set. This makes it possible to realize an optimal air conditioning environment that is “centered on people” or “centered on a room”.

Further, by providing a communication means for enabling communication with the portable information device, it is possible to confirm the intrusion of a suspicious person or the occurrence of a fire even from outside. In addition, when an abnormality occurs, the temperature can be automatically recorded on a video device in the home, or displayed on the screen of a TV or the like in the home when used as an air conditioner. In addition, human body detection and the like can be visualized, and efficient temperature management can be realized.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an air conditioner according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of a main part of the indoor unit shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a thermopile unit according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a control block diagram of the air-conditioning apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a detection area in a living space of the thermopile unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a detection area in a living space of the thermopile unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing differential temperature data of each region of the thermopile unit according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an overall operation of the air-conditioning apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an operation of the human body detection unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an operation of the moving human body detecting section according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an operation of a temperature determining unit according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing an operation of a wind direction / wind speed determination unit according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a control block diagram of an air conditioner according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a sectional view showing a structure of an infrared sensor of a conventional air conditioner.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 indoor unit body, 2 indoor heat exchanger, 3 blower fan,
4 Inlet, 5 outlet, 6 vertical vane, 7
Left and right vanes, 8 thermopile modules, 9, 9Aa
9Dd Thermopile, 10 Thermopile unit, 11 Condensing lens, 12 Detected area, 13 Scanning unit, 14 Amplifying unit (first amplifying unit), 15 Reference temperature element, 16 Amplifying unit (2nd amplifying unit), 17 Differential amplifier, 18 signal output, 19 multiplexer,
20 A / D converter, 21 Temperature data converter, 22
Storage unit, 23 control determination unit, 24 human body detection unit, 25
Temperature determination unit, 26 wind direction / wind speed determination unit, 27 microcomputer, 28 driver, 29 living space,
30 floor-mounted air conditioner, 31 human body, 32 communication unit, 3
3 base stations, 34 portable information devices.

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A temperature distribution detecting means in which a living space is divided into a plurality of areas and detecting elements are arranged in a matrix for detecting the temperature of each area, and the plurality of temperature data detected by the temperature distribution detecting means are divided into Storage means for storing one by one in association with a predetermined area of the set area, a top row of the detection elements arranged in the matrix includes an area including at least a horizontal plane, and a temperature distribution of the living space output from the storage means And a human body detecting means for recognizing the presence or absence of a human body existing in the living space based on the detection result. 2. The moving human body detecting means includes a moving human body detecting section for detecting a movement of a human body from a continuous positive / negative extreme value change in a time series of a plurality of detecting elements arranged in a matrix. 2. The human body detecting device according to claim 1, wherein the output of the unit and the time measuring means determine that there is no stationary human body in the living space and that no human exists in the living space. 3. The human body detecting device according to claim 2, wherein the time series measurement time intervals for acquiring the positive and negative continuous extreme value changes detect the extreme value changes at at least two or more different measurement intervals. . 4. A capacity generating means for generating a heating / cooling capacity temperature, a blowing means for blowing the capacity generating means to blow hot or cold air outside the main body with high or low strength, and changing the direction and speed of hot or cold air. An air conditioner provided in the main body, wherein a detecting element is arranged in a matrix for detecting a temperature of each area by dividing a living space into a plurality of areas on the front of the main body. Temperature distribution detecting means provided; storage means for sequentially storing a plurality of temperature data detected by the temperature distribution detecting means in association with a predetermined area in the divided areas; and detecting elements provided in the matrix The uppermost line includes an area including at least a horizontal plane, and recognizes the presence or absence of a human body existing in the living space based on the temperature distribution detection result of the living space output from the storage unit. A human body detecting unit, a temperature determining unit that determines a control amount of at least one of the capacity generating unit and the blowing unit based on the temperature distribution detection result, and a wind direction unit based on the temperature distribution detecting result. An air conditioner comprising: wind direction / wind speed determining means for determining a control amount. 5. An average temperature calculating means for calculating a setting condition of the condition setting means, a recognition result of the human body detecting means, and an average temperature detected by the plurality of detecting elements arranged in a matrix. The air conditioner according to claim 4, wherein the control amount is determined based on the output of the air conditioner. 6. The wind direction / wind speed determining means calculates a recognition result of the human body detecting means and a row average temperature in each of a row direction and a column direction detected by the plurality of detecting elements arranged in a matrix. The air conditioner according to claim 4, wherein the control amount is determined by each output of the calculating means and the row average temperature calculating means. 7. The human body detecting device according to claim 4, wherein said temperature distribution detecting means is a thermopile. 8. A temperature distribution detecting means in which a living space is divided into a plurality of areas and detecting elements are arranged in a matrix for detecting the temperature of each area, and the plurality of temperature data detected by the temperature distribution detecting means are divided into a plurality of areas. Storage means for storing one by one in association with a predetermined area of the set area, the top row of the detection elements arranged in a matrix includes an area including at least a horizontal plane, and the temperature distribution of the living space output from the storage means is detected. A human body detection device comprising: a human body detection unit that recognizes the presence or absence of a human body existing in the living space based on a result; and a communication unit that enables communication with a portable information device. 9. The human body detecting device according to claim 1, wherein the temperature distribution detecting means is a thermopile.